ON WAR

July 7, 1989 THE ENGINEERING SOCIETY'S STUDENT FORUM July 7, 1989

....... al'VY Birthday
Canada-
,In This Issue:
Garbage
Space
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.. ,
"
Noise
,"
I ______________ ______ --______________ ______________ ____ __ -----------
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Page2 Iron Warrior
Yes, but

IS it Art?
I'm sitting here thinking that this is a
tired topic: Arts electives in Engineering.
Why do I want to write about this?
Because my co-editor loves to complain
that Engineers can't write, which I don't
necessarily agree with. But mainly I want
to write about this because I think people
are missing a big part of life when they
focus on their technical education and
ignore writing and music and painting, not
only in structured courses, but in everyday
life as well.
"But is it Art?" Is this editorial Art?
How about that picture, this page, this
paper? It couldn't possibly be Art,
because some people say that Art and
Engineering are mutually exclusive
Therefore this paper is not Art and should
not be left on a coffee table 0; hung on a
wall as such.
"We need more general electives to
make us more well-rounded, socially adept
human beings." No one argues this point.
We need Arts electives so that we don't
talk in programming languages at social
gatherings and so that we can write
sentences that don't contain Greek letters.
This is true, but in a superficial sense.
I saw "Dead Poet's Society" and I
remember the Poetry teacher saying
something like - I can't remember the
exact quotation - we user Math and
Science and Engineering to live, but we
live for Art and Poetry.
Not only an etpansion of ourselves,
but a focus. An appreciation of form and
style and colour and light.
When you look al a Van Gogh.
painting, do you see the movement and
expression, or do you ask, "Why is it so
blue?" Do you analyse it in a logical
manner, dissecting and considering each
piece?
When you walk through a forest, do
you actually see the trees?
Trading
June has drawn to a close, but I'm sure
not going to miss it. Don't believe the
myth of lighter workload in fourth year; it
is a blatant lie. Never have I had to work
so hard just to keep my head above water.
At this point. you're probably
thin1cing that I'm whining on paper. Of
course I am, but this time I have a point.
I've long believed that school is bad for
you, but I can finally prove it. The
physical effects have been profound and are
disturbing; I have lost 10 pounds since the
start of the tenn. My fitness level is very
The Iron Warrior is a forum for
thOught-provoking and informative articles
by the academic community of
University of Waterloo. Views
expressed i.n the ltvn Wardpr. other than
the ediLOrials, are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
editors Of the Engineering Society.
IrOD Warriof encourages
fiS\llbmissions from students, faculty and
members of the university
c:ommunity. S ubnJissions should renect
tbe concerns and intellectual of the
general, and should bt
DULly written.
one side of tJte page
class (if
You may say. "But I don't have time
to walk through the forests or go to Art
Galleries." and I may say. "You don't have
to go and do anything - just notice things
as you live. as you walk home or drive
down a road"
This editorial is about appreciation and
wonder of existence - how we look at
things. I'm not accusing engineers of
being boorish and artless, because this is
far from true. I think I'm just saying that
engineers and people in general forget how
to look at trees.
Health For A Degree
low. I feel drained and "put-upon" most of
the time; rarely am I full of energy. In
short. I feel like shit.
School is th(} reason, of course. In the
past seven days I have pulled 5 "late-
nighters" (staying up until 7-8:00 am
followed by about 3-4 hours sleep). This
was preceeded by two weeks of midterms.
It took me most of the long weekend to
recover rational thought. This week fmds
me in the same pauern of work.
The point is that it shouldn't be this
way. Every engineer has had to endure the
A submissions, unless otherwise
Slated, become the property of the lLo.A
Warrior. which t'Cserves the right to refuse
material . which it deems
unsuitable. {he Iron Wanigr also reserves
the right to edit grammar, spellin& and
portions of text that do not meet
university standards. Authors will 'be
notified of any major -chm&C$ that may be
required.
All submissions and advertising'
enquiries should be forwuded to:
Iron Warrior
Engineering Society
CPH 1327
same workload that I have. How many
years have we lost off our lives for the
sake of this degree? I don't feel that I am
learning anything by staying up for so
many hours. ' In fact. I don't have time to
learn; I have assignments to do. Where is
the true spirit of education? When do I get
to LEARN?
July 7, 1989
Edjtors
Carolyn French
GeoffVona
Writers
Jay Gibson
Eric Langford
The Quantwn Mechanic
Todd Ruthman
Andrew Reeves-Hall
Yuri Quintana
Shmo
Edmond Chow
Chris Baisley
Cynthia Smart
Julian Ford
Donald C. Driedger
Typesettjo&
We don't need no stinking
typesetting!
Pboto2rapby
David Chen
Advertisio&
Christine Burke
Teresa Fung
Chris Fleck
Layout Mana&er
Todd Ruthman
Layout
Edmond Chow
Matt Powell
Andrew Reeves-Hall
Chris Shapiro
Teresa Fung
Eric Langford
Special EffeCts
Jay Gibson
Music Mao
Matt Powell
Gaffer
Shmo
Goub
er
Eric Langford
July 7, 1989 Iron Warrior
Message From The Dean
by Dean Lennox
I wish to thank my ghostwriter(s) for
such an excellent article. I really found
fault with only two points. First, I
probably would have argued for free
tuition, full government subsidies for
living costs including weekly transpor-
tation home, and second, I would never
spend your money on a Honda Prelude
with power windows and racing stripes.
The Dean of Engineering at Waterloo
surely deserves a Lamborghini with full
power options, including turbo and
flaming red racing stripes.
Each year in March, I attend The
Ontario Design Competition - OEDC.
This year was quite disappointing in tenos
ot the number of Waterloo entries. Until
1989, the total number of entries for
Waterloo over the history of OEOC was
virtually equivalent to Toronto and Queens
(53, 54, 54 out of a grand total of 333
and, not suprisingly, we had more than
Social Stuph
by Eric Langford
Blue Jay's road trip - July 14.
Please note that the buses are leaving
from the EI Cui de Sac at 5:00, not 6:00
as previously mentioned. There will be a
pre-game bash in POETS prior to the
departure of the busses. As usual, alcohol
is not permitted on the buses. Sorry, all
tickets have been sold for this amazing
event!
POETS Patio Pub - July 15.
Time: 6:00 pm - 1:00 am.
There will be bands, barbeque and lots
Bring your friends! If you have a
band and you're interested in playing
please contact me at 747-1864.
(In order to set a good example for
future events, we ask that everyone drink
responsibly, thanks.)

P A S C RIP T ION S
We Accept University Drug Pion
WESTMOUNT PLACE
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OPEN DAILY
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SUNDAYS & HOLIDAYS
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MTWS 9:30 5:30
Thu & Fri. 9:30 9:30
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our fair share of winning entries), but we
virtually had a no show in 1989 at
Kingston. I recognize that perhaps co-op
makes participating more difficult, but it
may well be that you are not fully aware
of The Competition. There are four
categories:
Entrepreneurial Design
Corporate Design
Explanatory Communications
Editorial Communications
I have all the details. Projects
associated with course projects, workshops
and/or work term experiences can be
adapted to fit the criteria The competition
will be held in March 1990.
I recently distributed $250,000 of
alumni support to departments. This
brings the total to date to $1,065,023 (7
years). All of these monies are targeted
towards offsetting the shortfalls in our
teaching equipment budgets. In addition,
this year The Faculty was allocated
$193,305 from The University's Teaching
Equipment Budget (total $735,000). This
certainly helps, but. to put the problem in
perspective, The Faculty recently
completed a detailed teaChing equipment
needs inventory, which IOtaled $1,661,161.
Our total existing inventory is nearly
$20,000,000. In this regard the class of
'89 certainly helped with their "Plummer's
Pledge". They presented a cheque for
$94,800 at May Convocation. This, by
the way, established another first at
Waterloo by Engineering Students and I
certainly appreciate their support
I don't want to harp continuously on
the underfunding issue, but you should be
aware of the problems. Consider the
following:
In December, the province announced it
. was providing a 7.5% increase to the
operating budgets of the university system.
