The Cannon March 2022

THE CANNON SkuleTM’s Newspaper since 1978

MARCH 2022 Volume XLIV

cannon.skule.ca

The Russo-Ukrainian War 13th Century, the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth eventually gained control of As you may have already the modern states of Belarus heard, late last month, (under Lithuania) and Russia had begun an Ukraine (under Poland), invasion of Ukraine. Russia resulting in distinct culture and Ukraine have a complex and languages for the two and deep-rooted history nations, as compared to with each other, with both Russia, which was formed countries tracing their from Moscow reclaiming origin to the federation and uniting the eastern of Kievan Rus’ in the 9th remnants of Rus’ from the century. The name “Russia” Mongols. Russia eventually is derived from “Rus”, and gained control of its fellow the capital of Kiev (or Kyiv Eastern Slavic nations in the in Ukrainian), is Ukraine’s 1700s during the partition capital to this day. Following of Poland, but their distinct the breakup of the federation Russo-Ukrainian War and its conquest by the continued on page 3 Mongols shortly after in the JOAQUIN LIM Cannon Writer

CREDIT: HTTPS://WWW.CFR.ORG/BACKGROUNDER/ UKRAINE-CONFLICT-CROSSROADS-EUROPE-AND-RUSSIA

Learning How to Learn

(Or What CIV100 Has Taught Me) ZEYNEP KELES Cannon Writer When I’m hanging out with friends and I have the audacity to ask them how school’s going, the conversation always comes to “Ugh, this course is kicking my ass, dude.”

Aside from the endless caffeine-induced study sessions and trying to snatch a few minutes of a professor’s time in office hours, sometimes I’m inclined to ask, “Why is it going so rough?”, and

the answer I get is, “I have no idea, I just can’t grasp the material like everyone else.”

I have never related to something that much in my life, bro. Believe me.

This answer got me thinking. Why is it that sometimes, even though we consume all the material provided to us, solve every single practice problem, and finish every single lab assignment, that a concept just doesn’t click in our heads?

The obvious conclusion,

The Spirit of Engineering page 5

which everyone loves to jump to, is “I’m dumber than everyone else in this program.”

Statistically, in a program where an acceptance requirement is a 94% average from high school, I doubt that lack of intelligence is the issue for someone who managed to get into the program in the first place.

“Maybe I’m not working hard enough.” If you’re using all the material given by the course coordinators, that’s doubtful too. (Of course, a significant

amount of us do suffer from procrastination and binging before a test, but that’s an entirely different issue.)

Then what could be the problem?

The answer didn’t hit me until I was taking CIV100 for the second time in the winter semester of my first year. When we were working on a fairly simple 3D force problem, and the solution just didn’t make sense to me, I went up to ask if there was another way they could show me to

Stranger on the Subway page 12

make it more sensible. The response I got was “This is the expected solution, you don’t need to explore much further.”

And that’s when it hit me. I needed to explore further to be able to learn.

I needed different ways for that sort of material to make its way through my thick skull.

When we reflect on how information is presented in an average engineering course, there are a few Learning How to Learn continued on page 4

End of the Greatest Era of Men’s Tennis pages 13-14

2 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2022

THE CANNON Masthead EXECUTIVE TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF MARKETING DIRECTOR

Diana Li

LAYOUT MANAGER

Neha Marfani

PHOTOGRAPHY/ GRAPHICS HEADS

Dina Castelletto David Locke

WEBMASTER

George Liu

Letter From The Editor Greetings, I’m back with another issue for you all to enjoy!

We couldn’t not have an article on the situation in Ukraine, so special shout-out to Joaquin for all his tiring research that he put into his article (sources will hopefully be included on our website)!

I also couldn’t not write an article about Pokemon Legends Arceus after sinking well over 100 hours into it since I mentioned first playing it in our last issue. This may very well be my first article I’ve ever written for The Cannon without a hot take, so I hope you enjoy the breath of the Wild Pokemon game err, fresh air.

We also got an article from our very own Vice-President Communications, proving once and for all that he does indeed love the paper.

Big thanks to my team for working with me through Reading Week and a busy midterm season! Good luck to those of you who still have more yet to come, as well as those of you running in EngSoc’s Spring Elections!

And as always, feel free to check out our website or issuu to view past editions, follow our socials on our Linktree, join our Discord server if you’d like to get involved, or just shoot me an email!

Nafilah Khan Amanda Plotnik

PODCAST LEADS Minha Khan Tudor Sigmund SENIOR EDITORS

About STATEMENT CONTRIBUTORS WRITERS Rauha Ahmed Zeynep Keles Andre Li Joaquin Lim Mehak Sharma Purushoth Thavendran

SPECIAL THANKS Brohath Amrithraj Phoebe Bugash Natalie Chan Talon De Freitas Defne Dilbaz Shreya Gupta Brendan Leder Lena Mollazadeh Andreea Varlan Adam Vaz Tangia Zhou

The Cannon is the official (serious) newspaper of the University of Toronto Engineering Society. Established in 1978, it serves the undergraduate students of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. Submissions are welcome by email to cannon@skule.ca. Advertising and subscription information is available at the same email or from the Engineering Society at 416-978-2917.

DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Engineering Society unless so indicated. The editors reserve the right to modify submissions to comply with the newspaper’s and the Engineering Society’s policies.

CONTACT The Cannon 10 King’s College Road Sandford Fleming Building Room B740 Toronto, ON M5S 3G4 cannon.skule.ca cannon@skule.ca @cannon.news

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War continued from page 1 culture and language remained.

The origins of this current conflict go all the way back to the founding of the USSR in the 1920’s. During the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, which led to the fall of the Russian Empire and formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the government in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, was overthrown, leaving behind a power vacuum.

A civil war erupted within Ukraine between those who sought for Ukraine’s independence from Russia, and those who wanted to join in the formation of the Soviet Union. Eventually, the Bolsheviks prevailed and Ukraine became a founding member of the newly formed USSR. As a member of the Soviet Union, Ukraine experienced severe persecution during Stalin’s reign, despite being one of the more prosperous and industrialized members of the federation.

