Last summer, two nineteenth-century cottages were rescued from remote farm fields in Montana, to be moved to an Art Deco building in San Francisco. The houses were made of wood. These cottages once housed early settlers as they worked the dry Montana soil; now they hold Twitter engineers.

    The cottages could be an example of the industry' s odd love affair with “low technology,” a concept associated with the natural world, and with old-school craftsmanship (手艺) that exists long before the Internet era. Low technology is not virtual (虚拟的) —so, to take advantage of it, Internet companies have had to get creative. The rescued wood cottages, fitted by hand in the late eighteen-hundreds, are an obvious example, but Twitter's designs lie on the extreme end. Other companies are using a broader interpretation (阐释) of low technology that focuses on nature.

    Amazon is building three glass spheres filled with trees, so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.” At Google's office, an entire floor is carpeted in glass. Facebook's second Menlo Park campus will have a rooftop park with a walking trail.

    Olle Lundberg, the founder of Lundberg Design, has worked with many tech companies over the years. “We have lost the connection to the maker in our lives, and our tech engineers are the ones who feel impoverished (贫乏的) , because they're surrounded by the digital world,” he says. “They're looking for a way to regain their individual identity, and we've found that introducing real crafts is one way to do that.”

    This craft based theory is rooted in history, William Morris, the English artist and writer, turned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties, just after the Industrial Revolution. The Arts and Crafts movement defined itself against machines. “Without creative human occupation, people became disconnected from life,” Morris said.

    Research has shown that natural environments can restore(恢复) our mental capacities. In Japan, patients are encouraged to “forest-bathe,” taking walks through woods to lower their blood pressure.

    These health benefits apply to the workplace as well. Rachel Kaplvin, a professor of environmental psychology, has spent years researching the restorative effects of natural environment. Her research found that workers with access to nature at the office—even simple views of trees and flowers—felt their jobs were less stressful and more satisfying. If low-tech offices can potentially nourish the brains and improve the mental health of employees then, fine, bring on the cottages.

Dear Customers,

    I love slipping into a comfortable chair for a long read－as I relax into the chair; I also relax into the author's words, stories and ideas. The physical book is so elegant that it disappears into the background and what remains is the author's world.

    Today, we, at Amazon, are excited to announce Mindle, a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more than 90, 000 books, magazines and newspapers.

    We've been working on Mindle for more than three years. Our top design goal was for Mindle to disappear in your hands―to get out of the way－so you can enjoy your reading, also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Mindle is wireless, so whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book and have it in less than 60 seconds. No computer is needed－you do your reading directly from the device.

    We chose the same wireless technology used in advanced mobile phones. But unlike phones there are no monthly wireless bills, no service or data plans, and no yearly contracts. There is no software to install. We want you to get lost in your reading and not in the technology.

    Mindle uses a new kind of display called electronic paper. Sharp and natural with no strong light reading on Mindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen. Mindle weighs only 10.3 ounces－less than a paperback, but can carry two hundred books.

    Enjoy learning about Mindle and many thanks!

    Jeff Bezos Founder CEO

    Taking on the task of producing a short movie might seem like an impossible feat, but if you can assemble a good team and if you break down each stage of production into small blocks of tasks, you'll come to realize that producing a small-scale movie isn't too bad. Just follow these steps and you'll be on your way to Kevin Smith-like fame in no time.

    Assemble a production crew. If you run out of friends or people you can get to work for screen credit, offer people “points”, which is a percentage of the movie profits.

    Get a director of photography. You need someone who knows a lot about films cameras to make the movie come out right. Local film schools are the best place to find them.

    Assemble the props and costumes. Costume shops and local theater groups can definitely help you here. But you can also borrow from friends and family or check out thrift stores for bargains.

    Choose filming locations. Make sure you have permission from the owners of the property you choose to film on.

    Get the film processed. Find the right processor with the help of your director of photography. You may need to send the film to Los Angeles for this.

    Edit the film. You need to find someone who can transfer your film to video and arrange the completed scenes in the right order. You can likely find one in the same place as your director of photography,

    Obviously, this is just a basic overview—the thing about producing a short independent movie is that the whole process is unpredictable. You can only set yourself up for the basics, but as long as you know things will go wrong every day, at least you'll be prepared to deal with the difficulties.

