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IAP 2005 Activities by Sponsor

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"Modern" Application Structure For People Who Hate Objects
Geoff Schmidt, Matt Debergalis
Wed Jan 5, Thu Jan 6, 06-08:00pm, 4-231

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: 6.001, Lisp or Scheme experience, or ambition and cunning.

Do C++/Java objects seem clumsy or arbitrary? The Metaobject Protocol breaks that pervasive "message-passing" model into two basic ideas, structure taxonomy and function dispatch, and introduces surprising generalizations.

Practically, we'll show how a Jabber IM client is simplified by custom method combinations, mixins, and metaclasses. Theoretically, we'll circularly define the Protocol using itself and marvel as it emerges from nowhere.
Contact: Geoff Schmidt, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-lisp@mit.edu

802.11 Wireless Hacking
Will Stockwell
Tue Jan 18, 08-10:00pm, 4-237

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Some knowledge of C and Linux would be helpful.

A technical discussion of the 802.11 MAC layer and how to craft your own wireless frames. This class will also touch on WEP vulnerabilities, war driving and insecurities in 802.11 networks and discuss cool wireless tools for your tinkering pleasure.
Contact: Will Stockwell, sipb-iap-wireless@mit.edu

Advanced Gentoo Linux
Rajiv Manglani
Mon Jan 24, 08-10:00pm, 4-231

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Some Gentoo experience

This session will cover advanced usage of Gentoo Linux, a versatile and fast distribution for x86, PowerPC, Sparc, Alpha, AMD64, IA64, and MIPS systems that is geared towards Linux power users.

Details of Portage, the Gentoo package management system, will be presented. We will discuss creation of ebuild scripts, usage of various system tools such as qpkg and etcat. We will also have a detailed look into the init scripts system, and the various settings in make.conf. Current Gentoo users are encouraged to attend with their questions and anecdotes.
Contact: Rajiv Manglani, W20-557

Caffeinated Crash Course in Java
Punyashloka Biswal
Mon Jan 24, 02-05:00pm, 10-250
Wed Jan 26, 08-11:00pm, 10-250

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Prereq: Some programming experience; high confusion threshold.

Learn Java in a night! This concentrated shot of coding clue will give you a fabulous object-oriented high and leave you writing applets for weeks to come.
Contact: Punyashloka Biswal, W20-557, x3-7788, sipb-iap-cccj@mit.edu

Crash Course in C
Jennifer Selby, Michael Shaw
Mon-Thu, Jan 3-6, 10-12, 08-10:00pm, 2-105

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: 6.001 or other experience with a high-level language.

Interested in C, but not enough time for 1.00 or 10.001? This course will cover the fundamentals of programming in C, including basic control structures, functions, pointers and arrays, and an introduction to the C standard library.
Contact: Jennifer Selby, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-c@mit.edu

Crash Course in Java
Alex Vandiver, Mark M Tobenkin
Mon-Thu, Jan 10-13, 18-20, 04-06:00pm, 4-370

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

This class is an introduction to the Java programming language. The first half will cover basics of the language, including Java development environments on Athena and language syntax. The second half will examine the Java run-time library, including standard container classes, file I/O, and graphical user interfaces using Swing.
Contact: Alex Vandiver, W20-557, x3-7788, sipb-iap-java@mit.edu

Individual Rights in a Digital World
Sherri Davidoff, Jennifer Tu
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

Recent events have created a push for greater security in America, which may require increased surveillance and tracking of individuals by the government and employers. Where does the need for security begin to interfere with individual privacy rights? How far must we go to protect our nation, and when does security become a threat? The SIPB Lecture Series explores the balance between security and individual rights in the modern world.
Web: http://sipb.mit.edu/iap/lectures/
Contact: Sherri Davidoff, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-lectures@mit.edu

Supervisory Special Agent John MacKinnon
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
International internet investigations and the race to collect far away electronic evidence; working with challenges of international law, treaties and privileged data, and making the case in court, without scuttling basic privacy protections, here or abroad.
Thu Jan 13, 07:30-09:00pm, 4-237

Ethics, Privacy, Politics, and the Practice of Security
Bob Mahoney - Zanshin Security, LLC
Security professionals are often caught between competing notions of what is "right", and reconciling personal perspectives and values with day to day work can be difficult. Join us for a discussion of security in the real world, what it's like to have a job in security, and what one security weenie sees happening around him.
Thu Jan 20, 07:30-09:00pm, 4-237