When one subtracts "special" funds, the
result was really a 4% increase to base. In
May the province announced the new
payroll tax. In doing the calculations,
Page 3
they forgot that universities (and hospitals)
do not control their income and the
resulting overall cost of this tax is 1.6%
of the IOtal budget. It is easy to subtract
this from 4 to get an actual increase of
2.4%. The government's own estimate of
inflation is 5.1 %.
"Holy Cow Batman, is this
government for real?"
''I'm afraid so Robin, old man."
It's nOL difficult LO see why universities
arc in the "ditch".
Canada Day
by Shmo
Canada Day was a rousing success!
Lots of litlle kiddies had lots of litlle fun,
and lots of big kiddies got big migraines
and sunburns. Thanks to all those who
carne out to make it a great day for the
kids. Special thanks to Julie In The
Orifice for putting everything together.
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Page 4 Iron Warrior
July 7, 1989
Welcome Norman Ball
Summer
Tips
by Eric Langford
On July 10, 1989, Dr. Norman Ball,
an accomplished speaker, author and
lecturer, will be joining the Civil
Engineering Department and will Chair
the new programme "Technological
Impact on Canadian Society". He leaves
his position as Senior Curator,
Engineering and Industrial Technology at
the National Museum of Science in
Ottawa and brings with him a wealth of
knowledge in the areas of science,
technology and Canadian history.
The Chair and Programme to be
established is designed to help address the
issue of technology and it's impact
particularly in a Canadian context
Furthermore, it is designed to provide
services for other engineering faculties and
the engineering profession as a whole and
not just to engineering studies at the
University of Waterloo.
Ongoing research projects,
undergraduate and graduate teaching,
intensive training for faculty members,
and offering specialized programmes would
be the function of Jhis programme.
Funding for the implementation of the
Chair and Programme will be provided for
three years and will come from a number
of corporate sponsers, Northern Telecom
being the largest. As well, it is
anticipated that Dr. Ball will generate
research funds from the Canadian Studies
Progra'mme of the Department of the
Secretary of State of Canada.
The engineering profession, engineers
of tomorrow and companies hiring those
engineers will all benefit from an
innovative programme such as this one.
The programme is a first for any
school in Canada and we welcome the
most knowledgeable person in this fIeld to
the best university in Canada. The Dean
and the faculty are all very excited about
this and are proud to be part of this new
development
by Tbe Quantum Mechanic:
All right, it seems that just abOut
everybody in the universe is writing about
how is. and bow much they
love summer, and so 00. I. bowever, am
frequently being reminded Of the
depressing dun people at other
universitites are now sitting in the sun
with no assignments, no homework, and
no midtenns. True. this can be said about
people in the Faculty of Arts, but rumour
has it that they actually have classes now
and then. So, I came up with a few
suggestions on bow to make summer even
beUtt: . ,
Old Revolutions
- Watch alot of "Batman." rYe noticed
that no matter how bad the weather is
here, it NEVER rains in Gotham City.
Then again, the percentage of people
running around in tights is much higber
there, so it kind of balances ouL
by Chris Baisley
In our attempts to duplicate the quality
of the Imprint, Ridge Baisley offers the
fIrst of a series of record reviews ..
"Disorder In Line"
Buzzsaws and the Death or
Anarchy
The long awaited release from
Buzzsaws and the Death of Anarchy has
finally arrived. Through their hey-days
(June 23-27, 1982) Buzzssaws released
albums, but we
hardcore-punlc-highland dance-muzak: fans
have waited years for "Disorder In Lhe." _
In a recent interview, Dialem
Formurdr, last surviving founding member
and lead vocalist, said "Fuck Off." When
asked what message Huzzsaws and the
Death of Anarchy wisl,ed to pl'ftray to
today's youth, he said "Fuck Off."
Dialem's ability to present his thoughts
with such introspect and poetic power has
earned him the respect of the underground
music community, whom Dialem has
called "ignorant fools who'll listen to any
kind of crap and feign enjoyment just to
be different"
The 142 songs on this album are
mostly refections on childhood by Dialem,
selections such as "Frypan Bruises" and
"Setting Dad on Fire," The poorest track
tl Carnival Cruise Lines
THE MOST POPULAR CRUISE LINE IN THE WORLD
THE "FUN
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Carousel
Holidays
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888-4054 Registration No. 2003
on the album is titHed "30 Amp Fuse", as
Dia1em explores the world of Medieval
monastary life from the point of view of a
fuse in a kitchen stove. But this
disappointment is more than compensated
for with the song "Woman In A Blender."
Those connoisseurs of old Buzzsaws will
recognize the line "bleeding screaming
canaries on a string", in this song referring
not to fast food as in their previous
underground hit "Lust For Liver", but to
the unity of Man and Nature. "Woman In
A Blender" also has a hard side to it, with
Dialem screaming "I'll have a coffee,
black!" oyer a tumultuous arrangment of
panting mammals and straining violins.
True to form, Buzzsaws has once again
put forth a large instlUmental effort. The
32 instrumental tracks will fail to satisfy
the true techno-headbanging-hardcore-
highland-muw-er, the wind chimes lack
the ragged energy of previous efforts, and
the electronically altered recordings of
mating rhinocerii can't compare with their
previous use of bowling alley and
bathroom sound effects.
Buzzsaws are playing with a new
percussionist, Mold Jammer, previously of
Trashy Lingerie. Mold has introduced
some new effects: there is one outstanding
instrumental piece, called "High Density
Wooden Lampshades," a holistic
masterpiece with annoying and plagiarized
melodies, insect noises, and a cOl1!l'lete
lack of timing, talent, or thought. This is
how music should be, and more than
justifies the price of this import album.

- Have an EngSoc event such as "Fatal
Attrnction Day" in which all us Engineers
get together and boil that stupid Math
Bunny to death.
- Start introducing mandatory English
Language Proficiency Exams foc Profs.
- Invite Linda Frum back to UW so that
she can see what the university actually
looks like OUTSIDE the Math building.
- All you XL and L people out there who
insist on wearing sized M: JUST STOP
IT!! You know who you are. Same goes
for you peo Ie who in our ns around
Vi
annoying for of us who can't do it,
and results in many people hitting oilier
people with their pens while trying to
leamhow.
M andotory English Language
Proficiency Exams lor Pro/so
- Have a competition to see if anyone
can possibly promote MathNews. even
more than they do themselves. Have you
ever noticed that every article in that paper
is about how wonderful it is? Actually, I
bear that the Wall Street 10urnal is
planning to switch to the "photocopied
newsletter" look to be more like this pre-
eminent news gathering source.
So, I feel that with everj'body's
cooperation, we can make this term a bit
more enjoyable, and the rain a bit more
tolerable.
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July 7, 1989 Iron Warrior Page 5
Grad Comm Lives
by Geoff Vona
Grad Comm is alive and well! For
those of you who have been face down in
books for four years; Hey! WAKE UP!
Its time to graduate! Its time for Grad
Comm.
For those of you who don't know or
haven't heard, Grad Comm is the
Gnlduation Committee. It has several
responsibilities, all associated with the
graduating class of 1990. These
responsibilities include planning of the
Grad Ball and the Iron Ring Slag,
organizing of the Grad Gift and the Grad
Pledge, and production of the yearbook for
A-stream.
Most things are just getting started
up, so its not too late to get involved.
There's lots of planning to do for the Grad
Pledge (each student pledges to give a
certain amount of money each year for the
next few years; proceeds go to the
student's faculty) and the Grad Gift. Most
important, there's the yearbook. If you're
interested in helping out with the
yearbook for your class, fmd out who your
class yearbook rep is (each graduating
class has one by now.). If you want to
really get involved in the planning and
coordination of the entire yearbook, please
get in touch with me (Geoff Vona) in the
Orifice. I would appreciate as much help
as possible. (You don't have to be a grad
to help!)
