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MIT student blogger Bryan O. '07

Where’s Waldo? by Bryan

Hack Attack!

The time is 11:23 am, and I am sitting in the Student Center.

Then to in my email inbox I receive this email.

From: Friend with the Inside Scoop
To: Me

You should check out the Vassar side of Stata (“Razor’s Edge”) and the Killian Pyramids. See if you can spot what changed =)

Mental Bubble: “ZOMG A HACK, Where’s my camera?!?!?!?”

Luckily, my blogger motto is: “Have camera, will travel.”

Off to Killian Court I depart.

I especially like the French Waldo.

Off to the Stata Center for more Waldo Hacks.

Now imagine, you were in lecture:

And you looked up and saw:

Divine intervention?

On my way back to the Student Center, I found the internet postered with suggestive hints:

They even hacked the Visitor’s Kiosk in Lobby 7!

Sponsored by the Department of Applied Mechanical Engineering in an Urban Environment…Clever.

I also was privileged enough to receive a hat to commemorate the hack. I decided to share the wealth with my friends over the course of the day.


I surprise Erik as he’s about to eat lunch.


Screw “Where’s Waldo.” Here’s Geraldo!


Rodrigo and Jenn


Another surprised MIT student, Huanan.


My fraternity little brother, David. He decided to not smile in this picture.


Jason is bringing Waldo back.


Jessie is bringing Wei-Hsuan back.


Joe didn’t ask too many question by the time it got to him.


Joy, I told you I’d post this.


Megan likes costumes. Remember her? She was the resistor in the RLC Circuit.


Minh!


Token best friend photo. He really puts himself out there for my blog. Thanks Rob.


My neighbor, Sean.

You yourself can visit the hack website here: Waldo Map

I <3 hacks.

25 responses to “Where’s Waldo?”

  1. Anonymous says:

    very curious…

  2. Anonymous says:

    The most interesting features of this hack are Stata (viewed from Vassar Street) and the pyramids of Killian. If anyone has a camera and feels like documenting, those would be the coolest places.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Pictures already taken.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Auroux had us wear waldo hats. not sure if this was related?

  5. Adam says:

    Evan –
    When I took an admissions tour, the student tour guide referred to it as a hack, and basically said that since it wasn’t distracting and only benefitted students, they left it up. Its still up, though? Excellent. grin

    Thanks,
    Adam

  6. Joe says:

    Very nice entry!

    Too bad I wasn’t even looking at the camera raspberry

  7. Larry V says:

    Nah, I don’t think it was Auroux who did that … more likely, someone else thought it would be funny to have all of us wear Waldo hats to the last 18.02 lecture of the semester.

  8. Edward says:

    I’m sorry,but just lend me a little space.I’m Edward, I want to tell my three friends:bpx,James,and Anna(I haven’t replied you yet) that my email addess has been stolen and please contact me by [email protected].I am eager for your mails!I am waiting here.I hope you will see it.

  9. Evan '10 says:

    Hmm…I don’t know. It is definitely still up – I walked past it this morning. It actually was not on for a while and was turned back on within the past few days.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Definitely not Auroux – the people who did the rest of the Waldo stuff made all of them and figured the best way to distribute them would be to have them waiting at the door, with a sign, at the biggest lecture hall (10-250). Auroux just thought it was funny and went along with it.

  11. Sampson says:

    Campus-wide hacks. They’re the best.

  12. Melis says:

    Waldo is definitely in the Women’s Bathroom in Building 4 (on the first floor near the Math Lounge and Athena Cluster)…seroiusly. But Bryan, you probably shouldn’t check it out.

  13. Adam says:

    Excellent hack!!

    It must have taken a lot of planning to get something this wide-scale done. Good job, hackers!

    When I visted MIT, a bubbler in the Infinite had been hacked. Is it still up? (There was a blue LED light show behind it, emulating water.)

    Thanks for taking the time to post this. Hacks are great.

    -Adam

    After writing this post, I noticed that I had used the Wisconsin word for “drinking fountain”. Everyone calls them bubblers here. Just an interesting fact to know! grin
    More info about the word “bubbler”

  14. Evan '10 says:

    Adam –
    I don’t think the water fountain is a hack. It’s been up for a long time; hacks almost never stay up for more than a few days. The fountain changes from day to day – sometimes the light is on until you press the button on the fountain; sometimes it only comes on when you press the button. Sometimes there are noises as well.

  15. Anonymous says:

    Really? I thought it was just a particularly benign hack physplant didn’t see the need to move.

  16. Anonymous says:

    Really? I thought it was just a particularly benign hack physplant didn’t see the need to move.

  17. Ben says:

    Check out the door of admissions (3-108) too. grin

  18. Quentin '10 says:

    The water fountain display has a Media Lab business card taped to it, indicating it is not a hack. Although that would be a good way to hide a hack, too.

  19. Kim '10 says:

    I heard from my advisor that the water fountain was actually part of a project for an architecture/media class, though I don’t know which one. Apparently, the students were supposed to change something in the Institute, and that was part of their grade. Sounds like an excellent class! (There were others around too, but not as noticeable, for example, decorating a stall in the women’s bathroom in the Student Center to make it more “home-y”, which occurred a month or so ago.) I like the water fountain though, and hope it stays up permanently… smile

  20. Anonymous says:

    Yeah Waldo was in the girls bathroom. Was this the one and only Waldo or were there more?

  21. You really catch people at the most awkward moments, Bryan. It’s a knack of yours, I suppose.

    Awesome hack, but you already knew that.

  22. Minh says:

    Dude that was so awesome :D

  23. Coxie says:

    Kept up for a while, eh guys?

  24. Coxie says:

    Notice that there was only real “Waldo” in Killian?

    Thought you’d enjoy that tidbit..