[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Jul 22 10:40:01 PDT 2012
Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most
Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston
area that catch the editor's eye.
Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events
email gmoke at world.std.com
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Ecological Restoration: Cleaning the Fisherville Mill Canal
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/21/1112491/-Ecological-Restoration-Cleaning-the-Fisherville-Mill-Canal
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Monday, July 23
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Determination of the Atomic Structure of Thin films and Quantum Dots
With Sub-Angstrom Resolution
Monday, July 23, 2012
2:30p–3:30p
MIT, Building 3-133, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Prof. Yizhak Yacoby Racah, Institute of Physics, Hebrew
University of Jerusalem
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MechE Seminar Series
For more information, contact: Harris Crist
--------------------------
Engineering for the mining industry (Chilean case)
Monday, July 23, 2012
5:30p–6:30p
MIT, Building E51-395, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Adolfo Andrade - Mining Manager at GSI Chile - is coming directly from
Antofagasta, Chile to give a Lecture at MIT. He will present the
challenges and opportunities of the mining industry using the case of
Chile.
Note: This event is organized by the MIT Mining, Oil and Gas Club and
the System Design and Management Program. It is open to the whole MIT
Community and everyone interested in the topic.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Mining, Oil and Gas Club
For more information, contact: J. Esteban Montero
officersMOG at mit.edu
------------------------------
Nerdnite Boston
Monday June 25, 2012
7pm
Middlesex, 315 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Featuring Nerd-appropriate tunes by Claude Money
$5
The lineup:
Talk 1. “Are We Rolling?: Trial and Error in the Music in Cambridge
Oral History Project”
by Katrina Morse
Talk 2. “Saving the Last Lustron Home in Boston”
by Sonja Vitow
Talk 3. “Heat It & Beat It: From Wootz to Modern Super Metals”
by Rick Karnesky
For more information about the speakers and the talks: http://boston.nerdnite.com/2012/06/20/nerdnite-june-25/
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Tuesday, July 24
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Solar 3.0 Solar Innovation Forum
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (ET)
Atlantic Wharf Building, 280 Congress Street, Boston
See How Solar 3.0 Can Help Make Your Local Solar Industry More
Competitive
If you work for a city, utility, or company involved in permitting,
interconnecting, selling, installing, inspecting, or financing solar
PV systems, you are cordially invited to attend "Solar 3.0 Solar
Innovation Forum," a workshop covering national best practices and
standards in the areas of solar permitting, installation,
interconnection, and inspection. Solar 3.0 is focused on reducing the
cost of residential and commercial solar installations in the U.S.
market and is backed by SunShot, an initiative of the U.S. Department
of Energy.
Contact ttansy at solartech.org.
For more information, visit www.Solar30.org.
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HUBWAY’S BIRTHDAY BASH
July 24, 2012
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Boston Society of Architects, 290 Congress Street, Suite 200, Boston
Launched in July 2011 with 600 bicycles and an eye towards expanding
into Boston neighborhoods and surrounding communities, Hubway provides
Boston with an accessible and green transit option. Celebrate Hubway’s
first birthday at BSA Space—mingle with other bike lovers and
experience special demonstrations, including Boloco’s bike-powered
smoothie maker and Taza’s famous Chococycle. Ride your bike to the
celebration and enjoy free bike valet parking courtesy of Commonwheels.
Sponsors and supporters include BSA Space, Equal Exchange Café, Taza
Chocolate, and more.
RSVP for this free event at hubwaybdaybash.eventbrite.com/
http://bsaspace.org/events/hubways-birthday-bash/
Contact: 617-391-4039, bsa at architects.org
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Micro-Finance OPEN HOUSE - Volunteering Opportunity with Social
EnterpriseMonthly Event
Fourth Tuesday of every month
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (ET)
Stata Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar Street,
Cambridge
RSVP at http://philanthropist-openhouse-es2.eventbrite.com/?rank=166
MONTHLY OPEN HOUSE
Philanthropist.org invites you to join us for our Monthly open house
to learn about how to get involved with our new micro-finance and
micro-philanthropy startup venture. We are currently looking to add
members to our team. This is a great opportunity to get in on the
ground floor of a promising new social enterprise. Please BRING YOUR
RESUME! Also submit your resume and desired role in advance via: http://philanthropist.org/volunteer
The ideal candidates are energetic problem-solvers, networkers,
big-picture thinkers, and experts at execution.
