AlphaGO, Lee Sedol

AlphaGo seals 4-1 victory over Go grandmaster Lee Sedol

DeepMind’s artificial intelligence astonishes fans to defeat human opponent and offers evidence computer software has mastered a major challenge

Google DeepMind’s AlphaGo program triumphed in its final game against South Korean Go grandmaster Lee Sedol to win the series 4-1, providing further evidence of the landmark achievement for an artificial intelligence program.

Lee started Tuesday’s game strongly, taking advantage of an early mistake by AlphaGo. But in the end, Lee was unable to hold off a comeback by his opponent, which won a narrow victory.

After the results were in, Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis called today’s contest “One of the most incredible games ever,” saying AlphaGo mounted a “mind-blowing” comeback after an early mistake. This was the fifth game in seven days, in what was a draining, emotional battle for Lee. AlphaGo had won the first three, but Lee took the fourth game on Sunday.

He remained in his seat as the game’s results were announced, his eyes swelling with tears. In a post-game press conference, he expressed regret over his defeat. “I failed,” he said. “I feel sorry that the match is over and it ended like this. I wanted it to end well.”

Throughout the match, Lee won praise from observers for a determined, creative approach to AlphaGo, an opponent that is invulnerable to stress and fatigue. In Tuesday’s press conference, Chris Garlock, one of the live commentators said the match was composed of “five beautiful and historic games,” adding, “I think we’ll be studying these for years to come.”

Due to Go’s complexity and the importance of reaction and intuition, it has proved harder for computers to master than simpler games such as checkers or chess. Go has too many moves for a machine to win by brute-force calculations, which is how IBM’s Deep Blue famously beat former world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997.

AlphaGo’s win over Lee is significant because it marks the first time an artificial intelligence program has beaten a top-ranked Go professional, a victory experts had predicted was still years away. AlphaGo beat European Go champion Fan Hui in October, but Lee was expected to be a tougher challenge.

The match has brought an unusual level of attention to Go, a game that is popular in east Asia but not widely played in the west. Go insiders say they are not used to being in the spotlight. “I’ve never seen this much attention for Go, ever,” Lee Ha-jin, secretary general at the International Go Federation and guest commentator on Tuesday’s live broadcast, said.

Google DeepMind has talked about applying the deep neural networks and machine learning techniques that AlphaGo used to master Go to more pressing areas such as healthcare and robotics. But with AlphaGo’s victory in the books, Hassabis was tightlipped, saying his team will need to return to the UK and spend “weeks or months” going over the results of the match before announcing their next moves.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/15/googles-alphago-seals-4-1-victory-over-grandmaster-lee-sedol

Stucture of the Lead:

Who:AlphaGO and GO grandmaster Lee Sedol

When:In March 2016.
What:AlphaGO defeats GO grandmaster Lee Sedol. 
Why:Not mentioned.

Where:Not mentioned.

How:AlphaGO mounted a ststem which could let it learn the mistakes and correct them. Therefore it can defeat GO grandmaster.

Keywords:

1.mounted  安裝

2.draining   枯竭

3.swelling   腫脹

4.commentators  評論員

5.intuition  直覺

6.brute-force  強力的

7.calculations  計算

8.robotics  機器人

9.tightlipped  守口如瓶的

Taiwan, low temperature, snow

Cold weather sparks warnings

LET IT SNOW:As the nation is embraced by 10-year-low temperatures, people have flocked to the highest mountains in the expectation of seeing snow

By Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter, with CNA

The Central Weather Bureau yesterday issued a special warning about low temperatures, heavy rain and strong winds as a cold front shrouded the nation in cold, moist air.

Temperatures of less than 10˚C have been recorded, the bureau said, adding that most areas also experienced strong winds yesterday.

The weather warnings were issued as the strongest cold snap to hit Taiwan in 10 years made its impact felt early yesterday.

At 5:30am a low of 11.7˚C was recorded in Taipei and 1.3˚C on Yushan (玉山).

The cold front is likely to last until Tuesday, the bureau said.

Snow is rarely seen in the nation except on the highest mountains of central and southern Taiwan. With the weather bureau warning of an strong cold front many people began to head for Hehuanshan (合歡山) and other mountains to wait for the expected snow.

Early yesterday, up to 350 vehicles passed through a checkpoint close to Hehuanshan, blocking one lane of the highway. The checkpoint was set up to prevent vehicles from going further up the mountain during the night for safety reasons.

The Health Promotion Administration yesterday released tips to prevent cardiovascular illness triggered by the cold weather. The administration said low temperatures can increase blood viscosity, induce vasoconstriction (where the walls of blood vessels narrow and constrict) and increase the risks of intravascular clotting, as well as the likeliness of triggering coronary heart disease.

