VoloCity: the future is 2024
By Marie COPPO
Flying cars, robots, and artificial intelligence, no, you are not dreaming. What if future is tomorrow?
In 2024, the Olympics settled in Paris. The government is preparing the city to this colossal event. A railway network that will connect all the Olympic places: Grand Paris Express. The first line will be delivered in 2024.
According to the city 93% of the infrastructures required are already built and just need renovations. In Seine Saint Denis, an eco-village Olympic and an aquatic center are fully constructed. Their cost is evaluated at 1.5 billion and 123 million euros respectively. The whole budget is therefore estimated at 6.6 billion of euros to the country. Rio2016 Olympics had cost 16.5 billion euros, for comparison. Another big announcement: a big technologic innovation is on the way. Flying taxis are coming in the city of lover’s sky.
Credits : GoogleImage
A German production
These air taxis called VoloCity are made to transport visitors from the airport Charles de Gaulle to Paris. There are two seats including the pilot. Looking like little helicopters, they can execute flights at 200 and 350m of altitude and 110 km/h at their fastest speed.
In summer 2021, the first flying tests has been executed in Val d’Oise and a demonstration flight in Bourget Airport. The machine is emission-free according to their creator: Volocopter.
It was created by STEPHAN WOLF and ALEXANDER ZOSEL, two entrepreneurs who knew each other from childhood. They both studying civil engineering and Network technology, started working in the largest engineering company in Europe: Siemens. In 2011, they developed together their own company: Volocopter. The current CEO is Dirk Hoke. He led digitalization projects in the aviation, automotive, and technology industries. The alumnus of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader Program started his career in Paris at Renault and worked 20 years at Siemens. He has been CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. Volocopter is now officially in collaboration with the French group Aéroports de Paris and the RATP the Parisian public transport group.
In the future, it could be used in various areas such as delivery services, but also medical or emergency transport. The price of a race has not yet been fixed.
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Olimpíadas, Rio 2016. Para mim, não foi no Rio, foi em Itaquera mesmo!
Sim, trabalhei como voluntária na Copa, (em 2014, depois postarei aqui) e na Olimpíada. Em ambas, as experiências foram muito importantes, mas o trabalho em si não foram lá essas coisas.
As duas vivências, as relatei em crônicas para o saudoso Jornalirismo. Depois, as posto aqui também.
Bom, na Olimpíada, o trabalho era para administrar os aparelhos de telecomunicações da NeoQuímica Arena, ou Estádio do Corinthians mesmo, rs!
Mas, o que vale são as vivências recebidas.
Eis o TBT de hoje! Deixo “Lembranças”, texto que fiz para o Jornalirismo, sobre a Olimpíada:
Lembranças
Keli Vasconcelos
Sinceramente, não estava confiante que iria ser voluntária nos Jogos Olímpicos. Recusara duas propostas, ambas para o Rio de Janeiro, sede das competições, e o sonho de atuar no Itaquerão (como o pessoal da zê-ele chama a Arena Corinthians) não fora realizado na Copa do Mundo de 2014 (o local foi outro, como relatei aqui). “Em 2016, sem chances”, pensei.
Engano meu. Viva o imprevisível!
De última hora, fui selecionada para atuar na Arena, em uma área bem complexa, porém cercada de voluntários bem divertidos, o que amenizava a operação. Bom, poderia aqui falar da função e atividades, mas prefiro mesmo é contar que, em anos, jamais fui tão fotografada em meros quinze dias.
O uniforme, cuja camisa era em tons amarelos, não passava despercebido e era praticamente impossível recusar sair em selfies com torcedores, passageiros e transeuntes. Isso mesmo, era abordada na rua e ... “Moça, posso tirar uma foto com você?”. Nem dava para ajeitar as madeixas: quando percebia, lá estava eu sorrindo para a telinha do celular.
Um dia, porém, saí um pouco mais cedo. Coloquei além dos pertences e do squeeze, a camisa dentro da bolsa com a logomarca dos Jogos.
A van para Itaquera estava lotada para o meio-dia de uma segunda-feira, não dava para se mexer. Passei a catraca e fiquei ao lado do assento destinado aos idosos. Lá estava um senhor de setenta anos, que pediu a bolsa tiracolo para segurar. Entreguei e ele observara atentamente o que estava escrito no bolso frontal, “Rio 2016”.