Current opportunities allow qualified candidates to demonstrate deep
involvement without the risk. At the moment, we only need ONE NIGHT
PER WEEK of your time as we lock down our strategy, develop processes,
and perform the basic "blocking and tackling" required to get a
venture off the ground. The team currently meets weekly on Tuesday
nights from 6-10pm.
Open House Agenda:
6:00-6:30 Networking/Introductions
6:30-7:00 Video Presentation
7:00-7:30 Group Interviews
7:30-8:00+ One-on-One Interviews
There is no Cost to attend, but please be on time as we cannot accept
late arrivals.
More About this Exciting Opportunity:
Philanthropist.org is currently seeking funding and cannot offer
salaried compensation at this time. But your participation offers
immediate return as a valuable experience item on your resume during
this down economy. Naturally, the organizations success (and your
part in that success) offers future earnings potential, namely on
booking micro-finance tours (expected to pay about $1000 commission
per sale). The job entails working with sophisticated banking
software platform and operating in a fast-paced high-tech
environment. You should have a cell phone, a laptop computer, a
positive attitude, great people skills, a strong work ethic, and an
entrepreneurial spirit. Most importantly, we are seeking hard
working, honest people who are motivated to succeed in business and
life by helping others less fortunate.
Numerous Positions are available. This is a great opportunity.
PLEASE ALSO SUBMIT YOUR RESUME IN ADVANCE AND CHOOSE A DESIRED JOB
OPENING HERE:
http://philanthropist.org/volunteer
Learn more:
give at philanthropist.org
http://www.youtube.com/user/philanthropistorg
http://www.facebook.com/philanthropist.org
For those looking for entrepreneurial adventure, consider joining us
on our next inspiring Micro-Finance Profiling Field Trip in January.
View Pictures from the last trip in September: http://picasaweb.google.com/philanthropist.org/MicroFinanceFieldStudyDominicanRepublic
Did you know? In the Dominican Republic (alone) the Market for Micro-
Finance Loans is over $28 Million? The Average Loan is $361 USD with
over 50,000 clients having small loans. Over 70% are women, and
payback rates exceed 97% (better than traditional banking). Please
see the few examples on Youtube, and research Micro-Finance prior to
Arrival so you are fluent in terminology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-finance
-------------------------------
"Shellshocked: Saving Oysters to Save Ourselves"
WHEN Tue., July 24, 2012, 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Film
NOTE A new documentary about the efforts to restore wild oyster reefs
in the Northeast. Free and open to the public.
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Wednesday, July 25
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Bright Lights, No City
Author Talk with Max and Whit Alexander
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2012
6 – 7 P.M.
Boston Public Library, Copley Square, Rabb Lecture Hall, 700 Boylston
Street, Boston, MA 02116
At age 47, Whit Alexander, the American co-founder of the Cranium
board game, decided to start a new business selling affordable goods
and services to low-income villagers in Ghana, West Africa. His
brother Max, a journalist, came along to tell the story. Neither of
them could have anticipated just how much of an adventure they’d find
there.
Along the way, Whit and Max relive their own childhood, bickering
across the African bush and learning a great deal about Africans as
well as themselves. Irreverent, hilarious, and ultimately inspiring,
Bright Lights, No City challenges accepted notions of charity, shows
the power of broadening your horizons, and suggests that there is hope
and opportunity in Africa
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FREE screening of the movie, What's on Your Plate? hosted by CitySprouts
Wednesday July 25th
6:30pm
Russell Youth Center, 680 Huron Avenue, Cambridge
What's On Your Plate? is the story of two New York City middle school
age girls and their quest to discover where there food comes from.
Length is 76 minutes.
http://www.whatsonyourplateproject.org/
CitySprouts is a school garden program based in Cambridge, MA.
Please call 617--876-2436 with any questions.
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Thursday, July 26
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Higher-order Structure by Distributed Self-assembly Robots
Thursday, July 26 2012
1:00PM to 2:00PM
MIT, Building 32-D463 (Star), 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Shuhei Miyashita, Carnegie Mellon University
ABSTRACT:
One of the major features of biological systems is that the activities
at the molecular level are realized in a decentralized fashion,
namely, without any central control. The phenomenon is termed self-
assembly, which is defined as “autonomous organization into patterns
or structures without human intervention” (Whitesides & Grzybowski,
2002), and is expected to play a key role in the realization of life-
like machines (e.g. self-repairable machines). In this talk, I will
investigate the potential for developing self-assembly systems that
are applicable on different scales and will present a series of
robotic components, which are capable of self-assembling on a liquid
surface. Each robotic model has an incremental level of complexity,
which satisfies the prerequisites of performing self-assembly at
molecular levels. I will first discuss the design scheme for realizing
efficient self-assembly on the centimeter scale and then introduce the
developed self-assembly components while focusing on the interactive
perspective, the effect of dynamics, and logical reactions that are
mechanically attained. As a proof of the scalability of the model, a
scheme of two-dimensional micro module reconfiguration that is based
on inter module interactions will be presented.
