Let's catch up.
Google to Open Oakland Tech Lab Amid Diversity Push, USA Today
Google is launching a tech lab in Oakland to mentor the next generation of African-American and Latino computer scientists. The Internet giant is working with MIT Media Lab on the Code Next lab, according to an email obtained by USA TODAY. Code Next is slated to officially open in October. The lab, which has already run a pilot program, will focus on educating young people in Oakland in the educational and career possibilities that computer science and nearby Silicon Valley offer, an Oakland Unified School District official said. Read more.
Zuckerberg, Chan to Spend $3 Billion on Curing Disease, SF Gate
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, on Wednesday announced an ambitious plan to spend $3 billion over the next 10 years to help cure or better treat disease. The new initiative, Chan Zuckerberg Science, is designed to help bring scientists and engineers together, build new tools and technologies and grow a movement to help fund more science, he said. Read more.
Study Raises Concern Over Tap Water for Thousands of Bay Area Homes, NBC Bay Area
A new study finds the tap water for tens of thousands of Bay Area homes contain a chemical that is raising concern. Dr. David Andrew with the Environmental Working Group said an increasing level of Chromium 6 is showing up in water systems coast to coast. Five water systems in California are on the list. Still, researchers said if the bad ground water is ingested repeatedly over a period of decades, it can increase your chances for stomach cancer.
Chromium 6 caught national attention thanks to Erin Brokovich. Water experts said the issues in the Bay Area are not as extreme. Read more.
(JULIA QUINLAN/HOODLINE)
Plaque Unveiled To Commemorate The Lexington Club, Hoodline
On Monday afternoon, community members, former employees, and patrons turned out to say a final goodbye to the Mission's beloved, now-closed lesbian bar, the Lexington Club. A crowd of about 70 people showed up to see the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the bar, which took 18 months to complete, from initial idea to installation, and cost $5,500. Most of the money for the effort, spearheaded by District 9 Supervisor David Campos and the GLBT Historical Society, came from 148 individual donors.
The Lexington Club closed in April 2015 after 18 years on 19th Street. The last dedicated lesbian bar in San Francisco, it was a gathering space for many in the queer community. Read more.
Creativity Secrets From The Man Behind The "Sleep With Me" Podcast, Fast Company
Long before mobile screens illuminated our pillows, a young Drew Ackerman was suffering from insomnia. But unlike many who spend nights unable to fall asleep, Ackerman's insomnia took him through a decades-long creative process that resulted in the podcast Sleep with Me.
Currently, three episodes air weekly and draw around 70,000 listeners for each show. Users download episodes around 1.3 million times each month. In 2014, Sleep with Me appeared on iTunes' list of top 50 podcasts, alongside brands like NPR, Earwolf, and ESPN. Ackerman, who also works as a librarian in San Francisco, recently hired two freelance editors and attributes the show's success to his ability to tell a good boring story—which all started in the room he shared with his little brother. Read more.
