Comfort Matters by Snively '11
A unique application process
MIT’s main lecture hall is in building ten. It’s also room 250. Therefore, by MIT standards, it is referred to as 10-250 (ten two-fifty). It’s utilized for a bunch of classes (including many for freshmen) and is generally well-liked. I mean, it’s a lecture hall, it’s hard to love a lecture hall, but 10-250 is very put-up-with-able.
A little over a month ago an article came out in The Tech (MIT’s newspaper) with the earth-shattering headline
10-250 Renovations to Begin During IAP
Reading through the article, I was quickly excited to hear that they were replacing the chairs! No offense to the 10-250 chairs, they’re a nice purple shade but they just aren’t that comfortable. A remodel of 10-250 means new and, hopefully, more comfortable chairs. I went into 10-250 yesterday to check on the remodeling progress, hoping to say goodbye one last time when I saw something very exciting and unexpected. Sitting in a row were five different types of chairs — possible replacement chairs! I quickly did what any normal student would do and tested every single chair for comfort. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Yellow Ugly Chair
The yellow ugly chair appears suitable. Unfortunately it’s quite hard and not that comfortable. The desk is spacious, providing a lot of room for resting your arm and writing on paper, but this doesn’t make up for the uncomfortable seat.
Red Squishy Chair 
The red chair is extremely comfy. The thick padded seat squishes under your weight, providing a posterior-friendly platform, while the back is just as squishy, allowing for a certain amount of lounging during lecture. The desk is a bit smaller than I would like but is the same size as the current desks so it’s forgivable. All in all, a very good chair.
Black Awesome Chair
This black chair is the most radical departure from what 10-250 currently hosts. The chairs are hinged in such away that when you pull the seat down the back slides back, providing, at the very least, an entertaining 5 minutes prior to lecture. I anticipate seeing people open and close their seats for the shear enjoyment of it. Unfortunately, sitting in the seat is not as enjoyable because it is HARDER THAN GRANITE! This is very nearly made up for with the AWESOME AMAZING HUGE desk it sports. The desk is mounted to a pole that sits in front of the chair. It has enough writing room for even the pickiest of lecture hall test takers.
Grey Nondescript Chair
There’s not a lot to say about this grey chair. Its desk is slightly larger than the current 10-250 desks but not significantly so. The large seat cushion looks comfortable but proves to be quite uncomfortable, forcing the attentive student in lecture to sit up quite high, as well as forward on their seats because of the hard chair back.
Wooden Holy Chair
Finally, the wooden holy chair. What it lacks in comfort (a lot) it kinda sorta makes up for in stylishness. The seams in the seat are complimented by the holes in the back but while it looks nice and professional it feels cold and uninviting. I’m sorry chair, I just don’t like you.
I have no idea when they are deciding which chair to use, nor when they plan on installing the chairs. Call me pessimistic, but I have very little faith in the higher-ups to choose the correct chair so I made sure to let them know what the right decision was.
Oh, and also, I found the markings of a prefrosh on one of the boards. Somebody certainly was excited!
That’s all for now, I’ll let you know in the coming months which chairs they end up choosing. I know, it’s very important and you’re dying to know ; )
I love chairs!
The chairs are quite interesting or I should say the blog entry is.
I think snive you have a very good sense of humor, you make most out of every blog entry. Still the last one I read about the test case was the best till now. It’s also good.
haha, awesome post. i hope they take your advice
I think you need a well placed DNE with your message. Make sure to add in “XKCD.com” to make sure it stays in place.
Wow, you blog like crazy!
Wow, nice post. The red chair looks nice, but I think the holy chair is cool too lol.
I totally vote for the black chairs. I HATE small lecture desks.
I vote black chair because I like space, but the pink one looks sooooo comfy !
What about 26-100? Comfy chairs?
@Anonymous
26-100 = horribly uncomfortable
Ah, 26-100, those are the same chairs I sat in for 8.01, 8.02 and many other classes 30 years ago. and LSC movies. and failed at the 2.70 contest. ah the memories.
Love the post! Hope you get the red chairs!
Snively, I LOVE how you can turn ANYTHING into a great blog post! Keep up the amazing blogging!!!
I must say that this is among the most informative and serious blog about chairs. That red. chair does look indeed very comfortable. I hope you can contnue to enlight us with such informative blogs in the future. LOL
-sam r.
Dude where are you? we need to play with legos!
haha see, there was no need to try and get me to go to 10-250 to see the chairs because you blog everything anwyays.
