“The first “teaching machine” was invented nearly a century ago by Sydney Pressey, a psychologist at Ohio University, out of spare typewriter parts. The device was simple, presenting the user with a multiple-choice question and a set of answers.”
“According to an industry insider, the dearth of Rey merchandise for The Force Awakens was no accident — it was an intentional decision. The inside source shared their story with Michael Boehm at Sweatpants and Coffee, speaking on the condition of anonymity.”
Read: Report: ‘Star Wars’ toymakers were ‘specifically directed’ to exclude Rey
“Howard University fights to join the tech boom. Photographs by Christopher Gregory From Legand Burge, the chair of Howard University’s computer science department. In the fall of 2013 a young software engineer named Charles Pratt arrived on Howard University’s campus in Washington.”
“Nancy Drew may be growing up. CBS has ordered a pilot for a new TV series based on the character, The Wrap reports, but rather than portray her as the teenage sleuth she’s been in books, movies, and previous shows, the network intends its Nancy to be a detective for the NYPD in her 30s.”
“Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has responded to the controversy surrounding this year’s all-white Oscar nominations and confessed to being disappointed about the lack of diversity.”
Read: Academy president ‘disappointed’ with all-white Oscar nominees
“When Tamir Rice was killed by police officers in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2014, some observers assigned a portion of the blame to a 911 dispatcher. She relayed a citizen’s concern that a black male was sitting on a park swing, pulling a gun from his waist band, and pointing it at people.”
Read: A Police Department’s Secret Formula for Judging Danger
“Last week at CES, I got to try a haptic jacket straight out of Ready Player One. It’s gotten glowing reviews from testers, but in order to work, its electrode-lined fabric needs a direct connection with your body. On anyone built roughly like its male creators, it looks like a snug wetsuit.”
Read: Building for virtual reality? Don’t forget about women
“Teegan Lexcen was born in August with a heart and lung defect so unusual that doctors had never seen it before. She has only one lung, and almost all of the left half of her heart is missing.”