Author: timbatchelder

  • Hamilton college alumni weekend features new science center and other innovations

    I just returned from alumni weekend at Hamilton College and was amazed at the evolution of this school since I completed my studies there. A new science center that looks like an Apple store, expanding visibility for its expertise in writing, media and communications, a dynamic network of alumni and new e-learning platforms connecting it…

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  • Wifi laptops exposure and reproductive health

    For years, other countries have been far more cautious about the impacts of electromagnetic radiation on human health than in the US and far too little is known about this as we increasingly expose ourselves to these fields. In parts of Europe for example there are much stricter regulations on exposure to EMFs than in…

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  • Crowd-sourcing college housing: repurposing the McMansions

    Increasingly I’ve noted the rise in the rental economy in the USA as the previous ownership mentality of many Americans traumatized by economic collapse and wealth inequalities is replaced by one of access. One interesting example of this is college students who, according to a slew of recent articles, are now taking over McMansions which…

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  • Cornell scientists use Twitter to capture global mood, chronobiology

    Most adults I know dismissed Twitter, with only 140 characters at their disposal, as a waste of time just a year ago. But after the Iranian revolts, the Arab Spring and the London riots in which Twitter played a key part, it is not so easily dismissed anymore. But its seemingly brief and trivial nature is…

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  • High frequency stock traders and optimal fiber optic network locations

    Soon, several computer scientists argue, stock traders will locate themselves in optimal points long fiber optic cable routes (shown on the map) to optimize the speed of their trades by milliseconds.  High-frequency trading is a new way for financial firms to make money by trading securities ultra-fast. Instead of holding securities for the long term,…

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  • Ratings and reviews: the end of serendipity (and bad hotel rooms)

    An interesting article which points out some social downsides to the Internet including the fact that almost everything now comes with a sea of reviews and ratings making the act of discovering something entirely oneself a little more difficult. Rate This Article: What’s Wrong with the Culture of Critique | Wired Magazine | Wired.com. Related…

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  • Narrative Science: Using computational linguistics to automate storytelling

    The new startup Narrative Science is slowly replacing many of the stories you read every day by using computational linguistic algorithms to summarize data from online sources on subjects from finance to sports. It is also scaring the pants off of journalists everywhere. Narrative Science . Related articles Could algorithms replace writers? (raventools.com) We’ve sold…

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