I find 26-100 to be infinitely more comfortable than 10-250 at this point… but the most quality lecture hall on campus is definitely 6-120
I like the chairs in 32-123 myself.
black chairs they match everything!
they totally get my vote just for that ^-^, but roomy desks complete the package
Those red chairs do look quite comfy. Maybe that’s why all the chairs where there, so that people could try them out or something.
Or maybe not.
I have a question completely unrelated to comfy chair selection. Does anyone know, during CPW are younger (8th grade) siblings allowed to come along and go to events for/with the parents? I’m just curious as to whether we should bring the younger brother or try to find someone for him to stay with at home.
The red chair reminds me of the movie theaters.
@EA Parent
Absolutely siblings are welcome! CPW is very casual about everything. It’s essentially like a giant MIT open house with free food and awesomeness. Don’t bother making other arrangements, he’ll have a great time!
I vote for the black awesome chair. I love the big desk. I wonder if bringing cushions or pillows to class is allowed, lol.
Am I the only one who didn’t find the old 10-250 chairs uncomfortable at all?
Then again, I don’t think 26-100 is uncomfortable. It’s not comfortable either, it just….is.
Now the chairs in 6-120 are heavenly.
The black chair looks amazing, although I feel like they would almost appear out of place in 10-250…
You’re left-handed, Mollie? I never knew you were so “sinister”… [/obscure Latin reference]
Snively – thanks for the answer about CPW. It sounds like so much fun, I don’t know how I will be able to drag my family home after CPW and return to the cow town that we live in. Looking forward to April!
Red chair all the way. And make the back taller or add a head rest, for nappers!
@ anion –
What, I never said my 12-day schedule was cool. I just noticed that my posts tend to fall on a 12-day schedule
(which didn’t really, anyways, past the first 3 entries, ha)
Snively definitely publishes much more frequently than I do, though
Amusing entry! The red chair looks really poofy Amusing entry! The red chair looks really poofy <3 Personally, I think the “wooden holy chair” looks like a wheelchair because of the yellow frame thingy…. BUT THAT BLACK AWESOME CHAIR’S DESK IS SO NICE AND HUGE!
Can’t the admin ask to customize the red chair so its desk is as big as that of the black one? =/
This is actually an interesting post and shows how important even the most mundane things can prove to be :-p I like the black chair…on looks alone. I don’t understand how you ccould work efficiently with such little desk space!
Nice post, Snively. I hope they finish the renovations in time for classes!
… or do I?
And Paul, I only know that fact from the Simpsons. Does that make me pathetic?
Red all the way! Big comfy chairs in a NOT dull color.
“posterior-friendly”??…hahahaha…u made my day!!…Im with the Red comfy ones as well.
and chris thought his 12-day blogging schedule was awesome…..snively just up-ed it 10 times!
Absit Invidia Chris!
lol..snively..u go there to study…not to befriend ur posterior!
red chair and the desk from the black one!
@Snively,
I really like your use of stars as a rating system for the different chairs! I would definitely vote for the red chair. You gotta learn in comfort!
I am ready to sit on the floor and study if i get selected….forget the chairs!!!
I wonder if they’re going to PUT IN MORE LEFT-HANDED DESKS when they replace the seats?
…not that a lack of left-handed desks was my biggest complaint about lectures during my undergraduate years or anything.
Well done, great entry! MIT should pay you to be their official student chair reviewer. You should have left a link to this blog along with the red chair suggestion. =)
only three stars for the black chair?
psh, any critic would know that such innovation entails a 1/2 star.
Snive,
Awesome blog on the chairs. I am an interested party and represent one of the products (not the red one) in your review. I love your analysis and the fact that MIT is getting input from students and faculty.
I will suggest it is important evaluators spend time in the seat. Do not simply evaluate the chair based upon the initial sit. The seat that feels nice a soft at the start, while important, tends not to feel so comfortable after 30 minutes or so. The reason is that the seats that sit soft initially do not distribute weight and pressure away from the ischial tuberosities (sitting bones). So, after the initial comfort in the soft seat, the user tends to start shifting and squirming to increase circulation.
Therefore, I would recommend not discarding the harder seats too quickly.
Good luck in the evaluation!
I am so down for the red chairs.
Although the black chairs are rather slick….
Hey chris,
i almays appreciate ur blogs. Seriously i dint mean to offend u….in hindsight, i guess i shud have written..” and WE thought chris posting ~every 12 days was awesome”
but again hindsight is 20/20!
i guess i jst wntd to comment on the fact that be it MIT or its bloggers..they never cease to amaze us!