Southie’s D St. to have big outdoor arts space

A no-man's-land stretch of D Street in South Boston will be transformed into an interim outdoor space that could be used for art installations, concerts, pop-up restaurants — even Major League Bocce — under a $1.1 million plan the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority has approved.

The so-called "D Street Laboratory" will open in late July or early August on approximately two acres across from the Aloft and Element hotels, which are scheduled to open by the end of next year, said Terence Burke, an authority spokesman.

"This is an eyes-wide-open experiment," Howard Davis, director of capital projects, said at an MCCA board meeting yesterday.

The authority is paying HR&A Advisors $200,000 for the concept and the design, and Chris Wangro, another New York consultant, $50,000 to develop programming for the space.

Potential local partners include the Institute of Contemporary Art, Major League Bocce, Artists for Humanity, Make Music Boston and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Wangro said.

The building of the "Lab" will fulfill a commitment to South Boston left over from the construction of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Burke said in an email.

The space will be a walkable connection to and from the BCEC, D Street and the hotels, as required under an agreement the MCCA has with their developer, he said.

The lab also will provide convention center users and the broader Boston community with the chance to try some outdoor concepts that might be integrated into the final design of the BCEC's proposed $1 billion expansion, Burke said.

"The plan is to operate the space for 18 to 24 months, try some things ... and then make some decisions about how to make it permanent as part of the expansion program," which the Legislature has yet to vote on, he said.

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Property of Hub Ponzi schemers will be sold off

The property of a convicted West Roxbury Ponzi schemer and his wife will be sold to recoup some of their $9.77 million in debt, the majority of which is owed to swindled clients.

Steven Palladino is at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole after being sentenced in January to 10 to 12 years. He, his wife and son were ordered to pay restitution for convincing at least 33 people to loan Viking Financial Group millions of dollars with the promise of high returns that were never delivered.

Palladino and his wife, Lori, filed for bankruptcy last month, and Viking Financial followed suit last week. The Palladinos listed $1.15 million in assets and $9.77 million in debt.

"Anything having to do with the financial condition and the history of the financial dealings will be investigated by us," said Mark G. DeGiacomo, the court-appointed trustee overseeing the cases. The Palladinos' lawyer could not be reached for comment.

It's "way too early" to say whether defrauded clients will recoup any money, he said. Secured claims typically are first in line for distributions and total at least $304,929.

The Palladinos' cars likely will be auctioned next month. Court documents in the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission case against Steven Palladino and Viking Financial list a 2012 Mercedes, 2011 BMW, 2013 Audi, 2012 Range Rover, 1992 Chevy Corvette and 2004 F350 truck.

The Palladinos own homes in Roslindale and West Roxbury and a vacant West Roxbury lot assessed at a combined $1.09 million, and two time shares valued at $25,000, according to court documents.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in April charged Steven Palladino with 25 counts of criminal contempt for allegedly flouting an asset freeze and other court orders. He is accused of "lavish spending" and incurring thousands of dollars in credit card charges.

The Palladinos owe tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt in addition to $1,627 to Best Buy, $1,300 to Bloomingdales and $1,364 to Neiman Marcus, court documents state.

The couple claimed $70,000 in jewelry, and just $25 in cash and $150 in a checking account, but $613,379 has been held in a bank account with the Boston Police listed as trustee.

Palladino participated in the first meeting of his creditors by telephone from prison. "Some of the investors that were at the meeting had some questions," DeGiacomo said. "Not the 'why?' (or) 'how could you do this?' It was more ... just trying to figure out where the money went and where the assets are."

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Foreclosures soar in March

Massachusetts foreclosure petitions took a sharp year-over-year turn up in March, ending 16 consecutive months of decline in petition filings, according to The Warren Group.

"The increase in percentage terms seems enormous, almost as though the flood gates have been thrown wide open," Timothy M. Warren, CEO of the market tracker, said in a podcast. "However, I see a number of reasons to be cautious about turning up the volume on the alarm quite yet."

