Self-driving cars will also drive us round the bend

Nowadays it is a well-known fact that machines are quickly learning to think on their own, but may this robot revolution be a real danger to our society? Government officials say that autonomous vehicles will make transportation safer, more accessible, more efficient and cleaner. Indeed, self-driving vehicles are just the tip of the autonomous revolution. Furthermore, in 2016 autonomous robot doctors performed a surgery. Despite this, many people are against self-driving cars for some reasons.

On the one hand, many decisions made by autonomous machines have moral implications. Little is determined about what ethics machines follow or who decides what those ethical assumptions should be, though. A man died when an autopilot system didn’t recognize a tractor-trailer turning in front of his Tesla Model S and his car plowed into it. For this reason, how autonomous cars make decisions in life-and-death situations is becoming an important question. Actually, it is very difficult to decide which lives the vehicle should sacrifice.

On the other hand, some people think that robots are about to invade our lives. But if robots are the future, where do humans fit in? Well, we don’t have to automate everything just because we can. If not, it will be worse for all of us. People should stay realistic and know that a robot is never the same as a human. We need to think about our view of jobs and quickly, if we are to avoid becoming obsolete. Some experts predict the obsolescence of human labour in the future.

Finally, in my opinion whether or not autonomous machines’ impact will be positive or negative depends both on who regulates the technology and what it is used for. If we don’t use machines in an appropriate way, they will be terminators instead of heroes. As well, I consider that they should have more feelings. Above all, robots should be designed in ways that assure human safety and security. What’s more, it should always be possible to find out who is legally responsible for the robot in case of an accident.

Earth Day 2018

Earth Day? What is it? Earth Day is an annual globe-spanning event which urges people to think about how their actions and presence affect the environment. It has been celebrated for 50 years. It began on April 22, 1970. These day millions of people took the streets to protest about the negative effects of 150 years of industrialisation. This year 2018, Earth Day was focused on ending plastic pollution, especially the ‘single use and throw away’ culture associated with the material. Furthermore, it has been honoured with a Google Doodle in which world famous anthropologist and animal lover Jane Goodall appears.

Who is Jane? Jane Goodall, otherwise known as Doctor Jane Goodall, who is 84 years old, is a legendary anthropologist. She is famous for her study of chimpanzee social and family life in Tanzania in the 1960s. She theorised that human aren’t the only species who have individual personalities. She even observed human behaviours including hugs and kisses on the back of chimps. Google says that Jane shares her personal message to the world on Earth Day 2018, including some of her inspiration and what we can all do to have a positive impact on our planet. Something that caught my eye was that she said that she was born loving animals and her whole childhood really was animals and animals.

In fact, what is a Google Doodle? Google Doodles were born in 1998. The search engine founders Larry and Sergey drew a stick figure behind the second ‘o’ of the name of Google as a message to they were out of office at the Burning Man festival. The company decided that they should decorate the logo to mark cultural moments and it soon became clear that users really enjoyed the change to the Google homepage. Me, personally, I prefer the doodlers which are designed to play. The doodler I enjoyed the most was the one which honoured pangolins.

All in all, I think that celebrating Earth Day is a good action. This is an opportunity to warn people about how polluted our oceans, water and wildlife are, especially because of plastic. Additionally, I reckon that more people should take part in these marches. However, we can do simple things to make a difference like stopping buying one-time-use items, reusing plastic bags, diving into second-hand shopping and natural fibres and carrying our own utentsiles and reusable water bottle, among other things.

                                         

What are 'manbags' for?

To begin with, a manbag is a bag that a man uses for carrying his money, keys, mobile phone, etc. In fact, these designer accessories are being carried on the arms and shoulders of many modern men but they’re not just for looking good, they’re practical too. Nowadays they are the height of fashion.

According to a report, in Britain they are still very tied up with that idea of masculinity that is almost so fragile that it can be dented by carrying a bag. They think a lot about that in this country in a way that may not be what European men do. Besides, with people like Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci and Dolce and Gabanna designing these bags they bound to have a hefty price tag. Nearly a quarter of 16-34 year olds have bought one, though.

