In the near future, we may be using our eyes to operate our smart-phones and tablets, even when it comes to playing popular games like Fruit Ninja.

    The Gaze Group has been developing eye-controlled computer technology for nearly 20years. But those devices have been firstly designed to help those with disabilities, and are very expensive.

    “After a while, we figured out that probably the best way is to go for a mass-market way,”says Gaze's Sune Alstrup Johansen. “Where everybody would have this available.”

    Johansen and some of his colleagues have formed a new company, the Eye Tribe, which is hoping to develop the technology on a mass commercial level.

    The technology works when combined with the computing device toward the user's face. After making sure of the user's eye movements, the technology is then able to easily find where a person's eyes are moving, and then allow the eyes to control a cursor (光标)

    “Our software can then determine the location of the eyes and know where you're looking on the screen to make sure what you're looking at, ”reads an explanation on the Eye Tribe site.

    There has been a gradual change toward hands-free technology in recent years, particularly in the gaming world. Recently Xbox released the Kinect device, which lets users control their Xbox and play certain games using only their hands, legs and voices. But still, most of these devices have been more of a gimmick than a practical way to use one's hands to control a mobile device. Johansen said a replaceable filter (滤光器) would be a cheap, convenient way for most consumers.

    And even as companies like The Eye Tribe work to create such a product for the average user, making the eye-controlled technology more accessible and less expensive will have similar benefits for physically disabled users.

    For more articles on modem science, please CLICK here.

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028

    211-535-7710 www.metmuseum.org

    Entrances

    Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street

    Hours

    Open 7 days a week.

    Sunday-Thursday 10:00-17:30

    Friday and Saturday 10:00-21:00

    Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, January 1，and the first Monday in May. Admission

    $ 25. 00 recommended for adults, $ 12. 00 recommended for students, includes the Main Building and the Cloisters（回廊）on the same day; free for children under 12 with an adult.

    Free with Admission

    All special exhibitions, as well as films, lectures, guided tours, concerts, gallery talks, and family/children's programs are free with admission.

    Ask about today's activities at the Great Hall Information Desk.

    The Cloisters Museum and Gardens

    The Cloisters Museum and Gardens is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of Europe in the Middle Ages. The extensive collection consists of masterworks in sculpture, colored glass, and precious objects from Europe dating from about the 9th to the 15th century.

    Hours

    Open 7 days a week.

    March-October 10:00-17:15

    November-February 10:00-16:45

    Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1.

    Supercomputers which can analyse blood samples and predict which patients are likely to become seriously ill could save tens of thousands of lives a year, it was revealed last night, according to The Daily Express.

    The artificial intelligence (AI) system, developed at University College London and set to be piloted in NHS hospitals later this year, will screen "at risk" patients so doctors can take early action to prevent death or serious illness. Prof Young, a consultant surgeon at Southend University Hospital, said: "I am so excited about this form of technology." Instead of people getting sick or dying because they are not picked up in time, this will allow us to step in earlier which will save lives and an enormous amount of money. "I think the potential of AI in healthcare like this is as big as the Industrial Revolution was—and signals a completely new example in the way we manage healthcare."

    The technology is the brainchild of Dr Vishal Nangalia, a consultant at the Royal Free Hospital in London. He used AI to analyse a billion stored blood samples from 20 different UK hospital trusts dating back up to 12 years. Computers assess blood test results by picking up subtle changes in red and white blood cells, suggesting a patient is going downhill.

    He found the technique forecast outcomes of patients with kidney problems with up to 95 per cent accuracy. Traditional methods highlighting serious patient concerns picked up as few as 16 percent of patients who went on to die. "This gives us the opportunity not only to save lives but to prevent serious illness, making the health service not only safer but more efficient." Prof Young said, "Instead of waiting for people to get worse, we will be able to treat them earlier."

    In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what "Keeping up with the Joneses" is about. It is the story of someone who tries to look as rich as his neighbors.

    The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. And he was proud of his wealth(财富). He got married and moved with his wife to a very rich neighborhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors. It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.

    Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it"Keeping up with the Joneses", because"Jones"is a very ordinary(普通的) name in the United States. "Keeping up with the Joneses" came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.

    People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are"Joneses"in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.

    Standing desks have become common across Silicon Valley, offering health benefits to those willing to work on their feet. However, due to their high price, they have failed to catch on until now. Recently, Ikea has brought out Bekant convertible(可变换的) standing desk that can become a normal desk at the touch of a button. The $500 adjustable desk can transform from a standard desk to a standing one, and Ikea hopes it could make the standing desk mainstream.

    Experts say that changing from a seated to a standing desk can improve productivity. Similar desks have become a common sight at tech firms such as Google, where some employees have even installed treadmill (跑步机) and bicycle desks.

    The desk is not the first "convertible" on the market. As early as 2013, Stir Kinect brought out an adjustable desk. The $3,890 Stir Kinect desk has a motor to raise and lower itself, changing it into a standing desk or a traditional desk. The desk can even be programmed to move up and down slightly, making it appear to take a gentle breath to remind the user to change their positions. To move between sitting and standing positions, owners simply double tap on the screen. The desk can learn the user's preferences over time and suggest the best seating position.

    The Stir Kinect desk was created by a team of ex-Apple and Disney engineers. It has a built-in touch screen to control and track movement, and can tell users exactly how many calories they burn by standing during their working day. It also has devices containing power points and USB ports for charging phones, to keep cables hidden.

    "Ikea's height-adjustable desk is great for opening up the lower end of the market, " said JP Labrosse, founder and CEO of Stir.

Plants, and the insects which rely on them, are the living foundations of our planet. But these foundations are under stress because we have a tendency to replace fields and forests with decorative trees and shrubs imported from around the world. Adding to the problem, our obsession (痴迷) with perfection leads us to use a lot of pesticides (杀虫剂).

These actions are part of the reason global biodiversity is crashing. There are over three billion fewer wild birds in North America than there were in 1970. Recent research shows that insect numbers, even in nature reserves, have fallen, and 40 percent of all insect species may be extinct within a few decades. This is discouraging news; however, there are actions we can take to help bring at least some species back.

The first step is to redefine our concept of "garden" to include more than just plants. We need to intentionally share our space, and not just with the birds, bees and butterflies that visit our flowers, but also with the little insects that may eat a part (very rarely all) of our plants. Therefore, we must limit pesticide use. It's crucial to support nature's recovery, and it's much better for everyone: no doctor has ever recommended long-term exposure to pesticides.

Many drought-tolerant plants brought in from across the planet are being passed off as ecofriendly. However, mostly they're not. Yes, you're saving water, but these foreign plants can become disasters when they escape our yards. Helping the environment can be about more than saving water. Even in drier areas, like the American West, the selection of attractive native plants to choose from is vast. If dry is your style, there are native wildflowers, flowering bushes and trees that allow you to save water and nature.

Xeriscapes (节水型园艺) leave many gardeners thirsting for green, and there's an important alternative that has been largely ignored. For those disenchanted with dry landscaping, using underappreciated and water-loving native plants to make your garden a real-life oasis (绿洲) could be lifesaving to wildlife. In nature, this unsung group of native plants is limited to riparian zones, the narrow belts of green along water bodies, but if consumers demand them, nurseries will increasingly carry these riparian species, and the presence of such plants in the garden will provide for many animals including not just butterflies and their relatives but also colorful birds.

The ideal garden would offer a combination of drought-tolerant native plants and a few species that need a little more water, providing options for little guests and the bigger ones that will come to eat them. As more creatures stop by to share our yards, we will be making nature, and us all, a little healthier.