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Online Service Bots Need a Human Exit

Technology
Online Service Bots Need a Human Exit
Online Service Bots Need a Human Exit

A customer tried to report that a bank transfer had gone to the wrong account. The website chatbot repeatedly offered articles about changing passwords and checking balances. Each answer was polite, immediate, and irrelevant. The customer finally found a telephone number on an old statement after losing valuable time.

Service bots can answer routine questions at any hour. They can reset simple settings, provide order updates, and reduce waiting for common requests. Problems arise when the system assumes that every issue fits one of its prepared categories.

A human exit should remain visible throughout the conversation. The option may lead to live chat, a callback, a secure message, or an appointment, but it should not appear only after a long sequence of failed answers. Urgent topics involving fraud, safety, health, housing, or service cancellation need especially direct escalation.

The bot should preserve the information already provided. Customers become frustrated when they explain the same situation again after transfer. A short summary can accompany the case, while the person should be able to correct anything the system misunderstood.

Companies need to measure unresolved conversations rather than only the number handled automatically. A bot that ends a session quickly may look efficient even when the customer leaves without a solution. Complaint rates, repeated contacts, and successful escalation provide a more honest picture.

Accessibility and language should also be tested. A system may fail when someone uses a screen reader, writes in short phrases, or describes a problem outside the company’s preferred terminology. Human assistance is part of inclusive design, not evidence that automation has failed completely.

Automation should remove unnecessary waiting, not become a barrier protecting the organization from difficult cases. A clear human exit keeps the convenience of a bot while recognizing that some problems require judgment, responsibility, and a person who can act beyond a scripted menu.

B. Kowalczyk

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Charging Lockers Need Transparent Safety Rules

Technology
Charging Lockers Need Transparent Safety Rules
Charging Lockers Need Transparent Safety Rules

A shopping center installed lockers where visitors could leave phones charging behind a coded door. The service seemed convenient until one customer returned to find the locker disabled after a heat alarm. Staff did not know whether the phone was damaged, who could open the compartment, or how long the investigation would take.

Charging lockers combine electricity, valuable devices, and enclosed spaces. They can help travelers and customers who need power, but the equipment requires more than a row of cables and a payment screen.

The instructions should identify compatible connectors, maximum charging time, prohibited devices, and the procedure for a swollen or visibly damaged battery. Users need to know whether the locker stops power automatically when heat is detected and whether staff can open a compartment without the original code.

Liability terms should be visible before payment rather than hidden in a long digital agreement. A provider may reasonably limit responsibility for an already damaged device, but it should not avoid responsibility for faulty equipment, insecure access, or poor maintenance.

The system also needs options for people who cannot use a touchscreen or mobile payment. Physical buttons, readable contrast, reachable compartments, and staff assistance make the service more accessible. A receipt should identify the locker and support contact without displaying the access code openly.

Regular inspection is essential because damaged cables and loose ports can create electrical risks. Staff should have a clear emergency procedure and should not improvise around a hot battery.

A charging locker offers temporary custody as well as electricity. People trust the operator with an expensive object that may contain personal information and essential communication tools. Clear safety and retrieval rules turn that trust into an accountable service rather than a convenient machine that becomes confusing at the first sign of trouble.

Operators should publish inspection dates and remove damaged compartments from service immediately rather than leaving users to discover problems after payment. Staff training should include battery incidents, lost access codes, and secure handover when a device must be removed manually.

B. Maseko

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民众健康意识的觉醒

Environment, Technology, World

环境污染，是现在威胁全中国人身体健康的最大问题。尤其是近几年，空气污染不断受到大家的关注。“雾霾”“PM2.5”“防霾口罩”等等都成为中国人口头上和各种社交网络上的热议话题。对此，中国政府也对环境治理加大了管理力度，纷纷出台各种一些类法规政令来保护环境。

