41–50 of 123 posts
Fun fact: registration for the classes required for the pirate certificate (sailing, archery, pistol/rifle, fencing) generally run out within a minute of opening. However, this being at MIT, I was never sure whether this was because of humans or bots.
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Reportedly the Russian government has issued letters of marque to hacking and cybercrime groups. I can imagine the same has happened in the US.
> Reportedly the Russian government has issued letters of marque to hacking and cybercrime groups. Those would only be metaphorical (and even then not a particular apt metaphor) letters of marque and reprisal; a literal letter of marque and reprisal is to a private vessel to attack and seize property from enemy vessels, converting acts which would otherwise be piracy under international law into lawful armed combat.…
As we all know, the US defense apparatus, particularly its clandestine branch, has never done anything illegal.
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Yes [1]. They also provide tuition scholarships for children of staff and graduate students [2] who could not otherwise afford childcare in the Boston area (which runs on average $20K/yr against a post-tax stipend as low as $31K/yr, ie, completely impossible to afford unless you have a trust fund or a scholarship). Not sure what that has to do with a bit of workplace levity at an otherwise famously intense undergradu…
Unless you're, y'know, Aaron Swartz.
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Do famous people really choose not to speak at MIT Commencement because they won't get an honorary degree for it? You'd think "spoke at MIT Commencement" would be an equal line item for a CV given the context.
From what I've heard, yes. The choice is not between speaking at MIT+no honorary degree and not speaking at all; speak at MIT+no honorary degree/speak at Harvard+honorary degree -> well, could be swayed to speak at Harvard then!
Are there people who are impressed by honorary degrees??
Fun fact: registration for the classes required for the pirate certificate (sailing, archery, pistol/rifle, fencing) generally run out within a minute of opening. However, this being at MIT, I was never sure whether this was because of humans or bots.
I realized this list didn't include swimming and thought it was missing, until I remembered that MIT requires swimming prowess in order to graduate.
This was an informal thing for a long time, but I didn't know that there's now an actual certificate. I may have to go back and request mine retroactively.
> The MIT Pirate Certificate is for entertainment purposes only and does not give the recipient license to engage in piracy or any pirate activities. Jeez, what buzzkills.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Reportedly the Russian government has issued letters of marque to hacking and cybercrime groups. Those would only be metaphorical (and even then not a particular apt metaphor) letters of marque and reprisal; a literal letter of marque and reprisal is to a private vessel to attack and seize property from enemy vessels, converting acts which would otherwise be piracy under international law into lawful armed combat.…
> Not under US law (even if it still wouldn’t make any sense under international law for the reasons described above), since Constitutionally that would require an active of Congress authorizing such letters, which has not occurred. You can imagine what you want, but its simply not a reality. As we all know, the US defense apparatus, particularly its clandestine branch, has never done anything illegal.
That’s irrelevant: the point of the letter is exactly to make it not illegal. If anything, it proves they didn’t have a (literal) letter of marque.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
From what I've heard, yes. The choice is not between speaking at MIT+no honorary degree and not speaking at all; speak at MIT+no honorary degree/speak at Harvard+honorary degree -> well, could be swayed to speak at Harvard then!
Do these people think that others are impressed by honorary degrees? Are there people who are impressed by honorary degrees??
Yes. Yokels who don't know what "honorary" means.