Be a part of the strongest, most active and most fun
student society on campusl
All students are encouraged to apply, regardless of academic
term or previous EngSoc experience
Comm unications
Advetti8lDg(2)
Iroll W urIor (2)
Newsletter (2)
Pholo Din!dor
Whltmoard
Academics
Aad_lo(2)
Deb"';
S.A.C
S.F.F.
lNew or Special for W'90j
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SOCW(2)
Spedal En_ el)
For Applications or more Information, come to the EngSoc Orifice
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The Grad Comm is also still searching
for a chairperson. The chairperson is
responsible for calling, organi zing and
running meetings as well as making sure
Prez
by Jay Gibson
So what's new?? As Geoff and I walked
back to school after a lam Farah's
munchie run, I commented on how many
new things have become part of our part-
time home/hell. I have been here since
the Fall of 1985. That year, everyone
laughed at the '90's on our silly new frosh
leather jackets. The Engineering Lecture
Halls had just been renovated and a whole
slew of new Watstar stations were added.
Since then we have seen the addition of
the Phillip Street Co-op townhouse
complex, University Plaza II. the
Columbia Street townhouses and of course
the Davis Centre ( ... and far too many
more Watstar stations!).
Well, things keep on changing. They are
building a University Plaza III and the
Chances R mall is being leveled to make
way for a new, larger collection of stores.
Fed Hall is getting a coat check and a
larger bar. The Feds are also pushing for
a new 'Student Life Centre' north of
Columbia.
Closer to home, you've no doubt noticed
the many changes to the C&D and if you
that all the grad-type business is being
taken care of. If you're interested, come
out to the next meeting! It will be in
POETS on July 11 th at 4:30.
Sez
drop by CPR during exams, you'll see that
P.O.E.T.S is getting three new bars and
decorations (even plants!!).
Things wiJI look very different when we
return next January. Eng Soc is looking
for a lot of new people to be involved
with these and future projects.
Directorship applications for next Winter
are being handed out in the Orifice.
Don't let all the changes pass you by: try
a new challenge with EngSoc!!

To Julie Morrison and her crew of Canada
Day volunteers: Thanks - you did a great
job. Several hundred kids hact a great day
because of your work!! It was also great
fun for us to see our friends looking very
silly, like AI Porter doing "Simon Says"
(sorry - "AI Demands"). Thanks all, for
coming out!
Finally, the next week is jammed packed
with hip happenings: Magical Mystery
Scunt on Friday, the Ring Road Classic
on Sunday, the HUMONGOUS Blue Jay
road trip next Friday the 14th followed the
next evening with an equally huge Poets
Patio Pub - don't miss it.
NEW from Hewlett-Packard
The HP-28S Advanced Scientific
Calculator
Unparalleled in science and engineering.
And the broadest range of numeric and
sylnbolic solutions available on a calculator.
Come in today. And see for yourself.
r/i;t. HEWLETT
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National Electronics
89 King St. North
(Next to Old English Parlour)
886-0840
Page 6 Iron Warrior July 7, 1989
Pugwash Conference:
Learning To Think In A New
Way
by Andrew Reeves-Hall
Over the "long" weekend of June 16 to
19, I was fortunate enough to represent the
University of Waterloo at the Canadian
Student Pugwash Conference in Ouawa.
The purpose of the conference was to
foster discussion amongst students from
universities across Canada. The
discussions centred around the theme of
"New Frontiers for Humanity: Science,
Technology, and Promise for the Future".
I hoped to learn at the conference what
role I could play in best representing
society'S responsibilities within my
chosen career path, Computer Engineering.
To tell you the truth, I naively thought
that Computer and Electrical Engineering
had little to concern itself over when
compared with areas such as Chemistry
and Physics.
After all, it took some chemist to
produce a lethal gas that could be used as a
method of "effectively" killing opposing
armies; and it lOOk a physicist to perfect
the nuclear bomb.
Besides which, being in Canada do we
even have to worry ourselves about such
things? When was the last time we went
to war? '!be only H-Bomb l've seen was
on TV (thank God) and it seems
incomprehensible as it is.
1 guess I am a fairly typical Canadian.
I'm not 100 vocal; oh sure, I might be a
bit rowdy after a good night at the
Bombshelter, but I don't consider myself
the type of person to march on Queen's
Park every time I'm perturbed.
But the conference raised some points
that did give me a reason for concern. I
guess the best way to describe the things I
learned is to use the term "ethical".
As engineers, we are grilled in our
calculus and problem-solving abilities
with little reflection time for responsible
application of our new found wisdom. To
a large extent, and rightly so, how we
apply ourselves is left up to our own
judgement. Unfortunately, some people
get so wound up in their career that they
don't stop to seriously consider the impact
of their work on ""'-.1<0'''.
n regretted how
Physics. aided in the development of the
nuclear bomb. It was only after he saw
Artificial Intelligence
Supercomputers And
/'
by Andrew Reeves-Hall
This article was prepared by members
of the Information" subgroup at
Canadian Student Pugwash Conference,
June 16-18 1989 in Ottawa.
There is no one acceptable definition
of artificial intelligence. There is no
consensus on whether intelligence in
humans is purely bio-chemical in basis or
encom passes consciousness and
perception, and yet these are issues of
central importance to the debate on
artificial intelligence. For some, artificial
intelligence conjures up the idea of a
dream in which a thinking, responsive
machine is capable of original and creative
interaction with its 9lvironment, of
learning, and of language and commun-
ication in real time. For the idea
of artificial intelligence is much more
limited in scope. Some ' say that in
{?ractice artificial intelligence ' refers to
what a machine cannot do, since humans
see any task that a machine is capable of
performing as necessarily non-intelligent.
Ultimately, a definition cannot be agreed
upon until one decides whether the desired
emphasis is on hardware, technology, or
conceptual issues.
Advances in computer research have
resulted in the obsolescence of much of
the present programming, over 90% of
which is written in either COBOL or
Pascal languages. Supercomputer
programming is nearly all in FORTRAN.
All of these languages raise difficult
practical issues for programmers,
particularly by the increasing application
of parallel programming as opposed to
serial programming. This development
requires the rewriting of the accumulated
programs written for application to serial
systems, and calls into question the
relevance of current computer languages.
Some analysts challenge the usefulness of
the present approach to programming and
argue for a radical departure from the
methods of the past thirty years.
Supercomputers raise the possibility
for technological applications that are both
extraordinarily beneficial and exceptionally
frightening and negative. Supercomputers
can store and process enormous amounts
of information, including personal data.
In the future, these systems can be
combined with artificial intelligence
programs to produce elephantine and
sophisticated data bases on individuals.
These systems could be used as part of the
apparatus of a totalitarian state, and have
dramatic implications for the personal
privacy of individuals within society. The
potential for abuse by private individuals,
groups. and government is enormous.
the devastating destruction an atomiC
bomb causes that he signed the manifesto
calling upon scientists to "learn to think
in new ways." It is this manifesto that
spurred the foundation of the Pugwash
movement.
The Pugwash Conference gave me an
opportunity to hear and discuss important
issues facing the application of computers
in society. The accompanying article
"Artificial Intelligence and Super
Computers" details the topics we covered.
In parallel with our meeting on AI and
Super Computers, other groups of students
met in their own groups to discuss
relevant issues in the areas of:
(i) Energy: "Implementing Viable
Alternatives to Hydrocarbons"
(ii) Medicine: "Contr011ing the AIDS
Epidemic"
(iii) Environment: "Understanding and
Managing Our Impact on the Sea"
(iv) Security: "Stopping the Spread of
Chemical Weapons"
My group, surprisingly, was made up
of people from various academic
backgrounds: engineering, philosophy,
biology, psychology, economics, and
science to name the major ones. Having
such a diverse group discussing technology
brought new viewpoints into the
discussion that 1. don't think would have
been given serious consideration if only
Computer Engineers and Scientists had
been present. Since the computers I will
be designing and programming in my
career will be used by people from almost
any background, it was important for me
to learn how others view the technology.
