Marketplace Tech

The housing market continues to defy gravity. Sales of existing homes rose more than 10% last month compared to a year ago, hitting their highest level since December 2006. It’s all about low interest rates and intense competition for available homes. And now, more than ever, people are relying on online platforms to search for — and even buy — houses. And that opens the door for artificial intelligence to play a bigger role, like using computer vision to create real estate listings based on photos. Amy Scott speaks with Christopher Geczy, a professor at Wharton who teaches about real estate and insurance technology.

The housing market continues to defy gravity. Sales of existing homes rose more than 10% last month compared to a year ago, hitting their highest level since December 2006. It’s all about low interest rates and intense competition for available homes. And now, more than ever, people are relying on online platforms to search for — and even buy — houses. And that opens the door for artificial intelligence to play a bigger role, like using computer vision to create real estate listings based on photos. Amy Scott speaks with Christopher Geczy, a professor at Wharton who teaches about real estate and insurance technology.

To slow the spread of coronavirus, testing is essential — and not just getting a test, but getting the results back as quickly as possible. A shortage of the equipment and chemicals needed to perform the tests is part of the problem, but the country also lacks a robust electronic medical record system, which would allow information to be shared seamlessly. We wondered: How much is that slowing everything down? Amy Scott speaks with Julia Adler-Milstein, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, where her research focuses on electronic health records. She says part of the problem is all the different software providers — companies like Epic, CareCloud and Athenahealth — don’t play well together.

To slow the spread of coronavirus, testing is essential — and not just getting a test, but getting the results back as quickly as possible. A shortage of the equipment and chemicals needed to perform the tests is part of the problem, but the country also lacks a robust electronic medical record system, which would allow information to be shared seamlessly. We wondered: How much is that slowing everything down? Amy Scott speaks with Julia Adler-Milstein, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, where her research focuses on electronic health records. She says part of the problem is all the different software providers — companies like Epic, CareCloud and Athenahealth — don’t play well together.

It’s yet another Monday, and each week this fall we’re covering the challenges of remote school. As parents try to figure out the best digital options, enrollment in alternative online schools is skyrocketing. Some of these are for-profit schools that get public money from states or public school districts for each student that they enroll. They have been around for years. Jennifer King Rice is a professor of education at the University of Maryland who’s studied for-profit virtual schools. She tells Molly that just because they have experience in remote learning doesn’t means their outcomes are better.

It’s yet another Monday, and each week this fall we’re covering the challenges of remote school. As parents try to figure out the best digital options, enrollment in alternative online schools is skyrocketing. Some of these are for-profit schools that get public money from states or public school districts for each student that they enroll. They have been around for years. Jennifer King Rice is a professor of education at the University of Maryland who’s studied for-profit virtual schools. She tells Molly that just because they have experience in remote learning doesn’t means their outcomes are better.

As Black Lives Matter protests continue around the country, police are using facial recognition and all kinds of other technology to arrest protesters and organizers. While, in some cases, the people arrested did commit crimes, after-the-fact arrests can have a chilling effect on free speech and lead to cases of mistaken identity. They also show us just how much surveillance is part of our lives. Molly speaks with Simone Browne, author of “Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness.”

As Black Lives Matter protests continue around the country, police are using facial recognition and all kinds of other technology to arrest protesters and organizers. While, in some cases, the people arrested did commit crimes, after-the-fact arrests can have a chilling effect on free speech and lead to cases of mistaken identity. They also show us just how much surveillance is part of our lives. Molly speaks with Simone Browne, author of “Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness.”

The Gates Foundation is trying to eradicate polio and malaria globally. Bill Gates created a billion-dollar climate investment fund, funded multiple factories to find a vaccine for COVID-19 and is matchmaking companies around the world to get that vaccine distributed. Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, is in the position to do all this because he is one of the world’s richest people. And that’s a little weird. Molly Wood asks him how his philanthropy ends up doing so much of the work of government. He said some of it is mission creep.

The Gates Foundation is trying to eradicate polio and malaria globally. Bill Gates created a billion-dollar climate investment fund, funded multiple factories to find a vaccine for COVID-19 and is matchmaking companies around the world to get that vaccine distributed. Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, is in the position to do all this because he is one of the world’s richest people. And that’s a little weird. Molly Wood asks him how his philanthropy ends up doing so much of the work of government. He said some of it is mission creep.