習慣說

nifty: practical; working well

frother: a device for making liquid, especially milk for coffee, frothy

frothy: (of liquids) having a mass of small bubbles on the surface

halo: (in paintings, etc.) a circle of light shown around or above the head of a holy person

velvety: pleasantly smooth and soft

detriment: the act of causing harm or damage; something that causes harm or damage

The first law of neuroplasticity states that the repeated activation of a presynaptic neuron, one that is sending the signals, and a postsynaptic neuron, one that is receiving the signals, leads to an increase in the efficiency or effectiveness of communication between them.

Effective（有效果的）著重於結果與目標達成，而 efficient（有效率的）則著重於過程與資源利用（省時、省力、省成本）。

Most of the time we are going through life in automatic mode without really thinking, and negative thoughts can arise like they always have, and because those pathways have been strengthened through repetition we go down that well-trodden path...yet again.

大多數時間我們處於自動模式，在日常生活中並未真正用心思考。負面念頭會像以往一樣自動浮現，因為大腦中對應的神經通路經由反覆使用而被強化。結果我們便再次沿著那條熟悉且被踏得很深的思維小徑走下去。

well-trodden: (of a road or path) much used

The first law of neuroplasticity also states that the order and timing of the spikes (neurons communicating) determine the size and magnitude of a connection being strengthened (or weakened).

compassion (for somebody) a strong feeling of sympathy for people or animals who are suffering and a desire to help them

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Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Edited

Lambda

def someFunc(var1, var2, var3, var4):

someFunc(var1=1,2,3,4)

This call is not valid Python syntax.

Once you start with a keyword argument (var1=1), every argument that follows must also be a keyword argument.

You can’t drop back into plain positional arguments afterward.

def someFunc(func):

    print(func(5) + 2)

someFunc(lambda x: x * 3)

Function definition

• someFunc takes one argument, func.

• Inside, it calls func(5) and then adds 2 to the result.

• Finally, it prints that value.

Calling with a lambda

• You pass in lambda x: x * 3.

• That’s an anonymous function that multiplies its input by 3.

Execution

• Inside someFunc, func(5) runs → 5 * 3 = 15.

• Then 15 + 2 = 17.

This is a neat example of higher-order functions: you’re passing a function as an argument to another function.

Microsoft Copilot

quiz

def triangle(num):

    if num == 1:

        return num

    return num + triangle(num - 1)

Your function triangle(num) is a recursive way to calculate the triangular number — the sum of all integers from 1 up to num.

How it works

• Base case: If num == 1, it returns 1.

• Recursive case: Otherwise, it returns num + triangle(num - 1), which keeps calling itself until it reaches 1.

So for triangle(4):

• 4 + triangle(3)

• 4 + (3 + triangle(2))

• 4 + (3 + (2 + triangle(1)))

• 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 10

Key points

• It computes the sum $1+2+\cdots +n$.

• This is known as the n-th triangular number.

• Formula: $\frac{n(n+1)}{2}$
  

小學奧數口訣︰頭項加尾項乘項數除二

def square(num):

    return triangle(num-1) + triangle(num)

Explanation

• triangle(n) gives the sum of integers from 1 to n. Example: triangle(4) = 1+2+3+4 = 10.

• In your square(num) function, you’re adding:

• triangle(num-1) → sum of numbers up to num-1

• triangle(num) → sum of numbers up to num

If num = 4

square(4) = 16

triangle(3) + tringle(4) = 6 + 10 = 16

Microsoft Copilot

強化與減弱

dwell on: to think or talk a lot about something, especially something it would be better to forget

reframe: to frame (something) again and often in a different way

indicative: a form in the indicative mood

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a long-lasting increase in the strength of synaptic connections between neurons, triggered by repeated or high-frequency stimulation.

Long-term depression (LTD) in neuroscience is an activity-dependent reduction in the strength of neuronal synapses that lasts for hours or longer.

Opposite of LTP: While long-term potentiation (LTP) strengthens connections, LTD weakens them to balance brain activity and clear space for new information.

