MIT graduate student Jonny Sun has illustrated a new book by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. The book, “Gmorning, Gnight! Little Pep Talks for Me & You,” is a collection of “short, uplifting poems that [Miranda] regularly posts on social media early and late in the day,” writes Kevin Slane for Boston.com.
In an article for The Washington Post, Debra Bruno reviews Prof. Alan Lightman’s new book, “In Praise of Wasting Time,” which makes the case for why we need more downtime. Bruno writes that, “Lightman constructs a careful and well-sourced argument, citing the anecdotes of artists, scientists and writers to build his case methodically and convincingly.”
Michael Shermer reviews Prof. Alan Lightman’s new book on science and spirituality, “Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine,” for The New York Times. Shermer calls the book an “elegant and moving paean to our spiritual quest for meaning in an age of science,” adding that it, “reminds us of the centrality of subjectivity in all human endeavors.”
Visiting Lecturer Irving Wladawsky-Berger writes about Prof. Thomas Malone’s book, Superminds, which examines how machines are becoming increasingly able to complement human intelligence. Wladawsky-Berger writes that Malone shows how, “humans can supply the general intelligence and whatever other skills machines don’t have, and machines can supply the vast information, computational power and other specialized capabilities that people don’t have.”
In an article published by Salon, Prof. Heather Paxson examines the American artisanal cheese industry. Paxson writes that, “food-making traditions in the United States are often animated by personal narratives of innovation rather than, as in Europe, adherence to customary tradition.”
In this PBS NewsHour segment, Prof. Alan Lightman discusses his views on science and spirituality. “I’m still a scientist. I still believe that the world is made of atoms and molecules and nothing more. But I also believe in the power and validity of the spiritual experience.”
Bloomberg’s Faye Flam discusses “Superminds,” a new book by Prof. Thomas Malone, and the impact of technology on human intelligence. “One take-home message in "Superminds" is that artificial intelligence is already here, and already changing the world,” writes Flam. “It's beside the point whether a robot with humanlike intelligence is still 20 years away."
Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, writes for Forbes about challenges facing the children of Baby Boomers, who will eventually need to care for their parents. “[W]hile the Baby Boomers may be aging, they are far from done,” writes Coughlin. “It may be our best gift to our children to develop care plans, options, savings, and innovations today to care for us tomorrow.”
Prof. Daniel Jackson, MIT student Haley Cope and alumna Caterina Colon discuss the book “Portraits of Resilience” on Greater Boston with Jim Braude. According to Jackson, the hope is that by compiling the students’ stories and photographs into a book “people who were suffering could read these stories, look at these faces, and realize they were not alone.”
Jeffrey Brown of PBS Newshour sits down with Prof. Daniel Jackson and students to discuss “Portraits of Resilience,” a collection of portraits and essays about individual experiences with mental health issues. “I hoped to capture the personality and charisma of the person that I was interviewing, the strength and the vulnerability,” says Jackson.
Forbes Contributor Steve Banker highlights Prof. Yossi Sheffi’s new book, Balancing Green, which focuses on sustainability in business. As Sheffi explains, “many companies engage in sustainability initiatives to prevent them from having to react to a rising tide of sentiment,” writes Banker. “Getting ahead of these kinds of campaigns can be at the heart of a robust risk management program.”
In a Q&A with The Boston Globe’s Sarah Shemkus, Prof. Yossi Sheffi discusses his new book, Balancing Green, which examines “the challenges and benefits of ‘going green’ in a multilayered global economy.” Sheffi suggests green practices can be advantageous for companies because “certain things also cut costs and increase profit, like energy savings.”
Gradute student Jonny Sun speaks with Seth Myers on Late Nate with Seth Meyers about his new book, “Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too.” The book, which follows an alien who comes to earth and learns to celebrate people’s differences, features intentional typos to emphasize “a common theme throughout the story…that it’s ok to be imperfect,” says Sun.
Former MIT Visiting Artist Pedro Reyes returns to the Institute with the premiere of his latest puppet play, “Manufacturing Mischief,” writes Jeremy Goodwin of The Boston Globe. Partially based on the writings of Prof. Emeritus Noam Chomsky, and featuring puppets of famous figures like Chomsky, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, the play is “about staging a conflict between opposing worldviews and opposing ideologies,” says Reyes.
In his book The Longevity Economy, MIT AgeLab director Joseph Coughlin notes that on the rare occasion that aging is discussed, views of the elderly are mostly wrong. “The main point that Coughlin is making,” writes Joshua Kim for Inside Higher Ed, is that, “[r]ather than years of decline, life after 65 (or 75 or even 85) can be full of possibility, exploration, and learning.”