In March 2013, only 283 foreclosure petitions were filed, which was 83 percent below the prior March, and much lower than February 2013, Warren said.

"So I'm going to suggest that perhaps March of last year was the real outlier in the data trends, more so than March of 2014," he said. "Nevertheless, 660 petitions filed in March of this year do represent a big increase in the current trend. For example, it is 50 percent higher than February."

Lenders are getting more aggressive with delinquent borrowers, Warren said.

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Hot Property: Boston’s priciest home hits ceiling

The most expensive listing in Boston, the $13.95 million six-level townhouse at 74 Beacon St., was renovated to reflect the look of a Victorian-era Back Bay townhouse, but one tradition, the basement kitchen, didn't make the cut.

The mansion has just been put back on the market after the kitchen was moved from the basement to the first floor.

"It was a major reason why this property wasn't selling," said Tracy Campion, Boston's top broker in sales volume ($272 million last year), who has been brought on as a co-exclusive listing agent along with Brad Sprogis and John Neale, who originally brought the building to developer Peter Georgantas of Peg Properties & Design.

"Buyers want an open feel with the kitchen, living and dining areas on one floor," said Sprogis. "You're really seeing a move to a less formal style of living even at this level."

The new first-floor kitchen, with white macoubas quartzite counters and island, a La Cornue stove and custom Scandia cabinets, overlooks a private patio.

Transforming the 1828 gray granite townhouse overlooking the Public Garden into a single-family has been a lengthy process. Georgantas bought the property in 2007 when it was four apartments and it took three years to renovate it.

"We wanted it to feel like a historic single-family in Back Bay," said Georgantas, whose wife and business partner, Elizabeth, co-designed the interiors. "But it had to be crisp, clean and bright rather than overbearing, stuffy and Victorian."

A large, bright open living/dining area has quarter-sewn oak floors and custom white woodwork. The grand staircase, modeled after The Breakers in Newport, R.I., connects all 8,450 square feet of living space, plus there's a wood-lined elevator.

The fourth floor is made for entertaining, with a large media room/ballroom that opens onto a rear roof deck with views of Beacon Hill. And there's an oak-lined library, complete with a custom rolling ladder for the bookcases.

The sixth-floor rooftop deck overlooks the Public Garden, with an infinity edge lap pool.

The sumptuous master suite has silk wall coverings, custom dressing rooms and closets and a master bathroom with a clawfoot tub and an enormous glass steam shower.

There are five other bedroom suites and an additional five full and three half bathrooms, plus a private gym and a family room in the basement that opens to a private patio.

The home comes with a deeded garage space at the toney Brimmer Street Garage, along with a parking space behind the house.

After completion in 2010, the home didn't sell, so it was rented for $40,000 to $60,000 a month. But given the superheated luxury market, Georgantas said he now feels optimistic.

"Someone can buy this property that offers a sense of history as well as privacy," he said. "Or they can spend the money on a top-tier condo unit without much character that feels like a hotel."

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Government says no need to park recalled GM cars

DETROIT — There's no need to tell owners of recalled General Motors small cars to stop driving them, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

In a written response to two senators who asked for such an order, Foxx said engineers with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have determined it's not necessary.

GM is recalling 2.6 million small cars worldwide to replace ignition switches that suddenly can slip out of the run position and shut off the engine. That can knock out power-assisted steering and cause drivers to lose control and crash. It also disables the air bags. GM says at least 13 people have died in crashes linked to the problem. The company has admitted knowing about the problem for at least a decade, yet failing to recall the cars until this year.

The company has told owners to remove everything from their key chains, and the reduced weight will stop the switches from slipping into the "accessory" or "off" positions.

Foxx, responding to a letter from Democratic Sens. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, said NHTSA engineers have examined the geometry and physics of the key, ignition switch and steering column of the GM vehicles, and they have reviewed GM's testing data.

"NHTSA is satisfied that for now, until the permanent remedy is applied, the safety risk posed by the defect in affected vehicles is sufficiently mitigated by GM's recommended action," the letter says.

