Amnesty International Organizes Iran Forum
Reacting to recent violence against peaceful demonstrators in Iran, many MIT students have expressed their disapproval at the Iranian government — they have taken action in supporting the Iranians’ right to free speech and are mourning those who were killed.
NY Court Hears New Reports on Aafia Siddiqui’s Mental Health
To government psychiatrists, Aafia Siddiqui ’95 has been faking symptoms of mental illness, hoping to avoid a criminal trial on charges of trying to kill American soldiers and F.B.I. agents in Afghanistan.
Profs’ Summers Have Travel & Work
MIT professors spend their summers on European excursions, quiet New England retreats, and studies that encapsulate both work and play.
Senior Housemaster Selection Amiss D’Amelio in Drug Program W20 Barber Saga Continues
The selection for the new Senior House Housemasters has stalled as the MIT administration has spent months making a decision.
MIT Picower Institute Suffers From Madoff Losses
Since the Madoff scandal and the collapse of the Picower Foundation, the MIT Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has successfully continued its operations despite some sharp, unexpected loss of funding. Money for several high-risk, high-gain projects has vaporized.
Students Line the Charles For Independence Day Celebration
After the longest stretch of cloudy summer days in Boston since 1903, the long-awaited sun finally beamed down across the red-white-and-blue-adorned city and all of its Fourth of July festivities on Saturday. As part of the 36th annual July 4th Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, an estimated 500,000 Bostonians, tourists, MIT students, and others gathered along the Boston Esplanade, around the Hatch Shell, and across the banks of the Charles for the nationally broadcast entertainment and patriotic fun.
Microsoft Exchange Is MIT’s New Email System
Beginning this summer, Information Systems and Technology has begun transitioning portions of the MIT e-mail system to Microsoft Exchange, as well as changing the way spam is handled.
The Current State of U.S.-Middle East Relations
Despite frosty United States-France relations during the Bush’s administration, France received Obama in June with open arms and effusive praise from the French public and experts alike. The media gushed over his charismatic “cool,” his youth and the “nonchalant” attitude he brings to his interpersonal contact with world leaders.
Lead, Follow, or Get In the Way
On the final Friday of June, polar bears cheered, honeybees buzzed, and Emperor penguins locked in the dead of Antarctic winter snuggled happily up to their eggs. At last, the United States was going to lead the world in the fight against climate change.
Models, Schmodels!
As a young high school student in neuroscience summer camp, I was shown the results of a computer model calculation that aimed to simulate cardiac tissue voltage as the electric pulse that kept the heart beating passed through. After being told that the simulation took several days to run, we campers were eagerly expecting to be wowed by displays of incomprehensible complexity, wide-eyed and excited at the prospect of viewing such cutting-edge medical research.
Sixth Coldest June on Record
As you are well aware, June was unseasonably cold. The mean temperature for June was 63.3°F, which ties it with June 1982 as the sixth coldest June on record in Boston since records began in 1872. Average temperatures of various sorts are often reported by meteorologists, such as the average high or low for a particular day of the year. A statistical quantity that is often overlooked is the standard deviation. That is, when a record occurs, how statistically unlikely is that event compared with the mean?
Desfina
The location of the Kendall Square Theatre seems to provide a limited choice of dining options for a pre-cinema dinner date. But for those willing to explore the back streets, there are a number of interesting options. Desfina, a neighborhoody Greek joint, is only five minutes from the theatre.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★★ UPlifting
You know any movie that stars a grumpy old man and a chubby Asian Boy Scout has to have some potential. Up defies labels and spans all demographics. It is for those who seek entry into a different world, a world that only the minds of Pixar/Disney can create. As director and co-writer Peter Docter (WALL-E) admitted in an interview, “The initial kernel was based on that desire that I feel a lot to escape the world.”
MOVIE REVIEW ★★ ½ Yeah, Smashy-Smashy, Whatever, So Over It
Watching Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is a bit like seeing a plane full of bacon and supermodels smash into a fireworks factory: Even though the explosions are awesome and there are awesome things everywhere, it is still pretty much a tragedy. As Shia LaBoeuf himself has found time and time again, looking good does not really compensate for being excessively dumb.
West Side Lounge
A weekend brunch can be the perfect start to the day. Hence, we headed over to the West Side Lounge (WSL), a pleasant five minute walk along Massachusetts Avenue from either the Harvard or Porter Square T stop.
