A: What is that app anyway? First it sends you on a wild goose chase, and then it decides to tell you how to ride home when you haven’t even got to your destination.
B: Tell me about it! Either I’m really stupid, or this bike app is badly designed. You don’t need to say which one you think it is.
A: How much did you pay for it?
Photo: Pixabay 照片: Pixabay
B: It’s free, but you have to pay if you want to access some premium functions. I’m doing the free week trial for the premium content, but if things go on like this…
A: 那到底是什麼應用程式啊?它先是指引你漫無目的地亂走,然後又告訴你要怎麼騎回家,你都還沒到達目的地咧!
B: 說的沒錯!不是我太笨,就是這個自行車App設計得太爛。你不用說哪一個才是對的。
A: 這App花了你多少錢啊?
B: 這是免費的。不過如果你想使用進階的功能,就必須付費。我現在用的是進階功能一星期免費試用,不過如果照現在的情況繼續下去的話……。
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times / 台北時報林俐凱譯)
Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Tangbao are one of the most internationally renowned delicacies, that win the hearts of both locals and tourists. Their charm lies in the paper-thin flour wrapper that needs to be folded evenly almost 20 times. Folding a tangbao requires skill to deal with a bulging filling and a thin wrapper. Tangbao are served in a bamboo steamer in which they are steamed, not only adding to the visual appearance, but ensuring they do not get cold before reaching the table. The best way to enjoy a tangbao is to dip it in a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce with
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced a seismic change in direction on March 19, hiking interest rates for the first time in 17 years. The move represents an unwinding of an ultra-loose — and maverick -- policy aimed at putting Japan’s “lost decades” of stagnation and deflation behind it. The last time the BoJ raised interest rates was in 2007, but its war against deflation began in earnest in 2013 under then-prime minister Shinzo Abe. “Abenomics” combined generous government spending and central bank monetary easing. The BoJ spent vast amounts on bonds and other assets to pump liquidity into the
A: How much is baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani’s new deal? B: Not long ago, he signed a 10-year contract with the Dodgers at US$700 million, breaking the record in MLB history. A: Wow, the deal’s over NT$22 billion. B: And the opening game of the new season is taking place in South Korea this week. A: I can’t wait to see how the “two-way” player performs in the new season. A: 棒球巨星大谷翔平的身價到底有多高? B: 道奇隊不久前,以十年7億美元合約套牢大谷,創下大聯盟歷史新高。 A: 哇高達220多億台幣耶! B: 而新球季開幕戰本週將在南韓開打唷。 A: 真期待這位「二刀流」球星新球季的表現。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
For the first time, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined a company for improper disposal of its defunct satellite. The satellite cable company Dish Network was fined US$150,000 because it failed to move an old satellite that was no longer in operation to a safe distance from others currently being used. The FCC had asked Dish Network to move one of its older satellites, EchoStar-7, 186 miles further from the Earth. However, the satellite had only advanced 76 miles before it ran out of fuel at the end of its operational life in 2022.