issue 19 / volume 40

Outernet aims to provide everyone
with news and information

» New York-based cha

    

Patrick Vailancourt
~~ News Editor

| &news
@theotherpress.ca

om kh
New York-based charitable
rganization is looking to
the stars with plans to provide
real-time access to news and
information to even the least-
connected parts of the world.
The Media Development
Investment Fund (MDIF),
the nonprofit organization
spearheading the initiative

known as Outernet, has reached

out to a team of telecom
specialists and engineers to
make the plan a reality.

The plan is to launch
approximately 150 micro-
satellites into Low Earth orbit,
which will broadcast some of
the more popular information

The plan allows for a one-way
broadcast of data to an Earth-
bound mobile device.

The plan would allow for
news and information to be
broadcast to users from all over
the world, and because the
signal originates from space, it
would operate independently
of national censorship rules in

countries such as China, Russia, :
: for space-based broadcasting of :

residents.
Outernet would provide

: access to Wikipedia,

: news sources, emergency

: communications, and online
: teaching resources such as

: those published by Teachers :
: Without Borders. The Outernet :
: could theoretically act as a :
providers found on the Internet. : real-time source of information
: in situations of crisis, such as

: natural disasters and terrorist

: attacks, when cellular networks
: may not be operational.

The project is currently

seeking additional funding
: from the public.

Some have been skeptical

: of Outernet, saying that the
: major telecom companies

worldwide will fight the plans

: information readily available on
: the Internet. In a question and

: answer session on Reddit, the

: founder and project leader, Syed
: Karim, said that it is prepared

: for the looming public debate

: with the telecoms.

“We will fight,” said Karim.

“And we will win.”

The project’s timeline is an

: ambitious one, and will require
: the cooperation of strategic

rity says satellite capability could be ready by late-2015

: and North Korea. Outernet’s

: website states the goal of

: broadcasting “digital content

: to mobile devices, simple

: antennae, and existing satellite
: dishes.” :
: Technology experts say that :
: thecurrent problemisalack :
: of ground-based infrastructure
: that is required in order for :
: Wi-Fi-enabled devices to access :
: anetwork. One would have to
: look no further than remote

: parts of Northern Canada,

: where cellular towers offer

: inconsistent Wi-Fi access to

partners from the testing
phase through to complete
capability. For example, the
project’s website states that
their timeline includes possible
testing of the micro-satellites in
a space-like environment, such
as on the International Space
Station (ISS), by September
2014. It is unclear whether

the project has already sent

a request to NASA regarding

news // 5

 

testing on the ISS, but the
NASA security assessments
alone could take years to
approve.

Despite the criticism,
the project leaders remain
optimistic and stand by their
stated timeline. Assuming the
project goes ahead according to
its schedule, launch of the first
series of satellites could begin
by June 2015.

 

Why work when you can have your
tuition paid by a sugar daddy?

Allison Redmond
The Cape Times

Si daddies and students
seem to be coming

together, according toa

survey and press release from
SeekingArrangements.com.
The site, which offers users the
opportunity to meet a sugar
baby or daddy, states they offer
a resourceful new way for young
college students to pay back
their student loans—by getting
someone else to do it.

The SeekingArrangements.
com release says that from 1990
to the year 2017 tuition prices
will have tripled with inflation,
leaving students with around
$38,000 in debt.

“Why hope for financial
aid when you can guarantee it
with a Sugar Daddy,” Brandon
Wade, who is the founder and
CEO, is quoted in the release.
“Student loans lead to endless

: debt, which amounts to more
: thana new graduate can handle. :
: Sugar Scholarships provide real
: solutions to the problem of

: student debts.”

The site was started by

: Wade to pair sugar daddies

: with money to young attractive
: women who need money. He

: states the site is not prostitution; :
: when faced with criticism after:
: the UK site launch, he told press :
: that the sugar babies were all

: “intelligent and goal-oriented

: ladies, while sugar daddies were
: respectful gentlemen.”

Wade markets the site as

: a dating site. He told the Wall

: Street Journal that, “I started

: the website mainly out of

: frustrations with online dating.
: Thad graduated from MIT and

: was making six figures, but

: it was very poor pickings for

: me. I would write emails [to

: prospective dates] and get a one
to two per cent response rate.”

SeekingArrangements.com
claims to be the world’s largest

: sugar daddy site, with over

: 2.7-million signed up. Out of

: that, 42 per cent, or about one

: million individuals, are seeking
: help with tuition. The average

: “allowance” of a sugar baby is

: around $3,000 a month, but this

is not the limit.
Seeking Arrangements’
commercial states the site is

: open to attractive women, aged

: 18 or older, and if they sign

: up with their university email

: account they get a free premium
: membership. The site states they :
: provide photos, detailed profiles, :
: and “clear expectations”; all

: expectations are set out clearly
: at the beginning so there is

: no misunderstanding of the

: relationship.

The site sets up the

arrangements that they define
: as, “shorthand for what we
: call a ‘mutually beneficial

The average
“allowance” of a sugar
baby is around $3000 a
month, but this is not
the limit.

: arrangement’ or a ‘mutually
: beneficial relationship.”

SeekingArrangement.com

: does not require a minimum

: GPA, but it does require the

: sugar baby be attractive and

: to pass a background check.

: Despite this, there are still online

warnings against sugar daddies

: who get their side of the bargain
: and run off before paying his
: sugar baby.

Critics have stated it’s

: worrying that tuition has risen
: so high that students would

: rather enter into this type of

: relationship than face a huge

: debt for schooling.

The press release included a
list of the top 20 universities
in Canada for new sign-ups
in 2013:

1. York University — 209

2. U of Guelph - 194

3. U of Alberta — 187

4. Ryerson University — 176

5. U of Toronto - 131

6. U of Ottawa - 122

7. Simon Fraser University — 11
8. U of Victoria — 98

g. McGill University - 94

10. U of Windsor — 87

u. Dalhousie University — 82
12. Brock University — 79

13. U of Saskatchewan - 78

14. U du Québec 4 Montréal - 64
15. U of British Columbia — 63
16. U of Calgary — 55

17. U of Manitoba — 53

18. U Laval - 51

19. U of New Brunswick — 49
20. St. Thomas University — 48