SHORT BIO:
Shuhei Miyashita is a postdoctoral research associate at NanoRobotics
Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University, where he pursues his
research interests on self-assembly robots at the micron scale. After
he obtained his Masters Degree in Computational Intelligence and
Systems Science at the Tokyo Institute of Technology under the
supervision of Professor Satoshi Murata, he continued his work at the
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the University of Zurich, where
he obtained his Ph.D. working with Professor Rolf Pfeifer. Throughout
these periods, he has been working on the development of self-assembly
robots across various scales, and he has been dedicated to realizing
devices that can attain functionalities comparable to living systems,
such as development, self-repair, or catalysis. His ultimate aim is to
establish a link between artificial systems and living systems by
realizing biological wisdoms in an engineering context and by adopting
robotics theories in chemistry. Key concepts that define the
methodologies he uses in his research are “self assembly robotics”,
“dissipative autonomous-distributed systems”, “systems with multi-
degrees of freedom”, and “micro mobile robotics”.
Contact: Mieke Moran, 617-253-5817, mieke at csail.mit.edu
Relevant URL: https://sites.google.com/site/shuheidotnet
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Stalled from getting public records? Here's how to pry them loose
Thursday, July 26, 2012
7:00 PM
Boston Globe, 135 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester
RSVP at http://meetupbos.hackshackers.com/events/72912772/?a=ea1_grp&eventId=72912772
Want to learn more about public records? Looking for a way to get a
leg up on the competition, impress your editors, and literally have
stories come to you while you sleep? Then get ready, because Access
Across America, brought to you by the Society of Professional
Journalists, is coming to Boston.
Learn tips and tricks gleaned by MuckRock founder Michael Morisy from
thousands of public record and FOIA requests, and discuss your
frustrations with getting government documents. Whether you are a
seasoned pro or looking for your first internship in the media world,
this session will help you report on the stories that matter, learning
to think and investigate like a pro while avoiding the dead ends,
frustrations and runarounds so common in both investigative and local
beat reporting.
Sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists & Hacks Hackers
Boston
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Friday, July 27
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Community Metabolism of Aquatic Closed Ecological Systems
Fri, July 27
2pm – 3pm
Harvard, Northwest Lab, 425, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Frieda B. Taub, Professor Emeritus, School of Aquatic and Fishery
Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. taub at u.washington.edu
Within an ecological community, the nutrients for one trophic level
can be the waste products and excess production of the previous
trophic level. Algae, microbes, and grazers (Daphnia) interact via
multiple transfers. By preventing exchange with the open atmosphere,
we can more critically measure O2 changes (during light and dark
cycles) as an index of energy change. The effects of carbon sources,
grazing, and changes in light:dark cycles on O2 and CO2 dynamics will
be demonstrated. The general patterns have a high degree of similarity
and suggest some general ecosystem principles.
Contact amgg79 at gmail.com
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The Muddy Megawatt Hour
Friday, July 27, 2012
4:00p–6:00p
MIT, 50-Muddy
Starting this week we're bumping the start of the Muddy Megawatt Hour
back to 4 pm and will have a new official Energy Club Muddy Megawatt
Hour Flag marking our space. Don't miss this great weekly opportunity
to chat with people from the other side of campus about what they are
working on here at MIT. In the first month, we've had great
discussions around the Solyndra scandal and DOE loan guarantees,
startup company financing, this year's Energy Conference topics and
opportunities for storage technologies to make an impact. Come see who
you will meet and what part of the energy world you will learn more
about while informing others about your work and interests. Come
early, come late, stay as long as you can on the hallowed ground where
the Energy Club started.
Open to: the general public
This event occurs on Fridays through October 7, 2012.
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact: MIT Energy Club
energyclub at mit.edu
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Saturday, July 28
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South End Foraging Walk
9:00 a.m.
Meeting Location to Be Determined
Discover the diverse world of edible weeds growing along the edges of
community gardens, parks and sidewalks. Bring your walking shoes and
explore Boston’s forgotten harvest.
All Seed, Sow and Grow programs are free and open to the public.