其实，对于高速发展的中国来说，要保障经济的快速发展，牺牲环境是必不可免的。雾霾不仅仅是最近这几年才有的。几年前，中国普通民众看到雾霾天的时候，官方给出的解释是浓雾，或者部分农民烧秸秆，因此，大家没有把这种雾霾天放在心上。但是，只在这几年，中国百姓才意识到雾霾的严重性，和危害性。笔者认为原因有以下几点：

第一，信息科技的飞速发展，加快了信息的流动。几年前，微博，微信和其他社交媒体的使用远远没有进几年普及。因此，信息的闭塞使大家相信错误的言论。具体来说，10年前，湖北省某地区的民众看到雾霾时，湖北省的某部门站出来解释说这雾霾是由农民燃烧秸秆导致的。在10年前，大家信息流通也不快，既然官方这么解释，湖北的百姓就这么相信了。但是如今，随着社交媒体的应用，信息流动十分迅速。设想如今，湖北某地区的百姓今天看到漫天雾霾，在其他社交媒体也同样看到其他地区的朋友抱怨雾霾时，该百姓还会相信所谓的“农民烧秸秆” 的荒漠理论吗？

第二，相比10年前，中国如今的社会主力军是“70后，80后，90后”,这群人普遍接受过高中以上的教育，也就是说如今，中国的社会主力军都具有较多的知识储备，因此，他们会更有自己的想法，也敢于向质疑所谓的权威。

第三，中国百姓的健康意识也不断提高。众所周知，在过去的几十年里，中国百姓积累了大量财富，如今，普通百姓的温饱都不成问题。而且，对于大多数的百姓来说，他们现在追求的更加高质量，更加健康的生活方式。作为人每时每刻都需要的空气来说，如果不能保证呼吸无毒的空气，又该怎么保障中国普通百姓的身体健康呢？

 

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http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/22/baoding-china-most-polluted-city-air-pollution-beijing-hebei

姬潇依

 

 

 

 

Know Your Space

Technology, World

Today we are likely to come across many news regarding to space travels, satellites, rovers, rockets, Space missions, space walks, etc. Recently, we heard about Sunita Williams, Akihiko Hoshide, Yurie Malchenko and their space walk. And how they repaired their space station. But actually the age of exploration began in 1957, when powerful rocket engines boosted Russian satellite ‘Sputnik 1’ free from the Earth’s gravity. This was the start of extraordinary series of adventures for mankind which has seen scores of satellites put in space, mans first steps on the moon, live broadcasts from Mars and space probes venturing past the outer planets of the solar system. These probes have not only beamed back the first pictures of new, previously unknown moons but have also provided remarkable insights into the nature of the universe. In early days manned spacecrafts could only be used once, within just a tiny capsule holding the astronauts falling back to the earth at the end of the mission. The US space shuttle was the first spacecraft that could be reused, landing back on the earth like an aeroplane. The rocket boosters that launched it into space are recovered.

Very powerful rockets are needed to push a spacecraft which is cleared from the earths gravity. But once clear, such power is no longer needed. So rockets are made in separate stages, each of which falls away when its fuel is spent. Unmanned space probes guided by computer, have now visited all the planets, but not Pluto which is the smallest and most distant planet. The probes have actually landed on Mars and Venus. Late in 1997, the Mars pathfinder beamed back the live pictures from the surface of Mars. The space probes voyaging to the planets used gravity to help them travel huge distances on very little fuel. As they pass each planet, their gravity pulls them in and hurls them onwards a slight different course like a sling shot. Thus space shuttle is launched with solid fuel booster rockets that fall away, but then recovered. Typical shuttle missions include launching and repairing satellites and performing scientific experiments.

Satellites stay in orbit along their orbital plane is already set. Satellite orbit is 22000 miles (35800km) above the ground, takes exactly 24 hrs- the same time taken by the earth to rotate once. So satellites on this orbit stay in exactly that same place above the earth are known as geostationary satellites.

