Harvard Square

So this woman comes up to Cambridge from Atlanta by way of New York for law school, spends much of her off time developing an active hatred for all of Boston because we're too cold and uncaring and claustrophobic and totally not fun for her - and, yeah, all while she's making absolutely no effort to explore the area beyond a roughly five-block stretch bounded by her apartment, Harvard Law and a couple of bars - and then, after she sees how we reacted in the aftermath of the explosions, realizes we're not so bad after all, but she'll still never fit in here. Would Gawker have even run this if she didn't have the magical "Harvard" attached to her name?

Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute have created what they're calling RoboBees - robots smaller than a penny that can fly.

Inspired by the biology of a fly, with submillimeter-scale anatomy and two wafer-thin wings that flap almost invisibly, 120 times per second, the tiny device not only represents the absolute cutting edge of micromanufacturing and control systems, but is an aspiration that has impelled innovation in these fields by dozens of researchers across Harvard for years.

R.S.Y. Buchanan took in the fights at Harvard last night. Yes, Harvard.

The Crimson reports the 11 fights on the card made up the fifth Kenneth Moskow Memorial Fight Night, this time held in a tent on the Science Center plaza:

Blood splattered across the shoulders of boxer Robert Z. Cai ’14 on Wednesday night as he continued throwing punches despite a bleeding nose.

Photo copyright R.S.Y. Buchanan. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Of course. The Crimson reports on some paperwork filed with the city.

Via Boston Restaurant Talk.

Bomb threat at the federal courthouse, following wrong reports about an arrest. Suspicious vehicles checked at Brigham and Women's and in Maverick Square. Sirens all over. After somebody went on Twitter to warn people to stay away from Harvard Square, Cambridge Police had to tweet:

The area is SAFE

On the return-to-normalcy side, people are returning to Twitter to complain about the T, stuff like switch problems on the Red Line and Massholes on commuter rail:

Manners-free MBCR rider visibly annoyed by having to move newspapers/share 3-person seat. just threw papers on the floor.

The Globe reports on Harvard's sorry-not-sorry explanation for scanning headers on e-mail from deans. The Crimson reports university President Drew Faust says she had no idea.

Protest outside Longy School of Music this morning.

The venerable Longy School of Music, which merged with Bard College in New York last year, told parents this week that programs for children - and adults not seeking degrees - no longer fit its new mission of becoming a world-class "institution for advanced musical study." So, school President Karen Zorn wrote parents, they'll have to find new places to send their kids for the sort of programs the school has long offered.

In a letter to parents, Zorn said the school would work with them to find alternate programs.

Parents, who say the decision came as a complete surprise to them, protested outside the Harvard Square conservatory this morning. One Jamaica Plain mother tells UHub:

What they offer simply can't be replicated by private instruction or at other local institutions - otherwise we might be studying elsewhere. For example we live in JP but take our 12 year old daughter there for a chorus ensemble every weekend, because the hassle is worth the great experience she is having.

As in the MBTA is announcing significant delays due to signal problems at Harvard.

UPDATE: The E Line is being a tad extreme today, as well, thanks to a little fire at Symphony that's shut service on the line.

Join Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders at our annual Summer Party held outside in the heart of Provincetown, MA on Saturday, July 27 from 4:00-7:00PM. Enjoy the view of the harbor, mingle with other GLAD supporters and learn more about our ground-breaking cases.

Tickets are $75 online | $85 on site | $30 student
Purchase at www.glad.org/events.

Don't miss our amazing auction and celebrity auctioneer Kate Clinton. You don't have to be present to win. Travel packages, restaurants, massages, and much more - something for everyone!

Children are welcome to attend (at no charge) and will enjoy a range of fun activities.

Delicious summer fare and refreshing cocktails provided.

More information, tickets and sponsorships are available at www.glad.org/events.

Just a note from me thanking each and every U-Hubber who donated to the Brattle Theater Kickstarter campaign. As of 2:15PM today, the Brattle has reached it's goal of $140,000 and then some. They still have three days to go if anyone else wants to donate.

In this day and age where any computer savvy individual can basically download any film from the internet, places like the Brattle remind us that there is nothing like the collective experience of seeing a classic film in a theater. The Brattle has been an important place for my family for as long as I can remember and it does my heart proud to see so many other people in the area feel the same way and that they were willing to 'kick' a few bucks to see that it continues it's fine work. Bravo!

The Crimson reports on some petitions for improving student life submitted to the university, including one for a "a designated nap room in the Yard." Some students who favored the proposal said, however, they would be concerned about cleanliness - could they trust beanbag chairs some other student had just snoozed on?

At least this time the track problems were at Harvard instead of Central. Meanwhile, shortly after 9 a.m., Meghan M tweeted:

Green line inbound passengers. My train is so 100% stuck between kenmore & hynes. Expect delays. Also send breakfast.

And to top it all off, the electronic signboard at Park Street continues to show White Sox ads.

Harvard University Police report an undergraduate student walking in the Quincy House courtyard around 1:35 a.m. was attacked by two men:

The victim stated that while walking through the courtyard she was grabbed by two males who attempted to pull her back towards the building. The suspects did not say anything to the victim. She fought with them and was able to flee the courtyard and entered a nearby residence for safety. The victim was not injured during the incident and officers searching the area could not locate the suspects.

The T today turned on new digital ad screens at Harvard, in a move that could mean "millions of dollars of new advertising revenue for the MBTA in the coming years," the state Department of Transportation says.

Park Street Station, North Station and South Station will also get some of the large-screen TVs to beam ads and service info at the faces of commuters.

Harvard Station is equipped with three 70" Tri-Faced screens in a kiosk in the main atrium and five 55" Landscape Screens; one double-sided on the inbound platform and three single-sided across the track on the inbound platform.

The Harvard Square institution has turned to Kickstarter to try to raise the $140,000 it says it needs to install digital projectors and fix a creaky heating and air-conditioning system.

We will still show 35mm as much as possible, but as much as we like showing this format, many of the new films and restorations of classic films are only being provided in digital format now. So DCP is a necessary addition. But it'll cost us $90k to do it right.

H/t Pip.

The Crimson reports on the impending name change for the soon-to-re-open Upper Crust there as the Just Crust, to reflect its new status as being owned by employees.

The Crimson reports:

Flyers Under Students' Doors Say 'No Fucking Jews'

The Crimson reports Cambridge officials are considering building permanent restrooms as part of an overhaul of Cambridge Common.

Councilor Minka Y. vanBeuzekom emphasized the need for a public restroom to ensure that the homeless population - as well as children, sports teams, and other visitors to the Common - are not forced to use private restrooms in Harvard Square.

And then, in 50 years, they could turn it into a sandwich stand.

The Crimson reports the recent elections mean the number of Harvardians in the halls of Congress will increase from 34 to 43.

Cambridge Day has the video.

Currently limited to Harvard students, but then again, that's how Facebook started, too.

ChinatownKicks watched this turkey in Harvard Square yesterday.

Copyright ChinatownKicks. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Brad Kelly was in Harvard Square recently and stopped by what he called the portal to your emo past - the now closed Hootenanny.

Copyright Brad Kelly. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

The Crimson reports on a sociology class where the professor brought in three homeless Harvard Square guys to talk about their experience.

The Crimson reports waiters at the Harvard Faculty Club and Loeb House filed suit last week, alleging mandatory "gratuity" surcharges added to bills there never go to them. The suit comes as the Harvard Club, a private institution across the river, agreed to a $4 million settlement over the same issue.