Sam Ghilardi

This is just ai, right? Insane 4th qtr by this team.

i need you to understand that the Chicago Bears were losing 21-3 at the half against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, then won the game.

Bitopertin was once a failed drug candidate gathering dust in Roche's portfolio. Thanks to work from Disc Medicine, FDA could soon approve it to treat a rare blood disorder. Read @rowanwalrath.bsky.social's excellent story in @cenmag.bsky.social.

My speculation is that since this is happening at a thin section at bottom of the membrane, the out of plane light from a normal epi-fluorescent scope masks the effect, which is why it is mainly observable with TIRF or confocal imaging.

Our working hypothesis is that the strong ventral stress fibers are a response to substrate stiffness. Before I graduated, we discussed repeating some of the experiments on hydrogels of various stiffnesses to see how it affected our observations.

We wrote a paper about this phenomenon! www.molbiolcell.org/doi/full/10..... On stiff substrates, ventral stress fibers deform the plasma membrane. It’s not that GFP colocalizes to actin fibers, but rather high magnification microscopy is able to observe the variation in membrane/cytosol topography.

Broke: going to Vermont to peep leaves
Woke: going to Watertown to peep leaves

@universalhub.com

Imagine what we could do with an AHO in Watertown!

Poll Finds Strong Support for More Housing Development Voters strongly support land use policy changes that would make multifamily development easier in Massachusetts, according to a statewide survey commissioned by Abundant Housing Massachusetts (AHMA).

Our new poll for @abundanthousingma.org is out this morning. "Poll Finds Strong Support for More Housing Development."
bankerandtradesman.com/survey-finds...

I can’t believe it - after years of advocacy, exclusionary zoning has ended in Cambridge.

We just passed the single most comprehensive rezoning in the US—legalizing multifamily housing up to 6 stories citywide in a Paris style

Here’s the details 🧵

Running red lights, speeding, aggressive driving: Can traffic cameras curb the notorious Massachusetts driver? - The Boston Globe Using automated enforcement for traffic violations is not allowed under state law in Massachusetts. Increasingly, some municipal leaders say it’s time to change that.

“T-bone crashes have dropped by 65 percent, and, at least in New York City’s experience, rear-end crashes declined, not increased, by 49 percent at locations with cameras.” www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/23/m...

Thank you @amydain.bsky.social for this amazing public resource and thank you #MarkSideris (my hero of the day) @watertowngov.bsky.social for embracing spirit of #MBTACommunities #MaPoli #BosPoli #MAYIMBY

Proud of our community!

To put some numbers on it: Census Tract 3701.03 (Watertown Sq)=24% car free households.
Watertown as a whole=11.2% car free households.
According to 2022 ACS. data.census.gov/table?q=B082...

Councillor Piccirilli motions to approve the plan. It is seconded. President Sideris thanks the staff for their work, and is proud of the plan. The plan passes unanimously. President Sideris then thanks the public.

Councillor Gannon asks a clarification on ADUs.

Councillor Palomba states his concern that the staff affordable housing study would get lost in the shuffle with MBTA-C compliance and requested a timeline from staff with the topics to be covered, people to be interviewed, and public comment opportunities.

Motion passes unanimously

Councillors Gannon and Palomba follow up with clarification in language.

Councillor Feltner moves to adopt staff recommendation to add proportionality requirement to in-lieu of payment for open space. Seconded.

Councillor Feltner clarified some of the new uses being allowed, and asked for clarification on adding nursing homes as a use to the Square. Staff had no disagreement with the planning board on the addition.

Councillor Feltner asks about limiting ADUs to only single family zones. Staff and the City Manager debate the intent of the legislature in their passing this law. The Manager and Staff support the more expensive reading to protect the city so site plan review is in place for state guidelines in Feb

Councillor Izzo asks for clarification on unbundling parking. Staff explain the rationale: it separates the cost of parking from the other costs of renting, to make people aware of the cost of parking, to discourage excess car usage and SOV usage.

Councillor Gardner asks to revise the definition of green space in the open space ordinance during a future process.

Councillor Gannon raises a point about appealing the denial of a certification for being an artist. Staff are confident it isn’t necessary.

Councillor Palomba asks technical questions about the certification of artist, bicycle parking rack size, definition of Design Guidelines vs Standards, and notification for special permit applications

Councillor Feltner asks about parcels on California and riverside streets.

Councillor Izzo asks for clarification on some parcels on Main Street.

Motion passes unanimously

Manager Proakis details staff rationale and discussion: the parcels are similar to the West End, and removal from the TOD is more appropriate than downzoning.