Posts written by Nate Phillips
Wednesday, February 20 2008
The MIT Chapel
The MIT Chapel. Photo by darajan.
A recent StumbleUpon adventure has lead me to discovering the MIT Chapel. Designed by architect Eero Saarinen, the non-denominational chapel was constructed in 1955. Viewed from the outside, the windowless brick cylinder is extremely uninviting and for the most part, looks pretty mundane other than this shit on top that looks like a rocket ship. Approaching the building, I was reminded of an abandoned silo where I would go to light off fireworks in high school, except that it isn’t covered in penises spray painted by eighth graders.
Luckily, the interior is much more cozy than the inside of a silo and the odds are pretty low that you’ll be shot in the chest with a roman candle. Inside, there is a spectacular use of natural lighting, created by a larger circular skylight. A tall sculpture created by Harry Bertoia dangles metal shards from the skylight and further emphasizes the light from above, creating an eerie effect. Despite the lack of fireworks, the MIT chapel is still a beautiful building that is definitely worth a visit.
The MIT Chapel is located at 48 Massachusetts Ave. near the corner of Massachusetts Ave. and Amherst St and is open to the public throughout the week.
Tuesday, March 20 2007
RIP Shane Cross

A couple weeks ago, the skateboard world was hit with the news that one of the industry’s most loveable figures, Ali Boulala, and one of it’s most promising up-in-comer’s were involved in a deadly motorcycle accident. Twenty-year-old Shane Cross passed away shortly after the crash while Boulala was rushed to the hospital. Boulala was then placed into a medical induced coma and treated for the two fractures in his skull. According to his board sponsor, Flip:
Since Monday [March, 12th] the hospital have slowly but surely bringing him out of the medically induced coma. While this process has been going on a lot of tests have taken place. The news on these tests is that Ali’s neck is not broken and the brain scans have been positive. We will give you further updates when we have them.
Ali Boulala has been a favorite among core skateboards for years due to his drunken, reckless style on and off his board. Any Boulala footage is worth a watch, however he is most known for his part in Flip’s legendary video Sorry. Other parts included Osiris” Subject to Change and Flip’s Really Sorry.
Monday, March 12 2007
Change Machine Snafu: Why 7-11 is Helping Me More Than Emerson
Piano Row’s lack of change machines has become a huge problem in my life. Like many college students, I tend to procrastinate doing my laundry as long as I possibly can. Sometimes, when I’m very desperate, I even look back into my laundry hamper and re-wear a dirty pair of socks or shirt. However, most of my poor hygiene habits (at least what I like to believe) can be blamed on my living arrangement. Without change machines in the building, in order to do laundry I must go around the corner to the 7-11, buy a Reese’s cup with a twenty-dollar bill, and ask for five dollars in change. The perky 7-11 staff is generally very excited to do this for me. Then I go back up to my room, grab my laundry, and go back downstairs and load up the washer.

