vol.1, no.3

THE PLUMBER’S LEDGERVol. 1, No. 3 6 November 2012An EUS Publication

Featuring:

SUPERNOVA Part II

Kickstarter.com

Apple Mini

Windows 8

Africa

Food

Contributors

Editor:Brigid Cami

Layout:Brigid Cami

Photography:Anna KatychevaKieran MakErika Timoshenko

The Plumber’s Ledger is a Publication of the Engineering Undergraduate Society of McGill University. The views expressed are solely the opinions of the authors and do not necessar-illy represent the position of the EUS. For questions, comments, and complaints, as well as more information on the policies of the Plumber’s Ledger, please use the contact information below. Use this contact informa-tion also if you have an interest in contrib-uting content to the Plumber’s Ledger on a one-time or regular basis.

The Plumber’s [email protected]. 1, No. 36 November 2012

Information

Writers:Frédérick ChagnonMarc ChelalaDaniel DicaireAnna KatychevaKieran MakErika Timoshenko

Advising:David Bailey

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|The Plumber’s Ledger

6 November 2012

From the Editor:

Welcome back to the third issue of The Plumber’s Ledger. As you go through and scrupulously read every single article, you may notice little changes in appearance here and there, and we hope you will bear with us as we go about finding ourselves — finding a spot to build our nest in the engineer-ing niche, so to speak.

I’m happy to say this is my favourite issue yet, and here’s to continued im-provement. In this issue, our content ranges from travelling in Africa, to a house for your inventions, to Quinoa salad. SUPERNOVA is back with its second installment and we hope you will stay tuned for the final install-ment (coming in the final issue of the term). The past month was bubbling with technology news, what with Windows 8 and Apple mini debuting, and we have thoroughly covered that base.

The art and photography in this is-sue were especially to my liking, what with zebras and guns and whatnot. (I just realized both the front and back covers are guns — peace and love.)

Finally, The Plumber’s Ledger contin-ues its hunt for new members. If you can do anything besides engineering, email [email protected] for more information on getting involved.

Bon appétit!

Brigid Cami,Editor

Willkommen, Bienvenue, and Welcome Back

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The Plumber’s Ledger|

6 November 2012

In this Issue:

Happiness is a Warm Gun by Kieran Mak.....................1

Letter from the Editor..................................................2

News from the EUS.....................................................4

And Then There Were Three..........................................5

Kickstarter.com...........................................................7

You Only Live Once: A Journey Through East Africa .....10

Quinoa Salad.............................................................13

SUPERNOVA Part II ..................................................14

New Devices Everywhere!..........................................18

Flow a River by Justin Turcotte...................................20

View it in

colour!


4 6 November 2012

News from the

EventsCanadian Federation of Engineering Stu-dents (CFES) is a conference that takes place in Kitchener, Ontario from January 3

- 7 . The EUS is selecting 5 students to send, and you’re all eligible to apply! Contact [email protected] for more info.

E-Week registration will open soon for the first week back next semester.

E-Week is our annual interdepartmental competition, which includes our classic events like Pub Crawl and Bus Trip to Nowhere.

Registration is open for the annual EUS Ski Trip which will be 3 Days and 2 nights at Mont. Ste-Anne (January 18 - 20). If

you haven’t done it yet, check it out at least once before you graduate for some great memories.

The EUS is working to provide op-portunities for students to exhibit their academic skills. As such, we’re pleased to announce MEC (Mc-Gill Engineering Competition) and

CodeJam are back this year. Registration is open for both, so sign up now!

WebsiteIt’s taken some time to get it up, but we’ve finally got a website that we’re proud of. Check it out for informa-tion on all of our clubs, committees, and positions. We’ll also be publishing news on the website frequently, so be sure to keep an eye out. Until then, check out the rest of the content at mcgilleus.ca!

CFES

E-Week

EUS Ski Trip

MEC and Code Jam

Photo Rep CommitteeThe EUS has yet another new committee! After pur-chasing a DSLR this summer, the EUS decided to revive the Photo Rep Committee to help document our history and to work with our various publications (like this one) to ensure we’ve always got content. Contact [email protected] for more information.

SenateAfter the resignation of our previous senator, we’re pleased to welcome Nikhil Srindihi to Senate. Nikhil will be sitting on the Academic Policy Committee as well as several others, and he’ll be one of two representatives for engineering on Senate.

