Hi there, it's an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Changes in radio, and a cat beamed back from outer space!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
Sit back with a bucket of popcorn, we're taking you to the movies! Stay tuned for that and more, coming up next.
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廣播聽眾9年流失逾4成
What's in the Future of Radio?
Do you listen to the radio?
Many people who grew up in the 80s and 90s remember tuning in to their favorite radio programs every day.
During that time, the radio kept people company (陪伴).
But now in the digital era, the number of radio listeners have been falling.
The government took a new survey.
This survey is done every 3 years.
The survey found that radio listeners have dropped more than 40% in 9 years.
Nowadays, people watch videos or surf the internet on their cellphones.
Others listen to music or podcasts.
The majority (大多數) of radio listeners are the drivers on the road.
They listen to traffic reports or the news while commuting (通勤).
Other loyal listeners say that they like the real-time (即時) effects of a radio program.
That's because most programs are hosted live by a DJ.
It can feel like the DJ is talking to you.
Listeners also like the feeling of nostalgia (懷舊) and surprise when a familiar oldie (老歌) is played.
Many listeners even enjoy calling in to shows to share their comments.
Even though the number of listeners is declining, the radio still is still irreplaceable (不可取代) in some ways.
Radio transmission is more convenient and would work in the situation of war.
電視及網路訊號比較容易被切斷，但廣播不會。
Some experts say radio stations should consider transforming to "listen on demand."
Whatever changes it might adopt, it looks like radio broadcasting will still be around for quite some time.
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"喵星人"影片從外太空傳回地球
NASA Streams Cat Video from Space
Cats can be funny, and a bit strange.
Sometimes, it's almost like they're from another planet.
NASA has sent a video from space, back to Earth.
The video shows a cat playing.
This cat wasn't an alien though!
The video was filmed on Earth.
NASA was using the video to test technology for communicating from space.
It did not send the video using traditional radio waves.
Instead, NASA used infrared (紅外線) laser to send the video.
They put the laser on a spacecraft named "Psyche".
Psyche was launched into space in October 2023.
It is heading for an asteroid belt (小行星帶) between Mars and Jupiter.
And Psyche sent the video back to Earth, from a distance of more than 30 million kilometers away!
That's about 80 times the distance between Earth and the Moon!
NASA wanted to send a video that would be meaningful, but also fun.
So they chose the 15-second video of an orange cat, named Tater, chasing a laser pointer.
This video took less than 2 minutes in ultra-high definition (解析度).
That's faster than most broadband (寬頻) internet connections.
This is a breakthrough in space communication.
This type of technology is already used in satellites orbiting around Earth and the Moon.
But this experiment shows that we can now send visual communications from beyond Earth's orbit (軌道).
Psyche is still moving further out into space.
And NASA will try to send their cat video every week.
They will keep doing this until Psyche reaches a distance similar to Mars later this year.
They hope in the future, astronauts will be able to use this technology to send videos from Mars, or even further.
往後的太空通訊應該會更快速更可靠。
Wouldn't it be interesting if someone or something other than humans received the transmission?
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So, in today's News Bites:
A government survey finds that radio listeners have dropped more than 40% in 9 years.
Some people focus more on videos and social media on their cellphones.
But radio broadcasting is very important during emergency situations.
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And,
NASA has sent a video from space, back to Earth, showing a cat playing.
This experiment shows that we can now send visual communications from beyond Earth's orbit.
NASA hopes in the future, astronauts will be able to use this technology to send videos from Mars, or even further.
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Lights, camera, action! It's all about movie magic today…
You ready?
Why can't you give Elsa a balloon?
Because, she'll "Let It Go"!
And now, 12-year-old Ben from Niao Song Elementary School in Yunlin tells us about his favorite movie!
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And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!