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The surprising truths and myths about microchip implants

(Richard Gray for BBC Capital)

The tiny bump on the back of Dave Williams‘ hand is barely noticeable – most people would miss the rice-grain-sized lump between his thumb and forefinger at first. It is only when the 33-year-old opens his front door with a wave of his hand that it becomes clear something strange is going on. Embedded under Williams‘ skin is a microchip implant – an electronic circuit inside a pill-shaped glass capsule – that can be used much like a contactless credit card.

Williams, a systems engineer at software firm Mozilla, is one of a growing number of socalled ''biohackers'' who are choosing to augment their bodies with technology. In Williams‘ case, he chose to implant a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip into his hand out of curiosity.

The procedure has essentially turned him into a walking contactless smart card. By registering the tag with a variety of devices, he can use it to trigger certain functions, such as transferring his contact details to a friend‘s mobile phone.

Another level of convenience

''I have the world's worst memory,'' says Williams. The fact that he now has a gadget on him at all times that opens doors and unlocks his computer – one that he can‘t leave at home or forget – is a huge advantage. ''It's also fun to give someone my number and email address by touching their phone to my hand.''

This new level of convenience is one of the biggest draws for those installing implantable RFID implants, and the number of people experimenting with the devices is growing. One manufacturer of the chips, Dangerous Things, told CNBC last year that it had sold more than 10,000 of them, along with the kits needed to install them under the skin. But as they become more widespread, concerns are growing about what the trend might mean for personal privacy and security.

This week, a vending machine company based in River Falls, Wisconsin, announced that it is offering to implant chips into its employees‘ hands. Three Square Market says a $300 (£230) chip will allow workers to open doors, log in to computers and even purchase food in their canteen. Already 50 employees have signed up to have an implant. They‘re not the only ones to do so. Cincinnati-based video surveillance firm CityWatcher embedded the gadgets under the skin of two employees in 2006, and technology incubator EpiCentre said it would be offering the chips to its members in Stockholm earlier this year.

BioHax International, which is supplying the chips to Three Square Market, says dozens of other firms around the world – including some multinationals – are looking to implement similar schemes in their workplaces.

The trend has sparked alarm over whether wireless implants could be used to keep tabs on employees by tracking their movements, and civil liberties groups warn they could be used intrude upon privacy in other ways. Many of those already working with the implants, however, are baffled by this concern.

(Adapted from: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170731- the-surprising-truths-and-myths-about-microchip-implants)

Let´s Talk About Diversity

Greg Parks

  In the midst of significant global changes such as generational turnover, talent shortage and advancing technology, Greg Parkes, Executive General Manager at Autopia, shares the organisation’s journey towards a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

  There are thousands of articles discussing the importance of diversity, while study after study proves the economic benefits of a diverse workforce to an organisation. As a result, over the last decade, the corporate world has focused more on diversity, celebrating our differences in gender, cultural background, ways of thinking and more.

The journey towards diversity

  At Autopia, the importance of diversity and inclusion stems from the core of our business: our customers. Having built an organisation with a personalised, highly consultative approach, it was evident to us that our customers came from a whole range of backgrounds, and our staff should too. So, in an effort to learn how to promote diversity and inclusion within our organisation and create a positive impact in our business community, we embarked on our own diversity and inclusion journey, leading to the development of our thought leadership program.

Diversity matters: facilitating the conversation

  Through Autopia’s Diversity and Inclusion thought leadership program, we have had the privilege of sharing experiences with corporate leaders from around Australia, and partnered with pivotal organisations, including UN Women National Committee of Australia and Juggle Strategies, a workplace flexibility consultancy firm. Through these partnerships, we have developed a series of White Papers for business, exploring gender and cultural diversity, as well as workplace flexibility, and best practices for promoting and implementing effective diversity and inclusion programs within a business. With the objective of generating discussion around these issues, these White Papers also aim to provide guidance for companies on their own journey of change. Along the way, and thanks to insights from our expert partners, we have learned that it is not enough to achieve a statistically diverse workforce; true inclusion comes when there is a cultural shift within the organisation. As Vernā Myers, Author and Diversity Advocate once said, “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”

  Undoubtedly, changing an organisation’s culture can be slow. In fact, achieving diversity and inclusion is not a one-off, set-and-forget exercise. It is an ever-evolving process that must go beyond written procedures to become part of the day-to-day life of an organisation. Achieving diversity and inclusion is a process that requires us to re-think how we do business, but one that we know can have a positive and tangible effect on productivity and performance. Working towards diversity and inclusion in the workplace is not only the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do.

(Fonte:http://www.hcamag.com/opinion/opinion-lets-talk-aboutdiversity-241797.aspx)

Ebooks don’t spell the end of literature

E-readers pose no threat to books — quite the opposite, they may just re-kindle a generation’s love for the written word

   The other day I was on a train, reading a book. The young woman seated next to me was also reading a book. We were both enjoying classics of English literature — hers was a Charlotte Brontë novel. The only difference was that my book was made of paper, and hers of light on the screen of an e-reader.

