Monthly Archives: October 2012

Flood in SP!

A ceiling panel soaked in water on the floor of the multipurpose room. (Photo courtesy of George Chen)

On August 15th, SP experienced a huge flood due to a broken sprinkler head in one of the rooms on the 5th floor.

The fire alarm went off around 7.30 pm and everyone had to evacuate. It turns out that somebody hung a skateboard on the sprinkler, which initiated a chain of fire emergency response and a huge waterfall from the fifth floor. As the building is on a slight incline, the rooms on the east side got more water compared to the west side.

The total cost of damage is estimated to be at least $60,000, including the cost of repair for the damaged multipurpose room floor and ceiling tiles. In addition, some residents had to deal with the odor on their carpets due to the flood. Unfortunately, SP and MIT cannot be held accountable for water damage as per the housing contract.

A letter of apology was sent to us anonymously from the person responsible for hanging the skateboard on the sprinkler:

Dear SP residents,

As the resident responsible for the flooding accident on August 15th, I want to apologize to each and every resident that was impacted by my carelessness.  I’m aware of the damage it caused and I apologize for the same. I regret the losses that you may have incurred as well as the inconvenience that it caused everyone.  I would also like to thank our house manager Jack, the housing team, and the entire support staff in helping us restore our rooms. Without their timely action, the damage could have been much worse. Please be careful not to hang anything on the fire sprinklers in your room, which is the lesson that I have learned.  As this is the beginning of the term, I hope we can move on and I wish you all the best for this academic year.

Sincerely yours,

A fellow SP resident

Iain inspects a large puddle on the floor in the multipurpose room (Photo courtesy of George Chen)

It may be confusing that the sprinkler responds to a ‘physical’ load as well as heat. This is because there is a fragile glass tube within the sprinkler filled with a liquid that expands in volume as it heats up. So the heat causes the glass tube to break, which triggers the water spray. In the same way, hanging something on the sprinkler can break the glass tube without the heat. So please do not hang anything on the sprinkler! See the video below for a demonstration:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/ekGazrZ3fls]

By Stephanie (Ahhyun) Nam

Get up in the air with the MIT Flying Club.

Flying an experimental aircraft (Courtesy of Tamas Kolos-Lakatos)

Dreaming of flying? Ready to start? Already in training? The MIT Flying Club gives you wings to experience the fun and excitement of flying.

In the Fall of 2005, several MIT students banded together to start a new club at MIT dedicated solely to flying. However, the MIT Flying Club has been around since nearly the beginning of aviation. The “Technology Flying Club”, as it was known at the time, purchased its first plane in 1927. Interest in flying reached its peak in the late 1940s, when student members flew several different types of aircraft out of Beverly and Bedford airports. Later that year, two pilots, in an effort to attract new members, attempted to drop leaflets upon incoming freshman announcing the club.

MITFC members at a fly-out (Courtesy Tamas Kolos-Lakatos)

The Flying Club was reborn in 2005 to provide members the opportunity to meet and interact with others who are interested in aviation. Throughout the academic year, MITFC holds a variety of informal gatherings where members can meet to talk about aviation, listen to lectures, and watch movies.  In addition, MITFC organizes airshow visits and airport outings during the summer. Club membership is open to everyone, regardless of age and experience.

The Club also organizes fly-outs to nearby destinations throughout the year. If you would like to fly over Manhattan and loop around the Statue of Liberty, or fly-out to Martha’s Vineyard for a picnic, this is the place for you to find such opportunities. Fly over the MIT campus to experience the bird-eye view of the MIT Dome or spot your room at SP from the air. MITFC will give you the wings to do so!

If you would like to find out more about Flying Club, feel free to contact SP residents Vishnu Jyothindran (vishnu88@mit.edu) or Tamas Kolos-Lakatos (tkolos@mit.edu).

By Vishnu Jyothindran

Review of ‘Car Talk: The Musical’ – A fast-paced and hilarious comedy parodying the clichés of musical theater and NPR’s CarTalk

Car Talk: The Musical! (courtesy berkshireonstage.com)

Written and Directed by Wesley Savick, professor at Suffolk University, Car Talk: The Musical is a fast-paced comedic musical adaptation of NPR’s long running radio show Car Talk, hosted ‘Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers’ (Tom and Ray Magliozzi) which has aired on Saturday mornings on NPR since 1987. The goofy plot pokes fun at the clichés of Broadway Theater, referencing The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, Chicago, Hair, and pretty much every other musical you have (or have not) seen. The plot follows Rusty Fenders (aka Randy), an overweight, studio-apartment dwelling, divorcee who’s only love in life is his ‘Pride’ – a decrepit and unreliable Kia, and his stable and caring co-worker, Sheila B. Goodfew who is secretly in love with him. Randy is forced to decide between Sheila and Miata C. LaChassis, a sexy younger woman (or sports car depending on your interpretation) in his quest for a loving relationship (or a new car, again depending on interpretation). In a parallel plot, randy is faced with the dilemma of how to get his Kia fixed and ends up seeing the ‘wizard of cars’, an embodiment of the Tappet brothers on their radio show.

Although the plot is (intentionally) silly, cliché, predictable, and ultimately forgettable, this show is spectacular. Well acted, the sets are amazing (especially considering that this is a community theater) and the costumes (especially the ‘wizard of cars’ are outstanding.) Although 90 minutes in length with no intermission, you will be laughing so hard it is over before you notice. My one disappointment with the show was that, despite its name and association with its namesake NPR show, Car Talk has very little to do with cars. One of the charms of the radio show is its ability to discuss, in technical detail, a variety of mechanical and electrical automotive problems, thereby appealing to car nerds and engineers, while maintaining appeal to a general audience. This charm was noticeably absent in the musical which, despite being set in an automotive garage, concerns the creation and maintenance of human relationships, not automobiles.

Time: Through Sep. 15

Location: 450 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA (Central Square Theater)

Price: $20-$50

Contact: CentralSquareTheater.org

By Matthew D’Asaro

Work out at the New and Improved SP Gym.

The SP gym. In addition to be being closer than the Z-center, the SP gym is also considerably less crowded (especially at 8:00 am when this photo was taken).

Want to work out without walking (or running) all the way to the Z-center?  The SP gym is the answer for you.  This year, SP athletics has worked hard to improve your workout experience.  A number of new pieces of equipment have been added to the gym.  Firstly, we have added an exercise bike and an elliptical machine.  Also, the missing 15 lb dumbbell set has finally been replaced.  Other new additions include jumping ropes, extension ropes and an inflatable kayak.

Elliptical Machine for cardio, punching bag for stress release.

In addition to all of this new equipment, we now have personal trainers available at SP !!! Anyone who is interested in having a personal training session or a group training session in the SP gym with qualified trainers from the Z center, should contact personaltraining@mit.edu to set this up. This can be set-up as one-on-one sessions or group sessions. The approximate charges for this are $50 per session (typically 1 hour). However, if the sessions are bought in bundles the prices per session would go down. Individual interested in personal training will be responsible for the charges.

This academic year was started by a fitness lecture by Lauren Hanley on How to Create a Workout. The lecture covered key topics such as types of workouts, motivation to work out, benefits of and the need to workout, nutrition, exercise programs etc.

Finally,  SP is now offering weekly yoga classes in the multipurpose room on Sundays from 4 pm to 5 pm.

Keeping in shape (or getting back in shape) has never been easier, thanks to SP athletics!
By SP Athletics Chair Adi Bhujle (sp-athletics-chair@mit.edu)