I know my calculus… and U2. by Sam M. '07

I discovered shortly after completing this blog entry that, much like a newly-bought laptop, it has already been rendered obsolete. Well, I’m not writing another entry. Ha! So, let’s turn this into a learning opportunity and artistic statement.

Think of it like that classic episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show called “The Night The Roof Fell In” where the same story is told, in turn, from the perspective of Rob, Laura, and their pet fish. In this case, whereas Mitra has provided a professional, economic analysis of Bono’s visit, my entry is about rock concerts and mullets.

Remember, good things always come in threes. Any other bloggers up for providing their take on the Bono article?

And now, your regularly scheduled entry….

One of the things I like about being home is getting to catch up on current events through the vast library of Newsweek, Time, and Entertainment Weekly magazines filling our bathroom. Although Mitra keeps our dorm bathroom stocked with The Economist, Kitchen Confidential, and the Forbes Magazine In Style–featuring tips on buying your own helicopter and $5000 knit sweaters–when I’m at MIT, I have been known to take bathroom breaks with my laptop in the middle of writing particularly insidious HASS papers. Good thing they installed wireless access points covering all my dorm.

Anyway, I was reading Time’s Persons of the Year issue…

…and I’m just thrilled about U2’s Bono being named a Person of the Year, even if Melinda Gates doesn’t seem to be so thrilled about it. Look at that scowl. I’m on to you, Melinda. In fact, I’ve kept the 2002 Time cover asking, “CAN BONO SAVE THE WORLD?” hanging on my door since freshman year. I think it’s fantastic that Bono’s involved so deeply in humanitarian efforts, even though I suspect the only reason he has any political influence at all is because world leaders think it will make them look cooler amongst their constituencies if they get a picture with Bono flashing a peace sign in his purple sunglasses and oversized cowboy hat. But, you know… he’s good at that, and if it that cowboy hat and those glasses and that peace sign result in 40 billion dollars of debt to foreign countries being forgiven, I guess that’s a good thing. And even if it perhaps isn’t as great a thing as promised… well, at least Bono looked cool doing it.

But I digress. What I was most excited about in this article was the following picture:

Above, Bono proposes the Fundamental Theorem of Bono Saves the World:

DA + TA + B[ono] + MIT = progress for the poor

This must be the kind of thing they teach you in 18.702. Well, as a member of the MIT community, it’s certainly an honor for me to be part of an equation with Bono.

I also picked up this week in Entertainment Weekly that in addition to all his humanitarian efforts and writing “Pride in the Name of Love” and all that, Bono also wants credit for inventing the mullet.

Well, still, Mr. B… it’s an honor.

tomorrow: questions! and answers!