    HOLLAND & BARRETT

    Valerian capsules(缬草胶囊)

    A traditional herbal medicinal product used for the temporary relief of symptoms of mild anxiety and to aid sleep. This is based on traditional use only.

    Active Ingredients:

    Each capsule contains 337mg of extract (as dry extract) from Valerian root (Valerian officinalis L) (equivalent to 1683mg-2020mg of Valerian root).

    Dosage（剂量）:

    For oral use only.

    For adults and elderly:

    Mild anxiety — Take 1 capsule 3 times daily.

    To aid sleep — Take 1 capsule 30 minutes to 1 hour before bedtime with an earlier dose during the evening if necessary.

    Swallow the capsule with water. As the effects of this product may not occur immediately, the capsule should be taken continuously for 2-4 weeks.

    The maximum dose is 4 capsules per day.

    Duration of use: If symptoms worsen or do not improve after 4 weeks, a doctor or a qualified healthcare practitioner should be consulted.

    Warnings:

    Do not exceed (超过) the stated dose.

    Do not take this product if you are:

    Under 18 years of age

    Pregnant or breastfeeding

    Allergic to Valerian or any of the excipients (辅药)in this product

    Already taking a medicine for sleep or anxiety

    Storage: Store the capsules below 25℃.

    Keep the bottle tightly closed.

    Keep out of sight and reach of children.

    Registration Holder:  NBTY Europe Limited, Samuel Ryder House, Barling Way, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV10 7RH, United Kingdom

    Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher.

    If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important, both when you disagree and when you get along. With any relationship, you need to let other person know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate, you drift apart. When you are mad at your parents, or anyone else, not talking to them doesn't solve anything.

    Communication begins with the concerns (关心) of another. It means that you can't just come home from school, go up to your room and ignore (不理睬) everyone. Even if you just say "Hi", and see how their day was for five minutes, it is better than nothing.

    If you looked up the word "communication" in a dictionary, it would say "the exchange of ideas, the conveyance (表达) of information, correspondence (通信), means of communication: a letter or a message". To maintain (保持) a good relationship, you must keep communication strong. Let people know how you feel, even if it's just by writing a note.

    When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent. If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you'll listen to what they have to say, but ask them politely to listen to you. Yelling or walking away only makes the situation worse.

    This is an example: one night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks, but she didn't feel she could just ask to go home. That would be rude. After all, they had been nice enough to take her along with them. Needless to say, she was late getting home. Her parents were mad at first, not when Sophie explained why she was late, they weren't as mad and let the incident go. Communication is the key factor here. If Sophie's parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.

    Communication isn't a one-way deal: it goes both ways. Just remember: if you get into a situation like Sophie's, telling the other person how you feel-listening is the key factor to communication.

Sleep is essential for a person's well-being. Researchers have found that sleep loss increases a person's risk of developing serious medical conditions. Now, a new study has found that getting enough sleep is also the key to improving academic performance.

Jeffrey Grossman, who led the research, was not trying to find the correlation(相关性) between sleep and grades when he handed out a device to the students in his class. Instead, the professor hoped the popular wrist-worn electronic device, which tracks a person's activity 24/7, would show a connection between physical exercise and academic achievement.

As part of the research, a quarter of the participants chose a fitness class specially created for the study. After the school term ended, the researchers carefully analysed the data. Much to Grossman's surprise, they found no measurable difference in test performance between the group that had been physically active and the group that had not.

However, the study presented a surprising viewpoint in the journal Science of Learning. Going through the large amount of data, Grossman noticed an interesting trend(趋势) from the participants' sleep patterns. There was a straight-line relationship between the average amount of sleep and his/her grade in the exams.

Besides, it was not enough for students to just head to bed early the night before a test. Grossman says, "We've heard the phrase ‘Get a good night's sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow.' It turns out this does not relate at all to test performance. Instead, it's the sleep you get during the days when learning is happening that matters most."

The time when students went to bed each night was similarly important. Those who went to bed in the early hours of the morning performed poorly, even if the total sleep time was the same as a higher-performing student.

The research does not prove that sleep is the only component that helps improve academic performance. However, Grossman says the results are a strong indication that sleep really matters. Who knew getting A's just required some extra ZZZ's?