Don't talk to me; I'm busy with my iPhone

    Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other. In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times. That's not rudeness—people are just too busy to bother looking.

    Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they're certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection, nor are they reading a book. New technology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book.

Apple company must earn a fortune from London commuters. Since the iPhone was put on market in 2007, over 40,000 — yes, that's 40,000 “apps” (programs downloaded for the iPhone) have been designed.

    Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-fillers. One “app”, called iShoot, is a game that features tanks. Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the “steam” on your phone screen.

For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be another choice. It's not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music — iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.

    And if games, e-books and music aren't enough to keep you occupied. Then perhaps you would prefer a film. The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work. With all this entertainments, it's amazing that people still remember to get off the train.

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    I returned home the other night, tired. My husband asked me how my evening was, “Great.” I told him. I had spent 90 minutes in a gym with 10 Ping-Pong tables and all kinds of players, all playing a little ball over the net. By 9 pm, I was excited, tired, satisfied. I had beaten two young men half my age and lost battles against other competitors. To an observer, the night was common. To me, it was a lucky thing that I hadn't expected.

    I had taken up Ping-Pong during college, and in my 30s took more advanced lessons. However, a serious accident hurt my leg, which made me unable to take exercise. Months later, I tried to play Ping-Pong but my leg pained for a week. I put the game out of my mind.

When I was 53, one day my bad leg was working a little bit better. Could Ping-Pong be possible for me, now—in my condition, at my age? I tried to play Ping-Pong again

    Ping-Pong is a sport which requires endurance(耐力). Players need quick foot work and upper body movements to return balls, requiring faster response time than tennis.

    Playing Ping-Pong offers benefits for the brain. A study of 164 women aged 60 and older showed that Ping-Pong improved cognitive(认知)function more than dancing, walking or gymnastics. “The great thing about our sport is that it can be played by anyone,” said Jimmy Butler, a four-time national USA Table Tennis Association winner. “I see 90-year-olds and 10-year-olds.”

    Years passed and my endurance improved. People started to praise my shots. I won a game. Then I won agin. These days, I feel wonderful, I believe this sport is the fountain (源泉)of youth.

    ARNOLD Schwarzenegger is back, once again taking on his iconic killer robot role, the T-800, in August's new movie Terminator Genisys. While the T-800 model—even if it can be evil—has a fond place in moviegoers' hearts, the reality of autonomous machines is no joke, according to scientists.

    Autonomous weapons use artificial intelligence (AI) to choose targets without human help. They were described as “the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms” in an open letter signed by over 1,000 important technology figures in July. The list included British scientist Stephen Hawking and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. They asked governments around the world to ban autonomous weapons, warning that killer robots could start ethnic cleansings and an arms race.

     “They will look like tanks. They will look like battleships. They will look like jet fighters,” UK robotics professor Noel Sharkey told CNET, a leading technology website.

    But unlike these machines, which require a human hand in their action, so-called “killer robots” would have some decision-making abilities and the ability to act on their own.

     “If any major military power pushes ahead with AI weapon development, a global arms race is almost inevitable,” said the letter released at the 2015 International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    The idea of an automated killing machine was made famous by Schwarzenegger's first Terminator movie in 1984. While no red-eyed robots have been sent after human beings, the idea of AI being used as a weapon has gotten much more likely in the years ever since. The US military is already developing autonomous flying vehicles that can carry out all the steps of a strike mission without a human controlling them, according to a May report in Nature magazine.

    Scientists have even painted a destructive picture of autonomous weapons falling into the hands of terrorists or warlords hoping to carry out ethnic cleansings.

     “The development of full artificial intelligence could lead to the end of the human race,” Hawking said to the BBC in 2016.

Authorities are gradually waking up to the risk of robot wars. Last May, for the first time, the United Nations brought governments together to begin talks on autonomous weapons systems.

    Still, a ban on autonomous weapons is “easier said than done”, commented The Guardian. The dual (双重的) uses of the AI technology—for harm and for good—is difficult to manage. This is because the exact same technology can be used in a wide range of ways, the paper said.

    For many people, the Transformers movies are the greatest Hollywood blockbusters (大片). And among the Transformers themselves, the yellow Autobot named Bumblebee is certainly the favorite. He may be one of the smallest and weakest of the alien machines, but he is always loyal to his friends and shows great bravery in battle.

