1 . Whom should you marry? Where should you live? How should you spend your time? For centuries, people have relied on their gut instincts (直觉) to figure out the answers to these life-changing questions. Now, though, there is a better way. We are living through a data explosion, as vast amounts of information about all aspects of human behavior have become more and more accessible. We can use this big data to help determine the best course to chart.

There has long been overwhelming- and often surprising- evidence that algorithms (算法) can be much better than people at making difficult decisions. Researchers have collected data on various kinds of choices people make, the information they base those choices on, and how things turn out. They have found, for example, that a simple data-driven algorithm would have been better than judges at deciding whether a defendant should stay in jail (监狱) or be released; better than doctors at deciding whether a patient should get a procedure; and better than school principals at deciding which teachers should be promoted.

The power of data analysis has been proved in the sports and business worlds, too. As made famous by the book and movie Moneyball, baseball teams found that algorithms were better than scouts (物色优秀运动员的人) at picking players, and better than managers at picking strategies. In finance, the hedge fund (避险基金) Renaissance Technologies dramatically defeated competitors by seeking out patterns in stock market data and using them to inform its investment strategy. Tech firms in Silicon Valley have found that data from experiments provides better insights into how to design their websites than designers could.

These are the early days of the data revolution in decision-making. I am not claiming that we can completely outsource (外包) our lifestyle choices to algorithms, though we might get to that point in the future. I am claiming instead that we can all dramatically improve our decision-making by consulting evidence mined from thousands or millions of people who faced dilemmas similar to ours. And we can do that now.

2 . A charming three-story home sits at the corner of 10th and Center streets on the Georgia Instiute of Technology (Georgin Tech) campus in Atlanta. From the outside, it appears just like any other home, but inside, Georgia Tech researchers are testing and developing advanced devices to determine which can make the home safer and smarter — for older adults.

The house is actually a living lab, called the Aware Home, and research conducted there has revealed (显示) many top home­related concerns among older adults — unattended cooking, water left running, TVs left on... and doors left unlocked.

Now, some in ­home technologies are in development — or on the market — to address those concerns.

One new device called Inirv React connects your stove (炉具) to a sensor in your home and a smartphone app. The sensor will automatically turn the stove off if it no longer detects movement around the appliance after a certain period of time. You can also turn the stove off using your smartphone.

Devices of the future are expected to collect and use date to become smarter, according to Elizabeth Mynatt, a professor at Georgia Tech. “They will learn more about your habits, your likes, your dislikes, your routines, when you’re most likely to forget to take your medicine, what are the aspects (方面) of your health that need the most attention,” she said.

With any technology, “most people ask that question ‘How invasive (侵扰的) is it?’. But what we hear from older adults is that they value the security and the safety that the technology provides for them,” Mynatt said.

75-­year-old Albert Bolet of Atlanta thinks most older adults are typically ready to bring technology into their homes. “People have the misguided impression that seniors are opposed to technology.” said Bolet. “We do understand wireless technology, and we understand how these things will make things easier. Being independent is most important in the mind of anybody that gets to be our age or older.”

3 . As we all know, insects can be remarkably agile (灵活的) in flight. This is really hard to build into flying robots, but MIT Assistant Professor Kevin Yufeng Chen has developed an insect-sized drone (无人机) that approaches insects’ agility.

Typically, drones require wide open spaces. “If we look at most drones today, they’re usually quite big,” says Chen. “Most of their applications involve flying outdoors. The question is: Can you create an insect-sized drone that can move around in very crowded and complex spaces?”

According to Chen, he overcame many problems when building the drone. The insect-sized drone requires a fundamentally different construction from a larger one. The large drone is usually powered by a motor, but the motor loses efficiency as you shrink it. So, Chen says, “For an insect-sized drone, you need to look for alternatives.” The principal alternative until now has been employing a small, rigid actuator (执行器) built from new materials. Chen designed a more agile tiny drone using soft actuators instead of hard ones.

