Topic Reading-Vol.3374-7/7/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Singapore wants to stop counting Covid cases. Its roadmap could be a model for other countries

After nearly 18 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, strict restrictions were imposed, loosened, and again tightened as Delta variant infections surge. Each day, the number of cases and deaths are reported, and governments, health officials, and citizens feel more worried or relieved daily. But isn’t that about the time to find a way to get our lives back to normal or live under the new norms? As more people are being vaccinated, it might be possible to shift to more bearable and sustainable ways to deal and live with Covid-19, just like influenza or chickenpox. Singapore is known for its early implementation of strict restrictions called the zero transmission model, such as quarantine measures, mask requirement, and social distancing enforcement, which no one, including the health officials, wants to continue forever. Now, they came up with a roadmap to bring life back to normal. With higher vaccination coverage among all age groups, quicker testing methods than PCR, and more disciplined social responsibility by every citizen, they think Covid-19 can be managed just like other contagious diseases.

Singapore is known for its swift action to cope with the Covid-19 including tracking app and devices and strict quarantines. Now the city-state is seeking swift ways to recover from the highly contagious but becoming more manageable disease.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about new ways to live with Covid-19.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/singapore-covid-plan-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3373-7/6/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Tibet's first bullet train line enters service

Tibet is an autonomous region within China and is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. It is the highest region on Earth with an average elevation of over 4,000 m, including Mount Everest. With a population of over 300,000, Lhasa is the capital city whose elevation reaches over 3,600 meters. There is already the world’s highest train route from Xining, Qinghai, which opened in 2006.

Last month, China started operating a new high-speed train service that covers 400 kilometers from Nyingchi, Tibet. It is part of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, a 1,740-kilometer line that will eventually link Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. The specially built trains are equipped with automated oxygen supply systems to keep the oxygen level, double-layer glass windows to cut the high UV, and dual engines, electric and internal combustion, to travel this high-altitude region.

It is thought to be part of China’s grand plan to integrate distinct regions and cultures. In fact, they have already developed a nearly 40,000-kilometer highspeed railway network and will add another 30,000 kilometers by 2035. Indeed, China’s high-speed railway systems seem to connect peoples, places, and cultures.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about China’s latest high-speed and high-elevation train system.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/lhasa-nyingchi-high-speed-railway-china-tibet/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3372-7/5/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

With the more contagious Delta variant, some officials are issuing new mask guidance

The Delta variant, a strain of Covid-19, was first detected in India late last year. It is believed to be more transmissible and dangerous than others and is breaking out in some parts of the world, especially in India, the UK, and the US. Even though nearly half of the US population has been vaccinated, the figure is far from the 70% minimum guideline to prevent the virus from spreading. In some states, vaccination rates are still below 35%. Some people seem either afraid of the risk of vaccination or ignorant of the danger of coronavirus.

According to the health experts, the known and potential benefits of Covid vaccination is far larger than the risks, including pregnant women, who are more vulnerable to complications caused by Covid-19. But even if you are vaccinated, you could get infected and spread the virus. That’s why some regions of the US, and some other countries, have reinstated mask and social distance guidance. The good news is that, unlike the flu, once you’re vaccinated with some type of Covid vaccine, like Pfizer’s or Modena’s, the vaccine seems to keep an immune response up for years.

No quick solution or relief, yet. Get vaccinated, wear a mask, and keep social distance.

Read the article and learn about the continuing battle with coronavirus.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/29/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3371-7/4/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Coming soon: Smart tires that could help you drive better
Tires are the only part of most vehicles that have direct, real-time contact with the ground. So, it could tell what the road condition is like and how the tires are rolling to the vehicle. This real-time information would allow the human or autonomous driver to make the necessary adjustments to drive more smoothly and safely. Tires with such sensors and information technologies are called smart tires. So far, only luxurious sports cars or special purpose vehicles are equipped with such smart tires to maximum performance or efficiency. But as IoT technologies become more affordable and universal, more commodity vehicles will come with such smart tires. This may become more necessary especially for self-driving cars because the human driver will pay less or no attention to driving.
If tires could speak, we would understand what’s happening to the car better and act before it’s too late.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about smart tires.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/21/cars/smart-tires-computer-sensors/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3370-7/3/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How market research reveals what you really think

Market researchers used to ask shoppers or buyers questions if or how they like/dislike certain products or services along with their personal profiles. Then, experts analyzed the data and comments to find out what the responses mean to the products to services. The question is if those responses are trustworthy or useful to design or improve their products or services. Also questionable is the validity and accuracy of human analysis. Now, technologies can reveal what people are really interested in without even asking any questions. Every time people log on to the Internet, they leave footprints. The data collected from many people are then stored in the cloud and analyzed with the help of AI. Another newly developed method is to conduct a survey vie video on people’s smartphones. The system analyzes the way people spoke their responses along with facial expressions. Then the data is streamed into the cloud and analyzed by AI. Voice and facial recognition will clarify not only what the respondents say but also their underlying emotions, which aren’t said in the responses.

No matter what you do, it seems essential to have IT and data analysis proficiency nowadays.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about new ways of market research.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57399780

Topic Reading-Vol.3369-7/2/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Meet 'dragon man,' the latest addition to the human family tree

New discoveries aren’t limited in space, under Siberia’s permafrost, or in the deep seabed. A well-preserved skullcap of hundreds of thousands of years old was discovered at the bottom of a well in Harbin, China, a northeastern city famous for the ice festival. It features a wider face, deeper eyes, and bigger teeth than modern humans and is nicknamed “dragon man” as it was found in the province where the Black Dragon River runs. There had been other ancient hominins like Neanderthals before our direct ancestor Homo sapiens dominated the planet. This dragon man is one of them but seems more closely related to us than Neanderthals.

Do we have any qualities that the dragon man possessed to endure the severe winter in Harbin?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about this new discovery and the human family tree.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/25/asia/dragon-man-china-early-human-scn/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3368-7/1/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

On sale: $125,000 balloon trips to the edge of space

Space tourism is coming to reality, and you are going to have choices as to how to get to space. Space X by Elon Musk, Blue Origin by Jeff Bezos, and Virgin Galactic by Richard Branson, all offer a short-time stay in space in a rocket. Passengers will feel a strong G-force to and from space, which will probably be regarded as part of the excitement of the tour. On the contrary to these quick, exciting, and trembling tours, there is now a slow and easy-going space tour that is scheduled to be launched in 2024. It’s a space version of a hot air balloon that carries up to eight passengers and a pilot in a pressurized capsule. In the cabin, the passengers will be able to enjoy 360-degree views with drinks and Internet access for six hours, including a two-hour gentle ascent to 100,000 feet, two hours above the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere, and the last two hours for a smooth descent to the ocean. No space suits or masks required. The price tag? USD125,000. Considering the view, experience, and luxury, the ticket price may not be so outrageous to some people.

By the way, will space tourists need to go through customs and immigration?

Enjoy reading the article and learn about this casual balloon trip to space.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/spaceship-neptune-balloon-flights-scn/index.html