【推荐1】All across America, students are anxiously finishing their “What I Want To Be …” college application essays, advised to focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) by experts and parents who insist that’s the only way to become workforce ready. But two recent studies of workplace success contradict the traditional wisdom about “hard skills”.

Google originally set its hiring systems to sort for computer science students with top grades from top science universities. In 2013, Google decided to test its hiring theory by quickly dealing with large amounts hiring, firing, and promotion data collected since the company’s establishment.

Project Oxygen shocked everyone by concluding that, among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees, STEM capability comes in dead last. The seven top characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing comprehension into others; being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas.

Those characteristics sound more like what one gains as an English or theater major than as a programmer. Could it be that top Google employees were succeeding despite their technical training, not because of it? After bringing in more experts to dive even deeper into the data, the company enlarged its previous hiring practices to include humanities majors, artists, and even the MBAs (Master of Business Administration).

Project Aristotle, a study released by Google this past spring, further supports the importance of soft skills even in high-tech environments. Project Aristotle analyzes data on inventive and productive teams. Google takes pride in its A-teams, assembled with top scientists, each with the most specialized knowledge and able to throw down one creative idea after another. Its data analysis revealed, however, that the company’s most important and productive new ideas come from B-teams comprised of employees who don’t always have to be the smartest people in the room.

Project Aristotle shows that the best teams at Google exhibit a range of soft skills: equality, generosity, curiosity toward the ideas of your teammates, understanding, and emotional intelligence. And topping the list: emotional safety. To succeed, each and every team member must feel confident speaking up and making mistakes. They must know they are being heard.

STEM skills are vital to the world we live in today, but technology alone, as Steve Jobs famously insisted, is not enough. We desperately need those who are educated to the human, cultural, and social as well as the computational.

【推荐2】A recent survey found children would rather be online influencers than astronauts. It made headlines and led to plenty of complaints about “kids these days”. Is influencing a promising career path? The lifestyles we see advertised on social media are enticing, but under the shining appearance lie uncertain income, pay inequality, disability and mental health issues.

Successful influencers will be the first to claim that anyone can make it in the industry. However, social media economy experts uncovered a huge income gap between successful influencers and everyone else. For most people trying to become an influencer, their passion projects of content creation often become free work for brands.

Most influencers are self-employed, often experiencing inconsistent income and a lack of protection that comes with long-term employment. The risks of self-employment are increased in the influencer industry by an absence of industry standards and little pay transparency(透明度). Influencers are often forced to assess their own value and determine fees for their work. As a result, content creators often undervalue their own creative labour, and many end up working for free.

Influencers are also often at the mercy of algorithms (运算法则) — the behind-the-scenes computer programs that determine which posts are shown, in which order, to users. Platforms share little detail about their algorithms, yet they finally determine who and what gains visibility and influence on social media, the threat of invisibility is a constant source of insecurity for influencers, who are under constant pressure to feed platforms with content. If they don’t, they may be “punished” by the algorithm-having posts hidden or displayed lower down on search results.

Constant online presence leads to one of the most common issues in the influencer industry: mental health concerns. Influencers can connect to their platform workspaces and audience at any time of day or night, which can lead to them overworking. Coupled with the fear of online criticism, it contributes to mental and physical health issues.

Although becoming an influencer may look appealing to more and more people, the industry’s dark underside needs to be made visible and improved through enhanced employment regulation and industry-led cultural change.

【推荐3】Many young people would like to make a booth（货摊）to do business on the street in the name of entrepreneurship（创业精神）and sell lemon. It might seem like an easy sell-kids offering cool drinks. Some entrepreneurs offer their tips on how to make money from this.

Joe Mansueto, founder of the investment company Morningstar, sold lemonade as a kid. "You should always pay attention to customers," he said. "When somebody's walking down the street, get out from behind the booth, greet them, talk to them and just make friends with them to attract more customers."

However, his two sons decided to sell a different drink. When they were 8 and 10, his boys sold cocoa outside their home. The great thing about business is that there are really no rules. You can be creative and try something different, Mansueto said.

But it wasn't enough for US representative Mike Quigley and his older brother to sell drinks. They sold old books at the booth and would rent them out for customers to read while they enjoyed their drinks.

Adam Ochstein, founder of StratEx Partners, a human resources service company, gave frequent visitors cards which were printed with a lemon. Every five drinks, customers got one card which allowed them to pay less than half of the next drink. However, they didn't price the drinks. "If you want to give nothing, give nothing. If you want to give $2, give $2. I think we had let the adults give more money than they probably would like to, "Today, he suggests kids use social media for marketing. He said, "It can tell people where the booth is going to be and what unique specials you're running."

