What’s your brain doing right now? What was it doing when you woke up, got hungry, went to work, danced, made love, got angry, got happy, fell asleep and dreamed? Judith Horstman is a local writer and frequent Comstock’s contributor. Her new book, “The Scientific American Day In the Life of Your Brain,” chronicles hour-by-hour what goes on in your brain through a typical day and night.

Virtual reality used to be financially out-of-reach for many firms. Now, builders and architects alike are finding that implementing technology upfront prevents mistakes, and saves money, down the road. 

A drive past a neglected home in Natomas or a shuttered Mervyn’s in Roseville is more than a sign of the strained Capital Region economy. It is also an expensive risk that can hit property owners at the knees.

Hitesh Dewan, operations technology manager of Milpitas-based XL Construction in Sacramento, and Laura Knauss, principal of Lionakis, offer their insight into tech adoption in the construction industry.

If there was a soundtrack to banking this summer, it sounded something like the theme from “Jaws” — tense, ominous and hinting at unknown dangers below the surface.

Tech transfer at publically-funded universities isn’t just about generating revenue from IP — it’s about the public good. But is the UC’s strategy for negotiating licenses making this double-barrelled mission even more complex?

Uncle Bert seemed normal to me, so I wondered what was going on when a phone call ripped into an otherwise peaceful Monday. It was Dave, a trusted family friend. “Honey, your uncle has dementia, and all his friends are very concerned about it,” he said. “You need to do something.”

Dushyant Pathak, associate vice chancellor of research and executive director of Venture Catalyst at UC Davis offers Comstock’s his insight into tech transfer.

With the national economy stumbling along like a wounded animal, the only steady growth these days is in the number of workers being shown the door. But while layoffs can be demoralizing, those workers who remain on the job may find “the Great Recession” to be a huge career booster.

Last summer, Sacramento learned it would become Volkswagen’s first “Green City,” earning millions in investment from the tarnished brand’s subsidiary, Electrify America. Where will this money go, and what does it mean for the local auto technology industry?