Topic: Silicon Valley

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3 new novels about young people on a mission

Characters wonder if they're the right ones for the job in these talked-about new novels.
Maria Montessori and 10 famous graduates from her schools

Maria Montessori stands in many ways as the mother of alternative education. The Italian physician and teacher invented a new kind of school, one with self-directed learning, classrooms with mixed age groups, and no grades. Now, on what would have been her 142 birthday, thousands of schools bear her name. These Montessori schools have some very famous alumni, many of which credit the free-flowing classes with teaching them to think differently and allowing them to change the world. Here are 10 of the most prominent.
10 best cities to buy short sale homes

Foreclosures are tough: Homeowners lose their houses and ruin their credit, while banks get stuck with vacant, deteriorating real estate for months before selling it at a considerable loss. Increasingly, banks are finding another way: the short sale. Instead of waiting to foreclose, a bank preemptively sells a home at a deep discount and closes out the underwater mortgage, even if the house sells for less than the value of the mortgage. The result: Homeowners shed their mortgage debt, and banks unload properties more quickly and inexpensively. Here are the Top 10 metropolitan areas with the biggest average discounts on these pre-foreclosure homes, according to online foreclosure marketplace RealtyTrac. Can you guess which city is No. 1?
What does the JOBS Act actually do? Six questions answered.

A bipartisan bill known as the JOBS Act, for 'Jumpstart Our Business Startups,' is among the GOP's priorities in Congress. It is targeted at small-business owners, but what would the bill actually do?
Bullish on jobs? These 10 cities are.

Our list of the 10 metro areas that saw the most job growth in 2011 might surprise you.

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The Unwinding

Is America coming undone? New Yorker writer George Packer describes a slow meltdown.
Aleppo's elected council ignored as foreign funds go elsewhere

Syria's most-developed rebel government is struggling for legitimacy because it can't afford to provide public services. Foreign aid is going to fighters, NGOs instead.
Energy Voices Tesla Motors: Could electric cars 'refuel' faster than gas cars?

Tesla Motors has set its sights on 'battery-swapping' technology. In theory, that would mean drivers of Tesla Motors cars could recharge faster than the time it takes to fill up a tank of gas. It's a bit of a holy grail for an electric car industry eager to overcome 'range anxiety.'
When obfuscation is a good thing

Working on a technical book reminds the Monitor's language columnist how language is about connotation as well as denotation.
O.J. Simpson in court to fight robbery, kidnapping conviction

O.J. Simpson in court Monday to seek a new trial in his conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping. O.J. Simpson has served four years of a 33-year sentence. The latest court case is seen as a legal 'Hail Mary.'
Energy Voices Tesla Motors: Lots of buzz. Is it warranted?

Tesla Motors is a bright spot amid high-profile, federally-funded electric car flops. Tesla Founder Musk has found a way to bring high-tech pizzazz to a 'green' car drawing comparisons to Steve Jobs and Apple.
Editor's Blog PJs or pinstripes? The tradeoffs of tele-work

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and other CEOs have called a time-out on telecommuting. It's clear that just as some workers thrive on their own and some need to be in an office, some types work are better done in isolation and others in collaboration. It's also clear that telecommuting is only going to increase in the years to come.
Cover Story Telecommuting: Steady growth in work-at-home culture, Yahoo or not

Telecommuting is a rapidly growing work-life style. Yahoo's recent ban of remote work sent a wave of concern through white-collar legions who consider themselves fortunate – and more productive – working in pajamas at home or holed up in a Starbucks cafe.
Decoder Wire Immigration reform: 3 reasons it's got its best chance yet

Immigration reform has been snarled in partisan gridlock for years. But after losing 7 in 10 Hispanic votes in 2012, not all Republicans – in Congress and on talk radio – are mounting an all-out war on reform legislation.
The New Digital Age

Google executives Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen explore the 21st century, in which they see technology reshaping everything from the lives of individuals to the destinies of nations.
The Entrepreneurial Mind Entering the market? Business model trumps business plan.

We should really use the business model to guide our launch and early development of the venture, Cornwall writes. It is a tool that makes change and updating simple and highly effective.
Zuckerberg forms Silicon Valley super PAC to take on immigration

Mark Zuckerberg's super PAC, called FWD.us, is pushing for immigration reform and a series of other issues affecting the technology industry in the United States. However, immigration advocates question how much FWD.us will help.
Immigration reform: Can Mark Zuckerberg and friends deliver? (+video)

Mark Zuckerberg and a cast of Silicon Valley players are entering the fray over immigration reform. But the new group, FWD.US, says it's also interested in promoting education reform and scientific research.
Chapter & Verse CourseSmart: creepy new technology that tells professors if students are reading

CourseSmart, technology which tells professors when students are skipping pages, not taking notes, or not opening their textbook at all, is expected to be widely adopted by colleges this fall.
Why Caroline Kennedy is likely to get a warm welcome in Japan (+video)

The Kennedy name is well known in Japan. Ms. Kennedy would be the first female ambassador to the close US ally if her likely appointment is approved.
Modern Parenthood Facebook exec Sheryl Sandberg: Will her 'Lean In' reignite Mommy wars?

Facebook exec Sheryl Sandberg: We love to make heroes out of women who succeed in traditionally male-dominated roles and then be catty about their success as we claw out the eyes that were on the prize. Chill on the Mommy wars.
Take a lesson from Apple: iTunes U tops 1B downloads

iTunes U has surpassed 1 billion downloads with more than 60 percent of the downloads from outside of the United States.
Change Agent Gates, Zuckerberg champion computer programming in a new nonprofit video

Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey lobby for the teaching of computer coding in a new video produced by the nonprofit group Code.org.
Energy Voices Marissa Mayer telecommuting ban: Will Yahoo! rebound by being less green?

Marissa Mayer has raised eyebrows in Silicon Valley by issuing a ban on working from home at Yahoo! It's not the only digital company discouraging telecommuting, despite its energy savings.
First college to raise $1B? Stanford beats Harvard

First college to raise $1B in 2012: Stanford University was first in US fund raising for the eighth year in a row. Stanford raised $1.035 billion. How did other colleges do? Harvard University brought in $650 million, Yale University - $544 million, and the University of Southern California got $492 million.
Chapter & Verse Mark Zuckerberg's sister Randi Zuckerberg plans memoir about working at Facebook

Randi Zuckerberg, who served as the company's marketing director, will release a memoir titled 'Dot Complicated' as well as a children's book.
Christie: Gambling law vetoed until tax rate increased

Christie gambling: It was the second time since 2011 that the Republican governor has vetoed an Internet-betting bill passed by the New Jersey Legislature.
The Phil Mickelson effect: Do millionaires flee states with high taxes? (+video)

Golfer Phil Mickelson said he might move to Florida after California raised tax rates on the wealthy. Studies looking into tax flight have come to mixed conclusions.
Opinion: Hope for US economy: Young black men as entrepreneurs

Young African American men, especially ex-offenders, face high obstacles to employment. That’s where entrepreneurship training comes in. If just 1 in 3 small businesses hired one employee, the US would be at full employment. Young men of color can be crucial to this progress.
Difference Maker Eric Schwarz and Citizen Schools give inner-city kids a leg up

Citizen Schools helps level the playing field for students who grow up in low-income households by extending and enriching the school day with hands-on projects and citizen mentors.