The other groups were also similarly
diversified. The goal of the conference was
not to set in stone some political agenda;
rather, it was to foster discussion among
However, the technology itself may be
less at fault than those who use it, and
consequently this is a ripe area for strong
government intervention and education.
Society has to determine what is the
proper trade-off between the benefits of
these systems through increased. access to
information, versus the costs through
diminished personal privacy. The
emphasis placed on computers and
computer research in Canada reflects
societal influences as much as a need for
the technology itself, especially since
much of this research is a product of
determined efforts by government to fund
and promote this field.
. people, and within individuals, about
issues that will all somehow come to
affect each and every one of us.
It is reassuring to know that fellow
students from all across Canada share
similar aspirations for the responsible
application of science in our society.
In summary, may I implore you to
consider all the possible consequences of
technologies you develop in your
prosperous careers. Rationally consider
... how we apply ourselves
is left up to our
ow. judgement
the impact of your discoveries on the
world about us. Also, learn to think
new ways so that current world problems
such as global climate change, nuclear
arms build-up, greenhouse effect and ozone
depletion can all be drastically reduced.
Just imagine all the wonderful spin-offs
that can be created by directing our
energies towards naturalizing (rather than
civilizing) our world. The planet we live
on has sustairied us thus far, it is time to
reward its efforts by returning to it all it
has given us.
Please drop by the Engineering
Society Orifice to pick up the Pugwash
newsletter. If you would like to contact
me about the student Pugwash movement,
please feel free to drop a note in the 2B
Computer Engineering mailbox
("Rampage").
II
development of these systems also has
negative implications for human
interaction and social cohesion, and raises
the question of why so many resources
internationally are devoted to this field, and
whether it is desirable for this to continue.
Despite these doubts, technology cannot
be reversed; rather, like a wildfire, ilS
direction and 5trength can and must be
manipulated and managed.
There is much evidence that expert
systems offer potentially great benefits.
One example of this is medical diagnostic
systems. However, much medicine
requires human interaction, and so
diagnostic systems must be a supplement
to. not a replacement for, traditional
medicine. Our society is biased towards
the rich and the powerful, and the
computer revolution is likely to reinforce
; this situation. The potential exists for the
Artificial intelligence systems will rich to have human doctors, while the
presumably reflect the characteristics of poor visit the neighbourhood diagnostic
those who created them. It is paradoxical machine. Already, many are suggesting
and ironic that computer programmers are these systems for developing countries
often radically different from most people: 'which cannot afford an adequate number of
and in particular may have inferior social doctors. While there may be some
skills, and be less emotional and more practical benefits to such an approach.
logical than the typical human. important issues of justice and ethics are
Consequently, the intelligent system.s raised. Finally, these systems raise
which reflect their values and behaviour
may not reflect characteristics of the'
typical or most desirable individual. The
continued on next page
July 7, 1989
Iron Warrior
Page 7
AI Continued
important and difficult issues of liability
with which the legal profession will have
to wrestle.
Artificial intelligence is still in its
infancy. Three important industries have
been identified for the next century:
information technology, bio technology,
and new materials. The Canadian
government will continue to target the
supercomputer and artificial intelligence
industries as important components of the
Canadian economy, Nevertheless, the
actual level of resources committed to
these industries in Canada is meager by
international standards. Canada only
spends about $40 per capita on research
and development in general, and only 4%
of this is on computer research, with the
majority of the rest devoted to research on
resources. In the U.S., the corresponding
figures are $100 per capita on research and
development activities, with about 35% of
that on computers. There is a broad
concensus' that the Canadian government
should devote many more resources to
research on the computer industry.
One area of the computer industry that
is neglected is the highly negative
environmental impact of computer chips.
Silicon occurs naturally throughout nature.
However, silicon chips include trace
amounts of extremely rare and toxic heavy
metals. There metals have some ,
properties that are essential to the
computer industry, due to its emphasis on
miniaturization. Gallium arsenide, for
example, is extremely poisonous and yet
is frequently used in chips. These chips
are included not only in computers, but
also in much other equipment, including
microwave ovens, stereos, VCRs and so
on. Hundreds of millions of chips with
poisonous beavy metals are imbedded
in this equipment, all of which will over
time be disposed of. The disposal problem
is of such a magnitude that the
implications rival those of the, nuclear
industry. Additionally, screens include
phosphorous, and circuit boards are cleaned
by CFCs. One possible policy response
is to levy a tax on all new units purchased,
and refund this amount if the unit is later
disposed of appropriately. The policy
difficulty is determining what appropriate
disposal is.
Composting
by Cynthia Smart
The military has a great interest in
research on supercomputers and artificial
intelligence. Supercomputers and artificial
intelligence research has been conducted in
the Strategic Defense Initiative research,
and other research is being conducted to
develop new weapons systems that draw
from this research. These developments
are immoral and should be opposed by
responsible scientists. While some
applications of computer research may be
appropriate, especially in the field of
communications and monitoring,
computer research should be primarily used
for civilian application and to better the
condition of people, and nOlto increase the
destructive capabilities of nations
Computer researchers have a responsibility
to understand and guide the application of
their research to promote these objectives.
Circuit boards are
cleaned by CFC's
The two greatest successes of computer
research have been in robotics and
supercomputers. While artificial
intelligence has not yielded the expected
benefits, the potential implications of this
research are enormous. Research on vision
is growing in importance, as is work on
remote sensors. Holograms offer
interesting possibilities for computer
'researchers. Optical disks, huge mapping
capabilities, and improved graphics are all
emerging areas of interest. Functional
programming, which is an attempt to
replace traditional computer languages and
hence solve a series of practical problems,
including incompatibility between
systems, is also an interesting area of
research, Fractals, where images are
generated from small bits of data, are of
potentially great importance. Other areas
of interest are related to present research on
DNA replication, on mapping the human
genome, and on neurological research, all
of which have potentially profound
implications for the development of an
artificaial intelligence. Important issues
raised by these possibilities. What
rights would a new intelligent being have?
Will these beings be slaves to people, or
new gods? Who would control them, if
anyone? What are the legal and social
implications? Ultimately, these questions
must be confronted. As the knowledge
itself accumulates, wisdom on its
implications and how to respond to it in a
managec beneficial for society and people
is essential. This is perhaps the greatest
challenge of all facing computer
researchers.

Composting is an easy procedure for \
homeowners to follow. Some form of
container is needed. A small pit, an old
garbage can with holes punched in the
sides. or a wood cubicle would work best.
'Composting is the decomposition of Once you have a container, you can begin
organic material to form an excellent to layer kitchen wastes (such as fruit,
fertilizer-conditioner for lawns, gardens and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, tea
parkland. It is slowly getting introduced leaves, egg shells) and yard wastes (such
to the backyards of many homeowners in as leaves, grass clippings, plants)
Ontario. Organic materials, when broken alternatively with a layer of soil. Do not
down in uncontrolled conditions, are partly include meat scraps or fat as they will
responsible for the troublesome generation aJttaCt animals and do not break: down well.
of methane gas in landfills. In addition, If the materials appear too dry, they may
organic waste' do not contribute be moistened with water. After four
significantly to the generation of heat in weeks, the pile should be turned with a
the incineration process. For these pitch fork and more frequently thereafter.
reasons, com posting and the division of Non-aerated cetnposting or a composting
organic wastes would have definite pile that is too wet will emit unpleasant
benefits for current waste management odors. The above process should work
Engineers Are Recycling!
by Donald C. Driedger
And they're doing a great job too!
With the encouragement and generous
financial support of the Faculty of
Engineering and the diligent work of
Cindy Smart (Eng. Soc. Recycling Co-
ordinator), the engineers have three brand
spankin' new recycling containers located
outside the C&D. The recyclables include
glass, steel, aluminum and newspaper.
I am suprised, but very happy, to
report that engineers, and others using the
C&D, are doing their part in making this
small but important recycling project a
success. Everyone using the recycling
containers can also be commended for their
extra effort in separating the aluminum
and sLeel cans. Since aluminum brings in
40 cents/pound and steel only pennies,
this source separation helps to bring in a
few extra dollars to support future
recycling ideas.
So how does one tell the difference
between an aU-aluminum or steel pop can.
Here's how its done; although the lighter
weight of the aluminum can is one clue,
loolcing at the bottom is the best way to
go. Before you try this, make sure you
either haven't opened your pop can or
you've finished drinking your pop. (I
know you knew that.) The aluminum
cans have a shiny striated finish, whereas
the steel cans have a darker, smoother-
looking finish on the bottom. If that isn't
obvious, try to match it with the cut-off
bottoms attached to the appropriate
recycling container. And if, and only if
you still can't decide where it should go,
ptace it in the container marked STEEL.
This way, it won't contaminate the more
profitable aluminum recyclables.
This Eng. Soc. recycling program is
student organized and operated, so if you
have any questions or comments please
talk with Cindy Smart 2B Civil or leave
a message in the Eng. Soc. Office.
And for those of you who haven't had
the chance to flip the recycling lids yet,
we encourage you to take part, It is your
participation which makes this and other
recycling projects effective in reducing our
consumption of the Earth's finite
resources.
lhomasCook
Travel
France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria,
Germany, Holland
Tour Cost $899.00 per person
August 15-26, 1989
Thomas Cook Travel
University Shops Plaza
746-7999
e
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Page 8
Iron Warrior July 7, 1989
SPACENEWS
Vol. 1, No.4.
EDITOR'S COLUMN
Welcome to the fourth issuc of
SPACENEWS, a bimonthly report on
space ncws and technology for Canadian
cngineering students. This is the last issuc
for thc 1988-1989 academic ycar. I'd likc
to thank all the peoplc who havc contribut-
ed articles this year.
Sincerely,
Yuri Quintana.
Systcms Dcsign Eng. MaSc'89 (Watcrloo)
World News
Canada
The Govcrnment of Canada
announced the city of Montreal as thc site
of the new Canadian Space Agency. The
agency will co-ordinate the Canada's space
research and devclopment efforts.
Four candidates havc been named to
shuttle flight STS-45 IML-l (Intcrnational
Materials Laboratory I) scheduled for
April 1991. They arc Dr. Ulf Mcrbold
(European Space Agency), Dr. Roger
Crouch (NASA), Dr. Kenneth Money and
Dr. Roberta Bodnar, both [rom Canada.
Only two of the candidates will be sclccted
to fly on thc missions.
U.S.A.
STS-29/Discovcry shuttle mission
went into orbit on March 13, 1989. The
mission will deploy the TDRS-D tracking
and data rclay satcllite.
Construction began on thc Rockdyne
lIypersonic Flow LaboralOry (RflYFL,
pronounced rifle) in California. The site is
to be completed next year and will simu-
latc Mach 25 specds.
Canadian
Astronaut
Program
The Canadian Astronaut Program
provides Canada's space community
with hands on research skills for experi-
ments aboard NASA's space shuttle.
Currently, Space Team Canada numbers
six astronauts selected in 1983 based on
the basis of academic background (with
an emphasis on university graduation in
scienee, engineering or medicine), pro-
fesssional experience, physical fitness,
and communication skills. They are
classed as "payload specialists" who
receive some araining in the operation of
the shuttle systems. but are mainly con-
centrated with specific experiments in
orbit.
A star uses hydrogen as its fuel for
fusion. But as time goes on, the amount
of fuel diminishes and the ccnter of the
star becomes very hot, causing the star to
expand. As the outer surface of the star
cools, its colour turns red and a "red
giant" is formed. When the hydrogen is
almost depleted, the thin outermost lay-
crs of the star dissipate into space while
the core having no more fuel, quickly
collapscs undcr its own gravitational
puU.
Due to the large mass, this collapse
is so cxtrcmely rapid, that the electron
shells collapse and the nuclei come clos-
er togcther forming a "white dwarf star.
H the star collapses suddenly enough, it
cxplodes, causing a supernova, and emit-
ling large quantities of energy and mat-
ter. However, if a star's mass is 1.4
times that of our sun, the collapse can
cause the electrons to fuse with the pro-
tons, forming ncutrons. Sincc there is
nothing to keep the neutrons apart, gravi-
tational attraction forces them closer
together, until they are tOUChing. The
result is a "ncutron star".
H the star's mass were large
cnough, it would be possible for even its
ncutrons to be smashed by the force of
this collapse. The physicist Robert
Oppenheimer determined that if the col-
lapsing object were 3.2 lime the mass of
our sun, its gravitational pull while col-
lapsing would be strong enough to do
just that. Once the neutrons are gone,
nothing remains to check the star's col-
lapse. The sun would continue lO shrink
to the size of a pinhead, then beyond our
comprehension to infinity.
According to the theory of general
relativity, gravity is unSLOpable. The
star's contcnts would collapse to nothing
- a geometric point of zero dimension, a
singularity in space-time whcre a vast
mass occupies zero space. In other
words, a black hole.
Marc Garneau wa the first Canadian
astronaut in space. He conducted a series
of experiments in space science, space
technology, and life sciences in his 8-day
mission (4I-G) aboard the Challenger
space shuttle in October 1984. Steve
Maclean has been assigned to fly the
next Canadian mission. He will carry out
experimcnts for the Canadian designed
space vision system that will be used to
help operators improve the precision
handling of Canadarm and future Space
station manipulators.
The number of astronauts will be
increased to support Canada's participa-
tion in the international Spacc Station
program. When the Space Station is up
and running in the late 1990's, there will
be a Canadian astronaut aboard for the
equivalent of a six month period every
two years. Canadian astronauts assigned
to Space Station duty will form part of
an international team trained to do all the
work associated with the running of the
station. Pre-flight training will last
between three and five years.
Black Holes
Black holes are immensely com-
pacted balls of malter with the largest
gravitational pull known 10 man. Neither
general relativity nor quantum mechan-
ics ean explain to us these baffling
objects .. Black holes defy all our tradi-
tional laws and theorics, although it is
now generally accepted that they do
exist. For years, scientists have scanned
the skies for concrete evidence of their
existance. Many different methods have
been are arc being use<j.
Binary star systems could provide a .
way to document the exisfance of these
elusive phenomena. These systems,
where two stars are rotate about a com-
mon point are relatively common in our
universe. Even when they are so close to
us that they appear as one star, their
binary nature can be revealed by the
occurance of periodic reciprocal eclips-
es, or by the oscillations toward lower
and higher frequencies of the two groups
of spectral lines that arc emitted by the
pair of stars. From this data, both the
mass of the stars and certain orbital
parameters can be calculated. If one of
the two stars is much fainter than the
other, we can still deduce the mass of thc
solar system even though we can't
observe its spectrum (by noting the oscil-
lations between higher and lower frc-
quencies of all the lines of a single spec-
trum).
Should the invisible companion
have a mass greatcr than three solar mas-
ses, we could suspect the presence of a
black hole. Of course there are other
explanations for these dark companions.
Thcre may actually be a number of stars,
all rather faint, or there may not be a
large mass at all. In estimating the mass
of the luminous componcnt, certain
adjustments must be made for distortion
due to the earth's atmosphere and other
factors, sometimes giving inaccurate val-
ues.
If a black hole were in a binary sys-
tem, it would be possible lO capture gas
from the its luminous companion. The
gas rushing into the black hole would be
heated 10 extremly high temperatures
and x-ray emissions would result. Earlier
astronomers had problems checking the
skies for these emissions as the earth's
atmosphere blocks out these dangerous
rays. Once satellites went into space,
many of these x-ray sources were found.
Due to careful observation, scientists dis-
covered six intense x-ray sources associ-
ated with binary star systems. Five of
these showed a periodic disappearance
of the x-ray emission which could only
be interpreted as the periodic occultation
of the x-ray source by another object
(later identified as a visible companion
in all five cases).
