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What do earmuffs, swim fins and Popsicles have in common? They were invented by curious, creative kids - some as young as you. Inventor and Founding Father Ben Franklin was just age 11 or 12 when he designed paddles to help him swim faster. He used oval pieces of wood and cut holes for his thumbs. His 300-year-old invention is why Kid Inventors' Day is celebrated each year on January 17, his birthday. Kids are creative thinkers with their own ideas for tackling problems. Going through the invention process - identifying a challenge, designing a solution and testing to see if it works - is empowering, said Tim Pula, an invention/innovation specialist at the Smithsonian Institution. By leaping from what is to what if builds your "creative- and critical-thinking muscles," said Jayme Cellitioci, a strategist with the National Inventors Hall of Fame. "Invention is more of a process than one 'Aha!' moment," she said. You learn about different ways of thinking, that good ideas can … [Read more...] about Inventive New Jersey siblings prove that good ideas can come at any age

Agnieszka Pilat with her robot dog and muse, Spot. Photo: Mark Sommerfeld When I meet Agnieszka Pilat , a pixie-ish Polish émigré who has become the court painter of the potentates of Silicon Valley , she has just returned from Necker Island, the private Caribbean domain of Richard Branson . “I’m always the poorest person in the room” at places like that, she says with a laugh, curling her paint-flecked Yves Saint Laurent sneakers beneath her on the couch as she absentmindedly twists and untwists her hair. We’ve met up in her Chelsea studio, in which paintings of robotic limbs in repose dot the concrete walls. She has another studio in San Francisco. In each, she kennels a duplicate Spot , her 70-pound emergency-yellow cybernetic dog, muse, studio assistant (it paints, too), and, in some sense, protector, both on loan to her from Boston Dynamics, where she was once artist in residence. Despite her Chelsea digs near the blue-chip Gagosians and Zwirners, Pilat … [Read more...] about See Spot Paint

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is testifying in front of Congress this week. To accompany the testimony, Select All is publishing transcripts of interviews with four ex-Facebook employees and one former investor, conducted as part of a wider project on the crisis within the tech industry that will be published later this week. These interviews include: • Former Facebook manager Sandy Parakilas on privacy, addiction, and why Facebook must “dramatically” change its business model. • Former Facebook product manager Antonio Garcia Martinez on the “sociopathic scene” of Silicon Valley and Mark Zuckerberg’s “disingenuous and strange” reaction to the election. • Early Facebook investor Roger McNamee on Facebook propaganda, early warning signs, and why outrage is so addictive. • Former Zuckerberg speechwriter Kate Losse on how the Facebook founder thinks and what is hardest for him to wrap his mind around. This interview is with Soleio Cuervo, a … [Read more...] about ‘Facebook Does Not Exist to Return Profits to Its Shareholders’

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is testifying in front of Congress this week. To accompany the testimony, Select All is publishing transcripts of interviews with four ex-Facebook employees and one former investor, conducted as part of a wider project on the crisis within the tech industry that will be published later this week. These interviews include: • Former Facebook manager Sandy Parakilas on privacy, addiction, and why Facebook must “dramatically” change its business model. • Former Facebook product manager Antonio Garcia Martinez on the “sociopathic scene” of Silicon Valley and Mark Zuckerberg’s “disingenuous and strange” reaction to the election. • Early Facebook investor Roger McNamee on Facebook propaganda, early warning signs, and why outrage is so addictive. • Former Facebook designer Soleio Cuervo on Facebook’s commitment to users, what the media gets wrong, and why regulation is unnecessary. This interview is with Kate Losse, an … [Read more...] about ‘There’s a Little Bit of

Ukrainian servicemen walk past a minefield warning sign on the frontline with Russia-backed separatists near Luganske in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Photo: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images Over the past few months, Russia has amassed tens of thousands of soldiers, along with tanks, artillery and other materiel near its border with Ukraine in what U.S. intelligence (and much of the world) has interpreted as a buildup in preparation for an invasion. At the same time, online propaganda and disinformation activity has increased , as have cyberattacks on Ukrainian targets, including one that took down several government websites on Friday. It is no coincidence that these ominous activities look strikingly similar to the leadup to Russia’s 2014 invasion of its weaker neighbor, in which it annexed Crimea and launched the still-ongoing insurgency by Moscow-backed separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Indeed, if Russia does send troops into Ukraine in the … [Read more...] about Is Another Russian Invasion of Ukraine Inevitable?

