Hacks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

561:. Throughout the off-season, this supposed student visited the Harvard football stadium during his lunch break. He dressed in a black and white striped shirt and trousers, filled his pockets with bird-seed, then went on the field, blew a whistle, and spread his birdseed on the field. The result of all of this effort, the story goes, is that on opening day as the Harvard football team took the field to face their opponent, the referee blew his whistle to signal the start of the game, and the field was suddenly inundated by a flock of birds looking for their lunch. Despite sounding like a classic MIT hack, this particular prank has never been verified. The author of a 1990 book about pranks pulled by MIT students stated that he had not come across clear documentation of this tale during his years of research. 461:. One night shortly before the game MIT students snuck into the Harvard stadium and buried primer cord just under the field. The plan was to burn the letters MIT into the middle of the field during the game. However, their work was uncovered by groundskeepers and disabled. During the game the hackers were apprehended while wearing heavy coats on a fair-weather day. The coats were lined with batteries, obviously intended to be used to detonate the primer cord. An apocryphal story is that an MIT dean came to their defense, opening his own battery-lined coat and claiming that "all Tech men carry batteries"; an MIT dean did show up, but he was not wearing batteries. This phrase has since become common among MIT students. 618:" of hacks. The display hardware had occasional glitches, and was removed as of September 13. The hardware and software designs were further developed and refined for better reliability. On April 20, 2012, MIT hackers successfully turned the Green Building into a huge playable Tetris game, operated from a wireless control podium at a comfortable viewing distance in front of the building. Visitors to Campus Preview Weekend (a gathering for admitted prospective freshman students) were invited to play the game on the colossal 80-by-250-foot (24 m × 76 m) display grid, which was claimed to be the second-largest full-color video display in the US. 1159: 1151: 296: 308:

drawings behind, as an aid to safe de-installation of a hack. Sometimes, the hacks have been de-installed so quickly that members of the MIT community and the general public have had little opportunity to view them. On very rare occasions, community protests have caused the MIT administration to quietly allow a hack to be re-installed and left for a proper viewing interval. The results of certain hacks (often wall murals) have been considered "permanent improvements" to the campus environment, and have been left in place indefinitely, most notably the "

804: 653:. Some of the more popular meanings include "I Have The Fucking Power" (Hacking), "I Help Tutor Freshman Physics", "It's Hard To Fondle Penguins", "I'm Hankering To Find Paradise", and "Interesting Hacks To Fascinate People", as well as "I Have Truly Found Paradise", "Institute for Hacks, TomFoolery, and Pranks" and "Institute Has The Finest Professors". MIT leadership has even adapted the acronym, using it to encourage vaccination during the 1391: 796: 33: 284:(e.g. "Nth Annual Spontaneous Tuition Riot") about events on campus or in the world at large. But the strongest element of many hacks is the sheer joy of conceptualizing something new, and then reifying it with effective engineering, both technical and social (e.g. installing a full-sized mockup solar-powered subway car on the parapet wall around the base of the Great Dome, and then 812: 766:, which hackers had placed on the MIT Little Dome (August 25, 2010) and the MIT Great Dome (August 30, 2010), was transported to the roof of Baxter Hall at Caltech (January 4, 2011) by MIT and Caltech pranksters, where it remained for several weeks. The traveling time-machine subsequently reappeared atop Birge Hall at the 706:(MIT's graduation ring) was tightly fitted over the barrel of the cannon, which was carefully aimed in the direction of Caltech. Twenty-three members of Caltech Fleming House traveled to MIT to reclaim their cannon on April 10, 2006. They were greeted by a larger group of MIT students, who offered them a 198:

and beyond. Over time, the term has been generalized to describe anybody who possesses great technical proficiency in any particular skill, usually combined with an offbeat sense of humor. The manifestation of hacker culture in the form of spectacular pranks is the most visible aspect of this culture

1096:

was closed off by a painted wall with a door. Opening the door revealed a "room" inside, full of small shrubs or bushes, plus some painted and framed artwork. An official-looking sign next to the door labeled it the "Vannevar Shrubbery Room", a parody of the nearby larger "Vannevar Bush Room", whose

621:

Instead of a one-shot temporary installation, the hackers have designed and built a permanent facility that can be re-used repeatedly by the MIT community. An understanding has been reached with the EAPS Department, which is headquartered in the Green Building, to allow the light display hardware to

431:

