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Disgraced Drexel professor reportedly stole $185,000 in grant money for strippers

A former Drexel University professor has been charged with stealing $185,000 in grant money and making it rain at area strip clubs. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said in a public statement that Chikaodinaka Nwankpa , 57, is currently facing two felonies, theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception. It is alleged that the professor stole research grant money and used it for purchases at adult clubs, restaurants, iTunes and other places. Many of the alleged purchases occurred between midnight and 2 a.m., the district attorney’s office said. The Philadelphia District Attorney further detailed that Nwankpa spent over $96,000 on local Philadelphia strip clubs and sports bars and $89,000 on food and iTunes purchases. READ MORE: University of Kansas apologizes for Snoop Dogg’s stripper-pole performance “Mr. Nwankpa inappropriately and criminally diverted tens of thousands of dollars that were allocated for research purposes toward his own private enjoyment. He betrayed ...

AI Can Do Great Things—If It Doesn't Burn the Planet

The computing power required for AI landmarks, such as recognizing images and defeating humans at Go, increased 300,000-fold from 2012 to 2018.  from Wired https://ift.tt/2NMKAPs via

Dyson's New Task Light Is Easy on the Eyes

The sleek, internet-connected lamp uses real-time data to illuminate your workspace and protect your precious peepers from strain. from Wired https://ift.tt/30IbuwV via

The Unbearable Softness of Engineered Fabrics

The human senses never cease detecting things the brain finds a way to dread. from Wired https://ift.tt/2RdlVWp via

Worried About Privacy at Home? There's an AI for That

How edge AI will provide devices with just enough smarts to get the job done without spilling all your secrets to the mothership. from Wired https://ift.tt/2TPNOVY via

The Secret History of Facial Recognition

Sixty years ago, a sharecropper’s son invented a technology to identify faces. Then the record of his role all but vanished. Who was Woody Bledsoe, and who was he working for? from Wired https://ift.tt/30ElSGh via

Behind the Scenes at Rotten Tomatoes

Humans, not algorithms, determine those ubiquitous scores. Good ingredients, imperfect recipe. from Wired https://ift.tt/2v1nu0P via

The Blurred Boundaries of Work-From-Home Parenting

The same technology that's made working from home easier than ever has fundamentally changed what “home” means to me. from Wired https://ift.tt/30EMlmY via

All the Cool Kids Are Using Tiny Clackety Keyboards

People love mechanical keyboards for their tactile springiness, but their size can overwhelm your desk space. Try a compact version instead. from Wired https://ift.tt/30GxCI5 via

Six-World Sci-Fi: Reboot Democracy for the Digital Age

Each month we publish a six-word story—and it could be written by you.  from Wired https://ift.tt/2RdlUSl via

ASMR and the Soothing Power of Experts

Come for the tingly auditory triggers, stay for the existential coping mechanism. from Wired https://ift.tt/2G80Vd5 via

Angry Nerd: YouTube Can't Help You

All I wanted was some advice on fixing my Xbox voice chat. I'm never getting that time back. from Wired https://ift.tt/37ghu2x via

Upgrade Your Business Trip With These In-Flight Essentials

Stay productive, comfortable, and entertained while you wing your way to another very important meeting. from Wired https://ift.tt/2Gcrw8V via

These Standing Desks Rise Above the Competition

Get up, get down. Get your work done at a flexible desk. Here are two outstanding options. from Wired https://ift.tt/37eCHtN via

Automated Solar Arrays Could Help Incinerate Global Warming

Software-driven systems can produce enough searing heat to power manufacturing processes that now gorge on fossil fuels. from Wired https://ift.tt/37qoQjW via

Villa sign Tanzania's Samatta for £10m

Aston Villa complete a £10m deal for Genk's Tanzania striker Mbwana Samatta. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2NI4ICa via

MIT to conduct full-scale emergency exercise

In an effort to further enhance the preparedness of MIT’s first responders, MIT Emergency Management and MIT Police will conduct a full-scale emergency exercise on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Kresge Auditorium ( Building W16 ). Due to the realistic nature of the police training drill, which will include simulated gunfire, the entire building, the Kresge Oval, the Kresge BBQ pits, and the Kresge parking lot will be closed to the public from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on that day.  An email about the emergency exercise was sent today to the MIT community by Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety John DiFava. DiFava explained that the exercise is in keeping with best practices in higher education emergency management, and is designed to allow first responders both internal and external to MIT to practice their response efforts in a realistic, yet controlled, environment. In addition...

Study uses physics to explain democratic elections

It may seem surprising, but theories and formulas derived from physics turn out to be useful tools for understanding the ways democratic elections work, including how these systems break down and how they could be improved. A new physics-based study finds that in the U.S., elections went through a transition in 1970, from a condition in which election results captured reasonably well the greater electorate’s political preferences, to a period of increasing instability, in which very small changes in voter preferences led to significant swings toward more extreme political outcomes in both directions. The analysis also shows this instability can be associated with an unexpected situation in which outcomes swing in the opposite direction of how people’s true preferences are shifting. That is, a small move in prevailing opinions toward the left can result in a more right-wing outcome, and vice versa — a situation the researchers refer to as “negative representation.” The findings appea...

How Nigeria's cricket team 'shocked the world'

Nigeria's Under-19 side are world cup debutants but cricket remains a minority sport at home. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2RbLtmy via

Rutgers to name Jonathan Holloway as first Black president in school’s history

New Jersey’s Rutgers University is expected to hire Jonathan Holloway , provost of Northwestern University, as the school’s first Black president in it’s 253-year-old history. Dory Devlin , a spokeswoman for Rutgers, did not comment on the decision, but said a meeting would take place Tuesday for the election of “an executive-level position,” The New York Times reports. READ MORE:  Widow gifts Howard University with $2.5 million worth of art Holloway, 52, is slated to replace Robert L. Barchi , who is scheduled to step down at the end of the school year. Barchi is credited with increasing student population, creating new facilities and creating a merger between Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Holloway received a bachelor’s degree with honors in American studies from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in history from Yale University, according to Northwestern’s website. At Stanford, he played football alongside U.S. Senator Cory Booker  (D-...