1 FRIDAY 01 NOV Graduate Students Union Pick a size The GSU page is here Which company size is right for you 31 35 “Keep the Cat Free” 08/11/13 Issue 1559 felixonline.co.uk New postgraduate ħ opens THIS ISSUE... Friday sees the opening of the new h-bar for postgraduates and staff TECHNOLOGY Matthew Allinson Reporter Joseph Letts Editor-in-Chief new postgraduate student and staff drinking and social venue on the South Say Hello to the Kensington campus isA set to open this Friday. In keeping Google Nexus 5 27 with the Union’s trend of naming its drinking establishments with incredibly nerdy puns, the new space will be called ħ (pronounced h-bar), named after the reduced NEWS Planck constant, which is the smallest quantum of angular momentum (with a value of 6.582 x 10-16 eV s). There have been some criticisms of the new name, however according to the Union the name was chosen out of a shortlist of names submitted by staff members and postgraduate students. The ħ will be a multi-function space, with a ‘café’ area and a ‘bar’ area. The bar will be run by the Union, whilst food is provided by College’s Boris Johnson under Campus Services division. The bar will be staffed by students with questions 4 previous bar experience, similar to the Old Holland Club and will have several student shift leaders, one of whom will be Stefan Nubert, former Deputy President Finance & Services MUSIC and current Imperial postgraduate JOSEPH LETTS student. The café area is set to serve Student barman pulls a test pint of Aspall Cyder in the ħ, days before the opening. Leon -style street food — think falafel wraps and couscous — which adds an other Union bars, with the addition students and staff”. biggest boost to functionality from the exciting variation to College’s current of a new craft beer from Greene King In comparison to the postgraduate refit is the opening up of the space in food provision, while the bar area called “Noble”. There might also be and staff venue that used to exist in the the sub-basement below Sherfield and will provide pub-style food as well some promotional deal available later space (the Holland bar) the ħ provides ħ. This has created two activity spaces/ as sharing platters and tapas-style on in the year. a significantly large space for drinking meeting rooms for union clubs and dishes. The lunch provided by the The Union stated that they were and eating, utilising more of the societies, which were in desperately venue will be different from the menu keen for the space to host postgraduate Sherfield building’s basement spaces. short supply. Unfortunately this in the Senior Common Room, with student events and welcome student Additionally the availability of food has come at the expense of the staff AMS Album of the the added benefit of being accessible input while the way in which the during lunch hours has the potential snooker room, but given the desperate for taught postgraduate students space is used is developed. They are to reduce the stress on the popular lack of space on campus and the large week: (unlike the SCR). The bar will serve a also keen for postgraduate students to SCR, which currently operates at snooker room on the top floor of the REFLEKTOR 16 selection of beverages available at the consider ħ as a “home for postgraduate full capacity during this period. The Union, this did seem redundant. 2 FRIDAY 08 NOV EDITOR’S PICKS FILM BOOKS COMIC Oscars Camus Plugtime Film makes predictions about Explore the life of Albert Camus Guess what, we’ve got a new the Oscars Best Supporting comic strip! Say hello to Plug- Actors awards time! COMMENT Imperial’s New Kenya: What is Next? What’s happening to Kenya in the future? Twitter Tool Fracking vs Science Comminication What is fracking? Nida Mahmud News Editor group of academics at by themselves. don’t tell you how they do it. They also Erratum Imperial have created a The Director of the Institute of focus on the individual rather than a Hey, so last week we had errors in our erratum. We’re sorry. This week we’re tool that is able to rank Global Health Innovation at Imperial, topic.” bound to have some more. If you find some errors, want to complain or just the most influential Professor Lord Ara Darzi, stated: “‘We “The T-index is a simple, transparent want to have your name on non-printer paper, why not send in a letter to speakers on any topic. first became interested in measuring score that measures how influential AThis is achieved by scoring the users influence in social media during the someone is based on the quality and [email protected]? of Twittter; it is known as the T-index recent reforms in the health service, quantity of their output on a specific and is dependent