Google’s AlphaGo beats masters at their game again

Google’s AlphGo beats masters at their game again

Sat, Jan 07, 2017 By Chen Cheng-chien, Cheng Wei-chih and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

DeepMind Technologies’ AlphaGo was the brains behind the go player that won 60 consecutive games in one week in online battles against the world’s top-ranked players, Taiwanese developer Aja Huang (黃士傑) of the Google unit confirmed on Wednesday.

Using the pseudonym “Master,” AlphaGo played its first online game on Dec. 29 and defeated some of the world’s top players, including China’s Ke Jie (柯潔) — ranked the world’s No. 1 in the Whole History Rating system — Nie Weiping (聶衛平) and Chen Yaoye (陳耀燁); Japan’s Yuta Iyama; and South Korea’s Park Junghwan and Cho Hanseung.

Before DeepMind’s revelation, Master’s unconventional strategy, fast reaction and seemingly improbable winning streak had led to speculation that the player was not human.

Yu Bin (俞斌), head coach of China’s national go team, told Xinhua news agency that no human player could make a move almost every five seconds.

“It is highly possible that it is the latest version of an AI [artificial intelligence] player,” he was quoted as saying.

After claiming its 59th win on Wednesday, Master wrote a message on the platform that read: “I am AlphaGo’s Dr Huang.”

“We’ve been hard at work improving AlphaGo, and over the past few days we’ve played some unofficial online games at fast time controls with our new prototype version, to check that it’s working as well as we hoped. We thank everyone who played our accounts Magister (P) and Master (P) on the Tygem and FoxGo servers,” DeepMind cofounder and chief executive Demis Hassabis tweeted on Wednesday.

Huang, a professor of computer science at National Taiwan Normal University, was in 2012 employed by the London-based company that was later acquired by Google, and played a key role in AlphaGo’s development team.

According to the Chinese online media outlet The Observer, Master initially registered as a South Korean go player, in an apparent homage to the fact that AlphaGo was certified by the South Korean national go academy as a 9th dan player in January last year after defeating Lee Sedol, a South Korean player with a 9th dan rank, in four games.

Chou Chun-hsun (周俊勳), a professional and the first Taiwanese to play against Master, said he was routed in little more than 40 minutes and had to concede the game.

“Master’s strategy defied conventional rules of playing the game, and I knew then that what made those moves was not human. Though the game was a crushing loss, I had a lot of fun losing and I learned some very interesting things from it. I look forward to playing it again,” he added.

Structure of the Lead：

WHO: Alpha Go

WHERE: Online 

Keywords: 

1.consecutive 連續的

2.pseudonym 筆名

3.prototype 原型 

來源:http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/01/07/2003662681

The Guardian view on the Nobel peace prize: give it to Syria’s White Helmets

Wednesday 5 October 2016 19.33 BST

When a bomb comes crashing down on a building, leaving devastation in its wake, they rush towards the site instead of towards shelters. With their bare hands, they search for people in the rubble. They try to pull out survivors who are shocked and wounded, tormented by fear and, not least, the knowledge that civilians long ago stopped being collateral damage, and are precisely the target in this war. These rescuers are Syria’s White Helmets, a group of 3,000 local volunteers. Once tailors or carpenters or students or engineers, they are now dedicated to saving lives when fighter jets and helicopters drop barrel bombs, cluster explosives, phosphorus bombs and chlorine shells on neighbourhoods or hospitals. As the Nobel committee prepares to announce this year’s peace prize, the White Helmets deserve attention.

The White Helmets leader: ‘We can anticipate the scale of destruction based on the sound of the plane’

Read more

In Syria’s maelstrom of horrors, it is hard to find anything that points to respect for basic humanitarian principles or even human dignity. The Assad regime has unleashed untold levels of violence on the Syrian population and is being actively assisted by Russia’s military intervention as well as by Iranian-connected ground forces. Jihadi groups have grown, often filling voids left by less well-armed and well-resourced moderates. Civilians are trapped in the middle. In Aleppo, 300,000 people are exposed to a relentless barrage of airstrikes. The Syrian government and Russia now seem intent on crushing Aleppo, the opposition’s last stronghold, before a new American president takes office. Diplomacy has entirely collapsed, with acrimonious exchanges in the UN replacing attempts at a ceasefire.