Satellite that orbits with the Sun is called as sunsynchronus. The orbits precision is due to earth’s oblateness. The inclination of the orbit is measured by the angle formed by the orbital plane of the satellite and the equatorial plane. As the orbital plane will always maintain its position relative to the sun. The satellite will have constant illumination conditions throughout the year, useful for remote sensing operations. If launched in a due east direction, the latitude of launched site will be the inclination of satellites orbit. A sun synchronous orbit is also called retrograde orbit (as it is in the opposite direction to the earth’s rotation). The satellites orbital plane should be inclined away from true north south polar orbit and have an inclination of more than 90°, otherwise the satellite orbital plane would not complete a full rotation. Hence a Sun synchronous orbit cannot be precisely polar (with 90° inclination). But nearly polar, typically around 100°. In fact a sun synchronous orbit is invariably a polar orbit. But converse need not to be true.

In today’s era, aeronautical engineering and space science is an very beloved subject. The dream to become an renowned person in this field is an passion embossed on the minds of tomorrows generation.

 

Student: Sneha Magar

 

space

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/northamerica/usa/10693321/Space-Camp-Alabama-how-to-be-an-astronaut.html

慈善活动

Society

随着中国经济的发展，许多中国人的腰包都鼓起来了。因此，不少人在满足自己生活开支和其他需要的情况下，会将多余的部分资金用来做社会公益活动。但是，不少险恶用心之人却将利用大众的善心，制造虚假慈善活动，并将募捐得来的款项挪为己用。

除此之外，不少明星更是利用慈善等话题炒作，来博取粉丝的关注度。不少明星在慈善活动上作秀，扬言要捐款，以公益活动来博取大众的喜爱。更有明星为了宣传自己的电影作品，也以公益话题作秀。但是事后，明星们却不能兑现自己的承诺。明星是真慈善还是假作秀，也许也只有他们自己心中明白。

除了假慈善，还有一类人的行为令人深恶痛绝。那就是那些装做残疾人在街头行骗之人。如今社会，人们将个人财富作为衡量一个人是否成功的唯一标准，因此，很多人为了赚钱，不惜一切手段，甚至是行骗。在街头，你可能会看到很多断臂或者断足的残疾人，他们或躺在地上，或跪在地上，给人一种很可怜很凄凉的感觉，来博取路人的同情心，从而给他们捐钱。但是，很多时候，事情的真相是这样吗？有媒体爆料，不少四肢健全的人，化妆成残疾人在街头行骗，每日收入可以达到百元以上。

助人为乐是中华名族的传统美德，不论是慈善活动或者其他形式的捐款捐物的本质都是在助人为乐，可是如今，慈善活动却被不少人利用，成为博取名誉，甚至赚钱的工具。在各种慈善活动变质的背后是国人道德沦陷的心寒的事实。

 

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https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=false+charity+events+and+fundraising+money+in+china&es_sm=93&biw=1366&bih=623&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIn9DB2s3hxgIVDBOSCh3e6AsV#imgrc=crD4FClkqoIIQM%3A

杜欣桐

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

手机-缺点

Technology

在过去的10年中，智能手机的普及给中国人生活带来了方方面面的影响。在这些影响之中，有许多好的影响，例如像支付软件的的使用大大便捷了人们的生活，但是与此同时，手机的普及也带来了许多负面的影响。下面以大学生为例，来谈谈其影响：

  • 学生沉溺于网络交流而缺乏面对面沟通交流技巧。当下，中国最流行的社交软件是“微博”“微信”。通过这2款社交软件，大学生可以很轻松的和自己的同学甚至陌生人取得联系。大家似乎已经习惯了躲在手机后面的聊天模式，这手机上聊天应用很自如，但是，对很多人来说，在和友人面对面相处时却不知道改如何聊天。以至于，很多聚会时，大家低头玩自己的手机，或者即使大家距离很近，也会选择使用手机聊天软件来沟通。
  • 社交圈成秀场，对大学生，甚至对整个社会的风气产生负面影响。在各种社交圈，总是可以看到各种秀奢饰品，秀长相，秀恩爱的所谓网络红人。这些人的言论和奢华的私人生活会对大学生的价值观造成消极影响，十分容易导致大学生，或者整个社会的盲目拜金心里。
  • 信息安全威胁加剧。在APP广泛运用的同时，手机用户的信息安全也遭受重大威胁。近几年，电信诈骗越来越多，而且涉案金额也越来越大。

