week-five AlphaGO

A Google computer victorious over the world's 'Go' champion

In the ultimate battle of man versus machine, humans are running a close second.

On Saturday, a Google (GOOG) computer clocked its third consecutive victory over Lee Se-dol, the long-reigning global champion of the world's most complex board game. That win makes the machine the clear winner in a best-of-five series.

The achievements of the Google DeepMind computer, AlphaGo, are considered a significant advancement in artificial intelligence.

"To be honest, we are a bit stunned," said Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, after AlphaGo's third win. "We came here to challenge Lee Se-dol, as we wanted to learn from him and see what AlphaGo was capable of."

Since Wednesday, Lee and AlphaGo have been engaged in these high stakes games in Seoul. But AlphaGo has consistently won each of the games played thus far.

Related: Man vs machine: Google computer wins first match against world 'Go' champion

Lee, who looked a bit glum, said he wasn't "sure what to say."

"I feel kind of powerless," he said to reporters. "Even if I were to go back and redo the first game, I think that I wouldn't have been able to win, because at the time, I misjudged the capabilities of AlphaGo."

Even though the computer is now the clear winner out of the full match, there are two more games to be played in the coming days -- one Sunday, and the last on Tuesday.

Lee, who holds the highest possible professional ranking for a Go player and has been called "the Roger Federer of Go," asked the public to continue to follow the remaining games.

Go originated thousands of years ago in China. During play, two opponents take turns placing black and white stones on a square grid of 19 lines by 19 lines. The goal is to take territorial control of the board by using pieces to surround those of the other player.

Related: Computers will overtake us when they learn to love, says futurist

Games can last for hours, and winning requires immense mental stamina, intuition and strategy.

Teaching computers to master Go has been a kind of holy grail for artificial intelligence scientists. There are more possible configurations of the board than atoms in the universe, according to Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, which developed AlphaGo.

"Go is the most profound game that mankind has ever devised," Hassabis said, before the games against Lee started. "Go is a game primarily about intuition and feel, rather than brute calculation, which is what makes it so hard for computers to play well."

Last October, AlphaGo convincingly defeated the European Go champion, Fan Hui, obliterating him in five consecutive games. The computer's victory was considered a huge breakthrough, occurring roughly a decade sooner than experts had expected.

Software programs long ago became adept at classic board games like backgammon. Their rapid progress culminated in the historic victory of IBM's Deep Blue computer over world chess champion Gary Kasparov in 1997.

Related: Mark Zuckerberg says there's nothing to fear from artificial

But it has taken another two decades for artificial intelligence to get to grips with the mind-boggling complexities of Go. Until recently, software programs could only compete with human amateurs.

Google researchers say they expect AlphaGo's technology will be put to use in the company's own apps, and in areas such as medicine.

Google acquired DeepMind in 2014 to bolster its portfolio in artificial intelligence and robotics.

AlphaGo's wins are an astonishing success for the world of artificial intelligence, but futurist Dr. Michio Kaku said Friday that its simply a "sophisticated adding machine."

Humans will still ultimately win the war against computers, because of things Kaku, and other futurists such as Ray Kurzweil, say can't be computed -- love, leadership skills, innovation and common sense.

"People who are involved with intellectual capital will be the winners of the future," Kaku said.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/12/technology/google-deepmind-alphago-wins/

Structure of the Lead：
   Who-Lee Se-dol 

   WHEN- March,12,2016

   WHAT-a Google computer clocked its third consecutive victory over Lee Se-dol.

   WHY-Because of AlphaGo with the significant advancement in artificial intelligence.

   WHERE- in Seoul

   HOW-There were more possible configurations of the board than atoms in the universe.

keywords:
      1. consecutive 連續的 
      2. glum 悶悶不樂的 
      3. misjudged 誤判  
      4. stamina 精力 
      5. profound 深奧的　 
      6. obliterating 抹殺  
      7. mind-boggling 令人極為驚訝的
      8. portfolio 投資組合
       
    

week-four Tainan earthquake

Rescuers scour rubble for survivors after earthquake kills 37 in Taiwan

Rescuers scrambled to find survivors Sunday night after an earthquake toppled buildings in Taiwan, killing at least 37 people, authorities said.

