http://tech.mit.edu Headlines from The Tech, MIT's Student Newspaper en-us Copyright The Tech 1881-2008 http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/hmoeller.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/hmoeller.htmlBy Holly MoellerOn Monday night, Kresge Auditorium was filled with good-natured banter, verbal pats on the back, smiles, and even a hug. It was hardly the atmosphere I’d expected from two senior advisors to the presidential campaigns (R. James Woolsey on behalf of Senator McCain and Jason Grumet for Senator Obama) debating energy policy in front of a collegiate audience. Instead of outlining realistic policies and challenging the opposing viewpoint, both speakers steered the debate along a bland, albeit cheerful, tack.]]>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/gshu.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/gshu.htmlBy Gary ShuRepresentatives from both presidential campaigns met on campus last Monday and were asked how their candidates would define success in the energy sector at the end of two terms as president. In spite of the night’s rhetoric about oil-free, renewable energy ambitions, their responses were surprisingly subdued.]]>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/esolomon.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/esolomon.htmlBy Ethan SolomonThis past Monday, I munched on a chocolate glazed donut and sipped on iced tea (lemon and sugar) from Dunkin’ Donuts. I had a $5 foot-long Spicy Italian sub from Subway after my 5.111 lecture. And after pistol practice, I grabbed a cheeseburger from the Cambridge Grill.]]>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/ksagar.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/ksagar.htmlBy Karan SagarMIT stands among very few institutions in the nation regarding how it prepares its students for their future. A solid, practical education ensures that we can adapt and take care of ourselves after we graduate from college. Personally, I assume that such preparation includes the skills necessary for daily sustenance.]]>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/rmalik.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/rmalik.htmlBy Radhika MalikIt is the duty of every institution to take measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of its students. While MIT does make significant efforts to encourage healthy living, it has yet to find a substantial solution to the issue of campus dining.]]>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/corrections.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N46/corrections.htmlFri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/maurer.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/maurer.htmlBy Joe MaurerFor most politicians, especially those facing an election in less than a month, looking good to the taxpayer is important. Anyone familiar with the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates knows how elected officials love to boast about fighting corruption, saving taxpayer money, and most recently, directing angry diatribes towards unpopular figures — and unfortunately for the market, Wall Street has never been all that popular with “Joe Six-Pack.”]]>Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/gallez.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/gallez.htmlBy Florence GallezThe “You” of YouTube is beautiful (who is immune to a bit of attention?), and the “We” of wikis and the like are everywhere. But make no mistake, at the end of the day, it’s still the “Me” that matters.]]>Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/liu.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/liu.htmlBy Maggie LiuHaving attended a boarding school for the last four years, I am altogether too familiar with the term “bubble effect.” This metaphoric phrase describes the coddled isolation common amongst the verdant courtyards of academia.]]>Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/bertschinger.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/bertschinger.htmlBy Edmund BertschingerIn an opinion piece published several weeks ago, Gary Shu speculated on the causes of the gender gap in science and engineering and decried the call for a “Title Nining” of federal science funding.]]>Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/shu.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/shu.htmlBy Gary ShuI learned that it takes 3000 foot-pounds of energy to stop a brown bear.]]>Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/yelin.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/yelin.htmlBy Dan YelinNews coverage leading up to Thursday’s Vice Presidential debate had us all believing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin lacked the skills and knowledge necessary to run for national office.]]>Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/corrections.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N45/corrections.htmlTue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N44/iww.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N44/iww.htmlBy The Tech’s Editorial Board Chancellor Clay “celebrates community traditions” by chastising hackers. Cognitive dissonance much? — thumbs down]]>Fri, 3 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N44/present.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N44/present.htmlBy Elaina PresentI chose MIT because of the stories: the great cannon heist, the police car, the student-run live-action role playing club, the simple trust that was placed in the intelligence and competence of the students — in letting them choose their own living groups that kept up their own cultures, often decades old, in letting them have a voice in any decisions affecting them. I guess I was imagining a sort of Utopia — 5000 of the funkiest, most brilliant minds from the entire country and around the world molding a homeland of their own in which to learn and live.]]>Fri, 3 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400Opinion