Cyber Crime
Special Agent Tim Russell, FBI Boston Division
This talk will explore current trends in Cyber crime enforcement and how law enforcement agencies are working together to track and deter criminals in Cyber space (such as 'Operation Web Snare'). Growing vigilance is needed for businesses, as well as individuals, to secure their information and avoid becoming victims of Internet-based crime.
Thu Jan 27, 07:30-09:00pm, 4-237

Intro to Python
Omri Schwarz
Tue-Wed, Jan 11-12, 18-19, 25-26, 06-08:00pm, 3-133

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

A general introduction to the Python programming language. Some prior programming experience helpful, but not required.
Contact: Omri Schwarz, W20-557, x3-7788, sipb-iap-python@mit.edu

Introduction to Extreme Programming
Jered Floyd
Fri Jan 21, 02-04:00pm, 4-231

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Single session event
Prereq: none.

Extreme Programming (XP) is a lightweight software development methodology. It includes project management and development best practices that focus on quickly creating value with a minimum of risk. This class provides a brief introduction.
Contact: Jered Floyd, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-extreme@mit.edu

Introduction to Gentoo Linux
Rajiv Manglani
Mon Jan 10, 08-10:00pm, 4-237

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Linux or UNIX experience

Gentoo Linux is a versatile and fast distribution for x86, PowerPC, Sparc, Alpha, AMD64, IA64, and MIPS systems that is geared towards Linux power users. Unlike other distros, Gentoo Linux has an advanced package management system called Portage. Portage is a true ports system in the tradition of BSD ports, but is Python-based and sports a number of advanced features including dependencies, fine-grained package management, "fake" (OpenBSD-style) installs, path sandboxing, safe unmerging, system profiles, virtual packages, config file management, and more. A completed Gentoo Linux installation is customized and optimized for your specific needs.

We will have an overview presentation and a demo of a running Gentoo system.
Contact: Rajiv Manglani, W20-557, x3-7788, sipb-iap-gentoo@mit.edu

Introduction to IPV6
Omari Stephens
Wed Jan 19, 01-02:30pm, 2-132

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Some experience with IPv4 networking

This class will introduce the differences between IPv6 and IPv4.
Contact: Omari Stephens, 471 Memorial Drive, Rm. 115, x5-7405, sipb-iap-ipv6@mit.edu

Introduction to LaTeX
Sanghamitra "Sasen" Sen
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 17 participants.
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: Basic Athena familiarity.

LaTeX is a text formatting system designed to simplify writing papers with math, commonly used at MIT for theses and other coursework. This class will cover LaTeX2e, the newest version, which is now standard on Athena. The first class will cover Humanities Papers; the second, Scientific Papers; the third, Math Papers; the fourth, Slides.
Contact: Sanghamitra "Sasen" Sen, nw61-345, x5-7399, sipb-iap-latex@mit.edu

Humanities Papers
Sanghamitra "Sasen" Sen
Wed Jan 12, 01-02:00pm, 14-0637

Scientific Papers
Sanghamitra "Sasen" Sen
Wed Jan 19, 01-03:00pm, 14-0637

Math Papers
Sanghamitra "Sasen" Sen
Sun Jan 23, 01-04:00pm, 14-0637

Slides
Sanghamitra "Sasen" Sen
Wed Jan 26, 01-03:00pm, 14-0637

Introduction to PHP
Ray He, Mike Robbins
Thu Jan 13, 20, 06-07:30pm, 4-231

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: HTML Recommended

A brief introduction to using the PHP Hypertext Processor.
Contact: Ray He, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-php@mit.edu

PATRIOT Act - A Discussion
Jeremy Sylvan
Wed Jan 19, 08-10:00pm, 2-105

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

A point, counter-point of the United States Patriot Act, possibly followed by group discussion.
Contact: Jeremy Sylvan, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-patriot@mit.edu

Perl Programming
Alex Rolfe
Tue Jan 11, Thu Jan 13, Tue Jan 18, Thu Jan 20, 02-04:00pm, 2-105

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: Some programming experience.

A quick introduction to the Perl programming language.
Contact: Alex Rolfe, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-perl@mit.edu

Programming in PostScript
Bayard Wenzel
Tue Jan 18, Wed Jan 19, Tue Jan 25, Wed Jan 26, 07-08:00pm, 4-231

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: Rudimentary computer ability

An overview of the PostScript language will be given, with an eye both towards machine-generated PostScript (i.e. making a program generate printer-ready output) and the use of PostScript itself as a programming language. As PostScript is a reasonably approachable language, only a modest familiarity with computer languages is required, especially with respect to machine-generated PostScript.
Contact: Bayard Wenzel, W20-557, x3-7788, sipb-iap-postscript@mit.edu

Publishing Your Own 'Zine
Andrew Brooks
Wed Jan 19, Fri Jan 21, Wed Jan 26, Fri Jan 28, 02-03:00pm, 4-237

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

Learn the ins and outs of publishing your own 'zine! Three sessions plus an optional trip to the Museum of Printing.
Contact: Andrew Brooks, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-zine@mit.edu

Sawfish: Configuration, Customization, and Control
Isaac "Ike" Feitler
Tue Jan 25, 05-06:00pm, 2-132, NOTE DATE CHANGE!

