通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.983: About Technology - ’Smart crib’ aims to help rockabye baby

As every new parent knows, sleep can go out the window after the arrival of a newborn.

如每對剛生孩子的爸媽所知，新生兒到來後，再也沒有夜夜好眠。

That was certainly the case for parents Radhika and Bharath Patil, who seeking relief for their own disrupted sleep patterns, put their electronic engineering backgrounds together to create a "smart crib".

這確實就是拉德西卡和巴拉特‧帕蒂爾的狀況，這對父母正在補救自身混亂的睡眠模式，結合他們的電子工程背景，創造了一個「智慧嬰兒床」。

Their crib, powered by artificial intelligence, combines a baby monitor, rocker, bassinet and crib in one.

他們把一台嬰兒監視器、弧形搖桿、搖籃和嬰兒床合而為一，由人工智慧來驅動嬰兒床。

"It’s not the amount of work around the baby that tires the parents, it’s the lack of sleep," Radhika Patil, Cradlewise chief executive, told Reuters in an interview.

「智慧搖籃」執行長拉德西卡‧帕蒂爾在訪問中告訴路透，「並非圍繞著嬰兒的工作量累到父母，而是睡眠不足。」

Early detection is key, she said, adding that the sooner parents can detect the baby waking up, the easier it is to get the child to fall back asleep.

她說，早期偵測是關鍵，並補充指出，父母越早發現嬰兒醒來，就越容易讓他們的孩子再度入睡。

"Once you put the baby in, the crib takes care of everything. That’s the aim," Bharath Patil said.

巴拉特‧帕蒂爾說，「只要把嬰兒放進去，嬰兒床就顧好每件事。這就是目的。」

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Next step for touch-free payments? Amazon launches palm scanner 無接觸支付的下一步？亞馬遜推出手掌掃描器

Amazon has announced a new payment system for real-world shops which uses a simple wave of the hand.

亞馬遜發表1種用於實體商店的新支付系統，只需簡單揮動1隻手。

Its new Amazon One scanner registers an image of the user’s palm, letting them pay by hovering their hand in mid-air "for about a second or so", it says.

它的新Amazon One掃描，透過使用者手掌的圖像登入，他們在半空中揮動手掌約1秒即可付款。

Palm scanners are not a brand-new technology, and there are already some commercially available solutions.

手掌掃描不是全新的技術，已經有一些商用的可行方案。

"Palm-based identification is based on capturing the vein patterns of the palm," explains Dr Basel Halak of the Electronics and Computer Science School at the University of Southampton.

「手掌辨識是基於抓取手掌的靜脈紋」，英國南安普敦大學電子與電腦科學學院的巴塞爾．哈拉克博士解釋。

"These patterns are different for each finger and for each person, and as they are hidden underneath the skin’s surface, forgery is extremely difficult."

「每支手指與每個人的紋路都不一樣，而且因為他們藏在皮膚表面底下，非常難以偽造」。

The level of security was roughly similar to a fingerprint scan, but could be used at a distance of a few inches, making it much more practical.

安全等級與指紋掃描大致上差不多，但可以在相隔幾英吋的距離下使用，讓它的實用性更高。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1404953 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1405736

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.982: Why Surge Prices Make Us So Mad

When Bruce Springsteen decided to do a run of shows at a Broadway theater with fewer than a thousand seats, he appeared to reject the laws of economics — or at least what would seem to be in his financial best interest.

He limited ticket prices to $75 to $850 and has been allocating them through a lottery that includes identity verification. His goal was to prevent scalping. Yet not everyone who sought tickets got them at those prices. The tickets that have leaked onto the open market on StubHub ranged in one recent search from $1,200 to $9,999.

當布魯斯·史普林斯汀決定在一間不到1000個座位的百老匯劇院推出一檔表演時，他似乎揚棄了經濟學的定律，或至少看來最符合自身財務利益的定律。

他將票價限制在75到850美元之間，並透過必須驗證身份的抽籤來配售門票。他的目的是杜絕黃牛票，但並非每個想要買票的人都能以上述價格購得。外洩到StubHub公開市場的門票，最近某次搜索所顯示的票價範圍介於1200美元到9999美元之間。

It sure looks as if Springsteen left a great deal of money on the table and impeded the laws of the marketplace. After all, some people got tickets for $75 for which others were willing to pay four figures.

