In June 2015, Captain Radhika Menon found herself in charge of the oil tanker (油轮) Sampurna Swarajya, battling dangerous waves in the Bay of Bengal. Little did she know that her leadership would be put to the ultimate test in a dramatic rescue mission.

On June 22, 2015, as the storm continued violently, Second Officer Manoj Chauhan spotted a small boat adrift (漂流) off the coast of Gopalpur, Odisha. Seven fishermen injured and desperate, were losing their struggle to the unforgiving sea. The fishing boat with neither shelter nor anchor had been at sea for seven days. Chinna Rao, 40, and his companions, including a teenager, had gone into the Bay for what was supposed to be a routine fishing expedition. However, the sudden onset (发生) of a violent storm had turned their journey into a fight for survival. The boat sustained damage, and their supplies were lost as they faced the violent wind and waves.

As the fishermen held onto hope, their signals caught the attention of Captain Radhika Menon. With strong determination, she initiated a high-risk rescue operation, facing towering waves and strong winds. The urgency was obvious as the crew prepared for the challenge.

Menon strategically moved the tanker, creating a shelter from the storm. A rope was thrown out, connecting the tanker to the easily broken fishing boat. Despite the sea’s fury (猛烈), the fishermen managed to secure the line, and one by one, they were pulled to safety. The rescue, performed through rain and storm, took about 40 minutes. The seven fishermen were finally on the tanker, filled with emotion.

Sixteen months later, Menon’s bravery was recognized on a global stage. In November 2016, she received the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. Menon, the first female captain in the Indian Merchant Navy, stated that she had merely finished her duty as a sailor.

The rescued fishermen, speaking emotionally from their homes, described Menon as a hero who had saved their lives. The rescue at sea showcased the firm courage of Captain Radhika Menon and her crew, proving that in the face of danger, true heroes emerge.

I knew I would not see an actual person named Ellie’s at Ellie’s Eatery because, like most new restaurants these days, Ellie’s is a robo-restaurant.

When I walked in, a cute little manager robot appeared, looking rather like a toaster with lively blue eyes. It showed me to a nice table in the back. The menu monitor popped out of my table and showed me pictures of my dining options. I tapped my choices and clicked OK, and the screen slid back down.

I watched as full plates rode the conveyer belts that moved along each aisle (过道) of tables. In just a few minutes, my appetizer stopped at my table, and I took it from the belt. Later, I placed my empty plate back on the conveyer belt, and it was taken away into the kitchen to be cleaned.

I watched the little toaster showing customers to tables while I ate my main course. The food was tasty, but I was starting to feel annoyed because dealing with robots always makes me feel inhuman. Pretty soon, I wanted to talk to someone real, even if it was just a few sentences.

So when my dessert arrived, I took action. I dropped my plate on the floor with a satisfying crash. I was so happy when I saw the manager toaster’s shining red eyes — at last, a real live person would arrive!

But instead, a crew of two robots quickly appeared. A robot broom rushed over and started to sweep the piece of the broken plate into a robot garbage can. They finished and moved back into the kitchen. My plan to get a little reality into Ellie’s Eatery failed sadly. I hope the restaurant trend ends soon. I want to deal with people again!

When American Matt Stopera’s iPhone went missing, he thought, “Well, bad luck. These things happen.” One year later, Matt’s misfortune has turned to good fortune as he found a new friend and became an Internet celebrity in China.

You may already be familiar with this story since it spread on Weibo for weeks during the Spring Festival, but it started when Matt began seeing photos of a Chinese man in front of an orange tree on his photo stream (照片流). He wrote about it and some Chinese readers decided to see if they could find the mysterious man. They did. It turns out that “Brother Orange,” as he became known, owned a restaurant in Guangdong and the iPhone he was using, a gift from a nephew, was Matt’s old phone.

Matt and Brother Orange began messaging each other and a friendship blossomed with Matt invited to China to feast at Brother Orange’s restaurant on his delicious Hakkacuisine (客家菜). Matt was also overwhelmed by the warmth of the millions of Chinese who were following the story. When he opened a Weibo account he had 22 million followers almost overnight, many of them inviting him to their hometowns and offering to be his tour guide.

Matt’s story is another example of how powerful the Internet and social networking has become in bringing people together. But there is a darker side to this story and that involves how Matt’s missing iPhone turned up in China. Over three million smart-phones were stolen in America last year. Because of identification numbers, these phones can’t be used in America, so they are sent to other countries and many of them end up in China, where they can be re-activated. This is why Matt and Brother Orange could share the same iCloud account.

You should keep this in mind when buying a second-hand phone and check the serial number to see that it has not been stolen. Finding a friend through social networking is wonderful, but using a stolen phone isn’t really the best way to make the connection.