When you are travelling in Thailand, which means of transport is the best choice?

    You can rent a variety of motorbikes or bikes in Thailand. It seems to be very popular in most of the beaches and islands along the places in the north. The most popular bikes are the little 125 cc Honda Dream which you can get for about 150 baht (铢) a day or as little as 3,000 baht per month, making it the cheapest way to tour Thailand for the people from other countries.

    Sometimes you will have to go somewhere by taxi. When you are in cities in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, always remember to get a taxi that is traveling on the roads. Some drivers outside hotels refuse to use the meter (计程表). They will ask a price which is several times the price when they use the meter!

    The quality of the roads in Thailand is generally pretty good, so renting cars is another way to get around. The big car rental companies may offer you slightly older cars at a very reasonable (合理的) price. It is a little surprising considering that the cost of buying a car in Thailand is more than that in the West. Petrol is also reasonably priced in Thailand, more expensive than American prices, but much cheaper than what is paid in Europe. In the past, Bangkok could be a difficult place to drive in—signs were generally in Thai only, making it a hard job to find exactly where you were by looking around. But now, the situation is improved. In a lot of places, even the farthest corners of the country, street signs are in both Thai and English.

    Here's an idea whose time has come: A flu shot that doesn't require an actual shot.

    For the first time, researchers have tested a flu vaccine patch (疫苗贴) in a human clinical trial and found that it delivered as much protection as a traditional injection with a needle. Doctors and public health experts have high hopes that it will increase the number of people who get immunized (免疫的) against the flu.

    Seasonal flu is responsible for up to half a million deaths around the world each year according to the World Health Organization. A team led by Georgia Tech engineer Mark Prausnitz has come up with an alternative method that uses “microneedles”. These tiny needles are so small that 100 of them, arranged in order on a patch, can fit under your thumb (拇指).Yet they're big enough to hold vaccine for three types of flu.

    None of the study volunteers had serious side effects. The groups that got patches had mild skin reactions that were not seen in the regular needle group, while the volunteers in the regular needle group were more likely to experience pain. Overall, 70 percent of the volunteers who got vaccine patches said they'd rather use them again than get a traditional flu shot. The study authors declared it a success on all fronts.

    The biggest beneficiaries could be people in low- and middle-income countries, where flu vaccines are hard to come by. Reducing pain is nice, but other benefits—the patch costs less，is easier to transport, doesn't require refrigeration, can be self - administered and doesn't cause waste of needles—are even better.

    “Microneedle Patches have the potential to become ideal candidates for vaccination programs,” wrote Katja Hoschler and Maria Zambon of Public Health England.

    Being a parent is tough. Prejudice against parents in the workplace only makes it harder.

    Asking for flexible schedule is not unique to working parents only. I've worked with people in their twenties that requested to work a four-day schedule so they could go back to school part time. I've seen older adults in the workplace change their schedules so that they can spend more time at home. Almost everyone has to cut out of the office every now and again for a doctor's appointment or other personal matters. Flexible schedules seem to be synonymous(代名词) with working parents, but in reality, they are not.

    Parents aren't devoted to their jobs. This is really surprising because it's quite the contrary. There is actually strong evidence that parents are more devoted to their jobs than many other employees. They are some of the most focused employees out there. Parents are less likely to change jobs than other employees. Stability(稳定) is key when raising a family.

    Parents aren't good team members. Since it is parents that need to leave the office at 5 or aren't able to come in before 9, most people think that the singletons on the team need to make up for it. In today's technology world, this is hardly the case. While many parents do limit their physical "in office" hours, most spend time on weekends, early mornings, and after work working. Besides, parents may be more likely to take vacations during major holidays due to children's school schedules.

    Parents are at work only out of financial needs. Why would anyone want to leave their children behind and come to the workplace if they didn't have to? Actually, a lot of people do. Caring for children is a wonderful experience, but everyone needs a break. Many parents may still be interested in their field of work, finding work interesting. Money is nice, but it's certainly not the only reason that parents are there.

    Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain­computer interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.

Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated(展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.

    In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.

    "Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord(脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles." Tavella says. "Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices."

    The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp(头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.

    Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. "The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories：communication，and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair."

    He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.

    Walking routes that are quicker and cheaper than the Tube in London

    Love to shop? You can walk between Knightsbridge and fashionable Sloane Square in around 10 minutes—much simpler than swapping lines at South Kensington.

    Don't fall into the trap of taking the Piccadilly line between Covent Garden and Leicester Square. It takes just four minutes to walk and you'll avoid the queues for the lifts at Covent Garden.

    *Use a Santander Cycle for just £2

    It costs £2 to access Santander Cycles for 24 hours. The first half hour is free each time you hop on a new bike, which means you can make multiple trips in one day and still pay only £2.

    *Hop on a bus

    Buses don't just offer a scenic way of getting around London—they're easy on the wallet too! A single fare costs just £1.50, while unlimited bus travel on a contactless card costs £4.50.

    Make the most of the hopper fare, which allows you to make a second bus journey for free within an hour of travel.

    *Go contactless for the cheapest fare

    If you have to take the Tube, use the same contactless card all day long to make the most savings when making multiple journeys. Contactless card users benefit from a daily cap (上限).