But the strategy may be less irrational than the raw numbers suggest. And understanding the hidden logic behind concert pricing — or how the Home Depot responds to a hurricane, or even how your neighborhood restaurant handles the Valentine’s Day crunch — can provide a guide to solving some of society’s biggest problems while satisfying people’s deep need for a sense of fairness.

看來史普林斯汀的確少賺了很多錢並且妨礙了市場法則，別忘了，有些人拿到的是其他人願意付四位數購買的75美元門票。

然而，這個策略可能不像原始數據所顯示的那般不合理。了解演唱會門票定價的背後邏輯，或者家得寶如何應對颶風，或是鄰近餐廳如何處理情人節危機，皆可提供指引，讓我們在滿足人們對於公平的深層需求之際解決社會上一些最嚴重的問題。

Understanding this logic can also win you a Nobel. At least, it did recently for the University of Chicago economist Richard H. Thaler, who was honored for work that includes study of what constitutes fairness in markets. He has shown that the simplistic Economics 101 version of how markets work — in which a seller raises prices however much it takes to match demand — can be inefficient, or offend people’s moral sensibilities, or both.

Technology is making “variable” or “dynamic” pricing — the same strategies that ensure airplane seats, hotel rooms or Uber cars are almost always available if you’re willing to pay the price — more plausible in areas with huge social consequences.

而懂得這個邏輯也可讓你贏得諾貝爾經濟學獎，至少芝加哥大學經濟學家塞勒不久前就做到了，他的得獎成就包括對市場公平性的研究。他已指出，經濟學101基本版市場運作方式，亦即賣方會把價格提高至需求面可接受的最高程度這過分簡單化的觀點，可能效率不高或冒犯人們的道德感，抑或兩者兼有。

科技正在能產生巨大社會影響的領域內，讓「變動的」或是「動態的」定價變得更為可行，而這跟你若願意付那個價格，飛機座位、旅館房間或Uber汽車服務讓你幾乎都能取得的策略相同。

Dynamic pricing of electricity could help bring down pollution, reduce energy costs and make renewable energy more viable. Constantly adjusting prices for access to highways and congested downtowns could make traffic jams, with all the resulting wasted time and excess emissions, a thing of the past. Any sector where supplies tend to be fixed but demand fluctuates — the water supply, health care — would seem like prime candidates for variable pricing.

But technologists, entrepreneurs and regulators who would go down this path first need to learn a few lessons from Thaler — and Springsteen.

“A good rule of thumb is we shouldn’t impose a set of rules that will create moral outrage, even if that moral outrage seems stupid to economists,” Thaler said.

電費的動態定價有助於減少汙染、降低能源成本且讓再生能源更加可行。經常調整進入高速公路和擁擠市中心的價格，則可讓交通堵塞與因而產生的所有時間浪費與過度排放成為過去。供應趨於固定但需求波動的任何部門，諸如供水與醫療保健，似乎都很容易實施變動定價。

但想要走上變動定價這條路的技術專家、企業家與監管單位，則先得從塞勒，還有史普林斯汀那兒先學到一些教訓。

塞勒說：「一個很好的經驗法則是，我們不應該強推一套會引起道德義憤的規則，即便對經濟學家來說那種道德義憤顯得愚蠢。」

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/320172/web/

每日英語跟讀 Ep.981: About Nature - Key to butterfly climate survival may be colour coded

A butterfly’s ability to absorb or reflect heat from the sun with its wings could be a matter of life and death in a warming world, according to British research published Thursday calling for gardens, parks and farms to host shady, cooling-off spots.

根據英國研究機構週四發布的研究報告，由於全球日益暖化，蝴蝶翅膀吸收與反射太陽熱能的能力，可能攸關該物種的生死存亡， 呼籲花園、公園與農場設置遮陽、降溫設施。

While all butterflies are ectotherms － they cannot generate their own body heat － the ability to regulate temperature varies significantly, researchers said.

