ربات های زنده
محققان دانشگاه کالیفرنیا رباتهای زنده ای ساختند که به کمک نیروی ماهیچه ها کار میکند.این ربات ها به وسیله ی رشد دادن سلول های موش روی تراشه های سیلیکونی ساخته شده اند.رباتهای یک میلیمتری کوچک بدون استفاده از منبع انرژی خارجی حرکت می کنند. محققان بافتهای ماهیچه ای را روی اسکلت های رباتیکی رشد می دهند. ان ها از سلول های قلب موش برای ایجاد قطعات ریزی استفاده کرده اند که هنگام انقباظ سلول ها حرکت می کنند. آنها برای این ربات ها یک جفت پای بسیار کوچک پلاستیکی ساخته اند که لولا دارند خم می شوند و حرکت می کنند. سپس به وسیله ی کنترل شیمیایی سطح سلول های ماهیچه ای را به نقطه ی خاصی هدایت می کنند تا بدین گونه به آن نقطه متصل شوند و به نقاط دیگری نچسبند.بدین ترتیب سلول های ماهیچه ای یک ماهیچه ی واقعی را تشکیل می دهند. سرپرست محققان معتقد است که می توان ماهیچه های این گونه را روی قطعات میکروسکوپی مستقر کرد. این قطعات حتی برای راه اندازی ژنراتور های الکتریکی کوچک و همچنین در تراشه های رایانه ای کاربرد دارند. به علاوه هنگامی که سلول های زیستی به سیلیکون متصل می شوند کاملا زنده اند به طوری که رشد یافته و تکثیر و تجمع می کنند.
A Joke For You
An American asked : What kind of "ian" are you ?
What ?
I said: what kind of "ian" are you ?
I do not understand your ouestion !
Stupid ! Are you cambodian , indian or iranan ?
Oh , I am Iranian .
after a while ! ! The Iranian asked : What kind of "key" are you ?
American : What ?
Iranian : I mean you are monkey or donkey ?
English Short Story 078
Story 78
There Goes the Neighborhood!
Carbon Street is a long, tree-lined street with majestic houses on either side. The houses are owned by millionaires who cherish their quiet, residential street. Throughout the day, the only noise is usually the sound of various birds singing in the trees or the occasional jetliner flying high overhead. Not even the sound of gas leaf blowers or gas lawn mowers invades the silence.
But, nothing lasts forever. Carbon Street is about to change. Mr. Bing, a self-made billionaire, has a plan. A big plan. A big plan for a big house. Mr. Bing says he likes to do everything big.
“I like to make a statement. What’s the use of being on this planet if others don’t know that you’re here? After years of searching all over the world, I have determined that Carbon Street is the perfect place to live. I plan to build the biggest house in the world at the end of this street. Construction will take about three years, but it will be worth it. I’m going to throw at least one party every weekend for all my friends. It’s going to be fantastic!”
“It’s going to be a nightmare,” said one neighbor. “We’re already talking to some realtors. Three years of construction. Three years of trucks going back and forth every day. And then parties every weekend? We can't even sue him—I think he’s got more money than our whole state. No, it’s time to move. We went from having the nicest neighborhood to having the worst neighborhood, all because of one new neighbor. I wonder who the idiot is who told him about our street.”
English Short Story 079
Story 1
Let’s Go to Vegas!
Sandra had not been to Las Vegas in more than a year. She was excited. Her sister Janice was coming by to pick her up in about ten minutes. Sandra finished putting her toothbrush and toothpaste into her travel bag; those were the last two items on her “to pack” list.
She had called ahead, of course, to get a room for Janice and herself. The hotel told her that no more rooms were available at the price that was advertised in the newspaper. This was no surprise to Sandra. So, she put down a $100 nonrefundable deposit on a room for two nights. The cost for both nights was going to be $200 plus taxes, surcharges, and other fees.
She looked at her watch. Janice was late, of course. Sandra had forgotten to remind Janice of today’s departure time. To put it kindly, Janice was not exactly the most organized person in the world. Sandra called Janice up. She left a short message: “Where are you? It’s time to go to Vegas!”
A few minutes later, Janice called back. She had a big problem—a schedule conflict. She had already promised to attend her daughter’s eighth-grade graduation ceremony this very weekend.
“Oh, Sandra, I’m so sorry,” Janice said. “I know how much you had wanted to do this. I thought Alice’s graduation ceremony and party were next week. I get so confused sometimes. I’ll make this up to you, I promise. Maybe you can call up Lily; she might be available, even though it’s really short notice. If not, don’t worry, I’ll pay you for everything and we can make plans again.”
Sandra sighed and dialed her friend Lily. She wondered how Janice had made it through life so unorganized.
English Short Story 080
Story 80
Squirrel Attacks Woman in Golf Cart
A woman golfing with her husband and her mother was taken to the local hospital yesterday afternoon. The woman was struck by a golf cart driven by her mom.
