As the Biden administration promises to jump-start the clean-energy economy, it faces an uphill climb: The United States has fallen behind Asia and Europe in the race to produce the central technology — the high-tech batteries that power electric cars and store solar and wind energy.
Oliver and Nick Komar grew up in Newton Highlands, and their lives today revolve around birds.
The twin brothers still remember their first day of birding with their father along the Charles River in the Oak Hill area when they were 7 years old. They saw a rose-breasted grosbeak and a Baltimore oriole.
“When I got those beautiful birds in focus in my binoculars, I was hooked,” said Nick.
From then on, they biked around Newton every day before and after school looking for birds. Oliver and Nick received early encouragement and training from Brookline Bird Club members and began leading outings at the age of 12.
Indiana Jones fans might find it hard to imagine anyone other than John Rhys-Davies playing Sallah. But before Rhys-Davies was cast, the role almost went to Danny DeVito.
Joan Micklin Silver, who died on Dec. 31 at age 85, proved that for American Jewish women, being a film director means facing challenges of assimilation not unlike those confronted by immigrant ancestors generations ago.
Like the “Bintel Brief” Yiddish advice column in The Forverts, “Yekl,” like “Hester Street,” seethed with passions of Russian Jews trying to adapt to a new world.
The low-budget informality and authenticity of “Hester Street,” much of it performed in Yiddish, was augmented by editing rhythms that recalled the silent movie era, as did the truly unearthly performance by Carol Kane as Gitl, a wife who initially experiences problems coping with American ways.
Watt s next for batteries? It ll be more of the same, not longer life, because physics and chemistry are hard
Lithium-ion had a lucky break early on. Successors will need billions of dollars to catch up – if they don t flame out first
Robbie Harb Wed 30 Dec 2020 // 16:00 UTC Share
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Feature There are liars, damned liars, and battery guys – or some variation thereof – is an aphorism commonly attributed to US electro-whizz Thomas Edison.
Edison s anecdotal frustrations remain valid today because scarcely a month goes by without a promised battery revolution, and scarcely a month goes by without that revolution arriving.
In October, for example,