研究人員指出，雖然所有蝴蝶都是變溫動物，不能自體發熱，但蝴蝶調節溫度的能力差別很大。

The study found that bigger, pale-coloured butterflies, like the Large White or Brimstone species, are better at thermoregulation because they can angle their wings to reflect the sun’s heat either away from them or onto their bodies to attain the right temperature.

研究發現，體型較大、淺白色的蝴蝶，像是歐洲粉蝶（Large White）或是鉤粉蝶（Brimstone），比較能夠調節體溫，因為牠們能調整翅膀的角度，反射或吸收太陽的熱量，以調節合適體溫。

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Gray parrots separated at zoo after swearing a blue streak 動物園灰鸚鵡因髒話不斷而被分開

A British zoo has had to separate five foul-mouthed parrots who keepers say were encouraging each other to swear.

英國一家動物園已不得不將5隻出口成「髒」的鸚鵡分隔開來，負責照顧鸚鵡的工作人員說，這些鸚鵡相互慫恿飆髒話。

Billy, Eric, Tyson, Jade and Elsie joined Lincolnshire Wildlife Centre’s colony of 200 gray parrots in August, and soon revealed a penchant for blue language.

比利、艾瑞克、泰森、傑德與艾爾西（今年）8月加入林肯郡野生動物中心的200隻灰鸚鵡大家族，但牠們很快就顯露對髒話的熱愛。

"We are quite used to parrots swearing, but we’ve never had five at the same time," said the zoo’s chief executive, Steve Nichols. "Most parrots clam up outside, but for some reason these five relish it." Nichols said no visitors had complained about the parrots, and most found the situation funny.

「我們很習慣鸚鵡說髒話，但從來沒有5隻同時飆髒話，」該動物園首席執行長史蒂夫．尼可斯說。「大多數鸚鵡在外頭就會冷靜下來，但這5隻不知為何仍對飆髒話樂此不疲。」尼可斯說，沒有訪客抱怨鸚鵡說髒話，大多數人覺得這情況很好笑。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1404749 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1405509

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.980: About SKorea- Seoul housing prices climb 18% in a year

The cost of housing in Seoul, including apartments, climbed 18.8 percent over the past year, while high-ranking officials continued to argue that the real estate market would stabilize on the back of “anti-speculation” measures from the government.

首爾包括公寓在內的房價，去年上漲18.8%，儘管高官一再主張，在政府實施「反炒房」措施後，房地產市場就會穩定下來。

According to KB Kookmin Bank, the average price of housing in the capital came to 32.73 million won per 3.3 square meters as of Oct. 9, up 5.18 million won from 27.55 million won on Sept. 27, 2019.

根據「KB國民銀行」，截至10月9日，南韓首都的平均房價達每3.3平方公尺3273萬韓元，比2019年9月27日的2755萬，漲了518萬。

Further, nine of the 25 administrative districts in Seoul recorded increases in the cost of housing of more than 25 percent. Nowon-gu topped the list with a 31 percent increase, followed by Seongbuk-gu with 30 percent, Geumcheon-gu with 29.7 percent and Gangbuk-gu with 29 percent.

此外，首爾25個行政區中，有9區的房價漲幅創下逾25%的紀錄。蘆原區以升高31%高居榜首，其後是城北區的30%、衿川區的29.7%和江北區的29%。

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Will chief prosecutor run in presidential election? 南韓檢察總長會選總統嗎？

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who has been engaged in a power struggle with Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, has come under scrutiny recently as questions are being raised over whether he has ambitions to run in the next presidential election.

一直和南韓法務部長秋美愛進行權力鬥爭的檢察總長尹錫悅，由於他是否有志角逐下屆總統大選的問題被提起，因此最近受到嚴格檢視。

The increased attention on Yoon comes as he gave ambiguous answers during an annual audit of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office at the National Assembly, Thursday, when asked whether he would consider entering politics after his term as chief prosecutor expires. "I will think about how I can serve the nation and the public after my term is over," he answered.