This is the backdrop against which the White Helmets operate – a western-funded Syrian search-and-rescue organisation whose members put their lives at great risk to save civilians, receiving only a monthly stipend of $150. Danger is made worse by the fact those who bomb routinely resort to double-tap strikes, with fighter jets dropping ordnance and then returning to target rescue teams.

These volunteers know all too well that great power politics, alongside a tyrant’s brutal policies, have brought Syria to the abyss. They entertain no illusions that genuine measures will be taken swiftly to end massacres on a scale unprecedented in decades. The White Helmets do what they can, locally. It’s the very least the west can do to back them. No one should be surprised that Bashar al-Assad has compared these humanitarian activists to terrorists: that’s what he calls anyone who opposes him.

What the White Helmets accomplish may seem like a drop in the ocean, but what they represent is immense: resilience and bravery in the face of barbarism. They are a constant reminder that those targeted by Russia and the Assad regime’s massive bombing campaign in Aleppo are civilians, not terrorists. And they show that individual acts of courage can go a long way to fight indifference. They also embody a spirit of civic resistance – upholding some of the ideals of the peaceful, popular uprising of 2011 and exemplifying courage and solidarity in the face of state-sponsored terror. The international community has utterly failed Syrians, by failing to protect them from mass atrocities. No Nobel peace prize can erase that. But because symbols can be powerful, the White Helmets should be recognised with this award.

Structure of the Lead：

WHO: White Helmets

WHERE: Syria

Keywords:

1. devastation 毀滅性的

2. rubble 瓦礫堆,碎石

3. tormented 折磨,痛苦

4. precisely 精確地,準確地

5. barrel 桶

來源:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/05/the-guardian-view-on-the-nobel-peace-prize-give-it-to-syrias-white-helmets

BREXIT: British PM resigns after UK vote to leave EU

BREXIT: British PM resigns after UK vote to leave EU

Sat, Jun 25, 2016Reuters and AP, LONDON

Britain has voted to leave the EU, forcing the resignation of British Prime Minister David Cameron and dealing the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War II.

There was euphoria among Britain’s eurosceptic forces, claiming a victory over the political establishment, big business and foreign leaders, including US President Barack Obama, who had urged Britain to remain.

“Dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom,” said Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party. “This will be a victory for real people, a victory for ordinary people, a victory for decent people ... Let June 23 go down in our history as our independence day.”

Global financial markets plunged as results from Thursday’s referendum showed a near 52-48 percent split for leaving.

The pound fell more than 10 percent against the US dollar to levels last seen in 1985, its biggest one-day fall in history, and European shares plummeted more than 8 percent, headed for their biggest ever one-day percentage fall.

Cameron, who lost his gamble betting the nation’s future on an outcome he predicted would be catastrophic, said he would step down as prime minister by October.

Speaking to assembled reporters outside 10 Downing Street in London yesterday, he said he would stay on for as long as was necessary for stability’s sake, but that he could not be the one to lead Britain out of Europe.

“I will do everything I can as prime minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, but I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers the country to its next destination,” he said.

Brexit was a rare, but fateful miscalculation for a politician who has a reputation for thriving under pressure and astutely judging political risks.

“I think he’s actually been pretty stunned by the strength of the ‘leave’ cause,” Cameron biographer James Hanning told reporters several days ahead of the referendum. “The golden rule is: Never hold a referendum unless you’re confident of winning it, and I think he thought that the moderate voices would prevail by some distance.”

“The British people have made a decision to take a separate path,” Cameron said yesterday morning.

Quitting the EU could cost Britain access to the EU’s trade barrier-free single market.

The UK itself could break apart, with leaders in Scotland — where nearly two-thirds of voters wanted to stay in the EU — calling for a new vote on independence.

