
AI in Education: Helpful Tool or Sinister Danger?
Most college professors are wary of it, but others embrace it as a learning advantage
All around the world, academic institutions, from the renowned online Khan Academy through to leading research universities, are grappling with the extraordinarily rapid rise of artificial intelligence systems capable of generating human-like responses to complex questions.

Startup of the Month: PowerTechs
Virtual ‘cockpits’ train tomorrow’s workforce in immersive environments
“Using XR technology enables PowerTechs to immerse workers and students in a realistic, simulated environment where their skills can be assessed authentically,” founder Ksenia Solomatina says.

Lowered Ambitions for Old Sacramento
The Sacramento City Council approves a slimmed-down revitalization plan for the waterfront district
The Sacramento City Council recently approved a revitalization plan for Old Sacramento Waterfront that is dramatically smaller than the plan it endorsed six years ago.

‘Hushed Hybrid’ Trend May Thwart Return-to-Office Efforts
Companies are changing their work policies, but managers don’t always enforce them
Hushed hybrid is the latest trend that could impede a successful return-to-the-office strategy. What is hushed hybrid (or hushed remote)? It’s when managers overrule, dismiss or choose to not enforce the company’s return-to-office policies.

Dilemma of the Month: How Do I Tell an Internal Candidate He’s Not a Good Fit?
I just started at a new company a few weeks ago. We have an
internal candidate, Steve, for a position, and the hiring manager
does not want to interview him because Steve previously worked a
temp position in their office and made many mistakes that caused
many issues. The problem I’m having is that they never told Steve
there were issues with his job performance.

Regaining Lost Land
FROM THE PUBLISHER: When I heard the news about the Sacramento Republic FC ownership change — with Wilton Rancheria, a federally recognized Miwok tribe in Sacramento County, becoming majority owner (while Kevin Nagle maintains his managing partner role) — I joined the entire Capital Region in celebrating what this would mean for Major League Soccer, as well as for the continuing (and delightful) growth of professional sports here.

Speaking Out
Man with ALS is able to ‘speak’ again thanks to neurotechnology from UC Davis
Within minutes, the words he wanted to speak appeared on a monitor and were spoken aloud by a computer in a voice resembling his own using recordings from videos made before his diagnosis. It brought everyone in the room to tears. “On day two of this use by Casey, he was talking to his daughter for the first time in her memory. That was so gratifying,” says UC Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab co-director Sergey Stavisky.

My Ancestors’ Connection to the Golden 1 Center
We live in a world that can be quick to glom onto surface-level information. Me, I prefer the stories that live below the surface, that take time to discover and fully understand.

Art Exposed: Julie Bernadeth Crumb
Weaving cultural memory and communal care into artistic practice
Whether creating elaborate jewelry inspired by pre-colonial harvest rituals, collaging woodcut prints into an altar homage to her Filipino homeland or sculpting clay into aquatic life forms for an underwater installation, award-winning multidisciplinary artist Julie Bernadeth Crumb uses her hands to forge materials into meditations on culture, identity and Indigeneity.

Beyond Pho
Capital Region restaurateurs showcase the diversity and fun of Vietnamese cuisine
Combining traditional flavors with influences from California and farther afield, a new generation of restaurateurs are serving a fresh, innovative take on Vietnamese cuisine.