Central Kitchen
Where to eat in Central Square? A bevy of new eating options has accompanied the gentrification of this gritty neighborhood. But on an overcast Saturday evening in May, after a lengthy day in the lab, we chose to return to an old favorite — the Central Kitchen. This small bistro-sized space has been drawing Central Square hipsters and guidebook-clutching tourists alike for 11 years and seems to continue strong. The restaurant describes itself as “devoted to the rustic Mediterranean style,” particularly of France, Spain and Italy, although French influence seems to be the strongest at present.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ A Poignant and Conflicted Playboy
The International Playboy is a short interlude into an individual’s journey towards self-discovery and strips away the glamour of what everyone envisions as the ‘perfect life’. The whole span of the movie is a mere 92 minutes.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ In Spite of Anachronisms, Ice Age 3 Exceeds Expectations
The new installment of the Ice Age franchise is a wonderful surprise for kids and adults alike, successfully overcoming the dilution effect that commonly plagues many sequels. Although the anachronistic premise — mammoths facing off dinosaurs — is quite hard to forgive, the movie is imbued with delicious humor, snappy dialogue, and a freshness of ideas that is bound to satisfy even the pickiest audiences.
Addis Red Sea
The adventurous date would love the idea of Addis Red Sea: enjoying Ethiopian cuisine with your hands, huddled on stools around woven tables called mesob.
28 Degrees
After hearing that oysters are an aphrodisiac, I decided to give them a shot at 28 Degrees during the one dollar oyster special, which runs 5-7 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays, and 5-10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.
Franklin Cafe
At first glance, Franklin Café seems like a safe choice for a first date. With its black leather booths and deep red walls, the ambiance is spot-on.
Tapeo
When my friends took me out for tapas the first time, I was told it was like Spanish dimsum. Unlike dimsum, though, tapas make a great evening date. I prefer eating tapas at a bar for the prompt refills of my sangrias. In Boston, many restaurants offer cheap tapas specials at the bar. Tapeo’s go for $5.
Union Bar and Grille
On the recommendation of a friend, I ventured to Union Bar and Grille for a good meal on a pleasant, late spring morning. Placing our reservation for 11 a.m., my girlfriend and I trekked to the trendy restaurant in South End. I immediately noticed that with my polo shirt tucked into khaki slacks, I had overdressed: All around me, hipsters were wearing tight-fitting t-shirts or wife beaters with skinny jeans.
MIT Sport Taekwondo Athletes Go to World University Games
Four members of the MIT Sport Taekwondo Club are representing the United States at the 2009 Summer World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. Competing from MIT are Rebecca Hung ’11, Karolina A. Corin G, Alicia Y. Zhou ’06, and Bobby Ren ’05.
Cricket Club’s Third Tournament at MIT Hosts 10 Area Teams
The third MIT cricket tournament kicked off to a frenetic start over a somber weekend of mist and drizzle on June 28. Ten teams participating in the MIT Cricket Club’s first summer tournament, an anticipated encore to tournaments held in the fall and spring. A testament to the popularity of the tournament was the attendance and avid interest of several established professional cricket clubs from the New England area.
Brouhaha Rhythm
A couple winters back, I bought a jigsaw puzzle from a yard sale. The picture was of one of those hot air balloon gatherings, with lots of bright colors and patterns to match together. When you’re staring at a Virginia winter out your window with hardly any snowfall to motivate going outside, it’s one way to pass the time.
Love, Loss, and Life@MIT
When I came to MIT as a freshman more than four years ago, I was excited for the challenge. One of the first things I heard at MIT was the oft-repeated parable about the bell curve, or, as we engineers might call it, a normal distribution. I forget who told me it first. Perhaps it was my freshman advisor, but it goes something like this: “If you were to put every student on a bell curve, MIT accepts only the highest one percent. You’re used to being in that top one percent, but now that you’re here, that curve starts all over. You won’t always be the best. You won’t always even be average.”
Talk Nerdy to Me
Since the fourth grade, I’ve needed glasses — but I didn’t start wearing them until the fifth grade.
Squid vs. Whale
We need to talk. The status quo has to end. We can’t keep sneaking out to the Four Seasons on Thursdays while I’m pretending to take my son to Little League. I’m an important person and the press have been stalking my SUV since last Tuesday. If we keep up this steamy love affair, sooner or later it’ll explode all over the papers.
