In today's world of smart phones and notebook computers, most people have at least one time-telling thing with them. Since these digital products are so common, is time running out for the 500-year-old watch? According to some consumers, the answer is yes. New Jersey teenager Charlie Wollman says a watch is “an extra piece of equipment with no necessary function.” Many young adults think so and use their smart phones to tell time. It is said that fewer young people wear watches today than ten years ago. As a result, some people say that the watch industry is at a crossroads.

    However, watchmakers optimistically say that watches regain popularity when consumers reach their 20s and 30s. By then, they are willing to spend money on a quality watch that doesn't just keep good time. Fifty years ago, watchmakers took pride in their products' accuracy. But in recent years, the watch industry has changed itself into an accessory(附属的) business. And today, the image a watch communicates has become more important than the time it tells.

    “Complications” — features that go beyond simple timekeeping — are an important part of a watch's image. Today's watches offer lots of features that meet almost any personality. These features include compasses, USB drivers, and even other functions .

    Creativity also plays a key role in designing today's watches. For example, Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash makes watches that don't even look like watches. The company's popular Shinshoku model uses different color lights to tell time. It looks more like a fashionable bracelet(手镯) than a watch.

    Whether a watch communicates fashion sense, or creative talent of a love sports, consumers want their watches to stand out. Nowadays, everyone has the same kind of gadget(配件) in their bags, so people want to make a statement with what' s on their wrists. Will this interest in wrist fashion last? Only time will tell!

    Where to Dine on a Budget with Kids in London

    Where to dine on a budget with kids? These four London restaurants are as welcoming as they are wallet-friendly.

    Barbican Kitchen at the Barbican Centre

    Europe's largest multi-arts venue is home to cinemas, a theatre, a concert hall and galleries so there are plenty of ways for families to work up an appetite before refuelling at the Barbican Kitchen. This ground floor restaurant serves a range of light bites, hot sandwiches and handmade pizzas and children under 12 eat free with every adult ordering a main meal.

    Sticky Fingers, Kensington

    Sticky Fingers in Kensington is a rock n'roll restaurant that serves classic American dishes. The kid's menu (for under 12) is just £7.95 for a meal, a drink and a dessert and if you visit on a Monday you can take advantage of the “Monday Madness” promotion for up to 50% off main courses for adults. Don't leave without exploring the Rolling Stones souvenirs including gold discs, guitars and photos of the band.

    Jamie's Italian, Various Locations

    Top British chef, Jamie Oliver knows a thing or two about catering for children. There are often “kids free” promotions running during school holidays but the regular kids menu is only £6.50 for a main dish, a salad and a drink. Activity packs are available for kids and the 2-course lunch deal for grown-ups is a bargain at £11.95.

    Vauxhall City Farm Café

    Combine a day with the animals and lunch with the family at Vauxhall City Farm, a community space home to horse pigs, goats and camels. Enjoy lunch at the Old Dairy Café which serves affordable sandwiches, soups, salads, cakes and dishes from a weekly specials menu. Half portions of everything are available for kids for around £2.

    If you frequently travel for business, Stay bridge Suites offer you a range of home comforts. Four recent visitors to Staybridge Suites explain why they booked, what they enjoyed and what made them want to return.

Claire Metcalf

    “The concept is great, but the staff are the ones who really make it. ”she says. “It takes a lot of discipline to always be friendly, but the staff at Staybridge Suites do that. They genuinely care about you.”

Andrew Roberts

    “One of the best things is having my own kitchen. I often end up working late and I don't fancy eating in a restaurant on my own, so cooking for myself is a big drawcard. ”

    “The main thing for me is being able to cook and have my own little flat. The staff are amazing. It is great to be recognized by them, ”he says.

Pauline Robinson

    “What I love about it is the way that you are treated by the staff,” she says. “Some of the staff have been there all that time and they do look after you well. As a woman staying on my own, it is reassuring that they look out for you, and recently when I was poorly they even brought things I needed to my room. ”

Ryan Ruckledge

    “The fully-equipped kitchen is great. I always have a one-bed apartment so I have a separate kitchen and dining room and I'm able to relax and cook some meals. Eating out can feel a bit much when you do it day in and day out—it makes you hate what you do—and I don't want that.

