Autopilot criticism may cause deaths: Musk

AP, DETROIT, Michigan

Self-driving cars hold the promise of saving thousands of lives each year on US roads, but does pointing out flaws with the technology effectively put people in danger?

That claim was put forth on Wednesday by Tesla Motors Inc chief executive officer Elon Musk, who criticized the media for harping on the relatively few crashes involving Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving system called Autopilot, while saying little about the about the 1.2 million people who die worldwide each year in human-driven vehicles.

“If, in writing some article that’s negative, you effectively dissuade people from using autonomous vehicles, you’re killing people,” said Musk, who expects his self-driving technology to be at least twice as safe as cars driven by humans.

The comments came as Musk announced that all new Tesla vehicles — including the lower-cost Model 3 — will have the hardware needed to drive themselves. The talk is bold, but experts say it is premature until self-driving cars prove they are better drivers than humans under any circumstances.

“Over time, after the technology has established itself, one would expect there would be a decrease in fatalities,” said Raj Rajkumar, a computer engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, who leads its autonomous vehicle research. “But this is too premature to make this claim. Tesla’s technology is known to be imperfect.”

In May, an Ohio man using Autopilot died when his Tesla Model S failed to spot a tractor-trailer crossing a divided highway. Neither the car nor the driver braked and the Model S crashed into the side of the trailer. US federal investigators are looking into Autopilot’s role in the crash.

Tesla’s Autopilot, introduced last year, can maintain a set speed and distance and keep the car in its lane, but the technology works mainly on highways and must be monitored by the driver. Autopilot will turn itself off if drivers have their hands off the wheel for too long.

Musk said Autopilot has already shown itself to be safer than humans.

He tweeted earlier this month that Tesla vehicles have been driven about 357 million kilometers in Autopilot mode, with one confirmed driver death. By comparison, the US fatality rate in 2014 was 2.16 deaths per 322 million kilometers traveled, according to US government data.

The new autonomous system has been in testing for more than a year, and Musk said it could cut worldwide deaths in half if all cars used it.

Rajkumar was skeptical and called the Tesla announcement “marketing hype.”

He said people should be skeptical of Tesla’s claims because of the Florida crash.

Self-driving technology “still needs to prove itself,” he said, adding that it has trouble operating in dense urban traffic and inclement weather.

Consumer Reports magazine is also concerned about semi-autonomous systems such as those that allow a car to steer itself. The magazine believes automakers like Tesla “should take stronger steps to ensure that vehicles with these systems are designed, deployed and marketed safely,” it said.

The new Tesla vehicles are to use Tesla-developed software and have more sensors. They will have eight cameras, compared with one in previous models, as well as advanced sonar and greater computing capacity.

Tesla said the system is fully autonomous and can work on city streets as well as highways. Buyers can pay US$3,000 for Autopilot or US$8,000 for the full self-driving system.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/10/22/2003657649


*Structure of the Lead：
WHO-Self-driving cars
WHEN-not given
WHAT- of saving thousands of lives each year on US roads
WHY-not given
WHERE-on US
HOW-not  given


 *Keywords：
1. harp：反覆訴說，嘮叨[（+on/upon）]
    SYN：elaborate, dwell on 
2. dissuade：勸（某人）勿做某事，勸阻[（+from）] 
    SYN：discourage,  deter, talk out of；ANT：persuade
3. bold：大膽的; 勇敢的
4. premature：過早的; 倉促的  
5. monitor：監控；監聽；監測；監視 

 

Taiwan heats up climate change conference

Despite being banned from direct participation at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, NGOs from Taiwan have made their voices heard

By Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter in Paris

Taiwan’s government representatives may not have been allowed to participate in the negotiation process at the Paris Climate Change Conference, but civic society organizations made their presence felt.

A number of committed climate activists from Taiwan, along with environmental groups and researchers, represented the nation at the 21st UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP 21), which took place from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

Because Taiwan is not a member of the UN, activists had to use other means to garner international support in order to gain entrance.

“We represent young people in Taiwan who are concerned about global warming and its effects,” said William Cheng (程泫尹) who spoke on behalf of an environmental organization from Canada.

Cheng’s organization is classified as part of the “Youngo” (Young People’s Organizations) — non-state entities given observer status.

Other non-state entity groupings include “Engo” (Environmental Organizations), “Tungo” (Trade Union Organizations) and“IPO” (Indigenous Peoples Organizations), among others.

Lindsey Wu, an environmental activist from Taiwan, who fell under the “Engo” category, has participated in climate change meetings in the past.

“It has been very difficult for someone from Taiwan to attend these UN climate forums because the Taiwanese government is excluded from the process, and this also precludes effective participation by us NGOs,” she said.

Wu added that at times, it was frustrating to see many small Third World nations entering COP 21 venues and engaging in climate negotiation.

