Teigan Muddle and Padraig Sean Hogan on a couch.

What is Neurodiverse Love, Teigan & Padraig?

Heartstrings Part 3

Teigan and Padraig share their experience as neurodiverse people in love. With the longest standing relationship of anyone we've talked to so far, their relationship has grown from living in a tiny-home, to graduating university, to building a career in their late-twenties. Listen in as we discuss what it takes to repair after a meltdown, build relationships out of friendships, and create systems of mutual care that fill both partners cups.
Smiling person crouches on a grassy patch of land and feeds a black rabbit a red flower.

Destruction Over Dialogue

Palestinian Solidarity Encampment Dismantled After 110 Days

In the wake of Vancouver Island University’s removal of the Palestinian Solidarity Encampment, Lee Groen speaks with Sara Kishawi about the school’s handling of the situation, the Canadian government’s hypocrisy, and what’s next for Palestinian solidarity protests.

VIU Mariners Upcoming Season

2024-2025

Get ready to put your game face on! Varsity sports teams are back fighting for a PACWEST championship title. Mariners hockey will return to defend their BCIHL title, while Mariners baseball will have a strong start in the spring season.
You: hey chat, can you be my fashion fairy godmother? ChatGPT: Of course! Consider me your fashion fairy godmother here to help you with all your styling needs. Just let me know what you're looking for, and I will work my magic to assist you in creating the perfect outfit!

56-Editorial Post Layout

Meet Your New Fashion Fairy Godmother

Excerpt

Good Sport

I feel myself getting caught up in the game by this point. I haven’t even looked at the book I had tucked in my purse. The sport seemed impossible to play. How can the players just repeatedly ram their heads into a ball flying through the air? How can they keep track of everything that was happening? How can they run so fast? How can they get knocked down and instantly get back up to keep playing?

What is Asexuality, Barbara?

Heartstrings Part 2

Alone on the interview couch, Barbara Burgardt, talks about her experience of Asexuality, and the Aro-Ace spectrum. This episode we'll discuss the complexities of loving oneself, as well as love for family, friends, and aesthetics.

Giving Voice to AI

The making of "AI Unveiled: A Glimpse into Tomorrow"

Mike explains how a simple AI video project turns into a machine produced AI historical manifesto, and why working with AI isn't as easy as it seems.
Caption: IMAGE VIA: Unsplash

Blue Prints

After the world is ravaged from war, a small group of survivors struggle to stay alive amidst the relentless attacks of the Kombat AI Drones—the KAID. Trained to shield their colony, Ever, Jaxon, Larissa, and Violet pride themselves on being protectors. But a seemingly normal takedown ends with more questions than answers: where—who—do the KAID soldiers come from, and how will the group continue to keep their people safe?
ILLUSTRATION BY THE NAV / CELIA BRAND | ART DIRECTOR

The AI Iceberg

Touching the Surface

Hey Siri, play “I Am Not a Robot” by Marina and the Diamonds.
“AI writing a book on a computer.” GENERATED VIA: OpenArt PROMPTS BY: Sophia Wasylinko

The Future of Storytelling

AI Infiltrates VIU’s Arts and Humanities

Creative Writing students and professors across departments are grappling with the rise of generative AI. Some people like it, others hate it. The big question is: what does the future hold for flesh-and-blood writers and artists? Sophia Wasylinko dives deep into the world of text and image generative AI and talks to Creative Writing, Digital Media, and Theatre students and faculty to get a better answer. She also shares her experiences and opinions as a soon-to-be graduate who has dabbled, not of her own volition, with these AI tools herself.
Two cogs in the sand.

Persona Non Grata

After all these years, Eliza sees her organic predecessors—renowned as the smartest species to ever walk the planet—reduced to a pack of primitive animals.
You: hey chat, can you be my fashion fairy godmother? ChatGPT: Of course! Consider me your fashion fairy godmother here to help you with all your styling needs. Just let me know what you're looking for, and I will work my magic to assist you in creating the perfect outfit!

Hey Chat, How Do You Style…?

Meet Your New Fashion Fairy Godmother

Have you ever fantasized about having your own personal stylist? Thanks to the latest advancements in AI technology, that dream might be closer (and more affordable) than you think. Ella delves into the realm of AI fashion assistants to see if they can truly be your virtual fashion godmother.