“É voluntária?”, perguntou-me. “Sim, sim”, exclamei, vendo o sorriso e olhar de menino daquele homem, mesmo com o semblante enterrado nos óculos de graus fortes.
“Trabalhou na Copa?”, replicou-me. “Sim, mas não no Itaquerão, fiquei em um hotel, no credenciamento”, respondi enquanto me segurava e evitava o sacolejo do veículo, esse por sua vez desvia-se do trânsito intenso.
“Puxa, que interessante, filha! Eu fui ao Itaquerão na Copa em 2014 e agora consegui comprar ingressos para um dos jogos e com descontão, viu? Afinal, ‘sou estudante’!”, brincou e rimos juntos.
Depois de mais algumas palavras e o senhor apresentar o filho, que tinha uma deficiência motora, mais novo de quatro, todos homens, houve um silêncio.
Ao longe, avistamos o estádio e peguei a bolsa com o homem. “Ô moço, obrigada pela conversa e por segurar a bolsa. Não se molhou, né?”, questionei-o, pois não confio muito nessas garrafinhas para líquidos.
Ele mostrou que não estava molhado e curioso me perguntou: “Ô minha filha, será que essa Olimpíada vai dar certo?”.
Fiquei boba na hora, sem palavras mesmo.
Como não gosto de deixar nenhuma questão em branco, abri um sorriso largo e, em minha firme esperança, respondi: “Já deu certo, a Olimpíada está aí, não tem como freá-la, não é mesmo?”. Demos risada novamente e ele me desejou boa-sorte e boa semana, enquanto descíamos da van.
Passados os jogos, aquela pergunta pairou na minha mente. Para mim, a Olimpíada foi-se como os fogos de artifício de sua abertura e encerramento. Apresentou-se mesmo com os defeitos, mesmo com as alegrias.
Afinal, é isso que fica em mais uma página de nossa vivência: experiências, pessoas, histórias, bastidores, trabalhos, erros, acertos e – com o boom tecnológico – um sem fim de imagens.
Lembranças. Como a vida deve ser, enfim.
24/08/2016
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Monica Puig (PUR) vs Angelique Kerber (GER): Women's Tennis Singles Final || A Sports Analysis
Tennis, original name lawn tennis, is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or two teams of two players. Each player uses a tennis racket strung with a cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. Points are awarded to a player or team whenever the opponent fails to return the ball within the court's prescribed dimensions correctly. Organized tennis is played according to rules sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the world governing body of the sport (Lorge, 2012).
Today's blog will focus on a single match, precisely the match between Monica Puig (PUR) V.S Angelique Kerber (GER) in Rio 2016 Olympics. This analysis will also consist of the court dimensions, equipment, basic skills, technical and tactical skills of each team, rules of the game, officials of the sport, and the overall game.
Court Dimensions
A tennis court is 78ft (23.77m) in length and 27ft (8.23m) in width, with the service line being 6.4m from the net. A singles court has a total playing area of 195.65m². The court is divided into two equal areas by a net suspended by a cord or metal cable attached to two net posts. The net is 1.07m high and is fully extended to fill the space between the two nets posts. The net is 0.914m high at the center, held down tightly by a white strap. A white band covers the cord or metal cable and the top of the net. For singles matches, the net posts' centers are 0.914m outside the singles court on each side.
The lines at the end of the court are baselines, and the lines at the sides of the court are sidelines. The baseline is up to 8m wide. Service lines are two lines between the singles sidelines, 6.40m from each side of the net, parallel with the net. On each side of the net, the area between the service line and the net is divided into two equal parts called the service courts. The line dividing the service courts is the center service line and is drawn parallel with the singles sidelines and halfway between them. The center service line is 4.11m wide.(Tennis Court Dimensions & Size, 2020).
Equipment
The picture consists of things such as a cap, headband, racket, water bottle, uniform or jersey, shoes, tennis balls, and the player’s bag.
There are also other equipment such as the umpire’s chair, net and post, and the player’s bench or seat for them to rest.
Basic Skills
Stance
The best stance for each shot is different and depends on many factors, including a player's position on the court, the grip, and the angle and pace of the ball coming towards the player. Four different stances are used in the game; these include the open, semi-open, neutral, and closed stances. Both players did the stance in their comfortable and advantageable way to get and return the ball. As you can see, where the player was about to serve, they have their stance to bend their upper body forward and make their leg straight to be ready to receive the ball. Also in the picture above, this is frequently the stance used by Kerber to return the ball.
