Established 1881

WEATHER, p. 2 MIT’s Oldest and Fri: 60°f | 45°f Largest Newspaper Partly cloudy Sat: 69°f | 53°f Partly cloudy tech.mit.edu Sun: 72°f | 57°f Chance of showers Established 1881

Volume 132, Number 18 Friday, April 13, 2012 Additional updates to orientation report Changes to lottery, FPOP charges By Derek Chang switches. News editor “We concluded that REX should Established 1881 focus more on celebrating dorm The Review Committee on Ori- culture,” noted Henry J. Humphreys, entation (RCO) released its final senior associate dean for student recommendations on Orientation life. There will be no housing lot- last week with more updates on tery for freshmen to change their the state of Residential Exploration summer dorm room assignments, (REX) and freshman pe-orientation but freshmen may still request for programs (FPOPs) for this fall. The a dorm change. Freshmen will still John A. Hawkinson—The Tech biggest changes are that REX will no participate in floor rush within their Architects Toshiko Mori and Maya Lin, center, break ground for Novartis’ new building at 181 Massa- longer include a freshman adjust- respective dorms, and have the op- chusetts Ave. The new building, on the former Analog Devices lot, should start to rise up in early 2013. ment lottery to change dorms, and tion to opt-in for a dorm change, To the right of Lin are outgoing City Manager Robert W. Healy, Cambridge Mayor Henrietta Davis, Mas- an additional fee will be charged to but the default state will be to stay in sachusetts Governer Deval Patrick, and Novartis’ Mark Fishman. FPOP students arriving early and the dorm they are assigned from the staying on campus. The timing of summer lottery. FSILG Recruitment will be subject In the past there has been a to further committee-based assign- freshman social event on Tuesday ment, but no change in timing will night of orientation that is organized What do studentsEstablished want 1881in a pres.? be made for this coming fall. by the Student Life Orientation Pro- grams and Experiences committee Advisory group says experience, connections, approachability REX to introduce students to (SLOPE), but that event will be elim- dorm culture inated for the coming year. Dorms By Stephanie Holden would like to nominate. dents’ desires for increased inter- Among the updates confirmed are now allowed to plan REX events Staff Reporter Bryan Owens Bryson G, a action with faculty, better quality is that the adjustment lottery for all on Tuesday night, though they could graduate student on the Student of teaching, and the opportunity incoming freshmen will be elimi- not previously. On April 6, the Student Adviso- Advisory Committee, wrote in an to have input in important Insti- nated. Previously, members of the “We are working for better co- ry Committee to the Presidential email, “Each forum consisted of tute decisions. The report offers freshman class —­ except those lot- ordination of events so that events Search released their preliminary a presentation by the committee some vague suggestions as to how teried into dorms with binding as- during orientation week do not con- report, entitled “The Student Per- about the search process and the to act upon these concerns. For signments such as Maseeh and flict as much,” said Humphreys. spective on the MIT Presidency.” student committee’s role in the instance, the students voiced an McCormick — had a chance to en- The Friday night social event, Drawing upon the responses they process. Later in the presentation, “urgent need to develop certain ter an adjustment lottery to change which has traditionally been at the received from six town hall meet- we described the job functions of metrics for evaluating and re- dorms if they were not satisfied with New England Aquarium, is still in ings, each of which were attended the president and the structure warding good educators” beyond their assignments received in the place. REX events may still not be by between 10 and 60 people, as of the MIT administration. After how successful professors are in summer. held during this period. well as hundreds of student re- the presentation, the committee their research, and advocate that According to an Orientation Sur- sponses from online forms, paper presented someEstablished general discus- any1881 extra efforts that professors vey conducted by Charles H. Stew- FPOPs see small changes questionnaires, focus groups, and sion questions and smaller sub- make to be more accessible to art III, McCormick housemaster and All FPOPs next year will start on informal discussions, the SAC groups discussed the questions, students “should be encouraged professor of political science, most Wednesday or Thursday and end on described in their 20-page report and these smaller subgroups had and appreciated through the right students were satisfied with their Sunday, effectively shortening some what they found to be the most a student facilitator to keep the incentives from MIT regarding summer dorm assignments. The of the longer programs such as the important challenges, desires, conversation going.” promotion and salary.” The re- survey found that students gener- Freshman Urban Program (FUP) and concerns of MIT. This pre- A few of the issues mentioned port also mentions that students ally found REX to be more relevant and Freshman Leadership Program liminary report does not contain in the report are not necessar- to learning about their own residen- the list of candidates that the SAC ily specific to MIT, including stu- Search committee, Page 16 tial community than about dorm Orientation, Page 21 Kendall committee summarizes work New plans for housing requirements, building height, & transportation By John A. Hawkinson community residents, includ- mid-May, though the city’s Management Company. Staff Reporter ing some MIT faculty and re- Kendall-to-Central study is The presentation was pri- tirees from 303 Third Street. not yet expected to have pub- marily conducted by David The MIT student com- Cambridge and their con- lished results by then. Dixon of Goody, Clancy & As- munity was a no-show at sultants ran through 72 slides MIT first submitted its sociates, which is conducting Tuesday’s presentation on summarizing the past year’s proposal last spring, then and facilitating the study for the reinvention of Kendall worth of work by the Kendall withdrew it while the city the city. Square. There were about 100 Square committee. went forward with its process. Dixon began by focusing people in attendance; 80 per- Sarah E. Gallop, MIT’s lo- MIT’s new proposal is being on active street-level uses in cent were the general public, cal government liaison, said guided by its participation in the area (especially retail); while the remainder were city yesterday that MIT intended the city’s process, Gallop said. covered community green- employees, committee mem- to resubmit a revised zoning It has two reps on the commit- space issues (especially the bers, etc. Two MIT students petition for the Kendall area tee, one from Facilities and were there, and also many and east side of campus in one from the MIT Investment Kendall, Page 15

In Short There are no classes on Monday and PAX EAST Tuesday! The Tech will not publish on The east coast’s Tuesday due to the Patriots’ Day holiday. largest video Today is the deadline to enroll in the game convention meal plan for the spring. If you want in on John A. Hawkinson—The Tech the dining plan, today’s your last day! returns to Boston Workers install an image on the side of N52, the MIT for a third year. Museum, for an exhibit in the Kurtz Gallery — Berenice Send news information and tips to Abbott, Photography and Science: An Essential Unity, [email protected]. Page 10 which runs May 3, 2012 through Dec. 31, 2012. tallapragada putin, round three last week’s wins dine by the sea SECTIONS World & Nation �����2 How did Putin get elected a third time? Cycling, Ultimate, gymnas- Strega Waterfront or craighead? Opinion �����������������4 opinion, p. 5 tics, and crew all offers great views and Who should be elected Arts �����������������������6 dominated this past wonderful service. the next UA president? How did the cosmos start? Fun Pages �������������7 opinion, p. 4 + 5 weekend. sports, p. 22 arts, p. 6 PAX ��������������������� 11 Impey’s new guide to how the universe Sports �����������������24 began is excellent. arts, p. 6 2 The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012 Consumer agency seems to D soften limit on credit cards fees North Korea launches rocket, In one of the first tests of its willingness to show its muscle, the new agency created to protect consumers declined Thurs- day to put up a fight. but it appears to fail The agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in- troduced a proposal that would make it easier for credit card is- By Choe Sang-Hun Korean missile launching has failed.” that no object had been detected ap-

worl suers to charge fees before borrowers’ accounts were officially and Rick Gladstone The rocket, called the Unha-3, proaching Japanese territory. open. The New York Times blasted off from the Soehae launch Fujimura called on the Japanese

n The bureau, which began overseeing many consumer fi- site near North Korea’s western cor- people “to go about your daily lives,” nancial products last year, said it was issuing the proposed rule SEOUL, South Korea — Defying ner with China, at about 7:39 a.m., saying there was no reason to panic. in response to a federal court decision that challenged how the weeks of international warnings of the South Korea Defense Ministry Japan’s Defense Ministry said Credit Card Act was being applied. The act, which took effect more censure and further sanctions, spokesman said. the object appeared to break up one in February 2010, put several rules in place aimed at curbing North Korea on Friday launched In Washington, a senior Obama minute after launch. abusive lending practices. a rocket, a belligerent act that the administration official said the Unit- North Korea had said the rocket —Tara Siegel Bernard, The New York Times United States called a cover for de- ed States would follow through on would fly south, carrying its Kwang- atio veloping an intercontinental ballis- its threat to suspend a recent agree- myongsong-3 communications sat- School coaches face new tic missile that one day might be able ment to supply food aid to North ellite, and has insisted the launch to carry a nuclear warhead. Korea despite the launch’s failure. was for peaceful purposes. scrutiny on reporting sex abuse But the three-stage rocket ap- The official also said the failure had The North’s two previous at- peared to break up and collapse mo- proved the effectiveness of sanc- tempts to put versions of Kwang- The case of Jerry Sandusky, a former defensive coordina- ments after the launch. tions already in place on North Ko- myongsong into orbit — one in tor for Penn State’s football team accused of dozens of counts Officials from the United States, rea, which had deprived the isolated 1998 and the second in 2009 — both of child sexual abuse, is working its way through the courts. South Korea and Japan called the country of access needed for a suc- failed to reach the required alti-

& N But the case is having a lasting impact on thousands of other launch a failure, and the Japanese cessful program. tudes, according to experts, and the coaches, both volunteer and paid, who find themselves facing government said the rocket had dis- There was no immediate an- payloads plopped into the sea. The new scrutiny from parents, sports organizations and even state integrated into several pieces while nouncement of the launch from the North has insisted that never hap- legislators. still in North Korean territory or over North. pened. To this day, it still boasts that Since the Penn State scandal came to light in November, South Korean waters. In Tokyo, Japan’s government a satellite is in orbit, broadcasting lawmakers in more than a dozen states — including New York, “We believe that the rocket fell spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secre- patriotic songs. California and Pennsylvania — have introduced bills singling apart several minutes after the take- tary Osamu Fujimura, said that a South Korea, Japan and the Phil- out coaches, athletic directors or university officials to be “man- off,” said Kim Min-seok, a spokes- U.S. satellite had detected a launch ippines — the countries near the orld dated reporters” if they suspect child abuse or neglect. In the man for South Korea’s Defense at 7:40, but the object appeared to North Korean rocket’s projected tra- past month, such bills have already been signed in Virginia, Ministry. break apart soon after takeoff. He jectory — were on heightened alert Washington and West Virginia, with several other states expect- He said the assessment of both said that the Japanese prime minis- in case the launching went awry ed to soon follow suit. the South Korean and U.S. intelli- W ter convened an emergency meeting and might endanger their citizens or While the bills vary, some would impose significant punish- gence monitors was that “the North of his national security advisers, but properties. ments, including fines, felony charges and potential prison time, for coaches or officials who violate the new laws on reporting. Taken as a whole, the bills are meant to guard against a re- currence of the seemingly lax response from Penn State officials — including the late football coach Joe Paterno — that critics of the university say allowed Sandusky to continue abusing chil- Day in court and new lawyer for dren for years after suspicions arose. “What we saw in Penn State was a conspiracy of silence, and that’s what my bill is directly aimed at,” said state Rep. Kevin defendant in Martin case Boyle, a Democrat who introduced a bill in Pennsylvania in mid-November. “I want to stop institutions that keep sex abuse By Serge F. Kovaleski who frequently commented on the that weighs on you.” under wraps.” and Lizette Alvarez trial last year of Casey Anthony, Saying his client has no money, —Jesse McKinley, The New York Times The new york times who was accused — and acquitted O’Mara said that he was not charg- — of killing her young daughter. ing Zimmerman and that he hoped Argentina reportedly has SANFORD, Fla. — A tall, lanky It was Zimmerman’s first mo- to secure a low bond. red-headed lawyer named Mark ment in court, and he looked Zimmerman and his family oil firm in its sights O’Mara appeared in court here wide-eyed and grim in a one-piece have maintained that he was trail- Thursday, standing next to his new- blue-gray prison uniform. O’Mara ing Martin because the young man RIO DE JANEIRO — The fate of Argentina’s largest oil com- est client, George Zimmerman, one said that his client would plead appeared suspicious. Martin then pany, YPF, was thrown into doubt on Thursday, as reports that of the most recognizable defen- not guilty and that he would try to disappeared from view, only to re- President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was preparing to na- dants in the country but a man he get him out of jail within the next emerge, confront him and assault tionalize the company drew a warning from Spain that it would had met for the first time only the couple of weeks. Until then, Zim- him, they say. In the fight, they con- consider such a move a hostile action. night before at the county jail. merman, who was charged with tend, he shot Martin in self-defense. Argentina would take control of 50.01 percent of the shares Zimmerman, 28, has become second-degree murder Wednesday, Florida’s expansive self-defense in YPF, which is controlled by the Spanish energy giant Repsol, known to millions as the neighbor- is being held in protective custody. law, Stand Your Ground, was cited according to copies of legislation sent to Congress and published hood watch organizer who shot and A conviction could result in a prison initially as a reason why no charges in the Argentine news media. The move reflects the resurgence killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed term of 25 years to life. were brought. of resource nationalism in a country that has seen the discovery black teenager, six weeks ago, but After seeing his client Thursday, O’Mara said self-defense cases of huge shale oil fields. who was initially not charged with O’Mara said in an interview that were not new to him; he said that Compensation for the shares remains in doubt; a tribunal any crime — unleashing a nation- Zimmerman was distraught. he had handled dozens, but that and state energy officials would determine the valuation of the wide protest. “He is stressed and tired after none had gone to trial as Stand Your stake, the legislation said. The bill, which could still be modified O’Mara, a New Yorker by birth long weeks of not being able to go Ground cases. He has also tried in important ways, would also allow Argentina’s government and a criminal defense lawyer for out in public,” O’Mara, 56, said. high-profile death-penalty cases. to take control of shares in YPF owned by Argentina’s Eskenazi nearly three decades, is perhaps “In the best of circumstances, he He said that self-defense would family. best known in central Florida as a was dealing with the reality that he probably be a “facet” of Zimmer- —Simon Romero and Emily Schmall, The New York Times low-key legal analyst on television caused the death of somebody, and man’s defense.

Weather 130°W 125°W 120°W 115°W 110°W 105°W 100°W 95°W 90°W 85°W 80°W 75°W 70°W 65°W 60°W Warmer weather ahead 40°N

By Austin DiOrio There will be a chance STAFF METEorologist of showers Saturday night 997 into Sunday morning, 35°N After yesterday’s but it should not be any- showers, the next few thing too significant. The 999 days look to bring some warm weather will persist 1025 nice weather to the Cam- into next week as highs bridge area. Today will be consistently reach the partly cloudy with a high 70s, which is about 15°F 30°N 1025 around 60°F. above average. Wednes- 1000 1004 The weather willday, however, will mark continue to get warmer the beginning of more through the weekend, seasonable weather. 1012 with highs climbing into Enjoy the beautiful 25°N the lower 70s by Sunday. weather this weekend!

