- csc-general - CSC Mailman

Office Clean-out Dec. 4 / CTRL-D Dec. 12
by Computer Science Club 03 Dec '13

03 Dec '13

Hi all! This will be the last email of the term. Good luck with your exams and enjoy the break! OFFICE CLEAN-OUT: TOMORROW, DEC. 4 --- It has been a long time since the office was last cleaned. Cleaning will be a monumental effort, and will be taking place tomorrow, Dec. 4, starting around 11AM. If you have any unclaimed belongings in the office, THEY WILL BE THROWN OUT OR REPOSSESSED. Please *ensure* you have not left any personal belongings in the office, or email offsck(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca if you aren't able to pick them up before tomorrow. Anyone that is interested in helping out with the office cleaning is free to show up. CTRL-D (END OF TERM PARTY): THURSDAY, DEC. 12 --- Our termly "CTRL-D" party has been scheduled for next Thursday, Dec. 12. If you're not sure where it is being held (usual location) and you'd like to attend, a number of people will be departing for the EOT from the CSC office around 6 or 6:30PM. Or you can drop by the office in advance and ask for directions. Godspeed, -- Elana Hashman President Computer Science Club University of Waterloo ehashman(a)uwaterloo.ca

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CSC Shirts! and other reminders
by Computer Science Club 26 Nov '13

26 Nov '13

Greetings programs, CSC SHIRTS --- After much delay, shirts are ready for ordering. They will be black American Apparel shirts, silkscreened with the winning design of our t-shirt contest. See the attached images for the AVL-tree design, courtesy of our winner, Holly Xu. Final pricing and pickup date have not yet been determined, as these are dependent on the number of shirts that will be ordered. Price will be no more than $15 (we hope to price around $10), and shirts will be available for pickup in the CSC office (MC 3036/3037) no later than mid-exam period. You can order them on the webform at http://goo.gl/ypaHRZ Responses will be accepted no later than 12PM noon on Friday, Nov. 29th. OTHER REMINDERS --- Our last event of the term is running today at 5:00PM in MC 2038. Zak Blacher will be presenting his talk on "Disk Encryption." Bob Jonkman invites CSCers to his presentation on encrypting email with Enigmail and Thunderbird, followed by a keysigning party, on Dec. 2 at 7:00PM. More details on the event, hosted by the KWLUG, can be found here: http://kwlug.org/node/909 Our end-of-term party, CTRL-D, has not yet been scheduled. Stay tuned for more details... and let us know if you'd like to host! Cheers, and good luck on your final exams, -- Elana Hashman President Computer Science Club University of Waterloo ehashman(a)uwaterloo.ca

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Fwd: Volunteer for CS4U Day / Event Reminders (Nov. 22, 26)
by Computer Science Club 22 Nov '13

22 Nov '13

Salutations, membership! Sorry for the delay---an email regarding t-shirts will be sent out on Monday. We have picked a winning design and are working out logistics. Here are your weekly announcements: VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: CS4U Day, December 4th --- The School of Computer Science passed this on to us. You can sign up by emailing cs-ur-co(a)uwaterloo.ca. ``Help high school students learn how computer science affects and impacts their everyday lives! Ways to get involved: Greet visitors -- Register participants -- Help with wayfinding -- Assist with lunch. All volunteers will receive a free shirt and lunch!'' Orientation session is Nov. 27, 4:30 - 5:30 in DC 1304, with provided snacks. HACKATHON-CODE PARTY!! (MORE FREE FOOD): Fri. Nov. 22, 6:30 PM, Comfy Lounge (MC 3001) --- Join us for a night of code, food, and caffeine. There will be plenty of edibles and hacking for your enjoyment, including real food for consumption in addition to snacks. You are also free to come and work on your homework or eat the food. Two projects will be provided for you to work on---no technical skills required: An OpenHatch <openhatch.org> mentor will be present at the code party to help you get you started in joining the wonderful world of open source. In addition, the UWaterloo Games Institute and SiG@Waterloo will be joining us, introducing their Social Innovation Simulation Design Jam. <http://uwaterloo.ca/games-institute/events/social-innovation-simulation-des…> SECURITY & PRIVACY LECTURE 06, Disk Encryption: Tue. Nov. 26, 5:00PM, MC 2038 --- Our last Security lecture is presented by Zak Blacher: ``In Zak's talk, "Disk Encryption: Digital Forensic Analysis & Full Volume Encryption", he aims to cover filesystem forensic analysis and counter forensics by addressing the entire design stack; starting with filesystem construction, design, and theory, and drilling down to the inner workings of hard drives (modern platter hdds, as well as mlc-ssds). This talk leads in to a discussion on full volume encryption, and how this helps to protect one's data.'' Email exec(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca with any questions you might have. EXTERMINATE, -- Nik Black Programme Committee Computer Science Club University of Waterloo nablack(a)uwaterloo.ca

