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Nightwork: A History of Hacks and Pranks at MIT (The MIT Press) Paperback – March 11, 2011

by Institute Historian T. F. Peterson (Author), Eric Bender (Contributor)

19 customer reviews

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A lively introduction to MIT hacks, from the police car on the Great Dome to the abduction of the Caltech cannon.

An MIT "hack" is an ingenious, benign, and anonymous prank or practical joke, often requiring engineering or scientific expertise and often pulled off under cover of darkness―instances of campus mischief sometimes coinciding with April Fool's Day, final exams, or commencement. (It should not be confused with the sometimes non-benign phenomenon of computer hacking.) Noteworthy MIT hacks over the years include the legendary Harvard–Yale Football Game Hack (when a weather balloon emblazoned “MIT” popped out of the ground near the 50-yard line), the campus police car found perched on the Great Dome, the apparent disappearance of the Institute president's office, and a faux cathedral (complete with stained glass windows, organ, and wedding ceremony) in a lobby. Hacks are by their nature ephemeral, although they live on in the memory of both perpetrators and spectators. Nightwork, drawing on the MIT Museum's unique collection of hack-related photographs and other materials, describes and documents the best of MIT's hacks and hacking culture. This generously illustrated updated edition has added coverage of such recent hacks as the cross-country abduction of rival Caltech's cannon (a prank requiring months of planning, intricate choreography, and last-minute improvisation), a fire truck on the Dome that marked the fifth anniversary of 9/11, and numerous pokes at the celebrated Frank Gehry-designed Stata Center, and even a working solar-powered Red Line subway car on the Great Dome. Hacks have been said to express the essence of MIT, providing, as alumnus Andre DeHon observes, "an opportunity to demonstrate creativity and know-how in mastering the physical world." What better way to mark the 150th anniversary of MIT's founding than to commemorate its native ingenuity with this new edition of Nightwork?

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Nightwork. .. shows that students just want to have fun, especially engineering and technology students.

―Publishers Weekly

A reminder that it is up to each generation to go where no man has gone before.

―The New York Sun

About the Author

Institute Historian T. F. Peterson has spent many years lurking in the corridors of MIT picking up gossip and monitoring hacks in progress.

Series: The MIT Press
Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press; Updated edition (March 11, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0262515849
ISBN-13: 978-0262515849
Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 19 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1842 in Satire (Books)
- #188 in Human Geography (Books)
- #221 in Social Aspects of Technology

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R. B. Morgan

Pranking at the Highest Level

August 2, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

MIT students over the years have done a number of incredible stunts, including putting a police car with lights flashing on top of the Great Dome and "borrowing" an iconic cannon from Caltech. The book is an extensive history of the background of MIT "hacks" that highlights many of the more remarkable ones. The detailed narrative may not be engrossing for everyone, but readers will be impressed with ingenuity of these budding engineers and scientists.

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Sonya D.

Love it. Capturing the imagination of a 10 yr old.

December 24, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Two years ago at the age of eight my son announce that he wanted to attend MIT when he grows up. So to foster that goal I thought a book on pranks at MIT would amuse the mind of a 10-year-old. It arrived yesterday and I have flip through it and I believe it’s going to be a homerun.

One person found this helpful

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SJV

Hilarious- a great buy

November 27, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

"Nightwork" is a compilation of some of the best hacks and pranks perpetrated by MIT students over the years, and besides being impressed by their ingenuity and impudence, I also thought they were uproariously funny. If you like hearing your friends and acquaintances tell stories about clever and outrageous (but harmless) pranks, you will love this book. It includes pictures, descriptions, as much background as the authors were able to gather, and even some letters written by various notable MIT alumni... including one of their most famous- or infamous- hackers. This was well worth every penny I spent.

3 people found this helpful

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Sue

Five Stars

December 30, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Hilarious pranks orchestrated by some of the best minds in America.

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Linda Grunthaner

Five Stars

August 1, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great product and seller.....A+

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Kimo

Not Enough Detail

March 24, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Lots of history about what was done, but nothing really about how they were done, which is what I really wanted.

4 people found this helpful

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OxfordWillows

It's okay . . . not as fun as one might expect

January 21, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I understand now why this was not any easy book to get -- it's just okay. So geeks are capable of pranks. So are other college students and faculty. Moderately interesting to read once.

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Shedrick Ward

Cultural Revelation

November 17, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I appreciated reading about the legacy of MIT students.

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