The safety agency, which is part of Foxx's department, has taken measures above and beyond normal procedures in the GM case, Foxx wrote.

The recalled cars include mainly Chevrolet Cobalts and Saturn Ions that are no longer being made. GM is in the process of shipping parts to dealers but has said it won't be done with that until October. The company is offering loaner cars to any owners with safety concerns and so far has provided about 45,000.

But Blumenthal and Markey disagree and say all the cars should be parked until the switches are replaced.

"We remain extremely concerned that GM and NHTSA are not doing enough to convey the seriousness of this defect to owners of the affected cars, unnecessarily putting more lives at risk," the senators said in a statement Wednesday.

They also questioned why GM's initial recall notice to car owners said the ignition switches could malfunction while driving over rough terrain "regardless of additional weight on the key ring."

Both senators are members of a subcommittee that is looking into GM's actions involving the switches. NHTSA and the Justice Department are also investigating, and criminal charges are possible.

GM has said it has done 80 different tests at high speeds and on rough roads, and that with just the key in the ignition, the switches don't move out of the run position.

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Asian stocks boosted by Yellen interest rate vow

SEOUL, South Korea — Asian stock markets gained ground Thursday after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen vowed low borrowing rates would continue until the U.S. job market is healthy and tensions eased in geopolitical hotspot Ukraine.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index, the region's heavyweight, advanced 1.5 percent to 14,237.82 and South Korea's Kospi added 0.2 percent to 1,944.15.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.6 percent to 21,871.09 and China's Shanghai Composite gained 1.1 percent to 2,032.31. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.9 percent to 5,483.

Stocks in Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines also rose while Thailand and Indonesia were down.

Yellen told lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. job market is "far from satisfactory." She said the Fed will begin increasing interest rates only when there is enough progress in restoring full employment and when inflation is back up to its target of 2 percent.

Yellen's comments appeared to ease concerns that the Fed might move too quickly to raise interest rates.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's softening tone in the confrontation with the West over Ukraine also lifted investor sentiment. Putin said Russia pulled its troops away from the border with Ukraine, although NATO and Washington said they hadn't seen indication of a pullback. Putin also endorsed plans for fresh elections in Ukraine following the ouster earlier this year of its pro-Russian leader.

On Wednesday, U.S. stock markets finished higher, despite big losses in tech stocks, such as Twitter Inc. The Standard & Poor's 500 gained 0.6 percent to close at 1,878.21. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 0.7 percent to 16,518.54.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq was the only major index to fall. It fell 0.3 percent to 4,067.67.

In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude for June delivery was up 6 cents to $100.83 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.27 to close at $100.77 on Wednesday.

In currency trading, the euro rose to $1.3917 from $1.3912 late Wednesday. The dollar fell to 101.84 yen from 101.88 yen.

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Adidas may jettison Rockport

Germany's Adidas Group is entertaining walking orders for The Rockport Co.

The athletic footwear company acknowledged yesterday that it has hired Guggenheim Partners to explore a possible sale of the 43-year-old, Canton-based shoe brand known for merging style with comfort and "walkability."

"Rockport is not the strategic asset for us in the group," CEO Herbert Hainer said in an analyst call. "Nevertheless, we worked hard to improve the products, improve the distribution and, therefore, we are growing the Rockport business last year by 6 percent. It will grow again this year, and I think this is one of the most attractive brands out there."

Rockport was founded in Marlboro in 1971 as a walking shoe company and bought by Reebok International for $118.5 million in 1986. Adidas purchased Reebok in 2006.

Rockport produced
 8 million pairs of shoes in 2013 and had net sales of $402.48 million, according to Adidas Group's annual report.

The brand has about 120 employees in Canton — its global and North American headquarters — and more than 700 globally. All general functions of running the business, including men's and women's product development, design, sourcing, sales, operations, marketing and finance, are based in Canton, spokeswoman Janet Ries said.