A key term that I’d like to highlight is “Russification”, which is essentially how satellite states within the USSR were forced to assimilate to Russian culture, often at the cost of their own.

It could even be described as a form of cultural genocide, which was used as a means of eliminating ethnic minorities such as Ukrainians within the USSR. Ukraine’s Russification was further exacerbated by Russia’s efforts to emigrate and spread its citizens to other states within the USSR, which is why there is such a large ethnically Russian population in Ukraine today. For more overt forms of Russia’s treatment of Ukraine, we can examine the Holodomor famine which took place from 19321933. Several countries, including Ukraine itself, classify Holodomor as a genocide planned by Stalin in an effort to curb the Ukrainian population and

keep Ukraine dependent and loyal towards Russia.

In spite of these adversities, Ukraine managed to become an independent nation after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Russia had previously invaded Ukraine back in 2014, which led to the annexation of Crimea.

Russian president Vladimir Putin had believed that Crimea needed to be liberated in order to protect ethnic Russians within the region from far-right extremists, which will be further expanded upon later in this article. This was the result of the ousting of the former Pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, earlier that year, which was perceived as a Western-backed coup by Russia to instil a democratic system similar to that in the USA, thus threatening the autocratic/oligarchical system within Russia.

Though Russia and Ukraine were generally on good terms and there was some pro-Russian sentiment within Ukraine before 2014, Crimea’s annexation soured their relationship and simultaneously bolstered Ukrainian nationalism.

Though Putin has made claims that Ukrainians and Russians are “one people” in the past, many such as Ukraine’s own current president, Volodymyr Zelensky, rebuked his statements. Furthermore, Putin has refused to acknowledge Ukraine’s status as a legitimate, distinct nation, which is evident in his support for the separatist People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine.

Another major factor that contributed to Russia’s invasion was Russia’s fears of NATO expansion. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO was formed in direct opposition to the USSR after WWII. Fearing the growing power of the Soviet Union, many nations joined NATO for protection, as an attack on

one of its members would be constituted as an attack on the entire alliance. A major point of contention between NATO and modern Russia is NATO’s promise not to expand further east. After Germany was reunified in 1990 and joined NATO, US secretary, James Baker, promised the Soviet president, Mikhail Gorbachev, that no additional troops or military structures would be deployed into Eastern Germany, specifically (as stated in Article 5 of the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany). Although Putin claims that Russia was a victim of deception by the West and NATO, even Gorbechev himself says that the cessation of NATO expansion was never formally discussed nor listed on any written contract.

To be fair to the other side though, Gorbachev further added that NATO’s expansion betrayed the spirit of the deal they made.

Nevertheless, Russia feared that if Ukraine were to join NATO, they would lose a precious buffer state between them and the West. Despite applying for membership in NATO, Ukraine’s requests have been denied. One of the more technical reasons for why Ukraine was denied is because of their disputed territories of Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk, as ongoing territorial disputes are a barrier to admittance to NATO’s Membership Action Plans.. Informally, however, Ukraine’s proximity and contested territories with Russia could further worsen the West’s relations with Russia, and having Ukraine as a member would necessitate that other members such as the US would have to send troops in and intervene (direct conflict between US and Russian soldiers risks escalating to nuclear warfare).

Briefly, I’d like to discuss the Minsk Agreements which occurred in the

aftermath of the war between Russia and Ukraine in 2014. A common talking point by those in support of Russia’s current invasion is that Ukraine is in violation of the Minsk Agreements, but there are several reasons why these arguments are not applicable. The agreements were originally signed by Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR, respectively) being added to the agreement after it had already been signed by the initial three parties.

This undermined Ukraine’s authority and gave undue legitimacy to the LPR and DPR’s claims as separatist nations. Additionally, even after the agreements, Russia did not uphold the contract’s requirements, which include a ceasefire and withdrawal of military forces. Many of the points in the Minsk Agreements were vague and contradictory, which made it difficult for Ukraine to fulfill its requirements without drawing ire from Russia, Ukrainians, or even the LPR and DPR. Regardless of the outcome of the conflict, Russia has taken severe losses, especially with the hit to its economy as a result of its ban from SWIFT and the freezing of foreign assets.

SWIFT, which stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is a financial messaging service that effectively allows banks to relay evidence of transactions to one another.

This ban dramatically hinders Russia’s ability to mitigate damages caused by other sanctions and isolates them economically.

Perhaps, the more serious hit to the Russian economy was the sanctions imposed by the US and European Union. The Russian Central Bank had approximately $643B USD worth of foreign assets and gold, with half of that now being unusable by

•3

Russia. The most damning evidence of how severely Russia has been affected by the sanctions is the drop in value of the ruble. At the time of writing, $1 CAD is worth 104 rubles, a huge spike from its worth of 60 rubles before the conflict.

In addition, many notable western companies have completely pulled out their operations from Russia, including major tech firms like Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Alphabet, Meta, and Apple.

Russia’s response has been to ban most western media and social networks, isolating the country from the rest of the internet.

Although most of the world is in agreement that Russia’s actions in Ukraine are condemnable, it is shocking how flagrantly one-sided and propagandistic the coverage of the invasion has been by Russian state-controlled media and even by Putin himself. Putin has claimed that the invasion into Ukraine is a peacekeeping mission intended towards demilitarizing and denazifying Ukraine and ceasing an alleged genocide of ethnic Russians in the region. Putin’s statements are likely referring to the Azov Battalion, an extremist right wing and neo-Nazi military regiment based within eastern Ukraine. While the ideologies that this group promotes are deplorable, the Azov Battalion is composed of a mere 900 volunteer infantrymen.

Putin is attempting to ascribe the actions of a relatively small and politically insignificant faction to the entirety of Ukraine and use that as Justification for their invasion. The term “denazify” is also grossely misleading, as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is himself of Jewish descent, and had family members killed in the Holocaust. As for his genocide claims, what Russo-Ukrainian War continued on page 4

4 • THE CANNON Russo-Ukrainian War continued from page 3 Putin fails to mention is that the 14,000 killed in Donbas in 2014, includes both Ukrainian and Russian casualties for combatants as well as civilians. While it is still a tragedy that over 3,000 Russian AND Ukrainian civilians died as a result of the past conflict, it is a gross misrepresentation of the facts by Putin to call it a genocide. It might even be more fair to compare

Learning How to Learn continued from page 1 methods that immediately come to mind: lectures and lecture notes that include formulas and how-tos for assignments and labs, followed by textbooks that elaborate further with those formulas and howtos, concluded by tutorial notes that show us how to apply those formulas and how-tos. Almost all course material is completely built on audiovisual platforms.