On the contrary, women are more into carrying bags. They almost always use this type of accessories. For them there is a great range of bags: handbags, purses, backpacks… Currently our bag says a lot about ourselves. It is very important because it influences too much our image. Having a designer bag is synonymous of being a famous and a wealthy person. The more lavish it looks, the more popular you are.

To conclude, I think that everybody chooses to wear a bag or not. All of us can wear an additional item added to something to make it more useful or attractive. And this mustn’t be a laughing stock. In my case, I prefer wearing a small bag because it is lighter to transport. Actually, I am not walking up a mountain to need to carry some sturdy bag. Despite this, I usually carry lots of things in my bag, for example some make-up, perfume, a small mirror, tissues, my pocket, my phone…

Some advice for my fellow students 2018

If you are doing 2º Bachillerato next year, it is very important to know these useful pieces of advice. This is Andrea telling you about next year:

-I think you should read all the reading books during the summer. Besides, you should do

the activities included in the book and the projects.

-You must revise the irregular verbs. If not, you won’t be able to write them properly.

-You have to do lots of exercises that you will find in Albert’s site. As well, you will

find some mock exams.

-Study every day, especially new grammar structures.

-If I were you, I would write all the comments (you can do some of them during the

summer). Once Albert corrects them, you should post them in your own blog.

-Don’t keep your notes untidy, you should save them in your site to revise them whenever

you need.

-You’d better do all the old Selectivity exams. The more exams you do, the better for

you.

And remember time is money. You have to get organized and take things a day. This is your most important year, so you have to do your best.

Tattoos, piercings, clothes, hairstyle... do you like to follow trends? Explain

Nowadays our image is extremely important. We have been told a lot of times that it doesn’t matter what we wear. Actually, too much time can be spent worrying about what we put on when there are more important things in life. Nevertheless, how we look is not as superficial as it is thought.

Regarding clothes, they are used to show where we want to be in society. It even informs people of our job and ambitions too. Personally, I am trendy. I usually wear jeans and t-shirts which always match, but I like looking stylish for special events. In addition, I hate sport clothes because I reckon that they don’t suit me. My hairstyle is not too risky, I prefer my natural colour and I don’t mind having a ponytail or two braids.

On the contrary, I have neither piercings nor tattoos. Indeed, tattoos had a terrible reputation because the people who wore them were associated with delinquents. Today, they are becoming more and more popular, though. As well, I think that piercings don’t suit me, but I love wearing all types of earrings, I love all the jewellery!

On the whole, I would say that I like following trends, although not all of them. I prefer choosing those which suit me the best. What’s more, it is true that our appearance is important. However, I also consider that everyone has an own style which defines exactly who they are. In fact, what we are like and our values are what matters the most.

Does advertising influence people?

Today we are influenced by some adverts which are shown on TV. However, this is not the only way that they influence us. Modern films and TV shows also do it thanks to an advertising technique called “product placement”.

For example, I usually watch a TV series which is about an ordinary family. The teenagers use stylish brand clothes and the latest laptop computers and mobile phones. This automatically makes us want to buy the products we see on screen no matter if they are expensive or not.

Product placement is a multi-million dollar industry. Currently, films show so many products that the actors look like salesmen. Companies pay millions of dollars for their products to appear in the latest films, but it doesn’t appear to affect the viewers’ experience and opinion about the plot or the characters.

Summing up, this phenomenon is happening more and more and audiences seem to accept it. In addition, they think that showing good products as luxury and designer brands means popularity, whereas they don’t give so much importance to other more important aspects of the film or the TV show.

Do you fancy mermaiding?

    

To begin with, what is mermaiding? Well, currently there is a new trend of dressing up and swimming like a mermaid. It is called mermaiding and it is practised by kids and adults, too. This is making a splash at the moment. The idea was originated in America but it is now popular in the UK and Europe.