One classic hack involved a police car with its flashing warning lights operating. The unusual aspect of this hack was its position—on top of MIT's Great Dome. The car was found to be a gutted, junked, heavy Chevrolet, painted meticulously to match the MIT Campus Police patrol cars. The car's number

351:

once compared humorous responses at MIT and Harvard, by posting similar banners over main entrances to their respective campuses which proclaimed "Institute of Nowlege". Regarding Harvard, they concluded, "The question: is the sense of humor still alive in modern-day Harvard students? The answer, it

327:

Although many traditional college pranks have involved maximizing embarrassment or inconvenience for a victim or target, often with a personal or political point to make versus harassment, such antics are usually disparaged by MIT hackers as "unimaginative" or "boring". Often the target of a hack is

94:

Although the practice is unsanctioned by the university, and students have sometimes been arraigned on trespassing charges for hacking, hacks have substantial significance to MIT's history and student culture. Student bloggers working for the MIT Admissions Office have often written about MIT hacks,

738:

which when solved, told solvers to "CALL 1-626-848-3780 ASAP". When MIT students dialed the number, they heard, "Thank you for calling the Caltech Admissions Office. If you are another MIT student wishing to transfer to Caltech, please download our transfer application form from www.caltech.edu. If

686:

have been prank rivals since Spring 2005, when a group of Caltech students traveled to Cambridge to pull a string of pranks during "Campus Preview Weekend" (CPW) for prospective new MIT students. The stunts included covering up the word "Massachusetts" in the "Massachusetts Institute of Technology"

371:

MIT hacks can push the limits of technical skill, and sometimes fail in spite of meticulous planning. Even these engineering failures have been acknowledged to have educational value, and sometimes a follow-up attempt succeeds. One hack on the Great Dome is documented as having finally succeeded on

750:

In the past few years, MIT hackers have tended to ignore Caltech "nuisance" pranks, instead preferring to perform more imaginatively engineered hacks on their own home campus. In particular, the majority of documented hacks occurring during CPW have been perpetrated by MIT students themselves. MIT

307:

Like most art exhibitions, the great majority of hacks are temporary installations; most are removed within a day or so by MIT Physical Plant, the MIT Confined Space Rescue Team (CSRT), or occasionally by the hackers themselves. It is a traditional courtesy to leave a note or even engineering

1320:

at MIT appeared on the Caltech campus in mid-August. They were accompanied by posters that presented proposed renovations to add Simmons-like architectural elements (particularly the ones often regarded as useless by MIT students) to Caltech dormitories, which were undergoing renovation.

95:

including those occurring during Campus Preview Weekend (CPW), an event welcoming admitted prospective freshman students. Alumni bloggers on the MIT Alumni Association website also report and document some of the more memorable hacks. Since the mid-1970s, the student-written guide

114:

were featured in the exhibition. The Museum's extensive collection of hacker artifacts and documentation continues to be preserved and expanded, with a selection of larger relics from past hacks plus explanatory panels and plaques semi-permanently displayed inside the

1052:

parody video released October 27, 2012, was a major student-run project that involved coordinating hundreds of people and over 25 different student organizations. The music video closely follows the original version, and includes cameo appearances by MIT professors

375:

Smaller projects that can be completed by an individual student are sometimes accorded the honorific "a great hack" by other students, if they combine technical elegance with a hackish sense of humor. For example, an MIT undergrad transformed an ordinary grocery

59:, usually, but not exclusively, undergraduate students. The hackers' actions are governed by an informal yet extensive body of precedent, tradition and ethics. Hacks can occur anywhere across campus, and occasionally off campus; many make use of the iconic 276:"Tribute", "memorial", or "commemorative" hacks note the arrival, passing, or anniversary of some noteworthy person, tradition, institution, or idea (e.g. the 10th anniversary of Knowledge (XXG)). Another broad category of hacks contains strong elements of 356:." Regarding MIT, they said, "So it's official: MIT students have a better sense of humor, hands down, than Harvard students. MIT students are more imaginative, more fun-loving, and probably smarter as well. Truly, MIT is the Institute of NOWLEGE." The 746:

was released, alleging that MIT had been sold to Caltech and would become "Caltech East: School of Humanities". Students would be required to take a core of literature, history, philosophy, and economics, but science subjects would be eliminated.