The sixth, Cygnus X-I did not
show any of these disappearances. All
of these six systems were carefully scru-
tinized and only Cygnus X-I has a solar
mass greater than three (in fact, its solar
mass is eight). A great deal of attention
was turned to this star system and an
emission line of helium was found corre-
sponding to the predicted gas stream.
Based on this evidence, it is now gener-
ally accepted that Cygnus X-I has a stel-
lar size black hole.
It has been theorized that as a star
collapses, the mass is concerfuate 10
an increasingly small volume and as the
plane representing our universe sinks
deeper and deeper, the curvature of
space becomes less pronounced. Einstein
and Rosen determined that this "worm-
hole" links two singularities in to differ-
. ent universes, or two points in our uni-
verse.
Kevin Lindfield
U of T, Eng Sci'90
Reprinted with permission from the U of
TCanon
SPACE TEAM CANADA: Canada's six astronauts (left to right) Money,
Steve Maclean. Bjami Tryggva.on And Marc Carneau were selected from more th.n 4,000 ;applic;ants.
Between them, they have earned 16 univecsity degrees, and can offer expertise ranging from laser physics
to aviation medicine.
July 7, 1989
Iron Warrior
Page 9
Four Prose Poems
by Edmond Chow
For the past few months, I thought
that the first prose poem in this collection
would be called "Prose Poems." In it. 1
would jolcingly explain what prose poems
are by ridiculing the writing process, and
explain why prose poems exist. But try
as I might. I couldn't put that all into a
prose poem I was happy with, so I'm not
going to. But I'm also not going to feign
a scholarly introduction by researching
what a prose poem really is. All I have
are prose poems in literary journals and
small collections from which to
examples. All you really need to know is
that it's a hybrid between poetry and prose.
I've tried poetry, and I've tried prose, and
they're tough, but when I look at prose
poetry, it looks easy and it looks like I
can write it too. It really sometimes
seems like just babbling and putting
words together (which you can't do in
poetry because of something called
rhythm), with no line breaks, no rhyme,
and no descemible plot This explanation
forces me to admit that I am choosing this
genre because I can't do the others. In
other words, I am not a good writer. I'm
not even saying this sarcastically, even
though sometimes (like now) I pretend to
know what I am doing.
I'm not really a writer.
I get very emotional about sludent
writing. I don't think writing is easy, and
I don't think that many students, including
myself, put enough practice or work into a
piece to call themselves writers.
Recently, I've also been wondering if
writing is being read properly, or at least,
the way I think writing should be read.
Even if we do recognize something sublle
and important in writing, it is passed by
with "Oh, that's nice." I know, I do it too.
But what are writers trying to do in the
first place? Think about that sentence
carefully! Well, these prose poems try to
say something. but usually it's shrouded
under one giant metaphor -- I like to do
that Otherwise, remember I'm not really
a writer. The few people who have already
seen some of these poems couldn't get my
interpretations, and it seems that their
interpretations were sometimes more
suitable than mine. A real case of giving
the author more credit than deserved in an
analysis. In any case, maybe some of you
will get them. Try to guess what I'm
thinking!
Dancing In The Sun
Imagine seeing a girl dancing in the
sun. The sun shines down on a big empty
field. and the girl is in the middle of it, aU
by herself. She is running in circles.
twirling and stepping. spinning, arms
flaying wide apan. Who knows why the
girl is doing this? Perhaps she has seen
grown-ups in a movie dancing like that.
and she wants to be a grown up too.
Pernaps her friends do it. and tell her it is
fun, and peer pressure and the prejudices of
society are powerful things. Perhaps she
does it because she's supposed to. beC".ause
it's supposed to be fun. and iI's really greal
that she wanis to have a good time. Or
maybe because it's in hee genes, and every
month or so she has to get out and do this --
she just can't help it -- it's instinctive.
Now imagine that you like the girl
who is dancing in the sun. And for
whatever reason you care for this girl.
whether she is your daughter or your
girlfriend, you only want the best for her:
the truth, real experiences. good, honest,
clean fun. You don't like her dancing in
the sun; you tell her, dancing in the sun
really isn't that fun. you're deceiving
yourself, and you want to take her to the
fair, and you open your heart, and show
her your world, and you give, and you
give, and you give.
Now imagine the girl not dancing in
the sun, but rolling in the long grass by a
creek. far from other people, but this time
not alone, but rather with a stranger. Who
knows why the 'girl is doing this? Or
maybe the girl is a druggie, injecting
herself with the psychadelic drugs -- oh,
the colours -- but the feeling is the same
as dancing in the sun. ' Who knows why
the girl is doing this? It might also be the
case that the girl is simply sitting in a
classy restaurant with her classy friends,
all propped up in tight dresses, displaying
bare shoulders, her friends, because
peer pressure and the prejudices of society
are powerful things, and if she isn't grown
up already, because e wants 10 be grown
up.
Playing God
It is very difficult. the wise old teacher
said, perhaps offering some consolation
for his own failure. This did not
discourage the naive young student - only
a boy -- from fmding the biggest and best
piece of plasticine he could. and when he
finally did, in this obscure Iitlle art supply
shop at the edge of the city, he toole it
home, and started drawing plans for it
immediately. It was a massive blocle of
plasticine, needing four people to carry it
If you want pain
you clln hal1e pain,
but you clln't do it yourself.
up to the studio, and just fitting through
the door. Indeed, it was bigger than the ,
boy himself.
At fust. the plasticine was too hard:
all the muscles in his fingers ached, trying
to form the plasticine, squeezing with the
balls of his joints. and the tips of his
fingers. A love's labour. he thought, and
he set the plasticine by the window. the
sun's rays softening and nourishing the
resistive chunle, melting it into a
malleable dough. But il was left too long.
and the plasticine. now sticky. never kept
up its form. having a life of its own.
flowing and flopping. But soon, with a
careful balance of sun and other attention,
the plasticine let itself get moulded in the
boy's gentle and loving hands. and many
times the plasticine would take on so real
and life-like a fonn. that flesh would jump
into it It seemed for a while that the boy
was rebellious and ambitious: a more
stunning sculpture, more perfect in fonn,
than any ever seen before, he promised.
With this in mind. however, he saw ugly
features everywhere -- even the most
elegant shapes needed modification. Day
after day he would toil. until his arms and
hands reeked of plasticine, his fmgers once
again sore. and his eyes were wild with
lack of sleep. and lack of progress.
One day. the boy's lovee came into his
studio to see how the work was coming
along. One look from the boy, comparing
his plasticine with his lover, he unleashed
all his frustrations on her: You're all
wrong! You're all wrong! You're all
wrong!
SAnd M
S and M isn't real. Let's defme pain as
something you don't want. S and M gives
you something which really isn't pain;
after all. why do you want pain? If you
want pain, you can have pain, but you
can't do it to yourself, something has to do
it for you. If you do it right, you'll see
that the S and M type pain is a different
feeling. You can do it yourself, and you're
under control -- a controlled roller-coaster
ride, or being in the movies. twisting your
emotions. Nothing bad will happen if you
don't want it to. In fact. good things can
happen. First of all, you give yourself all
that attention that you deserve. Attention
&hat no one else would give you because
they're not you, and they have their own S
and M. And then you feel good, lilce you
are suffering and you have to make up for
all that happiness. If there was a course
on happiness. they would teach you about
the law of conservation of happiness.
There's only so much happiness in the
world. and your suffcring Icts other people
be happy. Don't you fecI sorry for
yourself now? Compare. Your life is
terrible and others are wonderful. You
might as well. Welcome and self-indulge
in more S and M.
Care Bears
You care for care bears. and care bears
care for you. No matter how mean you
are, care bears care for you, and you care
for care bears because they're not mean.
Even though care bears can't always do the
things you want them to do, you don't
expect your care bear to. It's easy to care
for a care bear -- they just need a place to
sleep -- they really don't even need food,
not really. You don't even need to love
them -- they care for you any ways.
Neglect them, and they still care.
