The holidays are fast approaching, and while you scour the Internet this weekend searching for the perfect deal, it turns out that many companies are watching your Web traffic patterns to determine exactly how much to charge you for your purchase. Last month, researchers at Northeastern University found that the personalized Web experience—the combination of algorithms and […]

Alessandro Vespignani is one researcher trying to gather that information. Vespignani seeks population data at the most granular level possible, trying to determine numbers of people and types of dwellings within five by five mile boxes, for example. He uses local census numbers plus data from the LandScan program out of Oak Ridge National Laboratory […]

Tucker Marion, an associate business professor at Northeastern University, said it can be difficult to predict which services will work well on mobile platforms, and which will flop. Since Plowz & Mowz is a complement to existing landscape businesses, rather than a replacement, he said, the service may give smaller operations a chance to get […]

While we’re on money: Because it makes us less grabby, gratitude can pay. Northeastern University psychologist David DeSteno led a study that found that feeling grateful makes people more patient, allowing them to resist instant gratification, and potentially make better financial decisions. Subjects were offered a small sum of money immediately, or a larger sum […]

With so many psychological prods, shoppers may think their best defense is learning to say no. Actually, experts say, the best defense is cultivating gratitude. David DeSteno, a psychology professor at Northeastern University, suggests that the most effective way to fight temptations to buy something you don’t need is to recall what you’re thankful for. […]

A lot of our decisions boil down to short-term gain versus long-term gain, says David DeSteno, professor of psychology at Northeastern University. “Do I want to feel good in the moment versus do I want to sacrifice in the moment for long-term gain in the future? Most people would prefer to take $20 now versus […]

A day after the Pentagon refused to comment, a defense official told VOA that the U.S. military “supported and cooperated with Yemeni forces” in an operation that freed Yemeni hostages and an Ethiopian. Yemeni officials had said earlier that Tuesday’s raid, in an eastern portion of the country known as an al-Qaida safe haven, also […]

Millennials might make up the majority of the workforce in the next few years, but Generation Z—made up of people born in the mid-’90s or later—isn’t far behind. There’s something a bit unsettling about the name (are there any generations left after Z?), but according to a new national survey, this segment of the population […]

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you’re probably acutely aware of all the reasons you should boost your personal gratitude quotient. Hint: Because it can help you get happier, healthier, less stressed-out—and more optimistic overall. Another big-time benefit? Feeling grateful can also make you richer. That’s according to some interesting research from professors at Northeastern University, […]

Journalism has lost control of its platforms and means of distribution. In many ways, that’s good, because it has brought to an end the monopoly journalists once held on the news and information we need to govern ourselves in a democratic society. But the age of information gatekeepers did not end with the rise of […]

The same kinds of microwaves used in air traffic control radar is being used by researchers at Northeastern University to better see and diagnose breast cancer. Since microwaves bounce back differently depending on what they hit and where they hit it, electrical and computer engineering professor Carey Rappaport says the technology is ideal to look […]

It’s been more than 15 weeks since a white police officer shot and killed a black teenager in Ferguson, Mo., becoming a flashpoint for debate across the country. Even as a prosecutor tried to explain why there was no indictment last night, tensions boiled over, and protests are forming around the country as Ferguson residents […]