Debate | Issue 4 | The Five Senses by Debate Magazine

DEBATE Issue 4 | April 2018

THE fIVE SENSES 1

5 BEST ANSWERS

AUT’S MISSION IS

‘GREAT GRADUATES’

WIN

A $50 WESTFIELD GIFT CARD!

TELL US WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU! Email your answer to greatgrads@aut.ac.nz

A STRATEGY LAB PROJECT

Contents

Virtually Messing With Our Senses :: Page 16

Threesomes by the Senses Page 12

Seeing Sounds Page 26

Colour Your Brain Page 30

Vegan Playground Recipe Page 36

C OV E R I L L U S T R AT I O N BY H O P E M C C O N N E L L

EDITOR Julie Cleaver debate@aut.ac.nz DESIGNER Ramina Rai rrai@aut.ac.nz ADVERTISING Julie Cleaver julie.cleaver@aut.ac.nz

CONTRIBUTORS Bridie ChetwinKelly, David Evans Bailey, Dayna Patel, Helen Shelvey, Hope McConnell, Jean Bell, Kurt Schmidt, Majdi Khamis, Mary Delaney, Melissa Koh, Mya Cole, Nicky Jonas, Ruby Clavey, Sarah Pollok

PRINTER Nicholson Print Solutions DISCLAIMER

Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AUTSA, its advertisers, contributors, Nicholson Print Solutions or its subsidiaries.

Debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA).

This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUT STUDENT ASSOCIATION (“AUTSA”). Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AUTSA.

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And before you fire up your email, yes, there is possibly in some weird way a sixth sense. I know some smart alec would bring this up if it weren’t mentioned, which is why I’ve decided to tackle it head on in this editorial (hence the creepy title). In my opinion, the ‘sixth sense’, other than being a horrifyingly brilliant movie, is something all humans have. And no, I don’t think we can all see spirits, but I do believe we do all have an innate ‘deeper’ level that we can’t quite explain. All humans love to be part of a group, love to feel love and connection, and love to believe in stories and ideologies that give us a ‘reason’. For us humans, merely surviving is never enough; we need something to believe in. And this indescribable thing, to me, is the sixth sense. However, in modern cities, our five main senses are constantly assaulted, yet our sixth sense is often unfulfilled. This leaves people craving a sense of community and belonging – something that can be challenging to find at uni (I know, I’ve been there). And if you’re not inside a community already, it can be super challenging to branch out and find one. Plus your mental state isn’t in a ‘bubbly-meet-people-mood’, so it all becomes a negative spiral of loneliness. If you’re stuck in this cycle, I encourage going out and trying one new thing – just one! It could be going to an AUTSA club and meeting some empathetic individuals, joining a boxing class, or just saying yes to that catch up you keep putting off. Sometimes you need a push from a friend to get out there, and here is that push.

Editor’s Letter I see dead people… Welcome back! I hope the so called ‘break’ treated you well. Also, welcome to Issue 4! In the interest of writing creatively and incorporating as many listicles as possible, we decided to theme this issue ‘The Five Senses’. Almost every page inside this gorgeous matte magazine is about the way we touch, feel, smell, see and hear. The pieces are sensual, elegant and goddamn addictive to read, so grab yourself a hot coco and settle in for a good time.

In this issue there are other articles about taking care of your ‘sixth sense’, as I describe it, including Helen Shelvey’s piece about escaping stress through your other five senses. There’s also a sensational feature about synesthesia by Jean Bell, which is about people whose senses combine in unusual and beautiful ways. There’s a ton of other good stuff too, like Mya Cole’s gripping piece on threesomes through the senses, Bridie Chetwin-Kelly’s rundown of the best ‘meaty’ vegan meals in town, a piece by David Evans Bailey on how VR tricks the senses, and so, so much more. Grab a copy (or three) and see you again in two weeks! Julie

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What's On?

Cheap, free and koha events around town

Swap n’ Shop Where: AUT City Campus, Hikuwai Plaza When: Thursday 3 May, from 12pm What: Keep meaning to donate that old box of clothes? Bring ‘em to the AUTSA monthly Swap n’ Shop – leave something behind and take something new! You can also buy clothes for $1 or $2. How much: Free

Women’s Self Defence Course Where: AUT North Campus and City Campus Gyms When: Saturday 5 May, City 2pm – 4pm; North 11am – 1pm What: Learn how to break free from holds, target vulnerable spots on larger attackers and more. Spaces are limited. Book through your campus’ gym by email, phone or in person. How much: Free

J Day

Sunrise Yoga

Where: Albert Park When: Saturday 5 May, 11am – 5pm What: Talk about medicinal cannabis, listen to some beats, check out the stalls and learn a thing or two in the process. How much: Free

Where: All three AUT campuses When: Monday 14 May, 7am What: Wake up on the right side of the bed by taking part in a relaxing sunrise yoga session, run by AUTSA. How much: Free

Free for coffee, cake and a chat?

Mothertrucker Food Truck Festival

When/Where: Anytime between 12pm – 1.30pm at each AUT campus: Wednesday 9 May, South Campus, MH102 Forum; Tuesday 15 May, City Campus, WG201 Forum; Wednesday 16 May, North Shore Campus, AS133. What: AUT’s missions is ‘Great Graduates’. Give your feedback on what this means to you. How much: Free

Where: AUT City Campus, Hikuwai Plaza When: Thursday 10 May, 10am – 3pm What: Foodies listen up! AUTSA is putting on an epic mothertruckin’ food truck festival, full of rad options to suit all diets and palettes. Truck yeah! How much: Free

news

Students Max Whitehurst, Alena Kavka and Vannesa Cole say they would have never signed up for a tertiary overdraft that charged interest. Photo: Nicky Jonas.

Students fear debt spiral as Kiwibank charges interest on ‘interest free’ overdrafts By Nicky Jonas Kiwibank’s plan to charge interest on ‘interest free’ tertiary overdrafts has angered students who aren’t getting the deal they signed up for.

not be used.

Until recently Kiwibank allowed tertiary students to enter $1,000 or $2,000 worth of interest free debt on their overdraft. However, after May 1 this year, all students on this scheme will have to pay five percent interest on their once interest free overdraft.

“When I’ve had to move apartments urgently, I’ve found that the only way I’ve been able to get cash quickly is to get out an overdraft. And I’ve done that now with three different banks and I’ve basically got three maxed-out tertiary overdrafts.”

Louise, an honours student at the University of Auckland, signed up for a Kiwibank overdraft because it was ‘interest free’. On that basis Louise has taken out multiple overdrafts and has therefore requested that her full name

Louise is fearful that other banks will follow Kiwibank’s lead and that the interest rate will go up again.

Louise says that the reality of renting forced her into debt.

“It’s a really scary thought for me and I’m sure a lot of other students as well.

It would just basically cripple me. I don’t know if I could come back from an increased interest. Once debt starts compiling it’s really hard to minimise it. If I were to try and earn more money to pay it off urgently it would severely impact my studies.” Louise says that Kiwibank did not ask her if she had an overdraft account with another bank when she applied for an overdraft with them. The man behind this plan, Kiwibank’s Product Manager Transactional Accounts and Overdrafts, Mark Lonergan, says that interest has been introduced because the overdraft facility is not working as originally envisaged.

“Students, they need money, right? But the overdraft specifically is a safety net and we just didn’t quite feel that it was working that way.” Lonergan says instead of using the scheme as a traditional overdraft, large numbers of students are living at their overdraft limit and using the facility as a loan, as opposed to an overdraft.

“I got into the overdraft because I didn’t know about accommodation supplements or food grants and I had to pay rent… but with the accommodation supplement there are barriers to accessing that.” Vanessa Cole says that banks make it easy to get into debt.