Ginger Rogers, 55, was hit by the cart about 2 p.m. at Fairway Golf Course. She was examining her 50-foot putt on the par 5 tenth hole when she heard her mother scream. Ginger turned around just in time to see her mom driving straight toward her. The force of the collision knocked her over, and the cart then ran over her foot.
Her mom, 81 years old, said that a squirrel had jumped up into the cart looking for snacks. She tried to shoo the squirrel away. Instead, it rose up on its hind feet and made a hissing sound. Startled and frightened, the old lady hit the gas pedal.
The paramedics arrived about 15 minutes later and treated Ginger for a broken left ankle. They gave a mild sedative to her mother, who kept muttering, “Vicious, simply vicious.” Then they took Ginger to the hospital. Mr. Rogers promised his wife he would visit her after he finished his round.
John Dean, an attorney for the golf course, said the golf course was not responsible for the actions of its animals. He added, “If the ladies want to sue, they’ll have to sue the squirrel. We’re still assessing the damage to the cart and the green. It looks fairly light; I doubt that the driver will owe us more than $1,000.”
English Short Story 081
Story 81
He Goes to War to Save His Baby
Roland was a carpenter in Virginia. He and Sheila had three kids—two boys and baby Jessica. The baby had been in and out of the hospital for the last year because of infections and other problems. She was very weak and sick. The doctors were not confident that she would live another year.
Taking care of Jessica was expensive. The family was deep in debt. Roland, an independent subcontractor, had medical insurance, but he had very high deductibles.
Things were bad. Roland saw no light at the end of this tunnel. Then he saw an ad in the newspaper: “Security guards/contract workers wanted. $100,000 a year. First $80,000 tax free. $20,000 bonus for extending contract an extra year.” He called the number. The line was busy, but he kept calling and finally got through. He was worried that the jobs were all taken, but they told him plenty of jobs were still available. They said they would give him two weeks of training in Texas. Then they would fly him to Iraq for his assignment.
Roland told Sheila he had to take this job. He knew it was dangerous; he might get injured or killed, but the money was too good. Plus, the family would have full medical benefits, which would enable the baby to get the care she needed. Roland said if he survived the first year, he would probably sign up for the bonus and a second year.
Sheila was worried. She asked, “What if you get killed? What are we going to do without you?”
“You can’t think like that, honey,” he said. “You’ve got to think positive. Think about how well off we’ll be in two or three years after I bring back all that money. This is the best thing I could do for this family.”
Sheila hugged him and sobbed. “I don’t want you to go.”
Roland flew to Houston five days later.
English Short Story 082
Story 82
English Is Confusing
“Good evening, everybody!” said the teacher, Donna. “Where is everybody?” That was sort of a daily joke by Donna. Usually the class started with only two or three students present, and then filled up as the minutes went by. It was summertime. Summer school was only eight weeks long. Class attendance was always smaller than during fall and spring semesters.
“I don’t know, teacher. Maybe they late or no come,” said one student. “Maybe watching TV football tonight.”
“Is there a soccer game tonight? It seems like there’s a soccer game every night. Oh, well. Let’s get started, okay? We’re on page 36 in the workbook. Tonight we’re studying participles as adjectives. Students are always confused when they learn about the present and past participles, so we will practice this a lot. Tonight, we’re just going to practice the present participle.
“The present participle tells us what emotion or feeling the subject is causing. For example, ‘Grammar is boring’ means that the subject—grammar—causes an emotion of boredom. If we say, ‘The movie is interesting,’ we are saying that the movie causes a feeling of interest. If we say, ‘The roller coaster is exciting,’ we are saying that the roller coaster causes a feeling of excitement. Any questions so far? Am I confusing you? Is everyone confused?”
The classroom was quiet. Donna looked at blank faces. They were confused. She knew this would take a while. But eventually, the faster students would grasp it, and then they would help the slower students. By the end of the evening, most of the class would feel comfortable using the present participle.
Donna erased the board and put some new examples on it. She loved guiding her students through difficult topics like this one. She always felt a little bit thrilled when the look of understanding came to their faces.
English Short Story 083
Story 83
Pump Up the Tires and Ride the Bike
The blue bike was sitting in Owen’s living room. It had no kickstand, so he had wedged the front tire in between two bookshelves so that the bike would stand upright. Both tires were flat. Dust covered the bike. However, no household spiders had set up a web site. When was the last time I rode this thing, he wondered as he looked at it.
It was Sunday. Sunset was still almost two hours away. The temperature had been 86 at noon, but had dropped to about 76. Owen had spent Saturday and most of Sunday cleaning up his apartment. The termite inspector was coming on Monday. Owen wanted the inspector to be able to “inspect” without tripping over boxes, books, fishing rods, and golf clubs.
Owen was going to reward himself with a late afternoon bicycle ride. He enjoyed riding or walking through his neighborhood with its many beautiful houses, yards, and trees. But first, he had to inflate both bike tires. He got out a hand air pump he had bought at a thrift shop for only $2. The pump nozzle adapter didn’t fit onto the bike’s valve stem. Nothing is ever simple, he thought.
