trump@elaine45.stanford.edu (Michael Jason Lewis) (04/30/91)
Having just read _The_Media_Lab_ by Stweart Brand, I have been struck by a bolt of white light, obviously engineered by someone above, that has instructed me to apply my life's work to this VR field. Actually, it wasn't quite that exciting, but I do think that it would be an interesting way to spend a career--and as a college freshman, I have the opportunity to follow this desire up. Wishing to learn from the masters, though, I would like to visit the AI/Media Lab and speak to some of these geniuses in their natural habitats. I am about to interview John McCarthy, the founder of the Stanford AI Lab, but I would also like to see the foundation at MIT. Therefore, I ask these questions: 1) Is the lab general-access (guided tours, etc.) or can anyone get in? That was so incredibly stupid, I have stunned myself. Change the second clause to read "or must you be authorized to get in?" 2) For anyone on the Stanford campus or related to it: Is there any way I can get a research-type grant to go visit this place or do I have to fly cross-country on my own cash? Thank you for your time. Mike Lewis trump@leland.stanford.edu
minsky@media-lab.media.mit.edu.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Marvin Minsky) (05/01/91)
In article <1991Apr30.183007.26998@milton.u.washington.edu> trump@elaine45. stanford.edu (Michael Jason Lewis) writes: >Having just read _The_Media_Lab_ by Stweart Brand, I have been struck >by a bolt of white light .. to apply my life's work to this VR field. >Actually, it wasn't quite that exciting, but I do think that it would be an >interesting way to spend a career--and as a college freshman, I have the >opportunity to follow this desire up. Yes, a good way to do this is to visit the active places, etc. But as a freshman, consider that the best way is not always the direct way. If you want ot be good at X, it is probably best not to major in X, but in something else more fundamental. (IMHO, the best X is usually Mathematics. You then can pick up Computer Science, or VR, or whatever, in the street. On the other hand, if you major in VR or even CS, both of which have useful half-lives of about 3.792 years, then when you graduate you have to start all over again. Mathematics has a half-life of 43.8 years, which is more suitable to current life spans. (:-}= [MODERATOR'S NOTE: Especially as lifespans get longer! It would be interesting to see how many VR practitioners actually have degrees in CS. (VR degrees? Not yet!) In our lab , they're still a decided minority. Education, design and planning, mathematics, and engineer- ing still prevail. -- Bob Jacobson]
straz@media-lab.media.mit.edu.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Steve Strassmann) (05/01/91)
From: trump@elaine45.stanford.edu (Michael Jason Lewis) Having just read _The_Media_Lab_ by Stweart Brand, I have been struck by a bolt of white light, obviously engineered by someone above, that has instructed me to apply my life's work to this VR field. Uh oh, another divine intervention. It's as if Cosmic Customer Support issues a patch release for the universe every so often. What do you think this is, unix? :) Wishing to learn from the masters, though, I would like to visit the AI/Media Lab and speak to some of these geniuses in their natural habitats. Um, I'd better just leave this one alone. 1) Is the lab general-access (guided tours, etc.) or can anyone get in? "or must you be authorized to get in?" The MIT AI Lab and Media Lab aren't exactly top-secret nuclear weapons facilities, but on the other hand, we're not set up to handle crowds of tourists either. We're just university research labs with a few students and professors. Speaking for the Media Lab, we can't afford to give general guided tours because then we'd have no time left to work on building things. Just imagine, say, your chemistry professor, handling dozens of visitors a day. It'd be nice to show visitors a cool explosion or two, but it'd be kind of a drag after the first few months, especially when you've got systems to build, papers to write, and grants to beg. It's true, we do give tours to corporate visitors and folks from the National Science Foundation, but heck, if a guy writes you a check for $500,000, the least you can do is invite him in for a cup of tea. We nalso have a few guided tours (once or twice a year) for people interested in becoming grad students. For more information about applying, contact Linda Peterson (linda@media-lab.media.mit.edu, or 617-253-5114). Getting in is pretty much the same routine as any other graduate school - an essay, some recommendations, etc. About those recommendations and having an impressive resume - it's never too early to start thinking about grad school (and/or jobs). It's relatively easy for MIT undergraduates to get part-time and summer jobs at MIT research labs because there's a bureaucracy set up to promote that. Perhaps the Stanford AI Lab and other colleges have a similar deal, if so, I strongly recommend you go for it. By all means, try to get a challenging summer job, and get involved in research as much as you can during the school year. Even though you're a freshperson, you might be able to get some real computer work experience if you look hard enough. If you're really determined and clever, you can probably figure out a way to do an independent study if nothing else falls into your lap. Keep looking around, asking questions, call the dean's office... people respect that kind of thing (well, up to a point) and might just find a way to give you some money. Good skill! [MODERATOR'S NOTE: The tour problem is endemic to all the labs. Tourists have to consider that, unless the work can get done, there won't be anything to see, in the lab or elsewhere. However, such a nice letter as this one will probably encourage more people to want to visit the Media Lab. :-) -- Bob Jacobson]