The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost(frôst)

Two roads diverged(dəˈvərj) in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy(ˈɡrasē) and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn(wôrn) them really about the same,

And both that morning equally(ˈēkwəlē) lay
In leaves(lēv) no step had trodden(ˈträdn) black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted(dout) if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh(sī)
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken

Life 3.0

By Max Tegmark

Prelude(ˈprelˌ(y)o͞od)

The Tale(tāl) of the Omega(ōˈmāɡə) Team

The Omega Team was the soul of the company. Whereas the rest of the enterprise(ˈen(t)ərˌprīz) brought in the money to keep things going, by various commercial applications of narrow(ˈnerō) AI, the Omega Team pushed ahead in their quest for what had always been the CEO’s dream: building general artificial intelligence. Most other employees viewed “the Omegas,” as they affectionately(əˈfekSHənətlē) called them, as a bunch of pie-in-the-sky dreamers, perpetually(pərˈpeCHo͞oəlē) decades away from their goal. They happily indulged(inˈdəlj) them, however, because they liked the prestige(preˈstēZH) that the cutting-edge work of the Omegas gave their company, and they also appreciated the improved algorithms that the Omegas occasionally gave them.

What they didn’t realize was that the Omegas had carefully crafted their image to hide a secret: they were extremely(ikˈstrēmlē) close to pulling off the most audacious(ôˈdāSHəs) plan in human history. Their charismatic(ˌkerəzˈmadik) CEO had handpicked them not only for being brilliant researchers, but also for ambition, idealism(īˈdē(ə)ˌlizəm) and a strong commitment to helping humanity. He reminded them that their plan was extremely dangerous, and that if powerful governments found out, they would do virtually anything—including kidnapping(ˈkidnapiNG)—to shut them down or, preferably(ˈpref(ə)rəblē), to steal(stēl) their code. But they were all in, 100%, for much the same reason that many of the world’s top physicists(ˈfizəsəst) joined the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons: they were convinced that if they didn’t do it first, someone less idealistic(ˌīdē(ə)ˈlistik) would.

…
https://www.amazon.cn/s?k=life+3.0&__mk_zh_CN=亚马逊网站&ref=nb_sb_noss

What Robots Can—and Can’t—Do for the Old and Lonely

For elderly Americans, social isolation is especially perilous(ˈperələs). Will machine companions fill the void(void)?

By Katie Engelhart

It felt good to love again, in that big empty house. Virginia(vərˈjinyə) Kellner got the cat last November, around her ninety-second birthday, and now it’s always nearby. It keeps her company as she moves, bent over her walker, from the couch to the bathroom and back again. The walker has a pair of orange scissors(ˈsizərz) hanging from the handlebar, for opening mail. Virginia likes the pet’s green eyes. She likes that it’s there in the morning, when she wakes up. Sometimes, on days when she feels sad, she sits in her soft armchair and rests the cat on her soft stomach(ˈstəmək) and just lets it do its thing. Nuzzle(ˈnəzəl). Stretch(streCH). Vibrate(ˈvīˌbrāt). Virginia knows that the cat is programmed to move this way; there is a motor(ˈmōdər) somewhere, controlling things. Still, she can almost forget. “It makes you feel like it’s real,” Virginia told me, the first time we spoke. “I mean, mentally(ˈment(ə)lē), I know it’s not. But—oh, it meowed(mēˈou) again!”

She named the cat Jennie, for one of the nice ladies who work at the local Department of the Aging in Cattaraugus(catrogəs) County, a rural area in upstate New York, bordering Pennsylvania. It was Jennie (the person) who told her that the county was giving robot pets to old people like her. Did she want one? She could have a dog or a cat.

…
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/31/what-robots-can-and-cant-do-for-the-old-and-lonely

Training to Be Relaxed in Stressful Situations

By Leo Babauta

Many of us face things every day that stress us out: overwhelming number of tasks, a big meeting, a project that feels really tough, behind on paying bills, someone is upset at us, there’s a family crisis, the world feels chaotic.

Can we find a way to be relaxed in almost any stressful situation?

Absolutely. It just takes some training. And lots of practice.

Let’s imagine you’re feeling stressed right now, about whatever you need to do, about an interpersonal conflict, about something coming up in the near future …

What is it that’s stressing you out about this? You might start telling me all the details of the situation, or all the things the other person has done wrong … but that’s your narrative about it. The thing that’s stressing you out is the narrative, or how you view the situation or person.

What if you could let go of that view, and just be in this present moment, without the narrative? There can be a feeling of peace and openness. Try it right now.

This is the training. Relax the narrative, loosen your view, and drop into the openness of the present moment. Breathe deeply, and relax your body. Relax the jaw, relax the muscles in your torso. Feel the openness in this moment.

With training, you can do this as you go into a stressful meeting, or enter a chaotic scene, or have a difficult conversation. But start with the easier situations: when you’re on your laptop, or washing a dish. When you’re out for a walk, or talking with a friend.

