MIT’s The Weather Today: Flurries, 34°F (1°C) Oldest and Largest Tonight: Clear, cold, 25°F (-4°C) Tomorrow: Partly cloudy, 42°F (6°C) Newspaper Details, Page 2 Volume 126, Number 59 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, December 8, 2006 MIT Pilots VoIP, Internet-Based Phone Service With 500 Users By Benjamin P. Gleitzman communications applications, accord- used as long as the user maintains a NEWS EDITOR ing to Mark Silis, manager of Network connection to the wireless network, Information Services and Tech- and Infrastructure Services at IS&T. allowing telephone access to loca- nology is currently in the midst of The MIT VoIP system uses Aster- tions that cell towers may not be able a pilot program to route telephone isk, an open source television switch, to provide. Since all calls are routed conversations over the Internet with- to connect VoIP phones with other via the Internet to MIT’s telephone out the use of traditional phone lines. VoIP phones on the MIT network, system, a VoIP call placed from The pilot, now available to select as well as with telephones on the anywhere in the world to the Boston departments and groups at MIT, em- worldwide telephone system, also area is not subject to long distance ploys Voice over Internet Protocol to called the public switched telephone charges. send and receive voice conversations network. “Disadvantages [of the VoIP ser- over any IP-based network. Calls made between VoIP phones vice] are mainly focused around the More than 500 users are partici- can be routed completely over the fact that it’s a young technology and pating in the VoIP pilot at MIT, ac- network, but calls placed to land lines traditional voice services have had cording to Theresa M. Regan, vice will still travel over the PSTN and be over a century “to ‘work the kinks president of IS&T. The MIT network subject to long distance charges. out,’” Silis said. currently has on the order of 20,000 The VoIP phone itself can be Due to current network con- traditional phone lines, includ- a softphone, software for PCs or figuration, users cannot walk across ing desk phones, fax phones, dorm handheld devices capable of send- campus using a wireless VoIP phone phones, circuits, and elevator emer- ing and receiving calls, or a physical without losing their call, but IS&T gency phones. telephone device that connects to the plans to migrate MIT’s wireless net- The transition from traditional network via an Ethernet jack or wire- work onto a virtual local area net- WILLIAM B. YEE—THE TECH telephone line to Internet-based rout- less access point. work which will solve the problem. Derek H. Chu ’07 goes “Back2TheBeats” to the music of Fort ing offers the advantage of mobility, “This network topology will be Advantages, disadvantages of VoIP Minor and Ratatat at Gyrohazard, Dance Troupe’s Fall show. reduced infrastructure costs, and in- Gyrohazard opened last night on Thursday, Dec. 7 in Little Phones, tegration with next generation unified Wireless VoIP phones can be Page 12 Kresge Auditorium. The show features 19 different dances and will show through Sunday, Dec. 10. Refer to page 15 for ad- UA-GSC Sudan Resolution Passes ditional photographs. By Marie Y. Thibault those who support targeted divest- The number of abstentions was not EDITOR IN CHIEF ment and believe that it will send counted. The Graduate Student Council a strong message with an economic Targeted divestment involves Prof. Comatose After General Council passed its share of incentive to the Sudanese govern- divestment from those companies a Undergraduate Association-GSC ment and those who feel that di- that are the worst offenders, mean- joint resolution on Wednesday sup- vestment does nothing to help Su- ing they fund the Sudanese govern- Hanoi Bike Accident porting MIT’s targeted divestment danese civilians and that there is ment or fund military arms, though THE BOSTON GLOBE told the Associated Press. The uni- from certain companies involved no evidence that divestment will be there are different models of target- Seymour Papert, a professor versity is hosting the conference. with the Sudanese government. effective. ed divestment that can be followed. emeritus at MIT who is one of the A native of South Africa, Papert Even with this sign of support, The UA-GSC joint resolution’s The resolution asked that “MIT pioneers of artificial intelligence and worked with renowned researcher which comes in addition to the author, Kayvan Zainabadi G, said take actions to encourage corporate an authority on how computers can Jean Piaget and helped develop the UA’s recent passing of the same that approval of the resolution responsibility in Sudan, including help children learn, was seriously in- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory resolution, the student body is not shows that “basically the