CommonWealth Magazine Walsh’s legislative skills needed on transportation A new mayor provides an opportunity for new thinking about Boston-area transportation. And since state participation is a must when it comes to the transportation policies that would create the most benefits for city residents, the fact that Boston’s new mayor, Marty Walsh, happens to have 17 years of Beacon Hill experiences and relationships under […]
Northeastern student’s motivation-focused startup became profitable in 2 weeks Lars King’s startup focuses on collecting the best online videos to inspire people to be more motivated — a quality he never really lacked himself, at least not when it came to making money. King, a sophomore at Northeastern University, started his entrepreneurial career at age 12 selling herbs from his parents’ garden to neighbors. […]
The tenuous science of facial recognition The eyes may be windows into the soul, but can we really garner that much information from staring into someone’s face? Research suggests maybe not. A whole business has developed out of training computers to recognize our facial expressions, with companies like Emotient and Affectiva selling facial recognition software that supposedly reveals how focus groups […]
Are we finally ready to reduce racial bias in our courts? While trends in American criminal justice have come and gone over the last century, what has remained tiresomely — and implacably — consistent has been the role of race as a factor in decision-making by jurists, juries and prosecutors alike. Seemingly unrelated events over the last few weeks suggest that a serious pendulum swing is […]
Report cites benefits from Mass. green campaign The state’s landmark law to promote energy efficiency and renewable power sources such as wind and solar is projected to produce a modest economic benefit in coming years, including the creation of about 16,000 jobs, according to new report released Tuesday. The report by Analysis Group, a Boston economic and financial consulting firm, is believed […]
The Diplomat Kyrgyzstan: The next Ukraine? Kyrgyzstan was once known for its Tulip Revolution, a name the followed the trend of color-coded revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine. The ouster of the corrupt regime of President Askar Akayev in 2005 gave those Kyrgyz aspiring for a better future cause for hope, but expectations were quickly dampened. Akayev’s successor Kurmanbek Bakiyev suffered the […]
Boston Herald Nanocrystals come up big In a winter of seemingly endless snow and ice, what if there were a better way of fortifying roads against potholes? What if this same technology could be used to build stronger bridges, create solar panels, even penetrate and selectively kill cancer cells? They’re called nanocrystals — particles so small that their width measures about […]
MetroWest Daily News Medway High grad biking across country Just before Sara Burgett begins her graduate studies in the physical therapy program at Northeastern University next fall, she’ll be taking a road trip to California – the first time she’ll ever see the Golden State. But instead of an engine and four tires, the 22-year-old Medway native and 2009 Medway High graduate will be on […]
Boston Herald Putin defies Obama, troops take Crimea Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops took over Crimea yesterday, defying President Obama’s warnings to stand down and dramatically raising the stakes in a showdown where the United States has limited military and political options, experts say. Some 15,000 Russian troops were in Crimea after the Russian parliament greenlighted Putin’s request to put boots on the […]
Salon Bill Clinton vs. Lena Dunham: The Shakespearean battle of boomers and millennials Millennials and Boomers are the lead characters in the looming generational showdown by dint of their vast numbers and strategic location in the life cycle. But what gives the drama an almost Shakespearean richness is something more: they’re also each other’s children and parents, bound together in an intricate web of love, support, anxiety, resentment, […]
Why Apple could win big with Tesla’s giant new battery factory The first Tesla I ever saw was stripped down to the chassis, a bare-metal incarnation of the company’s flagship electric Roadster on display at an event in Silicon Valley. Without the need for an internal combustion engine, the two-seater’s petite frame was dominated by a huge battery. My first thought: “This looks like a giant […]
What faces can’t tell us Can you detect someone’s emotional state just by looking at his face? It sure seems like it. In everyday life, you can often “read” what someone is feeling with the quickest of glances. Hundreds of scientific studies support the idea that the face is a kind of emotional beacon, clearly and universally signaling the full […]