Where Can Students Buy New or Used Textbooks?
Business Location New? Used? Notes MIT Coop Kendall Square Yes Check early The official store for MIT textbooks; offers a small rebate for Coop members Quantum Books 4 Cambridge Center (near Kendall Square) Yes Yes Mostly math and technical books, prices comparable to the Coop’s after rebate, prices listed online at http://www.quantumbooks.com/ Alpha Phi Omega Book Exchange APO Office (W20-415) and various No Yes Usually takes place during the first week of fall and spring terms; for dates and locations, see the APO Web site: http://apo.mit.edu/bookex/ MIT412 http://www.mit412.com/ No Yes An MIT used book exchange CampusBeacon http://campusbeacon.com/ No Yes An MIT used book exchange BookX http://bookx.mit.edu/ No Yes Uses MIT certificates Bigwords http://www.bigwords.com/ Yes Yes Compares prices at multiple sites Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/ Yes Yes Online shopping for textbooks and other exciting items! Half.com http://www.half.com/ No Yes Requires eBay ID and password
News Briefs
The Daytime Boston Shuttle, which runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays from September to May, has received sufficient funding for the coming school year, according to Dean for Student Life Larry G. Benedict.
Daily Confusion
CORRECTION TO THIS ARTICLE: Because of inaccurate information provided by the Interfraternity Council, the Aug. 31, 2007 Daily Confusion section of The Tech misprinted the name of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. All “Alpha Epsilon Phi” activities listed are actually “Alpha Epsilon Pi” activities; Alpha Epsilon Phi is a sorority.
In Short
Athena Cluster printers no longer require special Kerberos software to print, effective today. IS&T has removed the authentication requirement in order to make it easier to print, especially from Windows and Mac OS X. The KLP printing software had been a significant headache for students. See Ask SIPB on page 19 for details.
More Frosh Request Housing Adjustment
A higher percentage of eligible freshmen entered the Housing Adjustment Lottery this year as compared to last year, with a lower percentage of those entering the lottery being allowed to move into a different dormitory. The lottery, which closed on Tuesday, allowed freshmen to either choose to stay in the building they had been temporarily assigned during the summer or rank up to four other dormitories to which they would like to move.
Fraternity Brothers Allowed To Wear Letters This Rush
Rush kicks off with the Greek Griller tomorrow in Killian Court at noon, and fraternities are preparing to lure freshmen with free lobster dinners, off-campus jaunts, and other pricey events.
Police Chief Discusses Work, Family
<i>This is the fifth interview in a seven-part series introducing incoming students to some of MIT’s faculty, staff, and student leaders. Today, </i>The Tech<i> interviews MIT Police Chief John DiFava, who talks about his background with the Massachusetts State Police and security at MIT.</i>
John DiFava
<b>Education Background:</b> BA in Sociology from Long Island University in 1973, Master’s in Education from Boston University
State Panel Reports on Insufficient Va. Tech Security
A state panel has sharply criticized decisions made by Virginia Tech before and after last April’s shooting massacre, saying university officials could have saved lives by notifying students and faculty members earlier that there had been killings on campus.
Fall Sorority Recruitment Begins
Sorority recruitment begins tomorrow with day-long activities as potential new members of MIT’s five sororities try to find the right fit. This is the first time since 2002 that sorority recruitment will occur in the fall.
Shorts (right)
Make no mistake, Dell is in the black. But production delays, particularly problems in getting the vivid paint colors of its new line of notebook computers right, are preventing the struggling company from growing as quickly as investors have hoped.
Taliban Frees the Last Seven South Koreans After Holding Direct Talks
The Taliban freed the seven remaining South Korean hostages in central Afghanistan on Thursday evening, Afghan officials announced, ending a six-week hostage crisis that had placed enormous political pressure on the South Korean government.
Sunny Weekend
A cold front sweeping through the region may provide the necessary trigger for some showers today, but will ultimately make way for a spectacular Labor Day weekend. Sunny skies, a comfortable late summer diurnal temperature range, and low humidity will prevail from Saturday through Monday. Such conditions are not surprising for early September, which on average is the sunniest time of year in Cambridge.