Extended Forecast Today: Partly cloudy, high 60°F. West winds at 10- 15 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, low 45°F. Winds west at 8-12 mph. 1009 Tomorrow: Partly cloudy with more clouds build- ing through the day. High 69°F. Winds SW at Situation for Noon Eastern Time, Friday, April 13, 2012 10-15 mph. Chance of showers overnight with Weather Systems Weather Fronts Precipitation Symbols Other Symbols a low of 53°F. Snow Rain Fog High Pressure Trough Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Showers Thunderstorm High 72°F. Low of 57°F. Warm Front Light Low Pressure Haze Monday: Partly sunny with a high around 76°F. Cold Front Mostly cloudy overnight with a low around 50°F. Moderate Compiled by MIT Hurricane Meteorology Staff Stationary Front Heavy and The Tech nation world & nation world & nation world & nation & nation world & nation world & nation world nation Friday, April 13, 2012 The Tech 3 Santorum says finances forced WORLD & Nati Raymond Aubrac, leader of the him out of the presidential race French resistance, dies at 97 In his first interview since ending his presidential campaign, Rick Santorum said Thursday that what pushed him out of the Re- publican race was his campaign’s dwindling bank account. By Douglas Martin Jean Moulin, a revered Resistance fiti and escalated into sabotage. “We repeatedly went out there — sort of a David and Goliath The New York Times leader, and six other operatives. Along the way they had together — and were outspent by a lot of money, but we had a lot of other Tortured by Klaus Barbie, the noto- and individually used false names, things going for us,” Santorum said during an interview with Tony Raymond Aubrac, who took that rious Gestapo officer known as the including Vallet, Ermelin, Balmont Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, a conserva- nom de guerre as a storied leader of Butcher of Lyon, Aubrac was sen- and Aubrac, which they made their tive Christian advocacy group. the resistance effort in Nazi-occu- tenced to death. legal one. “Money is not everything in politics. But you do have to have pied France during World War II, Lucie Aubrac, who was preg- After hearing the coded signal enough to be successful, and we were reaching a point” where, San- died Tuesday in a military hospital nant, appealed to Barbie for mercy, “Ils partiront dans l’ivresse” — torum said, the campaign was “frankly not in the position.” in Paris. He was 97 saying she wanted to marry Aubrac “They will leave joyfully” — on BBC “Someone — one of the old politicos when I got involved in this on His daughter Catherine an- to make their child legitimate — radio, the Aubracs were evacuated race — said the same thing, which is: ‚“Every presidential campaign nounced the death. even though, unbeknown to Barbie, by a Royal Air Force plane to Lon- ends for the same reason: You run out of money,”’ he said. Aubrac and his wife, Lucie, be- they were already married. After he don in February 1944. In London After losing the Wisconsin primary, Santorum said, “it was a came exalted symbols of heroism rebuffed her, she bribed another they worked in Gen. Charles de situation where we simply didn’t have the resources to compete go- WORLD & Nati in their country’s fight against the Nazi officer to allow the couple Gaulle’s government in exile. ing forward.” Germans, who defeated France in to have a marriage ceremony. As Aubrac was born Raymond “You reach a point where you want to compete,” he continued, 1940. Their story of valor and love they met to sign a marriage certifi- Samuel on July 31, 1914, to shop- “but you have to be able to compete, and we felt we couldn’t.” was told in movies and books, some cate, she whispered to her husband keepers in Vesoul, France. He stud- —Jim Rutenberg, The New York Times written by them, and they were that colleagues were planning his ied engineering and law in France showered with national honors. Lu- rescue. and received a scholarship to con- Deal approved to curb the cie Aubrac died in 2007 at 94. That happened as a truck was tinue his studies at the Massachu- President Nicolas Sarkozy said transporting Aubrac and a dozen setts Institute of Technology and isolation of ill inmates Wednesday that the Aubracs and other prisoners from one jail to Harvard for a year. their colleagues had “operated be- another. Suddenly four cars ap- He met Lucie Bernard while BOSTON — A federal judge on Thursday approved a settlement hind the scenes and saved the hon- peared, their occupants brandish- participating in left-wing politics meant to guarantee alternatives to segregation for mentally ill in- or of France, at a moment when it ing machine guns. Five German in Paris. They married on Dec. 14, mates in Massachusetts prisons. seemed lost.” guards were killed, and the prison- 1939, in Dijon, after he warned her The settlement results from a lawsuit filed in 2007 by an advo- The couple were at the center of ers escaped. that it might be dangerous for her to cacy group. It sought to stop Massachusetts from placing mentally one of the most dramatic episodes For the Aubracs, it was the end marry a Jew. ill inmates with disciplinary problems in small isolation cells for up in wartime France. Aubrac had of a long underground battle that “That just made me even more to 23 hours a day, saying that doing so violated their constitutional been captured in June 1943 with began with writing anti-Nazi graf- keen,” she said. rights against cruel and unusual punishment as well as the Ameri- on cans with Disabilities Act. The group, the Disability Law Center, sued the Massachusetts Department of Correction after 11 prisoners, including some with serious mental illness, committed suicide in segregation cells with- WORLD & Nati in a 28-month period. The suit described the experiences of numer- Slow first quarter in China, but ous inmates in state prisons whom it said had engaged in self-de- structive behavior while in solitary confinement without adequate mental health services. They included some who, according to the recent signs of growth suit, were segregated for years at a time against the recommenda- tions of clinicians.” By Bettina Wassener has weakened as consumers in the we saw in 2008-09,” Xianfang Ren, a —Abby Goodnough, The New York Times The New York Times United States and Europe remain China analyst at IHS Global Insight worried about job prospects in their in Beijing, wrote in a research note. With higher earnings, Google China’s economic growth home countries. Retail sales data for March, also slowed sharply in the first three This has slowed expansion to released Friday, showed a gain of announces 2-for-1 stock split months of this year, but recent ef- the weakest level in 11 quarters, 15.2 percent compared to March forts by policymakers to jump-start the gross domestic product data 2011, while industrial activity rose SAN FRANCISCO — Google is back on its game. its economy, the world’s second showed. 11.9 percent. Both figures marked The search giant Thursday announced an effective two-for-one largest, appear to be bearing fruit, However, the rate of expansion slight accelerations from February, stock split, its first, as it recorded higher revenues and earnings for with industrial and retail activity from the fourth quarter of last year and both modestly topped analysts’ the first quarter. both rising during March, new data was healthier than expected: quar- forecasts. Net income rose 60 percent to $2.89 billion, or $8.88 a share, on released Friday showed. ter-on-quarter growth which many Earlier in the week, trade data compared with $1.8 billion, or $5.59 a share, in the same quarter a The economy expanded 8.1 analysts focus on because it gives showed that import growth remain- year earlier. percent compared to a year earlier, a clearer sense of the economy’s ing muted but exports regaining The company said revenue rose 24 percent to $10.65 billion. significantly slower than in previ- recent performance than the year- some strength. The results beat analysts’ expectations. Analysts, according to WORLD & Nati ous quarters, and a sharp cooldown on-year comparison came in at 1.8 And Thursday, the central bank First Call, had been expecting revenue of $8.15 billion. Analysts also from the double-digit expansion percent, topping expectations for an announced that Chinese banks is- focus on the amount advertisers pay for clicks on Google ads, a met- seen in much of the past decade. increase of 1.6 percent. sued just over 1 trillion renminbi ric called cost-per-click, which dropped 12 percent from the quarter That was markedly below ana- At the same time, a flurry of sta- ($160 billion) in loans in March, well a year ago and 6 percent from the fourth quarter. But the number of lysts’ expectations for an increase tistics for March has looked more above what analysts had expected. paid clicks was up 39 percent from the comparable quarter a year of 8.4 percent, and it underlined the positive. Many analysts say that, The lending surge “is a strong ago and up 7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2011. problems that China faces on two with the government again tapping piece of evidence that the People’s The stock, which rose more than $15 during regular trading to fronts. Domestically, demand has the gas pedal, the economy will Bank of China is quietly but un- $651, rose slightly in after-hours trading. weakened, and the all-important avoid an all-out crash. equivocally relaxing credit quo- —David Streitfeld, The New York Times construction sector has slowed, in “Green shoots have sprung up in tas behind the scene,” Yao Wei, an large part because of government many sectors, convincing us that the economist at Societe Generale in Egypt’s ex-spy chief emerges as efforts to curtail breakneck expan- current slowdown looks more and Hong Kong, wrote in a research sion last year. At the same time, more like a slow consolidation rath- note. presidential candidate overseas demand for Chinese goods er than a precipitous downturn like CAIRO — Omar Suleiman, Egypt’s former spy chief and briefly its vice president, had all but vanished from the scene. Since surren-

dering power to a council of generals on behalf of President Hosni on Mubarak more than a year ago, Suleiman, 74, had appeared in public just once: on the ritual pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims are asked Germans’ anti-Israel whispers to complete before they die, being pushed in a wheelchair. Then this week, as Suleiman burst back into public view with a WORLD & Nati presidential campaign of his own, it became clear that he never went grow louder over poem very far after all. Gatekeepers at intelligence headquarters still refer visitors to his office inside. He still rides in an official car, surrounded By Nicholas Kulish display, not only in Grass’ poem, skewer both sides in the debate. by military security to his luxury villa nearby. The New York Times but on Web forums and in Face- While he said he did not like Grass’ His presidential campaign is also being managed by his longtime book groups. poem, “it’s embarrassing the way chief of staff in the intelligence service, apparently from inside its BERLIN — To judge by the out- One word has surfaced consis- the intellectuals try to paint him in headquarters. And some say that may explain how Suleiman col- pouring of comments from poli- tently in such discussions: “keule,” the worst light possible.” lected, in just 48 hours, the requisite 30,000 notarized statements of ticians and writers and from the which means club or cudgel. The Grass’ critics hail mostly from support to qualify his candidacy. newspaper and magazine articles charge of anti-Semitism aimed at the cultural and political elite, A former general, Mubarak confidant and close ally of Washing- in response to the Nobel laureate Israel’s critics — and in the case of while his support appears to be ton, he was a silent pillar behind the scenes of the old government. Gunter Grass’ poem criticizing Is- Grass, by bringing up his past as far more broadly based — even if He fully emerged into the public eye only in Mubarak’s last days, rael’s aggressive posture toward a member of the Waffen-SS — is Grass is not himself seen as the best when Mubarak appointed him to be his emissary to the opposition Iran, it would appear that the pub- widely viewed as a blunt instru- spokesman for that view, given his and his chosen successor. lic had resoundingly rejected his ment that silences debate, and in own Nazi past. Until this week, he seemed likely to be remembered mainly for work. the process prevents Grass from “The published opinions are all the intrigue surrounding his short goodbye. He read a 30-second

But even a quick dip into the making a point about the dangers coming from the usual suspects,” statement that Mubarak had handed power to a military council, on comments left by readers on vari- of a first strike by Israel against Iran said Claus Stephan Schlangen, one with a burly military officer looking over shoulder — to help ensure ous websites reveals quite another over its disputed nuclear program. of the people behind a Facebook he stayed on script, many assumed. reality. “Every time you speak out and group formed in support of Grass’ But that officer, legendary here as “The Man Behind Omar Sulei- Grass has struck a nerve with say something that isn’t superpo- poem. “People just don’t believe man,” was Hussein Kamal Sharif — the same chief of staff who is now W the broader public, articulating litically correct there is a 99 per- what the media is selling anymore.” managing Suleiman’s campaign. frustrations with Israel here in Ger- cent chance that you are regarded The group’s page, which had With the military rulers set to turn over power after presidential many that are frequently expressed as right wing,” said Moritz Eggert, a more than 3,500 Facebook “likes” elections beginning next month, Suleiman’s sudden re-emergence o in private but rarely in public, composer based in Munich. Eggert as of Thursday evening, shows a from the shadows of the fallen government has spurred fear — and, where the discourse is checked by posted his own musical interpreta- dove and Grass with his trademark in some precincts, hope — at the prospect of a return of a new strong- R

the lingering presence of the past. tion of Grass’ poem with simplified pipe superimposed over the colors man. Rivals have accused his old-regime allies of plotting voter fraud l What might have remained at the lyrics on YouTube. “Israel, I love of the rainbow. “We say no to a war to put him in office. Islamists have called for a large demonstration family dinner table or the local bar you, but don’t attack Iran,” he sings. of aggression against Iran,” the text on Friday to protest his return. D a generation ago is today on full Eggert said he was trying to reads. —David D. Kirkpatrick, The New York Times 4

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plague whichour include, society, but are bination ofamultitude that ofshortcomings one man’s fault. It israther adisturbing com- do notbelievethat thisshooting was simply brought forthemurderer to trial that heis, I tions are deplorable andthat heshould be publicmade at 6p.m. onA againstcharges G fore theannouncement thesecond-degree of E worsemuch How situation abad inane made laws and the mainstreammedia Thecase of Martin Trayvon not theotherway around. D. Craighead ’13 andMichael P. Walsh ’13, a Tallapragada andYang ticket recruit Jonté vision. Thus, with those wouldwe urge that to transmit andknowledge to experience give aleader avision, but itismuch easier incorporate thatto vision. Itdifficult isvery and Yang, iturges theiropponents to plicably, rather than endorsing Tallapragada leadership ofTallapragada and Yang. Inex must we the contrary, respectfully disagree. acknowledging Undergraduate Association President. While Tallapragada ’13 andAndrew Yang C. ’13 for campus, are Naren to endorse writing P. Naren by founded P. Tallapragada. TheF of E Tallapragada/Yang for leaders student perspective: pragmatic Endorsing afresh, L poor Trayvon’spoor lifeincoldblood. here?” before shortly shooting and ending merman responding, “What are you doing “What are- you Zim following mefor?”with the incident, reported Trayvon hearing say, speaking to himonthephoneat thetimeof News,ABC Trayvon’s who was girlfriend, fleeing teenager. According to a report by by saying “OK” but kept pursuing thenow- replied action,Zimmerman to take further sensical: after being told by not thepolice Now here’s where tonon- thingsget start orhe’sto nogood orsomething.” ondrugs “This guy like looks heisup the dispatcher: promptlyZimmerman called 9-1-1andtold 17-year-old. AshefollowedTrayvon closely, said hefelt“threatened”Zimmerman by the nience store apack ofSkittles with inhand. saw Trayvon walking homefrom aconve- and a communityridian watch coordinator, nated inhisuntimely death. oftheevents that summary is ashort culmi- read about theTrayvon Martin case. Below recluse,exam-induced Iwas disturbed to of thenewsafter acouple ofweeks up with that is MIT. Finally getting a chance to catch break from thefast-paced academic scene climateswarmer amuch-deserved to get break, many ofmy andIescapedto friends ditor’s Note: This piece’sbe- was deadline ditor’s Note: M.C Ravi T etters signatures, addresses, and phone numbers. Unsigned letters publication. submissions are dueby 4:30p.m. days two before thedate of or sent by interdepartmental mail to Room W20-483. All to The Tech, P.O.Box 397029, Cambridge, Mass. 02139-7029, tech.mit.edu. Hard copy submissions should addressed be submissions are encouraged andshould sent be to letters@ author, that notnecessarily ofthenewspaper. Electronic are by written individualsandrepresent theopinionof editorial. members choosing to publish theirdisagreement the with andOpinion Editor AndySolomon, Liang. Editor Connor Kirschbaum, Editor Ethan Executive A. Schalck,Aislyn Editor inChief Jessica J. Pourian, Managing bywritten Board, theEditorial which consists ofChairman OPINION POLICY OPINION As students involved inleadership- posi The praisesTech vision and thebold We, ofleaders from avariety across While IbelievethatWhile Zimmerman’s ac a28-year-old Zimmerman, George Flo- As theInstitute over itsdoors closed Letters, columns, must andcartoons the authors’ bear , editor Letters to the are board the signed Dissents opinions of editorial areEditorials the official opinion of orum, astudent group and led By Haldun Anil By aff co aff St The ’sTech endorsement to eorge Zimmerman were Zimmerman were eorge o TH l um haran is co-president n pril 11.pril is e Ed t editorial cartoons , andeditorial columns itor - - of Trayvon. practicallythey enabled the tragic shooting severe oflegislation shortcomings andhow sensationalism. Let’s the by begin observing andjuvenile weak truly to be attempts at news networks has, in my opinion, proven ing. Third, the supposed of cable “solidarity” shooting ofdisgust has nothing short been of racism displayed thus farinreaction to the theovertlySecond, nonchalant expression thatsive ourselves society onbeing. pride we rassing for the logical,modern, and progres such are heinous crimes downright embar that turn ablindeyeto —andeven enable — settling. First off, themere of laws existence are ofprofoundly nothingthe story short un- ics at play inthedevelopment andanalysis of thoroughneeds reexamination. The dynam- sire forsensationalism, andlegal system that to,not limited racism, de- anunnecessary fully functioning andeffective Afresh UA. the oldways oftheSenate, isrequired fora new vision fortheCouncil, untainted by the Senate was Craighead’s responsibility. refuted, theidea that functioning thepoor of to suggest,do notwish andThe has Tech relevant, andpossibly anegative factor. We theUAence with Senate isonly somewhat due respect, Craighead’s previous- experi theundergraduatewith Council. With all to shape theUA by utilizing andinteracting president have will asignificant opportunity However, that process isnotover. Thenext should along go way to improving theUA. UA was broken, andthereforms inplace warrants examination. closer have addressed thefirsttwo, but thethird efforts represented by restructuring. We importantly, thecompletion ofthereform theadministration;with and,third andmost continuoussecond, andeffectiveadvocacy tioning oftheUA’s internal organization; first, func smooth three main objectives: capable transition ofasmooth into theUA. support, Naren andAndrew are more than UA andthestudent With body. our broad can transmit aworking knowledge ofthe administrators andfellow students. We, too, side theUA, are we often involved both with tions across campus, inside andout both one in Florida is to assert that he or she felt thatone inFlorida isto assert heorshefelt has- someone toandkill dotosome shoot law ismaddening. According to thislaw, all orherself.”self The vagueness ofthis strange imminent death orgreat harmto him- bodily lieves that such to preventforce is necessary toa duty retreat ifheorshereasonably- be ofdeadly forcein theuse nothave anddoes According to thelaw, “a isjustified person has able been to evade prosecution thus far. Ground law, thanks to which Zimmerman illogical isFlorida’s Stand so-called Your The are. They Tech of disgusting. of disgusting. short nothing has been reaction shooting to the displayed thus far in expression ofracism nonchalant The overtly Rather, respectfully we submit that a We know that thepre-restructuring During thistransition, there should be One lawOne that mind-bogglingly seems

