InnoWiser

MIT students hackers, in keeping with their long standing tradition of hacks, practical jokes and other humorous pranks, recently scored another one*. This time they pwned venerable John Harvard’s statue.

Olde John is seen sporting a Spartan helmet complete with a Beaver emblem, a la a Halo 3’s Master Chief warrior, an assault rifle, “in recognition of the release of Halo 3″ video game. Right on, I say!

As it happens, that statue is a statue of “three lies”. The university was not founded by John Harvard (it was named after him when he bequeathed his library); it was founded in 1636 (not 1638, as written on the statue’s pedestal); and the model is not John Harvard, but a friend of the sculptor’s. The old guard who sits somewhere near it never fails to inform tourists after they have taken their picture with it.

At MIT, we always enjoy(ed) a little friendly rivalry with the school down the river. It’s great to see the tradition continued. Apparently, the blogosphere has noticed.

Some of the previous hacks have included installing a police car on top of the great MIT dome, hauling a cow on it (which had to be offloaded by a helicopter), a Lord of the Rings inscription around the dome, among others.

For the curiously minded, a chronology of MIT hacks is documented in “Nightwork“, reportedly written by “Institute Historian T.F. Peterson“. An inside joke, if ever there was one.

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist this story, even if sort-of off-topic. After first dissing leetspeak, I can’t help noticing it everywhere.) It’s been a while since I saw these hacks. Interesting How Time Flies Past…