Bliss English Club

Dear Blissers,

Impacted by the COVID-19, many companies allow their employees to telecommute occasionally or otherwise participate in flexible work plans. Accordingly, privacy consideration” for “individuals or cooperates” becomes more valued.  This coming Saturday on July 25, 2020, our informative hi-tech Host, Kurt, will share the related concern and solution! Welcome to join us!

Here is Kurt’s introduction:

Dear Blissers,

How are you? It has been a while and hope you all are doing well!! 

Privacy consideration and legal compliance of facial recognition in the artificial intelligence era. Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. The term may also be applied to any machine that exhibits traits associated with a human mind such as learning and problem-solving.   

Pattern reorganization, especially used in the surveillance system, is one of the most well-known AI applications developed in the recently years. Undoubtedly, safety and security are the major advantages of the application to uncover criminals or to find missing children and/or seniors.   

However, the protection of an individual's privacy and the prevention of legal abuse are always the major concerns. On 25^th of July, we are going to have a deep knowledge on this popular technology and discuss the pros and cons about the application.  

Agenda:  

14:30 – 14:40 Warm up and self-introduction 
14:40 – 15:00 Experience sharing on face recognition 

15:00 – 15:20 Introduction on the face recognition technique 

15:20 – 15:30 Break 

15:30 – 16:00 Surveillance society overview 

16:00 – 16:30 Discussion on the public surveillance 

16:30 – 17:00 Personal Data Privacy and Protection in a Surveillance Era 

Guided questions:   

1. Do you have any experience in using Apple Face ID or Android Face unlock? Do you have any concern on facial recognition technology now nowadays?  

2. Have you ever installed the surveillance system in your home and what is the purpose? If not, will you like to install such system at your home? 

3. What’s your motivation to have a surveillance system? Do you agree the installation of public surveillance system? 

Reference Links: 

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_recognition_system 

2. https://www.economist.com/open-future/2019/12/13/surveillance-is-a-fact-of-life-so-make-privacy-a-human-right 

3. https://towardsdatascience.com/how-ethical-is-facial-recognition-technology-8104db2cb81b 

4 https://www.barrons.com/articles/san-francisco-facial-recognition-ban-51557878920

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Dear Blissers,

For the recent outbreak of COVID-19, hopefully we not only learn a lot of lessons from firsthand experience but also try to look back on the historical measures in face of infectious decease from our prestigious Blisser, Uncle Ting this Saturday on July 11, 2020!

For self-growth and in-depth discussion, please read the attachments before the meeting. Welcome and Enjoy with us!

Dear Blissers,

Welcome back to Free breeze in Bliss again since 0606 first meeting!

This coming Saturday on June 13, 2020, our elegant and dedicated Hostess, Angel will take us to Canada with the background introduction as follows:   

How are you? It’s been a long time since we have got together. It’s my pleasure to hold this upcoming meeting and reconnect with you. I believe most of you have been stuck in Taiwan due to COVID19. Don’t miss my presentation this Sat. if you yearn for exotic atmospheres and spectacular views from traveling.

I had a wonderful trip to Canada last September; how lucky was I not to be impacted by the pandemic! During my stay in Victoria and Lake Louise, I had the most amazing and interesting living experience. I would like to share the photos, stories, and lessons I learned from my trip. I also look forward to having you share some of your most impressive living experiences as well.

Since there are still safety concerns for traveling abroad, why don’t you have a virtual trip with me?

Let’s enjoy the beauty of Lake Louise and walk in the wonder of Victoria’s history.

I’ll bring some traditional snacks from Beitou and look forward to having your participation this Sat.

Guided Questions-

1. Are there any special experiences or observations that you would like to share related to this pandemic?

2. Pls share with us the most luxurious or memorable experience staying at hotel. Tell us why the living experience was memorable for you.

3. How does tourism impact the ecosystem? What can we do to reduce the negative impact on our natural environment?

4. Choose a country that you think is influenced by a foreign culture. Share with us how and why it was influenced.

5. Think of how a random event/experience triggered your curiosity and led you to learn and discover the world or yourself.

