Thingvellir has been a National Park in Iceland since 1930 and was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2004. Aside from its historical interest, Thingvellir holds a special attraction for nature lovers.

How to get to Thingvellir National Park

1. Take Road No. 1 heading north out of Reykjavík. After driving through the town Mosfellsbær take the first exit to the right at roundabout onto Road No. 36 to Thingvellir.

2. Another choice in summertime out of Reykjavik is to take the Road No.1 towards south coast. Then   turn left onto Road 431 and follow it onto Road 435 . Note that this road (435) is closed in winter and only open from May to September depending on snow conditions. Make sure to check conditions before driving it.

What to see in Thingvellir?

There is much to explore in the park including the 20-meter (66ft) Oxara waterfall, and the Nikulasargja Gorge, better known as Peningagja (Money Gorge) because it is a custom to throw coins (and sometimes credit cards!) into the icy-cold water and make a wish.The Oxararfoss Waterfall is a beautiful waterfall, though the pool under it has a darker story, for men and women were drowned there, after being sentenced to death in the Middle Ages.

Camping

There are two camp sites at Thingvellir :One by the parks service centre at Leirar and another one   by Vatnskot.

Garbage does not have to be sorted before being put into the disposal cans. Ash from the barbecues should be disposed of into separate containers.

Price:

Adults (18-66 years) ISK 1300 /night + 300 ISK tax Senior (67 +) and disabled ISK 650 / night + 300 ISK tax Children/teens 0-17 years free of charge.

Parking

Thingvellir does not have entrance fee as such,but if you travel by car you will have to pay a parking fee.

The charge for a daypass on all the parking lots is as follows:

A) Passenger car, 5 seats or less - 750 ISK

B) Passenger car, 6-8 seats - 1000 ISK

C) Bus, 9-19 seats - 1800 ISK

D) Bus ,20 seats or more - 3500 ISK

For further info please contact thingvellir@thingvellir.is.

Someone who types while on a video call may be giving away more information than they realize. A computer model can work out the words that the person is typing just by tracking the movements of their shoulders and arms in the video stream.

"There are significant movements that occur when typing, " says Murtuza Jadliwala at the University of Texas at San Antonio. "We think if we are able to model them scientifically, we should be able to infer different keystrokes by looking at the video data."

Jadliwala and his colleagues developed a model to do just that. They mapped the movements onto a keyboard and cross-referenced the results against a dictionary of commonly typed words, finding it could correctly identify the words being typed 75% of the time. However, their experiment was based on the fact that the typists used traditional physical QWERTY keyboards in the video. The randomized keyboard, which is different from the traditional QWERTY keyboard, can prevent it from making accurate inferences. Those who wear clothing with some sort of sleeve are also less likely to be analysed accurately.

The computer model removes the background information from a frame of a video call. It then detects the outer edges of the shoulder by analysing each frame using an image processing technique called optical flow, which watches closely how pixels (像素) change in a video and maps arm movements onto a keyboard.

Jadliwala says pixelating (打上马赛克) the shoulders would lessen the effect of the issue, but Alan Woodward at the University of Surrey, UK, argues that such a solution defeats the purpose of video calling. "The whole point of a video call is to see people," he says, adding that it is alarming that video calls can reveal so much.

Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what life would be like if you had a hundred dollars less. Also imagine what it would be like spending the rest of your life with your eyes closed. Imagine having to read this page, not with your eyes but with your finger­tips.

With existing medical knowledge and skills, two thirds of the world’s 42 million blind should not have to suffer. Unfortunately, rich countries possess most of this knowledge, while developing countries do not.

ORBIS is an international non­profit organization which operates the world’s only flying teaching eye hospital. ORBIS intends to help fight blindness worldwide. Inside a DC­8 aircraft, there is a fully­equipped teaching hospital with television studio and classroom. Doctors are taught the latest techniques of bringing sight back to people there. Project ORBIS also aims at promoting peaceful cooperation (合作) among countries.

ORBIS tries to help developing countries by providing training during three-week medical programs. ORBIS has taught sight­saving techniques to over 35,000 doctors and nurses, who continue to cure tens of thousands of blind people every year. ORBIS has conducted 17 plane programs in China so far. For the seven to ten million blind in China ORBIS is planning to do more for them. At the moment an ORBIS is working on a long­term plan to develop a training center and to provide eye care service to Shanxi Province. ORBIS needs your help to continue their work and free people from blindness.

For just $ 38, you can help one person see; for $ 380 you can bring sight to 10 people; $ 1,300 helps teach a doctor new skills; and for $ 13,000 you can provide a training programme for a group of doctors who can make thousands of blind people see again. Your money can open their eyes to the world. Please help ORBIS improve the quality of life for so many people less fortunate than ourselves.