Jumbo Talk

Live Music is Fun - A Year in Review

by Slam Zuckert May 7, 2012

Suppie. As the year comes to a close I feel it's appropriate to reflect on the past (school) year, and what better way for me to muse on the past 9 months (or so) than to do a recap of the best concerts I've been to this year. So I will.

Of Hearts and Tarts and Liberal Arts

by Brian Pilchik April 2, 2012

At this time last year, it seemed as though all of my classes were alterations on the same concept; it's funny how many times "prisoner's dilemma" or "determinism" come up in academia. But this semester, it's happening again (and I wasn't even trying to theme my classes this time around!). In Literature of Chaos, we've been reading Lewis Carroll* (Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass), while Discrete Mathematics has been discussing Carroll as a logician, drawing on his amusing logic puzzles as examples. And so, I present to the world a problem I've invented (for extra credit), inspired by the Carroll's universe.

*Funny phrasing, no? Reading Carroll? I'm reading books...

Extra Credit: Create a custom logic puzzle.

The Queen of Hearts is quite furious, as someone seems to have stolen (and subsequently returned) her tarts. She is not sure who is responsible for the theft, but has decided to employ a process never before attempted in Wonderland, logic, to find...

Is it Okay to Turn the Homeless into WiFi Hotspots?

by Agree Ahmed March 14, 2012

A company recently came up with the idea of turning homeless people into wireless hotspots. Piloted in Austin this past month, the group allowed people wireless internet for 15 minutes for $2, a fee which went directly to the homeless person.

A huge debate erupted over the ethicality of turning the homeless into wifi hotspots. Both sides asserted pretty compelling points.

Is it immoral, inhumane, dehumanizing, or humiliating to turn homeless people into wireless hotspots? I actually really want to hear readers’ input on this. Personally, I’m ambivalent.

NO!:

They’re people, not routers. The fact that they have to wear those shirts is rather humiliating, too. The very diction “I AM a wireless hotspot” sounds almost like something from Huxley’s Brave New World. The whole thing is just so tasteless and contributes to the alienation of the homeless from our society.

YES!:

Why is this any less ethical than buying a newspaper from a homeless person? In both cases, you’re paying for information...

The Super Bowl, as a (Tufts) infographic

by Evan Moulson February 16, 2012

So, apparently the Super Bowl was a week ago? Two weeks?

I apologize profusely if I have just offended your sense of honor by not immediately knowing that, but I have to confess: I know nothing about football.

Well, until last Sunday, anyway. I now know who Tim Tebow, Bradley (Peyton? Is that a type of truck? Maybe a town in Texas?) Manning, and Tom Brady are.

I know that Tim Tebow’s favorite Bible verse is John 3:16 and that in some game that FOX News likes to talk about he threw 316 yards and had an average of 31.6 yards per pass (which is actually pretty true to form for him, given his last two seasons in the NFL).

I know what a touchdown is, I know that the Giants are from New York, not San Francisco (that’s the baseball team – but really, would it kill them to make things simple?) and the Patriots are from New England (but that people from Hartford, CT hate them), and that Canadians are actually really big into football.

Like, have their own leagues big. (The NFL also plays...

Best Super Bowl Commercials

by Taylor Lentz February 6, 2012

Although many Tufts students were extremely disappointed by last night's game, I am from MN and had no strong feelings about who won last night's game. BUT, I thoroughly enjoyed the tensions between NY and Pat's fans, and of course - the commercials. In no particular order, here are some of my favorites from last night's game. Do you agree?

Audi

At first, I was incredibly turned off by this one because I thought they were trying to mimic Twilight to be "cool", but then they vaporized the vampires with their LED headlights and everything was alright in the world