Not so FAST by Kris Guay
heading to MIT on Saturday for some FAST Thinking
At the end of my first week in my new job, I attended a gala reception in the MIT Museum celebrating the kick-off to MIT”s 150 Celebration. The party was dazzling – black tie servers weaving through the crowd carrying large silver trays piled high with mini beef sliders that were stacked alongside smoking test tubes. I was sipping a drink and taking it all in when I looked over at another large silver tray arranged with bite-sized, fondant-wrapped sugary surprises. Wait, is that a mini robot circling that piece of chocolate? Very MIT cool and quirky.
The 150 exhibition was equally dazzling, showcasing 150 of MIT”s best inventions, events, people, surprises and hacks through the years (and if you haven”t seen it yet and find yourself in Cambridge before it all comes down in December 2011- definitely go!)
One of my favorite artists, Christopher Janney, is just one of several whose work is profiled in the “artistic MIT’ portion of the exhibit.
And then on my second month on the job, I had the real pleasure to listen to Tod Machover animatedly describe the FAST Arts Festival just another of many pieces to this impressive celebration going on around campus all Winter into Spring. I made a mental note to check it out.
I was in the thick of reading applications as February whizzed by and my partner reminded me that we hadn”t been out on a date – or even out of pajamas – all winter long it seemed.
“Looks like we will need to wait till summer to go see some art,’ she said looking over her laptop screen to me on the other side of the couch typing away on mine.
“Not so fast,’ I said back, “How about a daylong pilgrimage to MIT to see three lectures/demonstrations about radical research on music and language, and vision and neuroscience? And then I”ll take you to dinner to that restaurant we”ve been meaning to try and we”ll finish it all off with a concert to hear the Language of Music by the Lontano Ensemble in the Kresge Auditorium. And it”s all free!’
Wow. This is why this MIT is such a great place to be.
I”m looking forward to this Saturday at the FAST festival. Maybe I”ll see you there.
Did you know your last name means “super” in Spanish?
Welcome to the blogs!
Hi Ms. Guay (or Kris, depending on how you’d prefer to be addressed). Am glad that you decided to forego a more traditional ‘Hello World’ themed post and cut to the chase.
I’m pretty sure that any exhibit which showcases 150 years of something must be worthwhile, and when that something just happens to be MIT, you’ve got yourself a real winner. Heh. Although I haven’t been to Massachusetts yet, I’ll make it a poing to drop by when I come to the US in August, irrespective of which university I’m enrolling in. (Yes, the few exhibits that I’ve seen are fascinating enough
)
I’m also pretty intrigued by Christopher Janney’s work. Especially that latest setup in Leeds mentioned in the article. I can relate to him on that front because I too work on videos and/or montages in my free time, and trust me, audio-syncing events, transitios and cuts to perfection provide an unmatchable level of satisfaction. But apart from the music of it, I think it’s a pretty good social experiment too. I’d like to see if people just ignore it as they walk past, trying to get on with their undoubtedly busy lives, or spend a short while appreciating the beauty of it.
As for FAST, I’m *so* jealous of everyone who’s going to be there. I read through the itenerary and realized what all I’m going to miss out on. That’s sad because I have this thing for music, the perception of music, and the effects of music, both physiological and psychological. Would love to hear experts speak on the topic. In fact, I hope some videos are uploaded soon. And I’m pretty sure the Lontano Ensemble must be worth ig as welll…. *sigh*
Hooray! You’re blogging! And you met Tod Machover? He is also on my list of people I must use every ounce of will power to stop myself from hugging. That was also a strangely constructed sentence.
oh man! what’s wrong with this guy Vivek…..postin these huge comments,no- rather essays on every single mit blog…hahahaa..btw, he looks like MIT stuff,coz all this goes over my head!
oh man! what’s wrong with this guy Vivek…..postin these huge comments,no- rather essays on every single mit blog…hahahaa..btw, he looks like MIT stuff,coz all this goes over my head!
Haha. My comments are not essays. They’re just long comments. I go through the post properly, try to explore all the links provided to gain insight into what the post author’s trying to get across and reply with constructive comments drawing on personal experience and analytical thinking. If that’s a crime, then the human race is doomed.
And thank you for thinking that I’m ‘MIT stuff’, Mr./Ms. Prospective Rejectee, but need I remind you that the reason why you’re commenting here in the first place is because you yourself, at some point in the last year, considered yourself to be ‘MIT stuff’? I find your choice of online pseudonym a bit sad because it shows you don’t have that enthusiasm anymore. Remember, sometimes its about the journey, and not the destination. For example, in case I get rejected, I’ll still be able to look back at this blogs and comment threads and be proud that I tried to find out more about life at one of the best institutes in the world. So keep your chin up and hope for the best. Que sera sera…
hey thanx vivek- i agree with u on the journey thing….i have learnt so much from just applying especially from ben jones’ blogs- i am who i am and happy abt it.
newaz, best of luck!
@prospectiverejectee
I don’t think one can blog their way into MIT. The typical MIT student profile I know of is a humble person with a deep knowledge/passion in something… You don’t have to typically be very noisy. But I think every school needs one or two noisy people to complete recruitment for their prospective new armies…
So you may be change your name to prospectiveattendee!
Haha. Hope he doesn’t have to obtain a ‘restraining’ order.
Geddit? Geddit?
Thought not…-.-
Bad one…
was i too noisy?? :/argghhh!(i didnt intend to be)
nywaz, for international students, chances are really thin. when they say they are looking for a diverse class with people from different countries, i feel as if MIT is some kind of zoo, seeking a variety of most exquisite species from all around the world. i luv mit, but what i am sayin is that if i were applying from somalia, instead of india, i wud have had a much better chance. it is funny (well, almost….) it goes something like this…..
anonymous: is that guy from China?
MIT: nope, from Mongolia
anonymous: wow! MIT is awesome
now, let’s stop posting useless and unrelated comments on this blog post, before ms kris gets really angry!sorry for all this.
peace.
@prospectiveattendee
I’m extremely sorry – never meant to say that you were noisy.
I think you are actually a very nice person based on the your tone of writing here…
reading all the response is fun !!!! seeing this sort of cold war happening (lol)
I totally agree with prospectiverejectee. Vivek’s a serial bum-kisser. I mean, look at his blog and all the comments here.
Man, why are you sucking up to the adcoms?
Oh and sorry Ms Guay for this but I had to tell something to vivek.
I like the articles on your blog very much. Captivating style.