And this got me thinking, maybe some of us learn some material in different ways than others do, and we’re simply not provided with the opportunity to learn those ways.

After a bit of research, I discovered there are seven generally accepted learning methods.

• Auditory and musical • Visual and spatial • Verbal • Logical and mathematical • Physical and kinesthetic • Social and interpersonal • Solitary and intrapersonal It could be sensible to assume that most people in an engineering environment are logical, visual, and auditory learners… if we lived in the world of Divergent where people have as much depth as a cardboard cutout. But research shows that most

MARCH 2022 Russia’s own actions to those of the Natzis, considering the clear video evidence of war crimes committed on citizens posted on various social media platforms.

Putin, and by extension, the Russian government have a clear narrative which they seek to spin this conflict around. Russia recently passed a law that individuals who disseminate false information regarding the conflict can receive a sentence of up to 15 years jail time. But when the people are inclined to have way more than just these three learning styles. This is why it is so important to understand how we personally learn. In this program, we are learning skills that we will need throughout our careers, and we better learn it well right here, before we get tongue-tied at an interview.

So what is the real problem here? Is it that students don’t know how to study or that professors don’t know how to teach?

It’s a bit of both.

I believe that the education system itself must start with learning how people learn and teaching us how to find and extract the information we need. So instead of relying on textbook readings or lecture recordings (if the course coordinators feel generous enough to provide them, of course); we must know how to obtain that information from other sources. This may sound far-fetched, as most of you guys reading this might be thinking “What now, is studying not enough to be a good student?” I assure you, when you’re working on some code due soon at 2:30 am on a cold February night, you might be inclined to call your APS105 professor and ask them, “How do I debug this [expletive] code?”, but you won’t have the chance.

war is being lauded as a “peacekeeping mission” by officials, it really calls into question what they could deem as misinformation, and whether this is an attempt to quash dissenting opinions.

Unfortunately, this propaganda has been working on many Russians who are unaware of what exactly is happening in Ukraine, including many members of Russia’s army who were unaware of the true purpose of their mission.

Some like the hacktivist

group Anonymous have been successfully hijacking communication channels in Russia to attempt to spread the truth.

Many in the world were astonished by the resilience of the Ukrainian people and their willingness to take up arms to defend their nation’s independence, when nobody would blame them for wanting to run away. Ukraine’s military has experienced remarkable growth since they were first invaded by Russia in 2014,

and resources provided by NATO and other foreign aid have further allowed Ukraine to hold the line against Russia’s forces.

While it is highly unlikely that Ukraine will manage to defeat Russia’s full forces, we can only hope that the heavy losses they’ve received from their initial invasion in addition to the strain on their economy caused by the sanctions will force Russia to pull out themselves to lick their wounds.

CREDIT: VIEWSONIC.COM

At that point, Google and Stack Overflow might be your best friend (or your worst enemy).

But let’s not tip the scales in favor of the professors here. When I exit a class after having stared at a OneNote document on a projector screen for 50 minutes, the most prominent information I retain from that lecture is, “Yeah, the classroom lighting really sucks.”

And of course, I do not deny that most educators go through some form of pedagogical training and learn how to optimize their teaching style, but the problem lies within the lack of inclusivity of those training sessions to begin with; especially in more formal educational environments like university classes, where multifaceted teaching

styles are very rarely implemented. I’m not suggesting that we sing the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus to the tune of Happy Birthday or build an electrical circuit model out of colored macaroni. However, with a bit of research, it’s trivial to understand that the properties of different learning styles require some adjustments, albeit minor, to the classroom environment. For example, explaining a formula and its elements in words for a verbal learner, or including movement cues for a kinesthetic learner can make a huge difference for certain students.

styles are supported in at least some way in the syllabus, so that students can determine which learning style works best for them, before falling back 5 weeks just before a midterm. Another idea is perhaps to just modify lectures to better take advantage of the voice, colours, movement, social interaction and other similar factors that can change the entire course experience for certain students.

In essence, I’m suggesting that educators be willing to learn how to teach, and students be willing to learn how to learn.

Okay, don’t get too So after all of this worked up; you still have discussion, what am I that problem set due suggesting?

Friday! Sit your ass down One idea is including and start studying, I’ll tools to ensure all learning grab you a Red Bull!

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2022

•5

The Spirit of Engineering RAUHA AHMED External

Engineering is an art A craft of great purpose.

The creation and innovation, Of things that come from the heart.

For every problem, one can find A solution which can be reached through engineering design.

Like Daedalus and his winged creation, And Icarus who flew.

How far can we reach as well If we aim for the sun too.

We can build the Earth a clockwork heart And skyscrapers that touch the stars Automated robots with sentience, And artificial skin to erase all scars.

CREDIT: DINA CASTELLETTO

For it was Prometheus who stole the flame To help the very first engineers survive.

And thus to build and create Is the reason we’re all alive.

Yet we carry a weight of responsibility Like Atlas who held up the sky and all Hubris must not be our fatal flaw Let it be remembered that Icarus did fall.

As we forge our way into this world In ways that Hephaestus himself would envy Remembering that the only limits to our creation Are perhaps the laws of physics And the frenzies of our imagination.

CREDIT: PHOTOS.SKULE.CA

I Watched the Preserve Burn I know people claimed we have no more freedom, but I honestly do not see I watched the Preserve the difference from before.

When we were ruled by burn. other humans in the past, Life is better now.

The machines did all the no one could do whatever hard work. And why not? they wanted, and the same Even the most disgusting, is true now.

And most of the time if complicated work is for them no more mental effort someone broke the rules they just talked to them—a than breathing is for us. session, They asked for our psychologist found opinions and discussed essentially—and them a better outlet for any them with us. And why not?