1348:. It was symbolically pointed at its previous owner, Caltech. Twenty to thirty members of Fleming House later traveled to MIT and reclaimed their cannon on April 10, 2006. They left a toy cannon with the note, "Here's something more your size.": 423:, calling on a wide range of technical and management skills. Not surprisingly, some hacker teams have gone on to found start-up business ventures, though they may be reluctant to reveal their earlier exploits until many years have passed. 782:

The MIT IHTFP Hack Gallery website has an extensive but far from complete catalog of past hacks related to MIT, including numerous documentary photos. More-complete coverage, especially of older hacks, appears in the books listed under

687:

engraving on the main building facade with a banner, so that it read "That Other Institute of Technology". A group of MIT hackers quickly responded by altering the banner so that the inscription read "The Only Institute of Technology".

530:

pranksters prefer blue, and others have dressed the statue in women's underwear. MIT hackers like to go a few steps further, fitting the statue with a plaster leg cast after a crushing football defeat, and disguising the statue as the

667:

The 2016 celebrations of MIT's "crossing of the Charles" in 1916, featured a translation as "I Honor Theory (and) Forgo Practice". This was part of a humorous sketch addressing friction between theoretical and applied researchers.

751:

hackers have only rarely interfered with Caltech traditions, rituals, or celebrations. But some MIT hackers do occasionally engage in low-level "sniping" back and forth with Caltech pranksters. For example, hackers made a website

440:", the abbreviation for MIT's unofficial slogan. A dummy dressed as a campus patrolman was seated inside with mug of coffee and a box of donuts. Some years later, the police car has now been semi-permanently re-installed in the 5223: 1317: 464:

The Harvard-Yale football game was again the target of MIT hackers in 1982 when a large weather balloon painted with "MIT" all around was inflated, seemingly from nowhere, in the middle of the field. The next day the

384:, and was frequently seen riding around campus in his "LOLrioKart". The shopping cart had a claimed top speed over 45 miles per hour (72 km/h), and also had a complex steering wheel linkage and a low 1162:

A full living room set hung inverted outside the MIT Media Lab in April 2010; it included an imitation stuffed cat curled in a chair, illustration of the MIT dome, and a floor lamp with the light left on.

1154:

478:

In 1990 an MIT banner was successfully launched from an end zone using a model rocket engine shortly before Yale attempted a field goal kick. In 1996, the Harvard logos on the scoreboard were hacked from

5228: 4974: 4869:— An extensive but far from complete online documentary archive about MIT hacks. Scanty coverage prior to 1989, indexing is incomplete, updating is sporadic. Features a number of documentary photos. 119:. This mini-exhibit on hacks is located on the ground floor of the Stata Center, near the cafeteria at the southeastern end of the complex, and may be viewed by visitors during normal office hours. 622:

remain installed in each window. To avoid annoying the occupants and to allow late-working staff to "opt out", each light display is equipped with a manual override button, which will disable the

5517: 5119: 5011: 719:(MIT's student newspaper) with the headline article reading "MIT Invents the Interweb". Another article announced the discovery, "Infinite Corridor Not Actually Infinite", referring to MIT's 564:

On the other hand, at least one hack involved a staged event that never occurred, when hackers convinced major news media that they had created an indoor snowstorm in Baker House dormitory.

5068: 454:

game. Because of the Cambridge rivalry between MIT and Harvard, hackers often are found at the games, and they have come up with some of the most famous hacks in the Institute's history.

106:

included a "Hall of Hacks" featuring famous MIT hacks, but the section was closed in 2001, temporarily returning for a 2003 exhibition. In 2011, the display space was reallocated to the

400:. As a crowning mark of recognition by the outside world, the LOLrioKart driver once received a traffic ticket from the Cambridge Police, a copy of which was proudly displayed online. 5403: 5021: 657:

with a banner in the MIT medical building that read "I Hate This Flu Pandemic". The precise time of origin is unknown, though the term IHTFP was already widely used at MIT by 1960.

5218: 5154: 5137: 1135:

using cards which had been distributed by hackers. The cards featured technical words which students believed were overused by people outside the technical professions, such as "

1071:, a pioneer of modern linguistics. The parody quickly reached #1 most popular video in Entertainment and #6 overall on YouTube, was called the "Best Gangnam Style Parody Yet" by 875:

Intended to serve as a metaphor for the semester. "Pac-Man represents the unquenchable search for knowledge, while Blinky represents the unforeseen distractions that may occur."