The interest rate will begin at five percent per annum, but Lonergan is unable to confirm that it will not rise any further.

“The banks were everywhere on campus when I first started, offering all these different benefits, and they were allowed to be on campus talking students into these deals.”

“It’s impossible to say. The short answer is I don’t know; certainly there are no plans to change it.”

Nasra Mohamed, a first year law student at AUT, also felt that she was pressured into a scheme when she visited her bank.

Other students who don't have an account with Kiwibank empathise with people like Louise and say they would have never gone into overdraft if they knew it would start raking up interest.

“I went for a completely unrelated thing, and they just come up to you and they start offering you all this extra stuff, and they’ll be like ‘do you know you can do the tertiary package?’ I’m like, I might as well get it just in case.”

University of Auckland sociology student, Vanessa Cole, says she would never have taken out her overdraft with ASB if she had known interest could be charged. “It’s not fair that students were told that this was going to be interest free and, once they got the overdraft, interest is being imposed on them.” Max Whitehurst, a masters student at the University of Auckland, has an interest free overdraft with ANZ. Max says the tertiary overdraft plans target groups who are already financially vulnerable.

CEO of watchdog organisation Consumer NZ, Sue Chetwin, says Kiwibank is within its rights to change interest rates. “It’s not great PR by Kiwibank but it’s in its terms and conditions that the bank can change interest rates any time. It is not required to give notice of the change.” In saying that, she objects to Kiwibank continuing to offer interest free overdrafts to this year’s cohort of students, even after they notified current tertiary account owners in January of

their plans to charge interest. “Kiwibank [was] still advertising interest free tertiary overdrafts of up to $1,000 for first year students and $2K for second years. That is rank given its plans to dump interest free overdrafts.” Kiwibank recently removed the advertisement from their website and no longer promote the interest free tertiary accounts. However, Lonergan believes Kiwibank’s new policy will better prepare students for life after university. He says that charging interest on the overdraft will help students with the transition to a high interest rate after graduation. “The intent was to discourage using too much of their limit. We’re trying to change the behaviour so that customers don’t get into as much debt on their overdraft.” However, the students spoken to believe that rather than helping, the new policy will make an already difficult situation worse. Louise says that after living expenses, she doesn’t have enough money left at the end of each week to pay off her existing overdraft. “I don’t think being charged money is going make me magically come up with more money to pay it off. I think that it’s the opposite of the case. It’s just going to begin a debt spiral that we did not sign up for.”

news

E-submissions may be coming soon to AUT By Julie Cleaver AUT is currently working out a scheme that will extend its online submission process by enabling nearly all students to hand in their assignments online rather than in person. When initiated it will apply to all assignments that are suited to online submission.

would also reduce time pressures for students who have to come into university to drop off documents. “This year I've been involved in a working group with AUT Senior Management to work out what the implementation of this programme could look like.

Currently most students must come into university to drop off a physical copy of their assignments in addition to submitting it to Turnitin. However, the new scheme would eliminate the need to drop off most assignments in person.

“Although not all assignments can be submitted online, such as artworks or product designs, for essays and written assignments it removes the pressure for many students of having to physically hand in a copy as well as submitting online.”

The date the scheme will go live is unknown at this stage, however AUT’s Senior Management expect it to take around two years to fully implement.

Professor Geoff Perry, AUT’s Deputy ViceChancellor, says in general students and staff have been positive towards the new initiative.

The idea was campaigned for by AUTSA’s Student Representative Council, who believe students, particularly those who work or have other commitments, need to be given the flexibility to hand in work online.

“There are a number of pros [with electronic hand-in]. One is that this is something the students are very interested in and I think it meets the needs of many students more so than physically having to come in and drop something at a particular point in time.”

According to Nadine Tupp, AUTSA’s Acting Student President, the scheme would reduce financial pressures due to the cost of printing, parking and public transport. She says it

Professor Perry says electronic submissions also make sense practically, as most students are already handing their assignments into the academic integrity software Turnitin.

According to Dr Ineke Kranenburg, AUT’s Academic Director, when the nuts and bolts of implementing the scheme are figured out, it will be carried out and apply to almost all courses at AUT. “The intent is where appropriate to enable students to submit online. So we would expect that to be for most cases, but there could be a very good reason why you wouldn’t submit an assessment online.” However, Dr Kranenburg states that some courses may not allow online hand-in due to practical reasons, like practical assignments or assignments that include complex formulas, for example. “There’s an overwhelming view that this should be the way to go, but there would be areas where it wouldn’t be suitable and usually those are about student learning or effectiveness of the online system for the type of assessment task – they’re not about staff not being capable.” Professor Perry says the scheme is currently being deliberated among AUT’s schools and academic committees.

‘Foodie Godmother’ a massive success By Julie Cleaver

Earlier this month AUT’s Student Association (AUTSA) launched its new wellness initiative, Foodie Godmother, which has proved popular with AUT students. In the first week of its opening, over 70 students took items from one of Foodie Godmother’s three food pantries. For those who don’t know, Foodie Godmother is a free food pantry located in every AUTSA office (one on all three AUT campuses). It has been set up to provide food and living essentials to students in need. As part of the initiative, a garden has also been planted on AUT’s North and City Campuses (South coming soon). When fully grown, students will be able to take home fresh produce and herbs. According to Nadine Tupp, AUTSA’s Acting Student President, the new initiative is helping to support AUT students along their journeys. “I am so excited about AUTSA’s Foodie Godmother initiative, as now all students not only have the opportunity to take a few items from the pantry or community gardens when in need, but can also donate to the pantry and help foster a positive community environment in AUTSA and AUT.” The pantry is being run off donations and sponsorship and all companies, students and staff are welcome to donate any unopened food items or other items that may be useful to students. To donate, simply drop off the goods to any AUTSA office. Alternatively, people are welcome to make a financial donation to the Foodie Godmother bank account: 06-0158-00030680-025. Want to know more? Get in touch: foodiegodmother@aut.ac.nz.

AUT Law School opens Centre for Indigenous Rights and Law

On 5 April the AUT Law School officially launched a new research facility called the Centre for Indigenous Rights and Law. AUT Senior Lecturer and Centre Co-Director, Khylee Quince, says the focus of the Centre is to give prominence to indigenous law and laws affecting indigenous people in Aotearoa, the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. As well as research, the Centre will collaborate with other universities and academics, and host conferences and public talks to promote the research and scholarships, says Quince. “We’ll also contribute to the teaching of both undergraduate and postgraduate law at AUT, doing that in a way that is appropriate, respectful, meaningful and useful to indigenous people, including us as tangata whenua,” she says.

AUT Senior Lecturer and Centre Co-Director Khylee Quince at the Centre’s launch. Photo: AUT Law School.

For more info, check out: www.indigenouslaw.aut.ac.nz.

Explain Like I’m Five Popular Music

Every issue our resident engineer and all-round smart person Kurt Schmidt explains complex stuff so a five-year-old could understand it (admittedly, a pretty smart five-year-old). Illustrations by Dayna Patel.

How Sound Works

The Pop Formula

The air is not empty. It consists of lots of different tiny gas particles like nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. You can feel these particles when the wind is blowing or when you pop your hand out the window of a car. When you push against these tiny particles, they will move a little bit and in turn the particles next to them also move, like how waves are made by dropping a stone in water. When these displacements are slow and large, we call it ‘wind’ and we can feel it. But when these displacements are fast and small, they create a pattern that travels through the air. When this pattern reaches our ear, the air beats on the membrane of our inner ear like a drum and our brain takes this rhythm and converts it into perceived sound. (No wonder the hearing organ is called an ‘eardrum’!) When the air drums away slowly at around 20 hits per second we hear low bass sounds and when the air is high on crack and drums away at 20,000 hits per second, we hear super high treble sounds, like mosquitoes or fire alarms. For vibrations outside of this range we stop calling it sound because we no longer hear it.

