Sunday, September 30, 2007

Happy

Sometimes there's a song that just makes you happy. I found that song today, it made me happy.

Blue? I don't think so!

Being sick and having to do a ton of homework on your birthday isn't ideal, but at least I have some decent music . . .

Happy

Sometimes there's a song that just makes you happy. I found that song today, it made me happy.

Blue? I don't think so!

Being sick and having to do a ton of homework on your birthday isn't ideal, but at least I have some decent music . . .

Angry Physics Book

OMG! I'm blogging from my iPod Touch! Anyway, I wanted to share with a passage from my physics book that I just came upon...

"In an inertial frame of reference there is no such thing as "centrifugal force". We won't mention this term again, and we strongly advise you to avoid using it too."

Wow, the book has a temper!

Angry Physics Book

OMG! I'm blogging from my iPod Touch! Anyway, I wanted to share with a passage from my physics book that I just came upon...

"In an inertial frame of reference there is no such thing as "centrifugal force". We won't mention this term again, and we strongly advise you to avoid using it too."

Wow, the book has a temper!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Oh the People You'll Meet

I mention from time to time the crazy people I meet here. I figured I'd discuss that a little bit. On MIT's website they have a list of famous alums, some of who are:

Founder of Texas Instruments
Founder of Bose Stereo
Inventor of the Internet
Founder of Campbell's Soup

So many amazing people come out of here, but I've been noticing that a lot of amazing people are still here. Who have I met?

The guy who invented artificial intelligence (yes, he invented it, it's a big deal!)
The guy who invented the nub-joystick on some laptop keyboards
The roommate of the guy who invented computer spreadsheets (Excel)
A best friend of the Eepy Birds

I was going to include a line from Dr Seuss's "Oh the places you'll go" because I thought it might mention "the people you meet," but it doesn't. So, there's no inspirational or uplifting quote to finish off this post, sorry about that!

Oh the People You'll Meet

I mention from time to time the crazy people I meet here. I figured I'd discuss that a little bit. On MIT's website they have a list of famous alums, some of who are:

Founder of Texas Instruments
Founder of Bose Stereo
Inventor of the Internet
Founder of Campbell's Soup

So many amazing people come out of here, but I've been noticing that a lot of amazing people are still here. Who have I met?

The guy who invented artificial intelligence (yes, he invented it, it's a big deal!)
The guy who invented the nub-joystick on some laptop keyboards
The roommate of the guy who invented computer spreadsheets (Excel)
A best friend of the Eepy Birds

I was going to include a line from Dr Seuss's "Oh the places you'll go" because I thought it might mention "the people you meet," but it doesn't. So, there's no inspirational or uplifting quote to finish off this post, sorry about that!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Guitar Hero Pwnage

You can tell we're doing horribly because we're both laughing . . .

Guitar Hero Pwnage

You can tell we're doing horribly because we're both laughing . . .

MIT Hacks Harvard

Today was the release of Halo III! Last night I was absolutely certain that some kind of hack would happen, but I was really disappointed when I walked to school this morning and didn't see a single hack! Fortunately, there was a hack, it just wasn't on campus. Harvard, seriously, try not to make it SO easy for us to hack you. Here's the article as it appeared in "The Tech" today:



In recognition of the release of Halo 3, a highly anticipated video game by Microsoft and Bungie, MIT hackers adorned the John P. Harvard statue, in Harvard Yard, with a Spartan helmet. The back of the helmet, which is worn by the protagonist of the game, Master Chief, was labeled with “Master Chief in Training.” The statue was decorated with an assault rifle (bullet count of 2E), as well as a Beaver emblem on the right shoulder.

MIT Hacks Harvard

Today was the release of Halo III! Last night I was absolutely certain that some kind of hack would happen, but I was really disappointed when I walked to school this morning and didn't see a single hack! Fortunately, there was a hack, it just wasn't on campus. Harvard, seriously, try not to make it SO easy for us to hack you. Here's the article as it appeared in "The Tech" today:



In recognition of the release of Halo 3, a highly anticipated video game by Microsoft and Bungie, MIT hackers adorned the John P. Harvard statue, in Harvard Yard, with a Spartan helmet. The back of the helmet, which is worn by the protagonist of the game, Master Chief, was labeled with “Master Chief in Training.” The statue was decorated with an assault rifle (bullet count of 2E), as well as a Beaver emblem on the right shoulder.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

XKCD Flash Mob

Alright, today was my very first flash mob! It was very exciting, I'm not gonna lie, I definitely think we freaked some people out. It was almost like a cross between "Passion of the Christ" and "V for Vendetta," tons of people en mass migrating to some random park in Cambridge.

The group that I left with departed from MIT at about 2:00 8 people. We went to the T stop, hopped onto the train, and arrived at our destination about 15 minutes later, 18 minutes before the big moment of 2:38 pm. Somehow, our group of 8 turned into this:



That's right, somehow we picked up a ton of people on train, and we actually looked quite cool going down the street.