The EU for its part is expected to be economically and politically damaged, facing the departure not only of its most free-market proponent, but also a member with a UN Security Council veto and powerful army. In one go, the bloc will lose about one-sixth of its economic output.

Leaders in France and the Netherlands demanded their own referendums to leave.

The vote will initiate at least two years of divorce proceedings with the EU, the first exit by any member state.

Cameron said it would be up to his successor to formally start the exit process.

Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson, a former London mayor who became the most recognizable face of the “leave” camp, is now widely tipped to seek the top job.

European politicians reacted with shock.

Structure of the Lead：

WHO: David Cameron

WHERE: LONDON

Keywords:

1. euphoria  狂喜,亢奮

2. plummeted  暴跌

3. catastrophic 災難性的

4. Brexit 退出歐盟的縮寫

5. proponent 宣導者

來源:http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/06/25/2003649410來源:

SpaceX to reattempt landing rocket on ocean barge

Sun, Jan 10, 2016 Reuters,CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida

Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX is to attempt to land its next Falcon 9 rocket on a barge in the Pacific Ocean, seeking another milestone a month after landing a booster on the ground in a spaceflight first, the company said on Friday.

The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying a NASA ocean-monitoring satellite, is slated to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Sunday next week.

About two minutes after liftoff, the first stage of the rocket is expected to separate, flip around, fire engines to slow its fall, deploy landing legs and attempt to touch down on a floating landing pad in the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX has tried ocean landings twice without success, but officials are optimistic after the company last month safely returned a Falcon 9 booster to a landing pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Accomplishing an ocean landing would give the California-based SpaceX flexibility to recover its boosters from a wider variety of space missions.

The firm, owned and operated by Musk, wants to refurbish and refly its rockets, potentially slashing launch costs.

Similar efforts are underway by fellow technology titan Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, as well as industry stalwart United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

For now, SpaceX is focusing on reusing just the first stage of its Falcon rockets, which sell for about US$61 million, the company’s Web site shows.

Of that, only about US$200,000 is for fuel, Musk said at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco last month.

“With reusable rockets, we can reduce the cost of access to space by probably two orders of magnitude,” or a factor of 100, Musk said at the conference.

The company eventually wants to return the rocket’s second stage for reuse in future launches as well.

The rocket slated to launch NASA’s Jason-3 satellite is an older version of the rocket that flew last month and does not have the power to attempt a touchdown on land, SpaceX said.

The booster that landed on Dec. 21 is to be test-fired in Florida, but probably not reflown, Musk told reporters after the landing. He said the company likely would attempt relaunch of another recovered rocket this year.

SpaceX has more than 60 missions on its schedule, worth about US$8 billion.

Structure of the Lead：

WHO: Unknown

WHERE:  Pacific Ocean

Keywords：

1.entrepreneur 企業者,創業者

2.satellite 人造衛星

3.blast 炸毀,爆破

4.slashing 大幅削減

5.stalwart 忠實的,忠臣的

6.geophysical 地球科學

7.magnitude 重大,巨大

來源:http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/01/10/2003636889

Taiwan heats up climate change conference

   Sun, Dec 20, 2015 - Page 12 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.

Structure of the Lead：

WHERE: Paris

WHO: Taiwan’s government 

Keywords：

1.entities 實體

2.category 種類

3.forums 論壇,討論會

4.precludes 排除,防止

5.venues 會場

6.delegation 代表團

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

Mars rover finds nitrogen, key to life, NASA says

   Thu, Mar 26, 2015 AFP, WASHINGTON

NASA’s Curiosity rover has found nitrogen on the surface of Mars, a significant discovery that adds to evidence the Red Planet could once have sustained life, the space agency said on Tuesday.

By drilling into Martian rocks, Curiosity found evidence of nitrates, compounds containing nitrogen that can be used by living organisms.

The Curiosity team has already found evidence that other ingredients needed for life, such as liquid water and organic matter, once existed at the site known as Gale Crater.