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Office Cleaning & Reminders / Sec Lecture 05 & C++ Night 0x05 / Hackathon
by Computer Science Club 11 Nov '13

11 Nov '13

Hello, csc-general! As the term wraps up, our events wrap up as well. We have a few more left, so make sure you come out! First, a couple notices and reminders. CSC-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST WRAPS UP --- All entries are due this Wednesday, Nov. 13! Winners will be informed by November 15 and the next csc-general email will contain an application for shirts with a link to the winning design. OFFICE CLEANING NOTICE: Get your crap out of the office! --- A note from the office manager. You MUST have your personal belongings out of the office by the deadline. ``We will be cleaning out the office at some point during the exam period. We will be doing a complete inventory and getting rid of anything we do not wish to keep. If you have any personal belongings in the office, please remove them by Dec. 1st or we may throw them out or repossess them.'' I will note that MathSoc lockers this term do not require a signup, so you may choose to use them for storage. TORONTO ERLANG FACTORY LITE CONFERENCE SIGNUPS: Nov. 23 --- Don't forget to sign up on the web form to coordinate with the rest of the group! (http://goo.gl/8XOELB) SECURITY & PRIVACY LECTURE 05, Trust in ISPs: Tue. Nov. 12, 5:00PM, MC 4060 --- Note the topic change. Zak's talk has been moved to Nov. 26. Abstract: Bell's recent announcement of their use of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) brings to light a long-standing issue: your internet service provider (ISP) pwns you. They control your IP allocation, your DNS, your ARP, the AS paths. The question has never been about ability---it's about trust. Whether Rogers, AT&T, Virgin, Telus, Vodafone or Wind, your onramp to the internet is your first and most potent point of security failure. Founding member of the Canadian Cybersecurity Institute and employee of local ISP Sentex Sean Howard will vividly demo the reasons you need to be ble to trust your internet provider. Come for the talk, stay for the pizza! C++ GOINGNATIVE LECTURE 0x05 (FREE FOOD!): Thurs. Nov. 21, 6:30 PM, PHY 150 --- Our last C++ lecture is presented by Sean Parent, entitled "C++ Seasoning." Abstract: ``A look at many of the new features in C++ and a couple of old features you may not have known about. With the goal of correctness in mind, we'll see how to utilize these features to create simple, clear, and beautiful code. Just a little pinch can really spice things up.'' HACKATHON-CODE PARTY!! (MORE FREE FOOD): Fri. Nov. 22, 6:30 PM, Comfy Lounge (MC 3001) --- Join us for a night of code, food, and caffeine. There will be plenty of edibles and hacking for your enjoyment, including real food for consumption in addition to snacks. If you're not sure what to work on or you are interested in getting involved in Open Source, there will be mentors on hand to get you started. You are also free to come and work on your homework or eat the food. EXTERMINATE, -- Elana Hashman President Computer Science Club University of Waterloo ehashman(a)uwaterloo.ca

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PGP Seminar, Cryptoparty and CAKE Tomorrow / C++ Night 0x04 Thursday / Hackathon Nov. 22 / Erlang Conf. Nov. 23
by Computer Science Club 04 Nov '13