Going into a pool full of women wearing fish tails is like being into the familiar Walt Disney film The Little Mermaid. This looks easy, but it actually takes a lot of time, practise and money. Indeed, the breath hold is extremely challenging. It is also considered as a new extreme sport. In spite of it, more and more people are doing of mermaiding their new job. They just have to teach kids how to swim, breathe and move like a real mermaid.

On the contrary, although Ariel makes it look easy, being a mermaid is a challenging task. It is a cross between free diving and synchronised swimming with your feet strapped together. Thereby inadequate training and knowledge of one’s physical limits can lead to unconsciousness and death. Therefore, the best to overcome all of this is practising some mediation techniques.

To conclude, I think that mermaiding is a good activity to have fun with friends. As well, I consider that we have to learn some previous techniques about how to do it, if not we can have some serious problems. By the way, I am thinking about doing my birthday party with a mermaid theme, the same as Kim Kardashian did for North’s birthday.

Barking trains

Barking trains? What is it? For a start, in Japan they have invented barking trains so as to prevent collision with animals, such as deer, on the tracks. It actually is an attempt to reduce the number of animal deaths on the railway.

Apparently, deer are attracted to railway lines because of a need of iron in their diets. Therefore, experts hope that this would be the best solution to stop it. The device has been devised by a team at the country’s Railway Technical Research Institute and has already reduced the number of deer spotted on the railway by 40 per cent.

Moreover, the deer have a habit of repeatedly snorting short, shrill sounds to alert other deer when they perceive danger, so officials explained they thought it would be a good idea to combine that with the sound of dog, which scares them.

All in all, I reckon that it is always a good idea to protect animals, in this case the deer, and also the environment. What’s more, I think we should put into practice more ideas like that. Thus we could change our world to make a better one.

Drones, the solution or ....?

Nowadays drones have become so common in the skies. In certain cases they have been dangerous, as it happened in an Enrique Iglesias’ concert, but there are many uses for them that bring us benefits too, as delivering parcels, saving lives, drones are taking off. Besides, they are sometimes also referred to as UAVs, which is Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

For a start, drones have been around for quite a while in different forms. It is said that they were first used to provide practice targets for training military personnel. As well, drones have been a game changer for wildlife programmes on TV. This could help save lives in remote places, too.

Furthermore, using drones to deliver parcels instead of trucks cuts carbon emissions. It is even faster than trucks. As a result, Amazon has tried to use drones to transport goods weighing less than 2.5 kg, which make up a large majority of its deliveries.

To sum up, I think that drones benefit us in so many aspects in our real lives. Despite this, they can be very dangerous, so we must know how they work. What’s more, all the rules have to be achieved for a good use and experience, because the safety of air travel is a big issue that no one will want to compromise.

Write about a book, movie, TV series... that you have enjoyed

In this composition I am going to write about a TV series that I have enjoyed. The TV series is called Modern Family. Actually, it is a sitcom that was released in 2009 and has nine seasons. The running time is about 20 or 23 minutes. It is about the lives of Jay Pritchett and his whole family, all of whom live in LA.

On the one hand, the series is apparently about current modern families (nuclear, step- and same sex). It is presented in documentary style with the fictional characters frequently talking directly into the camera. In addition, Modern Family was acclaimed by critics throughout its first few seasons. The show won a total of 22 Emmy Awards.

On the other hand, my favourite character is Alex Dunphy (Ariel Winter). She is a smart girl who goes to the university. She loves studying and reading books. As well, she is always arguing with her elder sister Haley and his younger brother Luke. I also love Gloria’s character starred by Sofia Vergara. She is a passionate Colombian mother who is always dressed up. She is so good-looking.

Summing up, I love watching Modern Family. It is because I watch it with all my family so that it is a good idea to spend a good time with them. Inevitably my sister and I can spend hours and hours watching it and never get tired. How obsessed we are!

What types of films do you prefer? Explain

With regard to the types of films I like, I prefer the romantic and action ones. Traditionally, everybody has a favourite film that they watch twice or more. Furthermore, people usually watch films because of the actors that appear in them. Indeed, my favourite actor is Ryan Gosling.

