【推荐2】Clean drinking water is something we might take for granted at home, but not so for travelers. The epiphany moment for Samuel Ian Rosen came when he found himself at an airport selling out $ 5 for a bottle of Evian water.

“Nobody up till now has built a digital map for drinking water,” Rosen, a serial entrepreneur(企业家), said in an interview. “Finding water is inconvenient. When I opened a digital map and typed ‘water fountain’, there was nothing. We solved it by building a digital map for water. We are a search engine. We tell you where the water is.”

Beginning October 23, consumers in cities from New York and Los Angeles to Amsterdam and New Delhi will be able to download an app called “Tap” on their mobile phones that will help them find the closest free public drinking fountains and water bottle refill stations at places like airports. They can also refill(再装满) their bottles at over 34,000 cafes. Restaurants and other businesses-from Umami Burger and Shake Shack to Sweetgreen and Barry's Bootcamp-have signed on globally in the Tap's Refill Station network. Rosen said that number is rapidly growing.

The app allows users to narrow their search by such criteria as whether the water is unfiltered(未过滤的) or flavored. There are also “water ATMS” where people will be able to purchase unpackaged water to refill their existing bottles.

“We didn't have to wait to convince anyone to sign up,” Rosen who previously founded on-demand storage company Makespace, said. “It's similar to what corporations are doing with sustainability for the same right reason. We have brand ambassadors as young as 10 signing up local businesses. This is a movement.”

【推荐1】As we all know, children are fast learners when learning a second language. However, adults can study a second language as fast as children, a new study reports. Adults can develop the increased neural (神经的) connections with language study that can avoid dementia (痴呆) by four years, as well as make traveling a lot easier.

In an examination of Spanish second-language learners, the researchers found that after simplest training, the brain activity between sentences that relied on grammatical features unique to each language was similar to that of native speakers. “I think it is the reason why people think university foreign language teaching is good. It shows that, even with limited time in the college classroom, learning can happen quite quickly and well.” said professor Alison Gabriele, the co-author of the paper.

Beyond that, it gives parents more reasons to study a second language as part of a family effort. Further research has shown that learning a language as a family effort improves everyone’s abilities and gives opportunities for learning something that are mostly absent from classroom settings. National Leographic reports in an interview with Christine Jemigan, author of Family Language Learning: Learn Another Language, Raise Bilingual Children, that as for immersion (沉浸) in language study, practicing a second language with people is the most important part, and who talks to each other more than a family? Language learners need to be brave. Besides, they should ready themselves for making mistakes and receive others’ advice.

Most people will be far more comfortable making mistakes around family members than in a classroom setting. Furthermore, any home activity. whether that’s gardening. playing in the yard, watching movies, going shopping, cleaning, or cooking a meal, becomes an opportunity for language learning Jernigan suggests preparing vocabulary before an activity and using it as short homework. Jernigan suggests using subtitles (字幕) too, so you can see which words are being used.

【推荐2】The sales advertisements tempt (诱惑): Blue-light-blocking glasses are supposed to protect eyes from the effects of short-wave length light emitting from our smartphones, computer screens and LED lights. Given how much time we spend on our devices, this sounds like a smart investment, right? After all, eye strain (疲劳) is a real issue and can lead to poor sleep and even eye diseases. The glasses can cost $15 all the way up to several hundred dollars. But do they work?

Elizabeth Esparaz, an ophthalmologist (眼科专家) based in Cleveland, Ohio, says the science that manufacturers share as they promote these glasses can be confusing. For starters, blue light is not just about tech devices, and it’s not always bad. “The sun emits a much higher intensity of blue light than human-made devices, which helps our mood, alertness and sleep-wake cycle,” says Dr. Esparaz.

The problem is blue light at night: It contains the release of melatonin. “Melatonin helps regulate our circadian rhythms (生理节奏) and makes us sleepy,” says Dr. Esparaz.

So, in theory, wearing blue-light-blocking glasses should help people who watch movies in bed or read from a tablet at night avoid sleeplessness. A review study from the University of Oklahoma that looked al 24 previous studies found that people affected by sleep disorders, jet lag and shift work fell asleep faster after using these glasses.

As for eye strain, a 2021 Australian study showed that those wearing the glasses did not experience less eye strain than those using clear glasses. And a 2018 review study, also by Australian researchers found insufficient evidence that they prevent certain eye diseases.

“These glasses aren’t going to be harmful,” says Dr. Esparaz, But, she adds, a lack of standardization in the industry means there’s no way to know if one pair is better than another. A more reliable solution: Turn on the blue-light-filtering function on your devices and limit screen time before bed. To help with eye strain, Dr. Esparaz suggests taking breaks and using lubricating eye drops.

【推荐3】Many people hate the idea of having to sleep on a plane. But Swedish entrepreneur Oscar Dios thinks they can be persuaded otherwise and he has created a new kind of hostel to prove it.

Dios says it is the world’s first jumbo jet hostel, an actual jet-plane at Sweden’s main airport outside Stockholm which has been converted (改装) into a 25-room guesthouse that sleeps as many as 72 people.

“I learned about this plane that was standing abandoned at Arlanda airport and I’ve been trying the concept of hostels in many different houses and buildings, ”he told reporters. “I thought, ‘Why not a plane? ’”

Jumbo Hostels opened for business on Thursday, giving customers the chance to check in and sleep in a room that can best be described as cozy.

“The most challenging part with this project is trying to build something inside a metal hull (外壳)—it’s just really, really tight. ”

The jet, which was originally produced for Singapore Airlines, was taken out of service in 2002. One thing the hostel has going for it is price—a room starts at 350 Swedish crowns (about﹩41), which is a lot less than hotel rooms outside of major airports.

Another feature: customers can get married on the wing of the plane and live in the plane’s more luxurious honeymoon room situated in the cockpit (驾驶舱).

Instead of walking down the aisle (走廊), lovebirds can take what Jumbo Hostels calls the“wing walk”, where they can be joined in great joy at the wing tip. The hostel has someone ready to perform the ceremony.

But in some respects, this hostel remains a plane—most customers have to share the jet’s nine bathrooms and staff only wear air steward and stewardess clothes. The only room that has its own bathroom is the honeymoon suite.