It has been several weeks since we tookour daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting  well after a short period of homesickness.For us, though, it's another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on mychildren at night. But now she's gone, and I find nighttimes the hardest. Imiss her most at night.

    In my neighborhood, most of the parentswhose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. Myhusband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sickfeeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complainedthat many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while wehad them.

    For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 onlymade the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age asour kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. Andit's not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already wellinto college said the separation didn't get any easier. “You feel likesomething has been taken away from inside you,” said one of them.

    I imagine things will get easier withtime, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as Ikeep my cell phone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweetdreams every night, I like to think at messages serve as a night light thatkeeps her safe.

    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.

    Traveling abroad for leisure is becoming more and more popular for Chinese. The UK is high up in the list of places that the Chinese want to visit. There is a sense of mystery about the UK: it's often the images of England's green parks, countryside and Victorian houses that people point to as an alternative to polluted, overcrowded cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou.

    The capital is viewed as modern and dynamic, while being filled deep with history. When asked what other images are thought of by the UK, the reply is often "the Queen, tea and Oxbridge". So what's stopping them actually coming? Sebastian Wood, the British ambassador in Beijing, has described the UK as a "fortress", and while this is perhaps an exaggeration (夸张), Britain does have a reputation as a country that is harder to access.

    The main problem for Chinese tourists is obvious. Although visa applications are now completed online, visitors are still required to visit one of 12 UK centers across the country for a face-to-face interview and fingerprinting. If you don't live near one of these centers already, you'd have to travel some distance to get there.

    Another problem is also to be mentioned. If travelers from China visit the UK, they also want to cover as much ground as possible. But the UK is not included in the Schengen visa, which allows access to a host of 26 European countries such as France and Germany. So it makes the former seem less worth it.

    There is also the issue of cost:￡47 for a Schengen visa, ￡82 for the UK. On top of this, the UK is viewed as stricter in its handling of visas compared with the rest of Europe, fed by urban legends of rejected applications. In the end, the decision comes down to one question: Is Britain worth a visit?

    Father's Day is celebrated today in 75 countries around the world. In my personal world, it's a day I like to think of my father's father.

    I learned a lot in my later life from my dad. But I learned something else, as a kid not even yet in school, from my grandfather. I learned to be curious. Little things fathers and grandfathers do can change the life of a child forever. In my case, this change came from necessity: My mom needed someone to look after little Allen, barely 4 years old, during the school day. My grandmother volunteered, and my grandfather came up with a way I could be watched while he worked in his clockmaker's shop.

    He seated me on a chair every day while I was there, right in front of his big workbench. He told me stories. He had a great sense of humor and a funny way of making a "buh-buh-buh" sound when he sensed my attention was weakening, and he encouraged me to ask questions about anything he was doing.

    Naturally, I was usually asking questions about clocks--what made the hands move, what the pendulum(钟摆) did, why you had to stop winding just before the weight hit the stop. Sometimes I just asked about which shiny parts went where.

    Most of all, he showed me how clocks worked. He treated me as if I were a sort of small grown-up. He never talked down to me, never told me I was "too young to understand".

    And so my grandfather granted me two things: A love of clocks, and an everlasting curiosity.

    As a journalist, I turned that fascination into explanations of why computers and software do what they do——and, perhaps even more importantly, why they fail at that task. I haven't been afraid of opening up the innards and looking for what is wrong with the computer.

I will never forget the year 1979. I was just ten years old when my father decided to take me to see a stunt (特技) show starring the famous motorcyclist, Evel Knievel. After seeing the amazing stunts, I started dreaming about riding bikes and performing stunts myself one day.

My whole childhood was spent at skate parks; there was a group of us that would go there every day after school with our BMX bikes (a type of bicycle designed to ride on rough ground). After all, I would need to get some practice if I was going to be like my hero!

My later teenage years were spent competing in endless BMX freestyling championships; some I won and others I lost. But it was never about the trophies (奖杯). The atmosphere was magical, with over 1,000 riders at some events. I just loved the rush of energy I got from this, and from continuously trying newer, more daring stunts.

In 1995, I was chosen to compete in an important international action sports competition. For once in my life I was nervous. I landed badly on my hand and got injured. It took me out of the sport for a while, but my attitude was: "If others have suffered more and gone on, then why can't I?" I had once read that Evel Knievel suffered a total of thirty­five broken bones.

When the International Olympic Committee made BMX an Olympic sport, I couldn't have been more delighted! The way I see it, the sport finally got the recognition it deserved. Its entry into the Olympics encourages more people to take it up seriously.

I have heard some people say that BMX is too dangerous for kids. The risks, though, are really no greater than, say skateboarding. With riders pushing the limits far beyond what I could ever have imagined when I first started riding professionally, BMX seems set to remain one of the most exciting sports in history.

Smart Water Bottles

Hidrate Spark Smart Water Bottle

This bottle is our top overall pick, because it tracks your water intake, connects to your smartphone using Bluetooth, and records your data in a mobile app. If you forget to drink, this bottle will flash to signal to you. You can also use the app's Find My Bottle feature to track its location. It's available in a range of bright colors and sizes. The only drawback is that there's no self-cleaning feature.

ICEWATER Smart Water Bottle

If you're looking for a smart water bottle while saving some money, we recommend this one. There's a lock feature that stops water from flowing out when it's not in use. This bottle can play music through Bluetooth and comes in both plastic and steel versions. It's not dishwasher safe, however.

LARQ Bottle PureVis

It is perfect for walks, hikes, or sightseeing trips. To use the bottle's self-cleaning function, simply fill it up with water, press the switch, and wait. UV-C LED technology kills off harmful bacteria inside. Besides, the battery can last up to one month on a single charge. Just note that this bottle can't track your water intake.

CrazyCap UV Water Purifier & Bottle

It comes with a lifetime warranty (保修单), so you can be confident that it'll hold up even after the sudden fall. Unfortunately, it can't track your water intake, but the double-walled bottle can keep water cold for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 12 . There are a wide range of bright colors and patterns. The bottle has two self-cleaning modes. It will automatically clean every four hours.