of the MIT orlocal community.of theMIT all theletters received. known.The becomes makesTech nocommitment to publish in any other format now ormedium knownorlater that onThe posted be ’sTech Web siteorpublished and/orprinted returned. notbe will Letters, columns, may andcartoons also submitted, allletterspropertyOnce become ofThe , andTech given be higher letters priority. will shorter letters; condense The accepted. notbe will theright or to edit reserves Tech TO REACH US REACH TO can found be onthe World Wide Web at http://tech.mit.edu. shouldto theeditor sent be to [email protected]. The Tech errors that call forcorrection to [email protected]. Letters press releases, requests forcoverage, andinformation about inchief byeditor e-mailing [email protected]. Please send directed be will to theappropriate You person. can reach the whom to contact, mail send to [email protected], andit easiest way to reach any member of our staff. If you are unsure are columns submitted opinion articles byGuest members The ’sTech telephone number is(617) 253-1541. E-mail isthe - - - - - R ThakkarB. ’12 and (founder director, T S MI Association), S Perez ’12 (president, U (chair, (president, Phi A Kappa Theta), corporate relations, Techfair), James Noraky ’13 Alpha C M L. Joshua M representative, MI member, C chief), ’13 (president, PB treasurer chair, and rush C Theta K. Esteva ’13K. F ( ’13 (co-social chair, 2013 C co-founder,H O pen Bhise ’13 (co-founder, TheF D (chair, UA C You only vote once;make thisonecount. time ofinstitutional change andtransition. Tallapragada andYang to lead theUA at a government. on theworkings oftheUA, our to run to learn andimprove awillingness in with for Tallapragada andYang, come whowill graduate Thisiswhybe easier body. will it theunder ifitisto optimallyneeds serve andaclean slatestart isexactly what theUA to filter out nonsense before to filter out nonsense itescapes their journalists, theirbrain to use start facsimiles time that people, so-called these especially dressthey clearly illustrates thispoint. It’s may portrayed be ascriminalsdueto theway their kids away from because they hoodies tional children television ofminority to keep center stage. Blatantly telling parents on na- pressions ofracism have to take to started the the factthat, recently, careless andovert ex illustration good ofthisphenomenonis very andbroadcasts.assembled newsstories A turning into: researched poorly andhastily example ofwhat 21st journalism is century this statement isnothing less than aperfect News’ coverage has lately, been andIbelieve are fully aware ofhow “high-quality” Fox death was.” asZimmerman Now most ofus as much responsible forTrayvon Martin’s dren hoodies. out go wearing is The hoodie youngsters toparticularly not let their chil- am urging theparents ofblack andLatino show, journalist Rivera Geraldo stated: “I ism against minorities. alive Fox On News ther by expressing adisturbing level ofrac news coverage oftheevent went astep fur dia companies to blame. isalso National von case; thehandling ofnewsby large me- negatively contributing oftheTray aspect - threatened.” about Sounds right! state that made hekilled thepeople him“feel free akilling shipping!), start spree, andthen order whichever handgun fitshis style (with the first link, proceed to the handguns page, “wheresimply Google to buy guns,” click on any way. Under thislaw, any John can Doe have actively engaged inharmfulbehavior in overtly be aweapon, wielding threatening, or to be needs whethertheotherperson clarify had found viable. been The law not does case,And intheZimmerman thisdefense “threatened” by thevictim’s mere existence. Kuljot S pivak ’13 (president, D ichard Y elian T. Asparouhov ’15 (C S T S avi M.C Ravi ubmitted by Let’s allmake theright choice andelect Of course, laws have theonly notbeen cC ord ’13, M outh Asian A UA . A mega), R hi Omega), ory D ory a ’14 (managing director, Techfair), C UA oon ’13oon (president, Alternative S nand ’13 (treasurer, 2013 C C ommittee onE ommittee on F . H inboard), R inboard), amvaran S ormer UA senatorfrom fraternities | adeline G adeline | former N E |former T Trust C ernandez ’14 (president, G@MI ealth D Friday, April 13, 2012 Friday, April merican S merican ichard Ni Z. ’15 (director of elta Kappa E elta . M esigns), M.C Ravi enter for E enter for omi ducation), Nancy Z. C ducation), Z. Nancy harma ’12 (co-president, ndergraduate E orum | executive director/ |executive orum lass C S T irzoeff ’12irzoeff ( ustainability), C RO O haran ’14 onbehalf of theundersigned:of , F S hi), Timmy M.G T tudents), R . Kadri ’14. Kadri (student command master C command master nvisha H.Painvisha ’14 anF ouncil), Raimundo ntrepreneurship), Anil, Page 5 user), A user), psilon), A V lass C ice President, pring Break)pring haran ’14 IM ussell A conomics conomics rchit N. ameron ameron hristian hristian ouncil), ouncil), Talks), - alvin alvin njali hen hen T | T | - - - . . 5 OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINIOn OPinion opinion OPINIOn OpiNION - - - - - The Tech Although still a mystery even to Russia a mystery still Russia to Although even the of where an idea wants If the West sortsof the in pawn a is Putin if Now, article This is the first part of aon series Yes, Jonté D. Craighead ’13 and Michael and Michael ’13 Craighead D. Jonté Yes, We take pride modern,a progres being take in We nessmen sitting in top Kremlin and private and private Kremlin in top sitting nessmen en- sector for more, positions and all vying with their relations close and influential joy Putin. colleague former KGB on two things: agree most si- The insiders, the country the ones managing are loviki to here and theyand running are the show, bureaucratic in the country’s A fixture stay. powerful this not to is bound clan system, and foreign domestic influencing keep only also but to policy in the new government, in the selection of Putin’s role no small play successor. term third country is headed under Putin’s even “peering so do by not may it then, did upon as it his soul,” Putin’s deeperinto by tak but election to the presidency, first little-analyzed this still a closer looking at and trying its motives understand to group moves. and next of Russian system crusted bureaucratic same sothe not surprisingly leadership, Barack President about be said could been of whose policies have many Obama, as pandering the whims and to perceived elite and political of the financial interests of Ameri- in the backroom maneuvering up the economic shore to government can - ap often Obama With defense of its ranks. pearing serve to of the economic the top hi- - the coun debacles and the various erarchy, trybailouts seenthe bankster as such has say to it is tempting crisis, ceiling and debt elections politicsand are U.S. too, here that - re elite and the wealthy the face; business the shots. call ally popular election, street presidential Russia’s new presidency. Putin’s and protests, the voice of the student bodycomesit when student the of voice the businesses, private The planning. space to and rec complexes, academic dormitories, on or near built are that buildings reational onimpact significant all have campus MIT’s es real future delegated MIT has life. student management decisions its investment to tate for difficult it extremely making corporation, in the decision- be to heard voices student approach, realistic a Taking process. making the that understand and Yang Tallapragada to fixing step this important and most first may This the table. at get is to a seat problem the through but immediately, not happen with of dialogue buildup the ad- consistent with combined a coordinated ministration, specific, concerned faculty effort engage to would put and Yang Tallapragada members, - sub more earning toward on the path the UA planning space future over influence stantial developments. experience in student more have ’13 Walsh P. (al- and Yang Tallapragada than government - administra extensive Yang’s Andrew though but experience beentive overlooked), has - Tallapraga the fact that this does not change lofty vi- not just presented have and Yang da specificto plan a more but of reform, sions changes. substantial, yet effect incremental, ticipation in the latter. I understand that just that I understand latter. in the ticipation everything news media the like agencies’ else, I also feelprimary be concern is to profitable. with as sensitive as topics dealing when that a certain retain to it is important however, this, and objectivity if for of composure measure be to respectful. than no other reason al- society. caring and Unfortunately, sive, and has happened everything has most that a rather paints case been Trayvon on the said If we becoming. we are of what image bleak as we consis “values” our to as attached are toward work either we must be, to claim tently them. or starting redefine them to practicing religious I am not advocating Let me be clear, I firmly believe values;or traditional however, a society without ethics is doomedthat not to perpetuating of its mistakes, any from learn and experiencingthem indefinitely same the unnecessary heartache forever. - - - - It is in fact amazing how is in fact amazing It openly about went Putin his game. It is important to It also the address of increasingly issue sensationalist and rating-hungry media reports. Reinforcing their potential efficacy is Tal- efficacy their potential is Reinforcing will mentality also amplify A proactive In any case, the consensus among both both the consensus among case, any In that while it is widely recognized But Whatever Jackson did or did not do with do with did or did not Jackson Whatever changes, and Tallapragada and Yang know know and Yang and Tallapragada changes, arguments and what to, talk who to exactly Besides getdone. them to order in make, to with admin- key close relationships having will coor and Yang Tallapragada istrators, dorms of different with chairs dining dinate voice This a unifiedvoice. present to in order complaints; it students’ convey won’t just - argu powerful cost-efficiency will present of the idea fighting aren’t Students ments. out value get to more want but dorms, dining students If more experience. of their dining a policy by the plan to change attracted are will enroll, students then more rollover, like will plan of the dining and the cost decline. to firm commitment and Yang’s lapragada the new before just year, Last proactive. being be to implemented, about was plan dining opposition it. to voiced widespread students for the adminis too late it was point, that By after implementation drop simply to tration more much can be UA The of planning. years policyeffective when are potential changes and Tallapragada in the exploratory phases, students that it clear made have and Yang policywill of potential long know changes is essentially their implementation before inevitable. - Pu experts is that and the public Russia and everything left, was really tin never the start. planned from a fa- merely presidency was Medvedev’s and planned come- game for Putin’s cade himself is Putin that likely it is most back, forces the influential for as a facade acting the behind the scenesacting and dictating - of action for the country.course silovi The Soviet - secu from the hailing as officials ki, rity services in Rus called informally are ways calmly and openly explained to his and openly explained his to calmly ways This included people his goals and agenda. system of the dual leadership the nature a in announcing simply withMedvedev, that year last speech in Moscow 24 March - and re jobswith Medvedev swap would he that did not say the presidency. He to turn stated just He running for anything. he was president. next he would be Russia’s that Simple. those twothese in these kids seem beds, tactics when it similar amazingly share to of hon- the appearance creating comes to their and innocenceesty and manipulating Didn’t Putin their advantage. to audiences on his victorious day? a few tears display and influence on persuasion more For see and other emotions, candor through Robert Greene. by of The Power 48 Laws of wolfishpack a power-hungry, now sian, - busi and officials well-heeled government response to the disturbingly racist comments. comments. racist the disturbingly to response - camara at attempt a particularly feeble In anchors news live many derie empathy, and MSNBC CNN and including for agencies While hoodies television. — on live also wore see this as an act of respectsome people may I see it as quite Trayvon, for the late and care is supposed be to Journalism the opposite. reporting of and defined investigation as the par active is not supposed entail to It events. ------One common goal of every is candidate the contrast highlights that Another issue The means to such skillful political gym- skillful political such to means The of Glasnost the idea ironically, Perhaps, Michael a doe-eyed,soft-spoken like Just - prob the only in the news isn’t Racism We must expect must our We a specific have to leaders approach. we can’t expect that simply “pushing” for “pushing” simply expectwe that can’t expect our must We will yield results. change must We approach. a specific have to leaders their poetry,examine not only the poten- but of their prose. tial governing functional a more the UA make to participation student do so, to order body. In - be expanded. Tall must and accessibility students that understand and Yang apragada hassle. effort a if it isn’t that will make only rely Yang won’t and Tallapragada why That’s surveys as the pri - on TechCash-incentivized mary opinion. student method of garnering in as many would participate the UA Instead, students to talk to possible as events student - stu the effort face — minimizing face to that their opinions. give to in put must dents and Tallapragada in specificity is dining. the that in their assessment realistic are Yang - com a open not to simply is administration the admin- But of the system. overhaul plete it is open some to that indicated has istration mentary elections in December. The rest is is rest The mentary elections in December. well is all: The tandem of leaders known to places. swapped — they simply untouched record a broken also sound like nastics observers: and foreign Russians most to as such irregularities, procedural rampant - manipula and vote-count voting repeated of other candidates tion, and the castration have that media propaganda state through elec both the legislative at been recorded the sparked (which tion of December 2011 cities) and this in Russian protests ongoing one. presidential year’s states former Soviet that (transparency) Gorbachev the in initiated Mikhail man Rus and well is alive in Putin’s 1980s late openly Putin how is in fact amazing It sia. bothering to Barely his game. about went political engineered his carefully conceal concocted his come- he essentially moves, one did not in full view of the public: back scienceneed in political or an Inter a PhD happening. was net connection see to what - re users in far-away the non-Internet Even TV on state Putin hear gions could candidly the type he of duo leadership explaining planned as his prime withhad Medvedev in say constant see could Putin’s minister, every at presence decision, key constant witness can the every and now event, key under place of positions taking full swap their eyes. in a TV admitted candidly inter Jackson Bashir view with Martin British journalist sleep in his bed and boys he let young that your share you can’t the worldtold “Why share to is do to thing bed? loving most The tried never Putin bed withyour someone,” and al- his intentions, or deny conceal to man of his crime; it doesn’t. It does, however, however, does, It crime; of his it doesn’t. man the situation toward attitudes people’s change of instead racism of sentiment a provoking by as with Just the incident. of treatment a proper part will apology on NBC’s a simple Rivera, all those who remedy simply to not be enough incorrectlyby affected been negatively have information. transmitted also to address important is It however. lem, and sensationalist increasingly of issue the the after Shortly mediareports. rating-hungry and minority groups many hoodie comment, in protests hoodies in mass supporters wore - dispatch the which to about,” looking around, — is this guy and “OK, saying by er responded Zimmerman’s or Hispanic?” white black, he looksanswer this second “He to was question that but you about know I don’t Now, black.” I don’t believe a lot. changes omission small Zimmer it exonerates that say this is to that - - t t s ondon is also an execu an - also is ondon orum, a group founded a group orum, allapragada. s columni Staff Staff columni aren P. T P. aren By Jacob London By Jacob By Florence Gallez By Florence ote: Jacob L Jacob ote: All three candidates have similar, broad broad similar, have candidates All three While current Undergraduate Asso - Undergraduate While current Our student government should work the work should government student Our MIT students are problem solvers — problem are MITstudents

Even to the casual observer, Putin’s Putin’s observer, the casual to Even In short, my initial response to the result the result to response initial short, my In But my unprecedented distant indiffer distant unprecedented my But I admit it: the Russian through I slept

