Notes:
robot vacuum cleaners ロボット掃除機;
suck up  吸い上げる;
fire department  消防署;
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Robot vacuum cleaners have become very popular these days. The first ones came out in 2002, and more than 10 million have been sold. These vacuum cleaners move around the house cleaning the floor. Robot vacuum cleaners can be very helpful, but they can be dangerous, too. A 52-year-old woman in South Korea was sleeping on the floor, and the vacuum cleaner tried to suck up her hair. She woke up and called the fire department. They came and saved her. Luckily, she wasn’t hurt, but the message is clear: if you use a robot vacuum cleaner, don’t sleep on the floor!　(by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Notes:
referee (競技･試合の)審判員;
overturn 覆す;
ambiguity 曖昧さ;
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When acting as a sports referee, we can’t completely avoid bad decisions. However, technology is improving day by day, and an amazing system that can reduce the number of bad decisions has been produced. “freeD” technology can show not only an angle which is difficult to judge, but also the moment of impact of the bat hitting the ball. This technology has already been used for replays in Major League Baseball in the United States. Currently, video confirmation is limited to verification of home runs, but some people want to change this and apply it to verifying fair and foul balls and outs. If this is introduced, 89% of the bad decisions will be overturned. On the other hand, the ambiguity of human decisions is part of the charm of baseball. Some people criticize video confirmation because it is difficult to use for every decision, and it would lead to extended game times. Of course, it is good that the game is played and judged fairly, but a game which is judged entirely by machine may become a little boring. (written by student Mr. I, edited by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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