entire stu- targeted divestment from offending jured after being struck by a motor- at MIT with Marvin Minsky. Their entirely unanimous on the topic of dent body of MIT is in favor of tar- companies doing business with the bike in Hanoi, where he was attend- book, “Perceptrons,” is considered divestment from certain companies geted divestment.” The result of the genocidal government of Sudan im- ing a conference. one of the seminal works on the top- involved with the Sudanese govern- vote was 26-2-7 (yes-no-abstain- mediately (no later than December The accident on Tuesday left Pa- ic. Papert also helped create Logo, a ment. The MIT Corporation’s Ad- ing) with only GSC representatives 31, 2006).” pert, 78, in a coma. He underwent programming language used to teach visory Committee on Shareholder being allowed to vote. The vote at Discussion on the topic was ex- brain surgery at French Hospital, computer science. Responsibility is currently consid- the UA Senate meeting was similar tended from 10 minutes to about hospital officials said. Since retiring, Papert, who lives ering whether MIT should divest or to that at the GSC General Council 25 minutes, GSC President Eric He was struck while crossing a in Maine, has been adviser to the not. meeting, with a majority of “yeas” street near his hotel, Hoang Xuan MIT Media Lab’s international One Opinions are divided between in the voice count and no “nays.” Sudan, Page 14 Lan of Hanoi Technology University, Laptop Per Child project. Harvard Narrows Down List In Short ¶ At a special faculty meeting Nov. Of Presidential Candidates 29, a motion was passed to delay By Marcella Bombardieri reported yesterday in the student votes on the proposed changes to and Maria Sacchetti newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, in the General Institute Requirements THE BOSTON GLOBE an article about the Sunday overseers that were presented in the report Harvard has whittled down hun- meeting. The source confirmed those from the Task Force on the Under- dreds of nominees for its next presi- 11 names to the Globe yesterday, as graduate Educational Commons dent to a small list, including internal well as two others. released earlier this year. No votes candidates and presidents of some of Harvard spokesmen declined to will occur until at least Feb. 2007. the nation’s top universities, according confirm the information yesterday. to a source familiar with the process. The search began shortly after ¶ The review of the MLK program The source would not give a spe- Summers announced his resignation is available at https://web.mit.edu/ cific number, but said the university is in February, ending a tumultuous provost/mitdocs/MLK_Report_ considering a smaller group than the five-year tenure. May2006.pdf. The report discusses 30 names that the presidential search The presidential search commit- the Martin Luther King Visiting Professor and Scholar Program committee presented to Harvard’s tee, which includes the Corpora- and emphasizes the importance of Board of Overseers on Sunday. tion, the university’s main governing developing an Institute-wide strat- Harvard is focusing on an elite board, as well as some members of egy for the recruitment of minority group of academics, many of them the Board of Overseers, is conducting faculty at MIT. with deep ties to Harvard. the search. It will keep narrowing the The university’s last president, list of contenders with the intention ¶ The PE lottery for IAP opened Lawrence H. Summers ’75, who had of picking a president by early next CHRISTINA S. KANG—THE TECH this week and will close Wednesday, been a Harvard professor, was atypi- year. Phil Good from Berklee College of Music sings at the Holiday Cof- Dec. 13. IAP PE classes begin Jan. 8 cal because of his political experience The Board of Overseers then must feehouse in the Student Center on Thursday, Dec. 7. Good’s sing- and end Jan. 29. Students can enter ing was followed by performances from Giles Li and Vudoo Soul. in Washington as Clinton’s former give the final stamp of approval. the lottery at http://web.mit.edu/ath- The event was sponsored by the Asian American Association. treasury secretary. letics/www/physed/index.html. Eleven of the 30 names were first Harvard, Page 12 ¶ Buffets are now offered at Pritch- ett Hall Dining on Tuesday nights SPORTS NEWS World & Nation. 2 and at McCormick Hall Dining on Thursday nights. Preferred dining Does the Bowl Championship FoxTrot to end daily publication Opinion . 4 is accepted at both locations. Mac- Series system for determining the this month. .Page 10 Campus Life . 5 Gregor’s pilot dining program offer- college football champs work? Arts . 6 ing Tuesday buffets ended this week. Massachusetts to list death rates Comics. 8 Page 16 per heart doctor . .Page 13 Send news information and tips to Sports .