on many times they when it became clear that Twitter subject. The method is open to post and are retweeted. The T-index had become an important forum everyone, so people can discuss how is defined separately for each topic for discussions about the changes. useful it is as a metric. LOLCAT OF TEH WEEK: More from teh Lolcat editor of interest. A high score is achieved We wanted to find some way of “The results show that bloggers when the user is well known and when determining how influential different and independent voices can have they have been tweeted often. individuals were who were tweeting their messages disseminated to a It is hoped the T-index will help about the reforms and published a wider audience than established advertising companies, political research article detailing our findings. news providers. For tweets about groups and digital agencies to “We then realised this metric could David Cameron, Marcus Chown and ascertain who the most influential be more widely used across Twitter to Chunky Mark have higher T-indexes people are on social media. measure key influencers in any topic than established media providers like The tool was launched by sharing from fashion brands, to public events the Guardian and Daily Mirror. the ’10 most influential tweeters’ on to major geopolitical events. The “We also provide information on five different subjects. The analysis results we’re getting from the topics the most popular tweets overall about has been done on topics such as we’ve analysed so far are fascinating, each topic. These are almost always Manchester United and David and certainly tell us more than existing from celebrities such as Stephen Cameron. metrics of influence currently in use.” Fry, Lady Gaga or members of One The team who created it would Dr Dominic King, a lecturer at Direction. But while one tweet about a like to expand the project so that Imperial commented that “There topic may stimulate a peak of interest, any person can search who the most are lots of companies that measure it’s likely to be short-term. The T-index influential speakers are on any subject influence on Twitter, but they usually measures sustained influence.” Felix, Beit Quad, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BB. Email: [email protected]. Tel: 020 7594 8072. Fax: 020 7594 8065. THIS BROUGHT Printed by Iliffe Print Cambridge, Winship Road, Cambridge. Registered newspaper ISSN 1040-0711. Copyright © Felix 2013. WEEK WASTO YOUBY Editor-in-Chief Joe Letts News Editors Nida Mahmud, Philippa Skett, Aemun Reza Features Editors VACANT Business Editor James Tsim Science Editors Philippa Skett, Keir Little, Fiona Hartley Politics Editor Kartikeya Rana Food Editors Carol Ann Cheah, Michael Chung Comment Editors Eoghan J. Totten, Tessa Davey Arts Editor Arianna Sorba Books Editors Maciej Matuszewski, Eva Rosenthal Music Editors Simon Hunter, Riaz Agahi, Stuart Masson, William Stocker Television Editors John Park, Emily Fulham Film Editor John Park Games Editors Maximilian Eggl, Calum Skene, Imran Rashid Technology Editors Maximilian Eggl, Yong Wen Chua, Osama Arawa Travel Editor Chris Richardson Sports Editors Kunal Wagle Emergency Editors Philippa Skett, Ravi Pall, Rory Fenton Online Editors Philip Kent, Annina Sartor, Stephen Ball Puzzles Commanders Kingshuk Dasadhikari, Oliver Price Lord and Lady of the Copy Stephen Ball and Annina Sartor Copy Editors Alexandra Hamilton, Thomas Heaven, Mattin Mir-Tahmasebi, Tom Rivlin, Aislinn Hayes FRIDAY 08 NOV 3 Editors: Aemun Reza, Nida Mahmud [email protected] NEWS President of Republic Some postgraduates critical of h-bar of Korea visits Imperial LaytON thOMpsON / IMpERIAL COLLEGE LONDON things that make you go hmmmmm? JOSEPH LETTS 6pm. Instead on Fridays the ħ will be They also mentioned that the new Kunal Wagle Matthew Allinson serving [alcohol] from 4pm and the entrance provides wheelchair access Section Editor Reporter whole space, canteen and bar, with a (via the new lift) and the bar is also at combined capacity for 250 people, will a wheelchair-friendly height. It gives me great be serving staff and postgrads only. Despite complaints about the The previous entrance to the old appearance of the bar, and the On Wednesday November 6th, the “pleasure that we Holland Club is now closed off and general bemusement at how the one- President of the Republic of Korea, he new-look postgraduate serves as a fire escape, while the new space, two-uses policy will actually Park Geun-hye, paid a visit of Imperial have gathered bar is set to open this Friday, entrance is only accessible via the work when the whole thing opens College, in order to make a speech with pictures released by Sherfield building.