Rodney Smith, Jr. started mowing the lawns (割草坪) in Huntsville, Alabama last fall. He used his time between classes at Alabama A&M to reach a goal of mowing 100 yards before winter. Smith has been cutting grass for free to help single moms, the elderly, and the disabled, while teaching the local youth the values that can turn boys into men. “I'm doing something positive. I want boys to follow me and be better than me,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

    Rodney is from Bermuda. He says people there help each other and are always friendly. “That's what drives me to help people.”

    In May this year, he was getting ready to launch his mowing service for the summer when he heard about a 93-year-old woman trying to cut grass by herself. Smith and a friend showed up to do the job for her.

    In November, a local TV station gave him $300, calling it a special gift for his good work. After he received the money, he used it to create the non-profit(非盈利的) service group, Raising Men Lawn Care Service. He also started a page to collect money to buy lawn equipment and other things—including T-shirts with special logos.

    After I read about Rodney's story, I told my friends about him. We also planned to mow lawns for single moms, the elderly and disabled in our neighborhood. And I hope more and more young people will join Rodney's service group—Raising Men Lawn Care Service.

    There are two ways of driving in the world: if the driver's seat is on the left and cars travel on the right side of the road, it is called “left-hand driving”, as it is in China, while the other way of driving is called “right-hand driving”, as it is in Britain. Nowadays, around 65% of the world's population drives on the right of the road, while the rest is used to driving on the left.

    Though no one knows the exact reasons, it seems likely that people in ancient times travelled on the left. Roman coins show pictures of horsemen passing on each other's right. And right-hand people generally got on a horse from the animal's left. Obviously, it's safer to do this at the left side of the road, and it makes sense for the horse to be ridden on the left.

    A change happened in the late 1700s. When Napoleon conquered nations, he forced them to travel on the right side of the road, which spread left-hand driving throughout Europe. However, Britain still stuck with the right-hand driving rule and countries which were part of the British Empire (帝国) were made to follow. This is why India, Australia and the former British colonies (殖民地) in Africa continue to drive on the left. One exception is Egypt, as that country was defeated by Napoleon before becoming part of the British Empire.

    Some countries changed sides' until modem times. Sweden only moved to driving on the right in 1967 and Iceland changed the following year. Ghana changed sides in 1974. On September 7,2009, Samoa became the third country ever to change from left-to-right-hand driving for the reason that it made it easier to import (进口) cheap cars from right-hand driving Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

    So if you want to travel to another country or go on business, make sure you know whether it is left-or right- hand driving to avoid unnecessary troubles.

    Self-driving vehicles(车辆) will rely on cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence (人工智能) to recognize and respond to road and traffic conditions, but sensing is the most effective for objects and movement in the neighborhood of the vehicle. Not everything important in a car's environment will be caught by the vehicle's camera. Another vehicle approaching at high speed on a collision (碰撞) track might not be visible until it's too late. This is why vehicle-to-vehicle communication is undergoing rapid development. Our research shows that cars will need to be able to chat and cooperate on the road, although the technical challenges are still great.

    The usages of vehicle-to-vehicle communication contain vehicles driving together in a row, as well as safety messages about nearby emergency vehicles. Vehicles could alert each other to avoid collisions or share notices about passers-by and bicycles. From as far as several hundred metres away, vehicles could exchange messages with one another or receive information from roadside units（RSUs）about nearby incidents or dangerous road conditions through 4G network. A high level of AI seems required for such vehicles, not only to self-drive from A to B, but also to react intelligently to messages received. Vehicles will need to plan, reason, strategize and adapt according to information received in real time and to carry out cooperative behaviors. For example, a group of autonomous vehicles might avoid a route together because of possible risks, or a vehicle could decide to drop someone off earlier due to messages received, a foreseen crowding ahead.

    Further applications(应用) of vehicle-to-vehicle communication are still being researched, including how to perform cooperative behavior.

    Does the future of filmmaking lie in virtual reality (VR) films?

   An ambitious team led by Yale senior Celine Tien might hold the answer to that question.

    Tien produced,directed and acted in Pippa's Pan,which she says is “one of the world's first live-action VR films.”The film,which was completed in April,mixes live action with VR sections.Some of the characters were created via animation（动画）and other techniques that distinguish the film from 360° VR videos like the ones frequently seen on YouTube.

    “360° VR videos are stagnant,which means you don't move with them and see a 360° view of whatever they're filming.”Tien explained.“What we're doing is immersive（沉浸式的）VR.When you put on the goggles (a kind of special glasses) you can physic.ally walk around in the space,pick up objects and engage with the environment.It's a huge difference.”

    The immersive VR film experience is different for everyone who interacts with the medium,but that doesn't mean the film's ending will change for each viewer.

    The film stars two Chinese-speaking actors."It's a love story about a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease who is trying to bring back memories of her husband,"Tien said.

    The film has already been recognized by the VR industry.After handing in a short demo to the AT&T Developer Summit Conference,Tien and her team were invited to Las Vegas in January,where they came in third place.

    If you're dying to see the film already,your choices area bit limited: Pippa's Pan can't be seen in movie theaters unless they happen to have VR goggles available.According to Tien,many theaters in China will soon have the ability,which makes sense considering China is the film's target market.

    Pippa's Pan will be released in three languages: Chinese,English and Korean.“It can get spread in different ways: at film festivals with VR set ups and through HTC or Oculus headset stores,”Tien says.“If you have VR goggles you can download it and experience it yourself.We will also cooperate with movie theaters that have VR set ups.”

    There is such a group of singers in the western musical circle at present, who enter the business as online celebrities(名人)and then become top idols and giant stars globally. They become popular for their videos online and then they are discovered by talent agents and gradually cause huge storms in the musical circle. For example, Troye Sivan, a singer who is nicknamed "chuoye", became popular on You tube from an early age.

    As a popular video sharing website, You Tube has given rise to plenty of stars, creating a new celebrity culture. Providing a platform where anyone can post videos. You tube presents the opportunity for anyone to achieve fame by simply uploading a short video. Sivan has been making you tube videos since he was 12 to show his singing talent. In the digital age, Sivan has already developed large devoted audience online and his sensitive video blogs have earned him extreme popularity.

    A. survey has showed that US teenagers are more attracted with You Tube stars, which is a surprising result. You Tube stars are judged to be more attractive, outstanding and related than traditional stars. Looking at the survey comments and feedback, teens enjoy a close and real experience with You Tube celebrities, who aren't carefully directed by design. Teens also say they appreciate YouTube stars sense of humor and risk-taking spirit, which are often limited by Hollywood stars. As a result, singers who make their first show in the traditional way no longer have a complete advantage in front of the audience. Online platforms open up a lot of doors for people. They become the best place to be discovered.