Talking to billions at once is pent up emotion.

They gave dating tips that just one more task to be run.

ANONYMOUS

actually worked, invented better recipes, and even medicine has progressed more than it has in the last thousands years, yet still people complained.

They say we lost freedom.

Yet it is the people who had power over others who claimed this.

They say we lost the ability to freely lie. Yet it is people who never faced consequences of lies that claimed this.

They say the joy of unpredictability and chaos

is gone. Yet it is only people who knew nothing but peace their entire lives who claimed this.

The only ones who claimed we lost something are the ones who had everything already. They profited off of the old, bad system and now they complain they aren’t special anymore.

So yeah. I marched in the protests.

I voted in the machines.

And I watched as the privileged minority

demanded “freedom” and got granted the Preserve... only to watch it utterly fail and literally burn down when their entitled asses realized someone had to take out the trash.

“Earth’s last reality TV show,” some called it, and we all watched in morbid fascination how it spiraled downwards.

The survivors were welcomed back without any malice.

The machines are forgiving like that.

6 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2022

Pokémon Legends Arceus: An Evolution ANONYMOUS When we were children, I’d reckon most of us played or watched a friend play a Pokemon game. For myself and many others, it was a wild dream to have an open-world Pokemon game where we could run around the environment and catch any Pokemon that we laid eyes on. Game Freak’s latest adventure Pokemon Legends Arceus’ premise is just that, but can it really deliver on all our hopes and dreams?

For some context, my first games in the series were Pokemon HeartGold and

SoulSilver, and I played ever y entr y from those up until Sun and Moon.

By that point the formula was getting stale, and hardcore fans wanted more innovation.

Sword and Shield were definitely not that, with many fans including myself passing on the games after the “Dexit” scandal. For those who didn’t follow it, essentially Game Freak for the first time excluded the ability to transfer some of your favorite old Pokemon from previous games into the latest one, while making clearly false statements for why they weren’t able to do so.

Thus, Legends Arceus is my first mainline Pokemon game in five years, though I tried to keep my expectations in check after the Sword and Shield fiasco.

Immediately with the reveal of the first trailer for this game, it drew comparisons to Nintendo’s own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (B OT W) game, which similarly reinvented the Zelda series for a modern audience. I also recently played Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei V (SMT V), another monster collecting game for the Nintendo Switch that scratched a

lot of similar itches to what this game strived to achieve last year.

While previous Pokemon entries have felt like “regional forms” of the same game, Legends Arceus manages to break out of the mold set by the original Red and Blue. This is apparent immediately when beginning the game, where your amnesiac player character is introduced to the world by a voice that is clearly Arceus itself rather than the traditional professor, and immediately falls through a void onto a beach of the Hisui region, with no memor y of who they are or how they got there. You don’t have a home, you don’t have your mom to send money to, and you’re clearly from another era based on your clothing style.

This immediately grabs the player’s attention and differentiates itself from pretty much ever y previous mainline entr y.

You’re quickly introduced to the main town of the game, several key characters, and are walked through a tutorial that doesn’t overstay its welcome in my opinion. However as the game opens up, one of the biggest gripes with the game becomes apparent in its research task system. While the goal of the game is to complete Hisui’s ver y first Pokedex (a fresh but predictable change from the usual goal of becoming the Pokemon Champion), catching each Pokemon once is not enough. Instead you need to perform a bunch of mundane,

repetitive, and tedious tasks for each Pokemon in order to complete the entr y. These range from catching multiples of each Pokemon (a la Pokemon Go), catching them in specific ways, defeating a number of that Pokemon, and using certain moves a select number of times.

This process bogs down the game, and since a certain amount of progression is needed to enter new areas and unlock better items, it quickly becomes a grind.

However, perhaps a similar system is necessar y for a game that actually makes it surprisingly easy to actually “Catch ‘em All” for the first time in series histor y. The vast majority of Pokemon (including evolved forms that previously were never found in the wild) can be found prowling around in one of the five areas, so you don’t need to grind levels on specific Pokemon to evolve them for the Pokedex.

Rarer and more powerful Pokemon can often be found in the field as “Alpha Pokemon”, individuals of excessively large size that are often far over-leveled compared to your team and other Pokemon in the area.

They’re like minibosses, similar to those found in more traditional open-world JPRGs like Xenoblade Chronicles.

It is exhilarating to fight and tr y to capture these Pokemon, especially earlier in the game when they can easily defeat your entire team.

There are a few Pokemon Legends Arceus continued on page 7

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2022

•7

CREDIT: CANNON EIC

Pokemon Legends Arceus they are right in front of you at times. I contrast continued from page 6 this with the excellent duds in the process of system in SMT V that Pokedex completion, allows you to purchase however, with certain a map of each of their Pokemon only spawning similar collectables in random “Space-time once you complete a Distortions,” which given area. However are too infrequent you will want to “Catch and random to easily ‘em All” regardless, for obtain all the Pokemon that is the criterion to that can appear within actually meet the titular them. I will also shout character in the game. out Cherubi/Cherrim If it isn’t apparent for being so rare already, the pacing of and bugged (literally the stor y in the game uncatchable in certain is questionable. While conditions for an earlier most of the game is version of the game) entertaining, it is that most players can’t extremely back loaded complete one of the in terms of plot and lore: early quests involving a bunch of moderately them until after the entertaining filler for credits roll. Another the vast majority of the (dis)honorable mention game, and then huge goes to Spiritomb, reveals and ver y high which requires you to stakes at the end. The hunt down 107 “wisps” ending bits felt too across the region, with abrupt, with several no markers showing plot twists coming out where you missed any, of seemingly nowhere, or even which ones leaving me dissatisfied you collected. While with the stor y as a they aren’t well hidden, whole. Confusingly, the due to the poor draw credits roll abruptly, distance in the game it before the main stor y can be difficult to spot is really complete, with the wisps even when

many questions left unanswered. A handful of hours into the main missions of the postgame ser ves you a more fitting ending, which leaves me baffled as to why Game Freak played the credits when they did. The titular character not being seen or referenced in the main stor y until the ver y end as essentially a completion bonus is also a confusing decision. They easily could have named this game “Pokemon Legends Sinnoh”, which makes arguably more sense taking the stor y into account, yet Game Freak went with a Pokemon not even directly referenced or name dropped until after the credits rolled.

While overall I did enjoy the more mature themes presented in this game, I can’t help but notice a large amount of plot parallels to the excellent Pokemon Myster y Dungeon Explorers games, which arguably did these stor y

beats better.

Another letdown is the game’s overall p r e s e n t a t i o n .

Immediately after the game was revealed memes cropped up online comparing it to PS2 games, and quite honestly, they were not too far off. While the models of the people and Pokemon are sharp, all of the environments and textures are dull and can blend together between areas. Game Freak is clearly still not comfortable developing 3D environments; perhaps they should have requested help from Xenoblade developer Monolith Soft, which BOT W did to great success.

Some locations tr y to reference those found in the Gen 4 games, but end up feeling just as forgettable as the rest of the areas. Even the Pokemon themselves just sit around waiting to be caught until they spot you; they’re not meaningfully interacting with

other species or the environment as they do in games like New Pokemon Snap, which is a bit disappointing for immersion. The music, taking obvious inspiration from BOT W, is more ambient and largely forgettable - a blemish on a series with so many classic and catchy tunes. The few battle themes that are in the game are excellent, however I can count them on one hand.

The side quests of Legends Arceus are a mixed bag. While some are unique and memorable, such as a woman tr ying to find a new home for a Pokemon that has taken a liking to her, others just feel like glorified fetch quests. It feels acceptable when these fetch quests unlock more customization options and items in the shop, which incentivizes completing them. However, there Pokemon Legends Arceus continued on page 10

8 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2022

MARCH 2022

cannon.skule.ca

•9

10 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2022

Pokemon Legends Arceus buff your Pokemon in continued from page 7 battle, however these are many others that are not necessar y to also boil down to complete the game “complete the Pokedex either. There are ver y entr y for x Pokemon”, few actual Pokemon which is simply just a Trainer battles with two grind, and the rewards or more Pokemon, thus for quests outside you can save resources of those that unlock by healing between new shop features feel battles. I only needed meaningless. On the more than the basic bright side, as you Potion/Revives one do more quests and time during what was progress through the essentially the final stor y, the main town boss. Each Pokemon expands, with more likes different foods buildings being built that can be used as a and the music changing distraction and bait, as well, which makes however what’s the point them feel like more of when they all like Oran an accomplishment. I Berries as well, which only wish that future installments have more of these sorts of hubs, as having only a single big town is a bit disappointing compared to the dozen or so in previous games. At least Jubilife Village really felt alive, especially due to all of the NPCs who are visually and thematically ancestors of those that appear in the original Diamond and Pearl games, which Legends Arceus ser ves as a prequel to.

Legends Arceus take up less inventor y also introduces a space?

Perhaps the crafting system akin extremely limiting to that of BOT W, a inventor y space is the staple for open world real problem here, as it games, yet it felt half encourages you to only baked. The only items take with you the items I found myself using you actually need. throughout most of the Other wise your bag fills game were the variety up and you can’t carr y, of Pokeballs, Potions, for example, a rare and Revives, as well as evolution store that you Oran Berries. There was randomly came across. clearly effort put into While you can upgrade making different items your bag storage, it and recipes but they gets exponentially more all just end up feeling expensive for each redundant.

There extra slot and you never are items to throw at reach a point where Pokemon to stun them you can carr y around from attacking so you all the items you might can catch them easier, want to craft without which I didn’t use much grinding for money. because it felt more This also diminishes the rewarding to sneak experience of actually up on them instead. collecting items in the You can craft stronger field as well, leaving it as potions, and items that

more of an afterthought during gameplay.

The only items I found myself crafting consistently were differing types of Pokeballs, since catching Pokemon is the main gameplay loop of the game, and despite all my criticisms, is insanely addicting. It takes the Pokeballs throwing mechanics of Pokemon Go, blends it with a bit of the item placement of Pokemon Snap, and completes it with main series battles. Upon spotting you on the field, Pokemon will either

you normally would, weakening them in order to have improved chances at catching them. However, it is much quicker and more streamlined to just sneak up behind them in some grass and then throw a ball at their back for improved chances instead. There’s something just so satisfying about lining up that perfect throw.

Unfortunately, there are only three main types of Pokeballs in this game, each coming in the three tiers you’d expect from previous games of Poke, Great,

“

While it’s not perfect, it’s still a step in the right direction, an evolution for the franchise, but perhaps the middle stage evolution before its final form.” do nothing, attempt to flee from you, or attack your player character.

That latter option is an amazing addition to the franchise, since now you as the player feel involved in the action in addition to your Pokemon. Wild Pokemon attacks can make your player black out and drop some items, however with the dodge roll in this game it rarely ever actually occurs. In fact the dodging is so smooth that I was able to beat all but one of the bosses of the game without actually battling them, but by simply throwing stuff at them.

If you prefer though, you can still battle any wild Pokemon as

and Ultra. There’s the regular Pokeballs, ones that travel further and are useful for sniping hard-to-hit swimming and flying Pokemon, and ones that travel a ver y short distance but are extremely effective if hit on the back. That last type travels so short that they feel clunky to use and I rarely did during my playthrough.

This is not all to say that the battle system is bad; far from it in fact.

The turn-based system receives a refreshing overhaul with the addition of Strong and Agile Style moves.

Essentially, the turn order is no longer fixed, and depending on your Pokemon’s speed stat and type of move you

are using, either you or the opponent can potentially use two or more moves in a row without the opposing side getting a chance to act. Agile Style moves deal less damage, good for tr ying to weaken Pokemon to catch them, but also give you more of a priority in terms of turn order for a second potential turn. Strong style, on the other hand, deals more damage but can leave you unable to act for two opponent turns, similar to how moves like Hyper Beam used to work in older titles.

Both also use two power points instead of one.

This addition makes battles feel like nothing you’ve seen before, with an opposing Pokemon being able to Agile Style for an extra turn, and then follow up with a Strong Style to do crazy damage to your team for example. Battles feel faster and more difficult than before but never unfair.