Rockport, since it lacks an athletic focus, has never fit into the Adidas stable of brands, said analyst Matt Powell of Princeton Retail Analysis. "If, as (Adidas) says, there are interested parties, it is the right time to explore options," he said. "Given the company's struggles elsewhere, it makes sense to sell."

The dress/casual footwear segment has suffered with the dominance of athletic shoes, according to Powell, and Rockport's performance has been in the middle of the pack.

"I would assume that the most likely buyer would be strategic, with an eye to taking the brand down-market," Powell said.

Rockport's first-quarter revenue, reported yesterday by Adidas, fell 12 percent to $73.8 million.

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Asia stocks down after tech jitters shake Wall St

TOKYO — A dismal day on Wall Street spilled over into Asian trading Wednesday as jitters over the valuations of technology companies contributed to a sharp drop in Japan's benchmark.

The dive overnight in U.S. Internet companies, led by a plunge in Twitter's share price, added to negative sentiment from tensions in Ukraine, where pro-Russian militants are clashing with military forces in the country's unstable east.

The U.S. dollar's relative weakness against the Japanese yen, coupled with expectations of slower growth following a hike last month in Japan's sales tax, are also weighing on investor sentiment in Tokyo. The Nikkei 225 stock index fell 2.3 percent to 14,120.25. Japanese markets were closed the previous two days for public holidays.

Softbank lost 3.5 percent after Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba released some details of a planned U.S. initial public offering that analysts say could raise up to $20 billion. Softbank owns 36.7 percent of Alibaba.

Though the IPO is expected to net Softbank handsome returns, the recent slump in technology shares has shaken confidence.

"Whether the market reaction and the IPO valuation will be high or not is still the major concern," said Linus Yip, a strategist for First Shanghai Securities in Hong Kong. "The listing of Alibaba right now, may not be such good timing."

Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea's Kospi lost 0.9 percent to 1,941.96 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1.1 percent to 21,738.66.

Shares in Australia, Singapore, China and Taiwan fell while Indonesian and New Zealand shares edged higher.

U.S. stocks fell Tuesday as investors registered disappointment with corporate earnings reports. Twitter's shares plunged 18 percent after company insiders were allowed to sell stock for the first time since its IPO last year.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 0.8 percent to 16,401.02 and the broader S&P 500 dropped 0.9 percent to 1,867.72. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite shed or 1.4 percent to 4,080.76.

Benchmark U.S. crude for June delivery was up 62 cents to $100.12 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 2 cents to close at $99.50 on Tuesday.

In currency trading, the euro slipped to $1.3925 versus $1.3928 late Wednesday. The dollar fell to 101.60 yen from 101.68 yen.

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Connector enrollees could lose plans

People enrolled through the Massachusetts Health Connector could once again lose their health plans this year as insurance carriers struggle to comply with the state's eleventh-hour "dual track" solution to rescue the woeful Obamacare health exchange, a professional association warns.

"The plans are being asked to build two separate systems," Eric Linzer of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans told the Herald. "Building one new system was going to be challenging enough. It creates the prospect that plans currently on the Connector today may not be available because they may not be able to build some of this technology."

The Connector announced yesterday it will simultaneously hire Virginia-based hCentive to replace the scrapped state system with its own off-the-shelf software, while working toward joining the federal Healthcare.gov in case that plan fails.

That means the insurance carriers will have to develop two separate systems — an unexpected strain on their resources that could drive some carriers away from the Connector entirely.

If that happens, people who signed up for those carriers' plans through the Connector last year could lose them this fall, Linzer said.

"When you think about the spirit of the Affordable Care Act — that if you like your coverage, you get to keep your coverage — the prospect of losing plans from the Connector and the disruption it will cause members is significant," Linzer said.

Spokesmen for both the Connector and hCentive wouldn't say how much the solution will cost or if more federal funds are needed.

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, blamed the state for wasting public money.

"Massachusetts' decision to scrap its health exchange means Americans are once again out millions of dollars with nothing to show for it," Issa said. "Federal taxpayers should not be on the hook for the additional costs to clean up this debacle."