The Plumber’s LedgerThe Plumber’s Ledger is still looking for members to join its crew. Whether you are interested in writing, paint-ing, instagraming, etc. there is a place for you here. If you’d like to submit something, or attend one of our meetings, contact [email protected].

Courtesy of Jason Willems

Next EUS Council MeetingAs an engineering undergraduate student at McGill, you have a right to attend meetings of the EUS Council and to speak for or against any motion, though only your elected councilors may vote. The next regular meeting of the EUS Council will be Wednesday, November 14th, at 6:00 p.m. in the EUS Common Room. Meetings are held every second week after this.


5 6 November 2012

On October 26th, Microsoft released two new products. The first is their radical refresh of their ubiquitous op-erating system, Windows 8, and the second is their official entry into the modern tablet ecosystem, Microsoft Surface RT. Contrary to popular be-lief, Microsoft has a history with tab-let devices that goes back to at least 2002, but their pen-centric method

of interaction as well as technologi-cal limitations have kept this itera-tion of mobile devices from becom-ing a success. The Surface aims to compete in a field with two sizeable competitors.

The term “iPad” has become somewhat of a vernacular for “tab-let” just as the iPod came to refer to any MP3 player. Apple’s solution to

mobile large screen devices involved a mobile centric OS (rather than a modified desktop version), and the use of low power ARM type proces-sors to improve battery life. Finally, the tablet was designed to use touch input exclusively. The intuitive UI and powerful marketing made the iPad the first mainstream tablet device.

Until September of this year, the

And Then There Were Threeby Daniel Dicaire


6 6 November 2012

iPad had largely been uncontested in terms of market share, but at 48% of the Market, Android tablets have all but closed the gap. Android tablets began as a response to the iPad, but they have largely come into their own in terms of usability and capability. Android tablets (and phones for that matter) are made with the same model desktop PCs have been using for years. Google develops the Android operating sys-tem, and OEMs design and construct products to sell on the market. This means that there is no “representa-tive” model of Android tablets, and each product should be researched separately from the other.

The battle therefore has been between the closed, one-device-per-year system of hardware and software that Apple favors, and the open source, plethora of compet-ing devices all bearing Android. To understand how the Surface will fit into the current market, I will briefly compare the current players, offer their strengths, and display opportu-nities for the Surface to outshine the others.

Apple devices have long been sold under the mantra “It just works,” which is the strongest argument in favor of an entirely in-house solution to hardware and software. The top down oversight of a single company means that almost all variables that can cause problems are accounted for in the design stage. This makes the iPad extremely good at the tasks Apple has deemed important, and also makes them second to none in terms of reliability. The negative side of the coin then comes down to the high price of these devices and the degree of control Apple has on what is installed on the device after pur-chase.

Android is the opposite in almost every sense - almost “The PC” of mo-bile computing. Android hardware varies greatly, even within single companies. This inevitably means that more issues arise for the end user, but the upshot is that adapta-tions can be made to meet different needs. For example, ASUS makes the Transformer line of tablets which leverages the ability to add a key-board to increase productivity and battery life, while Samsung has in-troduced the Note 10.1, which can utilise an active stylus to improve handwriting and drawing. While not every app will take advantage of the hardware keyboard to its full ability or allow the stylus to expand input options, the different devices allow for a more personalized selection of product as well as a variable price range. Finally, Android devices allow for the installation of apps outside the Google Play Store.

As for the Surface, it seems that Microsoft is following a similar path to Apple. The Surface’s hardware and software were developed and produced by Microsoft. The Sur-face RT gets its name from the ARM friendly version of Windows 8, Win-dows RT, and can only install apps that Microsoft makes available. It di-verges from its competition with its novel Modern UI (formerly known as Metro), which it will share with Win-dows 8, Windows Phone 8, and the Xbox 360. This has the potential to unify the computing experience to a degree that has never before been accomplished.

The biggest challenge that the Surface will face comes from the fact that it is the newest competi-tor. Its app store lacks the selection of either of its competitors and there are no consumer reviews about how

it will fare in the real world. Second to that comes price. The 32 GB ver-sion starts at $519, which is the same as the current iPad (16 GB) model. Price matching the current leader of the market makes adoption con-siderably more difficult to justify, especially with much cheaper alter-natives like the $200 Nexus 7 from Google.