Registration is required for all programs and registering early is
recommended. Participants should dress appropriately for weather and
program content. Outdoor programs may be cancelled due to rain or
severe weather.
To register for a program: Call 617-542-7696 or emailinfo at bostonnatural.org
.
View the Seed, Sow and Grow brochure for full schedule at http://bostonnatural.org/SeedSowGrow.htm
---------------------------------
BOSTON SKILLSHARE 2012
Saturday, July 28th
10 am - 7 pm
Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth St, Jamaica Plain (http://goo.gl/maps/Ocga
)
$3-10 sliding scale donation
The Boston Skillshare is back with a whole new look! We will be in a
wonderful *community space* this year where we will have the
opportunity to share *hands-on, DIY workshops* from pilates to
storytelling, carpentry to hula hooping, bike repair to home brewing...
We are looking for workshops with a focus on *participation*, and the
spaces for workshops are very different from the traditional
university rooms we have used in the past. This year we have space of
all shapes and sizes, from large dance halls to intimate smaller
spaces to open fields!
There are some limitations on accessibility with our spaces this year,
so please contact us in advance if you have accessibility needs and we
will do our best to be most accommodating.
The Boston Skillshare is an annual weekend event seeking to create a
temporary space for sharing practical skills to live a more happy,
creative, and sustainable life. We believe learning is plentiful,
everywhere, and need not come with price tags or expert degrees. The
$3-10 donation covers entrance to all workshops both days, breakfast
and lunch.
<http://www.facebook.com/BostonSkillshare>
Spread the word!!!!
Excitedly,
The Boston Skillshare Organizing Collective!
http://bostonskillshare.org
info at bostonskillshare.org
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Sunday, July 29
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BOSTON SKILLSHARE 2012
Sunday, July 29th
10 am - 7 pm
Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth St, Jamaica Plain (http://goo.gl/maps/Ocga
)
$3-10 sliding scale donation
The Boston Skillshare is back with a whole new look! We will be in a
wonderful *community space* this year where we will have the
opportunity to share *hands-on, DIY workshops* from pilates to
storytelling, carpentry to hula hooping, bike repair to home brewing...
We are looking for workshops with a focus on *participation*, and the
spaces for workshops are very different from the traditional
university rooms we have used in the past. This year we have space of
all shapes and sizes, from large dance halls to intimate smaller
spaces to open fields!
There are some limitations on accessibility with our spaces this year,
so please contact us in advance if you have accessibility needs and we
will do our best to be most accommodating.
The Boston Skillshare is an annual weekend event seeking to create a
temporary space for sharing practical skills to live a more happy,
creative, and sustainable life. We believe learning is plentiful,
everywhere, and need not come with price tags or expert degrees. The
$3-10 donation covers entrance to all workshops both days, breakfast
and lunch.
<http://www.facebook.com/BostonSkillshare>
Spread the word!!!!
Excitedly,
The Boston Skillshare Organizing Collective!
http://bostonskillshare.org
info at bostonskillshare.org
--------------------------------------
Dialectics: insights for movement building
Sun. July 29
1:30 pm
MIT, Building 56–114
Richard Levins
Richard Levins is an ex-tropical farmer turned ecologist. He has
engaged in activist and theoretical struggles for Puerto Rican
independence, against wars and imperialism, for ecological agriculture
in Cuba and against reductionism in science.
Dialectics is a way of dealing with complexity and change in the
natural and social sciences.
Presented by Encuentro 5, Boston & the Brecht Forum, New York
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/417569591617445/
www.youtube.com/user/RichardLevins
NOTE: This event is being held at MIT and streamed live to NYC.
**********
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Upcoming
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Living Light: The Art & Science of Bioluminescence
July 31, 2012, 6pm
Harvard Science Center, Hall B. One Oxford Street, Cambridge
Featuring: Sylvia Earle, Explorer in Residence, Nat Geo; J. Woody
Hastings, Prof. of Natural Sciences, Harvard; Kristin McArdle Dance
performing Aqua Borealis
Free and open to the public, general admission seating.
$5-10 suggested donation.
For more information on this and other events,http://chge.med.harvard.edu/events
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The future of local jazz radio — An open meeting of Greater Boston's
jazz community
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
6:00pm until 8:00pm
Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Mezzanine Conference Room,
Boston
WHO IS INVITED
Members of the jazz community and allies inside and outside the arts
world who share our concerns
PURPOSE
To forge ties, agree on goals, and begin developing strategies for
collaborative action to address the immediate issue of WGBH's
withdrawal from weeknight jazz programming and the broader issues of
local jazz radio and the place of the music in our city's cultural life
FORMAT
Conversation led by JazzBoston board members Emmett Price, musician
and Chair of African American Studies at Northeastern University, and
José Massó, community activist and announcer/producer of ¡Con Salsa!
on WBUR FM.
