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?