    In the new film, Bumblebee is found in a junkyard (废车场) and is full of honeybees. He always finds himself in awkward (尴尬的) situations, but people like his cute and naive looks. In addition to his blue eyes, Bumblebee's body language and movements are adorable. At one point, he sits with his legs straight out, with his huge feet making him look like a 5-year old trying on his dad's shoes.

    Bumblcbee is the Transformer who has the greatest affinity (亲和力) with humans. He starts journey with Watson, who is at a loss about her future and wants a friend. As a result of their adventure together. Watson grows up and starts to work toward her life goal of becoming a musician. As for Bumblebee, as we know, is a robot from outer space, he now has a better understanding of his task to protect the Earth. Every adventure has a beginning, as the movie poster puts it. More importantly, every adventure needs a good partner. The considerate, positive and warm Bumblebee is definitely a good choice according to US actress I Hailee Stcinfeld, who plays Watson in the film.

Monster Zoo

    Monster Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the world, covering more than 15 km squares. It is home to more than 50 species of rare and native animals. The zoo is located 70 km from the city New South Australia.

    Monster zoo was founded in 1983 as a breeding area (繁殖区). Officially open to the public in October 1993, Monster Zoo is now home to more than 500 animals.

    Opening Hours

    Monster zoo is open daily from 9: 30 am to 5: 00 pm with last entry at 3: 00 pm. The zoo is open every day of the year, including Christmas Day and all public holidays. The exception to this is if the forecast temperature for Monster Zoo is 40 degrees or above, it will be closed.

    To get the most out of your visit we recommend setting aside a minimum of four to five hours to fully enjoy the Monster zoo.

    Tickets

    Child (4­14 years old) : AU $ 28. 50

    Adult (15 years old and over) : AU $ 51. 75

    Family / Mini Group: AU $ 132. 75

    Meet the Keeper

    Monster zoo offers various daily zoo keeper talks and animal feeds that give guests the chance to interact (互动) with our friendly workers and learn about the zoo's unique residents.

    Looking for a more unique animal experience? Consider booking a Behind the Scenes Animal Experience to come face to face with some of our special animal residents.

    Café

    Ketabi Café is open from 9: 30 am to 5: 00 pm daily and offers a variety of tasty treats, small snacks and hot meals.

    Picnics

    For those who prefer to bring their own meals, special picnic areas are available close to the Visitor Center. Please note that due to fire risk, the zoo does not allow for the use of BBQs.

    Many of you may have used Siri, a voice assistant of US tech company Apple. You only have to say "hey Siri" and it will answer to your command. However, we may be sacrificing our privacy to enjoy this convenience.

    According to a recent report by the Guardian, Siri can be accidentally triggered and start recording private conversations, such as discussions between doctors and patients. Some of these recordings are then given to workers outside the company to review.

    Apple claimed the data was used to help Siri improve, but users were not informed of this measure in the first place.

    Apple's Siri is not the only voice assistant to come under fire.

    In 2018, Alexa, a voice assistant developed by US tech company Amazon, recorded a private conversation between a couple and sent it to a stranger without their permission.

    These issues deepened concerns that tech companies are infringing users' rights of privacy.

    Many people have long feared that tech companies are listening and collecting data from private conversations, reported Forbes. Using this data, third party companies could then paint an accurate picture of users' habits and preferences in order to serve them more targeted advertisements, or even worse, sell this private data.

    Despite this risk, the popularity of voice assistant seems to be unstoppable.

    "In the near future, everything from your lighting to your air-conditioning to your refrigerator, your coffee maker, and even your toilet could be wired to a system controlled by voice," commented The Atlantic.

    Colin Horgan wrote on the blog site Medium that he believed people's daily lives will soon become a source of data.

    "The sounds of our homes, the symphony of life – laughing, crying, talking, shouting, sitting in silence – will no longer be considered memories, but data," he wrote.

    To deal with the issue, Blake Morgan, reporter for The Atlantic, believed that the answer is transparency.

    "All companies need to have messaging ready to explain to customers what they do with private data," she wrote on The Atlantic.