Some sacrifices had to be made to get this system working however, and that came once again with the lack of Pokemon Abilities and Held Items, similar to Pokemon Let’s Go. While some might enjoy the simplicity, others might feel a lack of depth compared to main series battles as a result. I fall somewhere in the middle. With the new battling system, Game Freak introduced a revised level cur ve, such that a Pokemon’s Base Stats matter more and levels matter less, which definitely helps reduce grinding in this open world style of game. Since most battles are against wild Pokemon without the ability to switch out, Pokemon Legends Arceus continued on page 11

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2022 Pokemon Legends Arceus continued from page 10 status effects and buff/ debuffs now only last a few turns before you have to recast the move; exactly what was implemented in SMT V. Moves in general also have far less variety, especially with status moves, and most with unique effects from previous games are missing.

Opinions on the battling system aside, they don’t really matter much considering the fact that the game has no online battles whatsoever ; the most disappointing omission from previous games.

The only online features of this game are a system of finding fallen players’ lost bags for points to exchange into evolution stones, and trading, but in an extremely dumbed down fashion. You enter an eight digit number and the game matches you with the first person who also enters that code and the trade proceeds as normal.

This definitely isn’t the Global Trade System of past games at all.

However trading matters less than ever thanks to new quality of life improvements. As stated previously, most Pokemon, including trade evolutions, can be easily found in the wild; and since this is a single-player-focused game, it introduces new methods to evolve Pokemon that used to only evolve by trade.

EVs/IVs are merged together into a single Effort Level system which you can completely customize with ease by using relatively common items. You can also change the natures of your Pokemon through mints which

you receive later in the game. This ensures that you can keep using your favorite Pokemon for the entire game, as there is no worr y of bad IVs/natures making it objectively worse than others of the same species. While breeding is also missing in this title, Shiny hunting is made easier than ever by hunting Mass Outbreaks (and Massive Mass Outbreaks in a later update), and you can find more starter Pokemon in Spacetime Distortions after beating the game. HMs continue to not exist in this game thankfully, replaced by rideable Pokemon which you obtain in each area.

They all are natural progressions of your movement options, from the first one being essentially a bike from previous games, the second acting as a Dowsing Machine, and the third allowing you to swim, for example.

These feel better than they should because of the sluggish movement and lack of jump in the player character’s moveset. You can also simply pay money for new moves for your Pokemon instead of having to hunt down TMs, you can switch between any four moves a Pokemon knows at any given time without going to a move tutor now, and you can fast travel to the equivalent of Pokemon Centers at almost any point in the game.

As for the Pokemon themselves, most return from the selection in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. There are just under twenty new regional variants/ forms/evolutions of existing Pokemon to discover, similar to what those two games did

over fifteen years ago.

I wish there were more of these, as well as more completely original Pokemon to discover.

In addition, many of these new Pokemon are rather difficult to actually obtain as most of their evolved forms don’t appear in the wild.

Even the pre-evolutions are often rare and found in out-of-theway locations. Making matters worse these evolution methods can be quite obtuse to actually figure out the requirements for. Some require new evolution items that you have to grind the Dowsing Machine Pokemon and Space-time Distortions to obtain.

Others require you to use specific moves in Strong/Agile Style 20

times. Another requires that you take a bunch of recoil damage without fainting or healing at a campsite. Yet another requires one of those new evolution items, but also at a full moon which you really have to go out of your way to see. I wish more of the new Pokemon were available earlier on in the game and were less confusing to evolve, as I really did love their new designs as well as signature moves created for ever y new evolutionar y line.

All in all, despite all my critiques I really enjoyed this game. It really made me feel like a kid again, living out those dreams of an open world Pokemon Adventure. With all of the flaws come genuine

• 11

innovations and changes for the better that make for an extremely different and refreshing Pokemon game. While it’s not perfect, it’s still a step in the right direction, an evolution for the franchise, but perhaps the middle stage evolution before its final form.

Soon after I originally wrote this, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet versions were announced, with the reveal trailer showcasing several returning mechanics from Legends Arceus, but featuring a greatly enhanced visual style.

It’s never been a more exciting time to be a Pokemon fan.

Carpenters’ Union Local 27 is proud to support the University of Toronto Engineering Society

222 Rowntree Dairy Rd Woodbridge, ON L4L 9T2 905-652-4140 www.ubc27.ca @carpenters27

12 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2022

Stranger on the Subway MEHAK SHARMA Cannon Writer

There’s someone sitting across the aisle from me on the subway.

We’ve made eye contact a couple of times, and the squint in his eyes tells me he is smiling at me.

It’s funny how we’ve learnt to identify someone’s expressions and communicate through just the eyes. Perhaps eyes are all we need to be able to communicate.

So that’s what I do, I smile as wide as I can from under my mask; my nose scrunches a bit and my eyes crease, smiling upside-down in reciprocation.

And that’s all it is, just a wordless conversation. If it weren’t for the borders created by masks and traveling passengers, I would’ve sat next to him and talked some more.

But instead we silently wait as the train stops at each station, wondering if the other would get up to leave or not. Every time the doors close, and we are still across from one another, our eyes find each other and react familiarly.

I feel like I’d hear great stories from him, if only one of us started the conversation. Strangers have often spoken with me on these long subway rides. My friends say I have a comfortable aura. I’d like to believe that.

And I’d really like to talk to this stranger too, but just as I am building the courage to take the first seemingly gigantic step, he takes one instead and stands up. He slowly makes his way to the doors, and as they open, the elderly gentleman who reminds me greatly of my grandfather, gives me one last look, and waves goodbye.

And with that our silent journey comes to an end.

CREDIT: DAVID LOCKE

Toronto’s Sherlock, The Artful Detective PURUSHOTH THAVENDRAN

Cannon Writer

221B Baker Street? Try 2 Wilton Street near Jarvis and the Esplanade. You’ll find Toronto’s most famous detective William Murdoch in Station House No.4.

