MySpace, the social networking website, is different from other websites which only provide stories about other people. MySpace is a place that allows you to broadcast your own stories and personal information to as many people as you like. Started years ago, it is a big source of information for and about American kids.
Teenagers and their parents feel very different about it. Teens are rushing to join the site, not sharing their parents' worries. It signals yet another generation gap in the digital era.
For teenagers, it is reliable network to keep in touch with their friends. They will often list their surnames, birthdays, after-school jobs, school clubs, hobbies and other personal information.
"MySpace is an easy way to reach just about everyone. I don't have all the phone numbers of my acquaintances. But if I want to get in touch with one of them, I could just leave them a message on MySpace," said Abby Van Wassen. She is a 16-year-old student at Woodland Hills High of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Parents on the other hand are seriously concerned about the security problems of MySpace. "Every time we hold a parents' meeting, the first question is always about MySpace," said Kent Gates, who travels the country doing Internet safety seminars (研讨会).The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children has received at least 288 MySpace related complaints, according to Mary Beth Buchanan, a lawyer in Pittsburgh.
"Your profile on MySpace shows all your personal information to anyone on the Web. And MySpace even lists this information by birthplace and age. It's like a free checklist for troublemakers and it endangers children," Buchanan said.
Netgear Wi-Fi Range Extender
Est. Price: $30 | Buy it on Amazon
Why We Love It: This is a great device to increase your wi-fi signal and get the fastest streaming power. It's also useful to set up separate wi-fi networks for guests.
External Phone Charger
Est. Price: $30 | Buy it on B&H Photo
Why We Love It: Charge your phone anywhere while also extending is battery life. This particular model can also be used with the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and iPad. It has a standard USB drive so users can charge e-readers as well.
Pop Sockets Smartphone Stand
Est. Price: $10 | Buy it on Amazon
Why We Love It: It may look silly, but this gripper is actually really useful for taking pictures or watching videos. It also folds down flat when not in use for a more separate look.
Fitbit
Est. Price: $40 | Buy it on Bed Bath & Beyond
Why We Love It: Track steps and monitor sleep cycles to improve your health. It also records workouts, and receives call, text, or calendar notifications.
Suppose you're in a rush, felling tired, not paying attention to your screen, and you send an email that could get you in trouble.
Realisation will probably set in seconds after you've clicked "send". You freeze in horror and bum with shame.
What to do? Here are four common email accidents, and how to recover.
Clicking "send" too soon
Don't waste your time trying to find out if the receiver has read it yet. Write another email as swiftly as you can and send it with a brief title explaining that this is the correct version and the previous version should be ignored.
Writing the wrong name
The sooner you notice, the better. Respond quickly and briefly, apologising for your mistake. Keep the tone measured: don't handle it too lightly, as people can be offended, especially if your error suggests a misunderstanding of their culture (i. e. incorrect ordering of Chinese names).
Clicking "reply all" unintentionally
You accidentally reveal (透露) to the entire company what menu choices you would prefer at the staff Christmas dinner, or what holiday you'd like to take. In this instance, the best solution is to send a quick, light-hearted apology to explain your awkwardness. But it can quickly rise to something worse, when everyone starts hitting "reply all" to join in a long and unpleasant conversation. In this instance, step away from your keyboard to allow everyone to calm down.
Sending an offensive message to its subject
The most awkward email mistake is usually committed in anger. You write an unkind message about someone, intending to send it to a friend, but accidentally send it to the person you're discussing. In that case, ask to speak in person as soon as possible and say sorry. Explain your frustrations calmly and sensibly —see it as an opportunity to clear up any difficulties you may have with this person.
In an online class, developing healthy patterns of communication with professors is very important. While I have only listed two of each, there are obviously many other situations that can arise. Students should be able to extend the logic (逻辑) of each to their particular circumstance.
Do's
• Questions about subject content are generally welcomed. Before asking questions about the course design, read the syllabus (教学大纲) and learning management system information to be sure the answer isn't hiding in plain sight.
•Participate in discussion forums (论坛), blogs and other open-ended forums for dialogue. Be sure to stay on topic and not offer irrelevant information. Make a point, and make it safe for others to do the same.
Don'ts
•Don't share personal information or stories. Professors are not trained nurses, financial aid experts or your best friends. If you are in need of a deadline extension, simply explain the situation to the professor.
•Don't openly express annoyance at a professor or class. When a student attacks a professor on the social media, the language used actually says more about the student. If there is truly a concern about a professor's professionalism or ability, be sure to use online course evaluations to calmly offer your comments.
A. That's what they are for.
B. Turn to an online instructor for help.
C. If more information is needed, they will ask.
D. Remember that online professors get a lot of emails.
E. Below are some common do's and don'ts for online learners.
F. Everyone has taken a not-so-great class at one time or another.
G. Ask questions, but make sure they are good, thoughtful questions.
Teens around the world use social media a lot. But is this a 1 thing? While you can say nice and 2 things on the Internet, you could also say mean and hurtful things too. When someone says something mean or hurtful 3, it's called cyberbullying (网络欺凌).
When people say mean things to us, we feel 4, depressed and powerless. These are just some of the possible 5 effects that could affect teens who are cyberbullied. When people are often sad or depressed, they could begin to 6 suicide (自杀).They think that their lives aren't worth anything or that their lives are too 7 to handle. It's difficult to believe that one person saying mean or 8 things to another person could make him think about 9 himself, but it's true and it does happen. Now, you could 10 everything that was said. You could say that teens can just tum off their computers or their phones. They can just block (屏蔽) the person who 11 them or just simply ignore him. 12 people, especially teens love going on the Internet and talking to people. It's part of their daily lives. It's 13 to tell teens to turn them all off. In addition, 14 they block someone, the person can just 15 coming back on a different account or as someone else. Also if it's a 16 posted video, picture or message, everyone can see it and 17 report or share it. It's 18 to block everyone.
And finally no one can just 19 so many mean words that are being said to them.
Overall, cyberbullying is a (n) 20 thing that people do. There should be laws to protect people from cyberbullying.
On our way to the house, it was raining hard that we couldn't help wondering how long it would take (get) there. It was in the middle of Pearl City.
We were first greeted with the barking by a pack dogs, seven to be exact. They were well trained by their masters had great experience with caring for these animals. Our hosts shared many of their experiences and (recommend) wonderful places to eat, shop, and visit. For breakfast, we were able to eat papaya (木瓜) and other fruits from their trees in the backyard. When they were free from work, they invited us to local events and let us know of an interesting (compete) to watch, together with the story behind it. They also shared with us many (tradition) stories about Hawaii that were (huge) popular with tourists. On the last day of our week-long stay, we (invite) to attend a private concert on a beautiful farm on the North Shore under the stars,(listen) to musicians and meeting interesting locals.
Bamboo is one of the world's most useful plants. For thousands of years, bamboo has been used in many different ways from food to medicine to clothing and in small ways as a building material.
However, bamboo is not often used as a building material in the developed world. A professor at the University of Pittsburgh is trying to change that. The professor and his students are testing the strength of bamboo. They are testing how much pressure or weight it can take before breaking. Kent Harries is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Harries says that testing methods for bamboo need to be the same for all. They need to be standardized. Standardizing test methods for bamboo will help to bring the plant into common use. It will also give engineers and builders around the world a dependable standard.
Harries says bamboo is strong in nature. The strength of at least three species of bamboo is similar to steel. Besides its strength, bamboo has other features that make it very useful in building. He says it is resilient (有弹性的), meaning it keeps its shape and strength even under pressure.
Bamboo also grows quickly. Bamboo that is suitable for construction needs much less resources than wood. The harvest cycle of bamboo is about 3 years. Softwoods such as cedar, pine and spruce have a harvest cycle of about 10 years. And hardwoods that come from flowering plants such as oak and walnut need more than 30 years.
Bamboo is widely used as food for pandas. It is also used for flooring and window covers. However, for building, bamboo is not used much outside is native growing area. This is mostly because of its round shape. But there are other reasons too. People think that bamboo is a low quality building material.