State Obamacare Web czar Sarah Iselin said, "I've said all along that no option on the table would be perfect, and the dual track certainly has its benefits and its challenges. It does, however, solve for two realities: We need a reliable website to help people during the next open enrollment period, and we need to be in a position to achieve a fully integrated system in 2015."

But one Health Connector official speaking on condition of anonymity suggested the state's rebuild plan is mainly a face-saving exercise to avoid the national embarrassment of a federal takeover.

"As the home of health-care reform, Massachusetts already has one black eye, but you don't want two because you can't stand up your own website," said the official. "They will try everything they can to get the thing to work. What's really tragic is we had a very well-functioning website. Lots of people were covered. And we've thrown the whole thing away."

Joshua Archambault of the Pioneer Institute noted the state still hasn't provided a full accounting of taxpayer money already spent.

"If this was the private sector, I think shareholders would cry bloody murder," he said.

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China tightens controls on imports of baby formula

BEIJING — China has tightened controls on imports of infant formula in a move an industry official in New Zealand, a major supplier, said might block some products.

The announcement coincides with an effort by Beijing to build up its dairy industry following a 2008 tainted milk scandal that killed at least six babies and prompted many parents to switch to imported formula.

Only milk products from foreign sources that are registered with the government can be imported, the Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its website. A list issued by the government showed foreign brands including European units of Abbot Laboratories, Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. and Nestle Group have registered.

An industry group in New Zealand said only six of the country's 13 suppliers were approved. The chairman of the New Zealand Infant Formula Exporters Association said that might result in some shipments to China being blocked.

"We lost a whole lot of ground this morning," said Michael Barnett at a news conference, according to the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

Demand for imported milk soared after the 2008 scandal in which some Chinese supplies were found to contain melamine, a chemical that can cause kidney damage and other injuries. Some suppliers added it to fool protein tests on watered-down supplies.

Suppliers from New Zealand, Australia, Europe and elsewhere took market share from Chinese competitors, setting back the communist government's efforts to build a domestic dairy industry.

The brand at the center of the 2008 scandal, Sanlu, was broken up and tighter quality standards imposed on the industry. However, that has failed to restore the confidence of Chinese parents. Imported brands have such a strong reputation for quality that customers pay up to three times the price of local brands in supermarkets.

In August, regulators fined five foreign milk suppliers and one from Hong Kong a total of $108 million on charges they violated China's anti-monopoly law by setting minimum retail prices for stores.

In the latest effort to build a domestic industry, the city government of Beijing will give 10.8 million yuan ($1.7 million) to a major local brand, Sanyuan Group, to develop "safe and healthy infant milk powder," the newspaper Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Demand for imported formula is so strong that smugglers bring supplies from Hong Kong, Australia and elsewhere. That has prompted Hong Kong and some other markets to limit purchases to ensure local customers have adequate supplies.

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Startup targets music genre void

A local startup is hoping to break into the lucrative world of hip-hop with its new online portal, KillerBoomBox.com.

The site is run by KillerBoomBox Media Group, a plucky new company that recently won a coveted spot in the Smarter in the City startup accelerator in Dudley Square.

The brainchild of local digital product manager Darius McCroey and veteran music journalist Gregory Valentino Ball, the company now faces the hurdle of convincing investors that enough advertising dollars will come from their business model, which involves producing articles and video documentaries on their website. They also organize and film concerts that highlight urban music. That content — a sampling of which is available on the company's sleekly designed website — is to be repackaged and resold in a variety of different ways, including a forthcoming mobile app, another potential revenue generator.

"The whole idea is to cover urban music, hip-hop and R&B from an intelligent perspective," said Ball, who lives in Dorchester. "We have a passion and that puts us in a better place than some of the competition."

The company already has been selected as runner-up in the Roxbury Innovation Challenge Business Pitch Contest and was a member of the Future Boston Alliance's 
Accelerate Boston Class of 2013, a six-month educational program for entrepreneurs.