Independent U.S. Panel Urges Purging Corrupt Iraq Officers
An independent commission established by Congress to assess Iraq’s security forces will recommend remaking the 26,000-member national police force to purge it of corrupt officers and Shiite militants suspected of complicity in sectarian killings, Bush administration and military officials said Thursday.
Texas Governor Commutes Disputed Murder Accomplice’s Death Sentence
Hours before his scheduled execution on Thursday as a disputed accomplice in a 1996 murder, Kenneth Foster won a rare commutation to life in prison after Gov. Rick Perry followed the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles and granted a death row reprieve.
Shorts (left)
Two Boston firefighters were killed and 11 others were injured battling a blaze that appeared to start in a grease-caked ventilation shaft at a Chinese restaurant on Wednesday night, officials said Thursday. They were the first Boston firefighters to die in the line of duty since 1994.
Pakistani President Remains as Army Chief Despite False Claims
Pakistani government officials denied Thursday that the country’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, had agreed to resign as army chief before presidential elections, contradicting statements a day earlier by Benazir Bhutto, an exiled former prime minister.
Iran Nuclear Technology Report Reveals U.S., U.N. Policy Discord
A report released Thursday showing a slow but steady expansion of Iran’s nuclear technology has exposed a new divide between the United Nations arms inspectors and the United States and its allies over how to contain Tehran’s atomic program.
Corrections
The Aug. 30, 2007 feature article about OpenLabWare attributed inaccurate information to Stephen E. Carson, external relations director of OpenCourseWare. OCW will have 1,800 courses online by November 2007, not 18,000 courses, Carson said.
Letters to the Editor
In response to your article, “Demeaning Human Suffering” (Aug. 30, 2007), it was surprising to see Mr. Ali Wyne criticize the outrage the public has expressed over the Michael Vick dog fighting situation. While it’s clear that he is frustrated by the lack of action in areas of human crisis, such as Darfur, it seems as though to place the blame on either PETA or other animal protection groups is misdirected. As an animal rights organization, PETA works to protect animals. Similarly, Amnesty International is a human rights organization, which focuses on helping people. We each work on our respective issues, but many of our supporters care about both. Human rights and animal rights are not mutually exclusive, and in fact they are fundamentally intertwined.
The Best Shows of September 2007
As freshmen will soon discover, life at MIT can sometimes take over life away from MIT. Between classes, recitations, problem sets, research papers, clubs, sports, Greek life, and “The Office” (you know you love it), it can be hard to get off campus for much of anything. Many times, it’s unnecessary to leave to all — the dining options here are fantastic, and there are so many events going on that you’ll never be bored. But a life lived solely on Mass. Ave. could never sate the active music lover, which is why <i>The Tech</i> brings you upcoming concert listings for those nights when you need a fix of live music or a reason to punt your problem set.
CD REVIEW Not Recommended For C★ildren
Whenever I load an Architecture in Helsinki album into my library, iTunes automatically tags it “Children’s Music.” But I’m not a kid! Yes, there’s been some misunderstanding, but it’s on my end: the music is not for children but is by children. Though they’re adults in the literal sense, the band members are a collective wellspring of juvenile curiosity. The band treats their vast array of instruments like a pile of toys eagerly dumped out of a bedroom chest, and their songs flicker between ideas like the attention span of a precocious toddler.
Interview A Chat With The Craters
They’re called The Craters, and heaven help you if you don’t find their songs undeniably rocking. A year after their EP <i>Thriller</i>’s online-only mp3 release, these not-quite-legal Newton musicians have written a few more songs, played a lot more shows, and hooked up with a full band. I caught their last show of the summer at PA’s Lounge and was so impressed by their tight but relaxed live set I felt compelled to demand an interview. Lucky for me (and you) they complied, and I was able to chat with three band members the next day. Here’s my conversation with Jared Arnold, Wes Kaplan, and Josh Hirshfeld, who make up three quarters of The Craters.
MIT Students Should Support Peers at Home Sporting Events
<i>I’m a beaver. You’re a beaver. We are beavers all. And when we get together, we do the beaver call! E to the u, du dx, e to the x, dx. Cosine, secant, tangent, sine, 3.14159. Integral, radical, mu, dv. Slipstick, sliderule, MIT!</i><i></i>
Ask SIPB
Today, we finish off our series of introductory columns with information on a hodge-podge of additional useful services.
