Elon Musk discusses his new project digging tunnels under LA, the latest from Tesla and SpaceX and his motivation for building a future on Mars in conversation with TED's Head Curator, Chris Anderson.
Elon Musk is the CEO and product architect of Tesla Motors and the CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX).
At SpaceX, Musk oversees the development of rockets and spacecraft for missions to Earth orbit and ultimately to other planets. In 2008, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft won the NASA contract to provide cargo transport to space. In 2012, SpaceX became the first commercial company to dock with the International Space Station and return cargo to Earth with the Dragon.
At Tesla, Musk has overseen product development and design from the beginning, including the all-electric Tesla Roadster, Model S and Model X, and the rollout of Supercharger stations to keep the cars juiced up. (Some of the charging stations use solar energy systems from SolarCity, of which Musk is the non-executive chair.) Transitioning to a sustainable energy economy, in which electric vehicles play a pivotal role, has been one of his central interests for almost two decades. He co-founded PayPal and served as the company's chair and CEO.
Yes, there's nothing like reaching out and touching someone from a phone booth. They used to be everywhere, but they are now rare coin-operated curiosities. CBS's Mo Rocca looks into the history of the once-ubiquitous phone booth, and of the wi-fi kiosks that are now replacing them in New York City.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
1. What kind of birds attacked Tippi Hedren in The Birds? 2. What question did Peter Ackerman’s son ask him one day? 3. What does ‘1889’ refer to? 4. How many pay phones were there in America in the 1990’s? 5. What does the Payphone Project consist of? 6. What services are the kiosks replacing the phone booths in New York offering? 7. How much does a telephone call cost in the remaining telephone booths in Manhattan?
It’s Sunday Morning on CBS and here again it’s Jane Pauley. Those tumbling boxes in the 1980 film Aeroplane are wooden telephone booths like this shinier 1950’s era model with its rotary phone. For some of our younger viewers, a phone booth might as well be a monolith from another world. With Mo Rocca, we remember the good old days... [What is this made of?] Some of you may recognize this coin-operated curiosity: [It’s ringing! Hey! Where are you, it’s Mo.] It’s called a phone booth. Phone booths used to be everywhere, providing an office for agent Maxwell Smart and a sanctuary for Tippi Hedren from killer seagulls in The Birds. Now, they’re so rare that Peter Ackerman wrote a children’s book about this one, one of only four remaining outdoor phone booths in all of Manhattan. I walked past this phone booth every day with my kid when he was three years old, and at a certain point, he said to me, ‘Why is that phone in a box?’ And I realized that he didn’t know what a phone booth was, which is so bizarre! Are you coming to use a phone booth? He is. Are you serious? Yes. For kids, the phone booth has become something of a novelty. Kids today hanging on the phone all day long. But grown-ups [It’s a phone booth.] can’t be bothered. Now you can call anyone but it sounds better if you use the pay phone. Would you like to use one? [No.] Could you make a call? You can call anyone with it! Okay. The first public coin-operated pay phone appeared in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1889. The first phone booth debuted in the early 1900s. The 1970s brought those semi-enclosed pedestal-style pay phones which, for most of us, Superman included, found lacking. By the 1990s there were nearly three million pay phones in America. But now just a small fraction remain. Hello? Hi! Is this Mark Thomas? Hi, this is Mark, yes. Mark, I think this is far easier if we do this face to face. Oh, look at that. I’m Mo, I was just talking on the phone. Mark Thomas created the Payphone Project, an online database that keeps track of the remaining pay phones around the world. What did the payphone do to deserve this? Well, the payphone didn’t do anything; the cell phone came along. That’s right, our phones got smart, so smart they began putting pay phones out of business. Do you see the cell phone as sort of an arriviste, as someone that sort of came along and stole the thunder of the payphone? It stole its relevance, and it made communication so simple and so trivial even, that this became a laborious way to make a phone call. In New York, and maybe coming to a city near you, pay phones are being replaced by kiosks offering phone calls, free wifi, Internet service, and a port to charge your cell phone. Aren’t people with their cell phones enough? Jen Hensely is with the company installing them. Well, people are on their phones all the time, and this allows them a free way to offload their data plans for people who don’t have access to mobile plans or data. We’re offering that for free. So we think it’s a really important public service. I approached this sleek and shiny upstart gingerly and called the only person whose number he actually still remembers: his mother. I’m calling you from a special free phone on the street. You’re on TV right now! Oh! What channel? CBS, Ma. The show that I’m on. CBS Sunday Morning. Okay, okay. I’m going to look. No, wait, Ma, you’re not on live right now. Are you still there? My mother hung up on me, but I can’t blame the kiosk for that. Yet even with all these bells and whistles, my heart belonged to the old-timey phone booth. I’ll make a call. I knew you would! I knew you’d come around! You can call anyone. Adam? Yes, there’s nothing like reaching out and touching someone from a phone booth. Oh, and it turns out Manhattan’s four remaining outdoor phone booths are free of charge. Now everyone will want to use the pay phone! So, yes, we got our quarters back. KEY: 1 (killer) seagulls 2 Why is that phone in a box? 3 the year when the first pay phone appeared 4 almost three million 5 an online database that keeps track of the remaining pay phones around the world 6 phone calls, free wifi, Internet service, and a port to charge your cell phone 7 Nothing, they are free of charge
When Amy Green's young son was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, she made up a bedtime story for his siblings to teach them about cancer. What resulted was a video game, "That Dragon, Cancer," which takes players on a journey they can't win.
