Topic: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Get irrational: 3.14 things to do on Pi Day
March 14 is Pi Day, which celebrates the mathematical constant measuring the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (beginning with 3.14). Pi Day is celebrated internationally, and in 2009 it was decreed an official holiday by the US House of Representatives. Here are 3.14 ways to celebrate.
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Four job trends for 2013
With unemployment still high, many Americans are looking to find a job, change careers, or update their skills. Here are four trends for 2013 that can help you make smart career moves.
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The 20 most fascinating accidental inventions
Most inventors strive for weeks, months, or years to perfect their products. (Thomas Edison tried thousands of different light bulb filaments before arriving at the ideal mixture of tungsten.) But sometimes, brilliance strikes by accident. Here's a salute to the scientists, chefs, and everyday folk who stumbled upon greatness – and, more important, shared their mistakes with the world.UPDATE: After great reader feedback, we've added five additional accidental inventions: Stainless steel, plastic, ice cream cones, Post-it Notes, and matches.
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A literary road trip through New England
Take a trip through historic New England and visit the homesteads of famous literary figures.
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Tax tips: Top 5 reasons to hire a tax pro
Tax tips can take you only so far if you're filling out your own returns. Sometimes, you need a tax pro. Most taxpayers, to the tune of 60 percent, opt to go with a tax professional. That share has climbed steadily: Just 41 percent used a professional preparer 30 years ago. Although a growing swath of the population – about 20 percent – is using tax-preparation software to complete returns, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), it seems that software isn't displacing accountants as much as it's simply becoming the mode of choice for do-it-yourself filers. As the Tuesday, April 17, tax filing deadline nears, here are five cases in which it might be wise to consider bringing a pro aboard:
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New Year priorities: Tehran focused on turmoil at home, not nuclear program
While many US and European leaders are focused on curbing Iran's nuclear program in 2011, in Tehran the emphasis is more on domestic challenges such as economic reform.
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Bankers arouse public anger. But will they change?
Bankers from Lehman Brothers to Ireland and beyond are increasingly unpopular, but that hasn't impacted their salaries much.
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How once-feared Mexico City has become the country's safest spot
Mexico City’s government chalks up its mended reputation to lower crime rates, saying kidnappings have come down 26 percent since 2009.
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Groupon and four other firms thrived in recession. Their secret?
Although the recession is technically over, many companies are still struggling to make up for lost profit, customers, and locations. But some companies have come out of the recession better than they went in, thanks to their adjustments to consumer demand and other smart business strategies. Here are five companies that have thrived despite the worst downturn since the Great Depression:
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Lunar eclipse tonight: How it helps the search for extraterrestrial life
The moon's ruddy color during the lunar eclipse tonight is caused by sunlight filtering through Earth's atmosphere. It's what astronomers look at when distant planets pass in front of their own stars.
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North Korea invites Bill Richardson to visit: What message is it sending?
Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the UN, has been invited to visit North Korea by the nation's top nuclear negotiator. It could be a bid to avoid confrontation after weeks of tensions.
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President Obama on 'Mythbusters': Will his death ray work?
President Obama's episode of Mythusters, aimed at getting teens interested in science and math, airs Wednesday night on the Discovery Channel.
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Concorde crash verdict vindicates 'James Bond' of planes
Concorde crash verdict came down Monday, with a French court ruling that Continental Airlines was responsible for the 2000 disaster that killed 113 people and hastened the end of supersonic commercial flights.
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Is deficit commission wrong? Critics say there's no national debt crisis.
President Obama's deficit commission says the national debt requires urgent action. But economists are split on that basic premise.
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In Pictures: Best of Monitor Photography 2010 National
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Do you know your one-sentence story?
When I see someone who is frustrated or downtrodden, I think to myself that this is a person who needs to work on their story.
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Thanksgiving 2010: In these hard times, are Americans thankful?
Thanksgiving 2010 finds Americans politically divided and struggling financially. But poll data suggest that Americans are fiercely resilient, a quality that is strengthened by feeling gratitude.
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Khmer Rouge film spurs Cambodians worldwide to revisit buried history
Cambodian diaspora revisits the country's brutal Khmer Rouge history in 'Enemies of the People,' a new documentary competing for an Oscar.
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The measure of a man
Hearing the story of a bridge whose length is counted in 'smoots' reminds the Monitor's language columnist just how many scientists have lent their names to units of measurement.
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California 'mystery missile' ignites debate: Friend, foe, or faux?
News video showed a spectacular contrail Monday off California's coast, and debate over the 'mystery missile' blasted off. But even as government agencies said 'it wasn't us,' the US denied any threat.
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New energy: climate change and sustainability shape a new era
A new energy revolution – similar to shifts from wood to coal to oil – is inevitable as climate change and oil scarcity drive a global search for sustainability in power production. But even the promise of renewable energy holds drawbacks.
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What do Keith Richards and Greg Mankiw have in common?
Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards and Harvard economics professor Greg Mankiw share more than you might think.
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Foreigners cash in on undervalued natural resource: Korean women
In South Korea, foreign multinationals have discovered that hiring women, traditionally underemployed and underpaid, yields increased profitability.
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The middle class: key to the economy -- and the mid-term election
Rebuilding middle-class confidence is crucial to restarting the economy. More than anything else, steady, well-paying Jobs are crucial to middle-class confidence. Election 2010 could hinge on that.
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Obama talks of 'MythBusters' - plus math, science, and tamales
President Obama has filmed a cameo on the TV show 'Mythbusters,' and when it airs Dec. 8 we'll all know if he can pronounce Archimedes. Meanwhile, students brought science projects galore to the White House on Monday.
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Google's self-driving cars will let you spend less time driving, more time Googling
In addition to preventing traffic accidents and reducing carbon emissions, Google hopes that it's self-driving cars will let you take your eyes off of the road so that you can focus on what's really important: looking at stuff on the Internet.
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Stem cell exodus?
Embryonic stem cell funding flows again – for now. But stop-and-go funding and continued legal wrangling could push researchers of cells from human embryos to pursue other fields.
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Easier to win a Nobel Prize than get Senate approval
Peter Diamond won the Nobel Prize this morning, but his appointment to the Federal Reserve Board has been hung up in the Senate.
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Nobel Prize in Economics awarded for unemployment research
The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to three economists who examined how unemployment can remain high while jobs stand vacant.
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College savings plans: Skip that MBA
College savings plans can be as simple as avoiding education you don't need. Unemployment for MBA grads is way up.
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