265:

flavor, often satirizing other purported works of conceptual art. Sometimes the boundaries have been deliberately blurred, for example when a satirical work of "conceptual art" (

55:

meant to prominently demonstrate technical aptitude and cleverness, and/or to commemorate popular culture and historical topics. The pranks are anonymously installed at night by

5434: 5363: 5213: 5343: 5142: 5016: 4967: 1515: 403:

Some of the best large-scale hacks (e.g. the Caltech cannon heist) have involved multiple teams of hackers working on coordinated but diverse subtasks such as fund-raising, "

72: 60: 660:

The letters "IHTFP" have been featured prominently on some hacks, but are more usually subtly embedded within other hacks as an inside joke. A very common motif in the MIT

1234:

It has been often said that "Getting an Education from MIT is like taking a drink from a Fire Hose", inspiring hackers to connect a real fire hose and a concrete-embedded

1505:

In the early morning of April 26, 2017, recent computer science graduate Nicholas William Paggi died while hacking the Great Dome, when he slipped and fell to his death.

546:

video game. In accordance with hacker ethics, great care is taken to ensure that the hacks can be removed without causing permanent damage to Harvard's treasured symbol.

209:, is also related to but not identical to "hacking" as described in this article. Some hacks do involve overcoming barriers to physical access (e.g. placing a half-scale 4026: 138: 1475:(plus or minus one ear) in length. During renovation of the bridge in 1964 the markings were carefully restored, and the markings are still carefully maintained today. 340:), and the prank may or may not be aimed at any specific individual. Even when an individual is targeted (e.g. the "disappearing office" of newly arrived MIT President 1955: 472: 5393: 5169: 4993: 4724: 4694: 5512: 5368: 5129: 5046: 4960: 2040: 2513:"Time to pretend: The Tech takes an inside look at cosplaying at MIT — how students take their engineering skills and apply them to crafting the perfect costume" 847:, "dozens of people worked on the project for months, which they started planning about a year ago after learning a new Marvel movie was going to be released." 132: 5124: 774:(March 18, 2011). The TARDIS came complete with a helpful note explaining how to disassemble it, and suggesting passing it on to other unexplored destinations. 4932: 995:

This hack gained recognition on many local news sources and on national television, and is widely celebrated for its realism, attention to detail, and humor.

694:

abducted the 130-year-old, 1.7-ton Fleming House cannon and moved it to their campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, thus reprising a similar prank performed by

630:

tools used to develop new display patterns, so that others can design and deploy new stationary or animated images, in cooperation with the hacker engineers.

503: 110:

exhibition, a year-long show commemorating MIT's 150th anniversary. Although hacks were not featured in the exhibit, certain student activities such as the

5102: 787:

below, but these printed volumes appear only intermittently. The listing here only summarizes a few salient examples from MIT's long tradition of hacking.

4799:— includes a chapter on "Hacking" (pp. 95–106) from the viewpoint of a former Associate Provost and former residential faculty dormitory housemaster 5179: 3882: 5333: 111: 4100: 1253:

The cow and a photo of two students (Mike Heaney '81 and Aaron Bobick '81) hauling it up to the dome were later installed by the MIT Museum in the

1010:

The cow and a photo of two students (Mike Heaney '81 and Aaron Bobick '81) hauling it up to the dome were later installed by the MIT Museum in the

5006: 1340:

removed the cannon from the front of the Fleming House. This time, the cannon was situated in a prominent place on the MIT campus in front of the

471:

ran the headline "MIT 1—Harvard–Yale 0: Tech Pranksters Steal the Show". The 1982 Harvard–Yale hack earned acclaim as winner of "Hack Madness", a

5274: 909: 5527: 5439: 5159: 5084: 4983: 4850: 4820: 4792: 4742: 4712: 3865: 3833: 3429: 3329: 3244: 3228: 3203: 3178: 2986: 2850: 2825: 2769: 2657: 2495: 2289: 2024: 1899: 1856: 1831: 1806: 1731: 1656: 642: 44: 5311: 5184: 5107: 959: 4269: 1876: 4449: 4367: 1197:"GO SOX!" banner across the 1,000+ foot (300+ m) span between the MacGregor House Dormitory and Tang Graduate Dormitory towers 858:

In support of the legalization of cannabis in Massachusetts and in celebration of the cannabis-related international counterculture day,

320:

maintains an extensive collection of original hacker artifacts and documentation, and displays some larger items semi-permanently in the

5033: 4347: 4300: 3540: 1379:. It even contained a fake press release with statements purportedly from Disney and MIT officials, detailing terms of the acquisition. 1238:

to a drinking fountain in Building 16. Years later, the iconic monument has been semi-permanently re-installed by the MIT Museum in the

583:, etc. Although reprogramming the lights is technically straightforward, these Great Dome lighting hacks are very visible from Boston's 5112: 3444: 2157: 1333: 767: 683: 300: 448: 123: 5522: 4071: 2086: 4589: 3523: 3489: 1486:

Ken Wadleigh (who later in life became a dean at MIT) and 4 others welded a streetcar to its metal rails by first distracting the

739:

you are an MIT student not wishing to transfer to Caltech, we wish you the best of luck, and hope you find happiness someday...."

