Gabriel Mahia

The following is adapted from a joint release from the MIT Press and the Harvard Data Science Initiative. The MIT Press and the Harvard Data Science Initiative (HDSI) have announced the launch of the Harvard Data Science Review (HDSR). The open-access journal, published by MIT Press and hosted online via the multimedia platform PubPub, an initiative of the MIT Knowledge Futures group, will feature leading global thinkers in the burgeoning field of data science, making research, educational resources, and commentary accessible to academics, professionals, and the interested public. With demand for data scientists booming, HDSR will provide a centralized, authoritative, and peer-reviewed publishing community to service the growing profession. The first issue features articles on topics ranging from authorship attribution of John Lennon-Paul McCartney songs to machine learning models for predicting drug approvals to artificial intelligence (AI). Future content will have a similar range ...

Gernot Rohr says there is 'no hurry' for him to decide on his future as Nigeria coach after the team's defeat to Algeria in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2jW3ec3 via

One of the earliest interactive course videos offered by MIT BLOSSOMS (Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies) looks at the physics of donkey carts — used frequently in the streets of Pakistan. The lesson, created by Naveed Malik ‘81, looks at Newton’s Third Law of Motion, teaching how gravity can affect how two objects interact through the very visual, real-world example of a donkey pulling a cart. At the recent LINC 2019 conference, Professor Richard Larson, principal investigator of BLOSSOMS and founding director of LINC, provided this example from 2010 of teaching STEM concepts in an engaging and locally-relevant way. Both BLOSSOMS and LINC have grown substantially over the last decade, continuing to explore and expand on the ways that technology-enabled education can improve education access — particularly for developing countries and underserved populations. Vijay Kumar, executive director of the Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) and associate dean for ...

An all-Black debate team from Atlanta, once again took top honors and sprinkled their magic at the Harvard University International Debate Competition. — VIDEO: Megan Markle receives sweet greeting from Beyonce and Jay-Z at ‘The Lion King’ movie premiere in London — This is the second year in a row a group of 21 Atlanta students walked away undefeated in the competition hosted by the Harvard Debate Council , WSBTV reports. In 2018, they made history as the first all-black team to win the prestigious competition. “This is the moment that we’ve worked so hard for,” said Don Roman Jr , 17, a senior at North Atlanta High School told WSB. “Our accomplishment is far bigger than us. We are showing the world what black youths are capable of achieving when given equal access, exposure, and opportunities. This win is for our ancestors, our city, and most of all our culture.” Harvard Debate Council, which runs the annual summer program, divided nearly 400 participants, including high school stud...

A woman who was sent to prison to serve three life sentences plus 20 years for cocaine trafficking got a new lease on life when former President Barack Obama commuted her sentence back in 2016. Since her release, Danielle Metz has been working on becoming the change and enrolled in a university and earned a 3.75 GPA. And our Forever POTUS couldn’t wait to congratulate her on her achievement. — Sculpture of President Obama unveiled in Rapid City, South Dakota — Obama wrote Metz a handwritten note congratulating her on her achievements making the dean’s list at Southern University in New Orleans, The NY Daily News reports. Metz wanted to tell the President about her triumphs post-prison. In 1993, she was handed down the life sentence for cocaine trafficking. She earned her GED in prison and from there she wrote letters to lawmakers, begging for her freedom. Her letter-writing campaign paid off and in 2016, she was released. The next year she enrolled in college and in her first year s...

Confederation of African Football president Ahmad received at least two sets of expenses, claiming to be in different countries, for the same nine-day period during the 2018 World Cup. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2JAbMPO via

Philip G. Freelon MArch ’77, professor of the practice in the MIT Department of Architecture, lead architect for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and a dedicated force for inclusivity within the field of architecture, died on July 9 in Durham, North Carolina, of the neuro-degenerative disease amyotrphic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with which he had been diagnosed in 2016. He was 66. For nine years beginning in 2007, Freelon taught 4.222 (Professional Practice), a required subject in the master’s in architecture program that uses current examples to illustrate the legal, ethical, and management concepts underlying the practice of architecture. “Phil was a remarkable architect, a motivating teacher, a spirited public intellectual and above all, an exceptional human being whose modesty and respect of others and their ideas put the best face on the architect and on the profession,” says Hashim Sarkis, dean of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning ...