Of the fatalities, at least 24 were in the Weiguan Jinlong apartment building in the city of Tainan, according to presidential spokeswoman Ma Wei-kuo.

Dozens of people were still trapped in the building, one of 11 that collapsed after Saturday's magnitude-6.4 quake, the official Central News Agency reported.

President Ma Ying-jeou canceled his traditional Chinese New Year address to oversee rescue and recovery operations at the national disaster headquarters, his spokeswoman said.

'I was trapped'

Chien, her 3-year-old daughter and her husband were in their bedroom in Tainan --Taiwan's oldest city -- when the earthquake struck.

"I was trapped in a room in a building toppled by the quake," said the mother, who gave only her surname.

"The smell of gas was thick in the air, and I was worried that I would be killed by an explosion if not crushed to death in the collapsed building," she told CNA.

It was a frightening ordeal, one that she has dealt with before.

She lived in central Taiwan before moving to Tainan and survived the 1999 quakethat killed more than 2,000 people.

"I moved to Tainan after I got married and now I have encountered another major earthquake," she told CNA.

'Ring of fire'

Before rescuers freed them, Chien and her family were trapped for three hours in their sixth-floor apartment in the 16-story residential building.

In all, more than 500 people were injured, CNA reported. Ninety-two people remain hospitalized late Sunday, according to Tainan's disaster response office.

As of Sunday morning, at least 121 people were still unaccounted for in Taiwan, CNA reported. A cold wave moving into the area added to rescuers' sense of urgency.

Taiwan is in the so-called "Ring of Fire," an area in the Pacific Ocean where intense tectonic plate movement causes frequent earthquakes.

"Taiwan is very used to earthquakes and tremors, but this is far more significant than the island has seen in quite a while," Elise Hu, an NPR correspondent who was in Taipei when the quake hit, told CNN.

The building

The Weiguan Jinlong building now looks like an accordion from above. Aerial footage from CNN affiliate SETTVshowed the collapsed building, with white smoke or dust still rising.

"The building essentially collapsed onto itself," Hu said. "When you see the aerial images around Tainan, the rest of the buildings are standing. But this particular apartment complex is as damaged as it is."

One woman told CNN affiliate EBC that rescuers had to cut a hole in order to help her family get out.

"Fortunately we were stuck under a space created by a baby crib and a closet door, so that things won't fall on us and air was able to get in," she said from the hospital, where she was being treated for a leg injury. "I was so afraid."

The country's interior minister and other officials said they would conduct an investigation into the building's collapse, according to CNA.

After residents raised concerns about the safety of the building, Tainan Mayor Lai Ching-te said he will order a probe as well.

The quake struck as many in Taiwan prepared to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

It's one of the country's biggest holidays, and some people have as many as nine days off, Hu said.

"If you can imagine something like this happening during Thanksgiving holiday weekend or Christmas travel, that's the equivalent of what's happening here in Taiwan right now," she said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/07/asia/taiwan-earthquake/

Structure of the Lead：
   Who- More than 37 people were killed and more than 100 people were unaccounted.       

   WHEN- Feb,8,2016

   WHAT- Weiguan Jinlong  building was collapsed.  

   WHY- Because of the magnitude-6.4 quake. 

   WHERE- in Tainan 

   How- Officials would conduct an investigation into the building.    

 keywords:

      1. ordeal 苦難的經驗 
      2. tectonic 起因於地殼運動的 
      3. accordion 手風琴
      4. aerial images 空中影像

      5. crib 兒童床  

      6. probe 查究
      

week-three North Korea, hydrogen bomb test

N Korea claim of hydrogen bomb test condemned

North Korea yesterday said it successfully tested a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device, claiming a significant advance in its strike capability and setting off alarm bells in Japan and South Korea.