Equally racist was the NBC of transcript was racist Equally

from Page 4 Page Anil, from all ideas that most of us can get behind. But of us can most that all ideas ety of campus events and institutions, are are and institutions, events ety of campus dent participation, and lobbying for a vari- and lobbying participation, dent - stu expanding the UA, Transforming goals. wired to crave: solutions. crave: to wired deliver what we as MIT students are hard- are we MITas students what deliver Tallapragada ’13 and Andrew C. Yang ’13 will ’13 C. Yang Andrew and ’13 Tallapragada are more modest than sweeping, Naren P. P. Naren sweeping, modest than more are to produce results. Although their promises their promises Although results. produce to strategic, targeted, realistic, and specific plan realistic, targeted, strategic, thoughts on which candidates have the most have candidates on which thoughts paigns have lofty ambitions — but to offer my offer to — but lofty ambitions have paigns - cam — all three vision one campaign’s mote - I write pro not to better. hope do even to problems, three presidential candidates candidates presidential three problems, ciation officials are doing their best to their best solveare doing officials ciation same way. way. same resources at our disposal, to find a to disposal, solution. our at resources every possible perspective, and deploy any every and deploy perspective, possible when presented with a problem, we explore we explore with a problem, when presented - in the parlia ticket Russia on the United ing - stand term by the end of his presidential at that Medvedev becomes his prime minister becomeshis prime Medvedev minister that — which Putin readily accepted, offering accepted, offering readily Putin — which that Putin stand for the presidency in 2012 for the presidency in 2012 stand Putin that much the behind-the scene decision-mak much year in September last proposed protégé, initial terms as president, he remained very he remained termsinitial as president, docile Putin’s Medvedev, try Medvedev. more than the past decade. After his two his two After decade. the past than more Dmi- President primethen as er to minister maneuvering to hold his grip on power for griphis hold for to power on maneuvering widely expected to win after meticulously widelyexpected win to meticulously after five officially registered candidates he was he candidates registered officially five victory came as no surprise, as out of the victory of the as out as no surprise, came déjà vu, big time. vu, big déjà …” Not without good cause: this felt like without this felt like good cause: Not …” on March 4 was: “Zzzzzz … Yawn … Zzzzzzz … Zzzzzzz 4 was: … Yawn “Zzzzzz on March it still persists in the national psyche. in the national persists it still cise (Boston-Moscow distance). cise (Boston-Moscow I believe speaking, and broadly apart, tests - be to pre — 4,482.88 miles away “Russia” - pro street Latest land. in this vast progress deed kept me very distant from all things all things deed me very kept from distant stalled activism and civic has that apathy My life and duties at the Institute have in- have the Institute at life and duties My political the mass mind is mimicking my try as Moscow correspondent prior to MIT. prior MIT. to try correspondent as Moscow subconsciously, Perhaps, geography. yond - coun the in stay eight-year and Russia for be- extends affairs Russian ence towards unforgivable given my lifelong fascination fascination lifelong my given unforgivable newly extended period of six years. This is This is period extended newly years. of six saw Vladimir Putin win a third term for a term Vladimir for a win Putin a third saw presidential election of last month, which which election month, of last presidential Political apathy still rampant on the eve of Russia’s new presidency. Russia’s eve of the on rampant still apathy Political A question of Putin’s intention PUTIN PART III tive member of The F led byand N Editor’s N Editor’s something. It’s raining and he’s just walking just and he’s raining It’s something. like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or no good. up to Or he’s he’s like what Zimmerman said was “This guy looksguy Zimmerman “This was said what president no good. He looks black.” In reality, however, however, reality, In looksblack.” good.no He vice and president best the picks UA the for are Yang Andrew and Tallapragada WhyNaren reportedly said “This guy looks like he’s up to up he’s looks like guy “This said reportedly & Yang Tallapragada the 911 call that Zimmerman made where he Zimmerman where made that call the 911 damage had already been done. already had damage that Rivera later retracted his statement, the his statement, retracted later Rivera that amount of pain. That is why, despite the fact despite is why, That of pain. amount never hurt me,” words can inflict an immense can words hurt me,” never stones may break my bones, but words will words but bones, my break may stones profiling. Contrary to the saying, “sticks and“sticks Contrarysaying, to the profiling. facilitates racial and socialand description racial and facilitates him to stop perpetuating the imagery perpetuating that stop him to rehabilitation. What it needs is for people like What rehabilitation. so-called “image of the hoodie” does not need of the hoodie” so-called “image mouths. Contrary to what Rivera thinks, the thinks, Rivera Contrary what to mouths. Friday, AprilFriday, 2012 13, 6

Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts arts ArTS Tech The A layman’s ofthecosmos guidetothescience,history, andpoetry Catching up the with universe review book Attentive andbeautifulviews accompanycuisineatStrega service Italian Waterfront sea dining the Fine by review restaurant that our wholeuniversemay only atiny be ing rate ofexpansion, andthepossibility such stage,as an inflationary an accelerat to includeand expanded exotic concepts was had familiar with now revised been confidence.with oldgood The Big Bang I my dismay —Iwas nolonger able to follow recognized asfamiliar andthat —much to ubiquitous inadiscussionthat Inolonger dark matter and dark energy, were now right undermy nose, my during lifetime. Copernicus andHubble, was taking place no means smaller than triggered those by ing, athird revolution by incosmology, trepidation —that whileIwas notlook I discovered amixofdelight —with and dane things. Two decades went by until for meto shiftmy attention to more mun - for cosmological knowledge long enough tome, although dated, satisfied my thirst understanding ofthecosmos. Asimov’s in constellations into ahealthy scientific (1966) transformed aromantic interest lation ofIsaac Asimov’s The Universe a backyard astronomer. ASpanish trans spectacle, Ihad nochoice but to become stars. against Defenseless thenightly side, skies bursting underpristine with professionals onlunch, quite different from buildings, theclientele was mostly older surrounding area is full of banks and office had the day clear and been not grey. As the would have alovely been dockside view, out ofplace asadinnermenu elsewhere. meal forlunch, which wouldnothave been restaurant offered they week, athree-course by theside ofadecorative arch. Asitwas quickly, at atable-for-two awkwardly placed treated byquite well the staff. I seatedwas sion inablack dress turtleneck —but Iwas haps Iwas dressed occa somber - forsome invisiting theirrestaurantpose —orper Waterfront. cently to eat decided lunch aloneat Strega of dining company intolerable, Ire so - ures inmy love lifehave made thethought by andself. society However, recent fail- that are dinesolo branded “forever alone” duos, trios, quartets, awholecrowd. Those to methat have whenpeople in go fun,they alone, oramusedyourself alone?It seems the last timeyou went out alone, awalk took taurant alone?For that matter, whenwas Obscure andpuzzling terms, such as I grew upinthePanamanian- country The restaurant’s glass to whatwalls open Perhaps thestaff divined secretmy pur wasWhen thelast timeyou ate at ares By Roberto Perez-Franco By Deena Wang By Staff Writer Staff Staff Writer ------

olive oilontheside. bread, flavorful complementary crusty with thesalty especially and onthefood, cused Without any company, my attention was fo- sketchpad ready to draw theelegant knives. Institute of ContemporaryI hadArt, so my studentan art on vacation at the nearby I had planningpartner? been on acting like to arrive, if Ididn’t have a conversational turned to theirposts. down asthebankers andbusinessmen re- loud andbustling, but itgradually died During the lunch rush, the restaurant was the young atmosphere ofCentral Square. gan sics ofwhat’s out there, Impey’s HowI today wanting to afriend to learn theba- ifIhad to recommend asingle book terms: in a long while.seen meput it in these Let to that ideal than any othervolume Ihave Ifitisnot,book. at least itcomescloser book. language, andinasingle comprehensive ing oftheuniverse, presented inaccessible ofthecurrentdate summary understand- —Ithought —to havedeserved anup-to- inefficient.terribly person Thecommon pression that thewholeexercise had been myself matters inthese left inmetheim- Interestingly, theprocess ofeducating regard to current cosmological questions. layman —Iamnolonger anignoramus in confident,feel again, that —while still a ing of the universe. After the effort, I do to catch our current upwith understand- formeand shortcomings, was necessary a dozen books, diversestrength each with Asimov’s had book done20 years earlier. ing that book could doformenow what again andentertain - foraninstructive third cosmological revolution, Isearched new questions andfindings oftheongoing Ouch! Eager to catch thefantastic upwith by means of microscopic vibrating strings. ofabubblingpart multiverse, explainable For my appetizer, Ihad therol chosen - What didIdowhilewaiting formy food Impey’sChris latest work may that be Alas! Apilgrimage through thepages of on theside. with flavorfuloliveoil complementary bread, the saltyandcrusty food, especially focused onthe my attentionwas Without anycompany, would be my wouldbe first choice. Ambitious in - t Be almond, andthechocolate version had a sins, astronger with cinnamon flavor than raisin cookie minus the oatmeal and rai- tastedlikeThe almondbiscotti an oatmeal but thepromised without “espresso” flavor. nolo. Theirtiramisu was creamy and sweet, andpizzelle,almond biscotti andacan- a plate ofallthree: tiramisu, chocolate and gavethree offered,server desserts the me like atender youngspicy, pepper. bell ible, but andnon- itturnedout sweet to be onmypepper plate was ornamental- ored initially unsure whetherthebright yellow spears ofthick, yet tender, asparagus. Iwas the dollopofcreamy mashed potatoes and well-salted The ed. gravy complemented derloins were asmoist ascould expect be when improperly prepared, but Strega’s ten- lean cut ofmeat, dry to be ithas atendency mushrooms. Since thetenderloin isavery tenderloin rounds rolled ham with and was delicious nevertheless. premade andthenheated to order, but it slightly lukewarm. Isuspectthat ithad been eggplant andtomato flavor, although it was as Ihadas soon ordered it, and was full of in tomato sauce. almost arrived Thefood ricotta, spinach, andmozzarella drenched latini dinico, aneggplant-wrapped ball of Greene’s to permeate it all, as seems if Brian marvel interesting anecdote. ofawe Asense and fact,prising amemorable analogy, oran paragrapha punch, every presents asur ropa) read like a poem. Every page packs of adesolate moonscape inEuscription - like athriller, whileothers (such asthede- ofthespace racethe description —read water. Anditdelivers. passages Some -like designed to blowume seems you out of the in aninteresting context. Thewhole vol- fromedge otherfieldsthat help put them butnuggets also and cosmology, ofknowl- cludes notonly conceptsfrom astronomy reach, andto find our place init. It in- understand theuniverse, itwithin to bring of epicnarrative about thehuman quest to it is a sort course oncosmology: modern tion about theMultiverse. ginning oftimeandspace,- specula with atlook theMoon andendsup, past- thebe afact-packed with door (andfascinating!) through thecosmos, next which starts tive yet scientifically grounded promenade isanimaginaic initsexecution, thebook - sible andpleasantly initsexposition poet its scope, up-to-date initscontent, acces The Magicof R rewritten inthestyle ofRichard Dawkins’s mulaic that onpopular books science Because of my indecision between the Because the ofmy between indecision My main course was theporchetta, two But Impey’s from thefor work isafarcry How I The E is moret Began than a crash- . eality legant Universelegant had been - - - - - would embrace it! saidbe forbeing alone;ifonly more people about splitting thebill.There’ssomething to havingwithout to make small talkorworry pretend rich. to be on my student college budget, Ican only to leave astip. billbehind a50-dollar Alas, that Iwas tempted service such wonderful off thetable. It sodelightfulwas to receive wouldclean thecrumbs course, aserver it was constantly each kept full.Between smaller than at those otherrestaurants, its patrons. Although my water glass was out to mewas theattentive care given to textural contrast to theintense sweetness. cannolo were chocolate chips, providing a ramisu. Hidden filling inthericotta of drowned out by thestronger-flavored ti- of thepizzelle, Italian asweet cracker, was separately,ert thedelicate toasted vanilla aproblembeen ifIhad gotten each des hint ofcocoa. Although thiswouldnothave is clearly awork oflove. read to be andsavoredserves slowly. For it and illuminating tour deforce, which de- thor, is—inmy opinion—anentertaining book,This which takes strongly after its au- dreamer, abitofpoet, andalotoffun. abitof isalso inhisfield,Impey a expert throughoutfect thetext. Undoubtedly an of allepochs, have ef to good used been as abundantwell quotations from thinkers alizations that border fiction,as onscience ‘wow’ factor ofanexplanation. visu- Some aslonghelpconvey asthey expected the personal —where anecdotes are they less cal, even mythical references as —aswell employ diversecultural, wildly - histori time. Refreshingly, isunafraid Impey to inallthingsversed related to space and happens tobrilliant be and engaging, who anoldanddear friend, a cafe with original. It like feels aconversation in replaced whose. Instead itisthoroughly ion, mere recollections ideas of whose present findings ina chronological fash- March 2012 March Norton W.W. Impey Chris By Began How it (617) 345-3992 1 Marina Park Dr., Boston Strega Waterfront I leftStrega Waterfront fullandhappy, What makes truly therestaurant stand “A screwball comedy Harvey Karten, Director, – EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT STARTS FRIDAY, APRIL13 Writtenby Directed by wonderful originality!” a rapid pace, and with snappy dialogue, NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES ORCALLFORSHOWTIMES AMC LOEWSBOSTON COMMON19 1col (2”) x 4” FRI. 4/13 175 Tremont St888-AMC-4FUN A OR & KRYSTEN RITTER KAT COIRO KAT COIRO THE MIT TECH THE Friday, April 13, 2012 Friday, April CINEQUEST ENSEMBLEAWARD WINNER CINEQUEST FILMFESTIVAL - - 7 Fun fun fun fun fun Fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun FUN FUN FUN FUN fun The Tech 47 Good-sized band 47 Good-sized temperatures 48 Freezing spoilers 49 ETA 50 Entity mineral 51 Shiny 52 Sounds from Santa 53 Tiny quantity bars books Potter 42 They may be “dueling” in be may They 42 43 Leave 44 Athletic activity 45 Start the day in Harry46 Garden dweller maker’s nickname maker’s 5 With 29 Down, cookie With 29 Down, 5 6 Bringing to bear 7 Encircle 8 Encased, in a way 9 Predicaments Collect in bulk 10 island Hawaiian 11 Predicament 12 Neutrogena rival 13 21 Camel cousin 22 Drilling bit fruits 26 Rose 27 Dog biscuit shapes 28 Principal 29 See 5 Down 30 Strong longing 31 Distort 32 Fishing gear 33 Absolute rule 34 Restrain 35 Hot spring concern 36 Jury’s sect 37 Pennsylvania by Charles Slack Charles by 40 Haberdashery department feeling 41 Wonder-full 42 Wonderful things 43 Get-up-and-go 44 Place to store corn “up” 45 Fill the tank, with 46 Comprehended enthusiastically 49 Participate particle 54 Negative 55 Tiny quantity 56 Carry around 57 Metric prefix 58 Sealed tight sign 59 Foreboding 60 Data collection a long face Wear 61 East team 62 National League N DOW 1 Socially dominant 2 Element #5 3 Eccentric heroine Austen 4 Jane by Steven Sullivan Steven by

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38 Farm features 38 Farm 39 Pre-owned ACROSS 1 Up to the task coats 5 Expensive 9 Latin dance Appear ominously 14 Where most live 15 messages Paperless 16 highlight High schooler’s 17 operation Moneymaking 18 spot Steamy 19 series TV western 20 First 23 One or more 24 Big galoot array 25 Palette own 26 Calls one’s 27 Pleads 28 Has permission to 31 Unlikely (out) 33 Ration 34 Unchanged What some genetic traits 35 SHORT DISTANCE SHORT DISTANCE Solution, page 10

Uppercut Friday, AprilFriday, 2012 13, 8

Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Tech The Solution, page10 Sudoku by Jorge Cham Instructions: Fill inthegridsothateach column, row, and3by 3gridcontains by Randall Munroe SARCAS A 2 6 9 8 WEBCOMI 7 5 1 M , MATH exactly one ofeach ofthe digits1through 9. C

4 2 5 OF

, ROMANC AND 3 8 1

LANGUAGE E 5 7 8 4 , 9 8 1 [1041] WhitesofTheirEyes 8 3 2 7 4 8 2 9 3 4 Solution, page10 Techdoku Instructions: Fill inthegridsothateach column androwexactly contains oneof 6× 6× 1− 24× 24× each of the numbers1–6. Follow themathematical operations for each box. 19+ 3 30× 1 6 300× 24× 6× Friday, April 13, 2012 Friday, April 8× 3 Don’t fire until you see through the fragile facade to the human being within. you see through the fragile fire until Don’t 9 Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun page 10 The Tech arts.mit.edu/mcdermott

[2576] Reserve free tickets at STAGECRAFT IN STAGECRAFT TECHNOLOGY STORYTELLING AND APRIL 26 5:00PM THURSDAY, AUDITORIUM KRESGE THE EUGENE McDERMOTT IN THE MIT ARTS AWARD AT 2012 RECIPIENT LEPAGE ROBERT ARTIST MEDIA & PERFORMANCE MULTIDISCIPLINARY in dialogue with GELB PETER GENERAL MANAGER, METROPOLITAN OPERAGENERAL MANAGER, METROPOLITAN is looking for investigative reporters. is looking for investigative reporters.