04 Nov '13

Greetings, programs! Are you ready for the cake cryptoparty?! SECURITY & PRIVACY SEMINAR 04, Hands-on Seminar on Public Key Crypto: Tues. Nov. 5, 6:00PM, Comfy Lounge (MC 3001) --- The event is tomorrow! It will be awesome! Bring your laptops! Reasons to attend: - balloons - cake - curry, naan, and rice - PGP-themed cake - balloons - did I mention cake? Seminar will be followed by a keysigning party. We have the Comfy until 9 so feel free to bring code and the like to hack on. C++ GOINGNATIVE LECTURE 0x04 (FREE FOOD!): Thurs. Nov. 7, 6:30 PM, PHY 150 --- This week's C++ lecture is presented by Andrei Alexandrescu, entitled "Writing Quick Code in C++, Quickly." Abstract: ``Contemporary computer architectures make it possible for slow code to work reasonably well. They also make it difficult to write really fast code that exploits the CPU amenities to their fullest. And the smart money is on fast code---we're running out of cool things to do with slow code, and the battle will be on doing really interesting and challenging things at the envelope of what the computing fabric endures. ``This talk is an attempt to set forth a few pieces of tactical advice for writing quick code in C++. Applying these is not guaranteed to produce optimal code, but is likely to put it reasonably within the ballpark.'' HACKATHON-CODE PARTY!! (MORE FREE FOOD): Fri. Nov. 22, 6:30 PM, Comfy Lounge (MC 3001) --- Code party has been officially scheduled! Join us for a night of code, food, and caffeine. There will be plenty of edibles and hacking for your enjoyment, including real food for consumption in addition to snacks. If you're not sure what to work on or you are interested in getting involved in Open Source, there will be mentors on hand to get you started. You are also free to come and work on your homework or eat the food. TORONTO ERLANG FACTORY LITE CONFERENCE SIGNUPS: Nov. 23 --- Given the initial low demand, we will be submitting a MEF proposal to cover each individual's transportation costs up to $30 (you must arrange it). Feel free to purchase your bus tickets and pay your conference fee, and if the MEF proposal is approved, you will be able to present your tickets/receipt and conference badge for travel reimbursement. Please sign up on the web form (http://goo.gl/8XOELB) so we have an estimate of CSC-affiliated attendees for the proposal. Send questions, comments, concerns, and deep, dark secrets to exec(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca. -- Elana Hashman President Computer Science Club University of Waterloo ehashman(a)uwaterloo.ca

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Volunteer Opportunities / C++ Night 0x03 and PGP Seminar / Code Party! / Reminders
by Computer Science Club 28 Oct '13

28 Oct '13

Hello, CSCers! Lots of exciting news for you this week... VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES: Math Open House (Nov. 2) and ONCWIC (Nov. 7-8) --- The CSC has received a couple of calls for volunteers. The Math Faculty Open House requires volunteers for the following: set up, welcoming visitors, giving directions, walking visitors to various buildings, ushers for M3-1006, tour guides for DC, MC, QNC, and M3 (I quote: "NEED MANY, PLEASE SIGN UP"), booth Q&A to answer visitors' questions about programs, and clean up. If interested, please email Gayle Goodfellow at ggoodfel(a)uwaterloo.ca. You will need to attend an information session tomorrow on Tuesday, October 29, in MC 5136B, from 4:30-5:00. Tour guides also need to attend a training session on Thursday, October 31 from 4:45-5:45 in MC 5136. I've heard that Hallowe'en treats will be provided! The Ontario Celebration for Women in Computing is being held at the University of Waterloo this year. All are welcome to volunteer for the conference---if you are interested, email Prof. Kate Larson at klarson(a)uwaterloo.ca. C++ GOINGNATIVE LECTURE 0x03 (FREE FOOD!): Thurs. Oct. 31, 6:30 PM, PHY 150 --- A reminder of this week's C++ talk. Scott Meyers will be speaking about the new C++ specifications in "An Effective C++11/14 Sampler." I am ordering *real* food (read: not pizza) this week. Also, Halloween candy :D SECURITY & PRIVACY SEMINAR 04, Hands-on Seminar on Public Key Crypto: Tues. Nov. 5, 6:00PM, Comfy Lounge (MC 3001) --- Bring your laptops to this hybrid seminar/key-signing party where Nick Guenther and Murphy Berzish will introduce you to public-private key crypto. We will be featuring a GSIntroducer from www.GSWoT.org, so if you are interested in obtaining an elevated level of trust, bring government-issued photo-ID. There will also be balloons and cake. We swear. HACKATHON-CODE PARTY!!: Tentatively Nov. 22 --- Please yell at me (read: exec) if you can't attend and want to. Otherwise I'm going forward with this date. There will be *more* real food (possibly curry and stuff) as well as the usual junk food and caffeine. TORONTO ERLANG FACTORY LITE CONFERENCE SIGNUPS: Nov. 23 --- The CSC has been invited to attend this Erlang conference in Toronto. A reminder to sign up if you are interested in attending: http://goo.gl/8XOELB If we can confirm enough attendees, we will be able to provide transportation. You will be responsible for your conference fee. For more information on the conference, you can visit its website at: https://www.erlang-factory.com/conference/Toronto2013 CSC SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST --- Clarification: pithy sayings welcome! (We've already done "You had me at Hello World" FWIW.) Send them in for Nov. 13. As always, you can email questions to exec(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca. -- Elana Hashman President Computer Science Club University of Waterloo ehashman(a)uwaterloo.ca

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Erlang Conference Nov. 23! / Sec Talk 03-04 and C++ Night 0x03! / Shirts!
by Computer Science Club 23 Oct '13

23 Oct '13

Salutations, daleklings! The CSC is awfully busy this term, so I have many event updates and reminders for you. If you can spare the time in your schedule, come on out and join us! CSC SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST: Update --- I've had some inquiries about a deadline for the contest. The deadline will be Nov. 13 at midnight, and winners will be announced by Friday, Nov. 15. TORONTO ERLANG FACTORY LITE CONFERENCE SIGNUPS: Nov. 23 --- The CSC has been invited to attend this Erlang conference in Toronto. If you are interested in attending, please sign up on this form: http://goo.gl/8XOELB If we can confirm enough attendees, we will be able to provide transportation to all CSC attendees! (You will be responsible for your conference fee.) From the conference website: ``Our first ever Toronto Erlang Factory Lite has been confirmed. Join us on 23 November for a full day debate on Erlang as a powerful tool for building innovative, scalable and fault tolerant applications. Our speakers will showcase examples from their work experience and their personal success stories, thus presenting how Erlang solves the problems related to scalability and performance. At this event we will focus on what Erlang brings to the table in the multicore era.'' For more information on the conference, you can visit its website at: https://www.erlang-factory.com/conference/Toronto2013 SECURITY & PRIVACY LECTURE 03, Practical Tor: Thurs. Oct. 24, 6:30PM, DC 1302 --- A reminder of Simon's talk tomorrow: Simon Gladstone offers the second lecture of our Security and Privacy series this term for a practical seminar on Tor usage. Please bring your laptops! C++ GOINGNATIVE LECTURE 0x03 (FREE FOOD!): Thurs. Oct. 31, 6:30 PM, PHY 150 --- Next week's abstract is as follows, featuring Scott Meyers: After years of intensive study (first of C++0x, then of C++11, and most recently of C++14), Scott thinks he finally has a clue. About the effective use of C++11, that is (including C++14 revisions). At last year’s Going Native, Herb Sutter predicted that Scott would produce a new version of Effective C++ in the 2013-14 time frame, and Scott’s working on proving him almost right. Rather than revise Effective C++, Scott decided to write a new book that focuses exclusively on C++11/14: on the things the experts almost always do (or almost always avoid doing) to produce clear, efficient, effective code. In this presentation, Scott will present a taste of the Items he expects to include in Effective C++11/14. SECURITY & PRIVACY SEMINAR 04, Hands-on Seminar on Public Key Crypto: Tues. Nov. 5, 6:00PM, Comfy Lounge (MC 3001) --- Nick Guenther and Murphy Berzish will be holding a hands-on seminar in the Comfy to introduce you to public-private key crypto and how you can practically use it, so bring your laptops! You will learn about PGP, an encryption protocol that provides confidentiality and authenticity. At the seminar, you will learn how to use PGP to send encrypted email and files, provably identify yourself to others, and verify data. Bring a laptop so we can help help you generate your first keypair and give you the chance to form a Web of Trust with your peers. A GSIntroducer from www.GSWoT.org will be on hand. If you are interested in obtaining an elevated level of trust, bring government-issued photo-ID. There will also be balloons and cake. If you have any questions, direct them to exec(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca and we'll answer them asap. Hack the planet! -- Elana Hashman President Computer Science Club University of Waterloo ehashman(a)uwaterloo.ca

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C++ Lecture 0x02 Tonight! / Last chance for Bowling! / CSC Shirt Design Contest / Sec Lecture 03
by Computer Science Club 17 Oct '13

17 Oct '13

Greetings, programs! Hoping your midterms aren't going too poorly. If you'd like a study break, we have an event tonight, as well as a number of others upcoming... C++ GOINGNATIVE LECTURE 0x02 (TONIGHT! FREE FOOD!): Thurs. Oct. 17, 6:30 PM, PHY 150 --- The second in a series of recorded talks from GoingNative 2013, featuring Stephan T. Lavavej tonight! C++ has powerful rules for dealing with low-level program structure. Before a program is ever executed, the compiler determines valuable information about every expression in the source code. The compiler understands exactly how long each object's resources will be needed (lifetime), whether each expression refers to an object that the program has no other way of accessing (rvalueness), and what operations can be performed on each object (type). Using examples from C++98 through C++14, this presentation will demonstrate how to write code that works with the compiler's knowledge to increase robustness, efficiency, and clarity. This presentation will also demonstrate the horrible things that happen when programmers think they can do tasks that are better left to compilers. Last chance for CSC GOES BOWLING AT BINGEMANS: Wed. Oct. 23, Evening --- This is your last chance to sign up. Fill out the form (http://goo.gl/GDjL2V) by Oct. 18, 4PM. Bowling is free, transportation will be provided, and we may even have free food! CSC SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST --- It's been a while since we last ordered shirts for members. As such, we would like to order a new batch, and invite you to supply the design for the shirt! The winning candidate (and possibly some runner-ups) will receive a free shirt in the size of their choice. Please send your submissions to exec(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca. A signup sheet for shirts will be available after the winner is chosen. SECURITY & PRIVACY LECTURE 03, Practical Tor: Thurs. Oct. 24, 6:30PM, DC 1302 --- Simon Gladstone offers the second lecture of our Security and Privacy series this term for a practical seminar on Tor usage. Please bring your laptops! Quoth Simon, ``An introduction to and overview of how to use the Tor Browser Bundle to browse the "Deep Web" and increase security while browsing the Internet. Tor is not the be all end all of Internet security, but it is definitely a step up from using the more popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.'' Calum suggests that when in doubt on your papers, you should "EXTERMINATE!!!" -- Elana Hashman President Computer Science Club University of Waterloo ehashman(a)uwaterloo.ca

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Security & Privacy Lecture 01 (Oct. 8) / C++ GoingNative 0x02 (Oct. 17) / CSC Goes Bowling Reminder
by Computer Science Club 06 Oct '13

06 Oct '13

Hello all, A few brief event updates for you. Sorry for the slowness on the Security and Privacy talks details---we've been having a difficult time booking rooms. More details will be available next week. SECURITY & PRIVACY LECTURE 01, Why Should You Care About Security and Privacy: Tues. Oct. 8, 5:00PM, MC 4041 --- Sarah Harvey offers the first lecture of our Security and Privacy series this term on why you should care about privacy: Recent media coverage has brought to light the presence of various government agencies' surveillance programs, along with the possible interference of governments in the establishment and development of standards and software. This brings to question of just how much we need to be concerned about the security and privacy of our information. In this talk we will discuss what all this means in technological and social contexts, examine the status quo, and consider the long-standing implications. This talk assumes no background knowledge of security or privacy, nor any specific technical background. All students are welcome and encouraged to attend. C++ GOINGNATIVE LECTURE 0x02 (FREE FOOD!): Thurs. Oct. 17, 6:30 PM, PHY 150 --- We had a great turn-out last week: lots of food got eaten! Make sure you join us for our next C++ lecture. The abstract is as follows: C++ has powerful rules for dealing with low-level program structure. Before a program is ever executed, the compiler determines valuable information about every expression in the source code. The compiler understands exactly how long each object's resources will be needed (lifetime), whether each expression refers to an object that the program has no other way of accessing (rvalueness), and what operations can be performed on each object (type). Using examples from C++98 through C++14, this presentation will demonstrate how to write code that works with the compiler's knowledge to increase robustness, efficiency, and clarity. This presentation will also demonstrate the horrible things that happen when programmers think they can do tasks that are better left to compilers. CSC GOES BOWLING AT BINGEMANS: Wed. Oct. 23, Evening --- Spots for free bowling with the CSC are still available! Non-members are welcome to join us. Note that transportation will be provided. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SVFw7zIRkoFQKEpNq8wuiaU1lPwBw4pmVVc6CwnFRJ… We will be accepting responses until Oct. 16. More details will be distributed to those that sign up. Hope to see you there! -- Elana Hashman President Computer Science Club University of Waterloo ehashman(a)uwaterloo.ca

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Free Bowling (Oct. 23) / C++ GoingNative Lectures (Thursdays, starting Oct. 3) / Call for Member Talks
by Computer Science Club 29 Sep '13

29 Sep '13

Greetings, programs! We kick off the term with a number of awesome events that you won't want to miss out on: CSC GOES BOWLING AT BINGEMANS: Wed. Oct. 23, Evening --- We are pleased to kick off the term with free bowling for all interested members at Bingemans! Transportation will be provided. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SVFw7zIRkoFQKEpNq8wuiaU1lPwBw4pmVVc6CwnFRJ… We will be accepting responses until Oct. 16. More details to come. C++ GOINGNATIVE LECTURES (FREE FOOD!): Beginning Thurs. Oct. 3, 6:30 PM, PHY 150 --- If you're not familiar with the C++ GoingNative series, you can check out this link: http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/GoingNative/2013 We will be showing lectures from some of the top individuals working on C++ approximately biweekly on Thursdays in the PHY 150 theatre. Every lecture will be accompanied with free pizza and drinks! Here is our schedule and the planned showings: Thu. Oct. 3, 6:30PM: Stroustrup - The Essence of C++ Thu. Oct. 17, 6:30PM: Lavavej - Don't Help The Compiler Thu. Oct. 31, 6:30PM: Meyers - An Effective C++ Sampler Thu. Nov. 7, 6:30PM: Alexandrescu - Writing Quick C++ Code, Quickly Thu. Nov. 21, 6:30PM: Parent - C++ Seasoning CALL FOR MEMBER TALKS --- Is there something that you're particularly passionate about and would like to share with others? Do you want to practice presenting on a topic of interest to the membership? We are accepting proposals for member talks for the Fall 2013 term. Tell us about a project you're really passionate about, or perhaps a theoretical problem you find interesting. In particular, we are holding a series of security and privacy lectures on Tuesdays, so if you have a topic along those lines, make sure you let us know! Please send a proposed abstract and some possible talk dates to progcom(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca and we will get to work on getting your talk scheduled. Hope to see you there! More details are forthcoming. Good luck with your upcoming midterms, -- Elana Hashman President Computer Science Club University of Waterloo ehashman(a)uwaterloo.ca

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