From: cthomas@athena.mit.edu (Michael T Ford)
Subject: Re: MIT Dome (was: Kresge auditoria)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 11:43:21 GMT

In article <1993Jan12.072422.27076@netcom.com> bml@netcom.com (Brian Leibowitz) writes:
>
>I guess I had better field this one.  I have done extinsive research on
>the student pranks and MIT (called _hacks_ at MIT).
>Pranks at MIT have a long history and have evolved a set of ethics -
>No damage should occur, it must be done safely and it must be good natured.  
>If anyone has questions about the pranks at MIT, I'll answer them.
>Also, if anyone has any information about pranks at MIT, I'd like to hear
>from you.
>
>SHAMELESS PLUG!!!!!!!!!!
>My research on pranks at MIT has been published in a book.
>In it are many of the pranks that have been documented with photos
>and  other documentation.  Photos go back to the 20s and the pranks
>go back to the late 1800s.  Other pranks included are:
>The balloon at the Harvard/Yale football game in 1982.
>Numerouse cars in unusual places (not on the dome, however).
>Creative unauthorized redecorating.
>Uncommon artwork.
>Hoaxes
>and the Cow on the roof.
>
>The book is called _The Journal of the Institute for Hacks TomFoolery & Pranks
>at MIT_   158 pages - about 200 photos  9.5"X11" softcover
>Published by the MIT Museum.  Available from them for $19.95 plus S&H.
>call (617) 253-4462 or write them at 265 Mass. Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
>
>Brian     bml@netcom.com        I jest to Oberon and make him smile - Will S.

I have a copy of the book sitting on my desk here--very good reading if I 
do say so.
But on to my point...
I think one of the best hacks pulled was one, I think, last December.
Somewhere around 65 students transformed one of the lobbies (lobby 7) in
a main building to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the All Night Tool, or
something to that effect.  Statues had been erected; others changed.
There was a pipe organ on the second floor overlooking the lobby controlled
by a PC.  The skylights in the very top of the dome were covered with gels
with formulas painted on them, i.e. E=m*c^2, F=M*A, etc.  The "16 Commandments"
were posted on two very (6 or 7 feet) large "stones"--numbered in hexadecimal,
of course.  There was an alter, carpet in the aisle, and 8 pews.  The evening
that it was up, there was a "wedding" performed there.  They also covered up
the three sets of windows (what, 50, 60 feet high?) with colors to make
them look like stain glass windows representing: 1) Students in a lecture
hall w/ the prof and E=mc^2, 2) a beaver (the mascot of the school), and 
3) a representation of the dome, a student carrying a breifcase (or something
of that likeness), flames at the bottom, and IHTFP at the top.

That goes down I think as one of the alltime greatest hacks here.  They got
the thing setup in under a couple hours without getting caught.  There
was more to it--can't remember it all, there was so much.  The "stained-
glass windows" actually stayed up for a few days (nice to see well walking
west down the "Infinite Corridor" at about sunset) because Physical Plant
couldn't figure out how to get them down.  I think that the students
scaled the metal lattice on the windows to attach these things.

A side note: to the guy above that in the >'s who wrote the book
The Journal of IHTFP at MIT, all the info was mailed to the director
of the museum.  You might want to check with him, there were some
other good hacks done this year.  


----------------+------------------------+-------------------------------------
Michael T. Ford | cthomas@athena.mit.edu |"Ford!" he said, "there's an infinite
473 Memorial Dr | WZ0C @ K1UGM.MA.USA    |number of monkeys outside who want to
Cambridge, MA   | CompuServe: 70400,1420 |talk to us about this script for 
     02139-4319 |                        |Hamlet they've worked out."
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