Do you have bright ideas? Ideas for inventions that change society or, at least, make life easier for somebody? Perhaps we all do sometimes, but we don’t often make the idea a reality. Recently, in Britain, there was a competition called British Designers for Tomorrow. The competition encouraged young people to carry out their bright ideas. There were two groups in the contest: Group One was for schoolchildren under 16; Group Two was for schoolchildren over 16. And there were eleven prize-winners altogether.

Neil Hunt, one of the prize-winners, was called “Sunshine Superman” by one newspaper writing about his design. It’s important, when people study the weather, to be able to record sunshine accurately. We need to know how many hours of sunshine we have and how strong it is. Most sunshine recorders only record direct sunlight. Neil’s is more accurate and this is very important for research into ways of using solar power. With his prize of ￡100, Neil plans to carry on inventing.

You can do so much with animation. Look at Simon West’s idea for animated road signs. He uses pictures which appear to move as you go nearer to or farther from them. This isn’t a new idea. But it is new to use these pictures on road signs. “We found that people were more likely to see moving signs,” said Simon. So now, you can really see rocks falling, trains moving, horses galloping or a car falling over the edge of a cliff. Quite a warning!

The ideas in the competition were so inventive that we are surprised that British industry doesn’t ask more schoolchildren for suggestions. Perhaps this will be the start of “pupil power”!

     Pawn shops are businesses where people bring their possessions to sell or to get a short-term loan. The United States has about ten thousand of them. In the 

past few years, pawn shops have been doing business with more people than 

ever before. That is because many lenders now do business only with individuals having good credit ratings or a high-paying job. Often, the individuals most in 

need of a loan have poor credit ratings. But they do not need a good job or 

credit rating to get a loan from a pawnbroker. They only need something of value.

When a traditional lender approves a loan, it may be days or weeks before an individual receives the money. But pawnbrokers will give a loan in just a few 

minutes based on the resale value of an object and without asking about the 

person’s job or credit history.

     Many pawn shops specialize in jewelry. But most shops accept almost anything of value, including computers, musical instruments, guns, old coins and other antiques. The item itself acts as the security, or collateral, for the loan. If the loan is not repaid, the object can be sold. Customers can get the object 

back -- called redeeming it -- at any time by repaying the loan plus the interest 

and fees they agreed to pay. Or they can pay the interest and leave the item at 

the pawn shop for a while longer.

   Just like your IQ, or intelligence quotient, which indicates how capably you comprehend things, your “financial IQ” is a measure of your financial cleverness – how well you deal with money. A low financial IQ means you handle your wealth poorly or irresponsibly, while a high financial IQ helps you make wise decisions about money and take the right action to improve your financial circumstances. Following are some simple but important tips for being a financially intelligent person.

    First of all, start saving while you are young. When you have money in your pocket, the impulse to spend it can be very strong. Avoid running to the mall or shopping online when you get your paycheck; instead, if you put away a small amount of money into a savings account each week or month and earn interest, your money will grow. Always keep in mind: a penny saved is a penny earned, and do it early because it takes time to accumulate wealth. The second advice is to live within your means. The secret to financial success is spending less than you earn. If you make a good income but spend it all, you are by no means rich or financially secure. If you lose your job or get seriously ill, you will have nothing to fall back on. People who make less money than you but don’t spend it all are actually much wealthier because they are able to cope with emergencies that arise. Fortunately, today’s technology makes personal money management easier than ever. Financial planning software can help you keep a budget by adding up your income and expenses and keep track of your spending at all times. 

   One more thing worth attention is to be a careful user of your credit cards. It is a lot easier – and sometimes safer – to pay with a credit card than to carry around all that cash in your pocket or purse. However, it is also easy to get into trouble with credit cards if you regard and use them as a substitute for money you don’t have or haven’t earned yet. If you charge so much that you can’t keep up with your monthly bills, interest charges will quickly add up. Going into credit card debts is definitely a sure sign of low financial IQ.

   Imagine coming back to your place to a smart home after a tiring day at work. Doors and windows open and close automatically, your favorite music plays throughout the house, and dinner cooks itself. These sound like science fiction, but more and more homes are outfitted with such capabilities. 

   Smart homes can be controlled remotely through smartphones or portable computers. Often there are also computerized panels on different walls of the home, with various functions for the house owner to choose from. Most smart homes are equipped with controls for lights, heating, air conditioning, and electronic devices. The owner may also decide which other features to include. 

   For example, people who travel frequently might be concerned about security. With a smart home, they can check cameras in and around their house from anywhere in the world. They can turn lights on and off to see better and can even get instant alerts when motion sensors are set off. For other people whose priority is convenience, a smart house might take care of feeding pets and watering plants, or it might have a smart refrigerator that can trace its contents, suggest meal options or even order groceries when they are used up. 

   Smart homes are also a great helper in saving resources. They can reduce energy consumption and manage renewable energy systems or recycling programs. They can actually calculate how much money they save for their owners each month. These modern homes provide advantages for the elderly and disabled, too. 

   They can increase quality of life by making sure people are safe and comfortable at home. They are a wonderful alternative to round-the-clock care at institutions. The smart home of a dementia patient, for example, can remind its owner about daily activities like showering and eating. It can also monitor and give medications. The house can even contact emergency services when necessary. 

   Smart home technology presents exciting opportunities that are changing the way people live. Although they are limited to some basic capabilities at this point, they are believed to be able to do almost anything in the future. 

       The human body is a complex machine. From the day we are born, our bodies grow and change in response to our environment, diet, and habits. The body has many different organ systems and parts that work together to allow us to breathe, move, see, talk, and digest food all at the same time. Most of the time we are unaware of what is happening in our bodies； usually it is only when we get sick or feel pain that we notice. 

       Many people do not take care of their complex machines. Bad habits like smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and eating junk food damage our bodies. Stress can also cause health problems. People who worry a lot or have busy jobs often don’t get enough sleep or don’t eat properly. We can also damage our bodies when we play sports or get into accidents. Studies done by the Australian government show that most people get hurt because of an accidental slip or fall or because of injuries from car accidents. It’s true that a lot of people go to the hospital because of serious illnesses, but far more people end up there because they simply weren’t being careful.

       Like machines, different body parts sometimes wear down from old age. People over the age of 65 are more likely to fall and hurt themselves, and these injuries—from bad cuts to broken bone—usually require serious medical attention. There are many treatments available to help older people recover from illness and injury. It is now common for older people with damaged joints, for example, to have surgery to replace the old joint with a new one made of plastic or metal. Instead of suffering aches and pains through their retirement days, older people are able to lead happier and more comfortable lives. 

       The best way to take care of your amazing machine is to eat the right foods, do regular exercise, and get enough sleep. Oh, and don’t forget to smile!