Metaboston

IBM in Kendall Square

IBM is the latest big company to move into Kendall Square in Cambridge with the development of a social software center joining Google and Microsoft

Developer of Microsoft's Campus in Cambridge

While some of the neighbors aren't thrilled to have Microsoft expanding their presence in Kendall Square, Sara Spalding, the Senior Director of Microsoft’s campus in Cambridge plugs ahead as she discusses in this interview.

“We’re very intentional in building a culture here. I think of it as, like, the love child of Microsoft culture and Cambridge culture. We want to take all the drive and excitement and passion of Microsoft culture and put a local flavor on it.

The fact that we have Kendall Square right here (the core of technology in this area!) is going to be a big part of our culture. On the first floor, we’re going to have a public meeting space so that we can invite the community in for lectures or user group meetings. We want to be able to host those things here, because we’re in this very tight knit, small area that has such a strong focus on technology.

Neil Gaiman at MIT

Neil Gaiman, author of the Sandman series and Neverwhere and other books, will be speaking at MIT next month and anyone can attend:

"New York Times bestselling author, screenwriter and comics luminary Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, Beowulf, Stardust) is scheduled to present the first Julius Schwartz Lecture in Kresge Auditorium at 7PM on May 23rd, 2008. Doors will open at 6PM.

Tickets are $8, no limit.  Cash only, general admission, no reservations. Tickets will also be available at the door the evening of the event."

You can buy tickets at Pandemonium Books (Central Square); Comicopia (Kenmore Square); New England Comics (Harvard Square, Coolidge Corner, Allston); Hub Comics (Union Square); Million Year Picnic (Harvard Square); and Comikase (Davis Square)

MIT Sneak Preview of Jumper with Hayden Christiansen

Sneak Preview at MIT of upcoming science fiction movie Jumper with Hayden Christiansen.  Time and date:  Wednesday, January 16,  at 8:00pm in MIT building 26, Room 100,

There will be geekery and there will be science:

"The screening will be followed by a discussion panel about the film and the physics of teleportation featuring lead actor Hayden Christiansen, director Doug Liman, and MIT Physics Professors Max Tegmark and Edward Farhi."

One problem, if you're not at MIT or don't know anyone who is this might be a tough ticket to get:

"This is a FREE Sneak Preview, with preferred admission for members of the MIT Community with an MIT ID or brass rat. Tickets will be distributed in Lobby 16 at 6pm on January 16."

Comprehensive treatment of the song Charlie on the MTA that gives its name to the Charlie ticket

Comprehensive treatment of the song Charlie on the MTA that gives its name to the Charlie ticket.  Including the history of its inspiration:

"In the 1940s, the MTA fare-schedule was very complicated - at one time, the booklet that explained it was 9 pages long.  Fare increases were implemented by means of an "exit fare".  Rather than modify all the turnstiles for the new rate, they just collected the extra money when leaving the train.  (Exit fares currently exist on the Braintree branch of the Red Line.)  One of the key points of the platform of Walter A. O'Brien, a Progressive Party candidate for mayor of Boston, was to fight fare increases and make the fare schedule more uniform.  Charlie was born.

The text of the song was written in 1949 by Jacqueline Steiner and Bess Lomax Hawes.  It was one of seven songs written for O'Brien's campaign, each one emphasized a key point of his platform. One recording was made of each song, and they were broadcast from a sound truck that drove around the streets of Boston. This earned O'Brien a $10 fine for disturbing the peace."

The Kingston Trio above popularized it but weren't the first to sing it.

Gridskipper Review of The Hotel@MIT

Gridskipper review of the Hotel@MIT:  "the Hotel@MIT is content to be quietly, unapologetically, incredibly geeky."