Nanaimo’s Flowering Jewel

Behind the Fight to Protect Harewood Plains

Just south of VIU lies Harewood Plains—a small, but mostly intact slice of a Garry Oak meadow ecosystem that is home to some of Canada’s most endangered plant species. Currently, it is under threat from development. Join Nav Videographer Ben as he explores the Plains and the fight for its future.
IMAGE VIA: Wikimedia

Exploring Humanity in a Digital World

The Past, Present, and Future of Digital Humanities

Maybe you’ve heard the term Digital Humanities before, but you’re not entirely sure what it means. Digital and humanities combined? You might be wondering if it has something to do with cyborgs (it doesn’t). I’m here to make it make sense and to get you excited about the potential of this emerging and evolving field.

VIU Talk Protested by Palestinian Activists

Freelance journalist Jen Gerson delivered a lecture at VIU called “Free Speech in the Digital Age” on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. However, the idea of open discourse came to be challenged in the face of protests from audience members.

Mariners Roundup: VIU Hockey Playoff Preview

Mariners Head In To Playoffs As Regular Season Champs!

NAV Sports Editor Austin Heidt breaks down the BCIHL championship tournament format. The playoff tournament takes place this weekend in Logan Lake, BC. The Mariners play tonight at 7 PM against UVIC. You can catch this game on the "BCIHL TV" Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@UC4dtN3AZudDXtPgTQnwtoUw) The winner of this QF game will earn a spot in the championship final on March 3, at 1 PM. Special thanks to Social Media & Web Manager Simon Creighton for the fantastic photography and opening highlight clip. Thank you to Maxwell Struss and Andrew Riddell for ...

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Reflecting on Human Trafficking in Our Community and Broader Nation

February 22 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and local Nanaimo advocates are working tirelessly to spread public awareness.
A woman playing the harp with strings of read. The stings are tangled in the woman's hands, drooping over her body and coming out of her own chest

Playing with Heartstrings

Illustration by Charlie Szafron featured in Vol. 55, No. 5: Heartstrings.
A woman holding a bouquet of roses looking at her reflection in a mirror

Broken Hearts and Bright Sides

Learning the Art of Self-Love

It's a rite of passage to go through your first heartbreak. Ella isn’t the first—nor will she be the last. Now, a year wiser, she's putting her break-up story on the internet for everyone to read. So grab a seat, laugh at her misfortunes, and who knows, maybe the worst thing to happen in her pretty ordinary life might just turn out to be the best thing ever.
Rakiura Track (one of New Zealand’s “great walks”) on Stewart Island, Photo by Georgia Mason-Guertin

From Island to Island

Chronicles of Connection and Conservation

I never considered an international internship as part of my undergraduate plans until my professor suggested the idea to me. He informed me of a scholarship opportunity available through VIU where I could go to New Zealand and spend every day deep in nature. I could care for it, learn from it, and gain knowledge from the organization. So off I went.

What is Love, Ocea & Colby? – Part 1

Heartstrings Part 1

Let’s talk about love in all its many forms. Jack and their partner Amy start this series off talking to Jack’s sister Ocea, and her girlfriend, Colby. We’ll discuss how we define love, and how love defines us. Join us and be nourished as we discover new ways of showing our love, accepting it, and maintaining a communicative and lasting relationship dynamic.
Photo by Justinas Teselis on Unsplash

Shifting Gears

I could feel the time ticking by, faster and faster until there wasn’t any left. More people departed, shedding tears as they lingered in goodbye hugs.
A stack of pretty notebooks

What’s Write for You

Blank Word Docs vs. Pink Notebooks

If it isn’t perfect, is it worthwhile creating? Nav alum Isabella Ranallo shares her experience entering VIU’s Creative Writing program wide-eyed and hopeful, her subsequent burnout, and how she rediscovered and revived her lifelong love of writing—by writing selfishly.

Date Night Dessert!

Chocolate Cream Pie and Why Food Means Love

Mike walks through an excellent recipe for Chocolate Cream Pie - just in time for Valentines Day Date Night! While he whisks he explains why he insists on cooking constantly.
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