Posts

Dog’s first toy

This dog was rescued from an abusive home, and now he gets to pick his first toy for his new home! It looks like he’s taking the decision very seriously!

View post on imgur.com

Seth

 

Origami robot

Check out this tiny robot they made at MIT! They call it an origami robot, because it folds and unfolds by itself. Someone can swallow one and they can control it from outside with magnets. It can do some small kinds of surgery without any cutting.

https://futurism.com/httpnews-mit-edu2016ingestible-origami-robot-0512/

Seth

Funabashi festival

Last weekend I went to the Funabashi City festival, and had a really great time.

I started out the day by going to a café near my house. I go there pretty often and know the staff. They convinced me to rent a yukata for the festival, and I decided to give it a try since I hadn’t worn one before.

My friends showed up at the café a few minutes later and we all took turns getting our yukatas and kimonos put on. After we were all ready, we took a few pictures with other people going to the festival and with our friends at the café. After that we decided to head to the festival to get some food and see the portable shrines.

Although it wasn’t my first summer festival, it was the first time I had spent the whole day in a yukata, and it was really comfortable. I had such a great time, and got to try some festival food that I hadn’t eaten before. Plus, I really liked the atmosphere of the festival; everyone seemed relaxed and in a good mood. I’m thinking about going to another festival or two in Chiba before the summer ends.

Marshall

TOEIC Vocabulary practice

Important memo

Please be informed that our office will be closed from Monday, August 8th to Sunday, August 13th, We will start operations from Monday, August 14th, 2017. If you have urgent business please leave a message with the voice mail system.  Any inquiries received during the closure will be responded to on Monday, August 14th, 2015.

Vocabulary

Informed (adjective); provided with information; made aware.

  • I was informed that you wanted to see me.

Urgent (adjective); requiring immediate action or attention.

  • I have urgent business in Osaka. I have to fly out as soon as possible.

Voice mail (noun); an electronic communication system in which spoken messages are recorded or digitized and stored for later playback to the intended recipient

  • I left a message about the party on your voice mail.

Inquires (noun); a seeking or request for truth, information, or knowledge.

  • I have made some inquires into the financial situation of the company.

Nik

Robotic Fish

Check out this GIF of some robotic fish. This has to be the most lifelike robot I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t mind having some of these guys as pets. I’m sure they’re lower maintenance than the real thing.

Seth

TOEIC Vocabulary practice

Jobs Ads

This week we will look at a job ad for a health consultant.

Let’s take a look at the requirements and expectations for the job.
Required Education Bachelor’s degree; master’s degree preferred by many employers
Required Job Skills Effective communication, self-motivation, ability to handle stress

Healthcare Consultant: Job Description, Duties and Requirements

Job Requirements

The education requirements for a healthcare consultant vary based on the employer. Generally, the minimum amount of education needed is a bachelor’s degree. Many employers prefer healthcare consultants with a master’s degree, especially in private industries. Students interested in becoming healthcare consultants pick majors in management, marketing, economics, human resources or business. Additionally, choosing a minor or a specialization in healthcare is suggested.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a healthcare consultant must be self-motivated and work with minimal supervision since employers expect them to be experts at improving an organization. Having effective communication skills is needed to clearly express improvement ideas with a customer. The ability to handle stress and act responsibility is important, especially when healthcare consultants acquire more experience and are placed in charge of specific projects.

  1. Vary; verb– differs in size, amount, degree, or nature from something else of the same general class.
  2. Private industry; noun- the part of the economy that is controlled by individuals or private organizations and is not funded by the government.
  3. To pick; verb- choose (someone or something) from a number of alternatives.
  4. self-motivated; adjective– motivated to do or achieve something because of one’s own enthusiasm or interest, without needing pressure from others.
  5. Minimal; adjective– of a minimum amount, quantity, or degree.
  6. To handle; verb- manage (a situation or problem).
  7. Acquire; verb- learn or develop (a skill, habit, or quality).
Nik

Steve Jobs

Today I learned that Steve Jobs could have avoided a premature death from cancer by having it properly treated with modern medicine. He refused it for 9 months because he believed alternative medicine and diet would be better. It was one of his biggest regrets. I hope some people who are interested in alternative medicine find out about this famous case and realize the importance of modern medicine.
Here’s the wikipedia article that I read:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs#Health_issues

Seth

Dogs can tell when you’re laughing

I learned something really interesting about dogs today. Some scientists did some MRI scans on dogs to see how their brains responded to human voices. Apparently, the dogs’ brains responded to the voices in a similar way to humans’ brains. The scientists think that because dogs have lived alongside humans for so long, they have evolved to understand human emotions like happiness and sadness by listening to their voices. Here’s the full article if you’re interested, but it has a lot of scientific words in it:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/your-dog-can-tell-from-your-voice-if-youre-happy-or-sad-180949807/

English note:

“Dogs can tell when you’re laughing” means: dogs understand when you’re laughing.

Example:

Can you tell where he is from? (by hearing his accent)

Can you tell which way is north? (by looking at the sun)

I can tell he doesn’t like spicy food. (by looking at his face)

My mom can tell when I’m lying. (by looking at my face)

Seth.

Instant Regret

Here’s the top post from another one of my favorite subreddits called Instant Regret. This guy tries to get past a puddle without getting his shoes too wet.

http://i.imgur.com/z2xLUsH.gifv

I could not have anticipated this……..

Seth