Contact http://www.jazzboston.org/
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Boston Green Drinks - July Happy Hour
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (ET)
kingston station, 25 kingston street, Boston
RSVP http://jul12bgd-es2.eventbrite.com/?rank=353
Join the conversation with sustainability professionals and
hobbyists. Enjoy a Drink at Kingston station and build your
connection with our green community!
Keep sending feedback to Lyn at bostongreendrinks.com for ideas about
speakers or content for the future and mark your calendar for drinks
on the last Tuesday of every month.
Boston Green Drinks builds a community of sustainably-minded
Bostonians, provides a forum for exchange of sustainability career
resources, and serves as a central point of information about emerging
green issues. We support the exchange of ideas and resources about
sustainable energy, environment, food, health, education.
------------------------------
Art of the Algorithms at Boston Cyberarts Gallery (free!)
What: free movie showing with Q&A with the director and emcee
When: Wednesday, August 1, 7PM
Where: The Boston Cyberarts Gallery, inside the Green St. Orange Line
MBTA station building
Sign up at: http://moleman2-bcg.eventbrite.com/
The demoscene is an electronic art subculture which began in Europe in
the late nineteen-eighties, whose participants include programmers,
graphic artists, animators, musicians, electrical engineers, and more.
Hungarian studio Flame Film recently completed a documentary intended
to introduce people to the scene's remarkable technical
accomplishments and productive artistic community. You can view the
trailer and the opening sequence below.
@party is a local demoscene event, or demoparty, a collaborative
electronic art festival where people meet and participate in a variety
of competitions which allow them to demonstrate their technical and
artistic skills. In addition to competing, attendees at demoparties
socialize, network, learn from each other, and sometimes collaborate
onsite on last minute entries.
@party and the Boston Cyberarts Gallery are programs of Boston
Cyberarts, a non-profit arts organization created to foster, develop
and present a wide spectrum of media arts including electronic and
digital experimental arts programming. They exhibit and promote the
media and digital arts of Boston, New England and the world to
audiences in the New England region and beyond and by doing so,
helping to promote a sense of media and digital literacy, locally and
regionally.
Sign up at: http://moleman2-bcg.eventbrite.com/
----------------------------
Social Hour with the BSA and LivableStreets
August 2, 2012
5:30-7:00 PM
BSA Space: 290 Congress Street Boston
“Join LivableStreets and the BSA for a social hour that celebrates
vibrant communities and the value of building connections. Learn more
about the work of both organizations, and view the BSA’s new Let’s
Talk About Bikes exhibition, which explores the role of the bicycle in
urban centers like Boston. LivableStreets is your advocate for biking,
walking and transit to make the Boston region a better place to live,
work and play. LivableStreets fought for and won bike lanes on the BU
Bridge and Commonwealth Avenue, and hosts the annual Boston Bike
Update.” Admission is free and open to the public, and the exhibit is
handicap accessible and appropriate for families and all ages.
http://bsaspace.org/events/social-hour-with-the-bsa-and-livablestreets/
If you have any further questions, please contact me or Angela King at aking at architects.org
---------------------------------
Robotics Design Meetup
Friday, August 3rd
7:30 pm
Artisans Asylum 10 Tyler Street, Somerville
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Hello all,
Think robots are cool? Like free drinks and food?
Come share your robotics enthusiasm/thirst/hunger at August's Robot
Design Meetup,
August, Friday the 3rd, 7:30pm, at Artisans Asylum (10 tyler st,
Somerville, MA)
We'll be having at least the following, and looking for more:
Update on Project Stompy, its Kickstarter and example pieces of the
full-scale parts (http://projecthexapod.com/blog/stompy-is-coming/)
ArcBotics' Codename Discbot and Wisp: low-cost educational robotics
platform project and micro-quadcopter project
Your own project! let us know at joe at arcbotics.com
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/280823695357943/
-------------------------------------
Spare Change for Big Oil
Saturday, Aug 4th
Want to take part in a big of climate activism street theater?
Big Oil, Coal, and Gas companies need our help! In this time of
recession and economic stagnation, the Big Five oil companies -- BP,
Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell -- are not making enough
money. They made only $137 billion in 2011. They deserve more than
just the $11 billion of our taxpayer dollars in subsidies. It's
important that we come together to support them in this time of need.