Fernando “Corby” Corbató, an MIT professor emeritus whose work in the 1960s on time-sharing systems broke important ground in democratizing the use of computers, died on Friday, July 12, at his home in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He was 93. Decades before the existence of concepts like cybersecurity and the cloud, Corbató led the development of one of the world’s first operating systems. His “Compatible Time-Sharing System” (CTSS) allowed multiple people to use a computer at the same time, greatly increasing the speed at which programmers could work. It’s also widely credited as the first computer system to use passwords .  After CTSS Corbató led a time-sharing effort called Multics, which directly inspired operating systems like Linux and laid the foundation for many aspects of modern computing. Multics doubled as a fertile training ground for an emerging generation of programmers that included C programming language creator Dennis Ritchie, Unix developer Ken Thompson, and spreads...

Don't worry, though. This is unlikely to be some kind of 'Rogue One' situation. from Wired https://ift.tt/2k1Hj2V via

Rihanna is a style maven in her own right but some folks are calling out her latest cover look as completely wrong. A photoshoot with Harper’s Bazaar China has people accusing the singer and beauty boss of cultural appropriation for wearing traditional Asian-inspired garb for a unique photoshoot,  The NY Daily News reports. — VIDEO: Megan Markle receives sweet greeting from Beyonce and Jay-Z at ‘The Lion King’ movie premiere in London — “I am asian and I find it offensive,” one Instagram user wrote on the Harper’s Bazaar China’s page . “If you wanted to create an Asian look why didn’t you invite asian artists?” the commenter asked. Another person wrote: “THIS IS A TOTAL SMACK IN THE FACE TO THE ASIAN CULTURE.” Earlier this year Rihanna made history as first woman of color to helm own fashion line with LVMH , becoming the first woman to create an original brand at the famed fashion house. Others defended Rih Rih’s fashion sense saying she was giving props to Asian cultural with “...

Oprah Winfrey surprised the Maui Humane Society with a visit to thank the organization for evacuating animals during a wildfire, a report said. Winfrey is a part-time Maui resident who visited the society briefly Saturday, thanking a volunteer and taking a photo outside with the organization’s sign, The Maui News reported Saturday. Winfrey is a society supporter, said Nancy Willis, the society’s director of development and community outreach. “We are appreciative and grateful that she recognized the hard work of the community,” Willis said. More than 200 animals were evacuated Thursday after a brush fire started in Maui’s southern area, coming close to the Human Society’s building in Puunene before moving farther south, officials said. Winfrey posted the photo of herself at the shelter on social media and included a hashtag for the society, as well as the Maui police and fire departments. “Everyone’s safe including all the animals,” Winfrey wrote. “Thank you for your service.” Winfrey ...

A Texas sheriff said Friday he has apologized to New England Patriots player Elandon Roberts for the actions of a deputy who referred to the linebacker’s race and size during a March traffic stop but also defended the deputy’s comment and the stop. Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said during a news conference that he spoke with Roberts and his attorney and said the deputy should not have taken so long with the March 10 traffic stop. Roberts was stopped as he pulled into the driveway of his Houston-area home and Nehls also said Deputy Adam Watkins was wrong to order Roberts’ wife back inside the home when she saw flashing lights and stepped outside. “The way he interacted with his wife, I didn’t appreciate the tone,” Nehls said of his deputy. Watkins, who is white, ultimately was issued a verbal reprimand for how he conducted the stop, according to sheriff’s Capt. Steve Holtz. But the stop, which was captured on dash-cam video , was warranted because Roberts was traveling 59 mph in ...

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This Prime Day, some Amazon workers are striking. But the company can't just automate its labor problems away. from Wired https://ift.tt/2Y1VGGB via

Tunisia's Esperance and Morocco's Wydad Casablanca both lodge appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the decision to replay the second leg of the African Champions League final. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2XJhgjY via

South Africa's ex-president denies he oversaw a web of corruption during his term in office. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2Y42cg0 via

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South Africa's Daryl Impey wins the ninth stage of the Tour de France as Julian Alaphilippe retains the overall lead. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2YQLRs8 via