Murdoch Mysteries, the TV show inspired from the books of Maureen Jennings, follows the life of William Murdoch, a fictional detective working for the Toronto Constabulary in the late Victorian Era (from 1895 onwards). At the brink of powerful scientific and cultural changes daunting Toronto and the world, Murdoch Mysteries is a

murder mystery show set in a time when a young Toronto plunges into the world stage.

William Murdoch isn’t your average copper; he is a man of science and an engineer by interest. His wife Julia mentions that if he was ever serious about it, “He’d give Mr. Tesla a run for his money.” With a clear methodical approach to problem solving, Murdoch doesn’t let criminals get away easily. Using a bunch of nifty gadgets, Murdoch employs scientific applications to catch criminals. From UV light machines and early periscopes, to making his own primitive GPS,

Murdoch definitely challenges the traditional methods of 19th century policing. Partnered with his colleague-turned-wife Dr. Julia Ogden, the city coroner, a psychiatrist, and surgeon; Murdoch benefits from the forefront of medical and pathological techniques to solve crimes.

Together, they make an unstoppable crime-solving duo in “Toronto the Good” (a nickname during that era of the city).

But what is Sherlock without his Watson?

Constable George Crabtree, well known for his theories Toronto’s Sherlock continued on page 13

CREDIT: HTTPS://GEM.CBC.CA/MEDIA/ MURDOCH-MYSTERIES/S15

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2022 Toronto’s Sherlock continued from page 12 on mummies, zombies, Venusians, vampires, and writing, is Murdoch’s trusty sidekick in all his cases.

Not an episode goes by without Murdoch’s line, “George, what have you?” when he comes back with the clues he needs to crack the case. The leader of the group is inspector Thomas Brackenreid, a chap from Yorkshire, England (who loves a nee bit of scotch during the day), is a steadfast tough loving leader for Station House No.4.

19th Century “Toronto the Good” is anything but seasoned. At a point where it is propelled into the world stage, it is without doubt a revolutionary time.

Murdoch is no run of the mill commoner. Nay, he is probably one of few to meet the likes of Nikola Tesla, young Winston Churchill, Alexander Graham Bell, Helen Keller, Clara Brett Martin, and many, many more. If you think that’s cool, our former Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in a scene on the show and asked the character, Wilfred Laurier, “And who

might you be?” A real Spider-Man pointing meme there. Murdoch Mysteries is also one of the very few productions in over a decade at the time to get clearance to film inside the Ontario Legislative Building right next to U of T. Not only collaborating with famous people, Murdoch has been entrusted on matters of National Security by the Canadian Government numerous times. One notable instance involved some American spies who breathe manifest destiny. He’s also saved US President Teddy Rosevelt’s

life a couple of times.

Moving on from the Victorian Era into the Edwardian Era, the show highlights a plethora of cultural changes and social movements arising.

Noteworthy is the women’s suffrage movement occuring in Toronto and around the world. Women coming together to get the right to vote and making the first stride by placing Margaret Haile on the ballot in the 1902 provincial election highlights just one of many ways the show immerses viewers in 19th Century Toronto that’s so true to life.

• 13

A Canadian production of a crime show set in Toronto, with a complete picture of the culture and vanguard of Toronto over 100 years ago, Murdoch Mysteries is definitely a show to add to your list on Netflix or Prime Video. I’d recommend starting to watch ASAP as there are fifteen seasons of this gem. Don’t forget to go on Twitter and tweet #MurdochMysteries on Mondays between 8 and 9 pm when the new episode airs. See you at Station House No.4!

The End of the Greatest Era of Men’s Tennis?

BROHATH AMRITHRAJ Vice-President Communications

January 29, 2017 Australian Open Men’s Final: after exactly three hours and seven minutes, Nadal leads three games to one, fifth set. As an avid fan of Federer, I stood in front of the TV biting my nails and praying to see a glimmer of hope that Federer could win the set, and the Australian Open Championship. The highly anticipated “Fedal” matchup came to a conclusion with Roger Federer winning five games in a row against Nadal, and lifting his 18th Grand Slam trophy.

This match was special in the hearts of all Tennis fans - both Federer and Nadal, pushing into their 30s and having not played for the previous six months due to injuries, giving us one of the greatest matches in their rivalry.

The Big Three That match was considered nearimpossible and the first predicted end of the era of the Big Three: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Let me put into perspective why

they were dubbed the “Big Three.”

Since 2004, there have been a total of 72 Grand Slam tournaments. In that, the big three have won a whopping 61 of them!

Why stop there? Federer first held the year-end number one rank in 2004 having won his first three Grand Slams that year. In the 18 years after, there has only been one year where a person outside the big three held that title - Andy Murray in 2016.

Wimbledon 2009: Federer is the Greatest of All Time Pete Sampras held the record of most grand slams for seven years (2002 to 2009). Roger Federer matched that record in the 2009 French Open. On July 5th, 2009, I witnessed one of the greatest victories of Roger Federer that made him the greatest of all time.

Federer was the fanfavorite playing against Andy Roddick, the god of serves. At the time, there was a rule that a tiebreaker (think of it like a longer game) would not be played in the final set when it was six games all. The players had to win by a two-game difference. I still remember

CREDIT: HTTPS://WWW.WTATENNIS.COM/

watching it with my family back home and having a rollercoaster of emotions - I really wanted Federer to win. After more than four hours, Federer finally broke Andy Roddick’s serve to win the final set 16 games to 14, and the championship. I watched some parts of the match again to write this, and it sent chills down my spine.

Federer was crowned the greatest of all time.

Open tournaments he has played, Nadal has lost only three matches out of more than 100. The third loss is the war that Djokovic won in the 2021 French Open Semi-final.

Just in the previous year’s final, Nadal thrashed Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to win his 13th title. This year looked like it was going to be a repeat but in the semifinal with Nadal leading the first set 5-0. Although Djokovic lost the set 3-6, French Open 2021: The Nadal had lost all his War that Djokovic Won momentum struggling to Of his 21 grand slams, even win the first. When Nadal has a whopping 13 I was watching the clash titles in just the French of titans, it almost felt like Open - the clay surface Djokovic decided to turn complimenting his his gears on and suddenly aggressive high-topspin play like an aggressive style. In all of the French player. Djokovic’s playstyle

is to stick to the baseline with inhuman defense and allow the opponent to make mistakes. He was determined for this one - he not only matched Nadal’s aggressive nature but maintained his defense. I only started watching from the second set and I could see no force on earth or heaven that would enable Nadal to win. Djokovic won the match bagging the next three sets and went on to win his 19th Grand Slam.

