Entries in Innovation Hub by Mary Dooe
1. Spending your days volunteering might be a waste of time. Princeton philosopher Peter Singer tells us about "effective altruism."
2. Algorithms can discriminate just like people. Seeta Pena Gangadharan of the London School of Economics explains how relying too much on math can be a bad thing.
3. You don’t know your best friend as well as you think. Nicholas Epley, author of “Mindwise,” looks at why we misunderstand even those closest to us.
Long gone are the steel town days. We head to the city of Pittsburgh to take a look at the burgeoning innovation economy. Read More...
1. Play teaches kids to be adults. That's how humans evolved, argues Peter Gray, professor of psychology at Boston College. But our educational system stifles playfulness, and that can hamper kids' ability to learn.
2. Doing homework wastes a lot more than paper. Professor Jim Davies thinks too many assignments are busy work, and young people should embark on more projects that matter.
3. One-on-one learning is finally coming to traditional classrooms, thanks to technology and a company called New Classrooms. Co-founders Joel Rose and Chris Rush explain why the ideal learning environment involves computers, personalized learning, AND group lessons.
1. Online retailers might charge you a few dollars more for those pants, if they think you can afford it. Dan Mongan, co-author of "All You Can Pay," explains that companies are increasingly using our data to tailor prices.
2. The idea that you could forecast the weather came about at the same time as another controversial theory: evolution. Author Peter Moore tells the tale of the men who dared to predict storms, and their connection to Charles Darwin.
3. Laptops of the future will know that you're stressed. Rosalind Picard of MIT has been working to make smarter computers that anticipate our needs, and she says that future is closer than you think.
1. Silicon Valley used to be fruit orchards. That was, until one man – Gordon Moore – realized that transistors get faster and cheaper every year. And the rest is iPhone and Facebook history.
2. Negotiating for higher pay doesn't mean having to put on the proverbial battle armor. Stanford's Margaret Ann Neale tells us what really works when you're trying to get your way.
3. We have the Six Million Dollar Man to thank for our advances in medicine. Steven Kotler, author of "Tomorrowland: Our Journey from Science Fiction to Science Fact," explains how books, movies and television have dreamed up advances in technology before anyone knew how to make them happen.
1. After ATMs popped up on every street corner, the number of bank tellers actually increased. Author and economist James Bessen explains how technology changes the workforce - and why you shouldn’t be too worried about a robot stealing the corner office.
2. Certain types of stress actually increase your creativity. Teresa Amabile, professor at Harvard Business School, explains why pressure can be a good thing, and says that we can all learn something from the Apollo 13 missions.
3. Studies suggesting that beta-carotene prevents cancer were disproven in the 70s, yet the claim is still cited today. Stanford’s John Ioannidis gives us a peek into the crisis in scientific literature.
1. It's Einstein's fault that you need your phone to know where the heck you are. At least, indirectly — GPS would never have been invented without the theory of relativity, explains Hiawatha Bray of the Boston Globe.
2. The quintessential genius of the 20th century had trouble getting a job teaching high school. Before he reached fame and success, Albert Einstein faced a whole lot of failure, according to biographer Walter Isaacson.
3. IQ tests have been used to support the case for eugenics, and to justify thousands of sterilizations. Clinical psychologist Elaine Castles tells the history of how we measure intelligence — and why it's not all it's cracked up to be.
Even if you’re pretty happy with the job you have, you still might want to see if there’s anything better. CEO Tom Leung talks about Poachable, his anonymous online talent marketplace that lets you look for cool new jobs, without your boss finding out — and lets companies find the right match as well. Read More...
1. Silicon Valley is wherever you want it to be. Entrepreneur Brad Feld explains why we shouldn't feel compelled to move somewhere just because people say its full of opportunities.
2. Darwin's theories don't apply to us anymore. Author and investor Juan Enriquez argues that from cows to corn to cities, humans have now moved beyond natural selection.
3. Cars, coal…concrete? Daniel Gross takes a look at an under-the-radar substance that’s destroying the environment.