2947: 580: 4879: 4142: 3056: 2977:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Domework: hacking the domes; Dome as dais; The great breast of knowledge, 1979".

1336:

to MIT via a fake moving company "Howe & Ser Moving Co." This marked the 20th anniversary of when 11 students from nearby

5491: 5028: 3624: 2841:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Domework: hacking the domes; Dome as dais; Kilroy (aka George) was here, 1972".

1985: 1520: 2209: 1963: 928:. The logo painted on the truck's sides featured the two figures from the MIT seal dressed as firemen, along with the motto 3572: 2055: 5056: 4384:

Hacks and Pranks at MIT -Photography by Boston and Cambridge Editorial and Commercial Photographer Eric Schmiedl – Page 12

3509:

Hacks and Pranks at MIT -Photography by Boston and Cambridge Editorial and Commercial Photographer Eric Schmiedl – Page 11

1540: 1158: 404: 4128:

Hacks and Pranks at MIT -Photography by Boston and Cambridge Editorial and Commercial Photographer Eric Schmiedl – Page 7

3003: 2331: 1604:

Gaine, Judith (April 1, 1991). "Of Hacks and Smoot: MIT Students Have Engineered Campus Pranks since 1876". Boston Globe.

99:

has included a chapter on hacking, and discusses history, hacker groups, ethics, safety tips, and risks of the activity.

5532: 5174: 4913: 2916: 1150: 4396: 4297:"Scooter Braun on Twitter: "sorry Harvard Business School but MIT GANGNAM STYLE was killer! acapella part was awesome"" 4239: 3457: 2512: 5291: 5051: 3593: 2618: 539:

from time to time, and has donned a Halo combat helmet and brandished a Halo assault rifle to mark the release of the

295: 4557: 2250: 1906:

I'll probably be here for awhile; I understand a bunch of engineering students put my motorcade on top of Building 10

710:

farewell party. In exchange, the Caltech students offered a small toy cannon, saying that this was "more your size".

1627: 664:(class ring) prior to 2013 was the inclusion of the letters "IHTFP" hidden somewhere within the frame of the bezel. 1254: 1239: 1011: 441: 397: 321: 179: 116: 2699: 475:-themed contest sponsored by the MIT Alumni Association in 2014 to determine "the greatest MIT hack of all time". 5097: 5061: 5041: 3897: 770:(January 29, 2011), and then rematerialized on the Durand Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Building at 2198:

Abel, David (May 23, 2001). "Weight of finals explains MIT prank: 'Hack' on dome gets high grade". Boston Globe.

1933:

Ellement, John (February 28, 2007). "Prosecutors drop charges again 3 MIT students in prank case". Boston Globe.

594:

In September 2011, hackers installed 153 (= 9 × 17) custom-made wirelessly-controlled color-changing high-power

5316: 4808: 4780: 4755: 4730: 4700: 4673: 1550: 1285: 1136: 246: 5254: 677: 126:

in 1982, the placing of a campus police cruiser on the roof of the Great Dome, converting the Great Dome into

36:

Residents of MIT's Simmons Hall collaborated to make a smiley face on the building's facade, December 8, 2002.

2816:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Zen and the art of hacking; It's not a job, it's an adventure".

5269: 4944: 2648:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). ""All Mondays should be so beautiful": the art of hacking art".

2126: 1545: 1364: 575:

to illuminate the Great Dome, hackers started changing the color of the lights to reflect various occasions—

553:

about supposed hacks that may not have occurred. One rumored hack involved a certain student's adherence to

372:

the fourth try, after a complete re-engineering of both the installed artifact and the installation method.

341: 270: 202: 5264: 4487: 5192: 5149: 859: 554: 281: 2280:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Hack, hacker, hacking; A short history of the terminology".

190:. The origin of this usage is unknown, but it seems to have been widespread at MIT by the 1960s, and the 5413: 5285: 5233: 4768:— a defunct, annual, student-written guide, which included a "Hacking" chapter starting in the mid-1970s 4468: 1487: 499: 491: 333: 4842: 4543: 626:

lighting for that window for several hours after it is pressed. In addition, the hackers have released

3924: 1189:

Complete with chairs, functional "floor lamp", and a properly set up billiards table, ready for play.

