1 . A new technology project in southern Greece is helping visitors experience the ancient birthplace of the Olympic Games.

The project used Augmented Reality (AR) to recreate temples and competition areas in the ancient city of Olympia. It was recently launched in the city, one of the world’s major archaeological sites. Augmented Reality is a technology that can project computer-created imagery onto special eyeglasses. Through the eyeglasses, the images appear along with other physical objects in the environment.

The project is a partnership between American software maker Microsoft and Greece’s Ministry of Culture and Sport. The ministry helped Microsoft map and build virtual representations of Olympia. The city was used for nearly a thousand years to host the games in ancient Greece that served as the model for the modern Olympics. The experience provides users the chance to virtually walk through the ruins of Olympia. At the Olympic Museum in Athens, people can also use Microsoft’s AR headsets for a similar experience.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis joined a group of schoolchildren who were using the app for the first time. “I’m absolutely thrilled that we’re able to present to the world a completely new cultural experience utilizing technology to recreate the ancient world of Olympia, ” Mitsotakis told the media.

Students from a local middle school looked at statues and structures that were brought to life on their phones. One of the children, Panagiotis Christopoulos, called the project “impressive”. “I think it can help with teaching in schools, ” the student said. They were able to virtually visit inside and outside settings to explore where ancient Olympians had competed in different sports.

The project began 18 months ago with a series of imaging flights to help map areas across Olympia. Microsoft is to build several data centers in and near Athens as part of a $ 1 billion investment agreement with the Greek government.

2 . Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde’s latest project, GROW, involved installing (安装) thousands of blue, red and purple LED lights in a 2-hectare field of leek (韭菜) for both artistic and practical purposes. People driving by the town of Lelystad, in central Netherlands, at night, this time of year are treated to a fantastic sight—a 20,000 square meters field of leek glowing blue, red and purple. Thought up by Studio Roosegaarde, the unique artistic installation is designed both as an honor to Dutch farmers and as an inspiration for them to experiment with artificial light in outdoor farming. Daan Roosegaarde also wants GROW to send a hopeful light to people in these trying times, giving new meaning to the word “agriculture” as a living cultural artwork.

Nighttime ultraviolet (紫外线的) light has been used in glasshouse agriculture for a while now, especially in places where direct sunlight is scarce, but its use in outdoor fanning has so far been very limited. Ultraviolet light is known to help plants grow better, but Studio Roosegaarde is also testing a theory according to which certain wavelengths of ultraviolet light could reduce the need for pesticides by up to 50%.

“So we started to scan the plants with these wavelengths of light and then suddenly it started to dance, the light,” Daan Roosegaarde said. “You had these huge fields of fireflies, as if they were, and we were testing it and the magic started kicking in, so I think that’s when the worlds of science, art and design meet and enhance each other.” Solar-powered LEDs give ultraviolet light onto the leek plants, thus adding the effect of natural sunlight after sunset, and creating a wonderful sight at the same time.

GROW is currently only visible near Lelystad, but Roosegaarde plans to take the visually-impressive installation on the road to over 40 countries. Each country will have its own local or national crop and its own unique light recipe. Over the years, Studio Roosegaarde has created a number of fascinating installations, like the glow-in-the-dark bicycle path powered directly by the sun.

3 . Some people have a dependency on an afternoon nap.     1     It can also help them feel more alert (机敏的)for the afternoon ahead. Even Boris Johnson supposedly favors a power nap during his work day. Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, and Leonardo Da Vinci were all famous nappers.

Napping is a great way to feel more rested and alert-and some research shows it car benefit our cognitive function.     2     If you need to be alert right after waking up, so-called "power naps" of 10-30 minutes are recommended.

While short naps are great for increasing energy, longer naps are more beneficial for learning. According to the research, they improve activation of the hippocampus—an area of the brain important for learning and memory.     3    

    4     It's possible that they help the brain clean up sleep-inducing (诱导睡眠的)waste products that would otherwise hold up brain activity, and that they refill the brain's energy stores. Short naps may also help improve your attention by letting particularly sleepy areas of the brain recover, hence preventing instability in the brain's networks.

Although napping has many positive short-term effects, they are not recommended for people who suffer from insomnia（失眠症）. Because naps decrease sleepiness, they may make it harder to fall asleep when going to bed in the evening.     5     For instance, if the best performance is needed instantly afterwards, don't nap, as it may take some time to fully wake up.

