Anti-piracy bill stalls in Senate amid controversy
On Nov. 19, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Combating Online Infringements and Counterfeits Act (COICA), which allows the government to use court orders to shut down websites thought to infringe on copyright. Also known as S.3804, COICA was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy on Sept. 20 as an attempt to prevent the spread of piracy websites.
Course 6/7 joint major proposed
A bachelor’s degree in computer science and molecular biology was proposed by the Departments of Biology and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at the Nov. 17 faculty meeting. At the faculty meeting, Eric L. Grimson PhD ’80, head of the EECS department, said that the EECS faculty “basically unanimously endorsed” the proposal. Commentary at the meeting was so positive that at the end of the discussion, MIT President Susan J. Hockfield asked, “Anyone else want to join the love-fest?”
New twist in stem cell lawsuit
In the latest update in the stem cell lawsuit, Sherley v. Sebelius, James L. Sherley now has to contend with the opposition of his own employer, the Boston Biomedical Research Institution.
Research suggests online TV viewers may be willing to tolerate longer commercial breaks
Viewers of television shows on the Web have grown accustomed to 15- and 30-second commercial breaks — a fraction of the time given for commercials on traditional TV. Would they accept TV-style ad loads?
Koch Institute begins relocation
The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research has begun moving into its newly finished home in Building 76, which replaced a parking lot along Main Street between Ames and Vassar.
Senior selected to be Rhodes Scholar
Jennifer I. Lai ’11 is MIT’s latest Rhodes scholar, joining an elite group of 43 MIT alumni.
Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and Molecular Biology Course Requirements
• 18.03: Differential Equations or
Tips for Thanksgiving travel
• Travel on Tuesday or Thursday morning rather than on Wednesday. Flights are cheaper, and there are fewer people to deal with at the airport.
New 3D dental scanners raise radiation concerns
Because children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to radiation, doctors three years ago mounted a national campaign to protect them by reducing diagnostic radiation to only those levels seen as absolutely necessary.
Other Athena changes on the horizon
Though initially interested in deploying multi-function printers, the Athena Working Group will be testing out the idea of scanners in Athena clusters. The pilot scanners will be separate from printers and will be full-featured photo and document scanners that can scan to a file directly. The working group decided against using multi-function printers because many students need higher quality scans than the typical multi-function scanner can provide. (There might still be pilot multi-function devices to test out scanning in general.)
Athena printing changes coming
Over the past year, Information Services and Technology, the UA, and the MIT Administration have been examining how the Athena printing system can be improved to maximize efficiency and cut costs.
Dell hid a plague of faulty capacitors, documents reveal
SAN FRANCISCO — Documents unsealed Thursday in a three-year-old lawsuit against Dell Inc. have raised more questions about how the company handled an unprecedented number of faulty computers sold to governments, schools and corporations from 2003 to 2005.
The online petition against the dining plan
We, the undersigned, write to voice our objection to the new dining plan proposed by the House Dining Advisory Group (HDAG), which is slated to begin next fall.
Gehry helps out in Chicago
It’s not every day that Frank Gehry designs lobby furniture for an office building.
More unrest over new dining plan
Student opposition to the proposed House Dining Advisory Group continues this week. A major new petition launched on Wednesday evening has amassed over 1,298 signatures from undergraduates as of early Friday morning. On Thursday, students held an “eat-in” protest at Baker House to show that they could cook for themselves.
Worm in Iran was perfect for sabotaging centrifuges
Experts dissecting the computer worm suspected of being aimed at Iran’s nuclear program have determined that it was precisely calibrated in a way that could send nuclear centrifuges wildly out of control.
UA proposal seeks flexible dining options
Dean for Student Life Chris Colombo met with Undergraduate Association leaders last Friday to discuss possible changes to the new dining plan this fall. UA President Vrajesh Y. Modi ’11 and Vice President Samantha G. Wyman ’11 presented a proposal in which dorms would decide their own dining plan and current upperclassman could opt out of the new dining plan.