So on August 4th, citizens across Massachusetts will hold Spare Change
for Big Oil! donation drives. We want to find out how Americans really
feel about these handouts.
Let's keep this simple. None of this fancy lobbying for us. Head to
the beach, farmer's market, or Main Street with your donation coffee
cans, set up an old-fashioned lemonade stand, or hold a bake sale!
Imagine people conducting these drives all over the state!
Here's the plan:
Make some signs ("The fossil fuel industry needs YOU!", "Help raise
ExxonMobil's profits today!", or "Billions more for Big Oil!").
Stick our snazzy "Please Donate" label on coffee cans.
Get friends and allies together and go to a high traffic place, like
the beach, your town square, or your farmer's market.
Ask for donations for Big Oil, Coal, and Gas and take pictures and
videos of your interactions.
Email your photos and YouTube links to photos at 350MA.org.
Let your local newspaper know what you're doing with a media advisory
(before event) and press release (after event)
Then, in early September, we will hold a press conference and present
a check to our elected representatives who have supported subsidies
for Big Oil, Coal, and Gas, on their behalf.
Susan and Adi in Boston, Katie in Amherst, and Bonnie in Somerville
have already started organizing actions. The planning meeting for
Boston will take place this Thursday, July 18 from 6 to 7:30pm at the
Democracy Center in Cambridge. Join them by planning an action in your
community!
You will find a suggested script and other resources for your action
at http://350ma.org/august4/.
-------------------------------------
Sunday, August 5
Come out to walk, bike, dance, and roll on open, car-free streets in
and between our parks! Circle The City is free and open to people of
all ages.
August 5, 10 am-1 pm, Rose Kennedy Greenway
Featuring a car-free corridor along the downtown waterfront.
Organized by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Boston Collaborative
for Food and Fitness, LivableStreets Alliance, Franklin Park
Coalition, and the City of Boston.
---------------------------------
Devil’s Tango (how I learned the Fukushima step by step)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10
Joan Ecklein’s house, 14 Sterling Street, Newton
Potluck •6 pm
Book talk by award-winning author Cecile Pineda
Sponsor: Boston Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Organizer: Joan Ecklein 617.244.8054
---------------------------------
Comparing Boston v. SiliconValley & NYC w/ Social Media
APIs,TextMining (Group1)
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
6:30 PM To 7:30 PM
Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, 1 Memorial
Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Predictive-Analytics/events/71583112/
Price: $5.00/per person
Refund policy
The $5 fee will first go to pizza (50%), then charity as described
below (25%) and some O’Reilly books (25%) to be given away to the
group. The fee is towards reducing no-shows which range anywhere from
30-50% of rsvps when there is a free event. Please note there is a no-
pizza, $2.50 for charity, session #2 at 7:45.
Boston's Meetup Tech and Business scene has grown stronger; however
Silicon Valley and New York City have both higher adoption and scale.
What might Boston do to improve its Tech and Biz community landscape?
Social Network Analysis and Machine Learning are used on data pulled
from Meetup's API. The talk will cover the application-side,
analytics using R, and some on pulling data via an API.
Background/Summary:
This talk is a follow-up to the "Utilizing Meetup to Analyze Boston,
Silicon Valley and NYC" presentation I gave back February. This
extension includes additional Social Network and Machine Learning
analysis towards addressing questions such as "What specific Meetup
Groups would be helpful for Boston towards improving its tech and biz
scene relative to Silicon Valley and NYC?"
There are two main layers of the presentation:
(1) Regional Comparisons: Silicon Valley, not surprisingly, has a
higher percentage of tech and business groups than either NYC or
Boston. NYC is slightly above the national average; whereas Boston
has an on-par tech scene, though lower than average percentage of
business groups. This will be explored in more detail.
(2) Analytics: Social Network Analysis and Machine Learning as a
means to describe different communities. "R" (tnet and RTextTools
libraries among others) was used with data originating primarily from
the Meetup API.
Please note the talk is low on hardcore Computer Science, i.e. there
is not going to be discussion of achieving 99.999% accuracy using 20
different models ensembled together ala Amazon or Netflix. Please
refer to Stanford's Online Learning website (www.coursera.org) which
has a great ML course; and both Coursera and Udacity have upcoming
Social Network Analysis courses. It would be great to have a 2-hour
ML event; however this is not the time for it.
