MIT Pranks: The Big Bang Theory

Long Before Punk’d, There Were MIT Pranks. Smart, Smart MIT Pranks. One historian dates the Big Bang of MIT pranks back to around 1865-1868 and posits that MIT’s strain of brainy pranks may have been a blessing for the school’s success. But since the 1800s, the pranks have evolved into highly advanced feats of ingenuity that everyone more-or-less accepts as part of the campus culture these days. Just don’t leave your boots unattended around any MITsters. [Slate]

Boston Businesses Call Out ‘Unfair’ Yelp Review Process. Calling out Yelp’s algorithm and the inability of businesses to respond to negative reviews without a subscription, some Boston business owners and Yelp reviewers say they’ve had enough of the review behemoth. “I don’t feel I’m being represented properly. If I get a positive review, it stays, at the most, two days now,” says Tanya Mitnick, owner of Tete a Tete salon in Newton. “If I get another positive review, the previous one instantly disappears, but the bad reviews stay. … What bothers me about this is my reputation … I don’t sleep nights when I get bad reviews. I can’t defend myself.” [WCVB]

Bank of America Sucks and Redefines the Lowly Depths of Suckitude. Or: How Bank of America Didn’t Learn Anything the First Time Around, Wants to Charge Customers for Making Money. Again. [Wall Street Journal]

For Red Sox Fans, It’s Day 1 in Post Jason Varitek Era. Tek, who was visibility emotional during yesterday’s announcement, said: “After months of deliberating what to do, I decided it’s best for me and my family that I retire. But I retire a Red Sox. My decision to retire wasn’t something I took lightly in any sense of the word, nor was it something I wanted to do more than once. … This has probably been the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in my career. But the opportunity to start and finish my major-league career in one place meant more to me, and that’s why I’m standing here today.” Farewell, Jason Varitek, we’ll miss you. [NESN]

Maple Sugaring Season in Massachusetts Starts Today. This, coupled with the arrival of snow, means that spring can’t be too far away, right? [WHDH]