【推荐1】Creative vending(售卖) machine prints short stories to read while you wait

Recently, inventive vending machines have become popular around France.     1     Created by literature-loving company Short Edition, these savvy stalls(货摊) promise to help pass the time, whether you’re waiting at the airport, stuck at the train station, or even accompanying your friend on the trip to the mall.

    2     To use these wonderful and creative inventions, simply choose your desired reading time: 1 minute, 3 minutes, or 5 minutes. Then, the machine will surprise you with a randomly-selected short story to occupy your time and make waiting around a bit more bearable— at least for a couple of minutes!

The “Short Story Dispenser” first debuted(亮相) at Paris’ bustling Charles de Gaulle Airport last year.     3     If you’d like to learn more about the locations of these lovely literary oases, check out the Short Edition website.     4    

    5     All you have to do is choose the length of time you'd like to spend reading. And look! Out comes a little piece of literature.

【推荐2】European researchers say they have created a process that can produce oxygen from moon dust. The process could provide a major source of oxygen for humans taking part in moon exploration activities in the future. Researchers from the European Space Agency，or ESA，carried out the experiments at a laboratory in the Netherlands.

The team says ESA’s experimental“plant”was able to successfully produce oxygen from simulated moon dust. The dust is part of a material known as regolith，a top layer of dirt and rock pieces that sit on the surface of the moon. Samples of regolith returned from the moon have confirmed that the material contains about 45 percent oxygen by weight. However，the oxygen is chemically locked in the form of minerals or glass，so it is not easily available for use. Having real samples of regolith from the moon made it possible for the researchers to create the simulated moon dust material used during testing.

The oxygen extraction(提取)process is carried out using a method called molten salt electrolysis(熔盐电解). This includes first placing the regolith in a metal container. Calcium chloride salt is added to the mixture，which is then heated to 950 degrees Celsius. At this temperature，the regolith remains solid. Next，an electrical current is passed through the material. The researchers say it is this step that results in oxygen being extracted from the regolith. The study reported that up to 96 percent of oxygen in the simulated moon dust was extracted during the experiments.

ESA’s long-term goal is to design an oxygen-producing“pilot plant”to operate full-time on the moon. The first technology demonstration of the system is expected to take place in the middle 2020s. Beth Lomax，a lead researcher on the project，said，“Being able to acquire oxygen from resources found on the moon would obviously be hugely useful for future lunar settlers，both for breathing and the local production of rocket fuel. ”The researchers reported that“as a bonus，”the process also results in the production of usable metallic materials.

ESA and the US space agency NASA are both working on plans to return human beings to the moon. NASA has set a goal for 2024 with the aim to keep humans on the moon for long periods.

【推荐3】Dogs are considered by many to be man’s best friend and with millions of dogs owned by families in the US, it is highly likely that many dogs are in need of some amount of training. Since dogs can hear sounds at much higher frequencies (频率) than humans, there is a wonderful tool for the training of a dog. It is an app (应用程序) called the Dog Whistle. This isn’t your typical whistle in that it produces sounds at a frequency that is unable to be heard by humans. This unique app will allow you to train your dog without the need of a dog whistle.

The Dog Whistle free app was created by an app developer Maoli Wang specifically for dog owners who are looking for a way to communicate with their dogs in order to be able to either train them or alert (使警觉) them when the noise around is too great for them to hear you call them. By simply fixing the app on your iPhone, it will immediately turn itself into a dog whistle.

The app includes a very powerful system that is able to create different tones ranging from 16,000 to 40,000 Hz in order for a dog to be able to hear it. The app also has an on-screen sound meter in order for the user to monitor the sound level being produced. In that way, they can decide on which frequency works best for their dog. What’s more, the app easily produces the requested tones at the frequencies necessary to be used to communicate with your dog by simply tapping the screen of your phone.

The app was designed to be used in place of a dog whistle in order to get your dogs attention when it is too noisy around them. The sound produced through the app is at a level that only dogs are able to hear and they will respond to the sound. If you own a dog and are having behavioral issues with them, you would surely benefit from the Dog Whistle free app available by clicking here.

【推荐1】Men have long been puzzled by the amount women pack, when they go on holiday. They despair as they watch their beloved spend much money on extra baggage charge. Nearly half of these women admitted to lying about the weight of their case to their partner before leaving for the airport, in fear of being made to unload some unnecessary items.

But it's a fact that women pack more than they need. On average, a woman needs around 57 items in suitcase for a two-week holiday, yet most women pack nearer to 150 items, ranging from skirts, tops, underwear and high heels. In addition, women pack more sun cream, make-up and hair appliances than they are likely to need. They all take up space in the suitcase, only a third of them will see the light of day once at the holiday place.

79 percent of women admitted to taking extra items with them, with the reason for this being ''just in case''. Women plan their holiday wardrobe months in advance. Packing enough clothes and other items to last a month is not enough for some women. They'd take a chance to shop for new items while holidaying abroad. So they'll return with even more luggage in their cases.

Professor Karen Pine said, ''Women are tempted to take familiar items with them on holiday, often everything except the kitchen sink. Some people find traveling stressful, particularly when they're unsure about the home comforts available at their holiday place. They over- pack to help cope with those feelings of stress and reduce the uncertainty. ''

This will come as no surprise to some men, who are used to trying to squeeze their partner's luggage into the boot of the car with their own, smaller case. On the other hand, men pack very lightly, with only an average of 40 items for a two-week holiday.

【推荐2】Robert Jarvik, born on May 11, 1946 in Michigan and raised in Stamford, is a medical scientist and researcher, who played an important role in the invention of the artificial heart. He was interested in medicine from a young age. He watched his father perform operations and gained a patent (专利权) for a machine applied in the medical operation before he graduated from high school.

Jarvik attended Syracuse University and considered a career in art. When his father developed heart disease suddenly, he decided then to work on a medical career. He applied to medical schools, but was not admitted to any schools in the US. Before long, he was admitted to the medical school in Italy and stayed there for two years. He returned to get a degree in medicine from New York University in 1971.

After working for a period of time; Jarvik got a job in the organ transplant (器官移植) program at the University of Utah in 1972. He worked with the director of the program, Willem Kolff, who invented the kidney dialysis (肾透析) machine.

By the time Jarvik came to the University of Utah, the organ program had already developed the primary artificial heart. He improved it by creating a diaphragm (横膈膜), which solved many issues with the heart. Eventually, he created the first artificial heart in 1981, the Jarvik-7, to be placed in a human patient, which was considered one of the most important inventions in human history.

Barney Clark, a retired dentist suffering from serious heart disease, received the Jarvik-7 transplant on December 2, 1982. He lived for 112 days after the operation, but the transplant was considered a success. Though receiving criticism for the risk referred to transplant an artificial heart, the Jarvik-7 still became very important for patients who were waiting for a heart. In 1987, Jarvik moved to New York City and formed Jarvik Research Inc. He began developing a new heart — the Jarvik 2000. This smaller machine fits inside a patient’s heart rather than replacing the entire organ.