Do you want to be like Sherlock Holmes? The Tech Do you like asking tough questions? Do you enjoy nosing around and collecting evi- dence? If so, we want you on our team! [email protected] Friday, AprilFriday, 2012 13, 10 The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012 Start-ups forced out of Kendall Square due to prices Promoboxx finds Kendall space too rich for its blood; South Boston more affordable we wanted to do, which is to create apartments to the Seaport, as well as ful businesses. He said it would be a mending that as much as half of the By Michael B. Farrell a neighborhood for innovation and a new headquarters for Vertex Phar- mistake to underestimate the power some 7 million square feet of new The Boston Globe entrepreneurship that is so suc- maceuticals Inc. of proximity in the business world. construction proposed for Kendall cessful that people are dying to get “To be competitive, innova- be housing. When Ben Carcio’s idea for a in,” McCready said. But now, “we Average rents in tion clusters have to have bulk, be- Web start-up won a national com- have no space for them.” cause the best people will go to the ‘It matters a lot petition last year, the prize included Other Kendall denizens follow- Kendall are around places that have the most jobs in free office space at a dream address ing Promoboxx include software $46 per square foot, their industry,” said Rowe, whose to be the biggest. for techies: Kendall Square. He was maker Buzzient Inc., whose new center provides flexible work space Being second surrounded by engineers from Mi- digs in Boston’s Innovation District about 20 percent that start-ups share and is already crosoft Corp. and Google Inc., and cost half what it would have paid in jammed with around 450 small biggest is not nearly venture capitalists who fund young Cambridge; Brightcove Inc., the higher than rents in companies. “It matters a lot to be the tech companies. digital media company that went the Seaport district. biggest. Being second biggest is not as good.’ But when his year of free space public this year; and tech-law firm nearly as good.” — Tim Rowe ran out, Carcio found he could not Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, While Cambridge’s loss may be That is why the principals of Cambridge Innovation Center afford Kendall Square’s soaring Garrett & Dunner, which plans to Boston’s gain, there is a downside Rapid7 Inc., a local maker of security rents and last month moved his move across the Charles River this for the start-ups leaving Kendall software, are willing to pay Kendall’s Goody Clancy principal Da- company, Promoboxx, to the South fall. Square: They miss out on the culture going rate. vid Dixon argued that apartments End in Boston. Through this out-migration and cachet that makes the place so The company is finalizing a lease and condos - and restaurants and “We were 100 percent commit- Kendall is in effect helping to seed special in the business world. for space in Kendall where it plans stores, too - will make the neighbor- ted to Kendall Square, and we had other tech clusters in the region, “We couldn’t envision not being to open its new innovation center. hood more attractive to the young, no choice but to look elsewhere,” whether just down the street in in Kendall,” said Carcio, whose firm, During a tour of properties recently, sought-after software engineers said Carcio. “That is what a lot of East Cambridge, in Somerville, or, Promoboxx, conducts Web mar- Rapid7’s Richard Perkett said the who are the lifeblood of the growing companies are feeling.” most prominently, in Boston. keting. “Some of it is the perceived new facility has to make a strong first tech sector. cachet that you get being a Kend- impression, because when it comes “Kendall Square succeeded ‘We were 100 percent committed to all Square company,” Carcio said. to hiring in the tech sector, location because it was a great place for “There’s a lot of buzz.” matters. business, but now it has to be a Kendall Square, and we had no choice but But staying in Kendall Square “We want to create that walk-in- great place for people,” said Dixon. to look elsewhere.’ comes at a steep price: average the-door feeling of, ‘I want to work Younger tech workers, he added, — Ben Carcio rents in Kendall are around $46 per here,’” Perkett said. are “in full rebellion of their parent’s Founder, Promoboxx square foot, about 20 percent higher While there are long-term plans suburban lifestyle, and the number than rents in the Seaport district and for new office space,one of the larg- one concern for them is walkability.” Increasingly, the startups and Mayor Thomas M. Menino has almost twice those of even Silicon est buildings in the pipeline for Ken- Increasingly the start-ups and young companies that helped avidly courted starts-ups from across Valley. And with five percent va- dall Square right now is mostly for young companies that helped make Kendall Square a fulcrum of the river to the Innovation District cancy rate, available office space in Biogen Idec Inc., a biotechnology make Kendall Square a fulcrum of the region’s innovation economy along the South Boston Waterfront. Kendall is harder to find than even in company, and the Broad Institute, a the region’s innovation economy are either being priced out, or About 100 companies, many Midtown Manhattan. medical research center. are either being priced out of the squeezed out of the crowded dis- tech or media-related, have moved Tim Rowe, founder of the Cam- But some think the solution to crowded district by soaring rents. trict. Travis McCready, executive there in the past two years, and the bridge Innovation Center, said Ken- Kendall’s growing pains is not just So young companies are forced to director of the Kendall Square As- city recently announced plans to dall has such a “gravitational force” more office space, but housing, too. choose between either paying up for sociation, said the square-mile build a $5.5 million innovation cen- that he has a waiting list of two doz- The architectural and urban less than ideal space, or move and business zone is a victim of its own ter to provide a gathering place for en companies that want more space planning firm hired by the city of miss out on the culture and cachet success. entrepreneurs. Major construction in the building so they can remain Cambridge to develop a 20-year that makes Kendall so special in the “We are doing precisely what projects will bring about 1,700 new close to other start-ups and success- blueprint for the area is recom- business world. Solution to Crossword from page 7

Solution to Sudoku from page 8 4 2 5 7 9 3 6 8 1 8 3 6 1 4 5 9 2 7 9 1 7 8 2 6 4 5 3 7 5 3 9 8 1 2 6 4 1 8 2 4 6 7 3 9 5 6 9 4 3 5 2 1 7 8 2 6 1 5 3 8 7 4 9 3 4 8 6 7 9 5 1 2 5 7 9 2 1 4 8 3 6

Solution to Techdoku from page 8 2 1 6 4 3 5 4 3 2 6 5 1

This space donated by The Tech 6 5 4 2 1 3 5 4 3 1 6 2 1 6 5 3 2 4 3 2 1 5 4 6

SMBC, from Page 9

This space donated by The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012 The Tech 11

PAX. The Tech checks out the Penny Arcade Expo, the east coast’s largest annual gaming convention

By Jessica J. Pourian concerts, which were all highlights of the editor in chief show.

PAX East, a three-day-long festival The keynote address of everything game related, returned to PAX opened with a keynote address by Boston for the third time, this year at the the creator of the hit game series Prince of Boston Convention and Exhibition Cen- Persia, Jordan Mechner. Mechner told the ter (BCEC). PAX is a gaming convention audience of his introduction to the gam- started by webcomic Penny Arcade (PA) ing world, and his rise from a kid who liked founders Mike Krahulik (known as “Gabe” playing video games in arcades to program- in his comic alter-ego) and Jerry Holkins ming them and eventually striking a deal (“Tycho”) in 2004. The show is meant to with Jerry Bruckheimer, ending with one of cater to gamers of all types — handheld, his games being adapted for the big screen ‘Technical constraints make us console, PC, and table top. Originally held (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time). in Seattle, PAX has also come to Boston for He spoke of his relationship with his creative. It’s amazing what people the past three years in the form of “PAX Apple II computer, for which he saved up can do with strict forms.’ East”, and recently booked the annual for years and was the first computer he event at BCEC until 2023. ever programmed with. Though he created — Jordan Mechner The center piece of the show is the gi- games for years, his “moment of clarity” PAX 2012 KEYNOTE SPEAKER ant exhibition hall, which has hundreds of didn’t come until he realized that a game developers from around the country, rang- could tell a story, he said. Once he realized ing from the behemoth Xbox booth to the that video games didn’t have to just be about small Boston Indie Showcase with games racking up more points than the previous from local developers. The exhibition hall person, he conceived an idea for a different was always flooded with people, and the type of game. His first breakthrough came in constant bustle to it all is really what gives 1984 with Karateka — a karate sidescroller PAX so much of its energy. Besides the where the main character is trying to save a show floor, there was a variety of console princess. After this project, he worked singly free-play rooms, classic arcade games, and on Prince of Persia for three years, which he tournaments, along with a number of pan- initially intended as a pure platformer. els and workshops for con-goers to attend. But when the game was finished, there With the massive amount of events go- was something missing. Others told him it ing on, one of the extremely useful things needed enemies to be interesting. Yet his that helped us get navigate the weekend computer lacked the memory (he had only was a handy app called “guidebook,” the 48 kb available) to actually render enemies official app of PAX East. The app included due to the complexity of the basic platform- the panel list for the entire show and the er. Instead, he rehashed the careful anima- ability to build your own schedule (with tions of the Prince and made them black to notifications!), and also included maps, create the shadow prince — one of the most an FAQ, and a twitter feed of everything memorable parts of the entire game. #PAX, along with an assortment of oth- “The reason I did it was because I had er PAX specific options. The result was no memory,” Mechner said. “Technical incredibly helpful — while wandering constraints make us creative,” he explained, around the convention floor, a 30 minute “It’s amazing what people can do with strict reminder to go to a panel is valuable. forms.” One of the really great things about Indeed, it seemed that this provided a PAX is the incredible sense of commu- theme for the rest of the show. The attendees nity that pervades the entire weekend. were reminded by everyone from Mechner The ads for the con often show a gamer to the chiptune panelists to the indie de- with the caption “Come Home” — and velopers of the importance of working with it truly feels that way. People are very what you’re given, and making the best of friendly throughout the entire show; what you have. willing to help you take a photo, give directions, compliment your costume Q&A panels with Gabe and Tycho or video-game-related T-shirt, or just Krahulik (“Gabe”) and Holkins (“Tycho”) chat affably with you in an hour-long host two Q&A panels every PAX, one on Fri- line. This communal sense really comes day and one on Sunday, where the two cre- jessica j. pourian—The Tech through during the large panels, and es- ators just take questions from the audience. A colorful variety of polyhedral dice for sale at a booth on the exhibit floor of the conven- pecially things like the keynote address, tion hall. the Q&A’s with Tycho and Gabe, and the Continued on page 11 12 The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012

Continued from page 11 two would consider bringing back the Pen- your middle age. Holkins added, which makes the accusations ny Arcade podcast, which stopped last year, even more ridiculous. Historically, these panels have been one of my Holkins said yes. Krahulik had immediately Press Panel favorite events — not only because they are said no, and looked at Holkins in surprise. At a media-only panel with the creators “My first job is to tell people about video hysterical, but because they really emphasize “We need to talk about a page, and being on Sunday morning, Holkins mentioned that games,” Krahulik said, explaining that the the community feel that links the entire show on the same one,” Krahulik said firmly. PAX has become “an annual affair now, out- he takes this very seriously — even when it together. Everyone laughs at the same jokes During the first Q&A, a group of prank- side of our control.” means potentially hurting friends on a devel- that have appeared in the comic strip for the sters presented each of the two creators with The two expressed their desire to one day opment team by recommending against their past year as well as bond over the number of a sealed potato, and required the creators to just be an attendee at PAX, and not have to game. very touching stories that come out of attend- carry for the rest of the show as a safety moni- worry about any of the administrative details. During the panel Holkins also expounded ees thanking the two authors for their charity, toring device, a joke referencing Valve’s best- This is the show they want to go to, they ex- on the amount of writing he is doing for PA’s Child’s Play, which works to distribute video selling first-person puzzler Portal 2. plained, and it would be nice to one day just third video game, which Krahulik is no longer games to children in hospitals. “Son of a bitch, I have to wear this potato enjoy it. participating in. Holkins is writing the story “We offer a hug delivery service,” Tycho all weekend,” complained Holkins. The two When asked what distinguishes PAX from for the entire game. said to an emotional fan after she relayed a creators did in fact wear their potatoes the other conventions and what enhances the “A video game is a pop culture product you story about how helpful Child’s Play is. entire show, and the pranksters returned to community feel, the co-creators mentioned can write for,” he said. In the mid 20th century, Krahulik also took the opportunity to an- the Q&A on Sunday to inform them that their the focus on merchandise at other shows can he said, writers would do comic books since nounce that Child’s Play is expanding to cover safety was indeed secure, at least for the next be distracting. that was the newest medium for expression. N00dz or GTFO! Harassment in women’s shelters as well as hospitals. 12.5 minutes. “The shopping aspect exists” at PAX, Video games are similar, he said, they are like online gaming “They are children’s shelters as well,” he “Remember, your safety is our second pri- Holkins said, “but it’s not the focus.” While the a “modern comic, in exactly the same way,” in explained. ority,” they assured sweetly. existence of a dealer room can be cool, it will that you can write for one of the newest medi- Midway through the first Q&A, a man ap- When asked how the two reconcile be- “alter the show culturally.” ums of expression. proached the microphone and began to recite ing an adult while still playing so many video In addition, they spoke about that it is like a poem — a marriage proposal! games, Krahulik explained that it was not un- to be a figure on the internet, and how they Concerts “Oh shit, it just got real,” exclaimed usual — what constitutes playing and a game take their roles in the gaming community. Despite this being my third PAX, it was my Holkins, as he realized what was happening. has just changed from the traditional defini- Krahulik spoke about his frustration that first time attending the Friday and Saturday As the poem finished, the audience erupted tion. A father 60 years ago may have played when he says on the blog that he enjoys cer- night concerts. On Friday night we stayed into cheers, and the fan rushed happily back catch with his son, or chess, but the game of tain games, he is accused of being paid by only long enough for the first two acts — the to his seat with the well wishes of nearly 3,000 the day today is electronic. the company to say so. Just because you like rap and chiptunes group Supercommuter, people. “That phase is over,” Holkins added, a game by a big company, he said, doesn’t and the rock group Minibosses, which covers The chemistry between the two creators “when you put toys away and weep into a mean they have you in their pocket. is truly hilarious. When one fan asked if the glass of room temperature liquor” for most of “I spent 10 years shitting in EA’s mouth,” Continued on page 13