First, the romantic film that I prefer is The Notebook, whose characters are Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. The film tells a fantastic love story. Additionally, I also love Pride and Prejudice, Blue Valentine and 10 things I hate about you, among others. Last, but not least, I really enjoy watching Public Enemies, which tells about the search of the famous American robber John Dillinger starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard.

Furthermore, my favourite action films are those about super heroes, in other words, I love the films about Marvel characters as Thor, Captain America, Deadpool, Wander Woman, Batman and also Black Panther. The one I love the most in Batman film is the Joker starring Heath Ledger. How fantastic he is! As a matter of fact, I love Black Panther soundtrack, which is interpreted by the rapper Kendrick Lamar, joined by other singers like The Weeknd, SZA, and Travis Scott…

In brief, I usually enjoy almost every film that I watch. By the way, I still remember the first time that I went to the cinema. I went with my cousin and we watched a romantic film. We spent such a good time together. In contrast, my sister doesn’t love watching films. How boring she is! She has neither a favourite actor nor actress. She doesn’t even know the name of the great classic films.

DESCRIBE THE BEST SUMMER OF YOUR LIFE

A year ago, I travelled to Punta Cana, which is situated in the Dominican Republic. It was a family trip to celebrate my sister Diana’s engagement. Her fiancé Gonzalo is a wealthy man, so he was the one who organised it. We spent a whole week there. It was the best time of our lives.

It was late when we arrived, but all looked fantastic, especially outside the resort. There was a starry and sparkly sky. The next day, we went on a little excursion to the next village. There, I met a good-looking guy, who I spent a lot of time with. What I loved the most was doing scuba diving. It was my very first time. How excited I was! The next evening Gonzalo invited all the family and also the good-looking guy to a special dinner. We had already eaten and shortly after he knelt to give Diana a ring. Romantic stuff!

Furthermore, we spent three days sunbathing. Actually, I have no idea who was the most tanned! While we were in our hammock, we were drinking and eating. Afterwards, we took a plane to do sky diving. It was so exciting! The two days left, we were in a yacht with a great amount of champagne. I was singing and dancing all day long. Besides, we saw a lot of dolphins and a wide range of fish. By the way, the good-looking guy asked me out. For our date, we arranged to meet at an exotic restaurant. I wore a little black dress and my favourite heels. We spent such a good time together. He made me laugh a lot. He also danced amazingly.

At the end of the week, we all had to go home because of our jobs. Before leaving, I asked my guy for his phone number and he gave it to me. Later, I sent him a message, but he didn’t reply. I tried calling him the next day but I realized that he had given me the wrong number. Luckily, he found me in Facebook and since then we have been in touch. This summer, I am going to return.

Do you prefer watching films, videos, series or reading books? Explain why

To introduce the topic, I am going to answer this question. Everybody knows that society is divided in two sides: the one with people who love watching films, videos or series, and the others who are really fond of books. In my case, I prefer reading books.

Firstly, reading books is more interesting than watching TV. It is because you can imagine the characters and the space. Also, you can read wherever you want. Besides, the more you read, the better grammar, orthography and vocabulary you have. I usually read four or five books a month. I am really into novels.

Nevertheless, there are some people who consider that watching films, videos and series is more comfortable than reading books. They say that they don’t have to guess some information about the characters, the space or the time because they know it thanks to the images. Furthermore, they love special effects and what they love the most are the soundtracks. By the way, I am obsessed with the Black Panther’s soundtrack called Pray for me, released by Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd.

In summary, I prefer reading books, although I watch some films and series too. As far as I am concerned, I think that in both cases, we always have something to learn; it could be called culture. I consider that we should do both things to find a balance and so we can talk with any person about no matter what. 

Bitcoins, real currency or just a fake?

Nowadays it is a well-known fact that Bitcoins are growing in popularity and some are even calling them the future of money. But how much do we know about them? To begin with, Bitcoin is a digital crypto-currency. Actually, Bitcoin is just like any other currency except for two things. Firstly, it is not a currency. Therefore we can’t use it to pay taxes or settle debts because it is minted neither by governments nor banks.