Breathe, relax, let go of the view and narrative, and find the peaceful openness of the present moment.

https://zenhabits.net/relaxed/

loving their children

of the parent

By Henry H. Walker

I am in awe
of the love and care
with which adopting parents
can hold their children,

much of life is all about choice,
and much of that choice centers upon whim((h)wim):
which food? which entertainment?
which way to follow for a vacation(vāˈkāSH(ə)n)?

to choose adoption is not a whim,
it is a lifetime of parenting.
a lifetime of unconditional love
for a child who needs you.

I have been blessed(blest) to work at a school
with parent after parent totally invested in their children,
neither birth parents nor adopting parents
greater or lesser(ˈlesər) in their overwhelming giving of self
to these young people given into their care,

as a teacher I hear a calling and I follow it,
a calling from each child who can come near,

how glorious(ˈɡlôrēəs) to be a parent
who consciously chooses to adopt a child
who calls to them:
sometimes as mother and father,
sometimes as mothers,
sometimes as fathers,

in case after case, in situation after situation,
the child who could have been alone
becomes part of a family,
companioned(kəmˈpanyən) by those who love them,

every soul(sōl) born into every body
deserves to be loved without condition,

today I salute(səˈlo͞ot) the parents who choose
to give their lives into the service
of the young who need them,
of the young they need, too,

the broken circle strives(strīv) again to be whole.

https://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2021/05/loving-their-children.html

Partners, Brothers and Friends

By The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The promoter(prəˈmōdər) says he wants to cancel
‘Cause there ain’t(ānt) enough tickets sold
The air conditioner(kənˈdiSH(ə)nər) on the bus just broke
And I can’t shake this cold
The single lost the bullet(ˈbo͝olət)
The singer’s losin’ his wife
Well, I might be crazy but I wouldn’t change
A single thing about this life

Sometimes we feel like champions(ˈCHampēən)
Sometimes we just can’t win
Sometimes our records hit the top of the charts
Or the discount bargain(ˈbärɡən) bins
Through almost 20 years of touring(to͝or)
We’ve remained(rəˈmān) partners, brothers and friends
Well, we keep it together ‘cause we’re sure we’re gonna be
Big time before it all ends

Just as long as Johnny’s(ˈjänē) got his fiddle(ˈfidl)
And Jimmy’s(ˈjimē) got his drums(drəm) along
Then Jeffrey and me and Bobby(ˈbäbē) will be
Singing all our favorite songs
Catch the fire from the folks in the front row
Fan the flames as the beat gets strong
It’s great to be a part of something so good
That’s lasted so long

Well I saw a story in the paper
Suddenly the band’s big news
The critics(ˈkridik) all like our records just fine
But they seem a bit confused
Is it folk or rock or country
Whoa((h)wō), seems like everybody cares but us
So just leave us an early wakeup call
So we don’t miss the bus

Just as long as Johnny’s got his fiddle
And Jimmy’s got his drums along
Then Jeffrey and me and Bobby will be
Singing all our favorite songs
We’ll catch the fire from the folks in the front row
Fan the flames as the beat gets strong
It’s great to be a part of something so good
That’s lasted so long

The band says it can’t stand my latest song
It’s too personal
But my first wife’s second marriage blew up
They had to get the dang thing annulled(əˈnəl)
Well, if that ain’t something to sing about
Well you tell me what is
And we’ll give it a beat and put it on the street
And we just might have another hit

Just as long as Johnny’s got his banjo(ˈbanjō)
And Jimmie’s got his harps(härp) along
Then Jeffrey and me and Bobby will be
Singing all our favorite songs
We’ll catch the fire from the folks in the front row
Fan the flames as the beat gets strong
It’s great to be a part of something so good
That’s lasted so long
Yeah, it’s great to be a part of something so good
That’s lasted so long

https://y.qq.com/n/ryqq/songDetail/004OTzYL2seIh7

Five Years of Morning Reading

by 王渊源John

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been posting here each day for five years. Five years is more than 75% of our eldest(ˈeldəst) son’s life. It’s over 10% of my own.

Our Morning Reading Club started with a very simple idea. If someone practices something each day, they will get better at it. Many people want to get better at English, but they’re not sure what or how to practice. So if I could provide practice materials(məˈtirēəl) each day, it would help people be more likely to succeed in learning English.

The idea has remained simple, and the format has remained essentially the same. I share a passage in English each day and also provide a recording for readers to listen to and imitate(ˈiməˌtāt). Many readers have persisted in practicing for a long period of time and substantially improved their English.

Starting this year, I also established a group in which I explain each day’s material. I’ve found that it helps readers who might otherwise find the material too challenging be able to persist, and that the explanations(ˌekspləˈnāSH(ə)n) and cultural(ˈkəlCH(ə)rəl) background information that I provide is valuable for advanced learners as well.

The Morning Reading Club has become a part of my life, and it’s hard to imagine giving it up. As long as readers are willing to put in the time to practice, I’m willing to put in the time to find, record and share the materials. It’s gratifying(ˈɡradəˌfīiNG) to see readers improve their English and use English to enrich(inˈriCH) their lives. Thanks for your support and dedication(ˌdedəˈkāSH(ə)n), and here’s to another five years!