He looked for his new pump, the one that had cost $10. It had all the bells and whistles: high volume air flow on both up and down strokes, quick lock valve adapter and four nozzle adapters, air gauge, and footplate for easy pumping. It was a beauty. Of course, Owen couldn’t find it. I’ve got everything, but I can’t find anything, Owen muttered.
As usual, Owen did find one thing while he was looking for another thing. He found another used pump that he had been looking for a month ago. It was a big, heavy, steel pump that had an air gauge and a small leak somewhere. Owen connected the pump to the rear tire. He started pumping. The “small” leak seemed to have gotten bigger. Owen stopped counting after the first 80 pumps; finally the dial hit 65 psi. He was huffing and puffing. He went to the refrigerator and got a diet soda. After finishing it, he pumped up the front tire. Sweat dripped from his forehead. That was a good workout, he thought as he finished off a second soda. He screwed the valve stem caps back on. He stood back and admired his “new” tires proudly.
The bike was now ready to ride. Owen, however, felt a little tired. Plus, he was hungry. In fact, it looked like it was getting too dark for a long ride. There’s always tomorrow, he thought as he opened the refrigerator door. The chilled air felt good.
English Short Story 084
Story 84
Don’t Go Swimming on an Empty Stomach
Pete had lived in Florida for 20 years. A boring 20 years, he often thought. His house was only a 10-minute walk from the Gulf. He walked to the sandy white beach almost every day. Bob’s Liquors was at the corner, halfway to the beach. It was the only store within a mile. It sold cold beer and cigarettes, which were the only two things that interested Pete today. The owner of Bob’s was Bill. Bill had bought the store from Bob, but never renamed the store. “'Bob’s' has a nice ring to it,” he told curious customers. Also, of course, keeping the old name saved him money, time, and trouble.
When the water was unsafe, the lifeguards would put red flags all up and down the beach to warn swimmers to stay out of the water. Today was a red flag day. Fierce riptides and lots of jellyfish were predicted for the next 48 hours.
Although windy and completely overcast, it was a warm September day. Pete stopped at Bob’s. Bill said hello and told Pete to be careful because of the riptide reports. He asked, “What’ll it be today, Pete?”
Pete ordered the usual—a pack of cigarettes and beer. Bill put the six-pack into a double paper bag because that helped keep the beer cold longer. Pete paid him and said goodbye. He walked out the door and crossed the two-lane street, not bothering to look in either direction.
The flags were flapping loudly. Small waves were splashing onto the beach. Sea gulls were walking at water’s edge. Low thunder rumbled occasionally in the distance. An irregular line showed where wet sand met dry sand. Pete sat down on the dry sand. He opened a can of beer and lit a cigarette. There was no one else at the beach, except a woman walking away from him, stopping frequently to examine seashells. Pete watched a pelican dive into the water. Far away on the horizon, a stationary ship floated.
Pete was a strong swimmer. He had learned to swim when he was four years old. In grade school and high school, he won numerous swimming and diving tournaments. His parents had high hopes that he would compete in the Olympics.
Pete opened the fifth beer and lit yet another cigarette. The woman collecting seashells had disappeared from sight. He got up and walked into the water. When the water was almost thigh-high, he felt the current tugging at him. A jellyfish stung him behind his right knee. He took a final drag on his cigarette and flicked it into the water. He finished the beer, filled the empty can with sea water, and threw it back onto the beach. He looked at the ship.
Then he dove in and started swimming.
English Short Story 085
Story 85
The Park That Went to the Dogs
When Winnie and Arnold bought their house at the end of a cul-de-sac in 1980, they thought they had died and gone to heaven. There were only four houses on the street. Between their house and their neighbor’s house was a dirt pathway. The path led to a city-owned dog park, where dog owners could let their dogs run free. But there was no parking lot for dog owners’ cars. Dog owners had to park on the street, and then walk their dogs to the leash-free park.
In 1980 no one seemed to know about the park. The only people who used it were the people who lived in the neighborhood. The neighbors used to joke that they had their own private dog park.
Those were the good old days. Things have changed. The park has become like California in the Gold Rush days. Everyone knows about it. A dog may be man’s best friend, but 1,000 dogs certainly are not.
Over the years, the neighborhood association, consisting of about 70 houses nearest to the park, has begged the city council to reduce park hours. It is open from 7:00 to 7:00 seven days a week. But some dog owners actually arrive at 6:00, saying that they needed to beat the rush. To save walking distance, others park in neighborhood driveways. Others bring boom boxes and play music loudly in the park. Others knock on neighborhood doors and ask to use the bathroom. Weekends are even worse than weekdays. Whole families spend the day with their dogs. People, dogs, noise, and trash are everywhere.
“We’re stuck here,” said Arnold. “I’ve been trying to sell my place for five years. But when buyers see all this dog traffic, they take off running. What a joke. This place was heaven when we first moved here. Now it’s hell.”
The city council has ignored the neighborhood association’s pleas for help. A council member said, “We have to meet the public demand. This no-leash park is very popular. I’m sorry, but if the homeowners don’t like it, they can always move. This is a free country, you know.”