People with the “three highs” — high blood pressure, high blood lipids and high blood sugar — should remember to take prescribed medication, avoid overeating and severe emotional fluctuations, drink warm water and eat food high in natural fiber to help prevent constipation, it said.

People with the “three highs” are one-and-a-half times more likely to develop heart disease over a five-year period, administration official Chia Shu-li (賈淑麗) said, adding that it is important for the elderly and people with heart disease to keep themselves warm at all times.

She said they should avoid going outdoors for exercise early in the morning when the temperature is extremely low, prepare warm clothes besides their bed before going to sleep so that they can wear them as soon as possible when they get up the next morning.

People who use hot springs should avoid staying in the water for more than 15 minutes to prevent acute cardiovascular events, the administration said, adding that people should also remember to stand up slowly when getting out of hot springs and that people with chronic cardiovascular disease should be accompanied.

The administration said that people with diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol should keep the water temperature below 40˚C and avoid using hot springs within two hours of eating a large meal or drinking alcohol.

If a person feels sudden chest pain, chest tightness, difficulty breathing or speaking, or experiences numbness or paralysis in the face, legs or arms, he or she should see a doctor immediately, the administration said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/01/24/2003637947

Stucture of the Lead:

Who:Taiwanese

When:January 
What:Many people went to mountains to watch snow and cardiovascular illness triggered by the cold weather.
Why:A cold snap came.

Where:Taiwan

How:If a person feels painful, he or she should see a doctor immediately.

Keywords:

1.flocked  蜂擁而至

2.shrouded  籠罩

3.moist  濕

4.cold snap  寒流

5.cardiovascular  心血管

6.viscosity  粘性

7.vasoconstriction  血管收縮

8.intravascular  血管內

9.clotting  凝血

10.coronary  冠狀動脈

11.lipids  血脂

12.fluctuations  波動

13.constipation  便秘

14.acute  急性

Week3-Japan, Korea, comfort women, deal/agreement

Posted : 2016-03-08 15:35 Updated : 2016-03-08 16:05 UN lambasts Japanese PM over 'comfort women' By Kim Da-hee, Park Si-soo  The United Nations has urged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other leaders to stop making disparaging remarks on "comfort women," the first official warning from the international organization since South Korea and Japan reached an agreement to settle the issue in December. The accord was signed on the conditions that Japan would deliver a sincere apology to sex slavery victims in Korea and do nothing that can be considered defamatory to them. Nevertheless, some politicians and bureaucrats there, including conservative lawmaker Yoshitaka Sakurada, have ignored the agreement, denying Japan's responsibility for its atrocities during World War II. Their repeated violations have enraged victims and Korean people, pressing the Seoul government to nullify the agreement. "The committee, therefore, considers that it is not precluded ratione temporis from addressing such violations," the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) said Monday. The committee called on Japan to ensure its leaders and public officials "desist from making disparaging statements regarding responsibility, which have the effect of re-traumatizing victims." The CEDAW said Japan had shown continued lack of effective remedies for the victims, adding the bilateral accord did not fully adopt a victim-centered approach. "Japan (should) take due account of the views of the victims and ensure their rights to truth, justice, and reparations," it said. The committee also expressed worry about references to comfort women deleted from Japanese school textbooks, asking Japan to reinstate them.  http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/03/120_199869.htm Stucture of the Lead: Who:Governments of Japan and South Korea,  comfort women. When:During World War II. What:Governments of Japan and South Korea make a 'comfort women' deal. Why:Because some Japanese politicians and bureaucrats deny the responsibility for its atrocities during World War II. Where:Not mentioned. How:Government of Japan commits to give a fund for those elderly comfort women and apologize to them. Keywords: 1.lambasts  打擊 2.disparaging  蔑視的 3.defamatory  誹謗的 4.bureaucrats  官僚 5.conservative 保守 6.atrocities  暴行 7.nullify  廢止 8.precluded  排除 9.ratione  理由 10.temporis  時間上的 11.desist  斷念 12.re-traumatizing  重精神創傷 13.remedies   補救措施 14.bilateral   雙邊 15.reparations  賠償 16. reinstate  恢復

Week2-Beyond Beauty, Taiwan from Above

Film Review: ‘Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above’
JANUARY 13, 2014 | 09:07AM PT

Directed by Chi Po-lin, Taiwan's first aerial documentary is a visually rapturous survey of environmental crimes.

Starting off like a tourist promo, “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above” swiftly morphs into an ecological cautionary tale. Inspired by Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s “Home” (2009), this first aerial documentary from Taiwan, produced by Hou Hsiao Hsien and helmed and lensed by Chi Po-lin, juxtaposes the island’s breathtaking natural scenery with its alarming despoilation by human greed and negligence. Visually rapturous, yet increasingly dour as it rattles off a litany of environmental crimes, the pic managed to raise widespread media and public consciousness at home with its tough-love attitude and fresh cinematic angle. Already Taiwan’s highest-grossing domestic docu, it could catch the eyes of nature-themed festivals, National Geographic or similar educational channels.