The test, the fourth time the state has exploded a nuclear device, was ordered by young leader Kim Jong-un and successfully conducted at 10am, the official Korean Central News Agency said.

“Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state,” Kim wrote in what North Korean state TV displayed as a handwritten note.

The reported nuclear test drew condemnation abroad.

While a fourth nuclear test had been long expected, the claim that it was a hydrogen device, much more powerful than an atomic bomb, came as a surprise, as did the timing.

However, South Korean intelligence officials and several analysts questioned whether yesterday’s explosion was indeed a full-fledged test of a hydrogen device.

The device had a yield of about 6 kilotonnes, according to a South Korean lawmaker on the parliamentary intelligence committee — about the same size as the North’s last test, which was equivalent to 6 to 7 kilotonnes of TNT.

“Given the scale, it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb,” said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum and a policy adviser to the South Korean navy.

“They could have tested some middle stage kind [of device] between an A-bomb and H-bomb, but unless they come up with any clear evidence, it is difficult to trust their claim,” he said.

Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert who is president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security organization, said North Korea might have mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb.

“Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb,” he said. “But it is not a true fusion bomb capable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombs produce.”

The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5.1 earthquake that South Korea said was 49km from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past.

The claim of miniaturizing, which would allow the device to be adapted as a weapon and placed on a missile, would also pose a new threat to the US, Japan and South Korea.

However, the North’s previous miniaturization claims have not been independently verified.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo would make a firm response to North Korea’s challenge against nuclear non-proliferation.

South Korea said it would take all possible measures, including possible UN sanctions, to ensure Pyongyang paid the price after its fourth nuclear test.

“The government must now work closely with the international community to ensure that North Korea pays the commensurate price for the latest nuclear test,” South Korean President Park Geun-hye said in a statement.

“We must respond decisively through measures such as strong international sanctions,” she said.

The EU said that the test, if confirmed, would be a grave violation of international obligations.

NATO condemned the test, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was “extremely worried” and China urged the North to honor its commitment to denuclearization.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/01/07/2003636607

Structure of the Lead：
      Who- Kim Jong-un

   WHEN- Jan,7,2016 

   WHAT- The test of a nuclear device was ordered by  Kim Jong-un. 

   WHY- He wanted to let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state.

   WHERE- in North Korea 

   How- He exploded the hydrogen bomb.

 keywords:

      1. self-reliant 自力更生 
      2. full-fledged 全面的
      3. isotope 同位素ˇ
      4. fusion 融合 

      5. magnitude 級 

      6. verified 經過驗證的
      7. non-proliferation 防止擴散 

      8. sanctions 制裁 

     
     

week-two Paris Climate Change Conference COP21

5 things you need to know about COP21

Today marks one month until world leaders converge in Paris for COP21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. Here are five things you should know as we head toward this critical event.

What is COP21?

COP stands for Conference of Parties, an annual meeting of all nations that make up the United Nations Framework on Climate Change -- 195 nations in total. This is the 21st meeting (thus COP21), with the first occurring in Berlin in 1995.

The purpose of the meetings is to continually assess the nations' progress in dealing with climate change and, every so often, negotiate agreements and set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are the primary drivers of climate change. Previous memorable meetings include COP3 in Kyoto, Japan, which brought about the Kyoto Protocol; COP11, which generated the Montreal Action Plan; and COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark, which was largely deemed a failure because a binding agreement wasn't reached.

What is the goal of the 2015 conference?

The goal for Paris in December is pretty clear-cut: to achieve a legally binding agreement, with universal participation among all nations, to keep global warming below what most scientists say is the critical threshold of 2 degrees Celsius of warming. (This refers to the increase in globally averaged temperature since the Industrial Revolution.)

This will not be an easy goal to reach, since the planet already has been warmed by 0.85 degrees Celsius since 1880, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in 2014, and many scientists say the gases we have already emitted into the atmosphere will "lock us in" to around 2 degrees Celsius of warming. Therefore, it will take significant reductions in emissions in the near future, especially from the largest emitters such as the United States and China, as well as commitments to sustainable development from all countries, which must be financed by the developed (i.e., rich) nations.

