When Erin Shields sang "Being Alive, " a popular song from the Broadway show "Company, " the song had extra levels of meaning.

Shields and her husband David Shenton are touring musicians. They could not perform around the world during the coronavirus pandemic. So they broadcast virtual concerts from home to raise money for the Mosaic West Queens Church in New York City. The concerts brought thousands of dollars to the church to help feed hungry people living in the neighborhood. They also gave the two musicians a chance to continue their artistic lives.

It began when they saw the long lines of people waiting for food outside the church near their home. Several of their friends had lost jobs after Broadway theaters closed. And they felt the need to help.

In September, they volunteered at the church to give away boxes of food to families two times a week. As time passed, they felt the need to do more for others during the pandemic. "I'm not a doctor ... I don't really have much to offer. But you know, we can perform," said Shields.

She is an opera singer from the American state of Illinois. Her husband Shenton is a British composer, pianist and violinist. And their artistic friends were willing to join for a good cause.

"We have all these connections to Broadway singers outside of their work on Broadway so we wanted to capitalize on that," Shenton said.

During a recent virtual concert, smiling families, watching on their computers at home, clapped and sang along. Among the performers were Broadway musicians known for their work in shows such as "Hamilton" and "The Little Mermaid" as well as "Les Miserables."

Shields said volunteering became especially important last year when New York turned into the center of the pandemic. "If you're feeling low, volunteer, give back to other people, because it will make you feel better, " Shields said.

After winning the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, China has been striving to hold a high-tech Winter Games. Now, as the games are approaching, the viewers can learn how innovative technologies are being used, especially in the construction of venues.

For example, how the National Aquatics Center, also known as the "Water Cube", was turned into the "Ice Cube". The main change is to turn the four-lane swimming pool into a curling rink (冰场). According to Xinhua, the "transformation" will be completed by using a quick-disassembly (快速拆除的) system. Simply put, the water will be drained(抽干) from the pool and then a convertible (可移动的) frame will be built and put inside. The frame is made up of 2,600 H-shape steel columns and has a height of three meters and a length of two meters, China News Service reported.

Another major technology applied can be seen at the National Speed Skating Oval(NSSO), known as the "Ice Ribbon".Traditionally, freon, which harms the ozone layer, was used in the ice-making process. But NSSO adopts an environmentally friendly technology, which uses carbon dioxide to make ice.

For another new venue, the National Sliding Center, the design team was confronted with a tricky problem. The center features a 1.9m sliding track. The center is located on the southern slope of Xiaohaituo Mountain in Yanqing. The sunlight in the southern slope is stronger than that in the northern slope. What's more the Yanqing competition zone has complex terrain (地形) and strong wind," Li Bo, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, told CGTN." Wind resistance is the key to the construction of buildings," Li added.

So they studied the wind filed date in the zone, analyzed the sun's height in different seasons, and used computer models to simulate (模拟) and determine the awning (遮阳篷) coverage on the track. Finally, the team developed a system combining the terrain and awning to reduce the impact of solar radiation.

The sun is setting, brightening your kids' faces as they play in the waves. You reach for your phone for this perfect moment. But before you do, here's a bit of surprising science: Taking photos is not the perfect way to keep memory as you think.

Taking too many pictures could actually harm the brain's ability to keep memories, says Elizabeth Loftus, a psychology professor at the University of California, Irvine. So we get the photo but kind of lose the memory.

Photography "outsources" memories. It works in two ways: We either shake off the responsibility of remembering moments when taking pictures, or we're so distracted(分散注意力的) by the process that we miss the moment altogether.

The first explanation is the loss of memory. People know that their camera is recording that moment, so they don't try to remember. Similarly, if you write down someone's phone number, you're less likely to remember it offhand because your brain tells you there's just no need. That's all well and good—until that piece of paper goes missing.

The other is distraction. We're distracted by the process of taking a photo—how we hold our phone, composing the photo, such as smiling faces, the background to our liking and clear image, all of which uses up our attention that could otherwise help us memorize.

However, taking photos can benefit memory—when done mindfully. While taking a photo may be distracting, the act of preparation by focusing on visual details around has some upsides. When people take the time to zoom in(拉近镜头) on specific things, memories become strengthened.

Another benefit is that we recall moments more accurately with the photos. Memory has been reshaped with the help of new information and new experiences. Thus, photos or videos help us recall moments as if they really happened.

Memories die away without a visual record backing them up. Therefore, a photo is an excellent tool to help remember when done purposefully, which is worth exploring further.