【推荐1】There is no doubt e-commerce is growing, and it will continue to grow. However, physical stores would not die as a result of the rise of e-commerce, at least not in the near future. The idea that e-commerce is taking over physical stores has already misguided many people. Physical stores are far from vanishing (消逝), and there are some solid reasons for it.

The projections for online spending is optimistic with 150 billion expected to be spent in the coming three years, yet we are also expecting 300 billion in spending at physical stores in the same duration. Do you still think that physical-store shopping is too small to sustain (支撑) the e-commerce blow?

Even though consumers are staying away from physical stores that follow older concepts, yet we are seeing the rise of fresh concept stores all around the US. We are seeing innovative and attractive success stories of physical stores, ranging from clothes stores to restaurants to health spas. It would be easy to assume that this trend will continue.

Indeed, many shopping malls are dying, yet there are still some shopping centers that are performing well. You can see this for yourself by visiting shopping malls near you. What I want to emphasize here is that not all shopping centers are made equal, just like not all e-commerce retailers (零售商) are made equal. Both shopping malls and e-commerce sites can lose business if they fail to maintain productivity through improvements and innovations. When you visit shopping centers that are serious about their business, you would see their shops and parking lots packed.

On the other hand, even e-tailers like Amazon have experimented with pop-up shopping concepts. It is important to bear in mind that consumers prefer face-to-face interactions instead of online interactions during shopping, meaning that physical stores are going to stay there.

Still, e-commerce retailers are seeing all of their excitement disappear as they settle the sales tax problem associated with e-tailing. As of now, five states of America have already imposed sales tax on purchases through e-commerce sites, and e-tailers in those states have already witnessed 6 to 12 percent decrease in sales.

This reinforces the fact that physical stores are here to stay, and if you are still undervaluing their growth, you are omitting (省略) a huge chunk of the retail representation.

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【推荐2】Hollywood’s only Chinese-American superhero has stirred up heated debate on social media after she spoke out against discrimination in American show business.

Chloe Bennet, a Chinese-American actress who stars in Marvel’s trending TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., explained on social media why she changed her last name from Wong to Bennet, arguing that Hollywood is “racist” and wouldn’t cast her with a last name that made them “uncomfortable.”

“Changing my last name doesn’t change the fact that my BLOOD is half Chinese, that I lived in China, speak Mandarin, or that I was culturally raised both American and Chinese,” replied Bennet.

Bennet’s remarks come after Ed Skrein stepped down from his role as Major Ben Daimion in the upcoming Hellboy movie for fear that his participation would be “whitewashing” a character of Asian descent(后裔).

Racial barriers have been an essential problem in Hollywood. According to research conducted by the University of Southern California in 2015, nearly three-quarters of all characters in the top 100 films of 2014 were white, while only 5.3 percent of Asian artists can share the same privilege. In another report released in 2017, only 3.4 percent of over 1,000 surveyed films had an Asian director.

“Asian artists can hardly stand out in Hollywood. Most roles starred by Asians are fixed and stereotyped, as if all Asians are good at math and martial arts. There is an invisible discrimination lurking(潜伏) in show business, as the difference of your skin color may bring disparity in your income and opportunities,” said Alex She, a New York-based Chinese-American photographer and movie maker.

Bennet’s experience has led to heated debate on both Chinese and foreign social media.

【推荐3】Even when communing with nature we depend on technology for help-but then, so did Thoreau at Walden Pond.

Walking in the same woods yesterday, I let myself wander at random, communing with nature.

I took in beautiful scenery near and far thanks to my progressive-lens eyeglasses. Occasionally I’d pull out my smartphone to take pictures on anything interesting. I recorded an inner monologue (独白) with a background of all sounds of the forest. At times, I consulted my smart watch to check on my heartbeat, mileage and calorie burn. Eventually I realized I was quite lost. Not a problem of course. Online maps came to my rescue.

But something bothered me. In what I’d intended as a nature experience, here I was using very high technology to help myself out. This insight set off a reconsideration of everything that happened during my “nature walk”, which had been technologically enhanced every step of the way. I’d been functioning as a man-machine combination: a cyborg.

What would the true naturalist Thoreau think of that? My first thought was that he’d be shocked. But later I did some research. Thoreau enjoyed what his spyglass discovered, like this eagle from his journal:

Lying on the ground with my glass, I could watch him very easily…till I almost lost him in the clouds… I think I have got the worth of my glass now that it has revealed to me the white- headed eagle.

