A new camera made by a company named Netatmo has facial recognition software (人脸识别系统) that can tell parents at work that their children have returned from school, or that a package (包裹) has been taken to their home. It can also tell them if a stranger has entered their home.

    Janina Mattausch is a product marketing manager for Netatmo.

    "The common security (安全) cameras at present are not that smart. So, they can tell you if something is moving but they don't necessarily know if it's a human being or, ah, if it's your kid- they don't know the difference, so they will warn (警告) you all the time."

    When family members enter a home, the new camera "recognizes" (识别) them and sends information to the owner's smartphone. The owner can choose to see the video then or later. But if an unknown person enters a home, the camera will send the owner a warning that will cause an alarm to sound on the owner's smartphone.

    That is what happened recently to a smart home camera owner named Damien. He lives in Paris.

    "On a Friday I was at work, attending a big monthly meeting when my phone warned. At first I told myself 'Oh, it must be a mistake, maybe I have to set the system again.' —but the notice on my phone was telling me that there was a movement in my flat and also a face that the software did not recognize."

    He watched the video and was very surprised by what he saw.

    "I saw a person I did not know with his shoes on. I was watching it live on video. So I felt totally unbelievable, frozen. I asked a workmate to take me back home as fast as possible and I called the police on the way."

    With the help of the video, the police found the intruder (闯入者) later that day.

How honey is made

    How green are you? Do you know how to be green?

    We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waste every day and it does harm to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. In fact, even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. Here are some ideas for you.

    Reduce

    Reduce means "use less". Don't waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution and waste going into the environment. Before we buy something new, think whether it is really necessary or maybe the old one will be just as good! When we do buy things, choose local products if possible, and try not to buy too many things from abroad.

    Reuse

    Reuse means "use again". Use things for as long as possible. When we buy things, make sure that they last a long time. We should look after them so that they will last, and we should repair them if we can instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Don't use a paper cup of a paper bag. It's better to use a china cup and a lunch box because you can use them again.

    Recycle

    Recycle means "change things into something else". Though it takes energy to change something into something else, it's better than throwing things away or burning them. Find out what can be recycled in your neighbourhood and take part in recycling programmes. We should also buy products made from recycled materials, such as recycled paper, to help save trees.

    So please remember these three words: reduce, reuse and recycle.

    When the Audet family turns on the lights at Blue Farm, they are using electricity that comes from cows- cow manure(粪肥).

    Cows produce a lot of waste. One cow can create 30 gallons of waste each day. Now imagine the output of over 1,000 cows at Blue Farm. That's really a big amount.

    When farmers clean their barns, they put the waste together，and spread some of it on their fields for fertilizer(肥料). But now places like Blue Farm have a new way of using cow waste. They use it to produce electricity.

    Here's how it works: A big machine moves back and forth cleaning the barn floor. "The cows are animals of habit; they get used to it,and just lift one foot and then another to let it go by. "says Marie Audet.

    The machine pushes the manure into a big 600-gallon tank like a small swimming pool. The tank is called a digester(化粪池) because what happens there is just like what happens inside a cow: Bacteria(细菌) get to work and continue to digest the manure.

    Methane gas(甲烷;沼气) in the atmosphere is known as a "greenhouse" gas because it keeps heat just like a greenhouse does, causing our planet to warm up. That's an environmental concern. But the digester has a good result. Its gas is kept and used to power electric generators(发电机).

    At Blue Farm, the generators make enough electricity to power 400 homes. The Audet family sells the extra electricity they can't use themselves.