MIT has a "tradition" known as hacking. In the basic sense, it is a glorified senior prank. While not necessarily strongly encouraged by administration, the pranks definitely do not seem to be discouraged as they are often celebrated by the MIT community through hallways discussions and websites such as this hacking gallery.
Hacks have unspoken set of rules or ethics as they call it. Here's what I found on the hacking website sited above:
"According to the "hacker ethic," a hack must:
- be safe
- not damage anything
- not damage anyone, either physically, mentally or emotionally
- be funny, at least to most of the people who experience it"
I stumbled across this hack yesterday. They managed to put an entire living room, upside down on this "arch". If you look carefully, you can see the famous MIT dome peaking over building 18 in the background.
Upon further inspection, you can see the incredible detail including a cat on the chair, a lit floor lamp, and even a picture hanging on the wall (look close for this one, it's in the upper right corner).
Closer view... do you see the cat?
Closer view... do you see the cat?
Based on the booth selling hacking t-shirts at the base of the arch, I have a feeling this may not be a true hack and instead more of a publicity stunt. Regardless, it is a great example of MIT culture and the only hack that I've witnessed while in possession of my camera.
