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Hacks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Hacks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are practical jokes and pranks meant to prominently demonstrate technical aptitude and cleverness, and/or to commemorate popular culture and political topics. The pranks are anonymously installed at night by hackers, 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 Great Dome, Little Dome, Green Building tower, or other prominent architectural features of the MIT campus. The most well-known hacker is Richard Stallman, winner of the MacArthur Prize and initiator of the free software movement. Well-known hacker alumni include Nobel Laureates Richard P. Feynman and George F. Smoot. In October 2009, US President Barack Obama made a reference to the MIT hacking tradition during an on-campus speech about sustainable energy. In recent years, MIT students have used hacks to protest MIT's collaborations with fossil fuel companies as well as the Israeli military and arms suppliers during the Gaza genocide.

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See also

• ▸Gombojab Tsybikov
• ▸Company of Death
• ▸Camera (magazine)

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