PR for People

The Best of Both Worlds: The Promise of Cohousing

John de Graaf

August 27, 2019

John de Graaf’s brilliant article THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: THE PROMISE OF COHOUSING gives us a perspective on these vital communities that not only meet our basic needs, but also allow us to thrive. John’s article focuses on Nevada City, California architect and entrepreneur Charles Durrett, who has designed 50 cohousing communities across America. Durrett describes his product as “the best of both worlds.” John de Graaf, who has produced dozens of award-winning documentaries for PBS, is currently directing The Best of Both Worlds, a short film about cohousing.

Green

Toward an Ecological Way of Death

Peter Corning

August 26, 2019

Toward an Ecological Way of Death...Our traditional funeral practices are ecologically unsound and wasteful. We can do much better.

World Views

The Climate Refugee Crisis

Peter Corning

August 16, 2019

It’s a life-and-death threat, and it’s going to get much worse. What can we do? There is in fact a deadly nexus of influences at work that could multiply the estimated number of refugees. This is a unique moment in the history of life on Earth, and in our own history as a species. We must make a collective choice whether to live or die.

Science

A Fundamental Difference Between Humans and AI Machines in Terms of Learning

Rongqing Dai, Ph.D.

August 13, 2019

As robots can act in many ways more and more like humans, it becomes more and more meaningful to be philosophically clear about the fundamental difference between humans and AI machines in terms of learning. This knowledge is desired not only when it comes to the century long question of whether computers can outsmart humans, but also for the sake of knowing the potential and limit of AI development in areas such as AI translation, Human-Machine conversation, and more……

Arts & Culture

August 2019 Magazine

PR for People Team

August 13, 2019

Our featured library this month is the Doris Foley Library, a research library located in Nevada City, California. John de Graaf’s brilliant article THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: THE PROMISE OF COHOUSING gives us a perspective on these vital communities and Nevada City, California architect and entrepreneur Charles Durrett, who has designed 50 cohousing communities across America. We also commemorate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.

Politics

Risk Management and Mass Shootings

Annie Searle

August 13, 2019

The risk explored here today is that of mass shootings. The question is whether we are doing all that we can to mitigate that risk – and whether, beyond some very straightforward laws that could be put in place, it is even possible to mitigate the risk.

Science

The True Nature of Science

Rongqing Dai, Ph.D.

August 12, 2019

When awed by the aura of science, most people, scientists and non-scientists, have never seriously thought about what science really is and what the limit of science would be. Even philosophers, who are supposed to offer answers to questions of this kind are generally very confused about what science really is. This confusion itself is not a trivial matter as many scholars might have thought so, because of the crucial position of science in the civilization, which is indeed the source of the erroneous exaggeration of the role of science beyond its true nature.

Tech & Science