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To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

ethanzuckerman.com

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Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#61

Post by mrgordon »

nangz wrote: post #16

Remember when MIT media Lab gave a civil disobedience award to bethann mclaughlin for some nebulous #metoo bs who since disgraced herself by LARPing as a fake Native American academic who died of covid? https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/twitter-account-emba... Remember when they chased Aaron Swartz to commit suicide and never gave him a civil disobedience award? Remember their extremely close links to Jeffrey E…

You realize the author of the linked article resigned over Epstein and frequently fought to improve things? Why try to link him to some trash that he vehemently opposed?

And Swartz’s death was caused by JSTOR not the Media Lab FYI

Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#62

Post by gowld »

hardwaregeek wrote: post #15

Whenever I read stuff about this I get a sense of immense jealousy. MIT certainly has its issues but man, I'd love to be at a place where people exhibit so much joy and interest in creation. I've met my share of cool people but it truly does feel like MIT has this unique environment of technical skill and creativity.

That the old MIT. For the past 15 years MIT leadership has been dedicated to destroying the creative hacker spirit.

Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#63

Post by raverbashing »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #55
lmilcin wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The trouble seems that there aren't many people that get software AND electronics AND mechanics AND on top of that marketing, right. It is rare enough to find people with good electronics and software skills.

Very true. Having worked in this space, the failures usually come from lopsided teams. Too many startups try to treat these products as technology products with a side of building materials, assuming that the technology is the hardest part. In reality, the technology part is easy. The most difficult part is manufacturing and shipping reliable mechanisms at low cost. It can be done, but the mechanisms and mechanical p…

Also see: every "smart lock" startup around.

Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#64

Post by Scoundreller »

phyzome wrote: post #51
squarefoot wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It could be much simpler. If I understood the problem, a differential amplifier (any opamp would do) wired to the temp sensors would output a voltage proportional to the difference between the two temperatures, plus adjustment. This voltage then can be used to drive a pwm generator wired to a h-bridge that drives a reversible fan that would pump air with speed and direction depending on the difference between two tem…

I have to ask -- are you aware of the existence of bimetallic strips, and how they can perform this function in a completely mechanical way? (No electricity.) It doesn't get you active air movement, of course, but it has worked for years in greenhouses.

My only worry with that is having one end hang out the window. The household round thermostats are still like $35+ each.

Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#65

Post by saeranv »

Scoundreller wrote: post #8
saeranv wrote: post #3

Awesome post. Who was the cranky researcher who developed the climate-controlled window system with the Linux box and python scripts? I want to do the same thing.

Same, but it seems overkill. I'm in an old office where the only openable window is consumed by a window A/C unit. I want to put a 120mm fan in a small opening next to it that'll turn on when it's more than 3C cooler outside, and more than 24C inside. Seems like an Arduino would do it.

I believe I found the researcher and thesis that informed the window project here: https://resenv.media.mit.edu/#Projects#personalized-building...

I don't think it's overkill within the context of his full work. Based on my brief skimming, he's coupling the window with a personal device to modulate his environment through reinforcement learning.

Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#66

Post by mrgordon »

saeranv wrote: post #32
mkeeter wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like something coming out of the Responsive Environments group ( https://resenv.media.mit.edu/ ).

Thanks for the link, I think I found our guy! https://resenv.media.mit.edu/#Projects#personalized-building... He published his thesis 2010, which aligns with when Ethan arrived at his office, and if you watch the video at that link, you can see the automated window control system at 1:47. (Also the video is kind of hilarious and awesome in its own right).

He’s a cool guy and you’re likely right

Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#67

Post by mrgordon »

gowld wrote: post #62
hardwaregeek wrote: post #15

Whenever I read stuff about this I get a sense of immense jealousy. MIT certainly has its issues but man, I'd love to be at a place where people exhibit so much joy and interest in creation. I've met my share of cool people but it truly does feel like MIT has this unique environment of technical skill and creativity.

That the old MIT. For the past 15 years MIT leadership has been dedicated to destroying the creative hacker spirit.

Melodrama much? It’s still one of the most creative and amazing places to meet hackers (or become one) in the world

Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#68

Post by mrgordon »

hardwaregeek wrote: post #15

Whenever I read stuff about this I get a sense of immense jealousy. MIT certainly has its issues but man, I'd love to be at a place where people exhibit so much joy and interest in creation. I've met my share of cool people but it truly does feel like MIT has this unique environment of technical skill and creativity.

Yes and the Media Lab in particular was an amazing place (can’t speak for the current state) even if it gets a lot of shit for the bad decisions by a few administrators. Definitely met some of the coolest and most inventive people I have met there

Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#69

Post by geofft »

saeranv wrote: post #58
geofft wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only link between Aaron Swartz and the Media Lab is that they hosted his memorial service. Step one of not whitewashing history is to be accurate about it. You can't say that the Media Lab is an embarrassment to the MIT name when one of your pieces of evidence is that the rest of MIT - not the Media Lab - did something unconscionable. You can't hold organizations to account if your account is wrong. And that's th…

I could be wrong and am glad to be corrected if I am. It's not like I'm following MIT Media news all day. But did the Media Lab acknowledge and critique MIT for its actions? If so you're right, I shouldn't criticize the MIT Media Lab. But if not I consider them complicit. Re: the Disobedience Award. I did a google search to find the speech they gave where they discuss why they didn't give it to him. https://www.media…

> I consider them complicit.

That's fine, but that's a different argument from the one being made, that the Media Lab is "absolute trash and an embarrassment to the MIT name."

Re: To the future occupants of my office at the MIT Media Lab

#70

Post by mrgordon »

SQueeeeeL wrote: post #4

There's something so beautiful about a place so dysfunctional that you can't even replace standard office equipment; I know it was alluded to in the article, but in case anyone forgot, the MIT Media Lab played a part in Jeffery Epstein and he often leveraged it for good PR https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/business/mit-media-lab-je...

People do a lot of creative experiments around that building so it’s not surprising you would want to ask before disassembling someone’s thesis project. To call the place “dysfunctional” because some brilliant grad students constantly try new things is to miss the point (and the spirit of the place) entirely.
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