Japan Robot Revolution

In Japan, the human workforce has been shrinking and the solution that many businesses are already testing is robots. Robots have been used in stores, banks and soon to be hotels. One robot, Aiko Chihira, appears as a 32 year old female greeter that can move, speak, use sign language, and even sing. It can not have conversations yet but technology is fast improving. Another robot, Nao, who works customer service at a bank in Tokyo. It can answer basic questions and is designed to speak 19 languages. This type of technology would be very useful for when the 2020 Olympics come to Tokyo. There is even a robot designed just to chat with people in a store. Pepper is the name of it, and it is designed so that it looks like a robot, but has humanlike qualities. A hotel in Nagasaki plans to open this summer and staff 10 robots right off the bat. The role robots play in Japan is only small for now, but is quickly growing.

It is scary to think of having robots in the workforce. Soon enough this technology will reach the states and we will be seeing them in our stores. I don't like this at all. I don't think that our technology is advanced enough yet to have robots working instead of humans. They need to be able to actually communicate with customers on a conversational level. I would feel more comfortable talking to a person than to a robot who has limited talking ability. I would be fine with having robots in the workforce if they could function nearly like a human, but until then I would rather see humans behind the counters.

Story: http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/24/asia/japan-robots-work/index.html

Last male white rhino

This story comes from a Conservancy in Kenya, where 3 white rhinos remain. 2 females, Fatu (15 years old) and Najin (25 years old), and 1 male, Sudan (42 years old). Sudan is under guard 24/7, while scientists are trying to find ways to reproduce with one of the two females. The rhinos ar ehealthy, but whether they will mate is a whole different story. Sudan may be too old to mount and mate with a female. Najin has weak legs that may not be able to support a mounted male. The best chance may be in vitro fertilization or a white rhino mating with a southern white rhinos, which is a different subspecies. The reason for these highly endangering numbers is due to poachers who target rhinos in the belief that their horns can cure ailments. Outside of the Conservancy, there are 2 white rhinos remaining. One in the San Diego Zoo and one in a zoo in Czech Republic.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/africa/kenya-northern-white-rhino/index.html

This story is very saddening. It is one thing for a species to become extinct through natural means, but this is due to human hunting. That is just terrible. This really shows how much of an effect humans really do have on the environment. I hope that conservation efforts for all species improve so that other endangered species would not become extinct. Poaching has a huge effect on African Elephants as well, so the conservation should start now.

Tsarnaev guilty

As you may have heard, the trial of the Boston Marathon Bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has heated up. Today, the verdict on his 30 counts were read, including the 17 that carry the possibility of the death penalty. Tsarnaev was found guilty on all 30 counts. At this point in the trial, what remains is whether he will receive the death penalty or not, and the date of the next part of the trial has not been named. Up to this point, the trial has consisted of 15 court dates beginning on March 5, where 96 witnesses have testified. Only 4 of these, however, have been for the defense. Before the trial, many thought that the trial would not be fair, but since the first court date, the trial has been smooth.

This case has disturbed me ever since the bombing happened on April 15, 2013. I can remember looking at articles for hours, trying to think why someone would do something like this. Since the incident, I have actually been down Boylston Street in Boston where the two pressure cooker bombs went off. While there, it seemed like a normal day on a normal street, but there was still an eerie feeling in the air. Evidence from the explosions still remained. Trees were uprooted, the sidewalk stained, and the Forum restaurant, where the second explosion occurred, was closed. The Marathon store where the first bomb went off was still open, and it was filled with Boston Strong T-shirts. I am torn as to whether I believe Tsarnaev should receive the death penalty or not. I am not for, nor am I against the death penalty. I just don't know which is worse, death or a life sentence. What do you think?

Germanwings Flight 9525, new chilling details

It's been a week since the crash. Yes, most have heard about the plane crash of the Germanwings airline that crashed into the French Alps killing 150 people, but the new details are horrifying. The cause of the crash has been due to the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, deliberately crashing the plane. Crazy right. It has been confirmed that Lubitz has had suicidal tendencies in the past and that he was unfit to work. While there is no proof that he was acting in a suicidal manner during the crash, it is pretty hard not to think that when looking at this guy's past. The transcript of the audio is even more chilling than these facts. Lubitz acts calmly the whole time, and even tells the captain to use the restroom at any time. When he leaves, the co-pilot locks the door. The screams from outside the cockpit are horrifying. With the pilot yelling to open the door and the passengers screams, the chaotic last moments certainly disturb me. Still, Lubitz breathes calmly until he breathes his last.

This isn't the first time that pilots have deliberately crashed planes. It has happened in the past, and I am a bit confused as to how it is still happening after so many tragedies. By this point, one would assume that there are more strict rules when it comes to these situations, but still they are bypassed. Just everything about this crash is disturbing. The co-pilots altered state, the screams, the calmness of Lubitz, everything. Imagine being on a plane and hearing the wing scraping on a mountain. It is horrible. I think more needs to be done to ensure the safety for all, so that situations of deliberate crashing can be avoided.

C Regan comin' straight from the underground. This is my Life yo.

Hey, didn't see you there. Welcome to my blog. My name is Conor Regan and I wanted to let y'all know a little about me before we get things rolling. At this moment, I am a resident of Omaha, Nebraska and I am a sophomore at Creighton Prep, but I haven't always been here. I was born in San Antonio, Texas and lived there for about two years until I moved to the great state, the one and only Nebraska. I live a very average life. I play soccer year round both for a club and for my high school. I basically ball hard, but it's no big deal. Currently, I am a member of of the JV squad at Prep.

I have one sister who attends Marian High School. She also happens to be a genius. We get along well but she is leaving for college next year, so I will be all alone. My family doesn't travel much but when we do we like to go skiing in Colorado. Well, I snowboard, but my family skis. I catch gnarly air yo, obviously.

I like to have fun and I am not much of a serious person, except for when I need to be. It bothers me when people are way too serious all the time. That just isn't fun. I really don't like to be alone, I rarely am in fact. When I am, however, I am probably watching the TV show Lost on Netflix. Lost is my number one homie. When I am not watching Netflix, I am probably hanging out with friends. Through Prep I have found a solid friend group.

I am constantly plowing food. I have sweet tooth and I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to fruity candy. Mambas, Shockers and Twizzlers are my go-to's.

I am happy with my life and I like to make others happy as well. Stay chill yo.