N00dz or GTFO! Harassment in Online Gaming Boston Indie Panels at PAX Harassment in online games is more common than most gamers are comfort- able admitting — and most don’t like to talk about it at all. This panel focused on the Showcase continual harassment of women on Xbox Live, and the hostile gaming environment it can create. In sharp contrast to the enormous A number of Throughout the entire talk, a PowerPoint played in the background displaying a game studios on the expo floor which number of vulgar messages that the panelists had received over their time gaming employ hundreds of developers, indie workshops and online. Despite the incredibly offensive nature of the remarks, they laughed it off. developers create games by themselves The panelists emphasized that one did not need to “feed the trolls” to get ha- or with a team of one or two other peo- panels that focus rassed on the Internet. We saw a video intentionally made to look like it was the ple. On Saturday evening, five indie devs 1950s of a woman in an old fashioned dress who expressed the desire to play video hosted a panel about breaking into the games after cleaning up in the kitchen. A male narrator guided her through the gaming industry. Most of them worked on games and steps of setting up an Xbox live account, chastising her when she entered her name from home and developing indie games as “Doris.” was their full-time job. “It’s not really gaming culture are “Don’t choose a distracting name!” the narrator scolded. He proceeded to tell about money,” one of them said, “but her not to choose a distracting avatar when she selected a character with a skirt, I need money to like, eat.” We had a and also not to distract other players with her voice by using a headset. When male chance to play three out of the five games held throughout players hear her voice and recognize her as a woman, he explained, it activates “The featured at the panel, which are listed Stupid,” which would just cause problems for everyone. A show of hands in the au- below. the convention. dience demonstrated that many women had similar experiences online, and had stopped playing Xbox live as a result. Bean’s Quest Here are a few of Two of the panelists run their own websites displaying some of the negative In Bean’s Quest for iOS you control encounters they’ve had online — http://www.notinthekitchenanymore.com/ and a consistently jumping bean named http://fatuglyorslutty.com/. The site has proved a useful tool to facilitate discus- Emilio, carefully timing left-right move- the ones we were sion, they said, and a number of women have written in to them to say that they ment to correspond with the nonstop found the site helpful because they had thought that “they were the only one” get- jumping in a way that doesn’t cause you able to attend. ting harassed. to be impaled on spikes or fall to your The panelists encouraged the women in the audience to keep playing and to ig- doom. While very simple and not par- nore the trolls. It’s about the “politics of fun,” they said. “Reclaim your right to play ticularly challenging, it was still tough a video game!” to put down the demo. A combination of polished level design and charm- ing eight-bit sounds and graphics make Stuff your Criticism, I Bean’s Quest quite addictive. want a review! Girls Like Robots Chiptunes! From the square wave to the stage Girls like robots but hate nerds. Nerds Do video games get reviews, or criti- love to sit in the corner. Robots are al- cisms? What’s the difference? This panel, Chiptunes, the type of music created using chips from a variety of old gaming sys- ways happy; or perhaps more accurately, hosted by a number of editors from The tems, have risen in popularity over the past couple of decades. Daniel Behrens (aka Dan- they’re never sad. In Girls Like Robots, Escapist, Ars Technica, and the Boston imal Cannon, or the guitarist of Metroid Metal), explained the phenomenon during this your goal is to assign seating for a diverse Phoenix, among others, focused on the panel, and how to get into composing chiptunes yourself. cast of opinionated characters in a way distinction between the two types of “Chiptunes is not a genre,” he stressed. In the same way a piano isn’t a genre, chip- that maximizes their happiness. It is a writing. A review, it seems, is focused tunes are just a vehicle for a variety of genres from jazz to dubstep. That said, however, strangely calming experience. on a product and potentially convinc- some genres do exist only in chiptunes, such as “hyper-melodic,” which has astonish- ing a reader to buy something or not. A ingly fast melodic lines, and “chipthrash,” which “sounds like the biggest pile of noise SpellTower criticism, the panelists argued, is a piece ever,” Cannon said. SpellTower doesn’t seem like a very written with a much deeper intent — to Chiptunes come in a variety of flavors depending on the chip used to create them original game on the surface; searching truly understand the game and com- — popular choices include the chips from the NES, Atari, Genesis, Gameboy, and Com- a grid of letters for words is the core of municate a particular experience to the modore 64, among others. While the learning curve for chiptunes can be very steep, it’s many word games. SpellTower differenti- reader. A review might be something you worth it, Behrens said, because it is both rewarding and very cheap. ates itself by adding a Tetris-like element read before playing a game, and a criti- The fact that chiptunes offer a limited amount of notes to work with, Behrens claimed, to the gameplay. As a result, this game is cism something afterwards. Reviews give is just fuel for imagination. Harkening back to the theme of the keynote address, “Having quite strategic. The graphics and menu you a comprehensive view, while a criti- restrictions in art forces you to be creative,” he said, unlimited options are stifling. design are commendable, but where cism is more on an in depth snapshot. Looking to get into chiptunes? Cannon recommends a lot of listening and careful SpellTower really shines is in its sound Which is more effective and useful for study of pieces you like, along with prodigious use of Google. He encouraged beginners design. Every move the player makes is the reader? That’s for you to decide. to explore forums and ask questions, and to read the manuals for the chiptunes software. accompanied by a subtle but satisfying Some of the websites he recommended for listening and exploring chiptunes are chip- sound effect. music.org, noisechannel.org, netlabels.org, bandcamp.com, and snesmusic.org Friday, April 13, 2012 The Tech 13

Continued from page 12 When we finally reached the con- opened their act asking if there were cert, it was packed. The main theater any nerds out in the audience. popular video game tunes. After them holds around 3,000 people, and every “We are going to pander the shit was Metroid Metal, a rock band that inch of the venue was crammed. out of you,” they said to cheers, and covers songs from Nintendo’s Metroid The evening opened with the Vid- immediately proceeded to open with series (and whose guitarist later ran eo Game Orchestra (VGO), a group a song bemoaning the slow output the chiptunes panel) and Protomen, that has been featured at Anime of popular fantasy writer George a rock band that focuses largely on Boston and PAX in recent years that R. R. Martin, of A Game of Thrones the Mega Man. creates contemporary arrangements fame. The piece also included a brief On Saturday night, we were in line of video game music. They played a capella version of the HBO show’s over an hour early for the 8:30 p.m. a number of pieces from games in- theme. A couple funny songs, and concerts. The queue looped around cluding Final Fantasy, Chrono Trig- a brief parody Ted Talk later about the convention center, hugging the ger, Street Fighter, and F-Zero. One how humor is just walking the line of walls; the enforcers (the people who highlight was the Super Mario theme funny vs. tastelessness, Paul got a text Connor Kirschbaum—The Tech volunteer to run the show) had us played by a solo flautist who was si- from Wil Wheaton with an ASCII pe- Jerry Holkins (“Tycho”) and Mike Krahulik (“Gabe”), the creators of crowding against the corners in a gi- multaneously beatboxing. VGO also nis that he shared with the audience. Penny Arcade, host a Q&A on Sunday afternoon. ant, organized mob. Every few min- had a surprise guest performance by He then encouraged the entire crowd utes random bursts of song exploded Jonathan Coulton, the composer of to tweet some variant of 3===D @wil- climax of the concert — from his 2, he had the audience sing “all we from the people around us and was the famous Portal ending song “Still wheaton. A moment later, Wheaton’s second rendition of “Still Alive” to a want to do is eat your brains” while quickly taken up by the surrounding Alive,” which had the entire audience twitter was flooded, and the audience number of his other works, he had pretending to be a zombie. Coul- crowd in line — selections ranged singing along. roared in approval. the entire audience gleefully singing ton started his performance with a from “Sweet Caroline” to “Stand by VGO was followed by com- The acclaimed Portal composer along. For his performance of “Re: Me” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” edy music duo Paul and Storm, who Jonathan Coulton was definitely the Your Brains,” a song from Left4Dead Continued on page 14 Borderlands 2 Xbox/PS3/PC | Ubisoft | Sept. 4, 2012 Far Cry 3 Xbox/PS3/PC | Ubisoft | Sept. 4, 2012

The Far Cry booth at PAX was set up to show off multiplayer mode, and we got an opportunity to play a round against other PAX attendees of vari- ous levels of cluelessness. Despite playing with a team of strangers, I felt an allegiance to my team right away. There were a variety of factors contribut- ing to this team feel: level design and spawn points subtly encouraged us to move as a pack, and players have the opportunity to revive their dying teammates, usually at a risk to their own well-being. Like in Team Fortress 2, it is advantageous to have a diverse mix of weapons on the team. The slower, consistent running speed for all players prevents your group from fanning out across the map instantly. This team based attitude is refresh- ing; especially coming from a game like Halo, where it feels like the only thing keeping your teammates from shooting you in face is the fact that it would lose them a point.

Aliens: Colonial Marine Xbox/PS3/Wii U/PC | Gearbox Software | Fall 2012

Alien fans have reason to rejoice — the new Aliens game, Colonial Marine, will be an official canonical sequel to the popular science fiction series. While players can expect to recognize a ton of reference from the movies, those new to the story will still be able to play the game as a standalone piece. The de- velopment team of the game are all die-hard Aliens fans, so it seems like a lot of care went into its production. Certainly, for just playing a few rounds with the dev team, it looks like Aliens: Colonial Marine might be one of the better movie-related games out there. In multiplayer mode, players decide between joining the team of aliens or the team of marines. Playing against the develop- ers of the game, who selected the alien team, I was expecting to lose handily. It was still shocking to see four aliens scurry effortlessly along walls and on ceilings, making my marine seem slow and clunky. Luckily, the marines get the guns…

Max Payne 3 Xbox/PS3/PC | Rockstar | May 15, 2012

The Tech had a chance to speak with the art director of Borderlands 2, Jeremy Cooke. The sequel to the popular 2009 game Borderlands, Borderlands 2 features more of the first person shooter / RPG elements that defined the first game. “We changed the art style halfway through,” said Cooke. We wanted the look to be “more wild” and “over the top,” he said, referring to the game’s comic book style graphics. The graphics are changed post processing, he explained, and were put in to add energy and color to the game. “We invented our own style,” he said, imparting that the dev team didn’t want the game to be an anime or a carton. For some parts of the game, the team would take a photo and “smash it in,” Cooke said. They would reduce noise, create contrast, and bring out the most interesting parts in a particular surface. While the first game featured a lot of Mars Volta and other similar music, the trailer forBorderlands 2 has the dubstep song “Doomsday” by Nero instead. Many studios take themselves too seriously, Cooke said, and the dub- step is mostly a “tongue-in-cheek” joke, especially since they have Claptrap (the robot) dancing in the video. Most of the game, he said, will not feature dubstep, and will instead be similar to the first game. In addition, the game will have radio stations throughout the adventure, so players can choose what music they listen to. Much of the music that will be on these radios will be original work from the variety of artists at Gearbox. Cooke took the last moment to emphasize the importance of story in Borderlands 2. Fans weren’t happy with the end of the first game, he said, so they are taking extra care with the sequel. “Story is a big thing for us.” We were able to play through a co-op level as the character Maya, who could set aside her gun for a moment to suspend enemies in the air with her telekinetic abilities. It was a notably fun game; the funky graphics and sounds, Rockstar has been known to be a company that enjoys glorifying violence. excessive weapons, and general tone made for a frantic, but not stressful, experience. The unique cel-shaded True to form, the Max Payne 3 booth at PAX had brochures advertising the graphics were particularly refreshing after becoming accustomed to the dark, ultra-detailed graphics of the rest of “kickback of each bullet’s entry as they pepper an enemy.” The exhibitor who the FPS games on the expo floor. took us through the demo gleefully described the physics and “realism” of the game as a bullet burst through my character’s face in slow motion. Seeing someone get hit by a bullet was shocking every time; something about the way the characters reacted was just a little too real. It was excessive and a little disturbing, but it also had the effect of making me genuinely afraid of my character getting shot. After being mortally wounded, you have a brief, Spec Ops: The Line frantic opportunity to fire at your potential killer. If you are able to kill him before you hit the ground, your life is spared. Strangely, this only added to the Xbox/PS3/PC | Yager Development | June 26, 2012 fear of dying; being thrown into such a desperate, stressful fight for your life every once in a while makes the life feel valuable. The psychological weight of Spec Ops: The Line’s cinematic quality was both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Our demo started dying in Max Payne is unmatched, and it’s what made the game so intense. with the main character manning a machine gun as he was flown through what was left of Dubai, gunning down The cover system in this game is also superb. I didn’t feel that the game enemy helicopters. The graphics are incredible — the following scene of watching a helicopter explode into a build- was guiding me toward any particular shelter; there were dozens of places ing was truly jaw-dropping. However, the effect felt manufactured — with no control over the path of the aircraft, in every room that I could duck behind, offering varying levels of protection the trajectory of the enemy helicopter, or knowledge of the surrounding area, it felt like just watching a movie. from incoming bullets. At a certain point I stopped searching for the spot I Despite the superb voice acting adding to the cinematic feel, this was cool to watch, it wasn’t necessarily the right was “supposed to” stand, and instead considered every corner, table, and feel for a video game. ledge in my field of vision a potential shelter; it was very immersive. 14 The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012

Continued from page 13 Initially, the game did not seem like it would cap- tivate nearly 3,000 people in a crowded room on a zendrum, a MIDI-controller percussion instrument, Sunday night. But after the demo with the two cre- Dyad and a song about a pants. Coulton also played other ators playing along with two of the PA team and the fan favorites, from “Want You Gone” (from Portal 2) to first few minutes of the real Omegathon, something PS3 | Shawn McGrath | TBA “Code Monkey,” and left the stage to rousing applause. changed. Most of the audience left after Coulton ended his With the coupling of Holkin’s hilarious narration performance close to midnight, when nerd rapper with the energy in the crowd, crokinole went from a MC Frontalot took the stage. Frontalot, who is a self- simple board game to an intense spectator sport. For proclaimed nerdcore rapper — the first in the world nearly two hours, the entire audience was captivated. — has performed at almost every PAX since 2004. Un- Cries of “PORK BUNNSSSS” (the handle of one of the fortunately, we were unable to stay for his entire per- players) resounded throughout the hall, and every formance due to the insane exhaustion we were feeling move and flick was met with cries, boos, or cheers. from the day’s activities. This final round of the Omegathon was the moment in which I most felt the coming together of the nerd The Omegathon subculture. During a quiet, intense moment when an Each PAX, a momentous competition is held — “omeganaut” was about to take a nearly impossible the Omegathon. A multi-stage tournament with a looking shot, a single voice from the crowd cried “He’s group of randomly selected attendees each placed in turned off his targeting system!” and the entire audi- pairs, players must compete in a variety of different ence (including Krahulik and Holkins) laughed at the games to win. PAX East 2012 featured X-men as the reference. Similar moments peppered the entire eve- first round, Zip-It for the second, and Dance Central ning; I almost felt as if my nerd knowledge was being 2 for the third. With Holkin’s narration for each of put to the test. the events, it made the competition truly a spectacle The game was intense, and over 30 minutes af- Dyad is an upcoming title for PlayStation 3 by indie developer Shawn McGrath, worth watching. ter the event was supposed to end, two omeganuts who has created the entire game almost entirely by himself. It is a “warp speed As is tradition, the final round of the Omegathon emerged victorious — earning a free trip to Germany abstract racing game,” where one increases speed by pairing colored enemies made up the closing ceremonies of PAX East. In early for Gamescom. further down an infinite tube. Visually, the game looks rather similar to the March, Gabe left the PA blogs with one hint as to the It was then that we left PAX, exhausted, but exhila- Ubisoft 2011 game Child of Eden, but the gameplay is different. Once a pair is mysterious final round. rated. Filing out of the BCEC with thousands of other made, you shoot through them and must continue pairing at faster and faster “We had custom equipment built,” he wrote, “Chew attendees, all I could think of was how long it would be speeds while simultaneously avoiding the enemies you do not pair. When you on that for a bit.” until the next PAX East. have enough pairs, you can use the harnessed energy to shoot through multiple So what was it? When I got home, ready to pass out from the epic- enemies and destroy them. This simple premise makes for an incredibly engaging Crokinole. ness of the weekend, I noticed that on the PA site, and addictive game that is nearly impossible to put down. Dyad was one of the Created in Canada in the late 1800s, Crokinole is a Holkins wrote, “Before I collapse, I want to thank the few titles Holkins recommended at the press panel, and was later featured on the tabletop game similar to shuffleboard, in which play- Enforcers, without whom the show could not exist, PA website. ers flick small wooden discs into discrete point regions. and the attendees, both for their attendance, and for Two teams of two play each other, with teammates sit- making the Omegathon’s final round — Crokinole, for ting across the board, and players can attempt to knock God’s sake, literally a piece of fucking wood — a true the opposing teams’ pieces off the board. spectacle.” Quantum Conundrum Xbox/PS3/PC | Airtight Games | Summer 2012

Quantum Conundrum is an awesome looking game by the creative director of the first Portal, Kim Swift. It’s a first-person puzzler, where you must get around by manipulating the dimension you are in. In the demo, we switched between fluffy mode, where everything was very light, to heavy mode, where everything was (sur- prise) very heavy. This allowed for clever manipulations of the environment — for instance, when stuck behind a glass wall, you can switch to fluffy mode to pick up a safe, and then throw it at the glass and switch to heavy (or regular) mode midair to have it smash through the glass and open up your path. The gameplay was smooth and the art style looks great — similar to a cross between Team Fortress 2 and Por- tal. This game is definitely on our “to-play” list.