6 . At the age of 7, Rudolph Ingram Jr. also known as “Blaze the Great” has already broken several records and has become the fastest boy in the country, showing early signs of possibly becoming the next Usain Bolt.

Blaze’s father Rudolph Ingram Sr. shared that the little boy started training when he was only 4 years old right after watching the Olympics. Since then, he has shown great athleticism. His most recent 100-meter dash clocked at 13.48 seconds, breaking the USA Track and Field records for his age group.

“I feel great, anyways I trained for it,” said Blaze, who dreams “to get into the National Football League” someday.

His father has always been hands-on in his training to prepare for his future, but still lets him be a kid.

“He watched the Usain Bolt documentary, he has seen a lot of those people’s documentaries and he realizes that they were doing the same thing that he was doing at that age. So he could see where this would lead to,” he said.

Blaze has caught the attention of many people, including football players O.J. Howard and Mike Evans from Tampa Bay Bucs and basketball star LeBron James. His social media account @blaze_813 has more than 500,000 followers. Moreover, when talking about what he has accomplished and will accomplish in the future, his father Rudolph Ingram Sr. said, “This is my baby. I feel like he’s a one in a million children. I don’t like saying it because he’s my child but I definitely feel like he does great things.”

7 . 18-year-old Alison Sanger is an amazing student. Maybe too amazing— the book opens with Alison lying to her mother about having food poisoning so she can take a test on Shakespeare. More than getting good grades, her true motivation is to beat her opponent, Ethan Molloy.

Ethan has gone toe-to-toe with Alison on everything throughout school. They’re both honors students. They are co-vice presidents of the senior class. They both hope to get into Harvard. The fact that Ethan and Alison seem to always do everything at the same time turned into a competition a long time ago. Whoever does worse on an exam must do an unpleasant task of the winner’s choosing. If someone misses the exam, they forfeit.

This unfriendly competition is so famous that everyone at Fairview knows about it, students and staff. They’re even more annoyed by it than Alison. The principal takes matters in hand by asking the two to co-plan a previous class’s ten-year reunion after someone else dropped the ball. As you might imagine, tensions arise and passion is aroused. In a certain way, What’s Not to Love is a little like The Hunger Games. Like Katniss with Peeta, Alison is constantly evaluating her own emotions against Ethan’s supposed strategy.

While reading this book, I was forced to wonder exactly how healthy this relationship was. I assumed everyone’s intentions in the book were honorable—the authors themselves turned out all right in the end, and I’m incredibly glad for that. Wibbroka fans will not be disappointed—What’s Not to Love is story of soulmates and passion; its short chapters and tight pacing carry the reader along all the way to the satisfying conclusion. Despite its faults—which the text itself calls to attention—fans of enemies-to-lovers stories like How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days will feel right at home here.

8 . The green movement is catching on in many pockets of the world. This is especially true in the construction industry. Today's buzz words, which include global warming and zero emissions（排放）, are causing everyday people to look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Purchasing an environmentally-friendly home is a good investment for those who care about their own health and the well-being of our planet. Based on this trend, entire districts, known as eco-communities, are being designed with the concept of green in mind. One of these communities is Dockside Green in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its goal is to become the world's first zero-emission neighborhood.

Dockside Green is a mostly self-sufficient community along the harbor front of Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. The community is home to around 2,500 people and it includes a variety of environmental features, some of which can't be found anywhere else.

The planners and builders of Dockside Green have the environment in mind with every choice they make. They ensure proper ventilation （通风） and guarantee residents clean air indoors. Building materials, such as paints and wood, are natural and green.

Energy efficiency is attached great importance to in eco-communities like Dockside Green. Not only do energy-efficient appliances reduce the environmental impact of heating, cooking and lighting, they also save residents money. Dockside Green claims that home owners use 55% less energy than the average Canadian.

Eco-communities also take the future into account by recycling waste and reducing carbon emissions. At Dockside Green, waste water is treated and reused on-site for flushing toilets, and a gas plant changes waste wood into a renewable form of gas for hot water systems, stoves and gas heaters. The community also reduces carbon emissions by using local suppliers for all their transport and maintenance（维修） needs, and residents are encouraged to join the community's car share program.