The Surface does have its boons, however. The hardware innovation is staggering when you realize that it features near field communica-tion (NFC), Magnesium coated cas-ing (for scratch resistance), and the magnetic keyboard covers. It also features full sized USB and expand-able memory. These features make it an attractive option for people who like the latest technology.

One final point is that the Surface RT will have some competition from within Microsoft in early 2013. The Surface Pro will feature an x86 Intel processor. That means that .exe type programs can be installed from third party sources. It will also feature an active stylus for handwriting and creativity. All this comes alongside the new apps from the Windows app store.

In summary, you are really seeing Microsoft trying to beat Apple at their own game – a premium expe-rience using in-house hardware and a closed app ecosystem. Android of-fers some cheaper alternatives and (I believe) the best value for money, while its high end is beginning to make a name for itself. Apple is the de facto standard of tablets. Surface is the underdog with some strength to bear. If you are in the market for a new tablet this time of year, make sure that you give each of these de-vices a thorough inspection before you make your choice. •


7 6 November 2012

ment too risky to shoulder alone. He realized that there needed to be a way to find out if people were will-ing to commit to a project and even fund it to help manage the risk in-volved.

“Money has always been a huge barrier to creativity,” Mr. Chen, 35, said. “We all have a lot of ideas we’d like to see get off the ground, but unless you have a rich uncle, you aren’t always able to embrace those random ideas.”

The problem sat with him until in 2005 he met Yancey Strickler and the idea for Kickstarter was born.

Launched in 2009, Kickstarter is a web based funding platform for creative projects that aims to match artists and inventors with small-scale investors willing to con-tribute to their project. By having a large number of individuals make mostly modest contributions (25$ is the most common amount) to-wards specific projects, investor risk is minimized and good ideas that don’t necessarily fit the mold

Let’s face it: no one really enjoys checking Facebook anymore. Ap-ple’s idea of innovation in a post Steve Jobs world seems to be make everything mini, and Google Plus seems destined to join Buzz and Ping in the social media graveyard. With all this lack of excitement, it feels like the next big thing is just around the corner waiting to be con-jured up in a campus dorm room or suburban garage. I’m sure that at least once, you and your buds have sat around over a couple beers and talked about all the sweet ideas you have and how rich you could be if you could just get someone to buy in. But since you didn’t make it through the auditions of Dragon’s Den and don’t have a trust fund, you end up grabbing another drink and forgetting the whole thing.

This pretty much sums up the problem that musician Perry Chan ran into in 2002. He wanted to orga-nize a concert in his adopted home of New Orleans, but was forced to cancel after deeming the invest-

required by conventional financiers can receive the funding they need.

Furthermore, tapping into this phenomenon known as “crowd-funding” often means the artists and inventors behind the project see an increase in venture capital and can also get a pretty good prediction of what the market response to the project may be before committing a lot of time, effort and money.

The first step to submitting a project to Kickstarter is defining a specific “project.” To Chen, a project suggests something finite with a clear goal. This means no handouts, no supporting a start-up or career, and no “fund my life

so I can afford samosas in McCon-nell” projects. Second, unlike many other fundraising sites, users must establish rewards to offer their back-ers in exchange for their support. These rewards must vary for differ-ent levels of commitment and often range from a handwritten thank you note, to behind the scenes access and exclusive products. Finally, the project makers must set a monetary goal and a time deadline. If the proj-ect reaches its goal, they get to keep the money and must follow through with their rewards. If it falls short, they get nothing. With these steps completed, the project is then eval-uated, given some specific market-ing advice, and then goes live.

In its first year of operation, Kick-starter had three employees and re-ceived just over $7 million in pledges. Since then, they have relocated to an office in Manhattan’s lower east side, expanded to 47 employees and have received almost $400 million helping launch 31,636 projects.

Central to their success has been the fact that they have managed to

Kieran Mak


8 6 November 2012

source is solidified. And people have taken notice: Time magazine named Kickstarter one of the best websites of 2011, and they have received en-dorsements from the likes of Sun-dance Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, and the New Museum.