Assassin’s Creed 3 Connor Kirschbaum—The Tech Xbox/PS3/Wii U/PC | Ubisoft | Oct. 30 2012 A statue of Lolth, the Demon Queen of Spiders from Dungeons and Dragons, perches menacingly at PAX East. One of the largest booths on the exhibit floor was the black circular room for the newest game in the Assassin’s Creed series. Fans who waited out the hour-long line were treated to a video featuring Alex Hutchinson, the creator of the game. After introducing the new hero (Connor, a half British, half Native American as- sassin) and the setting of the preview (Bunker Hill, 1775), Hutchinson elaborated on the upgrades from the previous game. More emphasis has been placed on the on-screen characters; all of the animations have been redone from the earlier games, and AC3 is now capable of displaying up to 2500 enemies on screen. This is a huge increase from the previous game, which could only render 200 enemies at a time. Since this is AC3’s first time dealing with armies, the dev team wanted “epic crowds” to give the player a grand sense of realism, explained Hutchinson. The video also featured new “predator” type moves, where Connor can stalk his targets, and a variety of new items such as the tomahawk. AC3 also has the new ability to climb trees and cliff faces, an omission from the previous installments in the series. Kid Icarus / Mario Kart Nintendo DS | Nintendo | Available now

Nintendo had a number of games for display in their booth, mostly for the 3DS. They had Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart 7, and Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, among a couple of others. We had a chance to play Kid Icarus in a four- Connor Kirschbaum—The Tech Connor Kirschbaum—The Tech player versus battle. While the game looked good and seemed like it would be fun, A head crab zombie from Half Life 2 wanders A ReDead from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of I struggled with the stylus driven controls. Eight years after the Nintendo DS came the expo floor. Time made an appearance at PAX East. out, I still find it clumsy to try to use the stylus with one hand while navigating the D-pad (or in this case, the mini joystick) and holding the system with the other. Given time, however, I think the game would be a fun multiplayer experience. We also had a chance to play Mario Kart 7 for the handheld system, which definitely retained the Mario Kart charm while adding new elements. Tera PC | Bluehole Studio | May 1, 2012

Tera touts itself as the “first true action MMORPG, providing all of the depth of an MMO with the intensity and gratification of an action game.” The game was situated in the heart of the exhibit floor, inside of a rather large tree stump with faux stained glass windows. Graphically, the game is beautiful, and also seems to have a solid story behind it. We had a chance to play a cooperative mode with six other players, and were guided very skillfully through the demo by one of the ex- hibitors. The game flowed smoothly, and my character’s skills and strengths were distinct enough from the other players’ to make me feel useful and involved. The Connor Kirschbaum—The Tech diversity of abilities encouraged the six of us in the demo to work as a team, and it The audience at a PAX concert enters zombie mode, per Jonathan Coulton’s request for the song “Re: didn’t feel forced. Your Brains.” Friday, April 13, 2012 The Tech 15 New plans for Kendall Square presented to public City to work with committee to implement zoning changes; plans for Central in the works Kendall, from Page 1 but those connections will be for private use Sullivan, 2,434), suggesting there is room to of particular tenants in their buildings, and improve the bus service to Kendall. park at the John A. Volpe National Trans- will not be publicly accessible. They are in- With respect to the Red Line, 11 percent portation Center, which the city hopes the tended to permit research and business ten- of riders who exit at Kendall board at either federal government will sell, lease, or other- ants whose space requirements exceed the Charles or Central, one stop away. The com- wise transfer to the city); transforming the floorplate limits mentioned above to use con- mittee attributes this to the undesirability of area around the Kendall/MIT subway station nected space in adjacent buildings. the walk from either of those locations, and into a public plaza; and promoting build- hopes to improve the walkability of the area ings as mixed-use between residential and Housing requirements surrounding Kendall. In the immediate vi- commercial/research. The committee also intends to address cinity, they will try to increase ground-floor housing, which local residents have felt has retail; the intentions for the transition area Building shapes been promised by developers, but not actual- between Central and Kendall are less clear. Dixon presents a future Kendall Square ly realized. The proposal will require develop- After the presentation, attendees broke where buildings can rise as high as 300 feet, ers to begin housing development by the time off into small groups to provide feedback to but where the tallest of those buildings (above they complete 40 percent of their associated the committee. 250’) can only be used for residential hous- nonresidential space, and to complete the ing, and per-floor area is restricted to 10,000 housing construction before they complete Going forward square feet, keeping the tallest buildings 80 percent of the nonresidential space. The In the coming months, the city and its narrow. committee projects 500–600 additional units consultants will work with the committee to Shorter buildings will be allowed larger of housing, taking the Kendall area to 2,000– finalize the proposed zoning changes that floorplates, with up to 30,000 square feet for 2,500 units of housing. will result from this process. At the same 250'-high buildings, and 42,000 square feet time, the city and its consultants are pro- goody clancy & associates, slide 29 for 85'–120' buildings. Shorter buildings can Transportation ceeding with a parallel process in Central An example upper-floor building connec- use their full block size. The tall buildings are Analyzing transportation, the commit- Square, with a different advisory committee. tion; such connections are encouraged for allowed to go grow wider as they go down. tee noted that KendallFaçade has the smallest lengths: bus The Central research/office Square phase of the process is tenants needing over 35,000 square feet. They The committee will also encourage “up- capacity (768 people/hour) of any nearby just gearing up and should complete in later would be set back at least 35' from a street and per-floor connections” between buildings, transit hub (Lechmere, 1,008; Central, 1,509; summer. would be at least 80 percent transparent.

Approx. 175’

Approx. 240’

Approx. 120’ Approx.

goody clancy & associates, slide 28 Permitted building widths (façade lengths) with associated build- Goody Clancy & Associates, Slide 44 ing heights, overlayed over 40 Landsdowne Street, a building with a Travel trends in Cambridge. Bicycle use in Cambridge has increased40 Landsdowne 150 percent from 2002Street to 2010. Floorplate approx. 27,500sf 27,500 square foot floorplate.

Sunday, Apr. 15th

This space donated by The Tech 16 The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012

Coop Student Board of Directors Future-oriented Election Update president wanted

The following student Coop members are candidates for the Students voice desired qualities Board of Directors for the 2012-2013 academic year. Search committee, from Page 1 munity spaces such as the Student Center. In terms of growth, the want more recognition for entre- report also addressed an interest preneurship as a form of academic in expanding internationally, sug- achievement. gesting that MIT could consider More of the concerns and stu- developing campuses abroad, MIT Undergraduate Students: dent opinions presented revolved partnering with international insti- Joshua Dunaway, 2014 around issues unique to the Insti- tutions in dual-degree programs, tute, including student health and and creating more study abroad Paige Finklestein, 2014 wellness, MITx, MIT 2030, and the programs. Emma Kane, 2015 future of MIT as a global leader. The last three pages of the re- According to the report, students port summarize the qualities that www.thecoop.com MIT Graduate Students: have found that the restructuring MIT students want the most in Ellie Bertani, MBA, Sloan/MPA, HKS, 2013 of Student Support Services com- their president. Personality-wise, Samuel Shaner, PhD, 2015 bined with a “common perception students want the president to have of inefficacy and bureaucracy” has every positive trait one can think Harvard Undergraduate Students: decreased the usefulness of the of, with a focus on “an experienced Cody Dean, 2014 service, and report that MIT Men- leader that is personable and un- Hilary Higgins, 2015 tal Health often takes too long to derstanding.” Students believe that Joshua Zhang, 2014 respond to more immediate re- the president should have experi- quests for help. ence with managing a large bud-

In terms of MITx, students “are get, selecting good administrators, Harvard Graduate Students: concerned with preserving the fundraising, research, and inter- Christina Adams, MBA, 2013 relevance of a physical campus national relations. Students prefer Oliver Hauser, PhD, 2015 with the increase in online learn- a president who has connections, Mathew Morgan, MPP, 2013 ing initiatives” and emphasize the if not professional experience, in May Lam, MBA, 2013 importance of a residential-based government and corporate leader- Allison Trzop, JD, 2013 education. In this same vein, stu- ship. Finally, the president has to dents would like to see improve- advocate STEM fields nationally ment of MIT’s physical campus. and internationally, be visible and The SAC mentioned the lack of approachable to students, and ap- Voting Deadline public community spaces avail- ply the values of MIT to create a vi- able for students to host activi- sion for the Institute. is April 26 ties and interact with each other. According to Bryson, the SAC Graduate students in particular is now incorporating student are interested in having a separate feedback to this report into a final space “that promotes interaction document that will be posted on- between graduate students across line, and they are using the quali- disciplinary boundaries as well as fications outlined by the report to between students and faculty.” identify potential presidential can- Additionally, the report notes didates that they will later bring to that there is a need for improve- the Corporation. ment of the “academic infrastruc- A full text of the report can ture” around MIT — for example, be found at http://tech.mit. more places to eat and relax, and edu/V132/N18/searchcomm/ the improvement of central com- SJTF_Presidential_Report.pdf.

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This space donated by The Tech *The Army Lab provides the intern's salary, which typically ranges from $2280/month to $2864/month depending on class year. Under certain circumstances the ISN can provide the intern with a supplement of up to $1500 to defray costs of local accommodations and travel. The Tech is finacially independent from MIT. Join the group that pays its own bills. [email protected] The ISN: The mission of the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies is to dramatically enhance Soldier protection and survivability through basic research on nanotechnology and collaboration with Army and industry partners to transition promising research into practical capabilities. Friday, April 13, 2012 The Tech 17

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Be a restaurant critic. [email protected] 18 The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012

NG DOCK DI SA A L O E Palestine@MIT Presents L 2 Days

a t Only! e T r h o e st M ok IT Press Bo

announcing: The Spring 2012 LOADING DOCK SALE! Arab Cultural Night Sat., April 21st, 10:00am-6:00pm Join Us for Traditional Arabic Food, “No Dealers” Day* Sun., April 22nd, Dance, Clothing and Music in Lobdell! 10:00am-6:00pm “Open to All” Day When: April 14th, 2012 at 8:00pm Books up to 90% off! Where: Lobdell Dining Hall Huge savings on: • Shelfworn Books • • Out-of-Print Books • Tickets: $6 MIT Students • Journals Back-Issues • • Overstock • $8 Non-MIT *see website for details: Tickets will be sold at the booth in lobby 10 starting April 9th. web.mit.edu/bookstore/www/ Prices will go up at the door. “a feeding frenzy Cosponsored by:Arab Studentsʼ Organization (ASO), Lebanese Club @ for the brain!” MIT, MIT Egyptian Club, Arcade.

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The MIT Press Bookstore 292 Main Street Kendall Sq., Cambridge (617) 253-5249 [email protected] 9-7 M-F, 10-6 Sa, 12-6 Su Arab Students Organization

This space donated by The Tech This space donated by The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012 The Tech 19 Postdoc in need of a sublet apartment (efficiency or one bedroom) for Fall semester. Contact: Jon Griffith, MIT-SUTD Collaboration, Foreign Film Night [email protected]

THE OTHER SIDE OF IMMIGRATION (US/Mexico) Presentation and discussion with film director Roy Germano April 19th, 7:00pm At 3-270

BERLIN CALLING (Germany) PAN’S LABYRINTH (Spain) Discussion with MIT Prof. Peter Weise Discussion with MIT Prof. Roberto Rey-Agudo May 1st, 5:00pm May 2nd, 5:00pm At 54-100 At 4-237

Palestine@MIT Presents

Are you a tetris ninja? Program for an

Use your Architecture of powers for good! Decolonization

arts arts arts Join us in a lecture by arts arts arts arts arts arts arts news arts news arts news Alessandro Petti news news news news Director of Decolonizing Architecture Art newsnews news news Residency news

...by joining When: April 18th,7 pm the production department at Where: Room 6-120 The Tech!

[email protected] Cosponsored by: School of Architecture and Planning opn Headquarters, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, opn opn Center for International Studies at MIT, Arab Students arts opn arts opn This space donated by The Tech arts opn Organization, Arcade spo spo arts arts opn spo spo arts arts opn spo spo arts arts opn For More Info: http://palestine.mit.edu/paw2012 spo spo life arts f u n opn spo spo life arts f u n opn spo spo pandarts f unopn life life life f u n f u n f u n AKPIA@MIT life life life f u n f u n f u n f f f lifelifelife un un un Arab Students Organization 20 The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012

Undergraduates!

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CCoouurrssee 1155 OOppeenn HHoouussee

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Sponsored by the MIT Sloan School of Management Office of Undergraduate Education

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Friday, April 13, 2012 The Tech 21 Orientation will see changes FSILG recruitment will remain the same this year Orientation, from Page 1 call system. “We want to give them FPOPs an opportunity for activity or enough information to navigate interaction at night, Norman hopes (FLP). “We want to coordinate with safely in the residential system and to plan organized activities at night FPOP program coordinators to community, and what resources are for these students. make sure programs end on Sunday available in emergencies,” said Nor- YOU KNOW afternoon, so that Sunday evening man. The form in which the infor- No change to FSILG is free for social activities,” said Julie mation will come has not been de- Recruitment timing next fall Where YOU B. Norman, director of the Office of termined, but Residential Life will The RCO concluded in its re- Undergraduate Advising and Aca- work to systematically ensure that port that another group be made WaNt tO gO. demic Programming (UAAP). students who arrive early receive to assess the timing of FSILG Re- Students attending on-campus the information. cruitment. Dean for Student Life FPOPs will have to pay $30 a day Norman noted that these stu- Chris Colombo is planning to form We’ve tailOred if they choose dorm housing dur- dents should be given information another committee consisting of ing the FPOP period. Students will early because they will not meet faculty; administrators from the aN MBa tO get be charged the fee for at most four their housemasters or GRTs un- FSILG office; Panhel, IFC, and ILG days. If students stay on campus for til the week of orientation. “Some representatives; and FSILG alumni YOU there. five days during the FPOP period students, such as those who come to examine “the social and financial (such as if they attend a five-day from rural communities, may not implications of adjusting the Re- the emerging leaders MBa at Bentley. FPOP), they will only be charged for have a strong knowledge of safety in cruitment period,” said Humphreys. the opportunities you need to launch your career. four days. urban areas,” she added. No timing changes will be made The Emerging Leaders MBA is a program designed Students arriving before ori- In addition, Norman noted that to Recruitment for Fall 2012, but specifically for recent or soon-to-be college entation will receive information some on-campus FPOPs end their recommendations made by the graduates. This full-time, two-year program provides on MIT’s various health and safety planned activities before the eve- committee should be implemented career development, hands-on learning experiences resources, such as MIT’s dean-on- ning. To provide students in these for the Fall 2013. and a strong business foundation to help prepare you for a dynamic and successful career. to learn more, visit graduate.bentley.edu/mba/elmba. we’re seeking to [email protected] build our forces The Tech is looking for interactive graphic designers to join its online media team.