The fee, which is to reduce the no-shows/waitlist, will partially be
given to charities. One thought is to have the donations given to a
local non-profit for whom Meetup could be a benefit (much as it has
shown to be in tech and biz communities). Interestingly, this brings
up a different set of questions including "What is the adoption rate
of Meetup in inner cities?" As of this time I don't know which
organization; however there's time to explore this before the event,
and I may be able to go back into the Meetup data and local economic
data to see if those sources can be helpful. If you are interested in
helping out in identifying a non-profit organization, then please let
me know.
Sponsor: Boston Predictive Analytics
----------------------------------
Boston GreenFest
Thursday, Aug 16 5 pm - 9:30 pm
(Performers/Food)
Friday, Aug 17 noon - 9:30 pm
(Exhibitors/Food/Vendors/Performers)
Saturday, Aug 18 11 am - 8 pm
(Exhibitors/Food/Vendors/Performers)
Sunday, Aug 19 10 am - 5 pm
Featuring: The Movement Festival!
(Dance/Food/Vendors/Performers)
Boston City Hall Plaza, One City Hall Square, Boston
http://www.bostongreenfest.org/index.html
info at bostongreenfest.org
617-477-4840
-----------------------------------
SOMERVILLE CONFERENCE ON THE CREATIVE ECONOMY
Thursday, August 23, 2012
7 to 9 pm
Artisan's Asylum, 10 Tyler Street, Somerville
Uncover What's Next for the Creative Economy
CreativeNEXT is a series of 21 state-wide events held bythe
Massachusetts Creative Economy Council, an advisory Council to the
Legislature and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic
Development, and a variety of local partners. The MA Creative Economy
Council is tasked to develop a statewide strategy for the enhancement,
encouragement, and growth of the creative economy in Massachusetts.
Working with the Creative Economy Industry Director this listening
tour will help to guide the future priorities of the Council. The
greater Boston event, co-hosted by the Artisan's Asylum and Union
Square Main Streets, will take place on Thursday, August 23, 2012 from
7 to 9 pm at the Artisan's Asylum, 10 Tyler Street, Somerville. Join
colleagues in a discussion on furthering the visionary growth of your
business and other creative industries across the state. Who should
attend? Businesses, Organizations, and Individuals working in:
Marketing: Advertising and marketing agencies and professionals
Architecture: Architecture firms and architects Visual Arts + Craft:
Museums, galleries, theatres and curators, artists, + artisans Design:
Industrial, interior, graphic, web, fashion firms and designers Film +
Media: Film, TV, animation, and radio businesses and talent Video
Game: Companies, programmers, and individuals producing games Music +
Performance: Venues, producers, and performers Publishing: Content
creation, editors, writers and distributors What's on the agenda? You
are! We want to hear from you, about you, as we explore future
opportunities for like-minded businesses within the creative
landscape. Through a round table discussion we hope to gain valuable
insights concerning the growth and sustainability of your business
within the state of Massachusetts.
For more information and to register your space: http://creativenextgreaterboston.eventbrite.com
*************
----------------
Opportunity
---------------
*************
Boiler Rebate
If your boiler is from 1983 or earlier, Mass Save will give a $1,750
to $4,000 rebate to switch it out for a new efficient boiler that uses
the same fuel (i.e. if you have oil, you have to continue to use oil)
so long as it is installed by July 31, 2012.
Call Mass Save (866 527-7283) to sign up for a home energy assessment
or sign-up online at www.nextsteplivinginc.com/HEET and HEET will
receive a $10 contribution from Next Step Living for every completed
assessment.
This is a great way to reduce climate change emissions for the next 20
or so years the boiler lasts, while saving money.
------------------------
CEA Solar Hot Water Grants
Cambridge, through the Cambridge Energy Alliance initiative, is
offering a limited number of grants to residents and businesses for
solar hot water systems. The grants will cover 50% of the remaining
out of pocket costs of the system after other incentives, up to $2,000.
Applications will be accepted up to November 19, 2012 and are
available on a first come, first serve basis until funding runs out.
The Cambridge grant will complement other incentives including the
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center solar thermal grants. For more
information, seehttp://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/resources/additional-resources/solar-hot-water-grant-program
-----------------------
Cambridge Residents: Free Home Thermal Images
Have you ever wanted to learn where your home is leaking heat by
having an energy auditor come to your home with a thermal camera?
With that info you then know where to fix your home so it's more
comfortable and less expensive to heat. However, at $200 or so, the
cost of such a thermal scan is a big chunk of change.
HEET Cambridge has now partnered with Sagewell, Inc. to offer
Cambridge residents free thermal scans.