Who will be there?

With more than 40,000 delegates from 195 countries all over the world, it's a huge meeting. In fact, this is the largest conference the French government has ever organized. The host country's President, Francois Hollande will welcome many major world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinpingand Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of three countries with the largest carbon emissions.

Many national leaders will be present for the beginning of COP21, which will hopefully kick off the negotiations with some political momentum. This is a stark change from COP15 in Copenhagen, when the heads of state, including Obama, came in for the last two days of negotiations. This resulted in slow negotiations until the end and talks that ultimately stalled and left the delegates frustrated and embarrassed.

It is not clear if Pope Francis will attend the Paris climate conference. The Pope has been a very vocal leader for climate activism and the battle against climate change, and his encyclical, which was released in June, was widely seen as a call for action to put pressure on delegates at COP21 to come up with an agreement.

What is necessary for it to be a success?

Since the goal is very clear for COP21, it is necessary for the nations to unanimously adopt a legally binding agreement that will reduce global carbon emissions and aim to keep warming below the 2-degree threshold. Anything resembling Copenhagen in 2009, where some limits to greenhouse gases were agreed upon but no treaty was ultimately signed, would be deemed a failure. The limits that were put in place in the Kyoto Protocol will run out in 2020, so it is imperative that the attendees leave Paris with a new agreement to begin in 2020 and enable long-term change beyond that.

The negotiations in Paris will not just focus on national commitments to reduce greenhouse gases, but will also have a financial aspect, which could prove to be a sticking point. Previous meetings have established a $100 billion-per-year commitment, starting in 2020, from developed countries to help developing countries combat climate change and build through sustainable development. Where this money comes from will be a major negotiating point -- how much from public vs. private sources? What role will businesses play? Answering these financial questions will be crucial to the success or failure of the Paris talks.

Why is it important to me?

Assuming you plan on living on this planet for the next few decades, as opposed to joining the Mars One colonization project, you will be affected by climate change and should care about the  of the Paris climate conference, as it will be critical in framing the international response to man-made climate change.

A warming climate will lead to more frequent and extreme heat waves, droughts and flash floods. In addition to extreme weather, melting glaciers and ice sheets are raising sea levels, which will continue and affect the lives of hundreds of millions of coastal residents worldwide. Other effects such as water scarcity and changes in food supply will also accompany climate change and, like most of the other effects, will hit the developing world disproportionately.

So even as the holiday season is in full swing next month, take a minute from your shopping and keep an eye on the proceedings in Paris, as the fate of the world as we know it could be at stake.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/30/world/cop21-paris-conference-five-things/

Structure of the Lead：
   Who- more than 40,000 delegates from 195 countries around the world  

   WHEN- Oct,30,2015

   WHAT- A climate conference about COP21 was held .

   WHY- In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and below 2 degrees Celsius of warming.   

   WHERE- in Paris 

   HOW- Every country should achieve a legally binding agreement.  

keywords:
      1. converge 聚集 
      2. emission 排放 
      3. sustainable 可持續的    
      4. momentum 勢頭 
      5. unanimously 無異議地  
      6. imperative 必要的   
      7. aspect 方面 
      8. coastal 沿海的
      9. disproportionately 不平衡地
     10. at stake 在危險中

week-one National Taichung Theater

National Taichung Theater gears up for grand opening

National Taichung Theater’s Nov. 23 inauguration is set for celebration with a diverse array of headline events, according to Taichung City Government.

Featuring concerts, dance shows, laser displays and theater performances, the inauguration culminates with the premiere of “Cat Man,” a special production by Taiwan opera company Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group.

Susan Yeh, director-general of TCG’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, said Nov. 10 that the events organized by the city government are greatly anticipated. “Over 20,000 visitors have participated in art-related activities around the theater, with more than 5,000 having entered the structure to experience its aesthetics.”

