New Media Lab Fellows
What does the co-creator of Lost and director of the next Star Wars film have to do with an international chess grandmaster? A successful fashion designer? The author of a New York Times bestseller? All are members of the MIT Media Lab’s first group of Director’s Fellows, announced last month in a Media Lab blog post.
Cambridge releases Hubway usage statistics
The City of Cambridge released ridership statistics on the Hubway bikeshare program last week. Since its launch in late July 2012, Hubway has proven successful at attracting daily bike riders, especially in the MIT vicinity.
Saturday report of a gunman on campus a hoax
The Cambridge Police received a false report early Saturday morning of a “male with a large firearm and wearing body armor” at 77 Massachusetts Avenue. The report was declared to be false around 2.5 hours later after MIT and Cambridge police searched each building room-to-room. Students were not notified of the situation until after an hour after the initial tip.
IN SHORT
President L. Rafael Reif and former Intel CEO Craig Barrett published a column in the Financial Times yesterday urging the federal government to spare scientific research dollars from the impending sequestration. “To slash America’s R&D capability in the name of fiscal responsibility would be akin to seeking greater efficiency for an aircraft by jettisoning the engines,” they wrote.
South Korean president warns North against nuclear pursuits
SEOUL, South Korea — The country’s new president, Park Geun-hye, was sworn into office Monday, facing far more complicated fissures both within South Korea and with North Korea than her father did during his Cold War dictatorship, which ended with his assassination 33 years ago.
Shorts (right)
LAGOS, Nigeria — A French family kidnapped last week on the Cameroon-Nigeria border appeared on a video posted on YouTube Monday, with one of the hostages and a gunman claiming that the family is being held by Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.
Republicans sign brief in support of gay marriage
WASHINGTON — Dozens of prominent Republicans — including top advisers to former President George W. Bush, four former governors and two members of Congress — have signed a legal brief arguing that gay people have a constitutional right to marry, a position that amounts to a direct challenge to Speaker John A. Boehner and reflects the civil war in the party since the November election.
Shorts (left)
ALMATY, Kazakhstan — Talks between Iran and six world powers over its nuclear program resume here on Tuesday after a break of eight months, but there is a general atmosphere of gloom about their prospects for success, even if narrowly defined.
Obama urges Congress to find compromise on budget cuts
WASHINGTON — With automatic budget cuts set to hit by the end of the week, President Barack Obama on Monday again warned of dire consequences and urged Congress to find a way to compromise in the next four days.
Blizzard in Great Plains brings Tech great rains
The same winter storm that yesterday brought blizzard conditions to parts of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas will reach our area tomorrow. However, warm temperatures will likely preclude us from experiencing similar conditions, as most of the precipitation is expected to fall as rain. Still, the weather will be relatively unpleasant during the storm, with gusty winds accompanying rain that will become heavy at times. Furthermore, the track of the storm will cause its effects to linger for the remainder of the week. Fortunately, sunshine should return in time for Saturday and Sunday.
Senate set to test support for vote on Defense nominee Chuck Hagel
WASHINGTON — The Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to cut off debate on the nomination of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary, testing whether there is support for a final vote to confirm President Barack Obama’s embattled nominee.
Gun control could prevent lawful self-defense
By now there must be a special command bunker ready for the White House communications team to man when Joe Biden decides to hold a press conference. If it exists, it certainly would have been used last week. Responding to Kate Ernest, who asked how a law-abiding citizen should best protect themselves if they have no access to firearms, the Vice President exclaimed, “Buy a shotgun! Buy a shotgun!” As the words rolled off of Veep’s tongue, communications staffers were likely sent into a panic mode that has become all too familiar.
Current gun control proposals could save lives
On Saturday morning, the entire MIT community was warned: “There was a person with a long rifle and body armor in the Main Group Building of MIT.” Minutes later, emails sent by RLADs, friends, and family members were less measured: “GUNMAN, STAY INSIDE!”, “Are you okay? Are you okay? Answer me!” Students stayed in, parents called in, and SWAT teams and news crews assembled.
West wins ASG; Irving takes 3-Point Shootout
The NBA reached its unofficial halfway point last Friday with the beginning of All-Star Weekend. Unlike other professional sports, there are multiple events that the players participate in, namely the 3-Point Shootout, the “Shooting Stars” competition, the Skills Challenge, the All-Star game itself, and everyone’s favorite, the Slam Dunk Contest. Some of the biggest names in the league were on full display and there were definitely some surprise winners and losers.
SPORTS SHORT
No. 2 ranked MIT fell in the semifinals round of the NEWMAC tournament to No. 3 Springfield College. William Tashman ’13 led MIT with 19 points and 11 rebounds. After a hard-fought first half with many runs by both teams, the Engineers went into the locker room up 34-30 at halftime. Springfield managed to remain close for the majority of the second half until 6:48 remaining when they tied the game. After regaining the lead, MIT struggled to score for the last five minutes of the game, which would prove to be their undoing. Springfield went on a 12-0 run and beat MIT, 68-60. After losing in the NEWMAC tournament, the Engineers must wait for the NCAA’s selection to see if they earned an at-large bid in the 2013 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Head in the clouds
As undergraduates at MIT, we whispered under our breaths as we passed the Green Building about the lonely, mysterious graduate students who worked there — “The lights never go off! There is always someone there.” As a graduate student, I’ve had the privilege to meet some of those nocturnal souls. This is one of their stories. —Emily A. Moberg
Events Feb 26- Mar 4
Events Feb. 26 – Mar. 4 Tuesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Artists Beyond the Desk presents Gabriel Zucker’s piano sonatas — 14W-111 (3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Cory Doctorow: “A World Made of Computers: Why Getting It Wrong Matters” talk on technology regulation — E14-633 Wednesday (12:00 p.m.) CAST Music and Technology: Eric Singer, concert of robotic musical instruments — 14W-111 (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) South Asian Women Resist: Religious Fundamentalism, Imperialism, and The State in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan — 4-231 Thursday (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Skoltech & MIT Russia Distinguished Lecture Series: Reset 2.0: Prospects and Possibilities? — 56-114 (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Women in the MA Game Industry: A Discussion of Diversity, Challenges and Progress — Microsoft NERD Center, 1 Memorial Drive Friday (7:00 p.m.) LSC shows Argo — 26-100 (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) ORCHIDS: an intersex adventure, film screening — 6-120 Saturday (2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Jai Bhim Comrade documentary by Annd Patwardhan — 26-100 (7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) Debut concert by EVIYAN Iva Bittova, violinist/vocalist; Gyan Riley, guitarist; and Evan Ziporyn — Kresge Auditorium Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