392:

philosophy, and incorporated detailed documentation of his projects and a tutorial on building custom

5373: 5327: 1368: 1341: 1067:, who was co-chairman of President Barack Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and 940: 925: 724: 715: 627: 607: 599: 543: 518:

and its symbolic significance, the John Harvard statue has been fitted with an unending sequence of "

389: 149: 68: 803: 5197: 3420:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "When MIT won the Harvard-Yale game: hacking Harvard".

3320:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "When MIT won the Harvard-Yale game: hacking Harvard".

3219:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "When MIT won the Harvard-Yale game: hacking Harvard".

3194:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "When MIT won the Harvard-Yale game: hacking Harvard".

3169:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "When MIT won the Harvard-Yale game: hacking Harvard".

1471:, markings were made at intervals corresponding to his height. The bridge was measured to be 364.4 1360: 1337: 1073: 771: 695: 230: 210: 3248: 5481: 4615: 2486:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). ""Please wait to be served": the performance hacks".

2165: 2034: 1632: 1434: 1375:

ears atop the Great Dome, and replaced the letter I in MIT with the lower-case "i" from Disney's

1223:

This project, implemented with under $ 150 of components, was funded by the Simmons Rush budget.

568: 495: 2735: 2100: 457:

One such notable hack attempt targeting the 1948 Harvard–Yale football game involved the use of

396:

in his blog. The ersatz vehicle was prominently displayed at many MIT events, as well as at the

4270:"MIT 'Chomsky Style' Best Gangnam Parody Yet? Noted Intellectual Steals The Wacky Show (VIDEO)" 1822:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Form + Function = Hack: the architectural hacks".

1363:

prank, the MIT home page was replaced with a page announcing the university had been bought by

5388: 5378: 4846: 4816: 4788: 4772: 4738: 4708: 4681: 4446: 4364: 4186: 3902: 3861: 3829: 3594:"The 'holy grail' of hacks: The construction of one of the most anticipated hacks of all time" 3425: 3395: 3325: 3224: 3199: 3174: 2982: 2846: 2821: 2765: 2653: 2491: 2285: 2020: 1895: 1852: 1827: 1802: 1727: 1652: 1582:"Elaborate Practice Jokes Make the Grade at MIT". 4E Living. The Miami Herald. April 10, 2002. 1205: 1093: 1078: 1049: 1042: 844: 720: 654: 523: 519: 451: 420: 408: 277: 238: 206: 64: 4351: 4296: 3548: 1944:

Abel, David (March 30, 2000). "Hackers skirt security in late-night MIT treks". Boston Globe.

645:. It originally stood for "I Hate This Fucking Place" but, due to use of profanity, is often 344:), the jest is good-natured, often eliciting admiration rather than anger from the "victim". 148:

and a fire truck to acknowledge the anniversaries of first powered controlled flight and the

5476: 5418: 5296: 4759: 3949: 1460: 735: 584: 507: 381: 234: 4529: 4504: 4160: 5089: 4917: 4491: 4472: 4453: 4371: 4146: 3749: 3576: 3527: 3493: 2411: 1797:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Greener pastures: the Green Building hacks".

1456: 1422: 1416: 1390: 1059: 1004: 972: 837: 458: 393: 250: 226: 187: 122:

Famous hacks include a weather balloon labeled "MIT" appearing at the 50-yard line at the

76: 4212: 2305: 1747: 1697: 598:

lights into every window above the first floor of the 295-foot-tall (90 m) tall MIT

4952: 4422: 3345: 3295: 1615:

Abell, John (May 16, 1991). "MIT students exhibit ingenuity, humor". C. Chicago Tribune.

795: 5301: 5249: 4922: 4830: 4593: 3799: 3520: 3486: 2891: 2461: 2224: 1467:. As he lay on the sidewalk of the bridge that carries Massachusetts Avenue across the 1464: 1345: 1201: 1132: 1113: 1054: 699: 661: 610:

of 2001. For a short time in the early morning of September 12, the lights displayed a

511: 416: 313: 262: 183: 175: 48: 3774: 2955: 2592: 2567: 2386: 1919: 5506: 5455: 5383: 5164: 4883: 4838: 4322: 4139: 3370: 3091: 3064: 2673: 1647:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Hack, hacker, hacking; Hacking ethics".

1535: 1525: 1468: 1184: 1109: 603: 588: 558: 467: 377: 361: 52: 4927: 4383: 3824:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Intriguing Hacks To Fascinate People".

