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There’s a scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first Indiana Jones movie, where the villain swallows a fly. It happens right after Indy catches up with a Nazi convoy transporting the Ark of the Covenant through the Egyptian desert, on its way to deliver the Ark to Hitler. “I’m gonna blow up the […]
For a young composer, it can be difficult not to seem derivative. The problem is getting beyond one’s background and influences. Caroline Shaw, who won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for musical composition, faces this dilemma head-on. In her composition notes she often explains which work formed the grounding of a piece. She acknowledges when inspiration […]
The online world continues to suffer from a severe shortage of WikiWomen—roughly 8 or 9 out of 10 Wikipedia editors are male. But the number of female contributors will grow as a result of the latest free WikiWomen Edit-a-thon, held Saturday in Moffitt Library at UC Berkeley. Wikipedia, for anyone who is still operating a […]
A recent article in Mother Jones magazine calculates the impact of the illicit marijuana trade on global warming, and arrives at some pretty grim conclusions. U.S. dope production and distribution, the piece notes, emit as much atmospheric carbon as 3 million cars. In California, indoor grows suck up 9 percent of household electricity; outdoor plots […]
For any district attorneys, homicide detectives, and parents of wily teenagers who may be reading this: There’s good news and there’s bad news. First, the bad news. According to a new UC Berkeley study just published in Psychological Science, you’re not nearly as good of a lie detector as you think you are. In a […]
A study by graduate students David Broockman (Berkeley) and Joshua Kalla (Yale) on the cupidity of Congressional representatives made recent news because it validated the conventional wisdom: politicians like you better if you give them money. But that wasn’t the real hook. The bigger story is that the study (supported by CREDO Action, a progressive […]
When students decide to major in philosophy, they are often greeted with shock, bewilderment and parental dismay. And always a few jokes. Such as: “How do you get a group of philosophers off your doorstep? You order pizza and then throw it outside your yard.” Or this one about a Cal philosophy grad: “The only […]
Update: Alas, the sparrows will sing of Berkeley’s victory another day: Although Cal logged 64 species in the April birding contest, Stanford identified 75, including the white-throated sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, lark sparrow and savannah sparrow—and apparently, not a single cardinal. In the misty glade, a Pacific wren spots a worm in the grass and swoops […]
Clark Kellogg, a lecturer in innovation and design thinking at the Haas School of Business, had an epiphany on New Year’s Day 2013. Actually, a friend of his had the epiphany, and he co-opted it. “With her consent, of course,” Kellogg says. “She told me she planned to post a photograph a day on Instagram. […]
A proposed state constitutional amendment that aimed to diversify California’s public universities—but which some opponents dubbed “the most racist bill in the history of California”—has been put on ice. At least for now. This week’s news that Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 will not be taken up by the state Assembly marks a dramatic reversal of […]
Big tips make headlines. Consider the almost $500 gratuity on a $6 bill received by a Steak ‘n’ Shake waitress in Indianapolis, or the $1,000 that host Ellen DeGeneres gave Edgar Martiroysan, the pizza delivery guy at the Academy awards. But reality is far less lucrative for most restaurant workers, many of whom struggle to […]
Is there any technology trendier than 3-D printers? Applications real or planned include pizzas (prototype pizzeria printers use cartridges filled with food-like powder) and heart valves—which is convenient, because if you eat many of those printed pizzas, you’ll likely need that valve, stat. Ease of manufacture isn’t the only perceived upside of this new technology. […]
Shien Biau Woo is a self-professed liberal. As a Democrat, he was lieutenant governor of Delaware and was once the party’s nominee for the U.S. Senate. The organization he co-founded, the 80-20 Initiative, advocates for equal rights and opportunity for Asian Americans and twice endorsed Barack Obama. And yet, says Woo: “Some liberals—and I classify […]
My not-quite-2-year-old can’t articulate beyond the monosyllabic level: “Ma” and “Pa,” of course, and “Wa” for water. But what really gets him jacked is his “La”: an old iPad that is now his exclusive, if crusty and sticky, property. He plays games that still confound me, and cruises the internet with ease, ferreting out YouTube […]
Fall and winter birthdays can be a real drag. September celebrants will forever have their special days clouded by the beginning of a new school year. October through December birthdays are too closely clustered to all the good holidays, leaving the rest of the year a giftless wasteland. And while all the Geminis and Cancers […]
No wonder so many scientists are at their wits’ end when it comes to climate change: Despite an overwhelming scientific consensus that the planet is warming—and that human activity is much to blame—the public remains skeptical. In fact, one poll indicates that nearly 2 out of 5 Americans believe global warming is just a hoax. Not […]
There are cowboy poets, of course—so many that cowpoke poesy conferences, or “gatherings,” are held regularly in most of the western states. But while there are plenty of country and western song lyrics about truckers (“I got ten forward gears and a Sweet Georgia overdrive; I’m taking little white pills and my eyes are open […]
You know a drought is serious when Lady Gaga tapes a public service announcement on water conservation. Actually, the pop star’s decision is more quid pro quo than largesse. In exchange for permission to film a music video at San Simeon’s Hearst Castle State Monument—which required temporarily refilling the emptied and leaky Neptune Pool—Gaga agreed […]
Alfred Twu says he got inspired by a friend who, after taking a job at a major tech firm in the South Bay, decided to save on rent by living out of his van in the company parking lot. “The company had showers and food, so all he needed was a place to sleep,” says […]