當他週四在南韓國會接受檢察廳的年度審計，被問到在檢察總長任期屆滿後，是否會考慮進入政壇時，他做出模稜兩可的回覆，引起了更多的關注。當時他回答，「在我任期結束後，我會考慮自己如何能夠服務國家和公眾。」

Yoon was appointed as prosecutor general in July last year. His term expires in July next year, months before the presidential election takes place in March 2022. Yoon has been cited as a potential presidential runner for the opposition bloc in various opinion polls. In the survey conducted by Gallup Korea in August, he garnered support from about 20 percent of conservative voters in their 60s or older.

尹錫悅去年7月獲任命為檢察總長。其任期於明年7月期滿，即2022年3月舉行的南韓總統大選前幾個月。尹錫悅在多份民調中，被列為可能代表在野陣營的總統候選人。在「蓋洛普韓國」8月間所做的調查裡，他在60多歲或以上年齡的保守派選民中，獲得約20%的支持。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1408333 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1406810

每日英語跟讀Podcast，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing

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Welcome to 15mins.today the home of English shadowing. I'm your host Gavin, and this is InTense Episode 68. Well guys, we are almost done with conjunctions. We have done the first lot, which are coordinating conjunctions. Today we're going to be looking at the second part, correlative conjunctions, so these conjunctions also link similar words or word groups, but they are always used in pairs, so examples of them are the following:

both.... and

either.... or

neither... nor

not only.....but also

whether....or

Of course you can just Google and find more examples.

So that is it, so they are conjunctions that always work in pairs. OK, so, “Both John andMary are happy today.” There you go, both....and, those are our correlative conjunctions.

So, easy peasy lemon squeezy as they say, let's look at our examples.

Did both John and James finish the work? Yes, both John and James finished the work.

Did both John and James finish the work? No, neither John nor James finished the work.

Are neither apples nor pears in season now? Yes, neither apples nor pears are in season now.

Are neither apples nor pears in season now? No, both apples and pears are in season now.

Did either Susan or Jane finish the report? Yes, Susan finished the report.

Did either Susan or Jane finish the report? No, neither Susan nor Jane finished. The report

Is not only Mary but also John from England? Yes, not only Mary but also John are from England.

Is not only Mary, but also John from England? No, neither Mary nor John are from England.

Was Peter's presentation as good as mine? Yes, his presentation was as good as yours.

Was Peter's presentation as good as mine? No, his presentation was not as good as yours.

Do you have to do it whether you like it or not? Yes, I have to do it whether I like to or not.

Do you have to do it whether you like it or not? No, I don't have to do it.

Would you rather go to work than stay at home? Yes, I would rather stay at home than go to work.

Would you rather stay at home than go to work? No, I would not rather stay at home than go to work.

Well, there you go guys. Some examples of correlative conjunctions.Now, I mentioned some previously in the first part, but again, just Google correlative conjunctions and you can find many examples of them. There are not hundreds of them, but they are a few so maybe 20, I suggest maybe around there. The list I looked at was about 13 to 15 and I did some of them in the textbook I had, they only mentioned 5. So again, search online, Google correlative conjunctions and you will find many more examples. I hope that helps, again, don't panic about it, just know that those are conjunctions, and I will catch you in the next episode. Bye bye!

每日英語跟讀Podcast，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing

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Summary:

Senator Kamala Harris was nominated as the as the vice-presidential candidate, running alongside ex-Vice President Joe Biden. Many people suddenly realized that she has a Chinese name. So where did she get her Chinese name? The story goes that Kamala has a Taiwanese-American friend Su Jung-Li who helped her come up with a Chinese name when she asked for advice on how to win over a Chinese-dominated population. According to reports, Kamala didn’t like the word “Li” meaning beauty initially, because she wanted people to associate with her intelligence and not her beauty.

原文章討論: https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-931-kamala-harris-unveils-meaning-story-behind

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences

Ethnicity n. belonging to a social group that has a common cultural tradition

• Senator Kamala Harris was the first black woman with Asian ethnicity to be nominated as vice presidential candidate.

Candidate n. a person who is applying for a job or is nominated for election

• We are going to interview two candidates for the design position that is open.

Nominate v. propose or enter as candidate in an election

• John Wick was nominated for best action movie.

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