For many people, listening to music is about the emotional response and feeling it gives you. It’s so personal and subjective that the idea of sticking probes into it and statistically analysing it for structure and trends can seem odd or even just straight wrong. However, with the top 100 music charts repeatedly including works by Max Martin, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, one starts to think: “Are these people musical geniuses? Or have they just discovered some pattern or formula?” Max Martin (a Swedish pop writer) has written or cowritten 22 number one hits and has received pop song writer of the year ten times. It’s an impressive track record but one must ask: how is he doing this? Surprise, surprise: research shows there is a formula. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that knowing the pop formula is only step one in becoming the next big thing; you still need good looks talent. But hey, every step helps. So for all you budding musicians, here’s the basics on pleasing an eardrum.

Cs Get Degrees

Harmony and Rhythm is Key

In a 2012 study carried out by Dave Carlton, a music researcher, it was found that out of the 1,300 popular songs that were analysed, 26 percent of them were written in the key of C major (and its relative minor, A). Hold up a second, what’s a key? A key is a group of notes (normally seven) that sound good together. For simplicity, just think of all the white keys on a piano when you hear the words ‘key of C major and A minor’. What the pros do is they play around on these seven notes until a melody pops out that is so infectious, even the most pretentious music snob can’t avoid humming it in the shower. Interestingly, beyond these seven repeating white notes, our revered artists and musicians try to avoid the black keys in general, just like they try to avoid any essence of originality and expression. If you’re a little more explorative, moving from the C major to the G and Eb major scales can increase your originality tenfold. So, after making a virus of a melody, what’s the next part to making a great pop song?

A good song is like a collection of organisms; when they work in harmony, the song is good, when they clash, the song is bad. For the organisms to survive at all there must be a rhythm keeping their little hearts beating. Harmony occurs when more than one note is played at the same time. This could be from the same instrument or a collection of instruments. In pop music the most common harmony is that expressed from a single instrument using three notes. We call this combination of three notes a triad chord. When chords are played over a certain rhythm, this combo is the thing that makes you go “I know this song!” If you are using the C major scale, the only chords you need to know are the main harmonising chords. These are C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor, and B diminished. If you play music, these are sometimes shown as Roman Numerals (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii). From Dave’s study (the musical guy) he found that from the 1,300 popular songs, the chords C major (I), G major (V), a minor (vi) and F major (IV) were used 70 percent of the time. Most of us have seen The Axis of Awesome, a video where they play 46 popular songs using the same four chords. Funnily enough, the chord progression used here is I–V–vi–IV.

In summary, to be considered a pop music genius whose bangers make it straight to Long Room (or the playroom, since you’re five), just remember these simple things: when writing your catchy melody, avoid the black keys and stick to the seven repeating notes of the C major scale. Then hit up a tasty rhythm using the C major scale harmonising chords. To be certain of success, use I–V–vi–IV. Finally, be good looking like Bieber or Beyoncé and if you’re not good looking, then be Swedish… somehow that seems to work. 11

threesomes by the senses By Mya Cole | Illustration by Mary Delaney Don’t read this if your aim is to come out knowing how to have a threesome. I don’t even know how to have a threesome; they have been some of the stickiest and most confusing situations I have ever put myself in. However they have also been some of the most pleasurable moments in my life when I’ve managed to get over the anxiety of trying to please two people. I am not going to dwell on one particular experience as they all differ so much. The nature of sex is delicate enough without throwing a third person in the mix. There are a plethora more subtleties, smell, feel, sound and taste. I’m gonna tell you about each of these things and how I’ve experienced them, so if you're squeamish, take this as a disclaimer and get out now.

The subtleties of a threesome People are filled with tiny nuances in everything they do. Sex is no different, and these subtleties can manifest themselves in the tilt of a head, a thrust of hips or even a feeling that has the power to permeate an entire room. Maybe I feel these particularly hard being a Libra and having a far too active radar for everything that is going on around me, especially when I am in foreign situations. I remember the first time I had a threesome, I couldn’t feel any pleasure for at least the first half because

I was too busy worrying about whether or not the other two people were having a good time. After 30 minutes of trying to inconspicuously pick apart the facial experiences of my two partners I was finally able to relax and give myself at least partially to the experience. I feel after having a few threesomes there is so much you can read from two people's faces as well as where they are putting their hands and how they look in their eyes.

The smells of a threesome Smell, stench, stink, scent, bouquet, aroma, tang. Threesomes have a rich apothecary of smells to surprise you with. Attraction often creates a pleasant smell, (scent in the nose of the beholder?) however, with threesomes, I have found that they have not always had the smells I would have hoped for. For example, I have never found BO sexy and I don’t think I ever will. Accidentally having your head shoved into somebody’s sweaty pits is almost never fun, and if it is, you’ve probably found somebody very special. There are some occasions when bad smells are an integral part of the experience; there is something extremely sexy about dripping with sweat and not being conscious of it.

The feel of a threesome Threesomes are a tactile enthusiast’s wet dream. To have three bodies all sharing one space is something that is filled with incredible weight. Having two people fulfil all of your bodily pleasures is a surreal experience. For me, when it feels right, I feel nurtured and as though I am flying on a higher plane. My favourite thing about threesomes is being able to fulfil my tactile hand/body part to mouth Freudian obsession while also being pleasured in countless other ways. The different people bring different energies as well so the way they touch and mesh with you and each other creates dynamics bringing highs and lows in the realm of physical feelings.

The sound of a threesome

atmosphere only known to a threesome or a sex club. I love when the music your listening to becomes synced with the sounds that are coming from sex: unadulterated realness.

Having two people fulfil all of your bodily pleasures is a surreal experience.

Musically dynamic, you have three instruments instead of two, and everybody has different ways of showing pleasure or discomfort. Slippery or dry bodies moving together each have very distinct sounds and I am sure you will hear all of them. Hands scratching and slapping simultaneously creates the ambient sound of sex that we all know. Intermingled with moans and screams (depending on who you are) creates a unique

The taste of a threesome Cheers to the many tastes that the human body emits. Multiply it by three when all the tastes meet and interact with each other, creating new sours and sweets and salties. Have you ever licked the salty sweat off somebody's back right after disentangling your head from between somebody else's legs? It is a culinary experience, and not necessarily a bad one – if you’re open to that kinda thing. Taste is one of the most integral sensory parts of a threesome; because there are three of you there is often gonna be a lot of mouth work going on, so if you’re going to embark on one be prepared for some foreign cuisine.

Easily embarked on, but maybe not so easy to find a good one: threesomes are something for any hedonistic person to chase after. They have the potential to fulfil your most potent fantasies but they also have the potential to be unbearably uncomfortable. So choose your people well and remember that communication and consent are key.

If I had to lose a sense, which one would I choose? By Ruby Clavey Funny question that. It’s a scenario no one wants to face and yet so many around our world do. If one day I woke to find I had been robbed of one of my five senses, these are the things I would miss. Losing smell. That early morning stroll past your daily coffee stop, when all you can smell is your one true love: caffeine. Or when you’re sitting in the third lecture of the day feeling a bit peckish, and suddenly a guy a few rows down cracks open a tub of two-minute noodles… then bam, you’re ravenous… and have missed three lecture slides. Losing taste. Imagine the pain of sitting in a restaurant enjoying the delicious whiffs of food arriving at your table, but as you go to bite the ravioli, you taste nothing. The frustration would be real. However, eating straight kale and turmeric would be an easy task and you’d look shredded. But you would miss out on a love affair with dark chocolate and wine.

