IS&T Considers Upgrading E-Mail
Information Services and Technology is considering revamping the MIT e-mail system to include calendaring. IS&T is also considering changing the mail system’s infrastructure to include commercial products like Microsoft’s Exchange server, even while expressing serious concern that those products may not scale to function adequately in MIT’s demanding e-mail environment. Currently, the mail system is based on open source software, though it includes commercial devices for spam filtering.
Hello, India? I Need Help in Math
Adrianne Yamaki, a 32-year-old management consultant in New York, travels constantly and logs 80-hour workweeks. So to eke out more time for herself, she routinely farms out the administrative chores of her life — making travel arrangements, hair appointments and restaurant reservations and buying theater tickets — to a personal assistant service, in India.
You May Be On Tape
If you walk around public areas of the Institute, there may be cameras recording you.
266 Freshmen Get Fifth-Week Warnings; Flags Increase From Last Year
Fifth-week flags have been sent to 233 freshmen who may be in danger of failing a class. This 21.8 percent warning rate is an increase from 17.5 percent in Fall 2006 and 18.3 percent in Fall 2005. About six percent, or 66 students, received more than one flag.
Scientist Turns Mice Cells Into Bone Instead of Fat
Clinton T. Rubin knows full well that his recent results are surprising — that no one has been more taken aback than he. And he cautions that it is far too soon to leap to conclusions about humans. But still, he says, what if?
Obama Holds Rally In Boston; Gains Patrick’s Endorsement
The buzzwords were health care, education, and Iraq, and the 9,500-person crowd swarming the Boston Common was all ears at last Tuesday evening’s rally with Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick for Barack H. Obama’s Democratic presidential campaign.
Candidates Discuss City’s Relations With Local Colleges
† Answered by e-mail ‡ Did not return phone calls and e-mail requests for an interview. Answers were taken from www.vote.rwinters.com
The Proportional Representation Voting Method
Voters rank candidates, giving their favorite candidate rank number one. Voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they wish. Once any candidate reaches a threshold of top choice votes, he/she is immediately elected. Any number one votes on ballots beyond the quota will be given to the number two vote on that ballot. Any candidate with less than 50 number one votes is then eliminated and those ballots are given to the number two vote. After this is done, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and his/her votes go to the next preference. Candidates are elected by reaching quota after each elimination and redistribution.
Two Dollar Tuesdays Provide Grad Students With Social Dining Event
Oct. 9 marked the beginning of a series of dining events for graduate students known as Two Dollar Tuesdays, sponsored by the Graduate Student Council and the Large Event Fund. 125 students out of the 150 who bought tickets attended the sold-out event, which was intended to give graduate students an opportunity to socialize over dinner.
APO Holds Unholiest Human Competition
The Unholiest huMan on Campus (UMOC) competition, the latest descendant of the annual Ugliest Man on Campus event, is being held this week. Members of the MIT community can vote for their favorite candidates by placing money in the candidates’ respective jars in Lobby 10. At the end of the event, which concludes on Friday, November 2, all proceeds will be given to the charity of the winner’s choice.
City Councillors Seek New 2-Year Terms in Cambridge Elections
Next Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters will decide who will sit on the Cambridge City Council for the next two years. There will be at least one new face, since only eight incumbents are running for re-election.
Abnormal Radiation Level Reported
The MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory is currently being inspected by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after a worker was exposed to unusually high levels of radiation.
News Briefs
Approximately 20 percent of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors donated to this year’s Underclassmen Giving Campaign last week, topping the participation rate of last fall. A total of $3,521 was raised to fund Public Service Center expedition grants for the January Independent Activities Period.
MIT Statement Regarding Stabbing Incident — Oct. 25, 2007
We are deeply troubled by this violent act upon one of our students. We are supporting him, his family and friends, and others in our community. We are heartened by the progress he has shown in his recovery.
Official Arrest Report Narrative (Cambridge Police Officer Mark J. McHale) — Oct. 23, 2007
On the above date and time I was assigned to Car #3 along with Officer Caulfield. We were dispatched to #500 Memorial Drive #246 on a report of a stabbing. This is an MIT dorm building with multiple dorm rooms on several floors. While in route we were up dated by ECC that the suspect was a female who is the ex-girlfriend of the victim. ECC provided us with her name, Anna Tang an Asian female and that she was wearing a black coat. We were also informed that Ms. Tang may be on foot as she does not have a vehicle.
OLPC Requests Monetary Donations to Buy Laptops
In a major strategy shift, the Cambridge, Mass. foundation that plans to provide laptop computers to poor children around the globe is asking wealthy individuals and corporations to help pick up the tab by purchasing hundreds or thousands of the machines.