 

9-in-10-Chinese-People-Now-Owns-a-Smartphone-as-the-Market-Becomes-Oversaturated-WSJ

http://news.softpedia.com/news/9-in-10-Chinese-People-Now-Owns-a-Smartphone-as-the-Market-Becomes-Oversaturated-WSJ-480807.shtml

 

 

Sink or Swim: Indonesia Takes Down Three Illegal Fishing Vessels

Other

Sink or Swim: Indonesia Takes Down Three Illegal Fishing Vessels
Indonesia kept its assurance to dropped foreign vessels that occupied within their water territory, by sending the three fishing vessels owned by Vietnamese to the lowest part of the Natuna Sea located in the northern part of Indonesia.
The coastal guard of Indonesia bombed the fishing vessels after they were caught operating an illegal fishing close to the area of Anambas island, which meets between Malaysia and Indonesian Borneo near the South China Sea. According to Navy representative Admiral Manahan Simorangkir, eight fishermen were released from their wooden fishing vessels and the gasoline was cleared before they were sunk to prevent water pollution.
Since the new management believes that the office in October will eliminate the illegal fishing within their sea territory for many years, the strategy that Indonesia did was the powerful action. President Joko Widodo guaranteed to drop the fishing vessels of foreign countries that operate illegal fishing in order to save and secure the oceanic resources of Indonesia. This implementation of the president statement gained criticism from the opposition of politics who insist that his plan would give a negative effect to the partnership of neighboring countries.
President Widodo prioritizes the security of marine resources of Indonesia against illegal fishing. He estimates that Indonesia loses almost twenty four billion dollars every year because of these illegal fishing operations. He and other officials suggested purchasing drones to track the boundless shoreline of Indonesia. He estimates that over five thousand fishing vessels are running an illegal fishing within the waters of Indonesia because of limited strict action and coastal guard resources.
J. Hariyanto

Apartment Buildings Need Better Rules for Shared Freezer Storage

Society
Apartment Buildings Need Better Rules for Shared Freezer Storage

Shared freezers in apartment lounges and community kitchens can become crowded with unmarked food that nobody knows whether to keep or discard.

At first glance, this seems like a minor administrative problem. In practice, it can affect dozens of people in a single day and create unnecessary friction around a service that should be routine.

Buildings should require names and dates, set maximum storage periods, publish cleaning schedules, and explain how abandoned food will be removed.

Good procedures are most useful when they are visible before trouble begins. A short sign, clear webpage, or simple instruction at the point of use can prevent many repeated questions.

Organizations should also collect basic feedback. If the same problem appears week after week, the issue is probably not careless users alone. It may be a sign that the process itself is unclear or badly designed.

Consistency matters too. Staff should know what the official rule is so users are not given different answers depending on whom they ask.

Simple freezer rules can prevent waste, reduce hygiene problems, and keep shared cold-storage space available for residents who actually use it.

The lesson is straightforward: small systems deserve attention because they shape everyday experience. When routine processes work smoothly, people rarely notice them. When they fail, they can consume far more time than the original task should require.

A short review after implementation can show whether the change is working as intended. If the same problem continues, staff should adjust the procedure instead of treating every new complaint as unrelated to the ones that came before.

A short review after implementation can show whether the change is working as intended. If the same problem continues, staff should adjust the procedure instead of treating every new complaint as unrelated to the ones that came before.

A short review after implementation can show whether the change is working as intended. If the same problem continues, staff should adjust the procedure instead of treating every new complaint as unrelated to the ones that came before.

A. Mercado

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Why Public Spaces Matter More Than We Realize

Other

Why Public Spaces Matter More Than We Realize

One social issue that often receives less attention than it deserves is the decline of meaningful public space. Public spaces include parks, libraries, sidewalks, plazas, community centers, and other shared environments where people can exist together without needing to spend money. These places may seem ordinary, but they play an essential role in social life. When public spaces are neglected, communities often become more isolated, unequal, and fragmented.