Famously, Thoreau always set out equipped with a walking stick, which he used not only for support but also to take measurements of water and snow levels. His hat was also a tool, which he called his “botany-box”. And he was prepared even with needles and thread, so when coming out of the woods, he was “the best dressed”. Clearly, Thoreau was a bit of a cyborg himself.

Thinking more deeply, I realized we’ve come a long way from our hunter-gatherer ancestors, who walked from necessity and relied on nature’s gift. Cyborgs are us.

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【推荐1】Grandparents who help out occasionally with childcare or provide support for others in their community tend to live longer than seniors who do not care for other people, according to a study from Berlin, Germany.

“Having no contact with grandchildren at all can negatively impact grandparents’ health.” said Sonja Hilbrand, one of the researchers. The findings are drawn from data on more than 500 people over age 70 in the Berlin Aging Study. The study team compared this group with those who provided support for non-family members, such as neighbors, and seniors who did not provide any care for other people. Overall, after accounting for grandparents’ age and general state of health, the risk of dying over a 20-year period was one-third lower for grandparents who cared for their grandchildren, compared with grandparents who provided no childcare.

Caregiving was associated with a longer life even when the care receiver wasn’t a relative. Half of the grandparents who cared for grandchildren were still alive ten years after the initial interview. In contrast, about half of the participants who did not help others died within five years after the start of the study.

“Caregiving may give caregivers a purpose of life because they may feel useful for others and society. Caregiving may be thought also as an activity that keeps caregivers physically and mentally active,” said Professor Bruno Arpino, adding that caregiving is not the only activity that can improve old people’s health, and too many caring responsibilities can take away from other beneficial activities like working, being in social clubs, or volunteering. “Children should take into account their parents’ needs, willingness, and desires and agree with them on the timing and amount of childcare,” he suggested.

【推荐2】The driver who cuts you off in traffic.The neighbors who don't pick up after their dog.Situations such as these get our hearts racing and send our stress levels skyrocketing.Anger isn't a pleasant feeling.Some of us bottle up the emotion, while others explode in a wild rage (狂怒).Both habits do considerable harm to our bodies, our minds, and our relationships.

“Anger may fee1 uncomfortable and a lot of people think they have to get rid of their anger," says Patrick Keelan, a registered psychologist in Calgary, Alberta.“But anger is an emotion built into us to signal that something needs to be addressed.When we take notice of that signal and actually wrestle with the problem instead of turning a blind eye to it, we' re usually much better for it.”

Unfortunately, many of us have been conditioned to keep our emotions hidden.Increasingly,research is suggesting that this can have long-term effects on our health.Investigators at the University of Rochester noticed that people who contain their emotions tend to live shorter lives.When we're angry, stress hormones are released, which can make us more likely to develop a wide range of diseases, including diabetes, depression, immune related conditions.

Is it better, then, to scream and howl whenever something makes you mad? That's probably the reason why“rage rooms" have popped up in many American cities, where folks are invited to let steam off by violently smashing (打碎) stuff in a“safe" environment.However, the research indicates that when people display anger aggressively, it can actually increase the intensity of the anger -- and increase the likelihood of aggressive actions in the future.It doesn't take much imagination to predict how such behavior can affect your relationship with your spouse, your kids, or your colleagues.It also hurts your health.A large 2016 study at McMaster University found that people are more than twice as likely to have a heart attack after an angry explosion.

If we shouldn't bottle up our angry feelings but aggressive behavior isn't healthy either, how should we handle things that tick us of? It's the extreme highs and lows that cause the damage.If you're able to apply techniques that smooth out some of those peaks and valleys, you can have a gentler ride.

【推荐3】Third-hand smoke exposure can weaken your brain and liver, affecting your behavior, increasing your risk of diseases, and ruining your metabolism(新陈代谢). That is according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside who saw significant health issues in people within a month of exposure to smoke.

The research team analyzed how people were affected by absorbing smoke from another person’s clothing, hair, home, or car. In previous studies on mice, the same scientists showed third-hand smoke can cause type 2 diabetes(糖尿病), liver and lung damage. Now, they’ve shown they can even see an impact on brain and liver tissues.

“Our goal was to determine the minimum amount of time required to cause physiological changes in mice when they’re exposed to THS(third-hand smoke), ” said lead author Manuela Martins-Green. “We found that THS exposure as early as one month resulted in liver damage. THS exposure for two months resulted in further molecular damage, and at four to six months caused even more such damage. So THS is a stent killer.”

Third-hand smoke, which cannot be seen but can be smelled, remains on surfaces for many years, and are resistant to even strong cleaning agents(清洁剂). Further, hotel rooms, car and homes that were occupied by smokers are very likely to be polluted with THS.

