An Indictment of MIT

Solve is a live meeting series whose mission is to cultivate a community to discover, evaluate, and advance technological solutions to global problems. MIT's President, L. Rafael Reif announced Solve in 2014, and Solve first convened last fall. "At MIT, we want to do good for the world," President Reif said in his remarks opening Solve, adding, "With Solve, we want to accelerate positive change." The Solve program is organized around four "pillars": Fuel, Learn, Cure, and Make. This year's program poses five "challenges" within those pillars: Fuel: Carbon price. How can new technologies (including digital currencies like Bitcoin) be used to put a price on emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases? Negative carbon emissions. How do we remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in a way that is scalable, economical, and ethical? Learn: Refugee education. How can we improve learning in refugee camps to provide children there with a quality education? Cure: Leveraging innovation. How can we use tools including mobile devices to help people with mental disorders such as dementia, schizophrenia, and autism? Make: Inclusive innovation. How do we create a more inclusive, productive, and sustainable economic future for all? We'd like you to get involved. Submit a Challenge proposal: Solve invites participants from around the globe to take part in the process by joining its community. The ongoing program is actively seeking proposals for the challenges. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to log in to the Solve CoLab platform (solvecolab.mit.edu) to propose solutions through August 15 to qualify for the first wave of judging.   Register to attend Solve events Solve will showcase selected challenges and explore possible solutions at events throughout the year, starting with Solve at HUBweek, a city-wide festival in Boston held in the last week of September 2016, where attendees can propose their solutions. Register here. In spring 2017, MIT will gather a group of invited guests on its Cambridge campus to more deeply explore challenges in small interactive sessions, with the goal of creating and implementing actionable next steps. Other regional Solve activities will be announced on an ongoing basis throughout the year. Together, we can bring about real and lasting solutions to the world's most challenging problems. Sincerely,

Jason Pontin Editor in Chief and Publisher MIT Technology Review -------------------------------------------------- Above is conclusive evidence of academia completely carried away with itself.  This is the kind of stuff you have to deal with if you hold a state teaching credential, US Patent, or are a published author.  As one who grew up in academia this stuff is enough to make me vomit as it brings back nightmares of faculty functions I was dragged so my college professor parents could show off the results of their best efforts.  Scalpel please... Under "Fuel" allusions to "Bitcoin," "pricing carbon emissions" and "greenhouse gases" are all comity codes for "We're in guys! Come to the table and get some!" as all three elements are false. Bitcoin has no basis, as does real money, unlike our current Dollar. "Pricing," or taxing carbon emissions is based on provably false science. Under "Cure," "Solve" is for fund raising and opportunities to steal or at least get cushy posts taking holders to conferences timed for the truffle harvest and Caribbean vacations when Boston is snowbound.  No schizophrenic, autistic or demented person was ever cured, or even helped, with a "tool" like a claw hammer or monkey wrench.  What is this man trying to say? Under "Refugee Education" the idea is not to get new scientists and engineers out of those camps.  The objective is to keep them fed, clothed and alive so they can go home and you do not get that done "Leading from behind!" Under "Make" "How do we create a more inclusive, productive, and sustainable economic future for all?" is only for the author's next sanity hearing as there must have been earlier such actions. "Negative carbon emissions" is a banner and claim for creating another major scam with new huge machines to be designed for billions of Dollars, with millions going to secret accounts.  This will bring tears of joy to many scoundrels with Ph.D.s. I only marvel that it was clear to me at age 13 that these people were nuts.  I can only wonder from where such vision came as all my other friends suckered for it as has much of America. Adrian Vance