Sagewell collects the thermal images by driving through Cambridge in a
hybrid vehicle equipped with thermal cameras. They will scan every
building in Cambridge (as long as it's not blocked by trees or
buildings or on a private way). Building owners can view thermal
images of their property and an analysis online. The information is
password protected so that only the building owner can see the results.
Homeowners, condo-owners and landlords can access the thermal images
and an accompanying analysis free of charge. Commercial building
owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their
images and analysis for a small fee.
The scans will be analyzed in the order they are requested.
Go to Sagewell.com. Type in your address at the bottom where it says
"Find your home or building" and press return. Then click on "Here"
to request the report.
That's it. When the scans are done in a few weeks, your building will
be one of the first to be analyzed. The accompanying report will help
you understand why your living room has always been cold and what to
do about it.
With knowledge, comes power (or in this case saved power and money,
not to mention comfort).
---------------------
Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ
-----------------------
HEET has partnered with NSTAR and Mass Save participating contractor
Next Step Living to deliver no-cost Home Energy Assessments to
Cambridge residents.
During the assessment, the energy specialist will:
Install efficient light bulbs (saving up to 7% of your electricity bill)
Install programmable thermostats (saving up to 10% of your heating bill)
Install water efficiency devices (saving up to 10% of your water bill)
Check the combustion safety of your heating and hot water equipment
Evaluate your home’s energy use to create an energy-efficiency roadmap
If you get electricity from NSTAR, National Grid or Western Mass
Electric, you already pay for these assessments through a surcharge on
your energy bills. You might as well use the service.
Please sign up at http://nextsteplivinginc.com/heet/?outreach=HEET or
call Next Step Living at 866-867-8729. A Next Step Living
Representative will call to schedule your assessment.
HEET will help answer any questions and ensure you get all the
services and rebates possible.
(The information collected will only be used to help you get a Home
Energy Assessment. We won’t keep the data or sell it.)
(If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to call
HEET’s Jason Taylor at 617 441 0614.)
*********
-----------
Resource
-----------
*********
Sustainable Business Network Local Green Guide
SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of its new Local Green
Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!
To view the directory please visit: http://www.localgreenguide.org
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website or for
sponsorship opportunities please contact Adritha at adritha at sbnboston.org
--------------------------------------------------
Massachusetts Attitudes About Climate Change – An opinion survey of
Massachusetts residents conducted by MassINC and sponsored by the Barr
Foundation found that 77% of respondents believe that global warming
has “probably been happening” and 59% of all respondents see see it as
being at least partially caused by human pollution. Only 42% of the
state’s residents say global warming will have very serious
consequences for Massachusetts if left unaddressed. The 18 to 29 age
group is more likely to believe global warming is appearing and caused
by humans compared to the 60+ age group. African-American (56%) and
Latino residents (69%) are more likely than white residents (40%) to
believe global warming will be a very serious problem if left
unaddressed. The MassINC report, titled The 80 Percent Challenge:
What Massachusetts must do to meet targets and make headway on climate
change (http://www.massinc.org/Research/The-80-percent-
challenge.aspx), contains many other findings.
----------------------------------------------------
Free Monthly Energy Analysis
CarbonSalon is a free service that every month can automatically track
your energy use and compare it to your past energy use (while
controlling for how cold the weather is). You get a short friendly
email that lets you know how you’re doing in your work to save energy.
https://www.carbonsalon.com/
---------------------------------------
Boston Food System
"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post
announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships,
programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles
or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's
food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take
place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."
The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food
system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food,
farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health,
environment, arts, social services and other arenas. Hundreds of
organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on
week-to-week is not always well publicized.
Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let
everyone know about these activities. Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of
subscribers. Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and
other posting guidelines will be provided as well.
It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs
----------------------
Artisan Asylum http://artisansasylum.com/
Sprout & Co: Community Driven Investigations
Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation,
contact jmatthaei at wellesley.edu
------------------------
Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/
********************************************
-----------------------------------------------------
Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com
Thanks to
Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the
Boston Area http://www.BostonScienceLectures.com
Boston Area Computer User Groups http://www.bugc.org/
Arts and Cultural Events List http://aacel.blogspot.com/
http://www.massclimateaction.net/calendar/events/index.php
http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template
http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/
http://green.harvard.edu/events
http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/tabid/57/Default.aspx
http://boston.nerdnite.com/
http://www.meetup.com/
http://www.eventbrite.com/
http://www.greenhornconnect.com/events/calendar
http://harddatafactory.com/mobileapp.shtml
http://bostoneventsinsider.com/boston_events/
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