Agenda-

2:30-2:50 Introduction

2:50-3:10 Photo sharing of Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

3:10-3:40 Group discussion of sustainability program

3:40-3:50 Break

3:50-4:15 North west mountain culture and group discussion

4:15-4:35 Photo sharing of The married field

4:35-5:00 History of Victoria

5:00-5:30 Group discussion

Host: Antonio

Attendees: Peter, Mike, Uncle Ting, Eric, Annie, Ellen, Antonio

Meeting photo link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MYnvvGxf3QKZCT1E9

Meeting started…

Our informative host, Antonio proceeded the meeting comprehensively and fluently as before. First in warm-up session, we had a sharing about how COVID-19 affected us and we found some new behaviors formed during “Anti-COVID-19 period” as follows:

1. Personal Hygienic habits such as wearing masks and washing hands become daily routines
2. In fear of cluster infection, enterprises develop “staggered working hours”, “video conferencing” or “conferencing call”; people keep social distancing; it also triggers emerging “Delivery Industry”.
3. People come into consensus that “personal defense of “COVID-19” for the sake of others in the world due to “Global village” makes any impacts world-wise.
4. Taiwan Government Staff showed herself as most successful Anti COVID-19  model in the world, and thus boomed up Taiwanese national identity then!

Antonio’s summary for the meeting:

Although we had a clear ppt presentation and thorough discussion, our devoted host, Antonio made a summary for us to have better understanding and review. We appreciate so much for his support and consideration!

What is neuroplasticity?

1. The brain can change throughout our life; it is shaped and adaptable

2. The billions of neural paths light up when you think/feel/do something

3. By building and strengthening new paths and weakening old paths is the way to make nervous plasticity

4. Four types of neuroplasticity, known as

a. homologous area adaption 

b. compensatory masquerade

c. cross-modal reassignment

d. map expansion

The pros and cons

1.Listening to Mozart music for at least 10-15 minutes showed significantly increased spatial reasoning skills

2.Neuroplasticity can aid brain recovery after the damage produced by events like

stroke or traumatic injury.

3.Avoidance causes anxiety to spiral out of control, and we can rewire the neural

pathways to feel safe and secure

4.Learning a second language increases the density of grey matter in the left inferior parietal cortex and that the degree of structural reorganization in this region is modulated by the proficiency attained and the age at acquisition.

5.Compared with bus drivers, taxi drivers had greater gray matter volume in

mid-posterior hippocampi and less volume in anterior hippocampi.

The neuroplasticity and the aging

1.Older people learned a visual task just as well as younger. However, white matter is changed in older people, while gray matter in younger.

2.Dancing induces significant increase in gray matter volume in the left precentral gyrus. Volume increases in the parahippocampal region were observed in the dancers

3.Challenging leisure activities activate core cognitive processes may prove to be more effective than computer-based training. Besides, the effect of cognitive training is durable over time, but relatively limited to transfer to other cognitive domains.

Professional Suggestion on “Delay Aging Process”

1. Engaged in some activities enjoyable for certain time of the day such as 20’ walk, dancing, gardening or “Bliss meetings”.
2. The activities feature attainable, sustainable and durable from easy to hard.

Attendees’ feedback:

1. Thank you, Antonio. From today’s meeting, I learned that “grey matter” mostly exist in “cell body” and in surface place of the brain which obviously are fresh in “young people” while “white matter” in deeper place and dendrites connected with “Synapses” which “life experiences” can activate more in “older people”. I also learned how 4 activities in neurons act in our brains which are “neurogenesis”, “new synapses, strengthened synapse, and weakened synapses. The research becomes significant to me because old people can learn well through “Synapses” connected with life experiences. We, young or old, can form new habits via “strengthened “new synapses” and drop our “bad habits” via the weakened “old synapses”.

