Freshman MIT Students Automate Dorm Room 290
Inessa writes "Two freshman MIT students have automated their dorm room, complete with a big red party button which generates an instant party. Their custom-engineered system is called MIDAS, the Multi-Function In Dorm Automation System. According to the MIT News office, "Gone are the light switches and glaring fluorescent lights of a typical dorm room. Zack Anderson and RJ Ryan's room has several lighting schemes, remote web access, voice activation, a security system, electric blinds and more ... With the touch of one red button, their dorm room becomes a rave. The lights go out, the blinds close, the displays read, "feel the energy" as a voice repeats the same phrase over a deep bass beat.""
Otherwise it wouldn't be MIT... would it? (Score:5, Insightful)
Bit small for a party (Score:1, Insightful)
Thanks, Mom and Dad (Score:5, Insightful)
YES! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:YES! (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:What a couple of nerds... (Score:3, Insightful)
Right. MIT students automated their room. Isn't this a dog-bites-man story?
One Man Party (Score:4, Insightful)
It May Look Nice... (Score:2, Insightful)
After running a few LAN parties, I know full well, set up is half the time of take down.
So assuming these boys have been at this whole Dorm Party System for a couple of months, dare I say a year? How are they going to take all this down?
I bet everything has been screwed or nailed in, modified and altered to accommodate all this equipment. Who allowed them to do this? Last time I checked you weren't allowed to mess around with dorm rooms.
So are they going to sell the whole system to the school as an example to future students how useful MIT is? Or will they sell it to another group of freshmen?
They are going to have to move out sooner or later. I feel bad for the system. Its either going to be torn down or abused as a teaching resource.
Nice system and all, but -10 practicality. Maybe it would have worked better in a house or apartment. They should have worked more in how it looked and how it was to be set up instead of just building it.
With some planning they could have made some money, but I won't mess up my dorm and forfeit my damage payment for the system.
-10 Practicality, -5 Damage Deposit, +5 L337ness...
Re:How the hell do you afford all that stuff? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Bit small for a party (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What a couple of nerds... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:MIT's drug abuse problem (Score:5, Insightful)
I would not discount all MIT grads based on one negative experience you've had.
Re:MIT students definition of a party... (Score:2, Insightful)
I personally do not care much for the fracas and rukus of the normal college parties for meeting women. Try a library or a coffee shop. Be interesting even when not intoxicated.
Re:great, but (Score:5, Insightful)
The chicks are geeks. Some of them are probably reading this now, and hoping to have a chance to check it out. Many will understand MIDAS well enough to build their own.
Basically these guys have designed a perfect solution for their environment. It might not work that well at another school, but at MIT they have it made... for a while at any rate. Like most geeks the chicks at MIT will want to see upgrades, new versions and bugfixes.
Re:MIT's drug abuse problem (Score:3, Insightful)
As a manager at a high tech company, my experience has been entirely different. While we don't get a lot of MIT graduates coming to the west coast, the ones who have worked for me have been fantastic in terms of being bright, energetic, as well as good with both working on technical problems and dealing with people. I'd believe that a school like MIT could produce some freaks, but I'd love to get more of the same of what I've experienced in the past.
Re:MIT students definition of a party... (Score:5, Insightful)
All sex is paid for.
Re:MIT's drug abuse problem (Score:4, Insightful)
However, what's vastly more important than simply getting good grades for the top jobs and especially graduate work is demonstrating your ability. Come out of any halfway respectable school having published a paper in a decent journal (or at least written a good paper), done some sort of other neat research, written (and sold!) some great programs, etc, and you have a huge advantage over someone who's merely got the grades and the school rep.
Professors in college are mainly there to teach you how to properly teach yourself and give you the fundamentals in the field you've finally chosen. As long as you got a couple professors who know what it is to research and work in industry that aren't total bums, they should be able to impart all the necessary wisdom to you. Being instructed by Nobel Laureate Professor X. Winnar or Fields Medalist Q. Bert Hawtsauce is nice for letters of recommendation, I'll give them that, but in my experience hasn't shown much of a difference as far as undergrad learning.
To make up for the environment at my smaller and less tech-oriented school, I spent semesters and summers abroad at programs targeted to people in my situation. Going to those programs were invaluable, they were funded by the government, and they gave me a chance to really get immersed in my subject with students who felt as passionately about it as I did. It also gave me some amazing contacts in terms of notable names in my field, one of whom has offered to fund my grad studies.
So really, like most other things, it's your talent, the effort you put in, and lots of plain dumb luck. Had I chosen a more highly ranked school I would've come out of undergrad with amazing amounts of debt, and I don't know if I would've really improved on my grad outlook. This way, I have something like $10k in low-interest government loans and I'm getting fully funded with a very nice stipend at a good grad school.
Re:MIT's drug abuse problem (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Otherwise it wouldn't be MIT... would it? (Score:3, Insightful)
Nobody said it was the best institution there is, but I'd like to see you form a (constructive) argument against calling it one of the premier institutions. In the future I suggest you avoid unfounded statements.
I'd also like to hear the reasoning behind your being awarded a score of "5, Insightful." I know bashing the USA on Slashdot is as trendy as typing Microsoft with a dollar sign ("OMG M$ SUX!!!"), but please... lets be a bit more selective, moderators.
Don't Be So Depressed (Score:3, Insightful)
If you just look at women as sexual objects then I'm sure you'll end up with someone who will be manipulative. On the other hand, if you actually like women, and are careful in your selection process, you might actually find something more meaningful.