LTP 與 LTD 共同構成神經可塑性的雙向調節，支援 Hebbian 學習與記憶的形成與修正。它們也出現在時序依賴性突觸可塑性（Spike-timing-dependent plasticity, STDP）中，依據前後脈衝時差決定增強或抑制。總體上，LTP 強化有用的連結，LTD 削弱冗餘或錯誤的連結，維持網路穩定與資訊儲存效率。

Hebbian theory states that connections between neurons strengthen when they are activated repeatedly at the same time. Often summarized by the phrase: "Neurons that fire together, wire together".

substitute: to take the place of somebody/something else; to use somebody/something instead of somebody/something else

sever: to cut something into two pieces; to cut something off something

dismantle: to take apart a machine or structure so that it is in separate pieces

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Explained by Microsoft Copilot

Negativity Bias

lard: a solid white substance made from the melted fat of pigs that is used in cooking

recount: to tell somebody about something, especially something that you have experienced

malevolent: having or showing a desire to harm other people

melodramatic: full of exciting and extreme emotions or events; behaving or reacting to something in an exaggerated way

embellish: embellish something to make something more beautiful by adding decoration to it

piss somebody off: to make somebody annoyed or bored

gloom and doom: a general feeling of having lost all hope, and of pessimism (= expecting things to go badly)

gleaming: shining brightly because of being very clean

conspire: to secretly plan with other people to do something illegal or harmful

dwell on: to think or talk a lot about something, especially something it would be better to forget

ruin: to damage something so badly that it loses all its value, pleasure, etc.

The science of negativity bias concludes that when there are equal measures of good and bad emotions, the psychological effects of the bad ones outweigh the good ones.

For example, if you receive a bunch of great comments on your social media post but one negative one, you are more likely to dwell on the negative comment for the rest of your day or week.

負面偏見指心理學發現：當好壞情緒同等時，負面情緒的影響力更大，比正面情緒更容易被記住和放大。這會讓人對壞的事反應更強烈、花更多時間思考或擔憂。

例如在社群貼文中，即使收到很多正面留言，一則負評也更可能佔據你的注意力，讓你整天或好幾天都反覆想起那條負評。

attuned (to somebody/something) familiar with somebody/something so that you can understand or recognize them or it and act in an appropriate way

gratitude: the feeling of being grateful and wanting to express your thanks

The most detrimental part about this negativity bias is that we all have a narrative that we repeat, a story that we tell ourselves and others about ourselves.

detrimental: harmful

perpetuate: to make something such as a bad situation, a belief, etc. continue for a long time

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Explain by Microsoft Copilot

社交媒體與心理疲勞

When we use social media during our work breaks as a form of distraction, thinking that we are giving our brains a break, our energy resources are, in fact, still being allocated to something that is mentally taxing - getting a kick from doom-scrolling. This leads to cognitive overload, a state where the mind is overwhelmed by excessive information or stimuli, hindering our brain processing.

在工作休息時使用社交媒體並非真正讓大腦休息，因為瀏覽短片、滑動資訊仍然消耗心力。這樣會造成認知過載，即大腦被過多資訊刺激淹沒，導致思考與處理能力下降。

Being mentally taxing means a task or situation drains your brain and focus. It feels like your mind ran a long race, leaving you tired, stressed, or unable to think clearly

Doom-scrolling is the compulsive habit of spending excessive time scrolling through social media or news feeds to read negative, distressing, or alarming content.

incessant: never stopping

Curated content is the process of gathering, organizing, and sharing high-quality material created by others.

architect: a person whose job is designing buildings

treadmill: work or a way of life that is boring or makes you tired because it involves always doing the same things

Mental heuristics are fast "rules of thumb" or cognitive shortcuts that let people make quick decisions, solve problems, and form judgments with little mental energy. Pioneered by researchers like Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, these tools save time, but they can also cause systematic errors or cognitive biases.

ingrained (in somebody/something) (of a habit, an attitude, etc.) that has existed for a long time and is therefore difficult to change

Social media apps use variable reward schedules - like slot machines - triggering dopamine spikes in the brain's reward pathway via likes, notifications, and infinite scrolling of novel content. This loop drives compulsive habits and can lead to a post-scroll dopamine deficit, leaving you feeling drained.

A slippery slope is a bad path or action. Once you start down this path, it is hard to stop. Small problems or choices lead to much bigger trouble.

lull somebody to make somebody relaxed and calm

paradoxically: in a way that seems strange, impossible or unlikely because it has two opposite features or contains two opposite ideas

thrill: a strong feeling of excitement or pleasure; an experience that gives you this feeling

yo-yo: a condition or situation marked by regular fluctuations from one extreme to another

drastically: in an extreme way that has a sudden, serious or violent effect on something

"Low-hanging fruit" is a common business and everyday phrase. It means an easy goal or a simple task that you can finish right now. Just like fruit on the lowest tree branch, these easy wins take very little effort to grab before you try harder work.

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Google AI overview

Explained by Microsoft Copilot

Meaning

On Canon EOS cameras, “Tv” mode means Time Value (shutter‑priority mode). It lets you manually set the shutter speed while the camera automatically adjusts the aperture for correct exposure—ideal for freezing fast action or creating motion blur.

Microsoft Copilot