Letters to the Editor
Natasha Plotkin’s article (“RIAA Sends Institute 19 Settlement Letters Alleging Infringement,” Jan. 23, 2008) mentions that one of the 23 letters sent by the RIAA in May 2007 was unable to be tied to an individual student. This could be improved to 23 of 23 if Information Services & Technology purged DHCP logs frequently, quicker than the time required to execute a subpoena.
Letters to the Editor
I am writing in response to a letter appearing in the Jan. 16, 2008 issue from Miguel Valença Pires G (“Chaplain Position Is Affront to MIT Tradition”).
Corrections
A page 6 photograph in the Jan. 9, 2008 issue of <i>The Tech</i> incorrectly named a song performed by the MIT Logarhythms. The song was “Superlogs,” not “In Praise of MIT (Take Me Back to the Tech).”
Letters to the Editor
I was dismayed to read that MIT has decided, after a hundred years without, that it needs a chaplain.
Institute Wisdom Watch
<b>W1 (currently Ashdown House) will be fully renovated before it is opened to undergraduates in fall 2010.</b> — thumbs up
Letters to the Editor
Fixing childhood obesity by banning junk food from schools? Are you kidding? I’ll use good ol’ 14.01 (Principles of Microeconomics) to explain why I’ve got a problem with this.
Letters to the Editor
Friday’s news article about OLPC (“OLPC Sued for Allegedly Copying Keyboard Design,” Nov. 30, 2007) uses the term “intellectual property,” which is a tool of harmful vagueness. It lumps together copyright law and patent law (totally different) with other and disparate laws. Perhaps this term is why OLPC is unable to be sure whether the accusation concerns patents or copyrights. If we learn to recognize use of “intellectual property” as a sign that crucial information is missing, we can promote clear thinking about these various laws. See <i>http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html</i>.
Appeasing the RIAA Is Getting Us Nowhere
In a now not so surprising move to avoid any entanglement in students’ affairs, Dean for Student Life Larry G. Benedict’s sole opinion of the Recording Industry Association of America in his last letter was, “We believe this campaign will continue and expand.” What follows is a tacit approval of the RIAA’s actions and a quick guide on how to easily appease the RIAA. MIT’s decision to kowtow to the RIAA is a mistake, both legally and principally.
Letters to the Editor
We are grateful to David Sheets ’09 for conveying his thoughts on the Undergraduate Association (“UA Needs Transparency,” Nov. 30, 2007). However, that he would take the time to criticize a body that he believes is “continu[ally]” and “consistent[ly]” irrelevant suggests that it is anything but.
Corrections
A photograph printed on page 11 of the Nov. 8, 1968 issue of <i>The Tech</i> misidentified semifinalist candidates for junior prom queen. The photograph labelled Jane Goodwin is actually of Barbara Siebert (now Barbara Siebert Titelbaum), according to Siebert. The photograph labelled with Siebert’s name is not of her. Attempts to reach Goodwin have been unsuccessful.
UA Needs Transparency
You cannot make an informed decision without accurate, accessible information. If we, as students, wish to guide and inform decisions of our student and Institute representatives, we need information. While the MIT administration needs to increase its operational transparency to be held accountable for its policies, decisions, and spending, the adoption of transparent practices must start with us.
Corrections
Because of an error in the MIT Police press log, James Hames was incorrectly listed as the person arrested on Oct. 25, 2007. Paul Gerrands of 50 Quincy St., Cambridge, Mass. was arrested for larceny of a bicycle.
Letters to the Editor
In his response to my letter (“Watson’s Remarks Unacceptable,” Nov. 9, 2007), Justin M. Cannon ’08 suggests that I defended James Watson’s comments on race; I did not, although, in using them to frame my argument, I may have conveyed that impression.
Corrections
A page 11 photo caption in the Nov. 9, 2007 issue of <i>The Tech</i> misidentified the type of owl pictured. It is a Barred Owl (<i>Strix varia</i>), not a Fulvous Owl (<i>Strix fulvescens</i>).
Letters to the Editor
Mr. Aditya Kohli ’09 criticizes the Undergraduate Association (“A Safe, Simple Solution for SafeRide,” Nov. 13, 2007) for making “no visible progress” on SafeRide issues. He ignores critical successes that we have achieved in partnership with Larry Brutti of the Parking and Transportation Office. Last spring, when funding for the Boston Daytime SafeRide was withdrawn, the UA lead a student effort that included the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association, and individual fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups. Through our initiative, we secured $40,000 to provide for the continual operation of this service. Without UA leadership, the very service that Mr. Kohli criticizes would not exist, and over 700 FSILG residents would have no convenient method of transportation to campus.
Letters to the Editor
A recently released <i>Boston Globe </i>article regarding MIT filing a lawsuit against the architect of the Stata Center is very troubling, at least from my perspective as a member of the student body. Anyone who has lived in a climate similar to New England’s could have predicted the problems with snow, ice, and rain that have plagued the building.
A Safe, Simple Solution for SafeRide
“We have four new [SafeRide] buses coming off the assembly line,” Lawrence R. Brutti, operations manager for the Parking and Transportation Office, said in the Aug. 28, 2007 issue of <i>The Tech</i>. Almost two months later, I have to ask: where are they? This question is by no means trivial: the inefficiency of SafeRide affects the bulk of the student body.
Letters to the Editor
In his recent letter (“On Intellectual Imprisonment,” Nov. 2, 2007), Ali S. Wyne ’08 argued that James Watson’s resignation from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory signaled the triumph of “political correctness” over fruitful discourse in America. However, Watson’s comments fall far from just socially-unacceptable intellectual curiosity. They are blatantly racist.
Corrections
In the Oct. 30, 2007 In Short section on page 1, the charges listed for Star A. Simpson ’10 were inaccurate. Simpson was charged with possession of a hoax device, not with disorderly conduct.