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This lecture will focus on the Sawfish window manager program for the X window system, the default window manager on Athena. After an introduction to and overview of the program, topics covered will include how to change the look and feel of sawfish, how to add in additional customizations (a.k.a hacks) that other people have written, and how to write such customizations.
Contact: Isaac "Ike" Feitler, 3 Ames Street Box #74, 225-6354, sipb-iap-sawfish@mit.edu

Shell Scripts
Jacob Morzinski
Mon Jan 10, 07-08:00pm, 4-237

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Some experience with Unix and basic tools (like ls, echo, ca

Shell scripts are the common method of automating command-prompt tasks on Unix systems. This class will introduce the shell (the command-prompt), explain how the shell reacts to your typing, and present the fundamentals of shell programming.
Contact: Jacob Morzinski, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-shell@mit.edu

The Art of Chainmail
Cyrus Eyster
Mon Jan 24, 06-07:00pm, 1-246

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Learn to make chainmail! This flexible armor made from metal rings was used on battlefields across the world for over a thousand years. This class will teach participants the basic weave used in Europe in the Middle Ages. Tools and materials will be provided.
Contact: Cyrus Eyster, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-chainmail@mit.edu

The Functional Programming Language Haskell
Ken Takusagawa
Thu Jan 6, Tue Jan 11, Thu Jan 13, 01-02:00pm, 14-0637

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: 6.001 or previous programming language experience recommende

This is an introduction to the computer programming language Haskell. Haskell is a functional programming language (like Scheme), with types (like ML), and lazy evaluation (unlike almost any other language). This class will cover "Hello World", some of the built-in library functions, and monadic programming.
Contact: Ken Takusagawa, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-haskell@mit.edu

Understanding Common Security Exploits
Tom Yu
Tue Jan 4, 11, 06-08:00pm, 4-237

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: Familiarity with C, assembly, CPU architecture, stack frames

Many software authors view security without understanding why certain problems are exploitable. We will explore common security flaws including buffer overflows, integer overflows and format string problems. We will describe how attackers exploit these problems and discuss how to discover vulnerabilities given traces of successful exploits. To create better understanding, students will be given exercises that will lead them through constructing their own exploits.
Contact: Tom Yu, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-exploits@mit.edu

Understanding and Preventing RSI
Abi Harper
Tue Jan 25, Wed Jan 26, Thu Jan 27, 01-04:00pm, 2-147

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 15 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

RSI is an injury hat affects nerds everywhere, and especially at MIT! In the first session of this class, we'll discuss how repetitive injury works. In the second session, we'll play with ergonomics, and in the third session we'll teach self-care (stretching, icing, etc.)
Contact: Abi Harper, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-rsi@mit.edu

Why Pilates Works: The Whole-System Principles of the Tensegrity
Phil Earnhardt
Thu Jan 6, Fri Jan 7, 01-04:00pm, 1-135

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 15 participants.
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Prereq: Pilates instructors and Pilates students.

Pilates is a powerful way to develop strong, supple bodies that are remarkably injury-free. Pilates works, but few instructors understand the engineering principles behind Pilates. Moreover, they lack the means to succinctly and effectively demonstrate these principles to their students. By understanding these principles, students will naturally enhance their practice of Pilates.
Web: http://www.tensegritytutor.com
Contact: Phil Earnhardt, W20-557, 253-7788, sipb-iap-pilates@mit.edu

Zephyr: Introduction, Customization, and More
Natan Cliffer
Tue Jan 25, 08-10:00pm, 1-150

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Come learn how to maximize both your punting and tooling with the help of Zephyr! The first hour will be a general introduction to this messaging system, where we'll cover some basics and hint at all the fun customizations you can do with this program. We'll take a break, and then launch into the second hour with more tricks, hacks, and glimpses of alternative Zephyr clients.
Contact: Natan Cliffer, W20-557, x3-7788, sipb-iap-zephyr@mit.edu


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Last update: 30 September 2004