Search results for

Current facial recognition technology is still not as powerful as it seems in the movies — not yet. Some big challenges stand in the way of what you might call "universal facial recognition." But those problems are being solved by all of us, every time we upload photos and label faces on social media.

Donna Tartt is a writer who takes her time — she's published just one novel per decade since her debut in 1992. But critic Maureen Corrigan says she'd gladly wait another 10 years for a book as extraordinary as Tartt's latest work, The Goldfinch, an "exuberantly plotted triumph."

Sports marketing and management firm Fantex has reached a deal with San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis for an initial public stock offering. Fantex is paying Davis $4 million for the rights to 10 percent of his earnings, and the company is also creating a tracking stock linked specifically to the football player's economic performance. Davis is the second player to try this arrangement with Fantex. Sportswriter Fatsis joins Robert Siegel to explain how this is all supposed to work — and why he's dubious.

Former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch spent years advocating for an overhaul of the American education system. Now she criticizes changes that she used to support, like charter schools and school choice. She explains her reasoning in Reign of Error, her new book on the pitfalls of privatizing education.

On Tuesday, a key part of the Affordable Care Act is going live: People will be able to buy health insurance from new marketplaces in every state. Researchers and wonks will be intensely interested. Most of the rest of us will be clueless.

Maggie Shipstead mocks the pretensions of New England WASPs, while Jessica Lott executes unexpected riffs on the student-professor relationship plot. Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews two stellar fiction newcomers.

A week out in nature — away from electrical lights — quickly resets the body's internal clock, scientists say. And it helps night owls who have problems waking up be more alert in the morning. The findings suggest some easy ways to help everyone hop out of bed with more energy.

The Americans put on a show at the Gold Cup tournament, outscoring opponents 20 goals to 4 and stretching the team's win streak to 11 games. Even if that doesn't exactly send a chill through the rest of the world soccer community, it's enough to gives U.S. fans real hope for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

What are the implications of a businessman like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owning a major media outlet? Melissa Block talks to Merrill Brown, director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

A cookie in the oven almost looks like a monster coming alive. It bulges out, triples in size and then stiffens into a crisp biscuit. So how does an oven turn raw dough into a delight? A new animation explains the chemistry behind great baking so you, too, can unleash your inner mad scientist in the kitchen.