When we go there we realized just how many people were going to be there (a ton!).







Soon I started seeing things I recognized from the comics, like red spiders:





And playpen balls:





And, combining two comics into a single picture, I saw tape measurer competition and a "Citation Needed" sign (the sign is in the background, behind the tape measurer guys, you can't see all of it, but it looks exactly like it does in the comic):







Also present were some velociraptor fans:





Now, a quick refresher as to why we were all there:



Soon it was 2:38 pm. What happened?!



In case you couldn't tell, Randall Munroe is the guy that writes the comic, and apparently I was standing right next to him and didn't even realize it until he started waving.



After the video cuts out, he goes on to say that we need to finish the "Dream Girl" comic because the ending was wrong. He had huge white panels for everybody to draw on so I got a picture of some people finishing the Dream Girl comic the way it really happened (click the pictures, any of them in this entire post, to make them bigger).



We wrote on the panels, we showed some school/dorm spirit:



And then, it was over. Randall signed autographs and we took off, after enjoying our very first flash mob. Good times had by all!

Read Randall's Comic Daily!

XKCD Flash Mob

Alright, today was my very first flash mob! It was very exciting, I'm not gonna lie, I definitely think we freaked some people out. It was almost like a cross between "Passion of the Christ" and "V for Vendetta," tons of people en mass migrating to some random park in Cambridge.

The group that I left with departed from MIT at about 2:00 8 people. We went to the T stop, hopped onto the train, and arrived at our destination about 15 minutes later, 18 minutes before the big moment of 2:38 pm. Somehow, our group of 8 turned into this:



That's right, somehow we picked up a ton of people on train, and we actually looked quite cool going down the street.



When we go there we realized just how many people were going to be there (a ton!).







Soon I started seeing things I recognized from the comics, like red spiders:





And playpen balls:





And, combining two comics into a single picture, I saw tape measurer competition and a "Citation Needed" sign (the sign is in the background, behind the tape measurer guys, you can't see all of it, but it looks exactly like it does in the comic):







Also present were some velociraptor fans:





Now, a quick refresher as to why we were all there:



Soon it was 2:38 pm. What happened?!



In case you couldn't tell, Randall Munroe is the guy that writes the comic, and apparently I was standing right next to him and didn't even realize it until he started waving.



After the video cuts out, he goes on to say that we need to finish the "Dream Girl" comic because the ending was wrong. He had huge white panels for everybody to draw on so I got a picture of some people finishing the Dream Girl comic the way it really happened (click the pictures, any of them in this entire post, to make them bigger).



We wrote on the panels, we showed some school/dorm spirit:



And then, it was over. Randall signed autographs and we took off, after enjoying our very first flash mob. Good times had by all!

Read Randall's Comic Daily!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

MIT <3 Graphs

Let's play the "Guess Where Snively Is" game with the grade distribution from my first math test.

MIT <3 Graphs

Let's play the "Guess Where Snively Is" game with the grade distribution from my first math test.

Great Picture/Caption

A quick update to the Star Simpson case:

I was warned several times yesterday to avoid the undercover news media that were wandering the MIT campus yesterday asking questions about Star Simpson. Members of East Campus quickly identified the the undercover reporter and sent a picture of them to all the residents of EC along with a warning to just walk away if questioned. Although they were avoiding the media, the residents of EC wanted to prove that they really were nice people, so they offered the reporters a gift:



Residents from East Campus deliver fresh papaya to FOX25 Reporter Martin Morenz who was soliciting comments from students regarding the arrest of Star A. Simpson ’10. A melon with an embedded LED was also offered to reporters. Simpson was at Logan Airport to meet her boyfriend and was arrested after the innocuous LED device attached to her sweatshirt alarmed airport authorities.

Great Picture/Caption

A quick update to the Star Simpson case:

I was warned several times yesterday to avoid the undercover news media that were wandering the MIT campus yesterday asking questions about Star Simpson. Members of East Campus quickly identified the the undercover reporter and sent a picture of them to all the residents of EC along with a warning to just walk away if questioned. Although they were avoiding the media, the residents of EC wanted to prove that they really were nice people, so they offered the reporters a gift:



Residents from East Campus deliver fresh papaya to FOX25 Reporter Martin Morenz who was soliciting comments from students regarding the arrest of Star A. Simpson ’10. A melon with an embedded LED was also offered to reporters. Simpson was at Logan Airport to meet her boyfriend and was arrested after the innocuous LED device attached to her sweatshirt alarmed airport authorities.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Logan

Ok, by this point almost everybody knows about the MIT Logan Airport Bomb scare. If you don't, well, read about it. The important part here is the website that featured this story: My Favorite Website ENGADGET!



Click!

We're Famous!