In this beautiful talk about coping with loss, Green brings joy and play to tragedy. "We made a game that's hard to play," she says, "because the hardest moments of our lives change us more than any goal we could ever accomplish."
Amy Green writes and designs video games for Numinous Games, whose first title, That Dragon, Cancer, was an intimate autobiography of the life and death of her son Joel Green. Along with her husband and a team of six other developers, she used a video game to artistically portray the surreal emotional landscape of raising a child with a terminal illness.
Scientists say using a Satnav can switch off part of the brain, which could have implications for our health.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and say whether the statements below are true or false.
1 Following the directions of a satnav have deep effects on our brains. 2 Driving around Soho is not difficult. 3 The hippocampus stops working when drivers use a satnav. 4 Seven roads start at Seven Dials in Covent Garden. 5 Taxi drivers in general have the most developed hippocampus. 6 There are around 26,000 places of interest in London. 7 Medical research has proved that underuse of the hippocampus leads to mental diseases.
Some drivers like to follow their nose. Others are more than happy to be told where to go. After 100 yards, bear left... More and more people will not leave home without their trusty sat-nav. It is vital to find places easily. It is, sort of, I suppose takes the stress out of going somewhere that you don't know. But what effect does slavishly following directions have on our brains? Neuro scientists at University College London have published research claiming it’s quite profound. Volunteers like Will here were taken around Soho, one of the most complicated road networks in the world. They were then put in an MRI scanner and, using virtual reality, were asked give directions. So what we did here is look into the human brain, at Will’s brain and many others, to see is there a part of the brain that knows automatically the number of options or the changes in the number of options. But when the volunteers were told the route using a Satnav, scientists noticed the navigational area of the brain, called the hippocampus, stopped working. You’re no longer engaging those bits of your brain that you would do normally if you were using your memory to sort of pick apart the street network as you navigate. So effectively, the Satnav is turning off the engagement of these brain areas. Now this is Seven Dials in Covent Garden, and it’s called that for a reason. There are seven different roads converging so I have lots of options here and my brain is currently trying to work out which road to take. But not just that, which road to take after that, and after that, and after that. It’s processing lots of information to try and get me to my destination as quickly and safely as possible. But, this research suggests, if I were to activate my Satnav here, this will do all the decision-making for me. So that part of my brain just switches off. This research builds on a previous study which found London's black cab drivers have the most developed hippocampus. They have to memorise thousands of roads, routes and landmarks. It is not in your long term memory, it’s in your short term memory. Then the brain very quickly becomes a sponge once again and it clicks on to this road leads to this road that leads to that road, I can’t do that road because it’s one way. And in over a series… an amount of time, it grows and grows and grows. So that said, you know, it’s extremely difficult, not just because you’ve got to know 26,000 roads, and thousands and thousands of places of interest, but it’s… we are remembering how to remember them again. The research team wants to build on the study to explore the wider medical implications, whether underuse of the hippocampus, for example, contributes to the onset of Alzheimer and dementia. But for the first time, there is firm evidence that switching this on switches off an important part of our brain. Marc Ashdown, BBC London news.