Each actuator can beat nearly 500 times per second and weighs just 0.6 gram, approximately the mass of a large bee. It gives the drone insect-like agility. “You can hit it when it’s flying, and it can recover,” says Chen. “It can also turn over in the air.” The drone looks a bit like a tiny cassette tape with wings, though Chen is also working on a new one shaped like a dragonfly.

Chen says his drone can be useful in industry and agriculture. It can perform machinery inspections to ensure safety and function. Its potential applications include completing search-and-rescue missions following a disaster. “All those things can be very difficult for existing large-scale drones,” Chen explains.

4 . Very few people enjoy going to the dentist, especially for a filling. Often fillings need to be replaced during the patient’s lifetime. But is filling the cavity (蛀牙洞) with a foreign material really the best treatment? Is it possible that the tooth could repair itself with its own material — dentine (牙质)? Researchers at King’s College London have found a process that may replace the traditional method.

Paul Sharpe of King’s College London says the new treatment for cavities is simpler. It uses a drug that causes the tooth to fill in the hole naturally with dentine. “It involves putting a drug in the hole. It excites a natural process, which starts to occur anyway following the damage, so you can actually get the big hole repaired and the repair is the production of the natural material, the dentine.”

Usually a new drug requires repeated testing before it is approved for treatment. However, this drug that produces the regrowth material in teeth has already been approved. It is a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders of the nervous system. Researchers explain that they use only a small amount and they use it locally. Usually that means the medicine is put directly on the affected area. It does not travel through the patient’s blood.

Nigel Carter heads Britain’s Oral Health Foundation. He describes the new treatment as an exciting possibility for dental care. But Carter also has a warning, “Actually regrowing the tooth that has been lost with a cavity would be really a huge step forward. But it's also important that we remember that filling the cavity is not the first place. It’s a preventable disease.”

5 . Whether in work or study, great people always do things as effectively as possible. Productive (高效的) people have one thing in common: A solid routine made up of small habits that helps them to keep a healthy mindset and lifestyle. Research shows a habit takes about 2l days to become normal behavior.     1    

●Make daily to-do lists.     2     Some people prefer to make their to-do lists first thing in the morning, while others like to do them each night to prepare for the day ahead. As a matter of fact, either way helps you to manage your time and workload efficiently.

●    3     Writing down your thoughts in your diary can help you achieve goals. You should even write down your progress, no matter how small it is, to help motivate you to keep going. This process will help you reflect and improve your memory and brain function.

●Have a rest. Whatever you are working on, you do not have to use up every ounce of energy you have.     4     When coming back, you’ll become clear-headed and happy, leading to greater productivity than just rushing through it.

●Clean up and organize for tomorrow.     5     It may be a little tiring. However, tidying up your home and preparing for tomorrow can prevent stress. This daily maintaining can ensure that you do not have to spend an entire afternoon cleaning during the weekend.

10 . Generally, people take vacations to relax themselves. However, one loving grandpa didn’t. When Grandpa David arrived at his Mexican destination, he made a shocking discovery in his suitcase, and went to “work” throughout his vacation.

David found several Peppa Pig toys when unpacking. It turned out that his granddaughter Lisette had placed the toys there. She hoped those toys would keep her grandpa company during the vacation. Instead of simply ignoring the Peppa Pig toys, David came up with an idea to create videos with them. David said, “I’m going to film everything I do with those toys. And I’ll put the videos together as a gift to my granddaughter.”

This thoughtful grandpa started making videos of the Peppa Pig toys swimming, sunbathing, and taking a trip to see the whales. He added, “I enjoy being silly and playful.” Then David posted them online. His videos went viral on social media. People fell in love with David’s sweet and loving gesture and wanted to know more about this grandpa’s film-making adventures.

The reaction from David’s granddaughter, 4-year-old Lisette, was precious and priceless. The child couldn’t contain her excitement when watching those videos. She was extremely delighted to see her toys enjoying this vacation with her grandpa.

At the end of the video, David explained why he chose to spend his vacation busy creating the video for his beautiful granddaughter, “I saw Lisette’s toys in my suitcase, and I knew she loved those toys. Yet she gave them to me. I wanted to do something for her in return. You know, one of the joys of being a grandparent is to see the smile on those cute little faces.”