Footwork
Good footwork is an essential skill in tennis. It enables you to reach the ball quicker and more efficiently, which allows you to play a greater variety of strokes. Although you're not traveling a far distance to the naked eye, tennis players rack up miles of walking and running throughout a match. Endurance is vital, but so is your footwork because there are tons of quick movements that you need to make in a short time and over a short distance.
Serving
The serve is the stroke that begins every single shot in a tennis match. While one player is serving, the other is receiving, and they take turns after the end of every game. Serves can take different shapes and forms, but they are generally characterized by a movement where the player swings the racket above his head while still standing behind the baseline. Besides, the player who got more aces was Kerber, especially in the second set.
Returning
A return is a shot where one player waits to see where the other player serves lands and then attempts to hit the ball back to the other side. A return can be executed in several different ways, with a forehand, backhand, slice, block, or chip. The most important aspect of a return is just getting the ball back to the other side, no matter how. Both players have executed this skill and tried to do their best in returning the ball.
Grip
A grip is a way of holding the racquet to hit shots during a match. The three most commonly used conventional grips are the Continental, the Eastern, and the Semi-Western. Most players change grips during a match depending on what shot they are hitting.
Ball Control
There are five primary controls of the ball: depth, height, direction, speed, and spin. Mastery of these controls is essential to mastery of tennis stroke production. Ball control is the secret of consistency in tennis. A player can keep the ball on the racket for a prolonged period of time during impact. It consists of accelerating the racket and accelerating at a precise moment. In the game, Puig showed how fearless and accurate she is in her shot in a different direction. It was genuinely fascinating to watch because it led to the other player trying to understand Puig's shots.
Technical and Tactical Skills of Each Team
PUIG: I can say that Puig is genuinely an admirable athlete. I was truly fascinated by her gameplay, especially how she mirrors the opponent's style at the first set and how she can manipulate the ball. In the first set, she tends to hit the ball near the court's line, making her make a lot of outside hits. However, as the game passed by, she was able to control more of the ball. The strategy that she had was to go near the net and smash or hit the ball to where the other player will have a hard time catching, meaning the other place where the opponent is located. Moreover, she was fearless and aggressive in playing the game. She hit where she will have an advantage, causing her to have more points and was very unexpected in her gameplay, specifically in 1:40:25. She also had the stamina to run around may it be the other side of the court or where her opponent is located. In addition, she is good in forehand and backhand. There was a part that I was totally in awe with her due to her backhand because I thought that she would use a lot of strength, but actually, it was the opposite, causing her opponent to had a hard time returning it. All in all, Puig really has her own technical and tactical skills that she used to gain more points.
KERBER: Based on what I heard, Kerber was having a non-vital shoulder injury and required treatment on her back injury between sets. As to why she was having a hard time catching with the ball and her stance mainly was to bend her two knees deep enough that one leg almost touches the floor. But despite all of that, Kerber was still able to play well, which makes me commend her. She is more on strength, causing her to have a lot of aces in the game. As the game passed by, she improved well, which is why she won the second set, and she was also able to adapt the tactics and techniques her opponent have used. She did a typical shot of Puig but not as good as her. However, what I like about her was that she was not yet ready to give up even though there was a huge gap in the last set, and it was seen that she was frustrated due to the changing of directions of Puig but still did her best in the end especially in the end part. There was a very long rally of deuce in the end, and it was really thrilling and entertaining to watch. All in all, Kerber showed an outstanding game to all the audience by using the different techniques and tactics she has.
Rules of the Game
The game starts with a coin toss to determine which player must serve first and which side they want to serve from.
The server must then serve each point from alternative sides on the base line. At no point must the server’s feet move in front of the baseline on the court prior to hitting their serve.
If the server fails to get their first serve in they may take advantage of a second serve. If they again fail to get their second serve in then a double fault will be called and the point lost.
If the server clips the net but the ball goes in the service area still then let is called and they get to take that serve again without penalty. If the ball hits the net and fails to go in the service area then out is called and they lose that serve.
The receiver may stand where they wish upon receipt of the serve. If the ball is struck without the serve bouncing then the server will receive the point.
Once a serve has been made the amount of shots between the players can be unlimited. The point is won by hitting the ball so the opponent fails to return it in the scoring areas.