According to Yeh, performance groups will stage free concerts at the NTT’s outdoor square starting Nov. 14, including a National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra extravaganza Nov. 23.
Inside the theater, Paper Windmill Theatre will follow Ming Hwa Yuan with a two-day performance of “Don Quixote” Nov. 27-28, she said. “More acts are set for December, featuring such acclaimed artists as violin maestro Hu Nai-yuan, Taiwan Connection Chamber Orchestra and Ju Percussion Group.”

Designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Toyo Ito, the theater is the first in the world to comprise an entirely beamless design with irregular curved walls. It boasts a 2,014-seat grand theater, an 800-seat theater and 200-seat black box.

NTT is central Taiwan’s first national-level performing arts venue. Together with National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei City, as well as Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts in Kaohsiung City, the facility is expected to help usher in a new era for Taiwan’s cultural scene. (YHC-JSM)


http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=223883&ctNode=445


Structure of the Lead：
     Who- performance groups and over 20,000 visitors 

     WHEN- Nov,11,2014

     WHAT-There were many performances and art-related activities

     WHY-celebrated National Taichung Theater's  opening

     WHERE- at National Taichung Theater

     HOW- Taichung City Government invented many performance groups to act.


keywords:
      1. inauguration 就職典禮
      2. diverse 不一樣的
      3. array 陣容
      4. culminate 使達到高潮
      5. aesthetics 美學
      6. acclaimed 受稱讚的
      7. entirely 完全
      8. beamless 無樑
     

      




 

 

week-six Paris terror attack

Father's Talk With Son About Paris Terror Attack Goes Viral

A heart-wrenching video of a French father reassuring his young son about the Paris terror massacre has been shared more than 11 million times on Facebook.

In the clip, which aired on Canal+ television show "Le Petit Journal," a reporter asks the boy if he understands why extremists killed people in Paris on Friday.

The father, later identified as Angel Le, tries to explain the floral tributes outside the Bataclan theatre, where the majority of the victims of Friday's attacks were killed.

"What about the baddies, Dad?" asks his son, Brandon. "They've got guns."

"They've got guns but we have flowers," Le replies.

In a comment posted on the Facebook clip, Le wrote: "I'm the dad with the little boy, thank you all for the great comments that you have posting for us. When when I see all this support it tells me one thing: I'm proud to be French and proud of my fellow countrymen!"

Here is the interview in full:

Journalist: Do you understand what's happened? Do you understand why these people have done this?

Boy: Yes, because they are very, very, very bad. Bad people aren't very nice. And you have to be very careful because you need to move house.

Father: No, don't worry, we don't have to move. France is our home.

Boy: But what about the baddies, Dad?

Father: There are baddies everywhere. There are bad guys everywhere.

Boy: They've got guns. They can shoot us because they're very, very bad, Daddy.

Father: They've got guns but we have flowers.

Boy: But flowers don't do anything. They're for... they're for... they're for...

Father: Look, everyone is laying flowers here.

Boy: Yes.

Father: It's to fight against the guns.

Boy: Is it for protection?

Father: That's right.

Boy: And the candles too?

Father: They're so we don't forget the people who have gone.

Boy: Oh. The flowers and candles are there to protect us?

Father: Yes.

Journalist: Do you feel better now?

Boy: Yes, I feel better.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/paris-terror-attacks/fathers-talk-son-about-paris-terror-attack-goes-viral-n464981

Structure of the Lead：

     WHO-a French father and his son

     WHEN-Nov,17,2015

     WHAT-there was a conversation of them.

     WHY- because of the terror attack in Paris

     WHERE-in Paris

     HOW-The father told his son that they had flowers and candles to fight against the guns. 

keywords

     1. heart-wrenching 打動人心的

    2. reassuring 安慰

    3. massacre 殘殺
    4. clip 剪輯

    5. extremists 極端份子

    6. floral tributes 獻花
    7. majority 大多數

    8. baddies 壞人 
    9. fellow 同類