Mass. High Tech reports researchers at MIT may have figured out the first step in building all-optical microchips - using garnet - which could mean faster computing.
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MIT
By SwirlyGrrl - 11/10/11 - 4:25 pm
MIT's Infinite Corridor will be alligned with the sun tomorrow, on 11-11-11. The allignment happens a couple of times each year.
No word if the sun will be turned up to 11 for the event.
By adamg - 8/31/11 - 10:32 am
A $350,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant will let the Boston Public Library and MIT mount a traveling exhibition of the work of Rafael Guastavino, whose "thoughtful design of public spaces transformed American architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries:"
Guastavino and his family invented a colorful tiling that is lightweight, attractive, fireproof, and virtually indestructible. Excellent examples of his work grace buildings in 40 states. Examples include the Grand Central Terminal in New York City, the United Stated Supreme Court Building, and the Nebraska State Capitol. Guastavino used his extraordinary gift to elevate public spaces including transportation centers, government centers, libraries, and churches.
The exhibition will first open at the BPL main branch in Copley Square - which was the site of Guastavino's first major work in the U.S.
UPDATE: Thanks to commenters for noting the photo I posted from the McKim building was not of one of the ones Guastavino designed. See if you can spot his work in this collection of McKim construction photos.
By adamg - 8/23/11 - 9:47 am
Technology Review reports that some researchers at MIT and UMass Amherst have developed a system for keeping hackers from interfering with implanted medical devices.
By adamg - 8/10/11 - 10:58 am
The drugs, which are still a long way away from human testing, let alone the market, work by latching onto a form of RNA only generated by viruses inside living cells and signalling those cells to kill themselves, MIT reports:
"In theory, it should work against all viruses," says Todd Rider, a senior staff scientist in Lincoln Laboratory's Chemical, Biological, and Nanoscale Technologies Group who invented the new technology.
By adamg - 7/31/11 - 6:14 pm
A man stopped to marvel at the big-ass boiler sitting in a drug-store parking lot.
By adamg - 7/29/11 - 10:34 pm
Truckers trying to deliver an oversize boiler to MIT have instead been forced to cool their heels in Arlington because Somerville officials are refusing to allow the wide load on their streets.
By adamg - 7/19/11 - 11:42 pm
The indictment against Aaron Swartz on charges he used MIT networks to download 4.7 million documents from an online database of academic papers has some details of interest to net geeks, such as his use of pseudonyms like "Gary Host" and "Grace Host" (because he was using a "ghost" laptop, which he might have bought at Micro Center) and his preference for the Python scripting language.
And it also contains alleged observations of physical breaking and entering at an MIT basement wiring closet:
On January 4, 2011, Aaron Swartz was observed entering the restricted basement network wiring closet to replace an external hard drive to his computer.
On January 6, 2011, Swartz returned to the wiring closet to remove his computer equipment. This time he attempted to evade identification at the entrance to the restricted area. As Swartz entered the wiring closet, he held his bicycle helmet like a mask to shield his face, looking through ventilation holes in the helmet. Swartz then removed his computer equipment from the closet, put it in his backpack and left, again masking his face with the bicylcle helmet before peering through a crack in the double doors and cautiously stepping out.
Innocent, etc.
By adamg - 7/19/11 - 1:30 pm
The Times reports Aaron Swartz, 24, was indicted today on charged he broke into an MIT wiring closet - physically breaking in, with his own hands - then using a network connection there to grab copies of documents from JSTOR, which sells online access to academic publications.
Swartz is a co-founder of Reddit, a geeky social network with an active Boston community.
Innocent, etc.
By adamg - 6/13/11 - 5:11 pm
Via PC World, which notes:
Mario is currently working with other students and professors to program PR2 so it can wipe down the table and put the baking sheet in the oven.
By adamg - 5/15/11 - 12:08 pm
Tinker Ready notes some MIT facts left out of today's Globe circular on MIT's 150th anniversary.
By adamg - 5/8/11 - 7:59 am
Nathanael Hevelone attended SkyArt, part of MIT's 150th anniversary celebrations, on Saturday. Historygradguy was also there.
Copyright Nathanael Hevelone and Historygradguy, respectively. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.
By adamg - 4/8/11 - 10:41 am
This morning, Jeannie Vincent reported a traffic jam on Storrow Drive that suddenly ended around Fenway with no evidence of an accident.
If she'd been across the river on Mem. Drive, she could have stopped into the MIT mathematics department, where some researchers spent a fair amount of time studying these phantom traffic jams - and the way they're caused by waves they've dubbed jamitons:
By adamg - 3/29/11 - 7:10 am
The Tech reports a hapless laptop thief got only bruises for his efforts yesterday afternoon:
Wesley D. Graybill said that he saw the suspect making a dash for the exit, jumped in front of him, and slammed him into the wall. The suspect slipped by, but Graybill chased him down and was able to pull him to the ground. The researcher caught up and held down the suspect until the Campus Police arrived.
By adamg - 3/1/11 - 7:01 am
The Tech reports a man who may have fallen two stories inside an atrium at the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex was taken to Mass. General with "a major head injury."
By adamg - 12/24/10 - 11:49 am
MIT charges a Littleton startup failed to pay licensing fees for three of its patents, so now it wants a judge to order the company to stop using them - and pay the fees.
It's MIT's second suit this month against Still River Systems. Last week, MIT sued Still River to force it to add an MIT researcher to a patent used for the company's single-room synchrocyclotron, which can be used to target an intense beam of radiation at certain types of tumors.
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