The Sweet Spot

On the weekend of April 30th-May 3rd 2021, if you are out and about - in your garden or yard, on a walk, or walking your pet, chatting with a neighbor or hanging outside in the playground in Acton or Boxborough - and you happen to see an interesting plant, or animal, a bug, bee or a bird - or any local biodiversity, you can earn the title of a Citizen Scientist ! This weekend is when Acton-Boxborough participates in a public collaboration effort in contributing to scientific research through crowdsourcing . And for crowdsourcing, more the merrier! “I followed the steps [ during the kickoff meeting for the project] and in just a couple of minutes I am all set to start observing biodiversity, and uploading the pictures to the site”, says Liliana Rao, a recent member of the AB BioBlitz initiative. The steps include downloading the iNaturalist app ( iPhone or Android ), creating an account and under “More” in the menu, click “Projects'' and search “Acton Boxborough” to find and j...

In our first year after immigrating to the United States, some of the most difficult times when we missed our family back home were during Indian festivals. Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the most important one. In India, we made goodies, lit many diyas (oil lamps) and firecrackers and ended with a prayer to the Goddess Lakshmi (the Goddess of wealth). The year we moved to the US, we hadn’t yet got enough bearings in the country to put together the same kind of celebration. To make it a little festive, my husband had changed his computer background image to a Diwali motif. To his great surprise, his manager pulled him aside and requested him to remove the background. My husband was quite stunned at the beginning, knowing how the US practices free speech and freedom of expression. After all, he was simply practicing his religious choice! His manager explained that the motif has a Swastika, which is anti-semitic, has racist connotations and hurtful to other employees in the co...

How smart is your home? The tech that arrived in the post-Advertising Age has continued to find uses in our homes. Now, home appliances are becoming increasingly connected – with some displaying the latest and greatest in connectivity, intelligent connectivity and networked-everything-ness. Homes around the world are getting smarter, with products from lights to thermostats now linked to the internet. This has led to the arrival of a host of connected appliances in the home, from fridges that tell you if you need milk, to cameras that let you see what's happening at the front door. It's essential that your appliances and other electronics, such as thermostats, refrigerators and lights, are properly connected to your home network so they can be controlled and monitored remotely. For example, you can use your smartphone or tablet to set a temperature for your home while you're away. If your home Wi-Fi is weak or slow, to make your Wi-Fi the best it can be, consider adding a w...