“I never wanted to come on this stupid hiking trip!” Jeff's voice was panicked. His father stopped and turned to look at the boy.

    “This is hard on you, son. But you've got to come through with your courage.”

    “But I am scared!” Jeff shouted.

    “Please have enough love for your brother to think this through!” His father replied, “We just don't have the time to stop. And I don't know if I can make it without stopping every so often. While you're only ten, you're strong and fast. Do you remember the way back from here to the road, if you had to go alone?”

    Jeff flashed back to the painful scene of his seventeen-year-old brother Mark at their campsite. He'd been bitten by a snake during a rough hike. He needed medical attention right away. Worse still, their cell phone was dead.

    “Jeff? Could you make it to Flint without me? You can get help there.”

    Jeff nodded, said goodbye to his father and continued climbing over the rocks. The rocks and branches threatened his footing and speed, but stone by stone, he made his way up the valley.

    Jeff turned and made the final climbing-up toward the road. When he reached it, he rested himself, breathless. “Can't stop,” he thought. “Mark's in big trouble Keep going.” Just as he pulled himself upright, a truck sped by, heading for Flint " Hey!” he shouted excitedly, waving both arms. The truck stopped, "Jump in, boy! What's up? "The driver asked, Jeff got in and explained. Immediately the driver reached for his cell phone. “Help! Help! Better get the helicopter in there,” he seemed to be shouting into his hand. But Jeff wasn't sure about that because everything got unclear and then went black and quiet.

    Hours later, Jeff opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital, with his father nearby. His father told him that the helicopter airlifted Mark to the hospital and he would be fine in a few days. His father hiked himself out of that valley and took a ride from someone to the town. “You're a hero, son,” his father finally said with a smile.“ You saved Mark.”

    At least 40% of Australian households now have at least one home “Internet of Things” device. These are fridges, window blinds, locks and other devices that are connected to the Internet.

    While the Internet of Things (IoT) may lead to more efficiency in our daily lives, my research shows that consumers are exposed to many risks by the use of IoT devices, ranging from disclosure of private information, to physical injury and problems with the devices themselves.

    Australia has no specific laws aimed at addressing IoT issues, and current laws intended to protect consumers have gaps and uncertainties when dealing with IoT devices. Many IoT device manufacturers and suppliers show little regard for customers' privacy. Some even make money from customer data.

    Consumer electronics company Vizio recently agreed to pay US regulators US $ 2.2 million, after failing to get appropriate permission from users to track their TV viewing habits.

    Late last year, the Norwegian Consumer Council found that a children's doll recorded anything said to it by children and sent the recordings to a US company. The company reserved the right to share and use the data for a broad range of purposes.

    IoT devices have the potential to collect more private data about individuals than was possible with previous devices. All this data can then be used to study consumers, predict our behavior, and sell us products at times when our willpower is lowest. Some companies are currently using technology to track consumers through stores and send their messages to mobile phones. This may be linked to our purchase history.

    Consumers are exposed to significant risks from IoT devices, from the use of data, to security flaws and devices no longer being supported. They should think long and hard about the risks they are taking on with IoT devices. Do you really need that internet-connected hairbrush?

    An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son.

    Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) perched on the tree near their window.

    The father asked his son, "What is this?"

    The son replied, "It is a crow."

    After a few minutes, the father asked his son the second time, "What is this?"

    The son said, "Father, I have just now told you. It is a crow!"

    After a little while, the old father again asked his son the third time, "What is this?"

    "It's a crow, a crow, a crow!" said the son loudly.

    A little after, the father again asked his son the fourth time, "What is this?" This time the son shouted at his father, "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?"

    A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:

    "Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel annoyed; I rather felt affection for my innocent child."

    There are always stories in the life that can hardly be forgotten and will restore our hope for holidays every time we recollect.

    Johnny and I, along with our two young sons, Barry and Doyle, lived in a village in southern Alabama in 1979. We had bought the boys a bicycle for the New Year, and had hidden it in the garage ,where Johnny would assemble (组装)it on New Year⁵ s Eve after the kids fell asleep. But that day, Johnny had to go to Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, an hour away, to repair a jet. I had my hands busy with baking, preparing for holiday dinner and caring for two energetic boys.

    Just as I was making the chocolate cake, a neighbor knocked on the door. It was Beatrice, who was the only person on our road with a telephone. The base had called to say that a heavy tool had come apart suddenly, hitting Johnny's arm and breaking the bone. My brother Otto took me to the base hospital while my mother stayed with the children.

    We got there to find Johnny with a cast (石膏)on his arm, anxious to get home regardless of the doctor's orders. It was New Year's Eve, Johnny argued, and he had the bike to assemble for his boys. The doctor said he'd consider dismissing him the next morning if Johnny could find someone to drive him home. On New Year's morning, Johnny called the base and was told everyone was off duty; there was no one to drive him home. Johnny kept making calls. At last, a big blue car with the Air Force sign rolled up.

    I was putting dinner on the table when hearing the car. We were thrilled to see Johnny assisted by a uniformed Air Force officer. With Otto's help, Johnny assembled the boy's gift, and they all had a good time that afternoon. Our hearts were full of gratitude to the people who had gone the extra mile to bring us together.

    A few hours after my first mission, returning to Earth on the space shuttle Endeavour, I completed all of my medical tests after flight, met with NASA officials, and reunited with my family. Finally, I was alone in my office room in astronaut crew quarters at the Kennedy Space Center, exhausted and ready for bed. And I did what anyone does when they return to their hotel room on a business trip: I turned on the TV. The television news started up: Such and such had happened, people were shocked, blah blah blah. Sports scores. Silly commercials.

    It didn't take more than a minute before I had to turn it off. It felt like my body was rejecting all this input, just as it would reject an organ donation that had the wrong blood type. All of this noise was just completely foreign to who I was—or, more appropriately, who I had become. A few hours before, I had been orbiting Earth, seeing our planet from space, flying the most amazing machine ever built by human hands, working with a team that was the absolute success of human. And now here in my room watching what was being sold as news, and with my newfound perspective, I just could not stomach it. My worldview was changed forever in a profound (深刻的) way.

    The biggest change by far and the one for which I will always be most grateful is this big-picture perspective. That will stick with me for the rest of my life.

    Whenever I feel the pressure of modern life, the stress about work, or worry about the future, I remember my time in the space station. Back to seeing the sun set Or watching our galaxy rise on the horizon. Or seeing a sea of lightning flash a hundred times a second. Or simply back to floating weightlessly.

    When I'm there in my mind and realize how many billions of these beautiful sunsets there have been and will be in the future, the cares of the world just don't seem that pressing. It goes that, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." Living daily life down here on the planet is so much better with this attitude!

What's On?

Electric Underground

7:30 p. m-1:00 a. m. Free at the Cyclops Theatre

Do you know who's playing in your area? We're bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local hands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract(合同)? If so, come early to the talk at 7:30 p. m. by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He's going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce your music.

Gee Whizz

8:30 p. m-10:30 p. m. Comedy at Kaleidoscope

Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He's the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7:00 p. m. for drinks and snacks.

Simon's Workshop

5:00 p. m. -7:30 p. m. Wednesdays at Victoria Stage

This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years' experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.