Is this real

Is this real One of my favorite things to do that I dont really have time for is watching TV; however, when I do have time (*cough* IAP *cough*) I manage to catch up on a few television shows, most of them being reality TV. While Im sure this isnt the best way to spend my time, I somehow cant keep myself away from Bobby and Whitneys humorous episodes or Simon Cowell seeing how far he can make people drop their jaw when he makes a comment. As Matt mentioned earlier, on this season of The WBs Beauty and the Geek, one of our very own MIT alums, is on the show. After LSCs premiere of the show in 10-250, Ankur 04, shared some of his thoughts and perspectives now that hes a celebrity. It was pretty interesting to hear him share his perspectives on reality TV and how despite how real it might appear to be how much of it is still scripted and staged. Despite the Techs errors reporting about admissions statistics, the Tech also had an article about the show in Wednesdays edition. But, fear not! MIT is getting into the reality TV show business too with a show called DesigNerds which debuted its first pilot in December. Basically, the premise of the show is that two teams are asked to design a product and the show documents the creation of the product from start to finish. Im doing other school stuff this IAP as well. This afternoon, Im off to hear this talk: Beyond the Institvte: New Perspectives on Global Issues Become a better engineer. Become a better scientist. Become a better MIT student. What does it mean to live in a technological world? Professor Rosalind Williams Thursday, January 19 Room 3-133, 4-6PM Through popular culture we try to understand the interactions of science, technology, and society. We now live in a technological world: what does this mean for human life, both individually and collectively? Works of fiction help answer this question. In particular, books and movies about imaginary underworlds help us think through the implications of human life in a largely artificial environment. In this IAP event, we will view and discuss short clips from movie versions of some 19th century imaginary underworlds (such as Jules Vernes Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, and H.G. Wells The Time Machine) as well as some more recent movies set in underworlds or enclosed environments (Blade Runner, Lost in Translation, Matrix Reloaded, and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers). We will try to summarize some of the conclusions from these cultural ???thought experiments??? about life in a human-built world. Cool, eh? Professor Williams is director of MITs Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Program. And by the way, if I had to choose a reality TV show to be on, itd be The Amazing Race. How bout you?