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A very brief history of AI
Digital & Computing

A very brief history of AI

...simple program that recognises certain words and phrases entered by the user and uses it to generate one of a series of its own questions. It doesn’t matter if the user enters nonsense, ELIZA will still happily converse with them: [Chat] A quick play with ELIZA almost always reveals its limitations and after a short time, many people can begin to see how the program...
Why friendships are vital to your wellbeing
Health, Sports & Psychology

Why friendships are vital to your wellbeing

...simple pleasure of being in company with other people that you like. This can often lead to laughter and to taking part in activities that raise the spirits and provide a distraction from the more serious side of life. The give and take between partners in a friendship is an important element in its pleasure. People enjoy doing something for someone they like and the...
Ten top tips for writing a novel
History & The Arts

Ten top tips for writing a novel

...simple. Get a cat. Muriel Spark, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie believed that a contented cat was a great aid to the deep concentration needed for novel writing. It works like this – the cat sees your desk lamp, decides it’s a good place for a nap, and settles down happily while you work. ‘Its presence alone is enough,’ Spark said. ‘The effect of a cat...
The trouble with teaching physics
Health, Sports & Psychology

The trouble with teaching physics

...simple as presenting students with facts to memorise. Students have their own ideas about the world based on their everyday experiences. For example, students sometimes mistakenly think that light and electricity flow like water or that cold is not the absence of heat, but a substance with a physical location that can flow from one place to another. The trouble is that...
Download our Chinese characters learning apps
Languages

Download our Chinese characters learning apps

...simple texts in characters. If you travel to China or other Chinese speaking places, whether for business or pleasure, you can play with the app at the airport, and land in your destination able to recognise some signs and say some useful expressions such as computers and mobiles, the internet, shops, and travelling by train, taxi or plane. Isn't Chinese really hard to...
Can we be categorised by our DNA?
Science, Maths & Technology

Can we be categorised by our DNA?

...simple analogy to explain this continuity. While we think of colours as distinct, and assign them different labels such as red, green and blue, we look at a colour palette to understand the continuity of colours, and the difficulty of assigning discrete labels. In other words, we do not deny that the people of South Africa would on average have much darker skin compared...
How do I pitch an idea to a science editor?
Science, Maths & Technology

How do I pitch an idea to a science editor?

...simple Avoid jargon. Using words such as ‘stakeholders’, ‘leverages’ and ‘sustainable dialogues’ in your pitch will alienate the editor. Who are you? If it’s your first time pitching to an editor, include a bit about yourself, your areas of interest and your expertise. Supply up to three links to your previous work or, if a new writer, briefly explain why...
Heroes and Villains: The Outlaw in Early American Folk Music
Health, Sports & Psychology

Heroes and Villains: The Outlaw in Early American Folk Music

...simple criminal’ – someone who refuses to abide by the norms of their own community. Such a figure is considered a ‘bad man’ by performer and listeners alike. Secondly, what Eric Hobsbawm (1981) calls the ‘social bandit’ – regarded as a criminal by the ruling class and its agencies, but who remains within the moral order of their own community and frequently...