"We Ran Silent Movies For Years": An Italian Immigrant Goes Into Show Business in the Early 20th cen
The advent of "talkies"in the early 20th century had an impact felt far from Hollywood. Immigrants made up a significant portion of the movie-going audience during the silent film era because the lack of (English) speech beckoned immigrants unable to comprehend the many facets of American life: a picture that didn't talk was particularly appealing to people who didn't speak or read English. In this oral history, recorded by Roy Rosenzweig in 1978, Italian immigrant Fred Fedeli recalled his exper
Solid Rock to Building Block
Students continue their pyramid building journey, acting as engineers to determine the appropriate wedge tool to best extract rock from a quarry and cut into pyramid blocks. Using sample materials (wax, soap, clay, foam) representing rock types that might be found in a quarry, they test a variety of wedges made from different materials and with different degrees of sharpness to determine which is most effective at cutting each type of material.
Academic Leaders: Perspectives and Current Challenges
Two influential academic leaders, both holding a significant place in MIT’s history, reflect on efforts to achieve gender equity in science and engineering at MIT and other institutions of higher learning.
“In spite of steps to promote diversity, underrepresentation of women at all faculty levels persists,” says Shirl
Rube Goldberg and the Meaning of Machines
Simple and compound machines are designed to make work easier. When we encounter a machine that does not fit this understanding, the so-called machine seems absurd. In this lesson, the cartoons of Rube Goldberg are introduced and engage the students in critical thinking about the way his inventions make a simple task even harder to complete. As the final lesson in the simple machines unit, the study of Rube Goldberg machines can help students evaluate the importance and usefulness of the many ma
Equality, growth and sustainability – an impossible combination?
Equality and growth are often considered to be conflicting goals. Welfare cuts in order to achieve fiscal sustainability are now on the agenda in a number of European countries. In Norway, an abundance of natural resources has offered a favourable starting point. Yet its management presents policymakers with a number of new dilemmas. Can the experience of a small country like Norway hold some larger lessons? Sigbjørn Johnsen is serving his second term as Norwegian Minister of Finance. His first
Arbitration and Financial Markets Disputes
Jeffrey Golden, the principal author of ISDA's Master agreements (FT: "Mr. Derivatives") and the driving force behind the efforts of setting up an international financial court will be challenged by Jan Paulsson on the suitability of arbitration for financial markets disputes. Jeffrey Golden was the founding partner of the US law practice of Allen & Overy LLP and a senior partner in the firm's global derivatives practice and is now a visiting professor at the LSE Law Department. Jan Paulsson is
Great Ideas of Biology
In this Founders' Day lecture Sir Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, discusses the great ideas of biology.
Losing the plot in the era of image: When a picture tells more than a thousand words
In his Inaugural lecture Professor Yiannis Gabriel from the School of Management critiques our desire to look for a story in every image.
3/25/11
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4/15/2011
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MIT 150th Open House: Robotics, Optical Fibers and High-Definition Illuminated Pickles
Short video of RLE events for the Under the Dome: MIT 150th Open House on Saturday, April 30, 2011.
Dedication of Building E62 at the MIT Sloan School of Management – May 13, 2011
Dedication of Building E62 at the MIT Sloan School of Management – May 13, 2011
MIT@Lawrence: 2010 Year In Review
MIT@Lawrence students, faculty, and community partners discuss and reflect on the two practicum during 2010. The spring course focused on the trash maintenance of alleyways and canals in the city. The fall course addressed the issue of foreclosed homes and the registration of real estate owned (REO) property. Participants highlight successes, challenges, and insight into how the partnership functions in addressing the two issues during the year.
Civic Media Session: "Civic Disobedience" 2011 has seen a wave of popular protests threaten authoritarian regimes around the world. Protests in Tunisia removed a much-loathed dictatorship, and the occupation of Tahrir Square in Cairo promises to reshape the government of Egypt. Even in countries where protests are unlikely to unseat entrenched leaders, the prospect of unrest has led leaders to make major political concessions. Is this wave of civic disobedience best explained as a reaction to economic and political conditions
Opportunities for Energy Efficiency in Buildings — Prof. Leon Glicksman Leon Glicksman, Professor of Building Technology and Mechanical Engineering, MIT Opportunities for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Presentation Date: May 16, 2011 Abstract Residential and commercial buildings use 40 percent of US energy and over two thirds of our electricity. There are numerous opportunities to reduce the consumption including advanced technologies as well as traditional measures. These
LGO Web Seminar Series
Promoting Inclusion
Aryeh Neier spoke to the MIT community about the worldwide work of the Open Society Foundations to secure education, health and justice for marginalized people.
Aryeh Neier is president of the Open Society Foundations. Prior to joining the Open Society Institute in 1993, he served for 12 years as executive director of Human Rights Watch, of which he was a founder in 1978. Before that, he worked 15 years at the American Civil Liberties Union, including eight years as national executive director.
Mark Schoenfield: “Love, Death, and Form in the Modern Sonnet”
Watch video from the May 4 Thinking Out of the Lunchbox event. Mark Schoenfield, professor of English, spoke on “Love, Death, and Form in the Modern Sonnet.” Since the Renaissance, the sonnet has been an especially beloved form for the writers and readers of English poetry, and if these 14 lines monuments to a momentkeep reading »
Ride for freedom – 50 years later
In 2007, Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff retraced the 1961 Freedom Rides with some of the original Freedom Riders as they traveled to Montgomery and Birmingham, Ala. Among the participants was Congressman John Lewis, Diane Nash, Bernard Lafayette, the Rev. C.T. Vivian, Jim Zwerg, John Seigenthaler and the Rev. James Lawson. More than four decadeskeep reading »
Edward Fischer: Cash on the Table: Anthropology Meets Economics
Watch video of Edward Fischer, professor of anthropology and director of the Center for Latin American Studies, speaking at the Commencement 2011 Faculty Seminars. Professor Fischer has an impressive list of scholarly articles and has written or edited seven books, including Cultural Logics and Global Economies: Maya Identity in Thought and Practice and Broccoli and Desire:keep reading »
2.1.1 A day in my life
Ever wondered how a computer processes data into information? This unit will help you to understand the distinction between the two and examines how a computer-based society impacts on daily life. You will learn what computers can do with data to produce information and how computers can be used to work with data and search for it, control machines, and support commercial operations.