Despite all the success, Chen has

establish rules and guidelines where they could have simply let the Inter-net “take over.” As a business and social utility, Kickstarter has an in-terest in projects succeeding. Not only do they take a 5% cut but with each successful project, the brand and its position as an important re-

maintained that the company is committed to staying small. “If we take a little bit longer to get stuff done, that’s what we’re going to do. We’ll work harder but we don’t want to be hundreds of people. We want everybody to know everybody else. We want to grow the company cul-ture in that way.” •

What it is: An affordable, high-reso-lution stereolithography 3D printer. Using lasers (cool!) and a liquid plastic resin, the Form 1 can print CAD models with layers as thin as 24 microns and a high quality surface finish all for under $2,300.

What you get:

• $5: An .STL model of the form 1 to print on your existing 3D printer.

• $39: Your own printed gyrocube with Formlabs logo.

• $2,299: The printer and 1L of resin.

Exhibit #1: The Form 1

Following, is a quick sample of some of the things that can be found on Kickstarter:


9 6 November 2012

Exhibit #3: The Hunter’s Shirt by Ball and Buck

What it is: For the true sporting gentleman. Ball and Buck rede-signed the most iconic shirt -the Oxford- and geared it up for the shooting range. This shirt will keep you looking classy next time you head into the backwoods. Available in red, white and blue and made in USA.

What you get:

• $10: 1 leather toothpick holder

• $98: The Hunter’s Shirt in color and size of your choice (retail $128)

• $598: 5 Hunter’s Shirts, 5 Pocket Tee Shirts and your name and picture on the Ball and Buck Website.

What it is: A high quality, water resistant Bluetooth speaker. Comes in 7 colors and can be mounted to just about anything.

What you get:

• $5: A virtual high five and an iconic logo sticker pack.

• $99 Priority shipping on The Turtle Shell (retail $149.95)

• $625: 6 pack of The Turtle Shell in the various colors and 6 mounts.

Exhibit #2: The Turtle Shell


10 6 November 2012

You Only Live OnceA Journey Through East Africa

Written by Anna KatychevaPhotographs by Anna Katycheva


11 6 November 2012

You Only Live OnceA Journey Through East Africa

my friend shouted as we watched the sunrise

above the Kakamega rainforest in Kenya. We woke

up at 5 am and hiked up a steep hill to witness this

breathtaking view of the sun rising above the mist

while singing the opening theme to the lion king.

Embracing the cliché, our motto in East Africa was

“You Only Live Once.” White water rafting down

the Nile? Bungee jumping? Watching elephants

and lions in the Mara? Yes, please! From congested

Nairobi, to rural Kenya, to the Nile River, to the

thousand hills of Kigali, to the beautiful Masai

Mara, to a deserted town on the coast of Kenya…

it was an amazing six week journey. (continued)

“I can sleep when I’m dead. YOLO!”


12 6 November 2012

It all began when I decided to ap-ply to Operation Groundswell. Their motto is Backpacking with a Pur-pose, purpose being to learn about Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda from the inside – to dismiss the pre-con-ceived ideas about “Africa”. The purpose was to learn about devel-opment on a macro scale such as a dairy-goat breeding project in ru-ral Kenya, or a community of art-ists in Rwanda. No, I wasn’t there to change the world, and don’t get me started on the whole catching Kony thing. As much as possible, we tried to stay away from voluntourism – in-stead, we invested in development projects with money each partici-pant had fundraised prior to starting our journey.

The highlight of my trip was visit-ing the Mwelu Foundation, an orga-nization in the heart of the Mathare slum in Nairobi Kenya which gives opportunities to the slum’s youth to explore and eventually pursue journalism, film, and photography. They give cameras to the youth so that they can document their lives.

Most citizens of Nairobi, as well as the rest of the world, misunderstand the slum. The Mwelu Foundation’s work is displayed on their website (http://www.mwelu.org/) to educate others about the life in Mathare – about their problems as well as their dreams. At McGill I have the reputa-tion of being “the photographer,” so you can imagine my enthusiasm as Eric, a staff member of the Founda-tion, answered my many questions about its work. Eric loves journalism and photography, and like all the workers at the Foundation he grew up in the slum. I felt so inspired to see how my passion could be translated to a humanist form and how photog-raphy can connect people from such diverse backgrounds. At the end of the day, we were honoured to have donated to the organization.