KEY: 1T 2F 3T 4F (converge) 5F (London's black cab drivers) 6F (26,000 roads) 7F (it’s just a hypothesis)
We increasingly make decisions based on short-term goals and gains — an approach that makes the future more uncertain and less safe. How can we learn to think about and plan for a better future in the long term ... like, grandchildren-scale long term?
Ari Wallach shares three tactics for thinking beyond the immediate.
Ari Wallach challenges the perception that "the future" is solely a technology-fueled project occurring at some far off point in time. By exploring the underpinnings of civilizational potential over the ages he shows the future is actually manifesting right now, and that it is very much human.
Carrie Nugent is an asteroid hunter, part of a group of scientists working to discover and catalog our oldest and most numerous cosmic neighbors.
Why keep an eye out for asteroids? In this short, fact-filled talk, Nugent explains how their awesome impacts have shaped our planet, and how finding them at the right time could mean nothing less than saving life on Earth.
Carrie Nugent is part of a team that uses NASA's NEOWISE telescope to search the skies for and catalog asteroids.
This week's talking point is mobile phones. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
What kind of mobile phone do you have?
What kind of mobile phone would you like?
How often do you use it?
What for? (making calls, texting, surfing the internet, downloading/uploading music or photos, as a camera)
When did you last have a telephone conversation on your mobile?
Who with? What about?
Which phone company do you use? How happy are you with them?
What sort of problems have you had with your phone?
Do you find it annoying when other people have conversations on ther mobile phones in public places?
How much do you spend on phone bills every month?
What extra things have you bought for your phone?
Are you text-addicted?
What are the last three text messages you have sent/received?
Is there a ring tone that drives you mad?
Could you live without your mobile phone?
To illustrate the topic, you can watch this Cambridge University Press video.
Nokia's 3310 phone has been relaunched. Many consider the original handset iconic because of its popularity and sturdiness.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
1. When was the Nokia 3310 last on sale before its comeback? 2. How long does the Nokia 3310 battery last? 3. What is it said about smartphone Chinese market? 4. Who has launched the BlackBerry Keyone?
Barcelona and, as the mobile phone industry arrives for its annual jamboree, there is nostalgia in the air. Nokia, a name that used to rule the mobile world, is making a comeback. For the Finnish firm which has licensed the brand, this was its first chance to make a big splash and, along with a range of new smartphones, it unveiled something very retro, last on sale in 2005. Let me reintroduce the iconic Nokia 3310. You can't do much with this phone except make calls and play a game of Snake, but the battery lasts forever. Well, almost. We were just listening to our consumers. We asked, "What is the most iconic device that you have ever seen from Nokia?" And we thought, why not? Let's have some fun and we created this device for the consumers. Now this may be fun, but let's face it, it is a bit of a gimmick. If Nokia is to become a major force in the mobile world again, it won't through the 3310, but for its new range android smartphones. The company claims this model is already selling well in China, but competition in a market where all smartphones look much the same is tough. So, perhaps, it was smart to look back as well as forward. By bringing out this truly iconic device, which has got bags of nostalgia, for many people it was their first mobile phone, it catches their attention and people will know Nokia is back. But will the new and old Nokia appeal to the phone-buying public? Maybe with my parents that would work, but I don't think with our generation that that would be something people would be interested in. I would switch my Apple phone for that thing. Even if it couldn't go on the internet? No internet? Oh, well, then, I think I will change my mind! And here's another phone trying for a comeback. This is the BlackBerry Keyone, launched by a Chinese firm which has licensed the brand. Two once-great names making an unlikely bet that they can be big again in our mobile future. Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC News, Barcelona.
KEY: 1 in 2005 2 (almost) forever 3 all the smartphones look the same 4 a Chinese firm
Creating genetically modified people is no longer a science fiction fantasy; it's a likely future scenario.
Biologist Paul Knoepfler estimates that within fifteen years, scientists could use the gene editing technology CRISPR to make certain "upgrades" to human embryos — from altering physical appearances to eliminating the risk of auto-immune diseases.
In this thought-provoking talk, Knoepfler readies us for the coming designer baby revolution and its very personal, and unforeseeable, consequences.