2. I would like also share this important slide with you ,which I notice in myself after turning age of 40 , I started to have a NEW capability ,which is making connection of everything back to myself of what I heard, saw , and experienced I often wondering why and discuss this with several of Bliss good friends , and now it makes everything so clear to me after Antonio's explanation of this slide Our brain will generate more neurons and new synapses while we learn new skill and keep practicing repetitively ,then our brain will change , the process called " Neuroplasticity ". In conclusion, try to " give feedbacks" as more as possible toward every person/everything that touches you, inspires you and guess what, it will not only change your brain gradually but also the counter person's 🤗🤗

Reflections:

It is a resourceful -ever meeting in Bliss history! From the “brain study” perspective, Antonio took us into the mysterious sphere under the scalp, the cognitive part of learning process. No wonder, all the attendees asks Antonio for more information after the meeting. We look forward to his knowledgeable meeting soon next time. Stay Tune.

My Dear Blissers,

Do you miss the humor and fluency in Patrick’s meeting? Here is his introduction for the coming meeting on Mar. 7, 2020:

Are you still obsessed with the streamlined and fascinating Tesla car? Actually, the new auto-pilot and self-driving technology is far more than a fancy, streamlined look, as well as the dazzling control panel in the car. Believe it or not, the future of a more advanced technology of unmanned vehicles is just around the corner within 5~7 years.

Thanks to the lightning speed 5G technology, as well as the fast-moving ingenious AI development, all those cutting-edged technologies are brought up to make all “impossibles” possible in the unmanned technology.

Now that Taiwanese companies are embracing this golden age to incorporate with the most advanced autonomous car corps in our time, we are having the luck to witness the next revolution of transportation that is happening now.

Agenda:

14:30 ~ 15:00: warm-up instruction and share about the autonomous car.
- Share your transportation experience — what is the most unforgettable car accident?
- what do you think the best benefit of the incoming of world for transportation driven by autonomous vehicles? and, what is the negative side?
- if one day you are no longer allowed to drive your car, but must controlled by AI or computer for safety concern, what will you think?

15:00 ~ 16:00: the instruction of the coming future for autonomous car (technology, unicorn start-up companies, and the world trend)

16:00 ~ 16:10: short break

16: 10~ 16:50: debate about the autonomous driving

16:50 ~ 17:30: discussion about Taiwan's fruitful opportunities for the era of burgeoning autonomous car

<Bliss Meeting Notice> “How To Give an Influential Speech and Be and Effective Writer” by Eric on Feb. 22, 2020

My Dear Blissers,

People say “True Communication” exists when there is no gap between two counterparts to say and write what they mean and mean what they say and write!

It seems mystic and hard to get across. However, our strategic expert, Eric is going to unveil the mystery and guide us in a fun way. Come and join us this coming Saturday on Feb. 22, 2020!

Ears up to his introduction here:

Hi, Blissers~~

My college is known for engineering.  Most of my college friends are engineers.  Our college once surveyed the employers in our community for feedback and suggestion on what our students need to improve.

Out of all the responses from the local employers, the one thing on the top of the list is “communication”.  

Communication skill is often the key to an employee’s performance within a company, whether writing an email to a supervisor, talking to a coworker or making a phone call to a customer; it is important that an employee poses good communication skills.  

Just about everyone needs to be a good writer and a good speaker.  If you want to perform better at work, sell more products or be a better husband, you need communication skills.

This is a valuable Bliss meeting, it’ll be fun and interactive.  

I invite you to have fun with us on February 22nd, Saturday.

My Dear Blissers,

Autumn is so poetic as Hazelmarie Mattie Elliott put it:

“I see the turning of a leaf dancing in an autumn sun, and brilliant shades of crimson glowing when a day is done.”

Blissers greet the season with breezy and warming heart as follows:

Date: Nov. 2, 2019 , Saturday

Time: 14:30~17:30

Venue: Minami Zephyr 小南風B1

Host: Ellen

Topic: Book Reading and Discussion 製造俄羅斯 

Date: Nov. 16, 2019, Saturday

Time: 14:30~17:30

Venue: Minami Zephyr 小南風B1

Host: Jassica Yang

“The World Best in Taiwan”

Date: Nov. 23, 2019, Saturday

Time: 14:30~17:30

Venue:東豐喜藝文空間

Host: Monika Chang

“Bom Caminho! (Buen Camino!)

Just hit the road of your own!”

Date: Nov. 30, 2019, Saturday

Time: 14:30~17:30

Venue:東豐喜藝文空間

Host: Peter

Why Working at Home is both Awesome and Horrible