Laurie Everett
Aug 2 2007
Where the Sun Shines, There Hack They
Posted in: Life & Culture
MIT is known for many things, including its legendary hacks. Long a part of MIT folklore, hacks
can tell much about MIT's culture and subculture—providing a deeper understanding about
intelligence, strategic design, humor and general outlaw behavior—and serve as another
indication of the interdisciplinary nature of MIT.
In 2005 MIT Professor Emeritus Samuel Jay Keyser gave a talk on the history of hacks.
In Where the Sun Shines, There Hack They, he tells stories from his days as associate provost for student life, brings gadgets and other hack artifacts and gives some very deep background on legendary and notorious hacks, with passion, humor and a high regard for hackers and hacking. He explains that hacks are not silly pranks, but complex and intelligent statements, filled with irony, wit, and meaning that ultimately "do no harm". He also deconstructs the psychological nature of hacking, and gets to the inner zen of hacking and what it really reflects about MIT. If you're... read the post »
May 31 2007
Virginia Tech’s Commencement
Posted in: Miscellaneous
As Virginia Tech held its Commencement recently, the media once again started using the "c" word,
"closure", the all too convenient word people use about moving on. Closure has become an amazingly
overused word in the face of tragic events, giving those who observe from afar a word for what others should do in the face of tragedy. Whether thinking about Oklahoma City, the events of September 11th or Virginia Tech, the closure word shows up constantly in our language. But perhaps closure is the wrong goal. It suggests that we "get over it" while the only goal you can really have is to "get used to it". Perhaps this is why time is a major ingredient in healing.
I have always had a gut feeling that the whole closure thing was wrong, but it wasn't until I heard
Ed Linethal's talk The Predicament of Aftermath: Reflections on 9-11 and Oklahoma City that I understood the human reactions toward trauma and memorialization and the complex issues around dealing with a huge tragedy. Linenthal... read the post »
Mar 6 2007
The Future of Work
Posted in: MIT Facts
When I was in high school one of the most influential non-fiction books that I read was Studs Terkel's "Working" (which was subtitled, People Talk About What They do All Day and How They Feel About What they Do"). This landmark book provides profiles of the inner work life of hundreds of people in hundreds of different professions from hair dressers to Hollywood directors to auto mechanics and constructor workers and teachers.
"Working" had a profound affect on me as I thought about work, and the basic human factors in what we bring to and need from our work. The one story that stayed with me for many years was called Car Hiker, a profile of Al, a man who for thirty years, parked cars in a garage. HIs nickname was "One Swing Al", as he could get any car into any parking space with one turn, using one arm. He never missed. He took great pride in this and through the prism of the dailiness of parking cars, knew more about human behavior and human foibles just by observing people in... read the post »
Feb 1 2007
Narrative of Discovery
Posted in: MIT Facts
Most people would be hard pressed to tell a story that has both James Watson and Richard Nixon in it, but at MIT, anything is possible.
The MIT Museum's Soap Box series recently invited MIT molecular biologist Nancy Hopkins to talk about her work with zebrafish and cancer research that begins with taking an undergraduate course in molecular biology with James Watson.
Zebrafish and Cancer: What's the Connection? is a rich narrative that has many twists and turns, including how she went from being "a mouse person to a fish person" and how a trip to Germany during a sabbatical dramatically changed her research efforts.
You will hear the expression, "the cure for cancer is research" throughout the corridors at MIT, Nancy Hopkins provides a passionate, first person account of the challenges and hopes to finding a cure.
Jan 24 2007
Poetry and Physics
Posted in: MIT Facts
I was thinking recently about the mixed messages that come through various forums about ambition and achievement. Simultaneously you hear "you can do anything" or the world is open to you, and then be told that there are dues to be paid, you must accumulate a certain number and type of "tickets" to be able to do the thing you want to do, you have to wait your turn or become a certain age before you can do anything, like change the world.
With that in mind I started thinking about The Universe is a Strange Place, a lecture given by MIT Physics Professor and Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek. Wilczek won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004 at the age of 53 for work he did at the age of 21, while a graduate student at Princeton.
This is an amazing talk. You don’t have to get theoretical physics to get Frank Wilczek, as he is also a writer, poet and is known to tell a good joke or two. He shares Einstein's favorite physics joke with the audience, and he recites his sonnet, Virtual Particles... read the post »