Writing the column for the back page of Sports Illustrated is one of the most coveted reporting jobs in sports. Menlo Park resident and Stanford grad Phil Taylor is the man for the job.

Take 50 Stanford University engineering students, give them $250,000 and two years, and what do you get? An affordable net-zero energy house for the 2013 Solar Decathlon.

The National Women’s Soccer League, the third try at an American women’s professional league, opened its first season last weekend with nearly 20 former Bay Area college standouts on league rosters… but no California team.

As Twitter’s prominence has grown, some pro athletes have gotten into trouble for the words they send into cyberspace. But the San Jose Earthquakes encourage their players to use social media, and so far, it’s been a big success.

Stanford’s fifth annual Cool Product Expo showcased a robotic machine that automatically mixes drink, a skateboard that simulates snowboarding on pavement, a collapsible kayak that folds into a tote bag and much more.