Dr. Paul Knoepfler is working to figure out how we use safely stem cells to treat many diseases and how they sometimes turn to the dark side to cause cancer. Over the years he has made key discoveries about how stem cells and cancer are programmed. Now he is especially interested in how to hack these cells to control their behavior, including using powerful CRISPR genetic modification technology.
Knoepfler has also been a leading voice in the discussion about how CRISPR could be used to make designer babies and the risks of going down that path. He is a professor of cell biology and anatomy at UC Davis School of Medicine in California, where he both does research and teaches. In addition, he is a prolific writer including his popular science blog, The Niche, and two books: Stem Cells: An Insider's Guide and GMO Sapiens: The Life-Changing Science of Designer Babies. He is excited about contributing to efforts to build an innovative, global community of interconnected people with a shared passion for biomedical science and battling fake science. Knoepfler’s outspoken, approachable nature in tackling some of the most transformative questions in science has made him a go-to scientist for journalists and ordinary people across the globe.
Sarah Parcak uses satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth to uncover hidden ancient treasures buried beneath our feet. There's a lot to discover; in the Egyptian Delta alone, Parcak estimates we've excavated less than a thousandth of one percent of what's out there.
Now, with the 2016 TED Prize and an infectious enthusiasm for archaeology, she's developed an online platform called GlobalXplorer that enables anyone with an internet connection to discover unknown sites and protect what remains of our shared human inheritance.
This week's talking point is the Internet of Things (IoT). Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
How would your life be different without the internet?
What, in your view, is the best thing about the internet?
What is the worst thing?
Have you heard of the Internet of Things (IoT)?
If so, how would you explain it?
If not, what do you think it means?
Which different items of technology, in today’s world, which are connected to the Internet can you think of (v.g., smart-heating systems, ticketing systems for rail transport)?
Do you think the benefits are greater than the risks?
What problems have you experienced with technology? Give examples.
How many handheld smart devices (e.g. smartphone, table) do you own?
Which do you use the most? Why?
How fast and reliable is the internet connection in your home / at work?
Have you read any news stories about internet-based security attacks?
What precautions do you take in this respect?
Do you think technology isolates or connects people? How?
To illustrate the topic, watch the Watch Mojo video Top 5 Facts about the Internet of Things.
Because of the Internet of Things, more electronic devices are being connected to the Internet, and they’re talking to each other behind your back. Welcome to WatchMojo’s Top 5 Facts. In this instalment, we’re taking a look at the Internet of Things and how it’s becoming a major part of our lives, in ways you probably didn’t know.
Number 5 The Internet of Things Is Already in Effect The Internet of Things is an emerging technology, where machines are embedded with sensors that allow them to relay data to each other with little to no human involvement. Basically, it means all sorts of everyday items are connected to the Internet, which could potentially transform the way we live. One of the earliest examples of this concept actually goes back to the early 1970s, when the first ATMs went online. Some items you may already own which incorporate the Internet of Things include the Apple Watch, fit bits, and smart home appliances like refrigerators. Many other items are in the midst of getting the Internet of Things treatment, like cars in the street which could work together to facilitate the flow of rush hour traffic.
Number 4 Big Businesses Are Already Investing Billions into the Concept In 2008, there were officially more devices connected to the Internet than there were human beings, and by 2020, that number is expected to go up to 50 billion, according to Cisco. Tech companies see a promising future in the Internet of Things, claiming that it will make businesses more efficient. In a recent report, GE predicted that the IoT will add as much as $15 trillion to the global GDP in the next 20 years, and according to projections by Business Insider, these products will outperform the tablet, PC, and phone market combined. For the time being, the largest market will be smart home technology such as thermostats made by Nest, a company Google bought for $3.2 billion. According to BI Intelligence, the IoT market is estimated to be worth $490 billion by 2019, but this remains speculative. It is possible that consumers will by and large fail to see any value in having all their possessions networked, and those projections will prove grossly overblown. It’s got a computer chip in it. Everything does.
Number 3 The Internet of Things Could Save Lives While the IoT will no doubt make tech giants much richer, it might also benefit the rest of us. IoT technology could completely revolutionize patient care as well as improve communication between doctors and their patients. For example, at the University of Tokyo, researchers have created an electricity-conducting ink that can be printed onto clothing, and used to measure heart rate or muscle contractions, so people can easily monitor their own vital signs. IoT technology can also help in emergency situations. If someone has a heart attack or stroke, relevant data from the patient’s medical history can be sent to the doctor before the ambulance takes the patient to the hospital, giving physicians a few more crucial minutes to figure out the best treatment possible.