Points are awarded in scores of 15, 30 and 40. 15 represent 1 point, 30 = 2 and 40 = 3. You need 4 points to win a game. If a game lands on 40-40 it’s known as deuce. From deuce a player needs to win 2 consecutive points to win the game. After winning one point from deuce they player is on advantage. If the player wins the next point they win the game, if they lose it goes back to deuce.
To win the set a player must win 6 games by 2 or more. The opening sets will go to a tie break if its ends up 6-6 where players play first to 7 points. The final set will not have a tie break and requires players to win by two games with no limits.
If a player touches the net, distracts his opponent or impedes in anyway then they automatically lose the point.
The ball can hit any part of the line for the point to be called in, outside the line and the ball is out.
The balls in a tennis match are changed for new balls every 6 games
A player loses a point if they fail to return the ball in either the correct areas on the court, hits the net and doesn’t go into opponent’s area or fails to return the ball before it bounces twice in their half.
Officiating the Sport
Chair Umpire
The Chair Umpire is much more than just the person who sits in a highchair and announces the score. They are the guardians of the Rules of Tennis and enforce them to ensure a match is played in a spirit of fair play. He/she is the final authority on all questions of fact during the game. Questions of fact include whether a ball was in, the calling of a service let, or the calling of a foot-fault. In matches where line umpires are also assigned, the chair umpire has the right to overrule if he or she is sure that an apparent mistake has been made.
Line Umpire
Line Umpire "calls all shots relating to the assigned lines.". They work on court as part of a team of between one and nine line umpires. Each line umpire is assigned to one line or, in the case of a short-handed crew, a system position. For example, a line umpire on the receiver's side may have to cover the center service line, then, following the service, move to one of the sidelines.
Ball Persons
There are usually six-ball persons on a court to look after this job – two at the back of each side of the court and two more at the net, covering each side. Their job is to ensure that the server always chooses tennis balls to choose from before they start to serve. They change the balls after every six tennis games and ensure that the players want for nothing. In the picture above, the other two ball persons are hidden and was not captured by the camera.
Tournament Referee
Not positioned courtside, the tournament referee is the person in charge of making all decisions regarding all the matches. They oversee the schedule of play and are the person assigning matches to specific courts. They make sure that all the ITF's regulations are enforced, including all involved conduct, and must be present whenever any matches are being played. They can overrule chair umpires, and in fact, their decision is final. They are present at the draws and are responsible for allocating the seeding. They are the person who has a say in whether a play is suspended on account of rain and must be available to resolve disputes regarding tennis rules.
Overall Game
All in all, the game was entertaining and fascinating. The players moved and hit the ball truly made me in awe and mesmerized by how they played well. Puig truly gained attention with her fearless and aggressive strategy of hers going near the net and still earning points on it. At the same time, Kerber showed her strength and determination to win the game despite her injury. Both of the players showed all the necessary skills to play tennis and their own kind of technical and tactical skills. However, we all know there is always a winner in a game, and Puig showed that she is the one right for that gold medal. Hence, Puig produced a devastating final set to beat Kerber 6-4 4-6 6-1 in the women's final and claim gold for Puerto Rico, their first in Olympic history.
References
3 Tennis Skills All Beginners Need to Master. (2020, January 27). Retrieved 17 3, 2021, from Tennis Camper: https://tenniscamper.com/3-tennis-skills-all-beginners-need-to-master%EF%BB%BF/
Basic rules of tennis. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2021, from Active SG: https://www.myactivesg.com/Sports/Tennis/How-To-Play/Tennis-Rules/Basic-rules-of-tennis#:~:text=For%20a%20tennis%20player%20to,%E2%80%9D)%20to%20win%20the%20game.
Lorge, B. S. (2012, July 10). Tennis. Retrieved from Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/sports/tennis
Tennis Court Dimensions & Size. (2020, March 27). Retrieved March 17, 2021, from Harrod Sport: https://www.harrodsport.com/advice-and-guides/tennis-court-dimensions
Tenniswithalan. (2013, 26 August). Officials at a tennis match. Retrieved March 17, 2021, from Bounce Tennis Academy: https://bouncetennis.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/officials-at-a-tennis-match/#:~:text=The%20line%20umpires%20are%20the,court%20at%20any%20one%20time.
The 8 Basic Tennis Shots & Skills (Explained). (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2021, from My Tennis HQ: https://mytennishq.com/the-8-basic-tennis-shots-skills-explained/
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