While it may be unlikely for a computer to write a best seller, a technology expert has created a computer program that writes its own fiction stories with minimal user input. The program, called MEXICA, is the first to generate original stories based on computerized representations of emotions and tensions between characters.

    An Internet survey was carried out to see the popularity of the computer-generated stories, other computerized stories and stories written solely by a human. The result was that readers ranked MEXICA stories highest for flow and coherence, structure, content, suspense and overall quality. Rafael Pérezy Pérez, the creator of MEXICA, explained that a story might begin with something as basic as, “The enemy wounded the knight. The princess cured the knight. The knight killed the enemy. The knight rewarded the princess. The end.”

    The program reads characters as variables (变量) and assigns a numerical value, between a continuum (连续体) from -3 to +3, to emotional connections that are defined as either amorous or non-amorous. The numerical value is equivalent to the degree of emotion, with -3 being intense hate and +3 being intense love. The program also understands story tension, such as linking the word “wounded” with tension. This too is assigned a numerical value.

    Once these clusters of emotional links and tensions are established, the program begins what is called an “engagement reflection cycle”. Basically this involves searching a database of story actions and other happenings, which are called “atoms”, and determines the best match for the characters and contexts for that moment.

    The process repeats itself again and again until the system can no longer make any matches. At this point, the computer analyzes the story for coherence and “interestingness”. The program views a story as interesting when tension levels increase and fall throughout the piece. If the program finds that the story is boring or incoherent in places, it will replace or insert atoms until a version is thought to be satisfactory.

    Last year DeepMind's AlphaGo programme took on and beat two of the world's best players of the Chinese game of Go（围棋）-an unbelievable achievement seen as a milestone in the development of artificial intelligence (A). That programme was trained by first giving it vast amounts of data from amateur and professional games.

    The new AlphaGo Zero began with a blank board and nothing but the rules of Go and set about playing against itself. Within three days it was so advanced that it took on the previous version, which had taken months to develop, and defeated it by a hundred games to zero.

    DeepMind says that creating knowledge from first principles without learning from human expertise（专门技能）is an important step in developing artificial intelligence. The company's founder Demis Hassabis said this breakthrough could help in real world problems such as designing new drugs or discovering new materials.

    In 1997, Garry Kasparov was defeated by Deep Blue, a computer program written by IBM, running on a supercomputer. This was the first time that a ruling world chess champion was defeated by a computer program in tournament conditions. Superficially, AlphaGo's win against Lee Sedol can be compared to Deep Blue's win against Gary Kasparov, which happened almost 20 years ago. So: what's the big deal? We have to understand the differences between chess and Go.

    In chess, each player begins with 16 pieces of six different types. Each piece of type moves differently. The goal of the game is to seize the other player's king. Go starts with an empty board. The goal of the game is to gain as much territory（领地）as possible.

    Although the rules of Go might appear simpler than those of chess, the complexity of Go is higher. Also, games usually last longer for lots of moves. A typical game in Go might last for 150 moves vs.80 in chess.

    As sea levels climb, even Washington, D. C. could see more frequent and widespread flooding at high tide.

    Strong storms and high winds sometimes bring floods to coastal areas. But cities and towns along the US East Coast are flooding even in calm and sunny weather. Among them is Maryland's capital Annapolis. Tourists there must sometimes walk through water flooding downtown streets surrounding the habor. Sometimes water covers roads in Atlantic City, N. J. Even the yards and basements of coastal homes near New York City sometimes flood.

All are suffering from this trend—normal high tides surpass (超过) a rising sea level.

    Sea levels have climbed, on average, about 20 centimeters (8 inches) over the past 135 years. And a sharp increase in tide flooding is one of the more visible impacts affecting many coastal areas, notes William Sweet, an oceanographer.

    Sweet and his co-workers recently analyzed data from 45 tide gauges (计量表) along the US coasts. These tools record the changing heights of tides as they rise and fall. From these data, Sweet's team calculated the number of : “troublesome floods” in various coastal cities. These floods, Sweet explains, typically occur when water level is about 30 centimeters (1foot) above the historic level of the highest tides. In June 2014, the team reported finding a growing rise in these flooding events.

    In Charleston, S.C. from 1957 to 1963, the city experienced troublesome floods an average of 4. 6 days per year. Bur from 2007 to 2013, the occurring rate of troublesome floods jumped five times. Annapolis city was even more serious. From1957 to 1963，troublesome floods were roughly 3. 8 days per year. From 2007 to 2013, the average was 10 times higher- 39. 3days a year.