   Books are changing; but are the fundamentals of reading and writing? Seeing a reader gripped by digital Brontë made me aware that electronic books are giving literacy a new dimension. Many people like this new way of enjoying a book, and some may prefer it. Look at it this way: since the 1960s when transistor radios and — by the end of the decade — colour televisions transformed popular culture, every new technological advance has strengthened the appeal of the sort of media that rivals the book. Music and film, TV and video games: all have outshone books in technological glamour. Now, suddenly, here is a technological way to read a book. It’s kind of cool.

   I don’t believe this technology will destroy the printed object; real books will never lose their charm. But people who see today’s new ways of reading as a threat are fantasising. Literacy has been under attack for decades, from all directions. Reading suffered its worst assault, perhaps, from television. My grandmother used to read all the time — in fact she was the village librarian — but you wouldn’t find many people in that same village today with the TV off, their heads in books. It is therefore surely arguable that e-readers are not the destroyers but the saviours of the book. A generation may return to the written word because of this technology.

Internet: <http://www.theguardian.com> (adapted).

Based on the text above, judge the item.

Text

The Festival of Lights (Divali) in Trinidad and Tobago

   Trinidad and Tobago Hindu festivals, customs and traditions form an integral part of society and “Divali” is no exception. A large percentage of the population consists of ethnic Indians and many are Hindus. The celebration of “Divali” in Trinidad and Tobago is a national holiday with a significant amount of functions to celebrate the occasion. Recently the celebration has not only been extended to the homes and communities but organizations have also embraced this festival with special events held to commemorate it. This is evident in banks, schools and other organizations where members of staff organize “Divali” cultural programmes, dress in Indian ethnic wear and distribute sweets to their staff and customers.

    One of the highpoints of the celebrations is held at the Divali Nagar site which is the official headquarters of the National Council of Indian Culture. At the Nagar there is a week of cultural, religious, educational and commercial activities which attract a wide cross section of the population including members of government, diplomatic agencies and parliamentarians.

    Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago are also involved in cleaning and redecorating their homes for this auspicious occasion. They also maintain a period of abstinence or fasting. The day of “Divali” is marked with a host of activities in the homes where various dishes and sweets are prepared and “Pooja” is performed. Family members participate in evening worship at 6 o’clock to Mother Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity and wealth. They then light their homes with several dozens of “deyas” and distribute delicacies to their families, friends and the community. This sacred festival is known to bring about positive feelings to the community such as a sense of unity, cleanliness, harmony and festivity.
Internet: www2.nalis.gov.tt (adapted).

Based on the text, judge the item below.

Texto 1

OBAMA’S VISIT TO BRRELATIONS

By Juan Forero and Perry Bacon Jr.

[1] Shortly after taking office, President Obama

declared Brazil's charismatic president Luiz Inacio

Lula da Silva "the most popular politician on Earth."

And Lula said he was "a fan" of Obama.

[5] The relationship held the promise of a closer

alliance between Washington and Brasilia. But it

soon soured, with Lula saying at the end of his term

that the United States behaved as an "empire" and

that "nothing had changed" under Obama.

[10] Now, Obama and Brazil's new president, Dilma

Rousseff, will try to repair at times strained

relations between the two countries as the

American president arrives for a two-day state visit

before flying to Chile, a close U.S. ally, and El

[15] Salvador, where drug-related violence is rising.

There's positive interest on both sides in starting

over," said ]ulia Sweig, a scholar at the Council on

Foreign Relations who recently met with officials in

the new government in Brazil. "Now they have to

[20] translate that optimism and goodwill to figure out

what they can do together that's in both of their

interests, and how to mitigate the tensions that will

naturally arise."

The trip will be Obama's first to South America as

[25] president. Even as the crisis in ]apan and unrest in

the Middle East dominate Obama's national

security briefings, administration officials decided

not to cancel the president's trip but instead cast it

as a way to renew relations with a region that is an

[30] emerging market for U.S.-made goods.

The trip is in part a kind of box-checking exercise,

as the Obama administration wanted to make a

major trip to this region of the world in Obama's

first term. White House officials said they would

[35] use Obama's visit to the three countries, but

particularly Brazil, to emphasize economic issues,

in a nod to an American electorate concerned about

high unemployment.

This trip fundamentally is about the U.S. recovery,

[40] U.S. exports and the critical relationship that Latin

America plays in our economic future and jobs here

in the United States," said Michael Froman, deputy

national security adviser for international

economic affairs.

[45] Brazil is the most influential country in this region,

and American officials, while playing down any

tensions with Lula, have expressed optimism about

establishing close ties With Rousseff.

Fonte: WASHINGTON POST NEWS SERVICE 

Texto 1

CAN A VIRUS MAKE YOU FAT?

Although the idea sounds more like the premise of a B movie than scientific theory two scientists at the University of Wisconsin in Madison believe they've found a virus that causes some people to get fat. Nikhil Dhurandhar and Richard Atkinson reported recently that when they injected a virus known as AD36 into mice and chickens, the animals' body fat increased. Because humans were unlikely to volinteer for such exiperimentation, the scientists decided to test for the presence of antibodies to the virus. Of 154

 people tested, about 15 percent of those who were obese had the antibodies. None of the lean people did.

However, the findings don't necessarily prove that the virus caused obesity in the test group. As several virologists have pointed out, obese people may simply be more susceptible to such a virus.

Biologists have

found a virus

that causes

obesity in

animals such as

chickens. Now

the researchers

are testing

people for it.