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With the New Year just months away, you are probably looking forward to watching the wonderful fireworks(烟花) shows. Unfortunately, the over ten million blind Americans, and scores more around the world, have never been able to experience this joyful celebration. That may change soon thanks to Feeling Fireworks, a tactile(可触摸的) fireworks experience invented by the masterminds at the Disney Research Lab in Switzerland.

To experience the show, users stand in front of a large screen, which is made of special material. They then place their hands at the base of the screen and move them around to feel the fireworks. Alternatively, their hands can be placed in the center of the screen, where the initial explosions happen, and then moved across to explore other fireworks.

As the fireworks begin to explode, one of five nozzles(喷嘴) at the back of the screen starts to send out water, creating shaking movements. One specializes in the “blooming(开花) flower effect,” while another reproduces the“crackle(噼啪声)” effect. The rest take care of rockets and explosions. A computer controls the timing, while a Microsoft Kinect camera tracks the person’s movement. According to the inventors, Feeling Fireworks allows users to experience “tactile fireworks that are similar to physical fireworks happening in the sky.”

First appearing at the User Interface Software and Technology conference held in Quebec City, Canada from October 22 to October 25, 2017, the low-cost technology is still in its early stage, with only a 66 percent success rate. However, the team plans to continue-improving the experience and believes the day when everyone will be able to enjoy the thrill of fireworks shows is not far. When ready, Feeling Fireworks will initially be available only at Disney theme parks, and then hopefully, at fireworks shows worldwide.

The Google Brain team has been working on computing systems called “neural networks”—systems that were designed based on how neurons work in the human brain.

This time, they gave a mission to three of the neural networks, which they named Alice, Bob and Eve. Each of the networks had its own job—Alice sent messages to Bob, Eve tried to “eavesdrop”(偷听) and find out the messages, and Alice and Bob had to figure out a way to hide the messages from Eve. All the help that Alice and Bob got from the researchers before the mission began was made up of a set of numbers, which Eve didn’t have access                    to.

At first, Alice was not very good at sending secret messages. But slowly it worked on a way to encrypt(加密) them—putting information into a special code so that others could not understand it if they got the information—using he numbers given by researchers. And after practice, Bob also came to be able to decrypt(解密) Alice’s messages. Without the numbers or keys, Eve failed to understand Alice’s “speech” most of the time.

This test is considered a big step in the development of computers’ learning skills. “Computing with neural networks on this scale has only become possible in the last few years, so we truly are at the beginning of what’s possible, ” Joe Sturonas of US encryption company PKWARE told New Scientist magazine.

Unfortunately, the test happened only one week after UK physicist Stephen Hawking, While speaking at Cambridge University, warned how AI(artificial intelligence)could develop a will of its own. This could be “either the best or the worst thing ever to happen to human being”, he said.

But just as Sturonas pointed out, no matter what the possibilities of computers are in the future, they are just starting out. We still have plenty of time to work out a solution before they get anywhere near becoming a threat to humanity.

Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects.

Located on the shore of Sullivan’s Island off the coast of South Carolina, the award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Hugo a few years ago. Hugo struck Soutii Carolina, killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36,000 homes in the state.

Before Hugo, many new houses built along South Carolina’s shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement of building codes wasn’t strict, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. In Hugo’s wake, all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house on Sullivan’s Island should be able to withstand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.

At first sight, the house on Sullivan’s Island looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble “a large party lantern” at night, according to one observer. But looks can be deceiving. The housed wooden frame is reinforced with long steel rods to give it extra strength.

To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on timber (木材) pilings — long, slender columns of wood anchored deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also elevate the house above storm surges. The pilings allow the surges to run under the house instead of running into it. “These swells of water come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings,” said Huff.

Huff designed the timber pilings to be partially concealed (隐藏) by the house’s ground-to-roof shell. “The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn’t look like it’s standing with its pant legs pulled up,” said Huff. In the event of a storm surge, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.

The Pomodoro Technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. The technique uses a timer to divide your work into 25-minute sessions called "pomodori."1．When you have completed four pomodori, it's time for a longer break of 20 to 30 minutes. It's simple and easy to use. Follow the steps below to start using it.

●Check your schedule. Your first step is to check your schedule. 2．Estimate how long each task should take you, in terms of the number of pomodori you will need to complete it.

●Set your timer. Before you start, make sure that you have everything you need. Set your timer for the work period you've settled on.

●Take a short break. When your timer goes off, take a five-minute break.You should do this even if you're busy, because these breaks are your time to rest and "recharge your batteries."3．The Pomodoro approach works by maintaining your energy, so that you don't need to work on tasks when your concentration levels are low.

●4．When your break is over, reset your timer for the next session and continue your work. When you've completed four pomodori, take a 20- to 30-minute break. Use it to go for a walk, have lunch, read a book... anything, so long as it takes you away from your desk for a while and clears your mind.

Remember, it is important to listen to your body. If your mind starts to wander or you start to feel tired, don't push through to the end of the session.5．It may be that three pomodori followed by a 20-minute break suits you best, or that five sessions followed by a 30-minute break is better.

Washing machines are one of the greatest inventions of the last few centuries. They have made people’s life easier around the world. Unfortunately, washing machines also contribute to microplastics flowing into the oceans. That is why the washing machine manufacturer, Samsung, and the outdoors-wear company, Patagonia, are working together to make a change.

For Patagonia, the issue of microplastics is one that has been on their minds for years. Though iconic, the company’s woolen jackets and pullover s release many microfibers. As for Samsung, new regulations throughout the world have forced many producers to start thinking about ways they can help reduce the number of microplastics. There are currently more than 14 million tons of microplastics floating in the oceans. Though people primarily think of things such as plastic bottles and fishing line, thousands of microplastics are released down the drain (下水道) with every laundry load.

The issue is a sort of catch-22. On the one hand, in order to reduce energy costs, manufacturers try to make their machines more efficient. These machines use hotter water and are designed to create more friction between the clothing in the machine. However, both of these things lead to the release of more microplastics. So, using Patagonia clothes as test cases, Samsung came up with a two-fold solution: One is a technology called Eco-bubbles that create s a larger amount of bubbles to help wash clothing more easily, and the other is a water purifier that can filter out more microplastics.

The collaboration (合作) between the two companies is proof of something urgent. On one hand, well-constructed and durable clothing is a weapon in the fight against fast fashion. On the other hand, the material used to make those clothing and the way they are washed can also add pollutants to the environment. The same goes for washing machines. The fight against climate change requires creative thinking and learning how to attack a problem from many angles, which will certainly lead to even more creative and fruitful collaboration.