It's easy to care for a care bear because
they care for themselves too. They don't
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Page 10
by Julian Ford
Reprinted from Iron Warrior
(March 3,_1989)
There are two hundred and eighty-eight
ti les on the ceili ng of my cell: eighteen
long by sixteen wide. I know because I
have counted them sixty-three times.
It takes nine paces to cross the length
of the room, and six paces for the width. I
have made each of these measurements
seven hundred and thirty-<>ne times.
The-reason for my diligence is that I
was once told that when someone goes
mad, the ability to deal with numbers is
one of the flIst to go. I don't know if this
is true or not., but it is all I have to go on.
Besides, I haven't anything else to do.
I have now been held captive for
eleven days. At first I tried to hold out. I
wouldn't ta1ce any food. I wouldn't talk to
the interrogators. But after three days with
nothing to eat I gave in.
My cell is simply a rectangular room
which contains a small cot, a chair and a
tiny table -- and no window. The only
way I have of telling time is by the meals
and the sleep periods which my captors
impose. Twice each day -- I assume
around noon and early evening -- I am
brought my meals. The meal, which I
believe is lunch, typically consists of two
sandwiches and a bowl of lukewarm soup.
Dinner, however, is usually quite
nourishing.
Until now, the boredom 'lUIS
been so complete as to
nearly drive me insane.
An attendant brings my meals. He
enters my room and places it Otl my table,
then leaves without a word.
Twice a day, each time a couple of
hours, I assume, after meals, I am brought
out of my room to a washroom down the
hallway, and that is the only opportunity I
am afforded tu leave my cell.
Iron Warrior
Short
I realize I am being meticulous and
perhaps mundane, with my details, but I
must write this down. Perhaps it will
help to keep me sane, though I fear I am
very close to losing my mind already.
It was worse when I was first captured.
I was only allowed paper and pencil this
morning. Until now, the boredom has
been so complete as to nearly drive me
from my senses. The last couple of days,
though, I have felt much calmer. Perhaps
it is a sign of my ensuing mental demise.
I think, however, that it is perhaps due to
The question is not
exactly WHO has taken
me captive, but WHAT.
something they have been putting in my
food.
The alarm has just been sounded,
lelling us know we have five minutes
until lights out. I will continue this
journal tomorrow. I yet have much to
write.
It has been six days since my last entry.
I broke the end of my pencil and it has
taken this long just to get another one.
By now, you must be wondering who
has ta1cen me captive and why. I have left
the discussion of this until I have done my
best to convince you that I am sane and
doing my best to remain that way.
The question is not exactly WHO has
taken me capt ive, but WHAT. I am
convinced that my abductors are not of this
world, but have come from some other,
perhaps many light-years away. I'm sure
this sounds fantastic to you, whoever you
are, but it is true. In any case, I feel I .
must present my story while I can still
remember it. If anybody ever does read
this, they are free to decide on its validity
at that time, for I know that it is a difficult
thing I ask you to believe. Here, then, is
my account of what led to my current
situation.
Story:
I was a security guard at Wheeler
Technology Laboratories. I was working
night shifts during the summer break from
University, where I was an English major
who fancied himself a writer of fict ion.
My favor ite genre was science fiction
which makes it all the more ironic that I
should find myself in this current
predicament.
I used to like working the night shift
because it afforded me a chance to write
undisturbed for many hours. Sometimes I
read a novel in the course of my shifl. I
found it a refreshing experience to be left
alone to my own devices.
Do not mista1ce me for one who does
not enjoy the company of people, for that
could not be further from the truth. I
simply found solace in the oppurtunity to
be alone from time to time.
In any case, it was the summer of
1987, my final year at University. I had
recently sold two of my best stories to
OMNI magazine, and had just been
approached to join a new club of novice
fiction writers who called themselves
TYROT ALES. It was my second month
of engagement to the most beautiful girl
in the world, and all in my life seemed, at
that point, to have directed itself in a solid
course. I was a happy man.
I yearned for some glimpse
of secrecy which would be
o
the indicator of some
breakthrough.
It was the flISt night of July and I sal
at my post in the lobby of the small
network of research laboratories which
comprised Wheeler Technology
Laboratories. I never learned what was
actually being researched at the facility,
but it did not attract any attention from the
media, and the daytime staff - which I saw
only on my once-a -month visit to collect
my paycheck - appeared to be an
unobtrusive collection of rather average-
seeming people.
July 7, ~ 8 9
It wasn' t that I expected a company
full of famous scienti fic minds to be
collected at such a small, unassumi ng
institution, yet I somehow yearned for
some glimpse of secrecy which would be
the tell-tale indicator of some potentially
revolutionary breakthrough. I did consider
myself, after all, a science fiction writer.
In fact , a number of my stories dealt with
I was about to
turn back, when I
thought I heard a noise.
the facility in some respects. Some of the
descriptions I had used were of locations
which I found in my nocturnal
wanderings, and some of my characters
were extrapolated analogies of people I had
encountered among the daytime staff.
This, however, is leading me from my
story. So it was the flIst night of July
and it was very warm. I particularly
remember the heat of that night because
that was the reason I had decided to stroll
down the East wing of the complex. The
East wing was always several degrees
cooler than the rest of the building, and
sometimes I lingered there when I made
my hourly rounds.
This particular night, I journeyed
further into the East wing than I had
previously dared. I had been given strict
boundaries to which I was to adhere, but I
could see no reason why there should be a
problem with my being a few dozen feet
further down the hallway than I was
supposed to be. After all, I wasn't about
to steal away with proprietary secrets
should I happen to encounter them.
I .vas about to tum back, when I
thought I heard a noise. It wasn't a
particularly loud noise, so I had trouble
identifying the source. I listened for a
while longer and heard it several more
times. I began to search for the cause of
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this, as, to the best of my knowledge
anyway, there should not have been
anybody else in the facility . .
After searching a few of the
laboratories in the area, I had found
nothing, and the sounds were no longer
present. I finally decided that they had
never been there, it had simply been a
matter of my own mind - perhaps inspired
by my violation, however negligible, of
my boundaries - playing tricks on me. I
checked several more doors, just to appease
my curiosity, then chuckled at my own
paranoia and returned to the lobby.
It was only a few nights later when I
again began to hear the noises. I was
patrolling the East wing, well within my
boundaries, and I heard what I decided was
the humming of electrical equipment.
Once again I tried to locate the source, but
was unable, as it kepi. fading and returning.
Finally it stopped, and I did not hear it
again that night.
It then came upon me as a challenge. I
decided that I had to discover the source of
the noise. It became a game r would play.
Each night I made my usual rounds, but it
was only ever in the East wing that I
discovered the
I did not hear the noise every night, to
be sure, but there were nights where, upon
detecting my acoustic quarry, I quietly
rushed from door to door, sometimes
heading deep into the restricted area, trying
desperately to locate its source.
Iron Warrior
The Noise
The excuse I was given was that a
restructuring of the budget demanded some
reduction of head count, and so, it was
decided, they were installing a surveillance
system which rendered my job redundant.
The man thanked me for my services and
apologized that these measures bad become
necessary, but assured me of a compli-
mentary evaluation and reference.
. The man had made no mention of my
story. and I was so stunned at that time
that it didn't occur to me until some days
later when I realized where I had left it. I
made no connection., however, between
my story and my termination, for what
connection could I have possibly foreseen?
Within two weeks, I obtained a similar
position at another research institution in
the area, having received, as promised, an
excellent evaluation from Wheeler
Technology. Three months following that
saw my return to school, and the
My nightmares contin,ued
to grow worse.
publication of the story r had conceived
about the Noise in a leading science fiction
magazine. I had, indeed, forgotten my
obsession with the Noise, and began to
plan my wedding day which my bride-to-be
and I set for nine months hence, being as I
was to graduate one month before that. It
was at this time that the nightmare truly
began.
tried to break me, but they couldn't. My
resolve strengthened then, and I swore to
expose them, indeed 10 destroy theml
I knew that I bad to fmd the Noise, for
in finding it, I believed, I would find the
source of their plan and be able 10 reveal it
to the authorities. I knew that my story
would be laughed at without proof, and so
I began to devise my assault on Wheeler
Technology.