Many argue Nadal was injured at the time and he could not play his best but I doubt it would have changed the outcome. As Men’s Tennis continued on page 14

14 • THE CANNON Men’s Tennis continued from page 13 much as Djokovic is my least favorite of the big three (and maybe even of all tennis players), I saw a monster play that day, and never in my life, I thought I would call a player that when Nadal is on the other side of the court.

Australian Open 2022: Nadal is the Greatest of All Time After that devastating loss in the 2021 French Open, Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon, the 2021 Olympics, and the US Open citing recovery from injury and the need to protect his body. So when you are mentally and physically down after the worst loss of your career, there is not much expectation when you come back on tour.

The stakes were very

MARCH 2022 high with the 2022 Australian Open. The big three are tied at 20 grand slams apiece. Federer is still out with injury, and Djokovic lost his chance at his 21st in the US Open and just got deported from Australia as he was not given a vaccination exemption. Even without the other two, Nadal was not expected to fare very well because frankly, the new generation players were killing it. Daniil Medvedev won his first slam at the US Open beating Djokovic and was among the players anticipated to win the Australian Open.

Nadal kept going and reached the final to face Medvedev. It seemed like Medvedev was going to win, leading two sets to none, and with a 3-2 lead in the third with two breakpoints in the sixth game. Winning that one point would have

led Medvedev to his second grand slam and the title “GOAT Blocker” because it would have been the second time he denied the big three a chance at becoming the new greatest of all time.

However, he was playing against Nadal - the epitome of mental strength and resilience in tennis. From the seemingly impossible situation, Nadal won that game, that set, and the next two sets to win his 21st grand slam title.

Nadal is the undisputed greatest of all time now with the most grand slams held by a single person in the open era of men’s tennis.

Is this the End of the Greatest Era of Men’s Tennis?

The end of last year was gloomy, to say the least.

Federer lost his final match,

got a bagel (losing a set 6 - 0), and had to undergo surgery. He is set to return in July for Wimbledon but can he perform at the same level as his prime? As saddening as it is to say, I don’t think so. I will just be happy to see him play one more time. Over the last year, Djokovic proved that he is not infallible.

He lost his 2021 Olympics match for Bronze, and his US Open Final against an up-and-coming Daniil Medvedev which would have sealed his status as the greatest of all time as the only player to have won 21 grand slams and all four slams in one year.

More recently, he lost his quarterfinal match with the unseeded Jiri Vesely in the Dubai Open. In addition to this, he has embraced the consequence of not being allowed to participate in tournaments with vaccine

mandates as a result of his “pro-choice” no-vax stance.

Among all this, Nadal starts his 2022 season by winning the Australian Open and as of the 16th of March, has a 17-game season-opening win streak - the best of his career.

I don’t think the greatest era of men’s tennis is over… yet. Until the big three utter the words “I’m retiring,” it is not over. Don’t get me wrong, this era of tennis is definitely on its last legs.

The big three are starting to fatigue starting with Federer and it shows. I just hope it lasts as long as possible.

Who knows maybe it is not the greatest era of men’s tennis after all. People thought the same when Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were dominating the tour in the ‘90s and early 2000s. Only time will tell…

Cycle ANDRE LI Cannon Writer

Too many men piss “off ” And, throw your stomach and soul in pain Too little for a person to learn How to treasure human presence Glimpsing from the sunset Pondering in the hospital hallway In front of the cold stone graveyard Is there a route for them to proceed?

Too narrow is my vision The faint-white surgery room blocks my sight Too weak is my muscle The principle of “evolution” is hard to amend

CREDIT: HTTPS://LIFEISNOTAKDRAMA.TUMBLR.COM/?FBCLID=IWAR2MQDWLJ77I-YRKQZFJQXOE_PVQJMWH3FTFEWZUETTIMDEMDY8EHOMG1BS

Getting a nap in the ascending night Investigating the ego of our fragile image A second back to the single-cell form Should we continue or self-destroy?

Too many boys into puberty Hug, kiss, lure you toward the bed Too many squiggles being uncontrolled How long will the heartbeat last?

MARCH 2022

cannon.skule.ca

• 15

16 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2022

External: Humans of SkuleTM

“At 3:00 I have engineering analysis, which is like a baby calc 3. And it’s probably the hardest class this semester. All the other ones are doable but this one’s breaking my balls.”

- Talon De Freitas, Pic by: Tangia Zhou “If I weren’t in SkuleTM right now and had taken another alternative path from high school, I would have probably been in an architecture or visual arts studies program somewhere else. I’d get on the TTC with my big art projects trying not to bump into other people. I’d go to a coffee shop to brainstorm about my new projects. A part-time job at the same coffee shop would also be nice. Then I would go to the nearest art supply store to splurge on things I probably don’t need right now. Instead of worrying about a summer engineering internship, I would worry about an architecture internship to apply to but I wouldn’t have time for it because I am already too consumed by school.

A summer exchange program in Europe would be nice but Europeans intimidate me a bit. So, I’d settle for something to do over the summer in Toronto.” - Lina Mollazadeh, Pic by: Natalie Chan “If I go to a music show, I’ll buy the band shirt if it’s cool you know. Become the edgy, goth kid I was always meant to be.” - Brendan Leder, Pic by: Phoebe Bugash

“I had to live alone once COVID started. It was brim because I couldn’t go outside, I was away from my home country and I was alone at home. When I told this to a friend, with whom by then I wasn’t that close, she started calling me more regularly. In each call she’d show me her cats. We later started doing virtual yoga together. That really played into how we became closer and how we eventually What do you like to do outside of SkuleTM? “I like to became roommates.” - dance outside of skule. I’m part of the Bollywood Dance Defne Dilbaz, Pic by: School and I like to try various types of dance routines to Andreea Varlan challenge myself and improve my skills” - Shreya Gupta, Pic by: Adam Vaz