big brother

The television(TV) show big brother (BB)has taken its name from a book by george
orwell that tells of a future where there is no privacy. The powers that be(the government) would
invade (lan tràn) every area of our lives.
For tv shows, viewing figures are very important. Every tv channel wants as many
viewers as possible. The programs they put on are expensive. The actors and producers are
highly paid. The costumes are lavish(fancy and expensive). There is a lot of competition between
channels
The speaker was surprised when she heard about the bb program. First of all, she
wondered what it is. She has never seen it. She has read a lot about it
Bb is a group of young pp who agree to live in a house and have their every activity
filmed. At the end of a certain period, they start to get rid of members(participants). The person
who sticks it out (lasts) the longest wins. The winner often becomes a tv star.
There are video cameras placed in the house watching how these pp interact, watching
the nastier aspects of humanity emerge and the individuals watch the videos of themselves
together and talk about what has happened.
The show is a success. It was immediately copied in other countries. It’s not expensive.
You don’t have to pay the actors. You barely have to pay a cameraman because the participants
are filming themselves. There is no set(studio where filming takes place) because you’re filming
in someone’s house. There’s no script, no makeup, no costumes no continuity, no
direction(telling actors how they should read they lines), zero.
It couldn’t be cheaper
It’s do-it-yourself tv with the result that everybody would want to watch it and those who
didn’t watch it were forced to read about it in the newspaper(so much was written about it that it
was nearly impossible not to read about it.)
It underlines(emphasizes) a rather nasty aspect of humanity. Pp are so interested in what
other pp are up to. It is a voyeur (watching other pp secretly) mentality that the speaker finds
extremely unpleasant. She is very worried. She’s sure that we have not seen the last of bb.
COMPUTER
This speech is about computer technology without being too difficult. I would like you to
imagine the following scenario (viễn cảnh). You take a piece of paper—it doesn’t matter how big
or how thick—and you fold it in two(in half) and you fold it in two again. After 7 or 8 folds, you

will be unable to continue because the paper then will be as thick as a book. If you could get as
far as 20 folds, the paper would be as tall as a house. If you could get to 40 folds you would fill
the space between the moon and the earth. That is what is known in mathematics as exponential
growth (sự tăng theo số mũ). It is almost exclusively used in math because in nature exponential
growth doesn’t last for very long.
Over the last 30 years the manufacturers of computers have truly introduced exponential
improvements to their products. It’s as if the electronic engineers have managed to fold that
piece of paper about 15 times. However, all good things must come to an end. It would appear
that we’re getting close to the limits of today’s computer technology. Let me explain why, using
the example of Britain railway system as an illustration. In 1830 there were just 37 kms of track.
Ten years later, twice as much, and every 10 years, for the next 60 years, the amount doubled. At
that rate, a forecaster in the 19 century might have expected that by today there would be track
all over the country. But that’s not the case. The point was reached where the cost of laying track
to small villages could not be recovered by the carrying of persons and goods on that line. So,
economic forces reached a point of equilibrium (balance). And, a similar combination of
economic and physical factors is likely to bring an end to the improvements which have been
introduced into computer chips.
To go back to the image I used at the beginning of folding paper, each fold in the
technology paper(metaphor) is increasingly expensive and difficult to engineer. Silicon chips
have space limits and every time you increase the capacity (công suất) of the computer, you have
to reduce the size of the components. And, although computers use very little electricity, a small
current(electrical current) going through a tiny component generates a great amount of heat
which is very difficult to evacuate(get rid of safely).
So, although companies are not keen(wanting to) to invest in a completely new
technology of this state(type), until it is clear that the potential of today’s technology has been
exhausted, there will be no more major improvements until a new technology has been found.
This may involve the use of optic fibers or laser beams or chemicals. What is certain is that the
computer industry will not stand still, and that the company that comes up with a breakthrough
can look forward to achieving massive profits.