Their competition includes Revolt TV, an online magazine and network owned by hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who just last week predicted that his network would become the ESPN of hip-hop music. These new platforms recognize the vacuum left by MTV and VH1's near-total abandonment of music news coverage — and an estimated 45 million hip-hop consumers nationwide who are waiting for another music media renaissance. There's plenty of room for competition within the $10 billion-a-year hip-hop industry.

Yet corporate America largely has ignored the purchasing power of the hip-hop culture that business empires have sprung from. Moguls such as Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Diddy are potentially on their way to becoming billionaires in the next decade.

Ball and McCroey say Boston's role in urban music often lives in the shadow of New York City, but there are many up-and-coming artists who originated here and have a fan base ready and waiting. In fact, McCroey envisions being able to use Boston as a test market for new artists.

"Boston is a world-class college town," he said. "So when we take new music to that market, we're testing it for people all over the world."

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Stylish Everpurse charger is clutch

Everpurse clutch and wallet, ($98 and up, Kickstarter.com and everpurse.com)

With the Everpurse Mini smartphone-charging wallet announced just in time for Mother's Day, I wanted to try it out. They're not shipping yet, but I did get my hands on its predecessor, the Everpurse, a leather clutch that is smack dab at the intersection of tech and fashion.

The good: Place your phone inside a hidden charge compartment inside the bag, and it'll charge up your phone just as fast as if it were plugged in. My iPhone 5S was fully charged thanks to this handy bag all weekend.

The bad: There's a charging pad that's a little large and unwieldy.

The bottom line: If the quality of the Everpurse clutch is any indication, the new Mini wallet is right up mom's alley. That is, if you're lucky enough to get one. The clutch is hard to find and the wallet isn't shipping until the summer.

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Odyssey’s air bag warning light needs to be checked out

I have a 2005 Honda 
Odyssey. About two months ago the passenger air bag light started coming on. I took it in for an oil change and the mechanic said it's nothing to worry about. It bugs me. Can you give me an answer?

No, but Honda's scan tool can. Anytime there's a question or issue with air bags or supplemental restraint systems, have the issue investigated. Why? Because any fault or problem can influence, even prevent, these systems from deploying properly in a crash.

Your vehicle has an impact sensor and a weight sensor in the passenger seat that can determine whether the passenger air bag should deploy or not in a crash. With an occupant weight of 65 pounds or less or a frontal impact where the seatbelt would offer adequate protection, the passenger air bag will not deploy.

If the passenger seat, its upholstery or the OPDS system (occupant position detection system) have been serviced, a re-initialization is required.

Also, Honda did issue a recall for a potentially defective front impact sensor on some 2005 
Odysseys, but this is unlikely the issue with your vehicle.

I have a 1966 Mustang. I have noticed in the past couple of years that when I first start driving, the right front wheel will lock up and slide on a dirt road and the car wants to turn right immediately. After driving the car for a couple of miles the brakes work fine and the car stops straight as an arrow. I had the brakes inspected and there were no leaks or other problems. The mechanic said that sometimes the brake hoses can deteriorate from the inside so I had them changed, but the car still wants to turn right at the first stop. I have read that if a brake line has a stoppage it might cause this. Is this a problem with the right front wheel or maybe the left front wheel is not getting enough hydraulic pressure?

Let me offer two other possibilities: moisture or contamination on the brake shoe friction material and (this is a long shot) the brake shoes on the right front are reversed, meaning the leading shoe is in the trailing position and vice versa.

Many drum brake systems feature a leading shoe that is pushed by the hydraulic wheel cylinder into the direction of rotation of the brake drum. This gives the leading shoe a self-energizing characteristic, meaning that initial contact with the drum tends to self-apply the friction material on the shoe.

In most cases, the leading shoe has a section of shoe at the wheel cylinder end that has no friction material to reduce the self-energizing characteristic. If the two brake shoes are reversed with the full length friction material of the trailing shoe mounted in the lead position, the self-energizing characteristic is magnified.

Any type of contamination on the friction material will change the coefficient of friction and can initially cause a significant imbalance of brake force. As the material is heated and/or dried by application, this characteristic often fades.

