1 . Cloud computing is set to change how people communicate,work and learn.But do you know it may also affect how you are hired for a job in the future?

It was once more common for people to find jobs advertised in the newspaper and then physically send applications to organizations. Now we primarily look online using job sites and apply for those jobs using cloud recruitment (招聘) services.

However, many new technologies, with the help of artificial intelligence(AI),are changing recruitment and the way we communicate with those holding the key to our dream jobs.

AI recruitment technology, such as ENGAGE Talent, is making it easier for recruiters to find potential employees by analyzing networking sites, like LinkedIn, for appropriate candidates. Primarily based on keywords, circumstance changes or current company performance, it can find candidates that haven’t clearly expressed an interest in changing jobs. Helen Poitevin, research director of IT research firm Gartner, stated, “This method of finding a passive candidate is the subject of a lot of investment and innovation today.”

Another innovation designed to help recruiters is AI assistants, similar to Apple’s Siri. CNN reported that graduates in the future might have to be overseen by a virtual assistant before getting a real interview for highly competitive graduate programs.

Companies such as Hire Vue have already developed software that plays prerecorded questions for candidates and analyzes their responses for different factors, including grammar, facial expressions and tones. It can then produce a result that defines the candidate’s qualities and recommends whether they should be considered.

The US graduate Sarah Ali has been through eight Hire Vue interviews. She told CNN, “Once I understood the AI interview process, I started thinking of it as a game and how I could optimize (优化) myself.”

This interview process has yet become the mainstream outside the US, but with the power of cloud computing, how long will it be before this tech is used worldwide?

5 . Parenting styles have changed over the years in response to the rapid changes in the world. Whether it is tapping technology or applying the best parenting practices to meet a parenting need, parents nowadays generally invest more time in finding out how best to raise their children.

Modern parents often look to the Internet and social media for parenting advice. A parent can post questions from how to manage the constant cries of an infant to how to talk to a moody teenager, and chances are, the parent will be flooded instantly with advice and relevant articles. The availability of resources has helped modern parents engage more in their children’s development, both academically and emotionally.

A modern parenting style that has emerged is helicopter parenting, where parents are much too focused on their children. They help children with tasks they’re capable of doing on their own, like selecting activities and friends for them. Such a parenting style can hold back the development of the children’s ability to handle responsibilities independently. Children might be ill-equipped with life skills such as doing laundry, clearing their plates or coping with their schoolwork. Always protecting children from failures may also prevent them developing adaptability and acquiring skills like problem-solving.

On the other hand, parents in the past tended to monitor less. Children weren’t given more control over how to manage their schoolwork and choose their friends. They were often expected to shoulder the responsibilities of caring for younger brothers and sisters and managing housework. Living in the pre-Internet age, parents were less informed about different parenting methods and personalities.

There is no one right way to raise a child. Each child is unique and should be raised differently by parents who are present but not wandering, who are supportive but not controlling, and who protect but not care too much.

7 . The homelessness popularity across the Pacific Northwest is now going to be disposed of in a unique kind way by two Seattle-born non-profit organizations. Through The BLOCK Project, tiny sustainable homes are being built in the backyards of the charitable volunteers to be delivered to the homeless people of the neighborhood.

Architect and founder of The BLOCK Project, Rex Hohlbein joined Facing Homelessness, another non-profit organization to launch the collaborative project. The latter organization has the responsibility for finding land in the household backyards, on which Hohlbein’s The BLOCK Project will build small, low-emission housing. The name of the company and the project comes from Hohlbein’s pioneering design of the tiny sustainable houses. To support their initiative, thousands of Seattle residents have already offered their house backyards to the project. The government also stepped in to make the entire process as legally convenient as possible.

Seattle has been facing a double problem of having expensive houses on the one hand, and being a large homeless community on the other. In such context, Hohlbein realized that willingness of kindly neighbors could provide a much better and quicker solution than a long waiting for state allowances (补贴) or government programs. The good idea of the architect is now getting proved by continuous construction of thousands of tiny backyard homes across Seattle.

The long-term goal of the project is to copy the globally changing definition of lodging (暂住) brought about by Airbnb. According to Hohlbein, in his childhood, it was absurd to think about hosting complete strangers in any regular household just in exchange for little money, especially with the risk factors of a night-time stay. But the Airbnb has made the concept as casual as it can get. Through The BLOCK Project, Hohlbein aims to copy the same kind of “cultural shift” with future sustainable housing, starting from the grass-roots level of local neighborhoods.

