Have an opinion? Contact us at opinions @theotherpress.ca @ Opinions Ghoulish garments Dressing for the Halloween spirits By Elliot Chan, Contributor Nees. house parties, random neighbourhood cul-de- sacs: it doesn’t matter where you end up on Halloween night or the weekend prior. What matters is that you are dressed appropriately for the end of October ritual. What is Halloween if not a chance to show all of your friends how clever you are? You’ve dug deep into the gal- lows of your imagination and scrounged up some abstract ideas. You tied them all together and examined yourself in the mirror. After nod- ding with approval, you headed off to the party and realized that most people don’t watch the same television shows, play the same video games, or even understand the same scientific concepts you do. So what ends up hap- pening? Well, everyone you encounter that night will wholesomely ask you the same question: “What are you supposed to be?” You'll look down at yourself, observe the obvious, and say, “Duh, I’m Kevin Kline’s charac- ter from Sophie’s Choice,” or “I’m the Prophet Skeram from World of Warcraft” or “I’m the concept of condensa- tion.” I’m not telling you to dress like the cliché pirates, princesses, and cowboys. Thinking out- side of the box is good, but remember you want to receive high-fives for recognition and not shun- ning looks of alienation. Concerning the maniacs: as long as you are not physically injur- ing others, there is no such thing as an offensive costume. If you want to dress as a different race and/or gender, nobody will stop you. Explore, but consider ahead. Ask yourself, in a couple of years do you really want to remember that night you were cross- dressing? Your costume is a brief legacy; make sure you're proud of it. We all wonder how we would look as Wonder Woman, but let’s not be hasty. You won’t offend me, but you might offend the person you become later on in life. Concerning the femme fatales: for years now, girls have been using Halloween as an excuse to dress, shall we say, eccentrically, and that is why I enjoy Halloween more than Thanksgiving. But I will not let you get away with wearing a cat ear headband and a black low-cut dress and calling yourself a pretty kitty. Looking attractive is not a costume! It should be, I know, but it isn’t, so be creative. Also, don’t forget to bring a jacket; unless you’re going as Smurfette, you won’t look good with blue skin on the walk home. As students, most of us are scrapping by, but itis not okay to rehash the previous year’s costume. Halloween is like New Year’s Eve: it’s about change, reju- venation, and growth (or is that St. Patrick’s Day?). Costumes cre- ate a timeline for your life. To have the same costume every year is to have a repetitive, bor- ing life that’s not worth remembering. So even if you throw something Dear Google, please take my car keys Driverless cars are the road to our future By Caitlin Van Den Brink, Contributor Gres latest tech- nology allows cars to navigate both crowded freeways and secluded side streets without any assistance from their human owners by using a series of computers, cameras, and sensors. By the way, these new computers can drive better than you or I can. According to Google, their test-fleet of driverless cars has travelled nearly half a million kilometres already—and without so 18 much as a fender bender. The new driverless cars can offer unparalleled safety on the road; a safety that we can never achieve because—whether it’s constantly changing lanes to be in the “faster” one or switching the radio station for the fiftieth time—human beings are just too, well, human. Driverless cars are designed to basically do what’s best for the rest of the cars on the road: obey the speed limit, keep a proper distance from other cars, stick to one lane. All the things that we know we should do, but don’t. There would be no more distracted drivers quite simply because the distracted wouldn’t be driving. Stressed because you're running late? Frazzled because there’s too much homework? Pull out your laptop while you’re on the road and start working while you make your way to your destination. There would be no more drifting all over your lane because of one oh-so-important “lol;” no missed shoulder checks because you decided to glance at your Facebook page instead. Driverless cars could improve the quality of life for just about everyone. The physically impaired and the blind would not have to rely on others for transportation. Children would be able to get themselves to school. No one would have to be anxious about driving in unfamiliar areas anymore. Sleep- deprived business people could get extra shut-eye on their way to work. Without a driver, there would be no more worrying about drinking and driving. Beyond these perks, driverless cars could theoretically do the work of two or three driver- controlled vehicles. Just imagine: it could drop you off at work or school, drop off your spouse, and then drive itself to the mechanic for an oil change before picking you up again. And it would do all this with a higher fuel efficiency together last minute, it is still better than throwing on the same bed sheet and calling yourself a ghost for another year. Despite the lack of statutory respect, Halloween is a holiday people remember. Dress accordingly so the memories don’t come back and haunt you. than a driver-controlled car because the vehicle would be driving ina way that is, overall, more efficient than how most humans would be. As a matter of fact, the Wall Street Journal claims that more than $100 billion in time and fuel could be saved because of driverless vehicles. Just think about it, how many of us have stories about nearly getting hit by an inattentive driver while we were crossing the street? How many of us have been cut off by someone who’s just too distracted to watch out for others? Well, luckily, those days are soon to be over.