Losing touch. Never feeling the joy of rolling in between new sheets, or the feel of your loved one’s skin. Losing sight. You’d miss the bowl cut phase, possibly the bus and the imaginary love story you create when a beautiful person sits in front of you during a lecture. You would miss the leaves changing through each season before your eyes. Losing hearing. You would lose the joy of the greats, like Bowie and Carol King, replaying a sweet memory triggered by the sound of a tune from your past. However, while I personally would not mourn the loss of songs like ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’, my life could seem empty without ‘I’m too Sexy’. The task of hypothetically choosing to lose a sense is painful, however, so many humans lose at least one of their senses during their time on earth. My great grandmother Rose suddenly went deaf at the tender age of eight, later in life she lost sight in one eye, and struggled with the other. Yet she was the most incredible woman I have had the pleasure of loving in my nineteen years. She never let her lost senses dull her sparkle. At the end of the day, all we really need is love. Tasting chocolate and wine is just an added luxury.

feature

Virtually Virtually Messing Messing with with Our Our Senses Senses By David Evans Bailey | Illustration by Hope McConnell

By the time this article goes to print, it is very likely that many readers will have seen Ready Player One, a movie based on the book by Ernest Cline. The book, written in 2011, provided a great yarn, although the Virtual Reality technology that supported the story is still a work in progress. What stands out from Ready Player One is the fact that the general populace who participate in the virtual world, called OASIS, think that it is real and can, in fact, feel it and experience it. And that, as they say, my friends, is the key to Pandora’s box. When something that is not real becomes real (like the virtual world), then how do we know what is real anymore? If we can fool our own senses, then that kind of turns our world upside down, right? But wait, I hear you say, that was a movie and this… is real life. The ubiquitous question about such movies is always: are they true or can they become so? The answer in this case is, as always, unequivocally yes and also no. Where we are today in terms of technology means that some things in VR can be accomplished, and some can’t. Also, some things may or may not ever be accomplished, which is the beauty of technological progress. In reality, many people in a multitude of countries are working on making VR technology that messes with our senses right now; how many of their inventions will see the light of day is another matter.

Let’s get more specific. What exactly can and can’t you sense in VR today or perhaps in the near future? The obvious response is that you can… see! That might not sound like a big deal, but it is. If you have ever used an immersive rig such as the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, or spent a little bit of time in AUT’s awesome MOCAP space, you will know that things can get just a little bit real. The experience of immersive VR (as they call it in the trade) is one of being inside a virtual world. It is as if you are really there, teleported into some virtual space, to a greater or lesser degree. At the same time, you know your body is standing in a room that is nothing like the one you are looking at now. Very odd indeed, but also pretty awesome. So what? Vision is easy in VR, I hear you say. Well, in fact, a huge amount

of software and technology using light and shadows fools you into thinking that there are solid objects in front of your eyes, so it’s actually rather complex stuff. So that’s great! You can see! But we have a multitude of other senses: how do we fool all of those? Great question and again, in reply, we can’t – at least not yet. The next sense to discuss is hearing or ‘audio’ for technophiles. Hearing is, of course, easy. Headphones, speakers and enhanced audio that gives the impression of three dimensions of sound are all possible today. Gamers will be completely familiar with audio; it is an integral part of every game. So that is really a no-brainer. What about, touch? You say. This one’s more difficult. Touch is normally felt through the

skin, and your body has quite an extensive amount of that. Most elementary touch technology for VR begins with the hands, since these are attachments that we probably use the most. Devices known as ‘haptic gloves’ are the most common way of conveying touch. (Haptic meaning something that relates to touch, so very apt.) The gloves contain myriads of sensors which can convey sensation in various ways, usually via electrical impulses to your hands and vice versa. Using these you can pick things up in VR and actually feel what you are picking up. The haptic gloves feature heavily in Ready Player One, but I suspect the implication from the film is that they can do more than they actually can. If you had watched the movie, you would also note that the hero went on to acquire a full bodysuit. This

would be something like a glove with skin contact for the whole body. Thus, the sensor range extends itself and allows your body to feel things in VR, all over! Yes, both haptic gloves, bodysuits, half bodysuits and so on are already available in various forms. The more expensive ones have more sensors to give the wearer more sensation. So when you are fighting Darth Vader in VR, you can really feel that hit from his light sabre and also perhaps the lightest touch from the fronds of barley, Gladiator style. In the context of touch, there is obviously the sexual element too. ‘Teledildonics’ (this is exactly what you think it is) have already been invented and are on the market. In layman’s terms, these are sex toys that attach to a computer and can thus be controlled by software, or another person. I will leave the rest to your imagination. In summary, then, we have pretty much covered that one. What then of smell and taste? Interesting points, and yes, it can be done! Companies are already designing and making VR masks that include the emission of smells, or add-ons to existing headsets that will allow smells to be wafted into the nostrils of the user. These are already being manufactured and will

no doubt open up a massive market in the future for invented odours.

likelihood of workable devices being developed in the future.

However, taste is more difficult. Taste usually implies actually ingesting something, and although taste and smell are very closely linked, they are by no

Another very important area is Kinetic Sense. That is related to movement, body positioning and so forth. Anyone who has used VR at all will know that movement can be limited, and you can’t just run around wherever you want to. Also, moving the VR environment without your body also moving can make you feel sick. Many devices have been invented to overcome these limitations; treadmills for walking, cradles to help you feel as if you are flying and more.

‘Teledildonics’ are sex toys that attach to a computer and can thus be controlled by software, or another person. means the same. In saying that, taste is being worked on for VR in all sorts of ways, from strange looking headsets and utensils, to electronic impulses that fool your tongue into thinking you have tasted something. Is that going to work? I have no idea, but the progress of technology indicates that there is every

Combining all of this sensory apparatus together means that now and in the future VR can become a consummate sensory experience. However, the big question remains: is it worth it if we have to put on all this paraphernalia every time we want to come to the VR party? Well, that is for you to decide because the progress of technology is unstoppable and will roll on no matter what. As of now, we are standing at the edge of an infinite wasteland where simulation may just be about to conquer reality. “Welcome to the desert of the real” – those immortal words of the philosopher Jean Baudrillard, most famously uttered by the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix, were never more fitting.

giveaways

Treat Yo'self To win any of the prizes below, head over to Debate’s Facebook page (/autsadebate) and fill out the competition survey pinned to the top of our timeline called ‘GIVEAWAYS – ISSUE 4’ using the key word ‘SENSELESS’. Make sure you like our page to be in to win!

Nuts About Nuts This is likely the most delicious nut butter you will ever taste – trust us. The gooey-ness is unreal, and the flavour makes every one of my little taste buds dance with joy. Forty Thieves is made with love on the Hibiscus Coast by one of AUT’s very own graduates as well, which somehow makes it taste even better. They’ve also won a load of awards for their ingenious formulas, so the winner of all four of these jars is seriously the luckiest human out. To enter the draw, read the instructions at the top of the page.

Shower with me There’s nothing quite like showers: the steam, the aromas, the… cleanliness. It’s a little magical moment we all get to enjoy daily (or weekly – that’s cool). And there’s something extremely wholesome about pouring a generous helping of shampoo into your palm, having its sweet smell fill your nostrils and then scrubbing into your hair. And Biolage R.A.W. gives you that experience. This ethical and environmentally friendly shampoo and conditioner set will make your locks feel soft and luscious, and this range will also help recover any damage. The set is worth $70, so this is one sweet, sweet prize. To enter the draw, read the instructions at the top of the page.