It is amazing how much this trip has benefited me. I would have never dared to go, but I am so glad I had the guts to send in my applica-tion. After all, you only live once. I survived through an emotional jour-ney away from my comfort zone for

the first time. The greatest example would be sleeping outside a gas sta-tion in Jinja, Uganda at 4 am, waiting for the ride to our next destination. Only four hours later I was going down a level five rapid called “the Bad Place,” and the next day I de-cided I would bungee jump over the Nile!

I had to face many personal chal-lenges, such as overcoming my shy-ness and introverted personality to talk to the warm (but very chatty) locals, as well as biking uphill for about twenty kilometers under the equatorial sun. It took me awhile to understand the magnitude of my accomplishment. I did not be-lieve in myself, so I want to thank all those who did. I realise how cli-ché it is to say “if I can do this, I can do anything,” but the truth is when you realize that you have achieved something difficult, you gain a new perspective on your next challenge as well as confidence in your abili-ties. So, fellow students, go ahead and live your own adventure . . . and share it with us. #YOLO.•


13 6 November 2012

• 1 cup of quinoa (makes about 2 cups cooked)

• 2-3 carrots, roughly chopped

• a handful of raisins (Thompson’s are the best!)

• 1 onion, minced

• ½ cup peas, cooked

• ½ cup corn, cooked

• 1-2 ripe tomatoes, cut into large chunks

• 1 bell pepper, chopped

• 2 cups of orange juice

• spices: turmeric, chili, paprika, salt, pepper ...

• oil for frying

Do you feel like you’re constantly hearing about

quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wha), yet have no idea

what to do with it? Do you glance at it every time you go grocery shopping, but always find yourself picking up the bag of rice instead? Well here is a great way to start using this delicious and nutritious grain! Quinoa

is an excellent source of protein and other

nutrients, so this makes a complete meal. This recipe

provides a lot of leeway for modifications and additions.

Erika Timoshenko

Quinoa Salad

1. In a deep pan, heat oil. Toss in spices and onion and allow it to cook until the onion is soft.

2. Pour orange juice into the pan and let it heat to a low boil.

3. Add raisins and carrots and cook until only slightly soft.

4. Toss in quinoa and cook it in the orange juice until it is soft and the orange juice has been soaked up (quinoa is ready when the “tail” of the seed start to poke out and the grain is chewy). Add more orange juice if necessary.

5. Remove from heat and mix in peas and corn. Allow the mix to cool.

6. Toss in bell pepper and tomatoes and mix well.

7. Enjoy!

Ingredients Preparation


14 6 November 2012

to sleep in that late. “Officer Red,

come in. Ledger, is everything okay

with the system?”

“No problem to report. We are still

able to reach Earth and other parts

of the ship.”

“This is not good . . . he should

have reported by now. I’ll go check

what is going on.” The absence of

reply was strange to say the least.

A couple of minutes later, she stood

before his door, ready to open it.

The room was still dark and a foul

smell was present. It almost smelled

like . . . no it couldn’t be. He must be

alright . . . Making her way towards

the bedroom, Jenn stepped in

something sticky. Her heart stopped

at once. She turned on the lights and

had to suppress her gag reflex. She

was standing in a pool of blood. It

was everywhere – on the ground, on

the walls, even on the ceiling.

“Code Orange. Potential murder

in Room 0042. West Out,” she

whispered in her communicator.

Soon enough there would be a lot

mentioned? Would they dare attack

a Wells’ ship? If they did, what could

they possibly do? What was the

“great evil” on board? Was it the

product of an insane old lady, or

something she should pay attention

to? Those were tough questions for

early in the morning and she had

already lost plenty of sleep trying to

answer them.

“Ledger, put me through to Officer

John Red.”

“Yes, Cap.” Jack Ledger behaved

like he was better than everyone due

to his experience – and so annoyed

most of the crew – but Jenn was

forced to admit that he was a very

capable communications officer.

“John, time to wake up. The

kitchens need their food . . . John?

Come in, John.” They had spent the

night together, but it was unlike him

They had left Clarke Tower two

weeks ago and were now in one of

the less exciting parts of the voyage.

All of the customary tasks had been

performed and the ship was merely

cruising towards its destination. The

Hermes was equipped with a solar

sail for longer routes, the antimatter

drive being in its infancy and still

extremely expensive, even by Wells’s

standards. The crew was occupying

itself the best it could through such

activities assports, reading, and

theater. The ship was eerily similar

to a cruise liner with its many offered

distractions for the passengers, all

of whom would really start working

once the destination was reached.