The irony -- if such a tremendous
tragedy can be given so nonchalant a label -
is that it was love which doomed me and
perhaps mankind: The pure, unfettered
love which I had nurtured for my beloved
Leesa, traitorously betrayed me and, in so
doing, signed the ,death warrant for all of
Earth.
She came to me a few nights before
my plan was to be executed, and told me
she was afraid for me. She said that I had
changed and was no longer the man she
knew. If ( wanted to continue our
relationship, she demanded that I forsake
the obsession which gripped me. I almost
laughed at her pathetic attempt to sway
me, and I told her that I knew what she
had become, and I renounced her as my
fiancee.
It was about a week after the
publication containing my story became
_____ -",....-.,i---=. av.:..: ailable that I began to have iar
As the .. dreams. They were mild at fust, dealing
The noise changed slightly, from time
o ti'me, and I decided that whatever
The shock of my words somehow
affected her, and she collipsed on the floor
of my apartment, sobbing uncontrollably.
I could see the conflict which raged across
her face, and I realized that she must be
fighting the controlling forces, struggling
to regain her will. I Icnelt to her, my love
for her burning within me, and I told her
that I would free her, 1 would fight for her,
if necessary, woW or
game become on obsession.
machines or equipment were being used to
generate the sounds, were not always the
same. I atso began to realize that the
noise was not always in the same place.
Some times the noise' came from farther
into the restricted area than other nights,
always only in the East wing.
As the weeks wore on, the game,
which I originally embraced as healthy
curiosity, became an obsession. I was no
longer content 10 sit at my desk: and read,
and my patrols of the other sections of the
building became more and more rushed,
until I gave them up completely.
It wasn't until the noise began to
invade my dreams, that I realized my
obsession was becoming too severe. With
that thought, I decided I was going to stop
searching for it. Besides, it was probably
only some automatic processes, set to
make readings at various times, about
which nobody had bothered to infonn me.
It was an incredible relief to realize how
foolish and naive I had been: the paranoid
imaginings of a hyper-active science
fICtion writer.
Over the following few nights I began
to compose a short story related to this
incident, in an attempt to purge the
obsession completely from my mind. The
story deait with alien beings who had
come to earth in human form, and were
using the resean:h facility in order to
conduct experiments, in prelude to
launching an attack on our planet. The
story gave me great amusement as I
mocked my own imagined sources of the
noise. On the Friday morning of that
week, however, I accidentally left a rough
copy of the slOry on my desIc, and later
that afternoon, I wa fired.
with my wanderings about the East wing
searching for the Noise. The dreams then
shifted to nightmares 'of brain surgery
being conducted on me without anaesthetic.
I began to wake up nights, sweating
profusely, with the most peculiar
sensation that my dreams were being taken
from me somehow. I felt that somewhere,
someone could see into my min'd and was
perusing my subconscious thoughts. I
continually tried to convince myself that
these were only dreams, only a pattern of
elecrical impulses in my brain. It worked
for awhile, but shortly my reality began to
change also. .
The changes in my fiancee were subLle,
undoubtedly unnoticable to anyone else,
but to me they were plain enough. I
thought at first that she was ill, but she
quickly denied that. Then I began to
believe that she was having a change of
heart as to our betrothal, but again she
belayed my fears.
My nightmares continued to grow
worse until I could no longer concentrate
during school hours, and my studies
suffered immeasurably. My fiancee began
to urge me to seek psychiatric help, and it
was at this point that I realized two things:
. would not surrender to the evil monsters
while my will was still my own. I kissed
her quivering, tear-soaked lips gently, then
left the apartment. It was the false sense
of trust, inspired by my love, that duped
me.
I left her in my apartment alone, with
the knowledge that I intended to stand up
to them, and it was only two hpurs later
when I was plucked from the street, where
I was wandering, by two muscle-bound,
obviously possessed men. Thcy strapped
me down -- oblivious to my comparatively
feeble attempts to break: free -- in the back.
of a windowless van, and drove for a long
time.
When we fmalty stopped, I was carried
into the building which has become my
prison, and locked in my cell. I burned
with rage at my captors and at myself for
having SO easily succumbed to the beings I
had sworn to destroy. I Icnew then that I
They hIIvI Isk,,,
.,fre,dom, my li/,.
was helpless, and my futile attempt to
save my planet was over.
I had lost control of my dreams to
someone else, and my fiancee was no That.. dear reader, is my story. It is, as
longer the woman I adored, but was now I have said, fantastic, is it not? Yet it is
some brain-washed shell with no will of no fantasy.
her own. It has taken me two days to complete
I grew afraid. I could trust no one. I this journal, and in the interim, I believe I
began to have dreams of people removing have won the confidence of one of my
face masks to reveal hideous monsters in keepers. He has sworn to me that he is
disguise, and then I realized that my story human, and somehow. deep within my
had actually been a true account, or near being, on an instinctive level, I believe he
enough, of what was occurring at Wheeler is. He has promised that, were I to prepare
Technology. They invaded my mind __ a letter, he would see to it that it was
perhaps to drive me completely mad __ so I posted. I have decided to trust him.
could not reveal their plan 10 others. They ,after all, have I 10 lose?
had turned my beloved faancee into an I have not, as yet., decided to whom I
will address this document, but at least
. automaIon to try 10 control me. !bey had
Page 11
now you know how it has come to be in
your possession. I beseech you to be
wary. I hope I have not jeopardized' your
safety by infonning you of these ev.ents,
but I must take this chance. It may be all
I can do now against them.
My Dearest, Beloved Leesa:
It is to you I have decided to write this
letter. [ don't know if you will receive
this, and if you do, I cannot be sure that
you are the woman to whom I am
betrothed. I fear my words may fall on
deaf ears, or blind eyes, but I have no one
else.
They have taken everything from me;
my freedom, my life, but they cannot take
from me my love for you and my
memories of you. I do not know where I
am, but I know it is a long way from you,
and I ache to hold you and live again.
It is because of me thal you have been
drawn into this, and for that I shall carry
my guilt beyond death, into the fires of
Hell. They knew that no one would
The doctor turned silently
bock towards the front
lobby and continued on.
believe me, except perhaps you, so they
slOle your mind.
I am sending you this now because I
know you loved me once. We drank
deeply from the cup of love, and I once
foolishly believed that a love as true and
as pure as ours could conquer anything.
You loved me, perhaps deep down, beyond
leve1 aliey conaroJ. you Siill Go. And
maybe, just maybe. my words will
awaken you, and I will at least have saved
you from their control.
1 know now that I wiII never see you
again in life, and my heart labours with
that knowledge, but ( cannot let them have
me. For what 1 am about 10 do, I hope
God and you can forgive me. Goodbye,
my love.
"He honest.ly believed that there were
aliens running this place!" said the orderly
as they walked down the hall towards the
main lobby. "I've seen some wackos
before, but that guy takes the cake. Oh,
incidentally, Doc, he gave me a letter to
mail for him. J guess there's no hann
now that he's dead, huh?"
The doctor stopped walking and looked
at him with the cold, stony face the young
orderly had become used to.
"Let me see it," he said
The orderl y hunted through his pockets
for a then produced the envelope.
the doclOr opened it and skimmed the
contents quickly.
"Well," he said finally. "We can't be
letting nonsense like this go floating
about, can we." And with that, he ripped
up the journal and dropped it in a nearby
waste basket. "You know the rules, no
outgoing mail."
"Yeah .. uh .. sorry, Doc."
"You've seen to the body?"
Oh, yeah. We shipped it off this
morning. PreUy obvious cause of death;
he ripped off some of his clothes and
rammed it down his throat so he choked
on it Pretty gross way to go, if you ask
me."
The doctor turned silently back towards
the front lobby, and continued on.
"What an icy bastard," thought the
orderly. Then he shrugged and followed
the doctor OUL
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