Kettle Korn! The salt, the sweet, the crunch: there are so many reasons why we love New Zealand’s very own Kettle Korn. And this epic brand has just brought out a new flavour: Sour Cream and Chives! Indulge your taste buds by munching on this allergy-friendly, certified GMO, peanut, dairy, gluten and soy free snack (what a mouthful!). We’re giving three lucky winners four bags each, so get entering! To enter the draw, read the instructions at the top of the page.

Smells like Lush

BurgerFuel on us

There are few experiences that are more sensory than sitting in a tub full of divine smelling Lush bath bombs. And this indulgent pack is so damn aromatic, I can literally smell the bath bombs through the box and wrapping (no joke!). The $32.90 gift features one Rocket Science bath bomb, one Sherbet Dip bath bomb and one Christmas Cracker bubble bar, making it one of the most sensual experience packs out. For the ultimate sensory experience, we recommend sharing it with a friend. To enter the draw, read the instructions at the top of the page.

If you’re anything like the Debate squad, you’ll also be absolutely obsessed with BurgerFuel and how it indulges the senses. From the crunch of fresh lettuce and the dripping sauce, to the juicy flavour of the patties and the pillow-esque buns, every time we eat BurgerFuel our senses go so wild. Thankfully our pals at Queen Street BurgerFuel are giving a sensory experience to eight lucky readers in the form of an ‘Enjoy any burger on us’ voucher, which, well, is pretty self-explanatory. To enter the draw, read the instructions at the top of the page.

Intense Sex

Sensory Overload

Yes, you read the title right. Durex is hooking one lucky reader up with an intensely stimulating hook up pack. The winner of this sexy prize will win an ‘Intense Stimulating Gel’ to intensify her pleasure and ‘Intense stimulating condoms’ which are ribbed and dotted with stimulating gel. Feel your senses come alive and get intense yo! To enter the draw, read the instructions at the top of the page.

If there’s one place that will completely overload your senses, it’s the Odyssey Sensory Maze. Located on Queen Street inside the Sky World Entertainment Centre, this maze will mess with every one of your senses and leave you feeling tripped the heck out. It’s an incredible feeling, and in honour of this special sensory issue, we’re giving one lucky reader a double pass (worth $40). To enter the draw, read the instructions at the top of the page.

Escaping stress, one sense at a time

Escaping stress, one sense at a time By Helen Shelvey University life is both exciting and stressful in equal measures. For a lot of students, the heady combination of parties and deadlines, socialising and working can all culminate in a dire need for some time-out. Burning the candle at both ends is precisely what student life has us doing, and it can leave you feeling over-stimulated and burnt out. Take a night out, for example: a crowded room, pumping music, flashing lights, the taste of alcohol, the smell of sweat and perfume... your senses are taking a beating. So how about taking a few moments every

now and then to indulge your senses as opposed to assault them? Your reward will be the knowledge that you have the tools to inject a little calm into even the busiest of days.

Smell The part of our brain that processes smell (the olfactory bulb) is situated very close to the hippocampus, which processes memory. That’s why the smell of freshly cut grass may conjure up images of summers that have past, or some scents take you back to childhood memories of home-cooked meals or your mother’s perfume. Thus smell has

the power to take you back in time and to influence your current mood. So next time you breathe in, notice any smells that waft your way, inhale deeply and let your mind wander to another time, another place. Conversely you could take a more active approach to using smell to help you relax. Find a scent that works for you – maybe it conjures a calming memory – or you could try aromatherapy suggestions such as lavender, geranium, bergamot and chamomile. These scents are easy to come by in the form of fresh or dried plants, essential oils or in herbal teas and are all associated with reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.

Taste On the subject of tea, next time you go to the supermarket, add some to your shopping list. Caffeine in coffee, black tea and energy drinks stimulates the sympathetic nervous system setting us on high alert, ready for the day ahead. Not helpful if you are trying to switch off or go to sleep. Try herbal tea instead. Chamomile, lemon balm and lavender teas all have calming properties, while ginger and peppermint are great for aiding digestion. Use the time it takes to boil the kettle and brew the tea not as an extra five minutes to idly flick through your phone, but as a chance to slow down, breathe in the steam and accompanying scent and pay full attention to the task in hand. Anytime you feel stressed or over-loaded during the day, just step out for a while and make your tea. Notice the warmth of the cup in your hands, the heat gently sliding down your throat, the flavours wrapping round your taste buds. Feeling better?

Touch Cuddle something! Anything! Maybe ask for permission first though. Hugging releases the hormone oxytocin, which in turn lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This has a calming effect and creates feelings of general well-being. Physical connection itself is a good way to reduce stress as it reinforces relationships, whether a pat on the back to acknowledge you are doing well, or a squeeze of the hand to let you know

that person is there for you. Being sociable, while it may be stressful at times, is an opportunity to share your concerns and help each other through the tougher times. Alternatively, try pet therapy. Petting or playing with an animal also produces oxytocin and helps you to live in the moment, to get that tail wagging and you smiling. If you don’t have a pet of your own, try borrowing one from a friend or volunteer at a kennels, cattery or stables and start spreading the love.

Sight Here are three tips for relaxing the eyes… apart from napping. As a student, you should already be proficient in the art of the power nap. Firstly, get outside. Natural light is far less harsh on the eyes than artificial light and is also better for maintaining your natural circadian rhythm. Getting amongst nature is easy here in Auckland – we have beaches, forest, parks and picnic areas right on our doorstep just waiting to be enjoyed. What could be more peaceful than the breeze rustling the trees, waves breaking and birds singing? And you get the added bonus of topping up your Vitamin D from sunlight. Secondly, I know this is the age of technology, and smart phones are wonderful things, but consider turning screens off an hour before bedtime, or give yourself a short break from them during the day. You will sleep better and regain autonomy from the feeling of having to check regularly for notifications and updates.

Thirdly – and I risk sounding like your mother here – tidy up. Keep your workspace and bedroom clear of clutter and you won’t be constantly distracted by that DVD you wanted to watch or reminded of that task you have to do later or the clothes you haven’t yet put away. A calm space nurtures a calm mind.

Sound Now here is where apps come in handy. Both white and pink noise have been associated with better sleep quality, despite YouTube being full of countless videos of waves lapping, whales singing, the dawn chorus and relaxing music. Find what works for you and keep it accessible so you can put in your headphones and switch off whenever the need arises. Similarly, you could try listening to guided mediation aimed at encouraging you to connect with your breath, notice what is around you and pay less attention to a chaotic mind and negative thought processes. You can also find sleep stories online, which when told by a narrator with the vocal capacities to soothe. These can help you slip off into a peaceful sleep much like a child does after a bedtime story. Just because you are in your twenties, doesn’t mean it won’t work anymore. There are many more tips and tricks besides these to help you escape the stress of student life and I wholeheartedly recommend you try any that take your fancy, take your time and find what works for you.

Mocking Meat Bridie Chetwin-Kelly eats her way through Auckland’s vegan venues to find the most realistic looking/feeling/tasting/smelling mock meat. Chicken nuggets, fish burgers, poutine, hot dogs, schnitzel, meat balls, spag bowl, prawns and cheese burgers. What do all these things have in common? The fact that I as a vegan can eat all of these delicious ‘meaty’ foods and more. To me it seems there’s still a bit of stigma around veganism in the sense that people think we only eat vegetables. Whilst that is absolutely true, we’ve also moved onto bigger and better things and now we make mock meat out of vegetables, soy and wheat. I have kindly done extensive eating research to bring you a definitive list of Auckland’s best mock meat meals.