A healthy society needs places where different kinds of people can encounter one another naturally. In daily life, many environments are divided by age, income, occupation, or social group. Schools separate students from adults. Offices separate workers by profession. Private clubs, expensive cafes, and gated communities often limit who feels welcome. Public spaces are one of the few settings where people from different backgrounds can share the same environment. A park bench, a neighborhood library, or a public square may seem simple, but these places quietly support social connection and civic life.

Public spaces are especially important for people who do not have access to many private resources. A teenager who lives in a small apartment may rely on a library to study peacefully. An older adult who lives alone may depend on a nearby park for fresh air and human contact. Children need safe outdoor places to play and interact. Families may need community centers for programs, sports, or support services. When these spaces are missing, daily life becomes narrower and more stressful, especially for people with fewer economic advantages.

The decline of public space is tied to several modern trends. In some cities, overdevelopment has replaced open areas with commercial buildings and luxury housing. In other places, public spaces still exist but are poorly maintained, unsafe, or difficult to access. At the same time, more social life has moved indoors and online. People increasingly spend time in private spaces, on personal devices, or in places where participation depends on spending money. This can weaken the shared experiences that help communities feel connected.

There is also an important political dimension to public space. Public spaces are where people gather, speak, celebrate, protest, and observe one another as members of the same society. They are not only physical locations but also symbols of who belongs. If a city’s public areas are clean, welcoming, and accessible, they send the message that all residents matter. If they are neglected or designed mainly for surveillance, exclusion, or commercial profit, they send the opposite message.

Young people are especially affected by this issue. In many communities, teenagers are often treated as though they are welcome only in schools, homes, or commercial places. If they gather in public, they may be viewed with suspicion rather than recognized as part of community life. But young people also need places where they can socialize, move freely, and develop a sense of belonging. A society that offers young people no meaningful public space should not be surprised when isolation, boredom, and disconnection increase.

Protecting public space is therefore about more than urban design. It is about social well-being, fairness, and democratic life. Governments and communities should invest in parks, libraries, sidewalks, recreation areas, and other shared places that are safe, well-maintained, and open to everyone. These are not luxuries. They are part of the basic social infrastructure that allows people to live not only near one another, but with one another.

In the end, public spaces remind us that society is shared. They create room for ordinary human connection, and in doing so, they strengthen the fabric of community in ways that are easy to overlook but difficult to replace.

HAODE (YUKI) CHEN

Apartment Buildings Need Better Package-Room Pickup Reminders

Society
Apartment Buildings Need Better Package-Room Pickup Reminders

Residents may receive an initial package notification and then forget about the parcel until storage areas become crowded.

The issue may seem minor when it happens once. When the same uncertainty affects many people, however, it becomes a design problem rather than an isolated inconvenience.

Buildings should send polite follow-up reminders, distinguish perishable deliveries from ordinary packages, and explain how long items can remain before escalation.

The procedure should be visible before someone reaches the difficult moment. Instructions buried in a handbook or several layers of a website are far less useful than a short notice placed where the decision actually occurs.

Organizations should also review recurring questions and complaints. Repeated reports often reveal whether the problem comes from unclear communication, limited capacity, outdated equipment, or inconsistent staff responses.

Consistency matters. Two users facing the same situation should not receive completely different answers simply because they spoke to different employees.

Simple pickup reminders can reduce clutter without making residents feel constantly monitored.

Small operational details shape trust. When rules are understandable and predictable, people can focus on the purpose of the service instead of spending time figuring out how the service itself works.

A short review after implementation can show whether the change is actually helping. If the same problem continues to appear, the organization should be willing to adjust the procedure instead of treating every new report as a separate exception.

A short review after implementation can show whether the change is actually helping. If the same problem continues to appear, the organization should be willing to adjust the procedure instead of treating every new report as a separate exception.

A short review after implementation can show whether the change is actually helping. If the same problem continues to appear, the organization should be willing to adjust the procedure instead of treating every new report as a separate exception.

A. Moreno

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