Technology

Cities and states must take lead on climate change

Cities and states must take lead on climate change

Policies can yield substantial health dividends

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CLIMATE CHANGE CREATES risks that scientists have been warning about for decades. Fortunately, many actions that reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change and hedge against longer-term risks can also benefit public health right now. Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions often go hand in hand with reductions in air pollutants with well-established relationships(...)

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The high toll of inmate phone calls

Summer 2017

The high toll of inmate phone calls

Advocates say charges keep prisoners isolated, undermine criminal justice reforms

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IT’S EASY TO take ordinary conveniences like making a telephone call for granted. Advances in technology have made communication cheaper and higher quality than ever before. But one group has been excluded from enjoying the benefits of the falling cost of this modern amenity: inmates. For years, inmates and their families across the nation have(...)

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Baker doubling down on failed biotech strategy

Opinion

Baker doubling down on failed biotech strategy

State subsidies -- an expensive mistake -- have marginal economic impact

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This opinion piece has been corrected in several spots (headline and story) to reflect the fact that $1 billion has not been spent by the Massachusetts Life Science Center. Only $650 million has been spent so far, which would significantly reduce the estimated cost per job HERE WE GO again. Government giveaways to industries will benefit(...)

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Using the web to improve accessibility

Using the web to improve accessibility

TransitScreen is piloting technology in Cambridge

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Transportation in cities is changing rapidly as new technology-enabled mobility options such as bike-sharing, car-sharing, and ride-sharing emerge. Our mission at TransitScreen is to make information about these proliferating public and private mobility choices accessible to everyone – regardless of their age, language, or social status – allowing them to save time and money while(...)

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Uber, Lyft changing traffic patterns at Logan

Tracking Transportation

Uber, Lyft changing traffic patterns at Logan

More passengers choosing to be chauffered

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RIDE-SHARING SERVICES appear to be changing traffic patterns at Logan International Airport, boosting the number of people paying for chauffeured services while causing a slight drop in the use of private cars, rental cars, and public transportation. Data compiled by the Massachusetts Port Authority indicate the number of people using ride-share services, taxis, and limos(...)

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Drivers urge DPU to alter background checks

Tracking Transportation

Drivers urge DPU to alter background checks

Rejected Uber and Lyft drivers say unlimited reach discriminates

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EDWARD HARUNK SAID driving for Uber gave him the flexibility to take care of his sick wife and bring her to doctor’s appointments whenever she needed. “Being an Uber driver enabled me, as a sole caregiver, to set my own time and allowed me to focus on my wife’s challenges,” the 59-year-old Wellesley resident, a(...)

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Death of a cancer lab

Spring 2017

Death of a cancer lab

Once-thriving publicly funded research program driven into bankruptcy by questionable characters

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FEW PLACES HAVE the resources and brain power to match Boston when it comes to biomedical research, including the search for effective ways to treat and prevent cancer. Internationally renowned hospitals, combined with some of the leading universities in the world, make the region a magnet for top researchers and the funding that fuels their(...)

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Esports: More than a game

Spring 2017

Esports: More than a game

Big bucks online competition now gaining academia's interest

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FOR MOST PEOPLE over the age of 30, playing video games is perceived as a waste of time, a solitary, non-social activity that serves to melt one’s brain. Yet as a 20-year old who has been playing video games for about 15 years (and whose brain is still intact), I believe that perception is way(...)

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Logan passengers can now get a Lyft

Tracking Transportation

Logan passengers can now get a Lyft

Massport set to reach agreement with other ride-hailing companies

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MASSPORT HAS REACHED an agreement with Lyft to allow the ride-hailing company to operate out of Logan Airport, a move that paves the way for other transportation network companies such as Uber to pick up passengers at the terminals and take one of the last remaining lucrative routes away from Boston cabbies. “This is something(...)

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Got robots?

Winter 2017

Got robots?

Dairy farmers use technology to eke out a living

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Sixth-generation family farmers Dave and Steve Barstow have stretched the limits of what dairy farmers can do to stay afloat. They opened a store and bakery on their dairy farm at the foot of Mt. Holyoke in Hadley. They generate electricity from composted cow manure and food scraps. They even market a line of farm(...)

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