The Burgerie Chicken Nuggets

The Burgerie is at the top of the list because if you take anything away from this delicious vegan bible it’s that this cheap as heck eatery, with its own entire vegan menu, is by AUT at the top of Karangahape Road nestled amongst the booze shops and dairies. It now also features a huge sign saying: ‘Best vegan burger’. You can’t actually go wrong with any of their massive $10 burgers that have nearly every single possible vegetable and meat substitute in them, but I cannot go past the vegan chicky nugs. Consistency of meat, taste of chicken (somehow) and the look is the exact same as any normal chicken one, I am ordering the chips and nuggets right now as I write this. Cost: $8 Taste: 9/10 Carrots

Lord of the Fries Phish Burger

Take a wander further into the depths of Karangahape Road and you have the famous Australian all plant-based fast food chain, Lord of the Fries. It opened two locations here last year and I am pretty sure I have personally kept them in business since. I have tried almost everything on the menu and this particular mock meat stole my heart. At first bite the texture is that of real fish, which is the last meat I ate so can recall, and somehow they have captured the taste that is reminiscent of mackerel. I don’t want to compare it to a McDonald’s Fillet-o-Fish burger, so I won’t, because it is so much better than that. They have really made effort with their batter and flavour and it just makes it so unbelievably meatlike. Considering this is a fast food joint, this entirely vegan burger is well prepared, made and eaten. Cost: $10.90 Taste: 8/10 Carrots

Tart Bakery

Café Viet

Ralph's

If you are a vegan in Auckland, I have no doubt you will be as regular visitor to Tart as me. I would pretty much say that every single thing in their heavenly smelling bakery is unbelievably delicious but for the sake of this being about mock meat I

This is a recent discovery of mine. I don’t feel like the texture is anything like chicken from what I remember but it’s similar to that of something that could almost be meat but slightly chewier. However, this may be my favourite vegan

I have tested a lot of burgers across Auckland but Ralph’s ‘Big Mac’ is really up there. The mock McDonald’s beef patty with cheese and ‘Big Mac’ sauce from Ralph’s is so good, I have had friends actually question if it is in fact meat and

am going to tell you why their steak and cheese is the real goods. Perhaps the most shocking thing about the steak and cheese pie is that the meat is chewy, like steak, and then the cheese is creamy, like dairy, except it’s cruelty and cholesterol free. Something I never understand about Tart Bakery is how the pastry is always so buttery and fatty tasting but isn't as bad for you. The pie makes you feel warm and snuggly on a cold winter’s day, happy when you're sad and is what I, as a typically stressed student, need when I am after comfort food to fill my stress void.

chicken meal I have ever had. I couldn’t place the brand that they use but it comes in long delicious lemongrass strips. The meal is more expensive than the others but includes cool vermicelli, viet slaw, soy sauce and crushed peanuts and is completely worth the extra coin.

ask themselves: “Is this better than a Big Mac?” The answer, my friends, is yes; cruelty free fast food is better. The patty is moist, meaty and somehow not fatty feeling. Full disclaimer: this burger is actually made from black beans and rice, but there’s just something so meaty about it.

Cost: $20 Taste: 7/10 carrots

Cost: $14 Taste: 10/10 carrots

Steak and Cheese Pie

Lemongrass Chicken

'Big Mac' Cheese Burger

Cost: $5.50 Taste: 5/10 Carrots

feature

S E E I N G SOUND

Jean Bell finds out what it’s like to live with the rare genetic condition ‘synesthesia’ and asks whether the senses combining enhances creativity or causes confusion.

There’s a kind of mystique around synesthesia. Super famous people like Billy Joel, Vladimir Nabokov and our own dear Lorde claim to have it. But what is it actually like to have it when you’re, well, a relatively normal person? For people affected, dubbed ‘synesthetes’, is it a gift that you’re grateful to have? Or is it a plain annoyance? With these questions in mind, I set out to decode the mysterious and fascinating condition.

Synes-what? Basically, synesthesia is a super rare genetic condition where you get a merging of the senses, and it affects only one to two percent of the population. The most common type is grapheme-colour synesthesia, where people experience colour sensations when they see, hear, or think about letters or numbers. There’s also chromesthesia, where people see or associate colour with sound (this is the kind Lorde has).

In order to get the informed low-down on synesthesia, I got in touch with the super knowledgeable Dr Patrick Shepherd, a Senior Lecturer at the College of Education, Health and Human Development at The University of Canterbury. He isn’t a synesthete himself but his passion for synesthesia began after a voyage to Antarctica, where he wrote an article on writing music inspired by the blue, white and black colours of the continent. While synesthesia wasn’t a theme in the article, someone who read the article pointed out the similarity between synesthesia and his piece. “My research in synesthesia started then and it’s just snowballed,” says Dr Shepherd (excuse the pun). In saying that, synesthesia is not all beautiful colours lighting up your life. There’s also types like lexi-gustatory synesthesia, where hearing, reading or thinking about a word can fill their mouth with a flavour – so a word can literally leave a bad taste in your mouth. Dr Shepherd says this type can make accommodating to everyone’s taste buds in the kitchen trickier than it already is. “Imagine cooking for someone? You’d cook

for your synesthesia, but what about their taste?!”

Is it a bird, is it a plane, is it a gift? So how does someone even get to have synesthesia? Well, it’s a neurological condition and entirely to do with the makeup of the brain; it’s definitely not something that can be learned. Dr Shepherd says we can project emotions onto music and ‘see’ colours, but for real synesthetes, the colour sensation is involuntary and has little relation to emotion. “A lot of people grow out of it, a lot people don’t know they have it and a lot of people don’t use it,” he says. He also reckons most children have synesthesia, but we just grow out of it as boring adults. “If you use it and think that way, then you strengthen those neurological pathways. If you don’t, then your brain just goes ‘oh well, we’ll just do it another way.’” Major head trauma and use of psychedelic drugs like LSD or mushrooms can also cause permanent synesthesia.

AUT Visual Design graduate and creator of floristry company ‘Print and Petal’ Sarah Heares says synesthesia enhances her creativity.

Researchers also used to think that synesthesia was more common in women than men, but turns out that’s bollocks. “I think the problem is that men tend not to open up about this, but women are more free to talk about their feelings and more orientated to talk about it, whereas guys think it’s a little bit odd,” he says.

Meet Sarah (or Pink-Yellow-Blue-Yellow-Red) You know that synesthesia that connects colour with letters and numbers? That’s the type Sarah Heares has. Sarah is an AUT grad who completed a Bachelor of Visual Design before plunging into the world of floristry and art by starting her own floristry business called ‘Print and Petal’. Sarah realised she might have synesthesia when she was at a party in uni. “I made a comment to someone that it was weird when something was one colour, but it didn’t mean that colour. And they were like ‘what are you on about?” she laughs. “I always saw letters and numbers as

colour, and then I realised I was the only one who saw them that way. But I still didn’t know what it was.” She remembers the sensation in kindy when she began to read and write. “I’ve always spelt my name in my head with colour, so Pink-Yellow-Blue-YellowRed for S-A-R-A-H.” Sarah says her family and friends had no clue that she had it. “So when I told people they were just like ‘okay? Didn’t know that was a thing in the first place but congrats!’”

Life through synesthesia-tinted glasses Sarah says she never had to grapple with her condition, but said it can make things pretty confusing on a day-to-day basis.

synesthetes having daily ‘oopsies’ caused by a mix up between colours and numbers. “There’s this guy in Belgium who routinely gets on the wrong bus to work. It can be deeply embarrassing.” Sarah says she ends up with a lot of preconceptions about things in life, and without meaning to, tends to assume things due to something and its colour relationship in her head. “When I go to meet someone, say a client, I’ll play a guessing game. ‘Oh, this is the colour of their name, I wonder if they match it?’” she laughs. “I’ve never wished I don’t have it. It’s quite fun. It’s kind of like sitting around doing Buzzfeed quizzes. Like ‘What kind of garlic bread are you?’… but it’s more ‘What colours are these people?’”

