Driving could soon be a far more pleasant experience thanks to a personal in-car robot being developed by researchers. The robot, which is called “Affective Intelligent Driving Agent (AIDA)” will be able to tell you the best route home based on traffic reports, remind you to pick up petrol and suggest places you may like to visit. The robot, which sits on the dashboard, is being developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in collaboration with Volkswagen.

    AIDA communicates with the driver through an expressive robot screen and will even appear sympathetic if you're having a bad day. Cynthia Breazeal, director of MIT's Personal Robots Group, said: “We are developing AIDA to read the driver's mood from facial expression and other cues and respond in a proper way.”

    AIDA works by analyzing the driver's mobility patterns, keeping track of common routes and destinations. The creators say the robot should be able to work out home and work locations within a week of driving. Soon afterwards, the system will direct the driver to their preferred supermarket, suggesting a route that avoids traffic-clogged roads. AIDA might recommend a petrol stop en route if the fuel tank is nearly empty. The robot will also incorporate real-time information about traffic jams, the weather report, commercial activity, tourist attractions, and residential areas.

    “In developing AIDA we asked ourselves how we could design a system that would offer the same kind of guidance as an informed and friendly companion.”

    “AIDA can also give you feedback on your driving, helping you achieve more energy efficiency and safer behavior,” Assaf Biderman from SENSEable City Lab added.

    Annette Larkins is an incredible woman who looks like a healthy 40-year-old, although she just turned 70. She follows a special raw diet and only drinks rainwater.

    She looks so young that people mistake her to be the daughter, when she's out with her husband of 54 years, but I suppose he isn't complaining.

    Mrs. Larkins says the secret to her beauty lies in her special diet, consisting of organic vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts grown in her own garden; she calls it the "fountain of youth". The woman doesn't touch anything that has been cooked.

    And another strange thing she does is to collect rainwater, to keep her garden blossoming, but also to drink. But the residents of Miami-Dade County, Florida, didn't always have such a healthy lifestyle. In fact, she consumed meat regularly, as her husband used to own a meat factory way back in the 1960s. It was then that she decided to change her eating habits forever. And what a great decision that was. I mean, just look at her!

    When she started off, Mrs. Larkins was just looking for a few health benefits and never anticipated that she would look like a 40-year-old at the age of 70. Over the 27 years that she has been eating raw, Mrs. Larkins has written two booklets railed Journey to Health and also produced a DVD containing all her healthy secrets.

    Her husband, Mr. Larkins, wishes he had followed her example, because now he looks much, much older and also suffers from diabetes (糖尿病) and high blood pressure. He takes prescription medicine every day, but Annette doesn't even take an aspirin.

    At 1,345 meters above sea level, Ben Nevis is not the world's most difficult mountain to climb. But things get considerably tricky if instead of hiking shoes you put on a pair of 5-inch high heels, especially if you're a guy. One English teenager recently proved that it was not impossible.

    Ben Conway, a 19-year-old art student from London, recently took up the challenge as a way to stand out in an application for a scholarship for the School of Communication Arts in Brixton. He started his unusual high-heel climb at 8 a.m., on June 27, and was joined by Callum MacKenzie Allen, a friend from his art foundation year, who videotaped the whole thing for a two-minute video that was used as his application project. The whole climb took five hours and wasn't the smoothest experience.

    Halfway up Ben Nevis, one of his shoes broke, so he had to tape the shoes to his feet to make sure they stayed on. The weather didn't make it easy for him either, as he claimed that it rained pretty much the whole time, and he had to go against 40 to 50 miles an hour winds. Due to these difficult conditions, Ben and his friend had to turn back after reaching 900 meters up the mountain.

    Besides providing a unique art school application project, the high-heel climb also allowed the 19-year-old to raise some money for worthy causes (事业), like Sal's Shoes, which provides footwear for barefoot children around the world.

    "Raising money for charity brings happiness to people's lives and if I can do something ridiculous and bring someone happiness, then that's what it's all about." Ben said.

When it comes to travel, sometimes wandering is one of the most exciting things you can do. In a time when travellers are both more adventurous and eco-conscious than ever, it's no surprise that there's a wealth of new vocabulary to describe how we travel, when we travel and how the experience makes us feel. Here are eight of our favourite travel words that you may not have heard before.

We've kicked off a blog with the staycation, "a holiday in one's own country". The term first became popular in the mid-2000s, when the global financial crisis meant people had less income to spend on flash holidays and instead searched for cheaper local choices. Since 2020, the staycation is experiencing a revival (复兴). Benefits of staycations include cheaper travel costs, no spending hours in the airport and, of course, no need to worry about whether your passport expired (过期) last year.

Once upon a time, if you wanted to meet new people on your travels, you could stay at a hostel or with a host on Airbnb. Now, you can couch surf. And not just in "the staying at various friends' houses until you find a new place to rent" sense: couch surfing is quickly becoming a hot new travel trend. Travellers can now choose to couch surf all across the world via a website which treats travel as a cultural exchange, allowing people to connect with willing hosts and crash on their sofas.

Given that single-use and climate strike were selected as the Collins 2018 and 2019 Words of the Year respectively, it's clear that the climate crisis is very much on everybody's mind. This desire to make more sustainable choices is also affecting the way we spend our vacation days. Ecotourism is another popular travel trend, defined as tourism that is designed to contribute to the protection of the environment. Examples of ecotourism include ditching short-haul flights, staying at eco-friendly resorts, or booking a staycation.

Fine Arts Students Deliver Magical Performances

As the winter holidays approach, Brookhaven School students presented an array of extraordinary performances showcasing immense talent within our fine arts community. From the band concert to the choral concerts, each event highlighted the dedication and exceptional gifts of our students. 

The December 12 Eagles Band Concert filled Woodruff Auditorium with melodies that captured the festive spirit. On December 14, the Foundations Christmas Choral Concert featured spirited performances by our 7th graders. The finale of seasonal fine arts showcases occurred on December 18 in Brady Theater with the Senior Chior Concert, spotlighting high school singers. 

A highly anticipated tradition, the school-wide Holiday Assembly on December 19, hosted by esteemed (受人尊敬的) Fine Arts Department Chair Mr. Kaminer, embodied (包含) the true essence of the holiday season. Angelic songs filled Young Gym, followed by joyous laughter and cheers as the "best costume" winners received their awards. Even the youngest War Eagles, the children in the Brookhaven Early Learning Center, attended the celebrations. Following the event, students merrily left school for the holiday break. 

Looking toward 2024, anticipation builds for the Brookhaven theater spring productions. "Something Rotten! promises high-energy comedic performances by theater students, while "Tuck Everlasting" assures a moving portrayal by talented Foundations students. Furthermore, the Brookhaven Dance Company will hold their showcase April 11-12 in Woodruff Auditorium. Tickets will soon be available for purchase. 

China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks. 

Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice. 

There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the "irrational fan culture" 

Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction. 

A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.