    “Over the next few decades, climate change probably drives sea levels even higher,” Sweet says. “So today's flooding problems promise to become only more widespread and frequent.”

    Most people know the feeling when you walk into a lift（电梯）with other people. A study has found that where people stand is based on their social position on entering the lift.

    Rebekah Rousi, a Ph.D. student, did a study of lift behavior in two of the tallest office buildings in Adelaide, Australia. As part of her research, she took a total of 30 lift rides in the two buildings, and discovered there was a fixed order about where people chose to stand.

    In her research paper, she wrote that more senior men seemed to walk straight towards the back of the lift. She said “in front of them were younger men, and in front of them were women of all ages.” She also noticed there was a difference in the direction where people look during the ride. “Men watched the monitors, looked in the side mirrors (in one building) to see themselves, and in the door mirrors (in the other building) to watch others. Women would watch the monitors and avoid looking into others' eyes (unless in conversations) and the mirrors.”

    Rebekah Rousi concluded that shyer people stand toward the front, where they can't see other passengers, while fearless people stand in the back, where they have a good view of everyone else.

5 Lifestyle Choices You Will Feel in Your Bones

    YOU SPEND TOO LITTLE TIME ON THE MOVE

    "Bone is a living tissue," says Jonathan Lee, a physician at Montefiore Health System in New York City. "The more you use it, the more it will adapt and strengthen. Likewise, if it is not subjected to loading, it will waste away. "The solution? Weight-bearing exercise-even just walking. Strength training Counts too

    YOU EAT SALTY SNACKS

    A study from Japan showed that women over fifty who had high sodium (钠) intakes were more than four times as likely to have a fracture (break of. bones)As those with low sodium intakes. That's because as the kidneys(肾) excrete(排出) the sodium, calcium is reducing from the bloodstream too.

    YOU SHUT SUNLIGHTAWAY

    "Vitamin D is required for the body to successfully absorb and use calcium," Dr. Lee says. "Most Americans do not get enough sun exposure to generate enough natural vitamin D, and thus supplementation is essential." According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, adults under 50 need 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D daily and adults 50. And older need 800 to 1,000 IU. Talk to your doctor about your specific needs based on where you live, what time of year it is, and which vitamin D-rich foods you eat.

    YOU'RE CASUAL WITH WINE

    Low levels of alcohol consumption may be good for your bones, according to a study from Oregon State University, but more than a couple of drinks a day has the opposite effect. "Too much alcohol can make it harder to absorb calcium," says Dr. Lee. Furthermore, "In women in particular, higher alcohol consumption can decrease estrogen (雌激素) levels, and this can also lead to osteoporosis(骨质疏松), "Dr. Lee says.

    YOU LIVE INANAREA WITH DIRTYAIR

    In a study recently published in the Lancet Planetary Health, researchers dealt with hospital data for 9.2 million Medicare participants in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic between 2003And 2010. They found that even a small increase in levels of pollutants in the air--may lead to an increase in bone fractures and osteoporosis in older adults. If you live in a smoggy area, use an air purifier filter at home, avoid exercising outdoors when the air quality is bad, and get screened for osteoporosis.

    One of the most famous buildings in the United States is Carnegie Hall, the home of classical and popular music concerts in New York. Carnegie Hall is known not just for its beauty and history, but also for its amazing sound. It has been said that the hall itself is an instrument. It takes the music and makes it larger than life.

    Carnegie Hall is named after Andrew Carnegie, who paid for its construction. Construction on Carnegie Hall began in 1890 and the official opening night was on May 5, 1891.

    The hall was owned by the Carnegie family until 1924 when it was sold to Robert E. Simon. The building became very old and in 1960, the new owner made plans to destroy it and build an office block. Isaac Stem led a group of people who fought to save Carnegie Hall and finally, the city of New York bought it for $5 million. It was then fixed up between 1983 and 1995.

    Advertisements and stories in newspapers about how Carnegie Hall needed help to recover its history led people to send in old concert programmes and information from all over the world. Over 12,000 concert programmes were received and with these it was possible to make a proper record of Carnegie Hall's concert history.

    Carnegie Hall is actually made up of several different halls, but the Main Hall, now called the Isaac Stern Hall, is the most famous. The hall itself can hold an audience of 2,804 in five levels of seating.

    Because the best and most famous musicians of all time have played at Carnegie Hall, it is the dream of most musicians who want to be great to play there. This has led to a very old joke which is now part of Carnegie Hall's history. Question: "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" Answer: "Practise, practise, practise."