“Finding a biochemically accessible form of nitrogen is more support for the ancient Martian environment at Gale Crater being habitable,” Jennifer Stern of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement.

‘INHOSPITABLE’

Nitrogen is essential for all known forms of life, because it is a building block of DNA and RNA.

However, “there is no evidence to suggest that the fixed nitrogen molecules found by the team were created by life,” NASA said. “The surface of Mars is inhospitable for known forms of life.”

The research team suggested that instead, the nitrates are ancient and likely came from meteorite impacts, lightning and other non-biological processes.

On Earth and Mars, nitrogen is found in the form of nitrogen dioxide gas — two atoms locked together so tightly that they do not react easily with other molecules.

The nitrogen atoms must be separated or “fixed” so they can participate in the chemical reactions needed for life.

“On Earth, certain organisms are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen and this process is critical for metabolic activity,” NASA said. “However, smaller amounts of nitrogen are also fixed by energetic events like lightning strikes.”

Curiosity is currently at the foot of Mount Sharp, a 5,500m mountain formed by sedimentary layers.

In December last year, the robot detected regular methane emissions near the Martian surface, but its source is unknown.

HUMAN MISSION

Scientists do not expect Curiosity to find aliens or living creatures on Mars, but they hope to use it to analyze soil and rocks for signs the key elements to life are present and may have supported life in the past.

The US$2.5 billion Curiosity rover also aims to study the Martian environment to prepare for a possible human mission there in the coming years.

US President Barack Obama has vowed to send humans to the planet by 2030.

Structure of the Lead：

WHO: NASA

WHERE: MARS

keywords:

1.nitrogen 氮氣

2.sustained 持續的,持久的

3.biochemical 生化

4.RNA 核糖核酸

5.inhospitable  不好客的

6.molecules 分子

來源:http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2015/03/26/2003614462

Hungarian lawmakers reject refugee block bid

Thu, Nov 10, 2016 NY Times News Service

Lawmakers in Hungary on Tuesday rejected a proposed national ban on refugees relocated from elsewhere in the EU, dealing a rare defeat to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban last month submitted a plan to ban the refugees in the form of a constitutional amendment after a similar proposal failed to pass by referendum because of insufficient voter turnout.

He has vowed to block a EU program that would resettle refugees from the Middle East and Africa who have gone to countries like Greece and Italy.

According to that program, Hungary, a nation of 10 million, would have to accept 1,294 of a total of about 160,000 refugees.

The amendment needed two-thirds of sitting members of the 199-member parliament to pass. It got 131 votes on Tuesday — two shy of the threshold. Three lawmakers voted no and the rest abstained.

The Jobbik party, which is part of the official opposition, but usually sides with Orban’s Fidesz party on migration issues, was crucial to the defeat of the amendment.

Gabor Vona, a lawmaker and the leader of Jobbik, said that his party would support only a solution that “defends Hungary and Hungarian people, not just from poor migrants, but from rich migrants; not just from poor terrorists, but from rich terrorists.”

He was referring to a rule that allows foreigners who invest at least 300,000 euros (US$332,000) in Hungarian bonds to acquire residency. The program dates to 2012.

The Fidesz party has been politically weaker since last year, when it lost its super-majority in parliament. That advantage had allowed the government to rewrite the constitution and to pass legislation to rein in the judiciary and the press, packing some of the country’s top institutions with political allies.

Analysts on Tuesday were cautious in interpreting the defeat of the amendment as a sign of the government’s declining political power.

“I wouldn’t say that this is a huge failure for Orban — it’s a failure, but a minor one,” said Csaba Toth, the director of strategy for the Republikon Institute, a research and advocacy group that has been critical of Orban’s government. “This is the second time the government can’t have their own way, which is important for a group whose main governing strategy is power.”

keywords:

1.constitutional 憲法

2.amendment 修改 訂正

3.turnout 到場人數

4.parliament 議會 國會

5.interpreting 理解 解釋

來源:http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/11/10/2003658975