Number 2 Wi-Fi Developments Will Make the Internet of Things Work Better Scientists and engineers from the University of Washington have invented a new Wi-Fi system that transmits Wi-Fi using 10,000 times less power than current generators. This could allow for very low power sensors to be placed in just about anything. Another system, Power over Wifi, or PoWifi for short, allows enabled devices to convert Wifi signal itself into a DC current. Yes, soon new devices could be powered by Wi-Fi. If engineers could bring these or other technologies together, devices and appliances can be interconnected and continue to run on an energy loop powered by that same Wi-Fi, and this will only make the Internet of Things more efficient, accessible and convenient for us.
Number 1 The Internet of Things Could Come with Security Problems We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet, cell phones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it’s eyes and ears for us. Though the IoT looks like it offers countless benefits, there are also some potential security issues. For one, it gives companies more opportunities to invade our privacy. For example, the Indian firm Silver Push has technology that can track you across multiple platforms and devices by embedding tiny sounds into websites or television programmes that while inaudible to us can be detected by our devices, and that data can be fed back to Silver Push. That can’t be true, honey. If it were, I’d be terrified. According to a study by Hewlett-Packard, 70% of IoT enabled devices can potentially be hacked. Kind of makes you wary of products like Logitech smart remotes or the Amazon Dash button, doesn’t it? The fear, as unlikely as it may seem to some, is that we inadvertently end up in a surveillance estate where companies watch over us like Big Brother.
So, what do you think? Will the Internet of Things improve our lives or lead to a bleak, dystopian future? For more interconnected top 10s and invasive top 5s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
Cybercrime netted $450 billion in profits last year, with 2 billion records lost or stolen worldwide.
Security expert Caleb Barlow calls out the insufficiency of our current strategies to protect our data. His solution? We need to respond to cybercrime with the same collective effort as we apply to a health care crisis, sharing timely information on who is infected and how the disease is spreading. If we're not sharing, he says, then we're part of the problem.
As a vice president at IBM Security, Caleb Barlow has insight into to one of the largest security intelligence operations in the world. His team stands watch protecting the information security of thousands of customers in more than a hundred countries. On a busy day they can process upwards of 35 billion potential security events across their global operations centers.
The number of people defrauded in the UK by online dating scams reached a record high in 2016, the Victoria Derbyshire programme has learned.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
1. What does Judith Lathlean do? 2. What human qualities did both Judith and John emphasize? 3. Where did John go to work? 4. What did John lose? 5. How many relationships start online in the UK? 6. How much money was lost to cybercrime last year? 7. How much money did Judith send John?
Millions of us use dating websites but not everyone online is looking for love. Every year thousands of single people in the UK are conned by criminals using fake profiles on dating sites. I woke up in the middle of the night and suddenly realized not only was it a scam but that this so-called John was part of this gang. Judith Lathlean is a university professor from Winchester. In 2015 she decided to try online dating. John Porter, from London, was her strongest match. Like Judith, he was with a Christian who emphasized honesty and trust. He sounded wonderful on the phone and so we started getting quite, quite friendly quite quickly really. John claimed to be working abroad. After weeks of daily messages and phone calls, the conversation turned to money. When he went to South Africa what he said was, I've got to have a bond of good faith against me not delivering the goods. Well, I have known people who’ve been in business and they’ve had to put up a bond of good faith, again I didn't think it was strange. He lost his passport, this is the story, the man started getting a bit frantic and I immediately, because I was so believing in him, I immediately said, don't worry, John, I can loan you some money. You're a respected academic, you're clearly intelligent, successful, articulate. Judith, why was your judgment so poor here? Because I believed in John. I believed that I was helping him and I was completely bowled over by him. With as many as one in three relationships in the UK now starting online, the internet is becoming an increasingly lucrative place for cybercriminals. We’ve discovered that last year alone almost 4,000 people were conned by online dating scammers with losses amounting to a record 39 million pounds. They are in foreign jurisdictions. They’re in West Africa, Eastern Europe and places like that and it's very difficult for British law enforcement to take action against them in those jurisdictions. It was five months before Judith realized she'd been scammed. John Porter didn't exist. The photo was probably stolen. Judith had sent a hundred and forty thousand pounds to an organized criminal gang. I won't get any of the money back. I have to tell myself that it was a complete fraud so feeling sorry for myself is just not an issue. You’re dealing with the best salesmen in the world. They don't have a product. They just want to take your money, so they will groom you overtime and, yes, I totally can see why you fall for that.