Jennifer West was sipping her

morning coffee on the bridge,

wondering about the possibilities

the future held. Who was this

competition the President had

In the previous issue, Jennifer West and the crew of the Hermès left Earth to go

investigate an unidentified object orbiting the Sun on behalf of the Wells Space

Company . The Company’s president has made it clear that failure is not an option. To

make matters worse a passenger warned her that there were a “great evil” on board

as well as the “demon messenger.”

Illustrations by Anna Katycheva


15 6 November 2012

decided Jenn. Someone needs to

take control. We can’t fall to fear

now.

“A murder like that doesn’t go

unnoticed, is there anything on

the surveillance tapes?” inquired

Quentin Richardson.

Quentin was second-in-

command and was an

ex-soldier from Nigeria

who had spent some

time as a detective

before enrolling on the

Hermes.

Before the

c o m m u n i c a t i o n s

officer could reply, Jenn

intervened: “You don’t

have to check Jack. I

turned off the cameras

and audio last night.

John and I didn’t want

any peeping toms.” She

now felt guilty at this

precaution, but at the

time she couldn’t risk a

tape leaking out.

“Oh great! So we have

a murderer in a closed

ship with 241 potential

victims and/or potential

killers! And the food

supply guy is dead! This

is just wonderful!” Jack was clearly

frustrated with the situation – it

would put a pretty big stain on his

resume.

“I advise we turn around and go

to fail is not putting on any white

gloves.

“So . . . the guy with the red shirt

died first . . . that must be a first!”

Ledger’s attempt at a joke fell

completely flat.

“It is the demon! This ship is

cursed! Abandon ship!” Doctor Minh

screamed, completely terrified.

“Send a team to do the clean-

up. Officers’ meeting right NOW,”

of activity in the area, but she had to

find the source of all this blood. Of

course she knew whose blood it was

but she had to see it for herself. She

made her way to the bedroom and

this time she couldn’t stop herself

from screaming. She

finally saw John’s face

– attached to the wall

facing her.

Looking at her was the

lifeless skin mask that

once was John Red’s

face. On the ground was

his body, tightly tied and

with the face cut off so

that there were only the

muscles remaining. On

the bed were the ropes

and knives the killer had

used. Not long after she

made this gruesome

discovery, the rest of

the officers arrived on

the scene. The reaction

was instantaneous and

a wave of panic quickly

spread to the rest of the

ship.

Doctor Minh bent

down to check his vitals:

“He’s dead Jenn”.

“Thank you Doctor.” It

was quite obvious that he was dead

but it still needed to be done. There

it is – the ship will not be attacked

from the outside, but from the

inside. Whoever wants this mission


16 6 November 2012

fun? Hahaha! Sadly for you, you

don’t have anything I want. Might

as well enjoy myself a bit, don’t

you think? Hahaha!” The voice was

everywhere and the laugh resonated

in the room. Tom couldn’t make out

who he was talking to or where the

crowbar would hit next. The killer

was hitting hard, breaking bones

at will and without notice, while

laughing constantly in a devilish

manner. Once the back broke

following a very nasty hit, Tom was

on the verge of losing consciousness.

His pleas for mercy fell to deaf ears.

That’s when he saw who was hitting

him. He couldn’t believe who the

aggressor was. He couldn’t move a

single muscle in his body. Everything

was broken.

With an extremely weak voice, he

was able to whisper: “Why are you

doing this? It’s useless.”

“Isn’t everything we do useless? We

are all dust in the wind, as they say! I

am simply increasing the uncertainty

of Life! Isn’t that WONDERFUL?” He

followed that with a crowbar to the

stomach. He then pulled out a rusty

knife and gently circled Tom’s face

with the blade, sensing his complete

terror. Without warning, he pressed

harder. Blood started flowing. He

continued the motion, marking

the contour of the face with a deep

scar. Tom was still breathing, his

eyes were terrified, he wasn’t even

screaming. The killer stopped the

It had now been a couple of days

since the incident and the tension

was still palpable. Quentin had

interrogated about a third of the

passengers by now and had so far

been shut down. It would be a tough

case to crack. Soon, they would

reach the no-return point – the point

where they would not have enough

fuel on board to return to Earth and

must go to the destination to refill.