Following its world premiere at the first Taoyuan Film Festival, the film went on to win the Golden Horse Award for best documentary and even inspired a Facebook post by President Ma Ying-jeou, announcing that the government would start work on 16 of the environmental problems highlighted by the film.

Combining extensive knowledge of Taiwan’s geography (drawn from a long stint at the National Highway Engineering Bureau) with 20 years’ experience as a professional aerial photographer, Chi spent about 400 hours’ flying time over three years to capture his images. The approximately $9 million project has an advantage over “Home” in focusing on one territory with its specific culture and ecosystem, thus avoiding the sort of sanctimonious tone that can come with generalizations. Via the sincere, approachable voiceover of masterful Taiwan New Wave screenwriter-helmer Wu Nien-jen (“A Borrowed Life”), the narration, though often mournful, also evokes a Chinese-style poetic romanticism.

As the camera swoops over the verdurous topography, its roads and tributaries intertwined like branches of a tree, Wu promises to show Taiwan as never seen before; quoting the title of Yasunari Kawabata’s novel, he proceeds to chronicle the island’s “beauty and sorrow.” However, after less than 10 minutes of aerial images that extol the exquisite beauty of Taiwan’s mountains and coastline, the rest of the docu rests heavily on the sorrowful side. Noting the frequency of supposedly “natural” disasters like floods and landslides, the film points a finger at numerous byproducts of unchecked economic expansion.

High mountains that occupy two-thirds of the land are ravaged by heavy logging, roadworks, and over-harvesting of minerals and cash crops like tea and betel nut. Moving from land to water, things only get worse. Mud and stone deposits from construction projects pollute reservoirs and reduce their life expectancy. The building of breakwaters for farming has nearly cordoned off the coastline from the ocean. One-half of Taiwan’s wetlands are disappearing, ruining her once-abundant biodiversity. Air pollution from factories is compounded by massive electricity use on a national scale, epitomized by the little-known fact that the world’s largest coal-fired power plant is located in Taichung.

All this environmental malpractice may not be unique to Taiwan, but the statistics will register strongly even for international auds, such as the 7.4 million tons of refuse produced yearly, or the 19 million tons of cement mined yearly, of which half is exported purely for profit.

Viewed from such a high altitude, the degree of devastation looks especially grave, yet it’s hard to look away. Chi is expert at capturing images with powerful impact, such as condos perched precariously on a visibly eroded precipice, or canals with water as black as squid ink running through large residential areas, or a woodland’s bald patches after being razed for limestone and silica mining.

The last 15 minutes or so lighten up with the introduction of nature-conscious entrepreneurs who operate organic farms against all odds. The closing shots provide a change of scenery with truly wondrous vistas of Taiwan’s multi-hued landscape, but increasing the proportion of such positive material would actually strengthen the film’s argument for dealing with these crises pronto.

Considered Taiwan’s top aerial photographer, Chi, lensing in Cineflex Hidef,  immerses the viewer in a sense of perpetual fluidity. The score by Singapore’s Ricky Ho (“Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale”), which features three aboriginal songs written by “Warriors'” pastor-turned-lead-actor Lin Ching-tai, brim with uplifting spirituality, especially when sung by a choir that appears to have been airdropped onto an unnervingly tall mountain peak.

http://variety.com/2014/film/global/film-review-beyond-beauty-taiwan-from-above-1201050029/

Stucture of the Lead:

Who:Hou-Hsiao-Hsien
When:Not mentiond
What:A documentary
Why:To record the beauty and the wound of Taiwan and show them to audience. 
Where:Taiwan
How:He took the film and images by flying above the land for over three years

Keywords:

1.aerial  空中的

2.rapturous  歡天喜地的

3.promo  促銷

4.morphs  變形

5.juxtaposes  對比的

6.despoilation  掠奪

7.negligence  疏忽

8.dour  嚴厲的

9.premiere 首映

10.sanctimonious  道貌岸然的

11.generalizations  概括

12.verdurous  蔥綠  

13.topography  地形              

14.tributaries  支流

15.extol  稱賞

16.byproducts  副產品 

17.ravaged  蹂躪

18.reservoirs  水庫 

19.cordoned  封鎖 

20.biodiversity  生物多樣性

21.epitomized  集中體現

22.malpractice  弊端 

23.precariously  搖搖欲墜

24.precipice  懸崖

25.razed  被夷為平地

26.wondrous  奇妙

27.multi-hued  多色調

28.perpetual  永久