KEY: 1 She’s a university professor 2 Honesty and trust 3 South Africa 4 His passport 5 One in three 6 39 million pounds 7 140,000 pounds
Amazon Go is a new kind of store featuring the world’s most advanced shopping technology.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.
Four years ago, we started to (1) ... : what would shopping look like if you could walk into a store, grab what you want, and just go? What if we could weave the most advanced machine learning, computer vision, and (2) ... into the very fabric of a store so you never have to wait in line? No lines, no (3) ... , no registers.
Welcome to Amazon Go.
Use the Amazon Go app to enter, then put away your phone and start shopping. It's really that simple. Take whatever you like. Anything you pick up is automatically added to your (4) ... ... . If you change your mind about that cupcake, just put it back. Our technology will (5) ... your virtual cart automatically.
So how does it work? We used computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion, much like you'd find in (6) ...-... cars. We call it just walk out technology. Once you've got everything you want, you can just go. When you leave, our Just Walk Out technology adds up your virtual cart and (7) ... your Amazon account. Your (8) ... is sent straight to the app, and you can keep going.
Amazon Go.
No lines, no (9) ... . No, seriously.
In Africa, despite many slogans and proverbs making references to farming, young people are increasingly attracted to big city living, leading to a wave of urbanisation on the continent.
However, in Kenya, there is a band of young entrepreneurs who believe that when agriculture is paired with high-tech solutions on mobile phones, young people are seeing the benefits of staying in the villages to farm.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and anwswer the questions below.
1. What is the Silicon Savannah?
2. Who is Illuminum Greenhouses trying to help?
3. How do farmers farmers connect to their greenhouse, monitor the temperature and programme the sprinkler system?
4. When did Millicent Rutere start farming?
5. Who worked the land in Millicen's family? Who got the money?
6. What is the percentage of Kenyan population that still live in rural areas?
Skyscrapers, traffic jams and throngs of people. Kenya's capital is a typical African city except that here mobile phones and digital systems are taking over. Nairobi is known as the Silicon Savannah. People often think that the Silicon Savannah is an area in Africa. In fact, it’s a building, this very building, where take-on entrepreneurs take advantage of the cheap rents and the free software that allows them to focus on the various functions and applications that they’re building. And it's something that Illuminum Greenhouses has taken advantage of as they develop the hardware that will help Kenya's smallholder farmers. It's also from here that Taita Ngetich and his team design green houses that have inbuilt sensors controlled via mobile phone. The technology has taken off, but not without difficulties. We're building hardware and it’s not called hard for anything and I think it's really hard, and it's very difficult to develop that in Kenya because we have a very small pool of skilled developers to work with and secondly to get anyone nice today is costly, therefore the problem of access to capital exists. This effusion of talents here as developers, agricultural experts and investors from America partner to create this product. Through a simple text message, farmers connect to their greenhouse, monitor the temperature and programme the sprinkler system. Remotely, the water is pumped onto the crops at this farm, 20 kilometers away. The co-owner is Millicent Rutere, who has 13 green houses on her plot. She grows herbs such as basil and chives. She began farming as a child and feels strongly about the plight of women who are the majority of Kenya’s smallholders. I grew up in the village and when I was eight years old I started seeing the challenges that my mother faced when she was raising us up because there's no other source of income apart from farming. When my mother tried to work in the field, my father would take all the money and misused the money, and I could not see the sense of women working in the field and men taking the yields in selling. It's for this reason that Millicent farms cash crops destined for Europe and Dubai. Even though Kenya is moving towards a modern economy, more than seventy percent of the population still live in rural areas. The younger generation, who are exposed to different opportunities, have found a way to match the old Kenya with the new.
