Star Simpson, the 20-year-old MIT student who was arrested last September for wearing a sweatshirt adorned with an LED panel to Logan Airport, will not receive jail time. East Boston District Judge Paul Mahoney dismissed the charge of possession of a hoax device, a felony, and assigned Simpson to pre-trial probation for the charge of disorderly conduct, reports the Herald. Simpson was arrested when airport authorities thought her sweatshirt was a bomb, and the case......

--Breaking: A judge decided not to dismiss the case of Star Simpson, the MIT student who wore a lite-brite T-shirt into Logan Airport, causing a ruckus. Her trial will be in May. [AP/Boston Globe] --The number of high-school dropouts in Massachusetts went up this year, from 9,900 students to 11,500 students. And the tune of "Beauty School Dropout" rings in our heads. [WCVB] --Oh, that $2 bag fee for curbside American Airlines check-in service......

In a city packed with top colleges and brilliant thinkers, the word "nerd" is bound to strike a nerve. "Nerd" and "Geek" are commonly considered insults, but many Bostonians have shrugged off the label and are either enjoying success or are on their way to success in scholarly pursuits. So-called nerds live here in a fairly safe haven. But sometimes, nerd contempt bubbles up. Witness the anger against MIT student Star Simpson, who walked into......

Star Simpson, the MIT student whose light-up T-shirt caused a panic when she wore it to Logan Airport, appeared in court today. She asked for the charges to be dropped because the shirt was a form of free speech and that she had worn it days before without it causing a problem. Here's the update from the AP/WBZ: Thomas Dwyer Jr., a lawyer for Simpson, said his client didn't think her shirt would scare anyone.......

Art The exhibit Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914–1939 shows the sharp, mechanical-feeling prints that set the artistic tone for the future. Museum of Fine Arts. Read Bostonist's preview of the show. Runs through June 1. Fashion Put away your spindles. Fashionistas can flash forward to the 21st century at Seamless, which showcases "experimental works in computational apparel design." The dry-witted Steven Rosengard of Project Runway 4 will be hosting, and Red Sox......

What moved you to speak out this year? A Lite Brite giving you the finger? The Red Sox? The death of Mr. Butch? As you can see, there aren't many surprises--the Red Sox, MIT student Star Simpson, and L'Affaire Aqua Teen Hunger Force dominated this list. 10. Mr. Lonelyhearts: Tom Brady 9. Live-Blogging Game 4 of the World Series 8. Socket to Me: Star Simpson Follow-Up 7. Breaking: Fake Bomb-Toting MIT Student So Not......

Republican presidential candidate and Internet sensation Ron Paul doesn't need Oprah. He doesn't need connections to the hot-shot politicians. He just needs a blimp. Ron Paul's supporters are sending up a blimp for an East Coast tour from North Carolina, through DC and New York, to Boston. According to the flight plan on the Ron Paul Blimp site, the balloon will launch Wednesday in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and then travels north, flying over......

After the Mooninite Menace and Star Simpson's light-up sweatshirt, we were starting to think that the entire city of Boston was afraid of its own shadow. But Toronto just made us feel better by having its own experience of homeland security gone awry in the face of art. Torontoist has an interview up with a gentleman who just scared the holy shit out of the city. And this is Canada, people, aka America's Hat. They're......

According the MBTA inspector we stalked into the Dunkin' Donuts at Haymarket Station, the Orange Line was shut down from Back Bay to North Station all morning because "a car tipped over at Chinatown." When pressed for more info, the inspector only added, "everything's cleared up now." Offers to trade him a donut for more scoop nearly resulted in a Star Simpson style escort out of the area. Sorry. We're not cute enough to......

Harvard isn't the only school suffering from a No-Fun Mandate. Dean Wormer's twin brother--oops, MIT Chancellor Philip Clay--told those wacky MIT kids that he's not gonna put up with any more hacks (known as pranks in the MIT world). This announcement won't go over well with students who think that MIT wasn't sufficiently supportive of student Star Simpson after she wore her "Socket to Me" sweatshirt to Logan Airport. Clay didn't mention Simpson (and what......

--On Saturday, some alleged whack-job trying to get a piece of Star Simpson glory told an AirTran employee at Logan Airport, "I'm with al-Qaeda. I'm with them and I'm here to blow up things." Hardy har. Those words earned 27-year-old Ermiyas Asfaw, from DC, a one-way trip to jail. Attention, world: You may be able to do whatever you want in other cities, but Boston is sensitive. We may not agree with their hypersensitivity, but......

MIT has gotten a bad rap in the press lately after sodium that may have come from the school burned volunteers cleaning up the Charles. It only got worse when MIT student Star Simpson spaced out, forgot to take off a sweatshirt with a circuit board on it, and freaked out Logan Airport staff. Right after Simpson was arrested and hauled to court, the MIT brass put out a statement calling Simpson's actions "reckless." That......

Going to Logan Airport, even before the Star Simpson Incident, typically inspires a sense of dread. If one person mentions that they have to pick up a parent/boyfriend/girlfriend/SI at the airport, anyone else involved in the conversation immediately offers condolences. Airport meetings involve robbery via high parking prices, hassling with State Police if you linger at the curb, or guns if you're a slightly spacey MIT student. Trips to Logan might get easier with a......

After the swift response to MIT student Star Simpson's infamous arrival at Logan Airport, the united front of law enforcement against the Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and the mailing of empty pill boxes to residents, imagine our surprise upon hearing that Massachusetts would be unprepared in the event of a terror attack. Boston proves that just because you're easily frightened doesn't mean you can protect yourself if something really bad happened. Governor Deval Patrick's team......

After causing a major freakout at Logan airport by wearing a fake circuit-board device on her chest, Star Simpson said that it was "art" and that she was wearing it for a career fair. Unfortunately, her decision to go to the airport with that artwork on might have scared some employers off. (But at least one of them is sure to find it kind of cool.) It is looking like it really never occurred to......

--Word is out that some boneheaded morons knocked over a 160-year-old bust of Jesus that is displayed at the Boston Public Library. It happened on September 12 in the afternoon, and the man and woman who did it got caught on videotape. The pair didn't go after the bust of Lucifer. Apparently they were trying to make a point, but it was obscured in the sheer amount of dumbassery displayed by their behavior. It still......

Star Simpson, a 19-year-old MIT sophomore from Hawaii, was arrested at gunpoint this morning for sauntering into Logan Airport with a fake bomb strapped to her chest. Crazy biotch wore a computer circuit board, wiring and putty (actually Play-Doh) over a black hooded sweatshirt. The Globe added that she was on her way to Terminal C to meet her boyfriend. On Simpson's personal webpage, she writes, "In a sentence, I'm an inventor, artist, engineer,......