January 28, 2025

As one of the world’s most powerful empires was crumbling, its line of succession was also in dire straits. After losing his first wife and only son to smallpox, Philip IV of Spain faced an urgent need for a male heir. So, to consolidate the dynastic power of his family, Philip IV married his 14-year-old niece, Mariana of Austria, who had originally been betrothed to his late son. Following their marriage, a portrait of Spain’s new queen consort was commissioned. Last month, the Norton Simon Mu

In the midst of procrastinating yet another set, I am seized by my obsession with the godforsaken company Nintendo. Ever since the official announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2 (yes that is actually its name), I have not known a day of peace. I seem to be physically incapable of lasting 24 hours without thinking about this new console. With a supposed price of around $400-449, it is important to see if it will match up to the high price point. ![](https://xguzskbxiptvhbyggkpl.supabase.co/stora

If you’ve recently heard students humming show tunes, hyping up hockey games, or debating the best rides at Knott’s Berry Farm, you’ve probably stumbled upon the buzz surrounding Caltech’s Off-Campus Programming Series. What started as a pilot program to foster student engagement is now a fully-fledged initiative under the Office of Student and Family Engagement (SFE). I recently had the chance to chat with Steven Metzmaker, Assistant Director of Residential & Student Experience, who has been

And here we are at the last pillar of ancient philosophy, which, in some way, can also be defined as the father of the modern one. After our Platonic dive into the world of ideas, metaphysical realms, and abstract thought, it’s time to plant our feet firmly on the ground. If Plato was the dreamer with his head above the clouds, Aristotle is the realist with his hands in the soil. He’s the philosopher of practicality; the one who took the abstract musings of his teacher, Plato, and said, “Alright

1. The Problem $130,000. That is my estimate of waste at Bechtel. Most visitors to Caltech’s newest residence were probably surprised when they first found out that the 212-room building has just one entrance, an issue which, as a resident of Bechtel myself, has been more inconvenient than I originally anticipated. There are various doors around Bechtel, as shown by the circles in the below floor plan. However, only the southern main gate indicated in green has a card reader, while every o

Nearly a year since voting to form our union, the elected CGPU bargaining team is proud to unanimously endorse a YES vote on a full Tentative Agreement (TA) to ratify Caltech Postdoc (PD) and Graduate Student Workers’ (GSWs) first-ever union contract. This historic agreement demonstrates the power GSWs and PDs have built and exercised through mass engagement in our contract campaign. It also reflects a shared desire between GSWs and PDs and the Caltech Administration to reach an agreement in the

I’ve been thinking about this article for a while now, but I can’t seem to find the right moment to write it. For me, writing means putting my thoughts down on paper—sometimes thoughts I struggle to acknowledge or understand, or that I try to avoid altogether. As my fingers race across the keyboard, the sound of a train echoes a few hundred meters away, and a cold breeze seeps through the window next to my bed. I’m in one of those classic American motels in the middle of nowhere. I’ve been compe

My name is John Chapman, and I am a G5 chemistry graduate student. I have gathered union petition signatures, organized vote parties for union authorization, sent mass emails in support of the union, and spoken in person to most grad students and postdocs in Schlinger, Church, and Crellin for Caltech Grad Researchers and Postdocs United (CGPU). I’m about as pro-union as they come. But right now, CGPU is at best misleading and at worst outright lying about compensation gains in the recent tentat

After 14 years as Caltech’s Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation, Betsy Mitchell announced earlier this month that she will be stepping down in the spring. Regarding this decision, she stated that it is “just time for a change” in an email to the Tech. Mitchell is the former world (1986-1991) and American (1986-2002) record holder in 200-meter backstroke. During her time at the University of Texas at Austin, she was a 7-time individual NCAA champion in swimming and the NCA