Key: 1 a building in Nairobi 2 Kenya's farmers 3 through a text message 4 as a child 5 her mom; her dad 6 over 70%
BBC Click's Lara Lewington looks at some of the latest personal safety technology.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and say whether the statements below are true or false.
1. You always need to unlock the device before using it.
2. Only your contacts will receive your alert.
3. The alert can be activated verbally.
4. Currently, the police can receive your filming of the incidents.
5. The device is free at the moment.
6. 33% of adults are victims of violent crime.
7. The follow-me function of the device keeps track of your movements.
8. The alerts are not so easy to activate.
So this is what the finished product will look like. To avoid false alarms, you need to unlock it before pressing the buttons. At the point it’s been activated, it will send an alert with your location to the emergency services and also not just to your contacts of choice but the contacts who are closest to you at that point. It will also send an alert to other people who are on the platform who are nearby at that time, who hopefully will have phone signal and internet connection in your hour, well, seconds of need. An alert can also be activated by a smart watch by simply using a safe word, asparagus. We’ve got several ambitions for the future. One is that when you see somebody needs your help on your phone, but as you arrive close to where they are, the map on your mobile phone will dissolve and your camera will turn on, so we'll start… you'll start filming the incidents where, where you are and will stream back to the police. Another shortish-time ambition for us is you want to make this as common as possible because the more people that have it, the more people can come to your rescue, so for us we’re driven by how cheap can we make this or free so when we put it in as many people's hands as possible. The most recent figures for England and Wales suggest adults have a 1 in 33 chance each year of being the victim of a violent crime. But despite the fact that they’re unlikely to ever need to use a gadget like this, just knowing it's there may give you that extra peace of mind. You're walking home alone or going out for the day and you want to feel that someone who cares about you is watching over you, well the follow-me function on the React app could come in handy. They’ll be alerted to keep an eye on you and track your GPS location for your chosen duration, hopefully there won't be a problem and once you arrive at your destination, they'll be able to see where you are plus you can actually tell them that you're fine. Alerts to contact your friends, family or even the emergency services can also be activated any time by pressing this red button on the app or this physical button. This is called the react sidekick and syncs up to the app. On first testing it seemed pretty glitch, but then it became apparent I needed to have the settings right, which weren’t obvious. You must accept the option to track your location even when not using the app, and you also need to make sure that your chosen contacts are stored with their international dialling code. So with this and indeed all these devices, it's probably wise to do a test run before you start relying on them.
This week's talking point is computers and gadgets. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
Have a look at the photo below and answer the questions.
When do you think this photo was taken?
What do you think the equipment in the photo is and what is it for?
How have computers changed since your first started using them?
What do you think has been the most significant change? Why?
Which of the following do you have, a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone?
Which make(s) do you have? Why did you choose them? Are you happy with them?
Have you ever used a computer to do the following?
prepare presentations
design things
edit videos
manage accounts
hold video meetings
code new programmes
What else do you use your computer for at work, when studying, in your free time?
What typical problems do you have with your computer?
Who do you usually turn to for help?
Do you know anyone who always buys the latest gadgets, technology or software? Give examples of what they have bought or use.
Do you know anyone who is a bit of a technophobe?
Have you bought any new gadgets, apps or software recently? What? Why did you get them?
The smartphone you use reflects more than just personal taste ... it could determine how closely you can be tracked, too.
Privacy expert and TED Fellow Christopher Soghoian details a glaring difference between the encryption used on Apple and Android devices and urges us to pay attention to a growing digital security divide.
"If the only people who can protect themselves from the gaze of the government are the rich and powerful, that's a problem," he says. "It's not just a cybersecurity problem — it's a civil rights problem."
Christopher Soghoian researches and exposes the high-tech surveillance tools that governments use to spy on their own citizens, and he is a champion of digital privacy rights.
The BBC has been given access to the airbase where Dutch police are training eagles to take down unauthorised drones. It comes amid concerns that drones are increasingly being used to commit crimes.
Self-study activity:
Watch the report and answer the questions below.