The colour of social constructions “A difficult one for me is the word green. G is orange to me, so the word green is orange to me,” she says. Dr Shepherd also highlights examples of

Funnily enough, it seems like social constructs and self-perception play a key part in her condition. “From so young you are taught that you are a girl and that pink

Sarah Heares has the type of synesthesia that connects colours with letters and numbers. Photos by Jean Bell.

is the colour for girls. That’s why I think S became so pink to me… I identify with feminine qualities and style,” Sarah reflects.

don’t. For some of them it helps make them creative, some of them just ignore it,” he says.

Sarah sees the letters D, J and R as a deep navy blue, which are the most masculine colours in her mind. “That’s why D became navy blue. Dad is the big male figure in your life, and my brother’s name is Josh, so that's how J became that too.

On the other hand, Sarah isn’t sure: “I’m definitely a creative person and live my life creatively. But is that because I have synesthesia? Or is it the other way around?

“Growing up I always thought I’d marry someone with a name beginning with J, D or R because to me I wanted to marry someone with that masculine ideal,” Sarah laughs, raising an eyebrow. “I am marrying someone with a name with the letter J. It’s funny to think maybe those conceptions are influencing my life. Who knows?”

Are synesthetes more creative? So, does having synesthesia make you more creative? Dr Shepherd reckons it doesn’t. However, he says that just because someone has synesthesia, it doesn’t mean they are going to use it or even know about it. “Some of them use it, some of them

“If I wasn’t creatively inclined, would I hate [my synesthesia]? Say I was an insurance broker and I kept on messing up people’s mortgages because I kept writing blue instead of nine?” she breaks off, laughing.

Awareness is the way forward So how come there’s research showing that tons of kids might have synesthesia, yet we hardly hear about it? Dr Shepherd thinks that while kids tend to be really honest and open, they might stop short at talking about having synesthesia because they don’t want to look silly. However, he says synesthesia is definitely something that needs more attention in the educational sphere. He adds that teachers

being aware of the condition can be a game changer when it comes to education. “If you’re not connecting with a kid and they’re not learning, they may have synesthesia.” Sarah agrees, saying: “It’s really understudied because I don’t think it really causes any difficulties for anyone. No one’s sinking money into it.” More awareness would do wonders, says Dr Shepherd. “Making people realise their way of seeing the world is not the only one and a synesthete’s way of looking at the world isn’t wrong.” Although synesthesia might seem like some kinda super power, or reserved only for the cool club of celebrities and artists, it’s simply a malfunction of the brain that has some amazing effects, ranging from the bizarre to the beautiful. While I’m not sure I would personally want it, I can’t help but agree when Sarah calls it a gift.

Colour your brain Majdi Khamis explores the science behind colours and finds out how they’re used by marketers to influence our daily decisions. Illustrations by Hope McConnell. Ever wondered why most fast food restaurant logos are red? Or why so many brands are suddenly using green? Welcome to the science of colour, my friends. It’s crazy – every colour stimulates the brain’s functions and may influence our attitude and even our performance. Frighteningly, media and marketing

professionals are hyper aware of how to use colours to manipulate you. But if you know what you’re looking at, you’ll be able to override your sensory receptors and be the one in charge, not your brain (or the marketers). Let’s see some real-life examples of how colours manipulate us.

Red

Green

Blue

Yellow

Scientifically, red draws the brain’s attention to look at. It also stimulates the human appetite (perhaps due to blood?), hence why it’s used as the logo for McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Carl’s Junior… you get my point. Red also creates excitement and is known to stimulate intensity and anger.

Green obviously reminds us of health and nature. Interestingly, if the colour green is used on food labels, people will believe that food is healthier than food with labels of a different colour. Green also calms and refreshes people’s moods.

Blue is associated with peace, calmness, authority, trust, loyalty, reliability and security. For instance, neutral or lighter shades of blue can promote mental relaxation and calming of the mind. Brands use blue to represent reliability and security, which is why it’s such a common colour in financial companies, car companies and tech companies.

Yellow is the colour of intellect, happiness, enthusiasm, optimism and creativity. Yellow stimulates the left side of the brain, which is also responsible for logical thinking. Brands use yellow to promote fun, activeness, energy and creative thinking. On the mood level, yellow promotes joy, but be careful; too much yellow could be annoying and lead to nervousness.

Orange

Purple

White

Black

Orange stimulates excitement, attention, caution, warmth, optimism, creative flair and happiness. Brands use orange to create alertness and excitement. Many websites use orange at the checkout, subscribe or buying icon to promote a call to action. On the mood level, orange is associated with happiness, alertness and enthusiasm.

Purple is the colour of royalty and luxury. Purple represents fantasy, spirituality, power, wisdom, imagination and inspiring creativity. Purple is used in perfume and beauty branding and advertisements to entice people’s imaginations. It’s also used to communicate a sense of luxury, which is exactly how they want you to feel if you buy it (though in reality you’ll be poorer!). On the mood level, purple has a powerful effect on calming our emotions.

White symbolises purity, cleanliness and innocence. Both digital and traditional brands also use white in their design to show an element of modernity and spaciousness. White spaces used in websites or advertisements, such as Apple, grab people’s attention and focus their eyes on the content. On the mood level, white is associated with being cold, optimistic and it also creates a sense of peace and calm.

Black enhances the feeling of power, control, sophistication, formality, mystery, fear, death, luxury and elegance. Brands choose black to communicate these themes and sometimes this is achieved without even saying a word. For instance, luxury cars ads stimulate the brain to feel a sense of power and luxury. On the mood level, black could be associated with depression, pessimism, nervousness and being tense.

Our Fave New Insta Page Kolin Diadechkin @kolin_texture

Julie Cleaver spoke to Kolin from ‘Kolin Texture’ about his life in Russia, textures and his adventurous new Instagram profile.

"I come from Siberia, Russia. My hometown is a stark city that can get really cold. The other week my parents sent me a picture of their smart watch, and the temperature was -47 degrees Celsius. That’s cold even for us, but still, it’s normally around -30 in winter. Because of this harsh climate we don’t get a lot of different materials, as they won’t survive the temperatures. So when I came to New Zealand last October, for me it was like KABOOM because there were so many different materials and textures. I’m an architect and urban planner as well, so I’ve loved looking at all

the materials and textures of Auckland. I also love exploring and finding new textures on my adventures around the city. I started my page in November last year, and it has already gained quite a few followers, which I was surprised about. I don’t have a goal to get lots of followers, I just love the design and art involved with taking these pictures. But I do have a goal to get better and make each picture look good, no, look perfect. I’m also looking for a job at the moment, and I don’t think this page will help with that, but I do hope to stay in this beautiful city for as long as I can."

Need prints? Like, now?

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clubs

AUTSA's got a club for just about everything Interviews by Sarah Pollok

Tallulah Cardno

Traey MacCauley

I started learning Sign Language about three years ago, during my studies at Victoria Uni in Wellington. At first I just took it because I needed to fill a gap in my papers, but fell in love with the language and thought ‘hey I could do this as a job!’.

Do you remember Bebo? Well, I was pretty into it in 2007 and found this girl who made awesome profile backgrounds. I wanted to use one that had ‘Big Bang’ in funky typography, but she said that you had to listen to the band before downloading it. They ended up being a K-Pop band and I was hooked from the first song.

