Heather Schwartz
Heather Schwartz's Latest Posts

Artist capitalizes on nostalgia to reinvent neighborhood watch signs
If you’re going to organize a neighborhood watch program, who better to include in the group than the Hulk, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Spiderman? In fact, as long as you’re creating a dream team, why not bring Buffy the Vampire Slayer into the mix? And Alex Foley from the movie Beverly Hills Cop? And the […]

Map shows gunshots near D.C. schools
The debate over guns in schools is a hot topic everyone’s familiar with. But what about guns near schools? Near enough, say, to be dangerous to children during their school day? That’s the focus of a recently created map of inner city Washington, D.C. schools and gunshots. To develop the map, the Urban Institute’s Justice […]

Southwest Airlines’ stowaway not considered a security breach
When a woman managed to board a Southwest Airlines flight from San Jose, California to Los Angeles without a ticket last week, the real story was, of course, about the security breach. The situation brings up some obvious questions: How could something like this happen in post-9/11 America? Don’t we have better security than this? […]

Clear drone zones are key to drone safety
The word “drone” may call to mind the monotonous ramblings of, say, a substitute teacher or a boring relative (If only he’d stop droning on and on.). It also refers to the buzzing noise a bee makes, as well as certain bees themselves (the ones that fertilize the queen’s eggs—not the workers, in case you […]

Phone companies release cute tracking devices for kids
Here it is at last: Wearable technology that allows parents to track their young children from afar as they move through their day. LG Electronics and SK Telecom, both of South Korea, and KMS, of Britain, have all developed similar wristband products that act as part cell phone part GPS—though LG’s is arguably the cutest. […]

NYPD is putting a stop to subway “Showtime!”
For some, free entertainment is part of the joy of riding the subway in New York City. You might board the train and be treated to a performance by a talented guitarist or singer, for example. You may not always love being part of a captive audience expected to pay up at the end of […]

Faux Private Property signs face fines
Suppose you’re lucky enough to own beachfront property. While living there, enjoying the view, cooling breezes, and other various benefits of your ideal location, you witness random visitors trashing the area. They use the nearby public part of the beach as their own personal dumping grounds. They urinate freely and light bonfires dangerously close to […]