Open letter calls on MIT to do more in Tidbit's legal battle
An open letter circulated online Thursday urged MIT to take a stand on a pending court case involving Jeremy L. Rubin ‘16, who was served a subpoena by New Jersey for documents, correspondence, and code associated with a Bitcoin-related project called Tidbit.
NEWS BRIEFS
In an email sent out to MIT undergraduates, the Undergraduate Association (UA) requested student input to questions that had originally been posed in the Abelson report, “MIT and the Prosecution of Aaron Swartz,” written by Professors Hal Abelson PhD ‘73 and Peter A. Diamond. President L. Rafael Reif and the Academic Council, MIT’s senior academic and administrative leaders, agreed that the report required an open discussion in the MIT community about personal ethics, MIT’s obligations to the extended community, and lessons MIT can learn from the hacker culture. Such a conversation had previously occurred with faculty members and graduate students before the UA reached out to the undergraduate community.
Gavin begins work as first Frank Stanton Chair
Politics has been part of human culture, and the subject of scholarly inquiry, for millennia. But only 70 years have passed since the epochal arrival of nuclear weapons, and our understanding of nuclear proliferation, deterrence, and arms control, and their complex relationships with traditional political issues, is still a work in progress.
IN SHORT
Applications for EECScon are due Friday, February 14th. If you are an MIT undergraduate performing research in an EECS-affiliated lab or an EECS undergraduate performing research anywhere, and would like to show your work to the MIT community, apply to present at EECScon, which is being held Apr. 16.
Haldun Anil elected as next president of IFC Exec Board
This year the Interfraternity Council (IFC) will be led by Haldun Anil ’15, a member of Theta Chi who will serve as the president of the newly-elected executive board. The organization, according to Anil, has hopes of “bettering communication to outside entities” and working towards a state where “we as a campus are much more connected and there is a stronger bond in [the] community.”
Shorts (right)
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple released on Thursday its supplier responsibility report, and the company said its hardware factories did not use any tantalum, a metal commonly used in electronics, from areas engaged in warfare.
Groups warn of ethnic cleansing in Central African Republic
DAKAR, Senegal — Tens of thousands of Muslims are being forced by Christian militias to flee the Central African Republic in what human rights groups and a top U.N. official characterized Wednesday as de facto ethnic cleansing.
One in five insured under new health law did not pay on time
WASHINGTON — One in 5 people who signed up for health insurance under the new health care law failed to pay their premiums on time and therefore did not receive coverage in January, insurance companies and industry experts say.
Cable TV merger would also join Internet giants
On the face of it, the merger of the two largest U.S. cable companies would seem like a non-starter, given its steep regulatory hurdles and skepticism from consumer watchdogs.
Shorts (left)
China’s recent moon launch was to be a testament to the country’s technological prowess as it joined Russia and the United States in the exclusive club of countries sending successful “soft landing” missions that allow them to explore the lunar surface.
Chobani: Yogurt intended for Olympians to be donated
In the Cold War over yogurt, America blinked.
Study: methane leaks negate climate benefits of natural gas
WASHINGTON — The sign is ubiquitous on city buses around the country: “This bus runs on clean burning natural gas.”
The art and tech sides of creativity
If you’ve never Googled “arts at MIT,” I guarantee you’ll be shocked at the vast array of arts activities, exhibits and events going on every week on campus, from alumni-produced films and student performances to professional shows by one of our many visiting artists. Yet I’ve lost track how many times I’ve been asked “MIT has arts?” Art, science, and engineering just don’t typically connect in people’s minds. Partners of the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru), including MIT, think that’s a problem.
Inside Arcadia
Dramashop’s production of Arcadia continues this week, with performances from Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. in Little Kresge Theater. The play draws parallels between two eras of residents at Sidley Park in England their rumination on science and love. While the play asks serious questions about determinism and love, there are also plenty of laughs. The Tech interviewed cast members Keenan A. Sunderwirth ’14 and Garrett W. Schulte ’17.
Plants, blood and lots of singing
What could be more innocent than a musical that takes place in a flower shop? Well, a flesh-eating Venus flytrap, a psychotic dentist, and a name like “Little Shop of Horrors” certainly rules out any hope for a light-hearted show. The musical, based on the film by Roger Corman, follows a florist named Seymour, who tries to revive his flower shop by raising a Venus flytrap that lives off human blood.
Endless runtime
Is there anything more overdone than a wealthy, overachieving, pretty girl falling for the charming boy from the wrong side of the tracks? Endless Love follows Ivy-League-bound Jade’s predictable escape from the grips of her overprotective father and into the arms of bad boy David the summer after she graduates from high school.
MIT women’s basketball team works with Athletes Unlimited
It was not a typical Wednesday night for the MIT women’s basketball team, who participated in an event complete with dance parties on the sidelines with opposing players. The team took advantage of its bye from NEWMAC action to train with the Pointsetters of Athletes Unlimited in neighboring Newton.