1. What is the eagle's name?
2. What is the eagle's only interest?
3. What items are criminals smuggling into prisons through drones?
4. What is the eagle's unique selling point?
5. What is the eagle being trained to do these days?
Her name is Hunter. She's been trained to join an elite squad of airborne crime fighters, and this is their mission: to bring down hostile drones. Once again, look closely. Her talons go into the propellers, and it's instantly disabled. The people who train these birds describe it as a low-tech solution to high-tech problem. This is nature. So, you are tapping into the eagles' killer instinct. Yes. Its instinct is to catch a prey. It's not interested in people, it’s not interested in other animals, it's interested only in catching that drone and also they are able to land the drones safely on the ground and that’s where we want it. These drones are increasingly being used by criminals. They have been used to smuggle sim cards, mobile phones and drugs into prisons, and there are concerns they could be used by terrorists, too. The police already use radio intercepts and nets to tackle drones. This bird's unique selling point is its eagle-eyed vision. What we cannot see, it can see. His vision is five times better than a human. Don’t forget they are born hunters. They miss nothing. Animal welfare charities have raised some concerns. The police say they are researching ways to protect these talons, and we’ve been assured no birds have been harmed during training. But plenty of drones have been. And this is the part they are still working on teaching the eagle where to drop the drone. We are just approaching this baby eagle. What do you have to do in order to recover this drone? Shot it my face. We always try to keep it safe, because it could be a member of the public looking at what is going on, it can be a dangerous drone, unless someone weird, or it doesn't know, it just flies off. I show some meat, and then he is like I’ve got this drone, I’m protecting it, but it’s not really, and then I’ve got something better and then it will jump to me. A huge chunk of fleshy meat in exchange. Yeah we can be proud of him. London's Scotland Yard is so impressed it’s looking into emulating this innovative use of nature. Anna Holligan, BBC News, Balkan Bird airbase.
Key: 1 Hunter 2 Catching the drone 3 Sim cards, mobile phones and drugs 4 Its perfect vision 5 Where to drop the drone
The Swedish car maker Volvo is about to start recruiting ordinary people to commute to work next year in a driverless car.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
1 How many members of the public are participating in the experiment?
2 What are the characteristics of the special roads where volunteers will be using the driverless cars?
3 If something unexpected happens, who will be in control, the driver or the car itself?
4 Where will driverless car be running in the UK?
5 What was to blame for the driverless car crash in US?
6 When will the driverless cars be operating?
Gothenburg in Sweden, home of Volvo, a place where drivers need to beware of the elks. On a test track, the company is showing me its unique experiment. And they will need members of the public to help. They are going to ask a hundred ordinary people to commute in a car, but it’s not an ordinary car. It’s an autonomous car. And then they’re going to tell those people they’re actually free to do anything else instead, so perhaps they'll want to send an e-mail. From the track, to the evening commute. When next year Gothenburg's 100 volunteers will be driverless on specially picked roads. That's roads with no cyclists or pedestrians, and bearing in mind it’s Sweden, no snow. The computer needs to see the white lines. About as hands-free as you can get, the man in charge of the technology told me what would happen in an emergency. If something unexpected happens, the car needs to be able to deal with it. We cannot count on a driver to immediately take over. So the car will be able to detect it and it will slow down in order to correct an accident. So the car is going to do that, it’s not going to suddenly shove control back to the driver? No, the driver may be sitting relaxed, reading, we cannot count on him or her to intervene immediately, so the car has to do it. Things look a bit different in the UK. There are four major projects. In Milton Keynes, public-transport pods will eventually use the pavements to shuttle people between the shops and the station. Would you happily share a pavement with one of those driven by a computer? No, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t. They’re like… Maybe the choice is… it has to decide, it has to decide in an instant whether it’s got to stop or it’s got to carry on going for the safety of who's in it or who is on the outside. You don't worry about it bumping into you? No, no because you can easily move out of the way. In the US, Google is leading the way in driverless testing, a million miles and counting. But they’ve just had their first crash, where the computer was at least partly to blame. Experts describe a future straight out of a science-fiction novel. You're going to see this technology in forklift trucks, in ports, on fields, down mines. It’s the same stuff. And that, for me, is extremely interesting, that this technology is not just about transport, it’s about all things that move. Back on the test track, time to enjoy a drama on the telly. It could still take a decade or even two, but eventually children will marvel at the idea that people actually used to drive their own cars. Richard Westcott, BBC News, Sweden.
Key: 1 100 2 roads with no cyclists, no pedestrians, no snow 3 the car 4 on the pavements 5 the computer partly 6 in ten or twenty years' time