Next, as it is a digital currency, it just exists online. As I see it, this is a great advantage as you don’t have to buy a Louis Vuitton or a Prada to bring your money. As well, it is the best option for those who love buying things online.

Nevertheless, there are only two ways to get bitcoins, you either trade them from someone or you go mining. This is when you use your computer to run calculations which verify other Bitcoin transactions. As reward for doing this job, you earn some of them. Indeed, Bitcoins value has recently gone up quite a lot and this has caused a lot of interest. By the way, they were first created in 2009.

In short, the Euro is a legal currency within almost every country in the European Union, except in the UK and some other ones. I think that having the same currency is better for us, especially for those who love travelling without exchanging money. In Spain the legal tender is the Euro. Moreover, the legal one before was the Peseta.

Describe your favourite festivities of the year and explain why you like them

To begin with, I am going to write about some of my favourite festivities of the year. I am pretty sure that everybody loves Christmas, 4^th July if you live in the USA or 14^th July if you live in France, but what is about local festivities? Here are those that I prefer.

One of the most famous festivities is St John’s Eve. In this festival you will see neither costumes nor religious parades, but it’s rather a pagan celebration of the summer equinox. It is celebrated on 24^th June.  People go to the beach bringing food and drinks to spend all the night. Then, they light bonfires to burn that they don’t want or need any more and the celebration lasts until sunrise.

However, I am very fond of a local festivity which is a religious celebration called San Antonio. It is celebrated on 13^th June in honour of the Patron Saint of my village, Lobres. This day a procession takes place to which all the locals go wearing their best costumes. Then they go the town square to drink, dance and listen to music.

In conclusion, I would say that we all love festivities because we can spend good time with family and friends both dancing and eating. As well, I think that our birthday is also an opportunity to organise a great party and invite all our friends to spend the day together. 

Christmas shoppings

Who doesn’t love getting Christmas presents? Christmas is the season in which we give and get more presents. This is because we love giving them to others as sign of affection or friendship. But this can affect our budget, for this time, so we have to know how to spend our money properly.

A lot of people love buying ornaments for their home to make it cosier; as well there are others who buy too much food for people who may visit them during these days. But we usually spend almost all of our money buying presents for our family, friends or even ourselves.

Furthermore, we can make presents to others on Christmas Eve, the Three Wise Men’s eve or simply making the Invisible Friend game. The things that are given the most are perfume, a pair of shocks, bracelets or some chocolates. What happens when we have no time to buy them? Well, it is easy; the best option is buying them online, for example in Amazon.

All in all, I can’t deny that I love getting presents without minding the season. My favourite presents are jewellery, make-up and clothes. As well, I like receiving some good books to read. This year, my perfect present would be a ticket to travel to a little island to relax me with my BBF.

Santa Claus is coming to town!!

I am going to write about one of the most important celebrations around the world, that is, Christmas. This party is celebrated in different ways depending on which country we are. Two important aspects of Christmas are obviously Santa Claus and Christmas Eve.

On the one hand, here in Spain we celebrate Christmas Eve having a family dinner, listening to music or singing Christmas carols. Besides, some people wait for Santa Claus’ gifts. Personally, I usually celebrate this day having a big family dinner at my grandma’s house. After dinner, all of us sing carols for hours and hours, and then I meet some friends and cousins and we all go to a party. However I don’t receive any presents, my parents give me some money as Christmas box.

On the other hand, the role of Santa Claus is very important. But, what makes the perfect one? The first is being the jolliest person on the planet and having a big smile on the face. It could be the greatest job, although you could feel some pressure as it is huge responsibility to recreate the magic of the real Santa. The best is living the Christmas spirit as a child. How lovely it is!

On the whole, I think that Christmas Eve is the most familiar party of the year because in New Year’s Eve we usually spend more time with friends than with family. Additionally, here in Spain it is more traditional to get presents on 6th January, the day of the Three Wise Men, than on Christmas Eve. Nowadays it is more and more usual, though.