So, I was on Slashdot the other day, and came across this article about how my favorite politician was guest blogging for one of the most interesting “talking heads” on the Internet, Lawrence Lessig. I learned about Lessig in 6.805, the same class that spawned the paper on airline security that Samidh and I wrote.
Anyway, I checked out Lessig’s blog, and came across Creative Commons. This is a really awesome response to the RIAA and MPAA’s war on fair use. Basically, with Creative Commons, when you create something, you automatically give permission to other people to mess around with it. You can specify some restrictions: attribution, non-commercial, copyleft (or “share-alike” as they call it), etc. This neat flash presentation can explain it much better than I can.
So, this blog is licensed under Creative Commons (see lower-right corner of page). I wanted my thesis (warning: still in edit mode) to be released under Creative Commons, but it turns out that since MIT paid my tuition (as I was a TA) this past year, they get to have the copyright. I guess &quot all rights reserved &quot is a small price to pay for a stipend. (Actually, I guess linking it right there is technically illegal–oh well, just more of my civil disobedience).
To actually add to the &quot creative commons,&quot I’ll release my Thesis song parody. Below is the chorus and final verse; you can find the rest in the “read more” section. I don’t think I need to say what the tune is to. So, feel free to change the song to actually make it funny!

Oh, SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis!
Even though the sound of it
Will make you fall to pieces
If you work on it long enough
You’ll always screem out JESUS!
SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis!
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
So when the prof cracks his whip
There’s no need to submit
Just conjure up this golden word
and it’ll be the prof that they commit!
But better use it carefully
‘Cuz it might change your destiny
One night I said all too loud
And now I’m working on my PhD!
It’s SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis!

Oh, right, thesis. I should finish that.

SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis:
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis!
Even though the sound of it
Will make you fall to pieces
If you work on it long enough
You’ll always screem out JESUS!
SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis!
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Because I was too lazy to code
My advisor brought me in
His demands, they made my brain implode
My ear lain on my chin
But then one day I looked up a word
That saved my deranging mind
The biggest word I had ever heard
And now everyone is kind!
Oh, SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis!
Even though the sound of it
Will make you fall to pieces
If you work on it long enough
You’ll always screem out JESUS!
SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis!
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
So when the prof cracks his whip
There’s no need to submit
Just conjure up this golden word
and it’ll be the prof that they commit!
But better use it carefully
‘Cuz it might change your destiny
One night I said all too loud
And now I’m working on my PhD!
It’s SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis!
SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis
SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis
SuperComboPoliCompSciWeightedVotingThesis!