3508: 2866: 2542: 213:

atop the Great Dome), but many other stunts do not require such specialized skills.

5408: 5321: 4127: 3144: 1530: 1372: 1293: 1289: 1235: 1068: 977: 883: 807:

Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 10 and the Lunar Module, May 19, 2009

550: 515: 222: 195: 191: 144: 88: 84: 80: 3975: 3724: 3649: 3119: 2917:"Moving the Institute forward into the next century, Charles Vest thinks globally" 2788: 2361: 1993: 32: 1772: 1593:"Scholarly MIT celebrates its crazier side". Dallas Morning News. April 29, 1991. 199:

to the world at large, but many hacker subcultures exist at MIT, and elsewhere.

5460: 5353: 4937: 4905: 4643: 3699: 3569: 2436: 2063: 1442: 1217: 1097:

entrance location had recently been moved around the corner due to renovations.

1064: 329: 242: 3856:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Hacking into the new millennium".

3270: 1890:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Hacking into the new millennium".

1063:

magazine in 2012 as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World",

872:

and Blinky appeared on the scaffolding covering the dome during reconstruction

87:

made a reference to the MIT hacking tradition during an on-campus speech about

5398: 5358: 4812: 4677: 4105: 2339: 1672: 615: 388:

for maneuverability in tight spaces. The student was a strong advocate of the

317: 103: 4910: 2924: 2764:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 13, 18–19. 1863:

A Nobel-winning physicist, Feynman was equally famous for his practical jokes

1571:"These Are Not Your Ordinary College Pranks". C. Boston Globe. April 1, 2003. 992:

A car painted as an MIT Campus Police car appeared on top of the Great Dome.

723:. The edition included a mock weather forecast, referring often to how sunny 174:

have many shades of meaning, though they are closely linked historically and

5279: 4784: 4734: 4704: 4685: 4400: 4247: 3465: 2520: 2101:"MIT 150: 150 ideas, inventions, and innovators that helped shape our world" 1426: 1250:

A lifesize plastic cow appeared on top of the Great Dome (Alpha Tau Omega).

890: 703: 650: 646: 576: 536: 532: 412: 3601: 3424:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 181–182. 3324:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 181–183. 3223:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 172–176. 3173:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 170–183. 2820:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 192–195. 2626: 2490:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 166–169. 2187:"MIT answers the siren call of a good joke". Chicago Tribune. May 10, 1994. 1826:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 112–119. 1722:

Peterson, Institute Historian T. F. (2011). "Domework: hacking the domes".

690:

MIT students retaliated for CPW in April 2006, when students posing as the

360:

pranksters also noted and documented great differences in the reactions of

4866: 4564: 2258: 1139:". Gore, who was informed of the hack, acknowledged it during his speech. 1112:

of various shapes and sizes appeared in and around the W20 Student Center

811: 535:

after that infamous Harvard alumnus was arrested. John Harvard has worn a

4764: 4076: 4072:"New Year, New Hack: MIT Students Place Pac-Man On Top of the Great Dome" 3828:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 74–75. 2981:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 56–57. 1801:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 76–83. 1726:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 50–73. 1491: 1376: 901: 713:

During MIT's CPW in 2007, Caltech distributed a complete fake edition of

707: 572: 385: 254: 233:. For example, the "Massachusetts Toolpike" hack was a clear instance of 17: 4052: 3860:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 8–13. 2019:(39th ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2010–2011. pp. 150–156. 2710: 2284:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 5–6. 1128: 869: 337: 258: 56: 3198:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 172. 2652:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 106. 4805:

The Journal of the Institute for Hacks, TomFoolery, and Pranks at MIT

2845:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 54. 1894:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 13. 1851:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 41. 1301: 815:

Students positioned a wooden leaf on MIT's Great Dome, April 20, 2016

763: 728: 611: 161: 1651:(updated ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 6. 4670:"Is This The Way To Baker House?": A Compendium of MIT Hacking Lore 3029: 2158:"Stata Look and Feel « Slice of MIT by the Alumni Association" 606:

throughout the evening of September 11, 2011 in remembrance of the

502:, a respected artist who studied at MIT, who is best known for his 269:) was surreptitiously added to a "serious" art gallery show at the 229:, but some hacks can also be viewed as individualistic creative or 5306: 4899: 4397:"Simmons LED Display - dheera.net - Dheera Venkatraman's web site" 3674: 3541:"IHTFP Hack Gallery: Red, White, and Blue Dome for Fourth of July" 1472: 1438: 1389: 1316:

A welcome back poster and a few dozen rubber ducks in the name of

1157: 1149: 810: 802: 794: 623: 309: 294: 127: 31: 4365:

IHTFP Hack Gallery: Upside-Down Lounge appears near the Media Lab

4101:"In whimsical retro tribute, Pac-Man appears on MIT's Great Dome" 984:

In honor of the 100th anniversary of their first powered flight.