8 . Most of us grow up taking certain things for granted. We tend to assume that experts and religious leaders tell us “The truth”. We tend to believe that things advertised on television or in newspapers can’t be bad for us.

However, encouragement of critical (批判的) thinking in students is one of the goals of most colleges and universities. Few professors require students to share the professors’ own beliefs. In general, professors are more concerned that students learn to question and critically examine the arguments of others, including some of their own beliefs or values. This does not mean that professors insist that you change your beliefs, either. It does mean, however, that professors will usually ask you to support the views you express in class or in your writing.

If your premises (前提) are shaky, or if your arguments are not logical, professors personally point out the false reasoning in your arguments. Most professors want you to learn to recognize the premises of your arguments, to examine whether you really accept these premises, and to understand whether or not you draw logical conclusions. Put it this way. Professors don’t tell you what to think; they try to teach you how to think.

On the other hand, if you intend to disagree with your professors in class, you should be prepared to offer a strong argument in support of your ideas. Arguing just for the sake of arguing usually does not promote a critical examination of ideas. Many professors interpret it as rudeness.

9 . A tender woman, or an independent one, which one would you prefer? A recent research shows that most people would choose the latter.

This type of woman is called a nühanzi (“tough woman”). Experts believe these characteristics have social and psychological roots among young females in China. Su Hao’s friends all call her a tough woman, because she can finish tough tasks usually carried out by men. For example, she carries 10-litre water to her dormitory on the 5th floor. “I depend on no one but myself,” she says.

According to a recent survey by China Youth Daily, tough women have become rather common in society. Of the 21, 265 respondents, 78.5 percent said they are familiar with a tough woman. About 50 percent said they like women with tough characteristics, while less than 29 percent expressed the opposite view.

Why are tough women gaining popularity? Shen Meng, a psychological consultant, believes the fierce competition in society is contributing to this trend. “Women are often in a disadvantaged position compared to men,” Shen says. “In order to survive, they have to be independent, strong and tough.” LiuXiaolin, professor of psychology at Wuhan Mental Health Center, believes tough women are brought up this way. “They are often on close relationship with their fathers, who teach their daughters to be brave and decisive,” he says. As a result, these women are more likely to be psychologically healthy and more tolerant to stress, according to Liu.

Though Liu believes that this is a good trend, Hu Shenzhi, a psychologist at the Guangdong Sunflower Counseling Center, says the popularity of tough woman indicates an unclear line between gender identities, which can lead to relationship problems. “Some women with characteristics that differ from the traditional female image may have a difficult time finding Mr Right,” he says. “Even if they get married, their manly characteristics might cause family conflicts.”

10 . Lonely? You’re hardly alone. Since COVID-19 struck, people of all ages have struggled with this. But even before the pandemic, loneliness was becoming a growing problem for teens — especially girls. That’s the finding of a new study. And that appears throughout industrial nations across the globe. The study linked rising loneliness to greater use of smartphones and the Internet over the same years.

Jean Twenge, a psychologist, took part in the study. Her team has found that since 2012, US teens have been spending less time together face-to-face.

The new study pulled its data from a survey. Some 1 million 15- and 16-year-old students from 37 countries took part in this survey in 2000, 2003, 2012, 2015 and 2018. Its questions mostly dealt with education. But they also included six statements about loneliness, such as “I feel awkward and out of place in my school”. Students could strongly disagree, disagree, agree or strongly agree with each statement.

“Smartphones can help keep us connected with friends,” says Twenge. “But they can also make people feel excluded (排斥).” Girls, especially, may feel this way. One reason may be that they like to post more photos and selfies (自拍照) than boys. Studies have shown that if those images don’t get a lot of “likes”, it can affect a teen’s mental health.

And there’s “phubbing”, a combination of “phone” and “snubbing (冷落)”. It’s that moment at which a friend or family member takes out a phone and keeps looking at it, paying no attention to everybody else, including you. Phubbing is one way technology can affect you, even when you’re not the one using it.

If technology causes loneliness, should we stop using it? “No, not at all,” argues Twenge. “Everybody of all ages is trying to figure out how we can best use technology and stay mentally healthy.” Her advice is to “use your smartphone for what it’s good for. Then put it away.” That includes putting it away overnight — ideally in another room.