Because THS is absorbed through skin and breathing, and children frequently put their hands in their mouths, children are especially susceptible, given their close contact with household surfaces.

“Clearly, THS is affecting the behavior of mice. ”said Martins-Green, “It’s not hard to imagine what the impact is on children. Although our work was done on mice, we’re confident our results will apply to humans.”

【推荐1】Described as the world’s most environmentally friendly protein, Solein is made by applying electricity to water to release bubbles of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Living microbes(微生物) are then added to the liquid to feed on the carbon dioxide and hydrogen bubbles and produce the Solein, which is then dried to make the powder. It’s a natural fermentation(发酵) process similar to beer brewing. The dried Solein has a protein content of 50 percent and looks and tastes just like wheat flour.

“It is a completely new kind of food, a new kind of protein, different to all the food on the market todav in how it is produced as it does not need agriculture.” Dr Pasi Vinikka, the chief executive of Solar Foods told The Guardian. The process used to produce Solein — converting hydrogen and carbon dioxide to calories — is amazing, as the wonder food can be produced anywhere in the world. It’s also 10 times more energy-efficient per hectare than photosynthesis (光合作用), and 10 to 100 times more environment and climate-friendly in water use than animal or plant based food production.

“Solein also contains all the essential amino acids(氨基酸), but because it is produced using carbon dioxide and electricity, it does not require large amounts of land to produce,” the Solar Foods website explains. “Another unique characteristic of Solein is that it is able to take carbon directly from carbon dioxide without needing a source of sugar.”

While Solar Foods does not expect Solein to challenge conventional protein production methods in the next two decades, it does expect it to become a “new harvest” for humanity, which is significant considering so far we have only relied on plants and animals for sustenance. The Helsinki-based company plans to open its first Solein factory at the end of 2021 and scale up production to two billion meals per year by 2022.

【推荐2】Recently, a new study suggests that staying positive through the cold season could be the best defense(抵御) against getting sick.

In an experiment that exposed（暴露）healthy volunteers to a cold of flu virus, researchers found that people with a generally sunny emotion were less likely to fall ill. The findings, published in the journal “Psychosomatic Medicine”, build on evidence that a “positive emotional style” can help defend the common cold and other illnesses.

“People with a positive emotional style may have different immune responses to the virus,” explained Dr Sheldom Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. And when they do get a cold, they may experience their illness as less serious.

Cohen and his colleagues had found in a previous study that happier people seemed less susceptible(易受影响的) to catching a cold, but some questions remained as to whether the emotional quality itself had the effect.

For the new study, the researchers had 193 healthy adults complete standard measures of personality qualities, physical health and “emotional style”.

Those who tended to be happy, energetic and easy-going were judged as having a positive emotional style, while those who were often unhappy and tense had a negative style.

Afterwards, the researchers gave them nose drops containing either a cold virus or a particular flu virus that causes flu-like symptoms. Over the next six days the volunteers reported on any aches, pains, sneeze they had. Cohen and his colleagues found that positive emotions really have the big effect of fighting virus.

【推荐3】In science, a theory is a reasonable explanation of observed events that are related. A theory often involves an imaginary model that helps scientists picture the way an observed event could be produced. A good example of this is found in the kinetic molecular (分子运动) theory, in which gases are pictured as being made up of many small particles (微粒) that are in constant motion.

A useful theory, in addition to explaining past observations, helps to predict events that have not as yet been observed. After a theory has been publicized, scientists design experiments to test the theory. If observations confirm the scientists’ predictions, the theory is supported. If observations do not confirm the predictions, the scientists must search further. There the scientists must search further. There may be a fault in the experiment, or the theory may have to be revised or rejected.

Science involves imagination and creative thinking as well as collecting information and performing experiments. Facts by themselves are not science. As the mathematician Jules Henri Poincare said: “Science is built with facts just as a house is built with bricks, but a collection of facts cannot be called science any more than a pile of bricks can be called a house.”

Most scientists start an investigation by finding out what other scientists have learned about a particular problem. After known facts have been gathered, the scientist comes to the part of the investigation that requires considerable imagination. Possible solutions to the problem are formulated (制定). These possible solutions are called hypotheses (假设).

In a way, any hypothesis is a leap into the unknown. It extends the scientist’s thinking beyond the known facts. The scientist plans experiments, performs calculations, and makes observations to test hypotheses. For without hypotheses, further investigation lacks purpose and direction. When hypotheses are confirmed, they are incorporated (合并) into theories.