Logan

Ok, by this point almost everybody knows about the MIT Logan Airport Bomb scare. If you don't, well, read about it. The important part here is the website that featured this story: My Favorite Website ENGADGET!



Click!

We're Famous!

Guess Where I'll Be on Sunday!

Ever heard of XKCD?

Ever read comic 240, posted on March 16th? If not, I've reproduced it for you:



Coordinates?! Wha-?! Where could they possible lead to?! Nowhere near MIT, right?



Hm, if the green blob is MIT, and the red blob is where the coordinates lead, I'm just a short T-trip away.

Guess where I'll be on Sunday! I'll be taking pictures and blogging the meeting right away. It's an exclusive, right place at the right time, I'm very excited!

Guess Where I'll Be on Sunday!

Ever heard of XKCD?

Ever read comic 240, posted on March 16th? If not, I've reproduced it for you:



Coordinates?! Wha-?! Where could they possible lead to?! Nowhere near MIT, right?



Hm, if the green blob is MIT, and the red blob is where the coordinates lead, I'm just a short T-trip away.

Guess where I'll be on Sunday! I'll be taking pictures and blogging the meeting right away. It's an exclusive, right place at the right time, I'm very excited!

Oh Harvard

Surfing around CraigsList the other day I came upon an article written by a guy at Harvard. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why I go to MIT:

Harvard senior seeking female companion - 22
Date: 2007-09-17, 3:37PM EDT


My final club has a reunion this fall, and my relationship of two years ended disastrously earlier this summer. I have an invitation for myself plus one, and am willing to show you a great time. It is a private party, in an extremely classy setting. There is no real way to describe how ornate the club is, but I guarantee that it will be the most upscale experience of your life. Think back to your high school prom, take away the terrible music, and multiply the experience by ten. You must be white, 5′6″ - 5′9″, young, blonde, attractive, and intelligent. You must be in school, preferably Tufts or Wellesley but BU and BC are acceptable (definitely not MIT). You should be able to hold a conversation, know when to be quiet, and polite in all your behavior. I have seen unruly guests embarrass members before, and I hope this won't be a problem. This event is black-tie, and I am willing to procure an evening gown for you. I hate to sound so harsh, but I have expectations to live up to. No Asian, overweight, or unattractive women please. Ages 18-22 only.

Picture required.
>>>

Oh Harvard

Surfing around CraigsList the other day I came upon an article written by a guy at Harvard. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why I go to MIT:

Harvard senior seeking female companion - 22
Date: 2007-09-17, 3:37PM EDT


My final club has a reunion this fall, and my relationship of two years ended disastrously earlier this summer. I have an invitation for myself plus one, and am willing to show you a great time. It is a private party, in an extremely classy setting. There is no real way to describe how ornate the club is, but I guarantee that it will be the most upscale experience of your life. Think back to your high school prom, take away the terrible music, and multiply the experience by ten. You must be white, 5′6″ - 5′9″, young, blonde, attractive, and intelligent. You must be in school, preferably Tufts or Wellesley but BU and BC are acceptable (definitely not MIT). You should be able to hold a conversation, know when to be quiet, and polite in all your behavior. I have seen unruly guests embarrass members before, and I hope this won't be a problem. This event is black-tie, and I am willing to procure an evening gown for you. I hate to sound so harsh, but I have expectations to live up to. No Asian, overweight, or unattractive women please. Ages 18-22 only.

Picture required.
>>>

Thursday, September 20, 2007

400 BABIES!

400 BABIES!

ILTFP

I Love This F****** Place! That statement diverges from the everyday philosophy behind MIT, but obviously the difference between the IHTFPers and the ILTFPers can be boiled down to two words: Career Fair.

IHTFP = Never been to an MIT career fair
ILTFP = Took full advantage of said career fair

The average number of job offers awaiting an MIT graduate is 2.6, meaning companies actively recruit here, meaning in order to draw us in they have to offer us free stuff. 281 companies took up two entire floors of the athletic center, almost all giving away exciting swag. Here's a quick sample of what I got:

Laptop Mouse
Laptop Keyboard Light
Google Mousepad
Magnetic Dartboard
128 mb Flash Drive
Binoculars
3D Printed Ball Bearing
30 Day Trial of SolidWorks
iPod Nano Case
Backpack
Laundry Bag
4 Rubik's Cubes
Countless Pens
Rubber Duck
4 Coffee Mugs

That's not even mentioning the massive addition to my free t-shirt collection that happened today. Guess how many got today! GUESS!

8 FREE T-SHIRTS IN ONE DAY!!!


(One T-Shirt Not Shown, It Wouldn't Fit On The Table)

I'm up to 17 total and going strong, how many do we think I'll have by the end of the year?

Here are some glamour shots of all my swag!





Everybody thinking of applying to MIT, don't listen to anything anybody tells you about this place being too intense or too hard. Don't listen to people that say undergrad sucks and that there are better places.