Author Archives: Nick Matthews

Essay Writing Strategies

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Nick Matthews

When writing essays, I’ve tried several strategies. I’ll likely continue to try many more. I’ve yet to find one that works perfectly for me all the time. The first roadblock is always what to write about. What is the thesis … Continue reading →

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Snowpocalypse

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Nick Matthews

Last Wednesday was supposedly going to be a really big snowstorm, if you believed the weather reports. It was one of the top stories throughout southern Ontario. It probably hit somewhere hard, because when it finally arrived in Waterloo Region, … Continue reading →

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Formulas For Writing

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Nick Matthews

I’m really enjoying my Media Writing course this term at the University of Waterloo. Every week, we have a different writing assignment, and so far, they’ve been quite varied. Week one was an obituary. Morbid perhaps, but as the format … Continue reading →

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Federations: The Culture Archivist by Jeremiah Tolbert

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Nick Matthews

Unlike Robert J. Sawyer’s story “The Shoulders of Giants” in John Joseph Adams Federations anthology, Jeremiah Tolbert’s “The Culture Archivist” has considerably more bite. Tolbert’s story takes capitalist consumerism to the ultimate conclusion: enforced participation in consumerist society. Not only … Continue reading →

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Waterloo Region Transit

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Nick Matthews

After the recent municipal elections, the Region of Waterloo’s transit plans are scheduled for review. After all, Rob Ford is cancelling Light Rail in Toronto. We should do the same here. </sarcasm> I don’t believe that anyone is really suggesting … Continue reading →

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The Chilling Effects of Usage Based Billing

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Nick Matthews

The internet has been all atwitter with news about the recent CRTC ruling about Usage Based Billing. While Stephen Harper has tweeted that this really unpopular decision will be reviewed, I wonder how much of his concern is with the … Continue reading →

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Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Nick Matthews

Ok, so very late to the party here. I was going to ask how I managed to miss this until now, but from the box office receipts, I’m not the only one who did. I tend to think I have … Continue reading →

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Leo

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Nick Matthews

I certainly haven’t been a lifelong Leonardo DiCaprio fan. Apparently he played a role on the TV show Growing Pains. The first role I can recall him playing was Titanic, which I grew to hate as my sister watched it … Continue reading →

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Choosing Electronic or Print Books for Academic Research

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Nick Matthews

As someone with 200 books within arms reach of my desk, without counting those in the bookshelf behind me, I obviously have a fondness for the written word. When reading a particular text closely however, what advantages are there to … Continue reading →

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Canadian Newspapers on the iPad

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Nick Matthews

With the media writing course I’m taking this semester, I’ve been reading more newspapers, instead of just relying on Google News to present me with stories of interest. When I realized that a number of newspapers have iPad apps, I … Continue reading →

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