742:

Around Thanksgiving weekend in 2009, yet another fake edition of

447:

Due to MIT's proximity to Harvard, many hacks involve the annual

364:, maintenance workers, and passersby, upon seeing the ironically 347:

Writers for the third-party, independent Internet prankster site

5486: 4923:

Details of the MIT banner launched at the 1990 Harvard-Yale game

4484: 4386:. Ericschmiedl.com (October 25, 2007). Retrieved on 2011-05-07. 755:

redirect to Caltech's homepage. Caltech then did the same, with

527: 4956: 4494:. The Fleming Cannon (April 10, 2006). Retrieved on 2011-05-07. 3980:

Interesting Hacks To Fascinate People: The MIT Gallery of Hacks

2892:"The Disappearing President's Office (The Bulletin Board Hack)" 4456:. Hacks.mit.edu (September 24, 2007). Retrieved on 2011-05-07. 4149:. Hacks.mit.edu (September 11, 2006). Retrieved on 2011-05-07. 4000: 3883:"Comedy on Campus: MIT takes on Caltech for prank distinction" 3247:. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Slice of MIT. 2014. Archived from 2700:"Students Protest Tuition Hike During Traditional Annual Riot" 1313:

Rubber Duck invasion Simmons Hall poster campaigne at Caltech

1216:

Part of the side of Simmons Hall was turned into a giant blue

595: 365: 4872: 4835:

If at All Possible, Involve a Cow: The Book of College Pranks

4465: 4027:"MIT 'hackers' turn Great Dome into Captain America's shield" 3530:. Hacks.mit.edu (September 2, 2007). Retrieved on 2011-05-07. 3245:"The Harvard-Yale Football Game is MIT Hack Madness Champion" 1048:

Although it might not strictly be categorized as a hack, the

702:

gold-plated precisely upscaled machined replica of the famed

691: 3004:"MIT Students Build a Speedy Go-Kart Out of a Shopping Cart" 756: 752: 4719:— Extensive documentation, many photographs, special essays 4616:"From the Cathouse, an Editorial, by weasel, who isn't one" 433: 4928:

Information on the legend of the Pavlovian "birdseed" hack

4475:. Howeandser.com (April 6, 2006). Retrieved on 2011-05-07. 3063:. MIT Electronic Research Society (MITERS). Archived from 1463:

fraternity in 1958, was used to measure the length of the

1003:

A lifesize plastic cow appeared on top of the Great Dome (

734:

In 2008, Caltech students provided a "Puzzle Zero" in the

267:

No Knife: a study in mixed media earth tones, number three

4374:. Hacks.mit.edu (April 8, 2010). Retrieved on 2011-05-07. 3925:""Creative People with Words" items appear around campus" 3898:"Rub a dub dub, a suspect in a tub; Battle of the brains" 3625:"Hackers convert MIT building in giant Tetris video game" 3579:. Hacks.mit.edu (June 20, 2007). Retrieved on 2011-05-07. 799:

A fire truck on top of the Great Dome, September 11, 2006

614:

game, thus realizing a long-standing hack proposal, the "

4644:"MIT graduate and 'brilliant programmer' dies on campus" 641:

is an abbreviation which is part of the folklore at the

71:

tower, or other prominent architectural features of the

5120:

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

4505:"Is Disney buying MIT or was the MIT home page hacked?" 3496:. Web.mit.edu (June 12, 2007). Retrieved on 2011-05-07. 1990:

Slice of MIT: News & Views for the Alumni Community

954:

Dome "scarred" with Harry Potter's lightning bolt scar

921:

Full-size "MIT Fire Department" fire truck placed Dome

490:

Another traditional hacking target has been the bronze

286:

driving it back and forth under remote wireless control

225:

perspective, hacking is a cultural tradition affirming

549:

The cleverness of many MIT hacks has even resulted in

5155:

Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center

4668:

Haverson, Ira; Fulton-Pearson, Tiffany, eds. (1996).

4053:"Students positioned a wooden leaf on the Great Dome" 3826: