life & style // no. 16 theotherpress.ca Apple announcement: the mid-range 1Pad >» New iPad Air now with more pro features Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist inally, 5G is here and it will change the way we do tasks with faster download speeds and more bandwidth—both of which can be used to create new technologies and experiences. In the months leading up to the launch, major telecom companies showed commercials about the first 5G networks and the many things that you can do with them. Last month, Samsung announced the next version of their flagship cellphone with the Samsung Galaxy Notezo Ultra 5G. A few weeks later, Google announced the next version of their flagship cellphone with the Google Pixel 4a; all this means that Apple is likely to announce their next version of the iPhone that includes 5G. Apple did an announcement on September 15—it was pre-taped and happened at their headquarters, just as their previous presentation was. In the beginning, Tim Cook said that they were going to talk about the Apple Watch and the iPad—but it seemed like there could be a chance that he would do a “just one more thing” moment and announce the new iPhone. With a running time of at least an hour, most of the announcement focused on the next version of the Apple Watch which is called the Apple Watch Series 6. It has a new blood oxygen meter that can measure oxygen levels, a new strap that does not have a belt and buckle (making it look like a wristband), and allows you to put multiple watches in the same iPhone with family setup. It will be available in Canada later this year. As the watch evolved, the addition of more features allowed users to check on their well-being accurately. Apple showed stories about the Apple Watch helping a lot of people and even saving lives. Another announcement is that the company will be net carbon neutral by 2030. This includes the Apple Watch now being recharged by renewable energy instead of a USB power adapter (and this could expand to the rest of their products). Midway through the announcement, they mentioned another add-on service to Apple Fitness+, their workout app (which competes with another fitness workout product called Peloton). All of these exciting features are bundled in a new service called Apple One which has all of their other services including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud Drive in one bundle like Amazon Prime but without the shipping. Ten years after the original iPad was released, Apple has announced the next version of the iPad, which is basically only faster. Then they announced the next version of the iPad Air, which I thought was the regular version. They incorporated features from the iPad Pro into the iPad Air, including a Liquid Retina display, a 4K camera, Touch ID in the power button, recharging the Apple Pencil in the side of the iPad, and even a USB-C cable instead of a lightning cable. The announcement ended and they did not announce the next version of the iPhone. Maybe they were going to wait Baking during the pandemic » How I proved to bake something that was actually edible Brandon Yip Senior Columnist aking has been an activity many people have partaken in since the start of the pandemic in March. The thought of enjoying baking as a hobby would never have occurred to me five years ago, let alone five months ago. Remarkably, during the pandemic, | did some baking. It is not something that I normally would do but being stuck at home so much left me bored senseless. I kept seeing articles on how people were trying to keep themselves occupied, and baking appeared to be at the top of those lists. An article published on Healthline discusses the mental health benefits of baking. In the article, Julie Ohana, creator of CulinaryArtTherapy.com, states that baking can be a surreal and therapeutic experience. “When the task allows you to create something to nourish yourself and your loved ones, it can be a very powerful experience,” Ohana said. She further elaborates by stating that baking is a great way to manage anxiety: “I believe that focusing on a specific task or skill, forcing someone to ‘get out of their own head'[...] can really be helpful to quiet one’s inner dialogue where the anxiety stems from.” Ariadne Ava Butalid, a life enrichment assistant at a West Vancouver retirement home, says baking at home has helped her cope better with stress during the pandemic. “I find baking during the pandemic therapeutic and one way of relieving stress when we all are facing uncertainties in these difficult times,” Butalid said in an email interview with the Other Press. “I baked banana cake, bread, loaves, and blueberry cake to name a few. It is a comforting feeling especially during the lockdown,” she said. Surprisingly, over the summer, I baked two items. The first was focaccia bread and the second was Irish soda bread. My focaccia bread recipe called for one teaspoon of yeast. Unfortunately, I didn’t have yeast in my house, so, I searched on Google for a yeast substitute and I found one. Use half a teaspoon of baking soda and half a teaspoon of lemon juice. It does the job and works great! Yes, you heard it right here from a non-professional baker! I can just picture Gordon Ramsay saying that I should add a dash (ora gallon) of olive oil! Notably, I found an Irish soda bread recipe from user KnockoutKitchen on YouTube. After watching the video and listening to the guy narrating and discussing the recipe in his unique and engaging Irish accent, I was craving some of that bread. The bread looked so delicious after he had taken it out of the Illustration by Athena Little Illustration by Udeshi Senaviratne Bm until Samsung did their announcement so that Apple could add more new features to the iPhone to show that they are more innovative. At least the iPad Air has more features that will allow everyone to create things like a pro. oven. I then made the decision to try and bake it myself—it turned out fantastic. I feared that it would look like a burnt meatball or meteor-like substance that is totally indistinguishable... except for that fact that it belongs in a trash can. Importantly, I would recommend baking to anyone who is having difficulty coping during these pandemic times. Keeping your mind stimulated and occupied is one way to combat stress and anxiety. I did not think I would enjoy baking, but I did. And during the process of baking, I felt calm and relaxed. Who knows what I will bake next? Irish Soda Bread Recipe * 4 cups flour (half whole wheat flour and half regular flour) * 1 teaspoon baking soda * 1 teaspoon salt * .and 3/4 cups buttermilk Mix all ingredients together. Roll and form into a ball and place in a baking tray (spray bottom with cooking spray). Take a knife and make two incisions on top of the bread (form an X). Cover with foil and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Afterwards, remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Then remove from oven and smear with butter and let dry on rack.