He was hoping the Captain would

change her mind before then. Time

was running out. The events of the

next day might force her hand.

• • •

Tom, the secretary, had no idea

where he was. He was walking back

to his quarters when he got hit

from behind and fell unconscious.

He woke up tied to a chair in a dark

and cold room. He had no way

of knowing how much time had

elapsed and what part of the ship he

was in.

“Hello Tom. Tom is your name,

right?” The voice was deep

and cavernous and came from

everywhere at once.

“Y-y-yes . . .” Tom was stuttering

from fear and cold. Without warning,

he got hit by a crowbar which

cracked a couple of ribs. “Wh-what

d-d-do want! I’ll tell you everything

I know!” Another hit, another rib

cracked.

“That is so pathetic. I hit and you

want to talk, already. Where’s the

home right away, Captain. Let the

police handle the investigation. They

are better equipped to handle this

than we are. Not to mention that

the crew is afraid and I don’t think

anyone here wants a mutiny on its

hands.” Quentin was the voice of

reason, but something didn’t make

sense for Jenn. Then she realized

that John simply had the misfortune

of being in the wrong place at the

wrong time. She was the target. The

killer tried to kill her and cancel the

mission. Turning back was exactly

what the killer wanted. They had no

choice but to continue. She thought

about what would happen to her

relative if she quit now.

“No. We must continue. Turning

back is what the killer wants. We

cannot fall to terrorism. I want two

guards watching over me at all

times. Curfew is at 21:30 from now

on. All personnel must be accounted

for before lights out. Double the

guards during the nights.”

“But Captain! We have a situation

we are not prepared to face alone.

We need reinforcements!” The

captain’s decision was frustrating

Richardson a lot – he had seen

many atrocities in his time with the

military, and feared that they could

repeat here.

“You’re the ex-detective, right? You

are in charge of the investigation, Q.

Captain’s orders.”

• • •


17 6 November 2012

fly around.

“What was that?”

“A small asteroid, Captain. It

slipped through our detectors.”

“Quentin, did it hit anything?”

After checking status reports,

Quentin’s face became as white as his

skin would allow: “Communications

are down. Nothing goes in or out,

even within the ship. We are on our

own Captain.”

The news hit Jennifer

like a cold shower.

Could things be worse?

We are cut off from

everyone, including

our own people, with

a psychopath killer on

board whom, in any

scenario, has a couple

of weeks to do all the

damage he wants. Plus,

we are literally in the

middle of nowhere with

no one able to come

help us for a month . . .

What happens next?

Who is this mysterious

killer? Will the crew be able to

complete its mission, or at least

survive the voyage home? For

the answers to these questions,

make sure to read the conclusion of

SUPERNOVA, available in the next

issue of The Plumber’s Ledger! •

staples and straps.

The same deep and raucous voice

boomed through the ship’s speakers:

“Hello people of the Hermes! As you

might have noticed, I am wearing

Tom’s face. You should find his body

in the meat room, or at least what’s

left of it! Hahaha! This ship is going

where it should not be going . . . I

can’t let that happen. So as long

as we keep our current trajectory,

people will die! It is as simple as that!

Isn’t that fun? Oh and you might

want to make a quick decision,

because I heard we are approaching

the no-return point! Tic toc: your

move Captain!” As soon as the

killer’s message was over, the ship

shook like hell and people started to

preliminaries and started to peel off

Tom’s skin as if it was nothing more

than a potato – one stroke at a time,

one flesh strap at a time. That’s

when Tom started to scream – a long

scream. He screamed until he bled

to death from the giant wound that

had become his face.

• • •

“Uh, Captain?”

“Yes, Jack?”

“We’ve just received a

rather strange message

. . . I can’t make out the

origin, it just appeared

out of nowhere . . . ”

Sensing something

was indeed wrong, she

ordered for Quentin

to come to the bridge.

It likely involved the

mysterious murderer.

The message was a video

that began playing on

every screen on the ship.

“Ledger, what is

happening? I don’t want

everyone to see it!”

“I know I know! I’m

trying, but I can’t control anything!”

On the screen a face appeared. It

was impossible to make out if it

was a man or a woman. It was also

impossible to determine who was

speaking because it was wearing

Tom’s face like a mask. Tom’s face

was stitched back together and

stretched on the killer’s face with


18 6 November 2012

be available in November for the 21-

inch version and December for the

27-inch version. Meanwhile, Apple

has halted sales of the current

iMac on its online store.

