A new phone app uses shaking from smartphones to warn people about earthquakes. The new app is called MyShake, which is the work of four researchers at the University of California. Berkeley.

    Smartphones are equipped with accelerometers(加速器). MyShake uses phone accelerometers to measure seismic (地震的) activity. It has been programmed to know the difference between normal activity and earthquake movement. The software developers say their app is right 93 percent of the time. A smartphone sends seismic information to the app developers. If the developers receive several warnings from one area, it recognizes that an earthquake may be taking place or will take place soon. Using information sent from the app, the network then judges the location and strength of the quake in real time. MyShake can record 5.0 earthquake at distances of 10 kilometers or less.

    MyShake uses very little power, according to its developers. Only when seismic activity is sensed by the app does it become active and sends data to the network. The app works best when your phone is resting on a flat surface, like a table.

    The developers hope that MyShake can add to information collected by the U.S Geological Survey. That U.S agency has created the Earthquake Early Warning System, also known as the EEW. The EEW has used sensors for measuring quakes in many areas. In places where no such equipment exists, MyShake may be the only method of early quake detection (发现). The app also shows ways to stay safer during an earthquake. The developers say it will become more effective as more people use it.

    The developers say they hope to add a feature that will warn people about possible tsunami after an earthquake.

    Michael Jackson was on the road of performing when he was five years old. As is known to all, the road to fame and fortune is a long, hard one.

    Michael remembers those early years when he was young." My father was a machine operator," he explained, "and he worked at a steel plant. My mother worked at Sears, a big department store. But they were both musicians."

    Michael's father Joe Jackson realized his sons had a lot of talent, and he knew he could train them to become fine musicians. In those days there were plenty of music groups and some of them were very good. He knew if his sons were to stand out, they would have to be the best.

    Practice makes perfect. And the Jackson boys practised! Gradually the group took shape. Then word of this group began to get around. Thus Michael got a chance to do some solo(独唱) songs. In the following years, Michael was always on the top. One million records of his were sold in New Zealand, which has only a total population of three million!

    When Michael was eighteen, he entered another field of his career(生涯)—acting. "I plan to star in movies," he told his friends, "but of course, my first love is music."

    Michael wrote a lot of his own songs. "Songs came about in the strangest ways," he said, "I'll just wake up from sleeping and there is a whole song coming into my head. And then I put it down on the paper."

    Still, with all his success, Michael managed to keep his head calm. "I just do a different job from other people," he said, "but it doesn't make me think I'm better than other people."

    To be quite honest, his fans just love to hear and watch him!

    Never before have Chinese Internet users so openly liked and supported a Japanese athlete as they have loved table tennis star Ai Fukuhara (福原爱), better known by her Japanese nickname “Ai-Chan”.

    But they may now feel heartbroken, as the 29-year-old said on Oct.21 that she would retire (退役) from the sport. I've found the answers within myself that I have been searching for. From the standpoint ( 立场) of an athlete, I'm drawing the line here," Fukuhara wrote on her blog.

    After she started playing table tennis at 3 years old, Fukuhara was seen as a child gifted at the sport. Being trained in China at a very young age, Fukuhara can speak fluent Mandarin, with a northeastern accent.

    If her deep-rooted connection with China is one thing that has won the hearts of Chinese fans, her character is another. She always shows her real self to the public without hiding her feelings. She laughs in games when she wins, and cries when she loses. The fact that she often cries when she gets upset has earned her the nickname “Crybaby Ai-Chan” in China.

    Although she was beaten by a long line of Chinese players, Fukuhara always tries her best when playing her favorite sport. Yet, she also knows that now is the best time to close the curtain on her successful career. It's hard to say goodbye to a long journey but as Fukuhara once said on a reality TV show, “Life is not all about table tennis. Instead, it is just part of life.”

    As for her future plans, Fukuhara wrote that she would like to help more people around the world get to know the beauty of the sport.

    No matter where you are, knowing how to protect yourself and your family during an earthquake is necessary. Here are some tips for you.

    Duck, Drop, Cover and Hold

    Duck under a strong piece of furniture, if possible. Most earthquake injuries are the result of being hit by something falling on you. Drop to the floor to avoid falling or being thrown down. And protect you from flying glass. Use clothes, blankets, cushions or furniture for covering. Hold on to whatever you're using, as the ground motion may be violent. Get away from glass, bookcases or anything heavy that could fall over on you.

    Stay away from the doors

    Doorways used to be recommended but most experts now say: stay away from them. Doors can suddenly shut with bone crushing force. Anyway, the experts say that in modern construction a doorway is no stronger than any other location along the wall.

    Try to run outside

    While the ground is moving, the greatest danger is of being injured by taking a fall or being hit by a falling piece of building as you exit. If you smell gas or when the shaking stops, calmly, carefully make your way out and get clear of the building. Before you leave, get shoes on because you will be walking on broken glass. If you're in a crowd, stay calm, and take what can cover you and find where you are. In a crowd the greatest dangers are panic and the rush for an exit.

    While the start of a new school year is always exciting, this year was even more so for some elementary school students in Auckland, New Zealand. They became the world's first kids to be "taught" by a digital teacher, Will. Before you start imagining a human-like robot walking around the classroom, Will is just an avatar(化身) that turns up on the students' desktop, tablet, or smartphone screen when called.

    Thanks to a digital camera and microphone, the avatar not only responds to questions the kids may have, but also picks up non-verbal signals. For example, if a student smiles at Will, he responds by smiling back. This two-way communication not only helps draw the students' attention, but also allows the program's developers to monitor their involvement(参与) and make changes if needed.

    Vector's Chief Digital Officer, Nikhil Ravishankar, believes that Will-like avatars could be a novel way to attract the attention of the next generation. He says, "Using a digital human is a very popular method to deliver new information to people, and I have a lot of hope in this technology as a means to deliver rich and educational experience in the future." Greg Cross, the Chief Business Officer for Soul Machines, states that kids who have grown up in this digital time adapt(适应) to new technology quickly, and he hopes to develop the idea of digital humans in the area of educate further.

    The program, in place since August 2018, has been a great success so far. However, no mater how popular it becomes, Will is unlikely to replace human educators any time soon. For one, the avatar's knowledge base is severely limited. But more importantly, even the smartest digital avatars could never predict and react to all the unexpected situations that educators have to deal with on a daily basis. However, it could come in handy as a "personal teacher", providing kids with one-on-one help on the subjects or even topics.

    Mill 180 Park is truly a park for the 2lst century, designed to copy all of the great urban parks -Central Park in New York City, Hyde Park in London and Ueno Park in Tokyo. Through the use of computerized sound and some other modern systems, we've brought the outside in, surrounding our visitors with green space and a remarkable sense of the natural world.

    We spent a lot of time trying to learn why these parks are so beloved, what makes them work so well for their sponsors, and how they provide a place of rest for so many.