Your Relationship With Your Alarm(əˈlärm) Clock

By Steve Pavlina

If you use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, think about the relationship you’d like to create with your alarm clock. What would be the healthiest and happiest version of that relationship for you?

If you were an alarm clock, what kind of relationship would you want to have with your human?

For instance, maybe your alarm clock would appreciate it if you’d pat(pat) it on the head now and then and say, “Thanks for waking me up today. I appreciate you!”

How would your alarm clock feel about being put across the room and kept at a distance from you? How would it feel if you groaned(ɡrōn) when it sounded off?

How would your alarm clock feel if you kept using the snooze(sno͞oz) feature? Would it potentially lose(lo͞oz) respect for you?

Have you ever thought about the kind of relationship you’d like to have with your alarm clock? How would you like to feel towards it, and how would you like to imagine that it feels towards you?

I normally use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, set for 5am. I never use the snooze alarm since that wouldn’t help me experience the kind of relationships I want to have – with my alarm clock, with myself, and with the start of my day.

I like relating to my alarm clock on the basis(ˈbāsəs) of mutual(ˈmyo͞oCH(o͞o)əl) trust and mutual respect. My alarm clock is my buddy(ˈbədē) who helps me start the day at the time of my choosing. It’s very reliable(rəˈlīəb(ə)l). I like knowing that I can trust it to sound off when I tell it.

…
https://stevepavlina.com/blog/2021/05/your-relationship-with-your-alarm-clock/

Review: Gone With the Wind

By Roger Ebert

“Gone With the Wind” presents(ˈprez(ə)nt) a sentimental(ˌsen(t)əˈmen(t)l) view of the Civil(ˌsivil) War, in which the “Old South” takes the place of Camelot(ˈkaməˌlät) and the war was fought not so much to defeat the Confederacy(kənˈfed(ə)rəsē) and free the slaves(slāv) as to give Miss Scarlett O’Hara her comeuppance(ˌkəmˈəpəns). But we’ve known that for years; the tainted(tānt) nostalgia(näˈstaljə) comes with the territory(ˈterəˌtôrē). Yet as “GWTW” approaches its 60th anniversary(ˌanəˈvərs(ə)rē), it is still a towering landmark of film, quite(kwīt) simply because it tells a good story, and tells it wonderfully well.

For the story it wanted to tell, it was the right film at the right time. Scarlett O’Hara is not a creature of the 1860s but of the 1930s: a free-spirited(ˈspiridəd), willful modern woman. The way was prepared for her by the flappers(ˈflapər) of Fitzgerald’s(fitsˈjerəld) jazz(jaz) age, by the bold(bōld) movie actresses(ˈaktrəs) of the period, and by the economic reality(rēˈalədē) of the Depression, which for the first time put lots of women to work outside their homes.

Scarlett’s lusts(ləst) and headstrong passions(ˈpaSHən) have little to do with myths of delicate(ˈdelikət) Southern flowers, and everything to do with the sex symbols of the movies that shaped her creator, Margaret(ˈmärɡərət) Mitchell(ˌmiCH(ə)l): actresses such as Clara Bow, Jean(jēn) Harlow(ˈhärlō), Louise Brooks and Mae West. She was a woman who wanted to control her own sexual adventures, and that is the key element in her appeal(əˈpēl). She also sought to control her economic destiny(ˈdestinē) in the years after the South collapsed(kəˈlapst), first by planting cotton and later by running a successful lumber(ˈləmbər) business. She was the symbol the nation needed as it headed into World War II; the spiritual sister of Rosie the Riveter(ˈrividər).

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https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-gone-with-the-wind-1939

1 Main(mān) Capital(ˈkapədl): Outlook

My expectations for the coming year are for a (hopefully) boring economy. I am optimistic(ˌäptəˈmistik) that COVID vaccines(vakˈsēn) will be successfully administered(ədˈminəstər) to broad swathes(swäTH) of the global population and that global GDP will gradually enter a period of recovery(rəˈkəv(ə)rē). That, in addition to massive stimulus(ˈstimyələs) spending should provide a favorable backdrop for consumers to spend and for businesses to grow their earnings.

At the same time, market valuations(ˌvalyəˈwāSH(ə)n) are on the high end of historical levels, though they are not extreme(ikˈstrēm) by any means, and especially not when compared to historically(hiˈstôrik(ə)lē) low interest rates(rāt).

As pointed out in prior(ˈprī(ə)r) letters(ˈledər), there are certainly pockets of euphoria(yo͞oˈfôrēə) and speculation(ˌspekyəˈlāSH(ə)n) out there. As these pockets grow, it is natural to be concerned that their unraveling(ˌənˈravəl) could eventually hurt consumer confidence and spending. However, I am hopeful that the global reopening will, at least for the mid-term, be the overwhelming factor helping to drive economic(ˌekəˈnämik) growth.

…

Of course, the most dangerous risks are the ones we are not thinking or talking about today and hopefully none emerge(əˈmərj). If they do, I will keep an open mind and make sure we are positioned as though my net worth was substantially invested alongside you (it is).

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https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e03bb9dcc191357f10902ad/t/60172fb3b0f7ff30ebec8d36/1612132275136/Q4%2720+letter.pdf