Yet, the most unexpected

announcement was the release of

a new iPad, a mere seven months

after the third-generation was

launched. This news comes as a

surprise to those who recently

bought an iPad, their device

becoming suddenly outdated. The

new iPad features a faster processor

chip, and the new, smaller Lightning

connector from Apple.

Just three days after Apple’s

event, Microsoft launched

its newest operating system,

Windows 8, along with its flagship

tablet, the Surface. The new OS

from Windows is a radical departure

from the previous version in that it

re-invents the way we interact with

computers: Windows 8 is much

more touch-centric, and aims to be

more intuitive and personal with the

introduction of live-tiles instead of

the Start menu. The desktop can still

be accessed though and Windows

8 Pro is compatible with desktop

applications. More on Windows

8 and Microsoft Surface can be

found in our other article, And Then There Were Three (p.8). Note that

the Windows 8 Pro version of the

Surface is still “coming soon.”

On Monday, October 29th,

more portable. Its price is however

higher than the previous estimates,

at $329 for the 16Gb version, making

it more expensive than its main

competitors, the Google Nexus 7

and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

The iPad mini is expected to start

shipping mid-November.

Second is the 13-inch MacBook

Pro with Retina display: just like

its big brother, the 15-inch version

launched earlier this year, this new

high end MacBook Pro is thinner

and lighter than the traditional

MacBook Pro, and boasts a high

resolution display of 2560x1600

pixels (i.e. 227 ppi density) as well as

flash storage starting at 128Gb. But

those specifications don’t come at

a low price, with the 2.5 Ghz core i5

model starting at $1699.

Aside from upping the specs on

the Mac Mini, Apple also unveiled

a completely redesigned iMac. The

new all-in-one desktop is just 5mm

thick with a new screen technology

that is less reflective and more

vibrant. The new iMac will reportedly

If you were too busy with

midterms and haven’t followed

the news recently, you have

missed out on several new devices,

announcements, and releases.

In fact, the past few weeks have

been punctuated by important

conferences and launch events by

the biggest players in the computing

industry. So, in order to bring you

up to speed, we present you with

a summary of everything that

was unveiled during the month of

October.

We start with Apple Inc.,

which held a conference in San

Francisco on October 23th to

unveil the long expected iPad

mini. However, Apple had several

other tricks up its sleeve and ended

up presenting a total of five new

devices.

First of all, the iPad mini: as the

name indicates, it’s a smaller version

of the original iPad, with a 7.9-inch

screen. The smaller dimensions

allow it to be lighter (300 g) and thus

New Devices Everywhere!

Marc Chelala


19 6 November 2012

new 10-inch tablet, the Nexus 10,

manufactured by Samsung. Google

claims it has the highest resolution

display on a tablet (2560x1600

pixels at 300ppi). The tablet is just

8.9mm thick with a curved metallic

casing, and has a new processor by

Samsung and a MIMO Wifi chip with

up to 4 times the performance of

a traditional chip. Starting price is

409$.

The new Nexus line is powered

by Android 4.2, which introduces

multiple users and gesture typing. •

A major drawback however is the

small storage space, with either 8Gb

or 16Gb of internal storage and no

microSD slot. The Nexus 4 retails at

309$ for the 8Gb version and 399$

for the 16Gb version, available for

purchase on November 13th.

In the tablet world, Google

also refreshed its Nexus 7 line,

introducing a 32Gb version with

HSPA+ while phasing out the 8Gb

model. The bottom-end 16Gb

version is now at 209$ and the 32Gb

version at 309$ (259$ without the

HSPA+ chip).

Finally, Google introduced a

Microsoft also launched its Windows

Phone 8 with new features such

as NFC support and overall UI

improvements. Phones carrying this

OS like the HTC 8S and 8X or Nokia

Lumia 920 and 820 are expected to

start appearing on the market soon.

Unwilling to fall behind,

Google is also refreshing its

Nexus line on November 29th. Its

latest flagship phone, the Google

Nexus 4, this time manufactured

by LG, offers high-end specs (4.7-

inch display at 320ppi, 8 megapixel

camera, wireless charging) at a

lower price than the competition.

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