“It’s like the world has invited everyone to a big party, but when mentioning that we are from Taiwan, the door is slammed shut to keep us out in the cold.”

Wu believes Taiwan should forge stronger bonds with its Pacific allies such as Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands — all who were well-represented at the COP meetings.

Ghazali Ohorella, an executive of Pacific Island Youth Network, said: “Taiwan is part of the global community, and they are suffering from the effects of global warming, just like other nations; Taiwan and its NGO representatives should be allowed to participate as an equal member in the COP 21 process.”

Instead, Taiwan’s government was only allowed to send a delegation of 50 people headed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Paris. However, they tried to make the most out of the circumstances. On Dec. 10, a press conference was held at the Representative Office of Taiwan to discuss future goals such as gaining observer status at upcoming COP 21 events.

In addition, the government delegation has co-sponsored programs and seminar talks at venues of the official COP 21 site.

While smaller NGOs fought tooth and nail to participate at COP 21, larger organizations, by contrast, filled up most of the booths at COP 21’s NGO halls; they included the Tzu Chi Foundation, the Tang Prize Foundation and Delta Electronics Inc.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2015/12/20/2003635208


*Structure of the Lead：
WHO-Taiwan’s government representatives
WHEN-not given
WHAT-may not have been allowed to participate in the negotiation process at the Paris Climate Change Conference
WHY-not given
WHERE-at the Paris Climate Change Conference
HOW-not  given

*Keywords：
1. garner：收集; 獲得; 得到
2. in order to：為了…
    SYN：so as to
3. on behalf of：代表, 為了...的利益
    SYN：on...behalf, in behalf of, in...behalf, in the name of 
4. classify： 將……分類；將……分等級
    SYN： organize, group, categorize, sort
5. entity ：實體
    SYN：organization, institution, establishment, body

 

Visions of life on Mars in Earth’s depths

Visions of life on Mars in Earth’s depths

Bacteria that live deep within the Earth’s crust are giving scientists insights into where life could exist elsewhere in the solar system, including Mars

By Kenneth Chang  /  NY Times News Service

More than a kilometer down in an unused mine tunnel, scientists guided by helmet lamps trudged through darkness and the muck of a flooded, uneven floor.

In the subterranean world of the Beatrix Gold Mine, they shed their backpacks, took out tools and meticulously prepared test tubes to collect samples.

Leaning a ladder against the hard rock wall, Tullis Onstott, a geosciences professor at Princeton University, climbed to open an old valve about 3.66m up.

Out flowed water chock-full of microbes, organisms flourishing not from the warmth of the sun, but by heat generated from the interior of the planet below.

These tiny life-forms — bacteria, other microbes and even little worms — exist in places nearly impossible to reach, living in eternal darkness, in hard rock.

Scientists like Onstott have been on the hunt for life in the underworld, not just in South Africa, but in mines in South Dakota and at the bottom of oceans.

What they learn could provide insights into where life could exist elsewhere in the solar system, including Mars.

Microbial Martians might well look like what lives in the rocks in the deep underground mine.

The same conditions almost certainly exist on Mars. Drill a hole there, drop these organisms in, and they might happily multiply, fueled by chemical reactions in the rocks and drips of water.

“As long as you can get below the ice, no problems,” Onstott said. “They just need a little bit of water.”

Mars has long been a focus of space exploration and science fiction dreams. NASA has sent more robotic probes there than any other planet. However, now there is renewed interest in sending people as well. NASA has been enthusiastically promoting its “Journey to Mars” goal to send astronauts there in the 2030s. Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX, is promising that he will be able to get there a decade sooner and set up colonies.

Astronauts on Mars would be able to greatly accelerate the quest for answers to the most intriguing questions about the red planet. Was there ever life on Mars? Could there be life there today?

It was not that long ago that scientists had written off Mars as lifeless.

Forty years ago, NASA spent about US$1 billion on its Viking program, which revealed a cold, dry world seemingly devoid of organic molecules that are the building blocks of life.

However, more recent missions have discovered compelling evidence that Mars was not always such an uninviting place. In its youth, more than 3 billion years ago, the planet was warmer and wetter, blanketed with a thick atmosphere — possibly almost Earthlike.

A fanciful, but plausible notion is that life did originate on Mars, then traveled to Earth via meteorites, and we are all descendants of Martians.

Eventually, Mars did turn cold and dry. Radiation broke apart the water molecules and the lighter hydrogen atoms escaped to space. The atmosphere thinned to wisps.

However, if life did arise on Mars, might it have migrated to the underworld and persisted?