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Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Tech The Team four ‘King earns of the Mountain’ jerseys at et ‘Lux Velocitas’ the races competition sweeps Cycling earlier aspartoftheMIT cycling team’s thispastweekend victory at Yale. Spencer D. Schaber Gnegotiates aturn during thecriterium race. Schaber won theMen’s A circuitrace sixth. and G Christinafourth M. Birch G teammateswith Yuri Mastumoto women’s Quinnsecond finished A, meters race. ofthetwo-hour In the surgepowerful inthelast hundred thecircuiters andwon race a with main three pack- with otherrid D. Schaber Gbroke away from the climb. In themen’s Arace, Spencer course that theEast included Rock consisted of a number of laps of a half oftheircategories. inthefastest finished riders MIT 11 min 18.77 Another twelve sec. place inthemen’s atimeof Awith P. Gpowered hisway Bry to third place.of second Captain Adam 26.61 ahead nearly sec, 30seconds female, turningof12 inaride min tain Katie J. Quinn Gwas thefastest Points leader andteam cap- Series of theEast Rock. In typical fashion, climb to thesummit mile, 500-ft featured (ITT) a4.1-time trial landscape feature. East Rock cliff, New Haven’s tallest East Rock Park at ofthe thefoot three-race place took in weekend versity inNew Haven, Conn. The locitas” races hostedby Yale Uni- team competedat the“Lux et Ve- Athlete ofthe Week, from24 engage- inthesport,but with The coxswain notphysically does ing forarather challenging task. ments, andcurrent, wind, mak timing, oar pressure, move body - the boat from on observations technicaldiagnoses problems in inarace.position Thecoxswain lays visual information ofacrew’s sive andtactical moves, andre - calms thecrew, calls aggres both The coxswainboth motivates and thepersonality oftheboat.also thetemponot only decides but the voice intheboat, thecoxswain would the be mind and soul. As of theboat, thenthecoxswain coxswain position. know. interesting bunch ofguys, you conversations. Just anextremely Ienjoyso many physics-related and half ofour team isCourse 16, can thenicest be guy at times, timidating ninja ontheteam who code.he writes We have anin- conversations inhismindwhile is like acomputer andcan queue we Then have mindBear whose a Crew helps keep Hsu’s fresh mind The afternoon circuitThe afternoon races Saturday morning’s individual April MIT’s 7and8, On cycling CH: Iftherowers are thebody TT y Matthieu T By team representatiteam : Describe your role: Describe at the alpe ve - - the pack inthewomen’s Arace, rodefour riders MIT away from displayspectacular ofteamwork, in thewomen’s intro In a category. place Gsoloingto Ortega second B. sixth place in men’s D2 and Edrie Jimenez ’14 sprinting hisway to Ernesto with sive performances impresThewithtwo day started on a flat, fast, 5-corner course.. place around theEast Rock Park and women’s Arespectively. most competitive fields—men’s andQuinnber taking honors inthe ’13Berlin inwomen’s andScha B, - 59-strong men’s Cfield, Shaena R. ’14 Landry Benoit categories: inthe infour ofthesix highestjerseys the board, theKOM collected MIT With consistent top finishesacross cuit race timesforeach category. andcir the lowest combined ITT werejerseys awarded with to riders it very much.it very and found that enjoy I did indeed itout, tocoxing, try Idecided so told methatschool Iwouldlike Crew Team. A teacher inhigh Crew? keep my mindfresh. training off helped seasons race on the cross-country team, and In well. gether Iwas high school me, crew so blendto- andschool a great break from schoolworkfor on the harshest of days, is always at MIT? classes and sports ance between atcused alltimes. crew, andmust sharp be andfo- holds in hishands the safety of a maintain control. Thecoxswain account formany otherfactors to trol oftherudder, buthas also to perience. Thecoxswain has con- is somethinggained through ex mental role ofthecoxswain, and course isthemost funda- a good cally Being able divided. to steer technically blindandpsychologi- out acoxswain acrew ofeight is yellow jerseys. retain two the and standings team inthe place itsfirst defend to team look will cycling MIT The Sunday’s races took criterium “King of the Mountain” (KOM) TT CH: Iwas awalk-on to theMIT TT CH: Being ontheriver, even TT : Describe your life as a: Describe : What initially you got into : How doyou finda bal- - - - April 14 and15 at West Point, N.Y. whenracingjerseys resumes on standings and retain yellow the two to defenditsfirst place inthe team to regain thecoveted yellow jersey. andcircuitpoints intheITT race enough tallied Bry the criterium, flat sufferingtwo Despite tiresin more contested onthemen’s side. The battle forthe is yellowjersey more points thanplace. second shenow percentthe season, has 40 threewith more race in weekends leader andyellow holder; jersey hermarginwiden asPoints Series Academy’s 769. Quinn continues to 911 andthird-place Military theUS points to second-place Penn State’s standings.son now MIT has 1381 Cycling Conference- team sea its lead intheEastern Collegiate teams andextended scoring of 36 teamthe weekend omniumahead teamconvincingly won cycling the past race weekends, theMIT at thefront ofthepack. blocking the riders other nine MIT thanks of to theefforts inlarge part inthemen’s fourth ished Arace — breakawaythe winning andfin- Schaber was onceagain of part and Matsumoto, to a1-2-3finish. towing Laura Ralston R. G, Birch, lead-out train to the finish line, four places. Quinn theMIT headed guaranteeing ofthefirst asweep chemical science. finally learning the of “chemistry” mechanistic 5.13, Ifeltlike Iwas phenomena, andinthe largely able E&M calculus to describe howI learned multivari to use - have taken farat so MIT. In 8.022, were hardest thetwo classesI and 5.13 inFall 2011, because they thus farwere 8.022 inFall 2010 classes andwhy? pete forthechampionship.pete where intheleague schools com- culminates at theEastern Sprints, from thedefeated.season The crews.winner claims The T-shirts ent race against other oneortwo to adiffer weekend almost every travel which we during season, In have thespring, we our racing crewboth andnon-crew-related. haveand we lotsofconversation, forameal oftentogether, go will weight room. After practice, guys hour morning liftsinthevarsity Saturdays. We have also one- two and from 8:30to 10:30 a.m. on from 5to 7p.m. theweek, during Crew team normally practices member oftheCrew team? The MIT cycling team will look cyclingwill look team The MIT As ithas tradition become in CH: My favorite classesat MIT TT CH: The Heavyweight Men’s : What are your favorite Jan Valerie - in theirdivision. the game against UIUC. The Engineerswent ontowinseventh Kathleen M. Hoza ‘14, right, skiesherdefender atCentex in roster to improve this year’s ranking Team advantage their takes small break spring over teamwins frisbee Women’s ultimate UIUC. MIT won using won long MIT huckUIUC. first game on Sunday was against You. For atouch ofirony, MIT’s to sMITefriend coach Shuang bycoached sMITe alumna and Urbana Champaign team, ateam theUniversitywith of Illinois- Dance-Off and had a barbecue teams intheannual Centex playing, sMITe watched other all just playing Ultimate. After Wisconsin-Eau Claire. practices,door against won MIT the advantage ofyearlong out andRice, have whoboth UCSD After losing games close to ing national champions USCB. in thenation, including defend- ofthebestteamstex hosts some tournament Cen- inthecountry. the largest Women’s Ultimate Austin, Texas to play in Centex, break,spring sMITe traveled to working. ments, thisstrategy to be seems mance at break spring tourna- play. BasedonsMITe’s perfor tions in skill level and quality of has many surpassed - expecta ing old ones again, the team reviewing instead ofteach drills - teachingseason newplays and improve. Spending more ofthe took advantage of their roster to ing six veterans this year, sMITe only three rookies whilelos previousoutperform years. captains have theteam to driven Katherine deRegt G, sMITe’s GandAnnaers Alisha Schor R. Together veteran with play- throws movement. andfast disc with big theoffense huckruns Rybak,standout Michelle who A. The team isanchored by junior team, has high set expectations. sMITe, MIT’s Women’s Ultimate smaller than inprevious years, However, wasn’t theweekend Forweekend thefirst of Although theteam gained Even though theteam is team representatiteam By LisaLiu ve - - - later thismonth. competition that held be will play for aplace at theregional Conferences, where will they Tufts to play intheBostonMetro sMITeweekend, travel will to andCanada.in theUS This its ranking to 59 out of182 teams injuries, MIT’s brought victories only 10with some with women playing tournaments thelast two smaller teams at Centex and eventually 10-7. winning was able to make breaks, two tradedand MIT points, but MIT University. For the first half, BU fellow conference team, Boston points. In thefinals, faced MIT qualifying games by at least six allfivecompetition, winning Hampshire, dominated MIT the al Huck, at theUniversity ofNew comeback, losing 13-15. andalmostzone made defense a tage ofgaps inStonehill’s loose werethey able to take advan- was downby four at thehalf, but played against Stonehill. MIT over UMass.ry In thefinals, MIT 10 points, including a15-0 victo- most gameswinning by at least bowled over the competition, against New Hampshire, MIT game, 11-8 winning MIT with yd. After sluggish play inthefirst Stonehill tournament, Sky Get - seventh indivision II. defense. Overall, sMITe placed throws andimpenetrable zone previous years. outperform teamthe to have driven sMITe’s captains veteran players, Together with Despite beingDespite oneofthe At thelast tournament, Casu- Next, sMITe traveled to the Friday, April 13, 2012 Friday, April Alisha S chor Friday, April 13, 2012 The Tech 23 Gymnastics dominates this season as a club team s Sport MIT prepares for strong Nationals performance, taking first place at five of six meets By Katie Bodner gymnastics meets are run, each into nationals, Sharpe, who was associate sports editor team rotates through each of the on the team when it was still a events (vault, uneven parallel varsity sport and who now com- It’s an exciting year to be on bars, balance beam and floor ex- petes as well as help coach, ex- s Sport the Women’s Gymnastics team at ercise) and competes their line- plained, “There’s a bit of pressure MIT. Even though they were cut ups, six individuals per event. In for the team to defend our na- from varsity status to club status last Saturday’s meet, MIT com- tional title, but I have no doubts in 2009, the team has powered peted its entire team: Kelsey C. that the team is up to the chal- through the past two years and Seto ’15, Lindsay M Sanneman lenge and ready to perform ex- won at last year’s nationals. ’15, Kristen D. Watkins G, Julia ceptionally well at nationals.” Coming in first place at five Sharpe ’09, and Zara K. Karuman Seto, the team’s newest mem- out of their six meets so far this ’13. After the competition, the top ber and only freshmen, shed

season, the team boasts some four scores from each of the four some light on her experience s Sport strong new members and tal- events are added up to calculate with the team. ented alumni and graduate stu- the team score. The max for each “I’ve only ever competed on dents who have poured dozens individual score is 10.0, with the a recreational level as a part of a of hours into practices in prepa- max team score being 160.0. small gym, and I wasn’t sure that ration for nationals in Salt Lake I was good enough to be a part of City Utah from April 18 to April ‘This puts us in a MIT’s team. I was especially in- 22. timidated knowing that the team The team competed this past good place to go had won the national title the Saturday in a meet in Dupont year before. However, the team Gym at MIT, but Cambridge into nationals.’ was very welcoming and very s Sport Community Gymnastics (CCG), — Gina Policelli excited to have a new member,” an adult gymnastics program women’s Gymnastics Coach said Seto. that uses MIT facilities, hosted Seto also shared with The Tech the meet. This was the first time Coach Gina Policelli ’10 ex- some insight into the dynamics that CCG ever hosted a meet and plained how it was great to see of the team. also the first time that MIT was everyone on the team rise to full “We have a lot of fun at prac- not a host in its own gym. The potential and deliver great rou- tice, and we are a very tight-knit other competing teams were Uni- tines on every event. “This puts team since the team is so small. versity of Connecticut, Boston us in a good place to go into na- We are always encouraging each s Sport University, Rutgers University, tionals,” Policelli said. other and trying to help each and University of New England. Policelli was particularly ex- other improve routines and learn MIT earned its highest over- cited about Sanneman complet- new skills. Being a part of the all score of the season, 148.95, ing her double back dismount team has been a great experience “which reflects all the hard work on bars, Watkins’s debut and for me and a good way to escape we’ve been doing in the gym as sticking her back tuck on beam, from the stress of MIT’s academ- we prepare for nationals and also Seto demonstrating an impres- ic life,” Seto explained. gives us an idea of what we need sive stuck beam routine, and Continuing on the trend of to perfect before nationals,” said Karuman and Sharpe scoring pre-nationals excitement, Sharpe Kelsey C. Seto ’15. extremely well in the all around. added, “We seemed primed to Melissa Renée Schumacher—The Tech s Sport For those unaware of how With great confidence to go peak just in time for nationals.” Zara K. Karuman ’13 performs a routine on the uneven bars during Saturday’s gymnastics meet in Dupont. Women’s Crew team victorious Engineers have best ever George Washington Invite finish s Sport By Rebecca Heywood again took an early lead over the in the second and third eights, re- team representative Colonials to finish with open wa- spectively. Day two of the regatta ter with a time of 6:22.20 over the showed good, close racing from With strong racing across the Colonial’s 6:35.30. both boats. In the morning, the board, the women’s openweight The A varsity four had a simi- third varsity eight finished only 1.5 crew team had its best finish in larly successful regatta, dominat- seconds behind Navy with a time history at the George Washington ing their three races. The four fin- of 7:03.90. The second varsity eight Invitational. Racing on the Po- ished almost 26 seconds ahead continued the close racing, only tomac River in Washington D.C., of Duquesne on Friday afternoon 3.7 seconds behind Navy. In the the Engineers took on Duquesne with a time of 7:43.4. On Saturday afternoon, the Engineers fielded s Sport University, the U.S. Naval Acad- morning, the Engineers bested a second varsity eight and a B four emy, and Georgetown University both Navy’s A and B fours with a with five athletes from the third with four boats in three races over time of 7:34.50. In the afternoon, varsity eight. After only a few prac- the weekend. The varsity eight and the four continued their domi- tices together, the four raced hard A varsity four were victorious in all nance with a win over George- and came up behind Georgetown three races, while the second and town in 7:23.10. in a time 7:54.60 to the Colonial’s third varsity eights had tight cam- 7:40.00. In the second varsity eight, paigns with all three teams. The varsity 8 easily MIT finished behind Georgetown The varsity eight easily won in a time of 6:43.10 to the Colo- s Sport all three races with open water, won all three nial’s 6:36.50. proving themselves to be a domi- races with open In its fourth showing at the nant force in the weekend regat- GW Invite, MIT has proved its ta. On Friday afternoon against water, proving early season speed and given Pa- Duquesne, the Engineers faced a triot League and Eastern Sprints 10–15 mph cross tail wind, but fin- themselves to be League rivals a taste of what is to ished over 20 seconds ahead of the a dominant force come. The Engineers will face Pa- Democrats in a time of 6:32.2. On triot League rival Navy again at the Saturday morning, facing Patriot in the weekend league championships on April 29, League rival Navy, the Engineers regatta. and Eastern Sprints rivals George s Sport went out strong and took an early Washington and Georgetown lead at the 500 meter mark to fin- The second varsity eight, third again at the Eastern Sprints Cham- ish with a time of 6:27.40 over varsity eight and B four faced stiff pionship on May 13. Navy’s 6:32.70. This marks only competition, but on Friday after- The Engineers face University the second victory over Navy. In noon both eights managed open of Massachusetts and University Elizabeth d’arienzo—The Tech the final race of the regatta, the water wins over Duquesne Univer- of Buffalo at home on the Charles Bryan M. Beller ’12 prepares to catch the ball at the Men’s Engineers faced Georgetown and sity with times of 6:51.0 and 7:15.4 on April 21. Lacrosse game this past Wednesday afternoon. The Engineers won a decisive 8-6 victory over Salem State University. s Sport

Upcoming Home Events Friday, April 13 Softball vs. Clark University 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Briggs Field Saturday, April 14 Men’s heavyweight crew vs. Harvard/Princeton TBA, Charles River s Sport Men’s lightweight crew vs. Harvard/Dartmouth TBA, Charles River Baseball vs. Clark University 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., Briggs Field Women’s tennis vs. Simmons College 1 p.m., duPont Tennis Courts Colleen Irby Men’s tennis vs. Springfield College 1 p.m., duPont Tennis Courts The MIT women’s crew varsity 8 and varsity “A” 4 teams had their best ever finishat the George Washington Invitational this year, with each team winning all three races. Their next race will be on the Men’s volleyball vs. Springfield College 7 p.m., Rockwell Cage Charles River against University of Massachusetts and University of Buffalo on April 21. 24 The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012 Athlete of the week: Charles Hsu ’14 Really respect the contributions of one of your peers? Hsu does crew, viola, Think your student organization has gone above and and course 7 research beyond, with its members or events, this year? Heavyweight crew’s coxsain balances chamber music, sports, and research Student Leader Awards studentlife.mit.edu/sao/sla

Anthony Kilbridge Charles Hsu ’14 is coxswain for the MIT men’s heavyweight crew team. In addition to crew, Hsu also dabbles in violin-making, works at Weiss Lab, and aspires to become a surgeon. By Nidharshan Charles balances his scientific Anandasivam interests with his passion for the Staff Reporter viola. Not only does he play his viola for a chamber music group, Charles Hsu ’14 is a sopho- but pursues the craft of violin more in Course 7 (Biology) who is making in his spare time. on the MIT Varsity Heavyweight The Tech sat down with by Friday, April 27 Crew Team. He enjoys creating Charles to discuss life as a stu- Nominate things and aspires to become a dent-athlete on the MIT Varsity surgeon. Charles was on the 2011 Heavyweight Crew Team. MIT IGEM (International Ge- The Tech: What do you like *SLA Funding Grants awarded to student group winners* netically Engineered Machine most about the MIT Crew team? competition) team that placed Charles Hsu: What I like most *Recognition and glory for individual winners* fourth out of over 150 interna- about the MIT Men’s Heavy- tional teams. He is also work- weight Crew team is that while Questions? [email protected] ing on the Solarclave project, everyone is driven by the same which won the 2011 MIT IDEAS gritty desire to pull hard and and Global Challenge competi- win. Everyone on the team is so tions. The Solarclave is a low- enjoyably distinct in their hu- get on the front page cost solar-powered autoclave mor, aspirations, and even phys- designed to provide third-world ical properties. For example, we rural clinics with a portable and have one Mr. Jack, for whom the reliable method of sterilization. laws of thermodynamics do not He is currently working in the apply. Always rowing in just his Weiss Lab on genetically engi- unisuit, snow or shine, the best neering autonomously pattern- we could ever get out of him was, ing tissues, and has also worked “yeah my hands are a little cold.” on microfluidics and high-speed [email protected] photography of cell-printing. Athlete of the Week, Page 22

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