There are two parts in this post on COVID. The first lists measures that the City of Newton is taking to slow the spread of COVID-19. The second outlines measures that the federal government should take.

City of Newton measures re: COVID-19:

• Postponing or holding virtually public gatherings that are hosted by the City, for example programs run by Parks & Rec or Senior Services.
• Canceling events in schools like plays, adult education classes, PTO meetings, and use of schools by outside groups
• Encouraging e-communication for public input for meetings of municipal staff, the city council, and boards and commissions. …

Growing up, my dad used to say that politics was the noblest profession. Most would scoff at that, today. Most probably would have when I was a kid, too, actually. It’s been a long time since politics, at least on the national stage, has merited that description. But my dad grew up in that belief, and wanted me too, as well. His relatives served in the Roosevelt and Kennedy administrations. They were proud of that. He was proud of that. He wanted me to be proud of that.

My mom’s side were not invited to halls of power in the 1940s––they were a family of poor Jewish refugees. But they were devoted to America because America took a chance on them. Massachusetts welcomed them when they fled the Russian pogroms before World War I, and my great-grandfather built a garment business in Boston while his wife practically ran Chelsea. The Marine Corps sent their son, my grandfather, to get an engineering degree during World War II. …

Massachusetts should be scientific about improving mobility

Getting around keeps getting harder. Yet here in the science capital of the world we ignore the evidence about how to reduce congestion. Here are five ideas, tried and proven elsewhere, that state policymakers should test:

1. Price parking and driving according to what cars actually cost society. Charge for the true costs of congestion, pollution, and infrastructure maintenance. Use the money to improve streets for walking, cycling, and buses.

How it could work

Repair more roads and bridges by supplementing state aid with local-option gas taxes. Promote walking and cycling by expanding the nationally acclaimed Complete Streets Funding Program. …

Teams of smart people are not necessarily smart teams. re:Work by Google has published insightful research on the dynamics of effective teams, highlighting psychological safety as a critical ingredient, but there are also basic team mechanics in which easy adjustments lever big improvements. One example is note-taking as a team.

Here is the process my team and I used to take notes while using the outcome-driven innovation methodology. We had one block of secondary research, followed by four blocks of five interviews apiece. Regardless of what type of research each block is dedicated to, this approach helps distill the key insights. …

This article is not about the theory and high-level practice of outcome-driven innovation (ODI). There’s better writing on that here than I could offer. This article is about the mechanics of how my team and I put ODI into practice. Entrepreneurs and product managers will find this article helpful if they have a general idea but want to scope and stress-test that idea before committing time and money to prototyping.

Solaria Labs is the innovation incubator within Liberty Mutual Insurance. We build products (usually not insurance) that deliver peace of mind in new ways as the nature of shelter, mobility, and work changes. This summer, my team and I were charged with exploring the freelance economy in order to find opportunities to deliver peace of mind to this fast-growing segment of the U.S. …

Teams of smart people are not necessarily smart teams. re:Work by Google has published insightful research on the dynamics of effective teams, highlighting psychological safety as a critical ingredient, but there are also basic team mechanics in which easy adjustments lever big improvements. One example is note-taking as a team.

Here is the process my team and I used to take notes while using the outcome-driven innovation methodology. We had one block of secondary research, followed by four blocks of five interviews apiece. Regardless of what type of research each block is dedicated to, this approach helps distill the key insights. …

This article is not about the theory and high-level practice of outcome-driven innovation (ODI). There’s better writing on that here than I could offer. This article is about the mechanics of how my team and I put ODI into practice. Entrepreneurs and product managers will find this article helpful if they have a general idea but want to scope and stress-test that idea before committing time and money to prototyping.

Solaria Labs is the innovation incubator within Liberty Mutual Insurance. We build products (usually not insurance) that deliver peace of mind in new ways as the nature of shelter, mobility, and work changes. This summer, my team and I were charged with exploring the freelance economy in order to find opportunities to deliver peace of mind to this fast-growing segment of the U.S. …

I’m one of your city councilors-at-large and I write to keep you apprised of local affairs. There were no July or August or newsletters; here’s the summer in review:

1. Zoning redesign proceeds on two tracks: process & code review + village visions

• Planning Department undertaking process & code review
• Needham Street vision plan approved; Marshall’s Plaza to be redeveloped
• Washington Street vision plan’s consultant now drafting options for transportation and land use

2. Street design guide in tension with accelerated street-paving schedule

3. City Hall launches two mobility pilots: Lime Bikes and shared parking

4. Back-to-school: student assignment working group’s recommendation for northside elementary…