For a couple of decades, Onstott has been talking his way into South African gold mines, regaling the mine managers with the wonder of deep-Earth life to overcome their wariness. In many ways, the mines provide easy access to the depths — a ride in a cage-like elevator, jammed against miners starting their shift, descending quickly as lights from the different levels zip past. Think of it as traveling through a 450-story skyscraper, going down.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2016/09/16/2003655234

*Structure of the Lead：
WHO-scientists 
WHEN-not given
WHAT- guided by helmet lamps trudged through darkness and the muck of a flooded, uneven floor
WHY- not given
WHERE-not given
HOW-not  given

*Keywords：
1.  trudge：跋涉，步履艱難地走
    SYN：plod, lumber, tramp
2.  muck：腐殖土；淤泥
3.  uneven：不平坦的，崎嶇的；參差不齊的
    SYN：unequal, irregular, disparate；ANT：even
4.  subterranean：地下的
5.  shed ：把……放入棚內
6.  take out： 取出; 請人...
    SYN：get out
7.  meticulously ：極注意地，極細心地，一絲不苟地
8.  valve ：閥; 閘閥; 氣門
9.  interior ：內部，內側
    SYN：inside, inner, middle, heart；ANT：exterior, foreign
10.  eternal ：永久的，永恆的；無窮的
    SYN：endless, perpetual, everlasting, permanent；ANT：momentary, temporary,
transient
11.  multiply ：使（成倍地）增加
    SYN：increase, advance, gain, grow；ANT：divide

Family of Syrian child tried to reach Canada: report

Reuters, ANKARA

The family of a Syrian toddler whose body washed up on a Turkish beach had been trying to emigrate to Canada after fleeing the war-torn town of Kobani, one of their relatives told a Canadian newspaper yesterday.

A photograph of the tiny body of three-year old Aylan Kurdi washed up in the Aegean resort of Bodrum swept social media on Wednesday, spawning sympathy and outrage at the perceived inaction of developed nations in helping refugees.

His five-year-old brother, Galip, and mother, Rehan, 35, also died after their boat capsized while trying to reach the Greek island of Kos. His father, Abdullah, was found semi-conscious and taken to hospital near Bodrum, Turkey’s Sabah newspaper said.

“I heard the news at 5 o’clock this morning,” Teema Kurdi, Abdullah’s sister and a resident of Vancouver, was quoted as saying by Canada’s National Post newspaper.

Teema had been contacted by the wife of one of Abdullah’s brothers.

“She had got a call from Abdullah, and all he said was, my wife and two boys are dead,” Teema said.

Abdullah, his wife and two children had made a privately sponsored refugee application to the Canadian authorities that was rejected in June because of complications with applications from Turkey, the newspaper quoted Teema as saying.

“I was trying to sponsor them, and I have my friends and my neighbors who helped me with the bank deposits, but we couldn’t get them out, and that is why they went in the boat,” she said.

“I was even paying rent for them in Turkey, but it is horrible the way they treat Syrians there,” she said.

Turkey has won international praise for taking in 2 million refugees since the Syrian civil war began in March 2011, spending US$6 billion caring for them and receiving just US$400 million in outside aid.

However, it has warned it is reaching capacity, and thousands are now making the perilous journey by boat from Turkey to Greece in a bid to enter Europe.

Kobani, a town in northern Syria near the Turkish border, was the scene of heavy fighting between Islamic State insurgents and Kurdish regional forces several months ago.

Tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing the war in their homeland have descended on Turkey’s Aegean coast this summer to board boats to Greece.

Abdullah’s family were among at least 12 presumed Syrian refugees who died trying to reach Kos after two boats, carrying a total of 23 people, set off separately from the Akyarlar area of the Bodrum Peninsula, a naval official said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2015/09/04/2003626930


*Structure of the Lead：
WHO-The family of a Syrian toddler
WHEN-yesterday
WHAT-a Syrian toddler whose body washed up on a Turkish beach
WHY-had been trying to emigrate to Canada after fleeing the war-torn town of Kobani
WHERE-not given
HOW-not  given

*Keywords：
1. toddler：學步的小孩；蹣跚行走者
2. wash up：(浪頭)把...衝上岸
3. emigrate：移居外國（或外地區）[（+from/to）]
    SYN：leave, migrate；ANT：immigrate
4. flee：逃離 
    SYN：run, run away, run off, make a run for it
5. sweep：掃蕩；肅清，消滅
6. spawn：產生；造成，釀成
7. outrage：憤慨
    SYN：indignation, fury, anger, rage 
8. capsized：傾覆；翻覆
    SYN：upset, overthrow, overturn, tip over
9. capacity：容納的能力
    SYN：volume, cubic measure, size, dimensions；ANT：inability
10. perilous：危險的；冒險的
    ANT：safe, secure
11. bid ：企圖；努力[（+for）][+to-v] 
12. set off：出發; 使爆發 
    SYN：set out, start off, start out 
13. separately：分離地；個別地，分別地