0 Schools Dylan Jack, of Tewksbury, understands the value of combining passion with education. The musician started his academic journey at Middle ... Press Release Desk , News Partner Posted Reply Press release from the Middlesex Community College: Caitlin Buckley 1/13/2022 Dylan Jack, of Tewksbury, understands the value of combining passion with education. The musician started his academic journey at Middlesex Community College because although he was certain he wanted to pursue the field, "I didn't know exactly where I wanted to go with music." "It was my first true academic experience with music outside of my own studying, reading and playing," Jack said. "It made sense for me at the time, and MCC was a great place to start." The 2008 graduate chose Middlesex because it felt accessible and familiar – his mother was an alumna of MCC's Dental Hygiene program. When he arrived, he also found interesting … [Read more...] about Middlesex Community College: Alum Credits MCC For Helping Him Pursue Career In Music

Microsoft is buying game publisher Activision Blizzard in a transaction valued at nearly $70 billion, the tech company announced Tuesday . The acquisition comes months after workers at the gaming company came forward with allegations of workplace sexual harassment and discrimination in a lawsuit filed by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Microsoft said the acquisition will accelerate the company's growth across the gaming business and, when complete, will make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company by revenue behind Tencent and Sony. ADVERTISEMENT Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision. The Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming. “Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, said in a statement. “We’re investing … [Read more...] about Microsoft buying game publisher Activision

GOP online fundraising vehicle WinRed raised $559 million last year as the party began gearing up for November's midterm elections. WinRed's 2021 haul included $158 million in the fourth quarter alone. The Hill was the first outlet to report on the platform's latest fundraising numbers. The platform touted its gains at the state and local level as well, saying it processed $80.7 million in such donations last year, including $32 million in the last quarter of the year. First-time donors contributed $209.3 million, including $63.4 million in the fourth quarter, WinRed said. ADVERTISEMENT “Following a record year of fundraising, WinRed is hitting the ground running in 2022,” WinRed president Gerrit Lansing said in a statement to The Hill. “Between WinRed’s lower fee structure and continued growth and innovation, we’re putting Republicans at a competitive advantage. We're leaving no stone unturned to ensure a successful midterm election for the GOP.” WinRed announced in … [Read more...] about GOP fundraising platform raked in $559 million in 2021

President Biden Joe Biden Macro grid will keep the lights on Pelosi suggests filibuster supporters 'dishonor' MLK's legacy on voting rights Sanders calls out Manchin, Sinema ahead of filibuster showdown MORE , who ran on the promise of being the most pro-labor president in history, has struggled to secure pro-worker legislation during his first year in office and recently clashed with major unions over his administration’s COVID-19 policies. The administration’s decision to weaken COVID isolation guidelines and rescind the emergency temporary standard for health care worker protections puts Biden in rare disagreement with labor unions. Still, labor leaders point to the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as two of Biden’s many pro-worker victories and blame the tight Democratic majority in the Senate for failing to deliver on other legislative priorities like the PRO Act and Build Back Better plan. ADVERTISEMENT Unions pushed … [Read more...] about Biden endures up-and-down first year on labor issues

Senate Democrats are scrambling for a Plan B to pass voting rights legislation after Sens. Kyrsten Sinema Kyrsten Sinema Pelosi suggests filibuster supporters 'dishonor' MLK's legacy on voting rights Sanders calls out Manchin, Sinema ahead of filibuster showdown Martin Luther King III: Biden, senators need to use same energy to pass voting rights as they did for infrastructure MORE (D-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin Joe Manchin Pelosi suggests filibuster supporters 'dishonor' MLK's legacy on voting rights Sanders calls out Manchin, Sinema ahead of filibuster showdown Martin Luther King III: Biden, senators need to use same energy to pass voting rights as they did for infrastructure MORE (D-W.Va.) announced last week that they would not vote to change the Senate’s filibuster rule despite the pleading of President Biden Joe Biden Macro grid will keep the lights on Pelosi suggests filibuster supporters 'dishonor' MLK's legacy on voting … [Read more...] about Democrats ponder Plan B strategy to circumvent voting-rights filibuster