Second year Sign Language and International Relations student Club: AUTNZSL

Sign Language is such a beautiful and visual language, so I decided to come to AUT to study it full time, and that’s when I joined the AUTNZSL Club. The New Zealand Sign Language club was started by a third-year student in 2017, to give other NZSL users a place to socialise together and practice Signing. Interestingly, people often think that Sign Language is universal when actually every country has their own version. So here, we learn New Zealand Sign Language. Since we can’t teach new members Sign Language (it’s a tradition that only deaf people teach others) it means that the AUTNZSL Club can only take members with basic sign language skills. But if you do want to learn, then there are great classes online at LearnNZSL or at AUT. The workload for a Sign Language student at AUT can be pretty full on, so the AUTSL Club meets weekly to give our members time to practice signs, go over basics and share tips with other students. Want to practice your Sign Language skills, or are considering taking classes? Then get in touch at autnzslclub@gmail.com.

Club President + third year Bachelor of Arts student Club: KPOP Club at AUT – KCAUT

So many people don’t think there is any point listening to K-Pop if you can’t understand Korean, but it doesn’t matter – K-Pop fans are in it for the music. If anything it makes you appreciate the songs more because you have to intentionally translate the lyrics. I’m Pacifica and Māori but it’s crazy how included I feel in the K-Pop Club; I’ve made so many Korean friends who love that we have a place to bring our cultures together. Even if you don’t love K-Pop music, it’s more of a place to appreciate Korean culture, especially their food, which is bomb! We’re a super social club, so we have a mixer for new members at the start of every semester and an end of semester ‘break out’ to celebrate the end of exams. As for during the year, we do a lot of spontaneous dinners, movie nights, cooking classes and of course, karaoke! Since AUT KPOP is sponsored by the Korean New Zealand Culture Association, we get to participate in some pretty cool events, like Korea Day and in second semester we’ll get involved in K-Fest. We can be kinda rowdy, but we’re not crazy, promise! Thinking of joining? Get in touch: kpopclub.aut@gmail.com.

For more info, email clubs@aut.ac.nz with your name, AUT ID number, phone number, email address, and the club(s) you would like to join. They’ll forward your details to the appropriate club leaders.

blind

date

Every issue, we bribe singletons with free food and bevvies to go on a blind date, organised by us. The only catch – they have to write about it after.

Strong, Independent Woman

Mr No Show

You know that girl on Tinder who you talk to for a bit; she seems alright, she knows her Insta angles and she has decent banter. But then at the first mention of a date she disappears faster than your dad when you were born? Meet exhibit A (me).

I’m kind of terrified to read what my date will write about me and if you’ve read her review you will know why: I didn’t go to the date. I left that poor girl sitting there, probably looking like a fool. Here’s a story explaining – I hope you don’t all think I’m as big a fuckwit as I feel I am.

Now you would assume that I would introduce exhibit B and go on to describe the date and the ups and downs of dating in 2018. But Exhibit B never showed up. I rushed from my 6pm lecture all ready with my perfectly good excuses as to why I was 5 minutes late, picturing the exchange in my mind as we giggled and hit it off over potato skins and truffle aioli. But alas, I was alone, left wondering if this was to be my permanent state of existence. After about 20 minutes I started to peruse the menu and secretly hoped that he actually wouldn’t turn up, because who doesn't want $50 worth of Burger Burger to themselves? When I finally succumbed to the fact that I was dining alone, I dove straight in the deep end and went for the special burger which involved fried chicken, pickles and bacon jam, need I say more? Then in a very Nigella-esqe fashion I proceeded to lick every ounce of bacon jam off my fingers and, as an act of defiance, ordered dessert. Being stood up has never looked so good or so sticky. I was planning to write a savage piece condemning the patriarchy, but in a shocking plot twist the next day I found out that he had a very unfortunate pet medical emergency. This shattered the image of the F’ Boy I had created in my head and instead replaced it with a kind, caring, dog-loving man (I may have added in a beard and tattoos for good measure). If there's anything I learned from this whole experience it's that 1. Communication is key, and email is not very efficient 2. Do more things alone, it's kinda liberating. And 3. Order that damn dessert girl and don't be afraid to lick your fingers in public. Also shout out to the staff at Burger Burger Newmarket for the amazing service and the free pity sides, even though you tried to disguise it under the term 'free advertising', you guys are the real MVPs.

So the afternoon before of the date I had a shower, chose some clean clothes to wear and was in my room doing some push ups (to get the gains pumping), when my mum ran into my room freaking out (yes I still live at home, I feel your judgement!). My mum’s normally a pretty chilled out kinda gal, so I was pretty fucken shocked when I saw her big eyes all crazed looking. “Charlie’s been hit by a car,” was all she said, and then my night was over. Before you get too terrified, Charlie is the name of my dog, not my brother or anything (although Charlie might as well be). But still, any of you dog owners out there know how much you love your dog, like a SHIT load, so I was freaked out when I heard. I immediately ran to the road to see poor Charlie lying there with all this blood surrounding him (sorry for being so gory but, ya know, it’s true). My mum and I picked him up as gently as we could and put him in the back seat of her car. We then drove to the vet like maniacs; my mum definitely got a speeding ticket. They took him in and operated straight away. We were sitting in the waiting room freaking the fuck out. Time was ticking on and then I realised: “Holy balls, I was meant to be going on a blind date tonight.” I checked my phone and there were around 10,000 missed calls from Debate’s editor. I felt so bad and still feel so bad. I got in touch with her saying what had happened and luckily she completely understood. I just hope my date does too… And that’s the story. Normally they say you should put photos holding dogs on Tinder, but that night my dog did not wing-man me at all! And that night I didn’t get lucky (because my dog was hit by a car, not the other reason!). I hope the girl was luckier than I was. Thanks anyway Debate. Maybe next time.

To get involved, email us with your name, age and sexual preference: debate@aut.ac.nz

recipe

Vegan Playground ‘Vegan Playground’ features a kumara pastry base, topped with a plethora of textures and flavour. It is packed with (plant-based) protein, fibre, and essential minerals that your body will thank you for.

Ingredients

Method

Kumara pastry base • 1 large orange kumara • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (1 tsp each for baking kumara and for mixing the pastry dough) • 1 tsp dried rosemary (1/2 tsp for baking kumara and 1/2 for mixing the pastry dough) • 1 cup almond meal • 1/2 cup wholemeal flour • 1 tsp garlic powder

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Cut kumara in half lengthwise, brush it with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried rosemary. Roast for about 1 hour or until kumara is cooked.

•

When the kumara is cooked, mash it in a mixing bowl and add almond meal, wholemeal flour, garlic powder, salt and one teaspoon of olive oil. Make sure they are well mixed.

1/2 tsp salt

Spinach pesto sauce • 1 handful baby spinach • 10 basil leaves • 1/2 cup pistachios • 3 garlic cloves • Pinch of salt and pepper to taste • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Toppings (feel free to customise to your own preference!) • Chickpeas • Cherry tomatoes (halved) • Avocado • Sesame seed • Chia seed • Baby spinach • Basil • Beetroot (sliced – you can buy them presliced in a can) • Carrot (thinly sliced/julienned)

While the kumara is roasting, prepare spinach pesto sauce. First, blitz pistachios in a food processor. Add the rest of the pesto sauce ingredients and process for another minute or two.

Spread mixture on a baking pan (I used a non-stick 25cm diameter quiche/ tart pan with a removable base). Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes. While the pastry is baking, prepare the toppings, such as slicing the tomatoes, carrot and avocado. When the pastry is done, spread the green sauce over and add your favourite toppings.

Melissa Koh is a third year BA student double majoring in Culinary Arts and English & New Media. Follow her dining and cooking adventures on Instagram: @melicacy.

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