To perform a quick DIY test of brake hydraulic pressure, place the front end safely on jack stands and have an assistant apply steady light brake pedal pressure while you rotate each front wheel, feeling for the first indication of brake shoe contact with the drum. Both front wheels should initially exhibit this at the same level of brake pressure.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

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Westfield State U. agog over new Google technology

WESTFIELD, Mass. — It was a futuristic sight, as about a dozen students, faculty, and community members gathered around a cluster of screens on the second floor of the Ely Library at Westfield State University late last month to behold a wonder of modern technology.

The wonder that lay before them, projected onto seven screens standing seven feet tall, is Liquid Galaxy, a revolutionary product developed by Google which utilizes the company's Google Earth component to take users almost anywhere in seconds, on Earth or elsewhere.

"It sends Mars data, too," said Tom Raffensperger, the dean of Academic Information Services at Westfield State. "There's a rover up there taking pictures and mapping."

Capable of showing off the red planet just as adeptly as taking users to Fenway Park, Liquid Galaxy's potential is seemingly limitless, and Raffensperger says it will be available to the greater Westfield community during open lab times, after being made available to professors and students first.

As the jaws of students and faculty alike dropped to the floor at the startling realism and accuracy of Google Earth's mapping, professors in the school's geography department took the opportunity to speak about the project, it's humble beginnings, and what it means for the institution.

"It all started when Tim (LeDoux) and I were invited to attend the geospatial technology and higher education workshop at Google in California last summer," said Dr. Carsten Braun, a professor of Geography and Regional Planning at the University. "When we saw the Liquid Galaxy we said 'wow, this is cool, but not just cool — a great teaching tool.' So when we came back, we launched an idea to (Dr.) Liz Preston and Tom Raffensperger saying 'Hey, is this something we could get?'"

Various university departments collectively paid $25,000 to use the program.

"It was really a collaborative effort," said Raffensperger. "It was a lot of departments getting together. The library, we worked hard to make this space available, and the people at IT, academic information services, academic affairs, just a lot of different departments seeing how this would benefit the university as a whole."

Raffensperger added that professors such as LeDoux will be using the program for introductory and advanced global imaging systems (GIS) courses to take students to distant cities.

"As a geographer and planner, I talk a lot about different cities and the issues they're facing, such as Detroit with its bankruptcy," LeDoux said. "I can talk a lot about the legacy — the racism, the disinvestment issues — and that helps students paint a picture, but to take them on the ground and walk through the neighborhoods of Detroit using this, they see it, the abandoned buildings, and it brings home the visual element to them."

"I will be using this in my physical geography class, which is about landforms — glaciers, rivers, mountains, beaches — all kinds of stuff that. With this immersive program, you can experience beach erosion, experience sea level rise, much better than a static picture," Braun said. "We can do labs and say 'let's go to the Grand Canyon, let's look at what goes on at the intersection of land and ocean.'"

"(We'll be) working with the folks from the Art Department, or any other interested people to create content experiences that they can use in their classes," he added. "That's what we're going to be working on in the next few months. 'You teach English Literature, you teach Art, let's see how we can create activities that let students experience this in a special sense.'"

"This can be applied to all the different disciplines at the University," LeDoux added. "Whether you're trying to ground literature for students, poetry that a poet is writing about a landscape, it's a very vivid image, but actually seeing what they're writing about is very powerful."

When asked about the prevalence of this technology, Braun was proud to admit that Liquid Galaxy is so far only available in museums and large research-based institutions, none of which are the size of Westfield State.

"I'd be super happy to talk to anybody about how to make this useful," Braun said. "In a perfect world, we want to help everybody get this. But first, let's take this off the campus and bring it into the community, working in the local schools and make this a tool or experience that we share with the entire community."

"We are very excited to be able to provide this," said Westfield State University President Dr. Elizabeth Preston during the demo. "Part of the reason we decided to invest in the technology is because it's very clear that it has applications for all kinds of disciplines beyond the obvious. So we're very excited to have the technology on campus."

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