    My friend, Jack, was a taxi driver. We became friends quite by accident. Five years ago, I made a trip to Chicago. The moment I stepped into a cab, I realized it was different. The floor was covered with a rug (小地毯). There were small reproductions of paintings by Van Gogh inside the cab. And the windows were spotless. I told the driver I had never ridden in a more attractive taxi.

    "I like to hear my passengers say that," he replied. "How long have you been decorating your cab?" I asked. "It's not mine," he said. "It's a company cab. I hit upon the idea years ago when I worked as a clean-up man for the taxi company. Each car that came in at the end of the day was like a garbage pit. Cigarette butts and matches covered the floor. Sticky stuff like peanut butter was on the seats or door handles. I thought that if the company and the drivers would give people a car worth keeping clean, they might be more considerate."

    "As soon as I got my taxi license, I tried out my ideas. I put a lot of extra decorations into the cab they gave me to drive. I got a nice rug and some flowers. When each passenger got out, I checked to make sure that everything was in order for the next fare. After about a month of my bringing in a spotless cab, the boss reserved the same car for me each day. That was when I put up the reproductions of great paintings."

    "I've never been disappointed by people in the past ten years—no garbage. Like I say, people appreciate beautiful things. If we planted more flowers and trees in the city and made the buildings more attractive, more people would tend to keep the city clean."

    Later, we became good friends. I was impressed by the taxi-driver, who had hit on a great truth—a sense of beauty comes with the gift of life. Most people don't have to be instructed about the rarity of beauty. They respond when they find it. And, if they are made to feel a part of it, they will try to add to it.

    You've got your fancy new suitcase and you're ready to take it with you on your travels across the globe.

    You get to the airport, quickly moving through the crowds on the uneven pavement, rushing to check in. Then, your heart sinks when you realize your new suitcase has got a serious case of the wobbles (摇晃).

    Why does this happen?

    Scientists from the Universite Paris-Diderot in France investigated this matter and published their findings in the science journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A. They also suggested some solutions to overcome this modern-day problem.

    To learn more about the issue, they put a suitcase on a treadmill (跑步机) and observed what happened.

    It was soon noted that the "wobble" was actually a result of repeated actions that caused the suitcase to sway from side to side. They discovered that if one of the wheels encountered an obstacle such as a small bump, it jumped into the air for just a moment and then banged back down to the ground. That second action caused the opposite wheel to lift off the ground and then to bang back down, causing the first to lift again and so on. This swaying increased as the luggage was pulled along.

    "The suitcase is a fun way to tackle the problem, but the study would be the same for any trolley with two wheels or blades (桨叶)," Sylvain Courrech du Pont, lead author of the study, told BBC News. "So it will be the same for a caravan (大篷车) or maybe also for airplanes."

    Instead of slowing down when we see a rocky part of the path, the scientists recommended doing the exact opposite and speeding up. This is because going faster gives the wheels less time to rise and fall, preventing the case from swaying. They also said that reducing the angle of the suitcase by lowering its handle to the ground would help keep it steady.

    "These findings could help researchers simulate and design better rolling suitcases and other pulled trolleys, such as towed trailers," Courrech du Pont added.

With these masterminds (智者) working on perfecting our suitcase problems, wobbly luggage may soon be a thing of history, leaving us to enjoy our travels.

Both humans and animals have enemies. 11 is easy for us to know the difference between our friends and our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who mean a threat and those who do not. In Kenya, researchers find that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men hunt animals and thus mean a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.

In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants noticed the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they noticed the smells of either clean clothing or clothing worn by a Kamba man.

Clothing color also plays a role. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted angrily toward the red clothing.

The researchers believe that the elephants' emotional reactions arc due to their different senses of smell and sight. Smelling a possible danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive.