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· 每日跟讀單元 Daily English,國際時事跟讀Daily Shadowing

Topic: Australia battles Big Tech over news revenue-sharing law

Facebook Inc has blocked Australian users from sharing and viewing news content on its popular social media platform, escalating a dispute with the government over paying media publishers for content.

備受歡迎的社群媒體臉書,將其澳洲平台上的新聞內容封鎖,不讓澳洲用戶查看及分享新聞內容。政府要求社群平台刊登新聞內容須付費給新聞發行業者,臉書此舉加劇了與政府間之爭端。

While Big Tech and media outlets have battled over the right to news content in other jurisdictions, Australia’s looming law represents the most expansive reform and is being closely watched around the world.

科技巨頭和媒體業者已在其他司法管轄區互相爭奪使用新聞內容的權利,但澳洲這項山雨欲來的法律代表著層面最廣的改革,全世界都在密切關注。

The so-called Media Bargaining Code has been designed by the government and competition regulator to address a power imbalance between the social media giants and publishers when negotiating payment for news content used on the tech firms’ sites. The proposed legislation has reached a crunch point, with widespread support in parliament, where it is expected to be voted into law within days.

澳洲政府及競爭監管機構規畫了所謂的「媒體議價法令」,以解決社群媒體巨頭與新聞發行業者談判時權力不平衡的問題,促使科技公司為其網站所使用之新聞內容付費。該立法提案已到了關鍵時刻,得到國會的廣泛支持,預計將在未來幾天內表決通過成為法律。

In recent years, traditional media companies operating in Australia have suffered huge hits to income streams, due to dwindling subscriptions and advertising. For every A$100 spent on online advertising in Australia, excluding classifieds, nearly one-third goes to Google and Facebook, the competition regulator has said.

近年來,由於訂戶及廣告量的萎縮,澳洲的傳統媒體公司收入大減。競爭監管機構表示,在澳洲,每一百澳幣的網路廣告費中(不包括分類廣告),有近三分之一是落入谷歌及臉書的口袋。

Facebook said that the law “fundamentally misunderstands” the relationship between itself and publishers and it faced a stark choice of attempting to comply with it or ban news content. It said its platform generates billions of free referrals to Australian publishers worth significant sums to the media companies.

臉書表示,該法律「從根本上誤解了」它與新聞發行業者間之關係,讓臉書面臨困難的選擇——不知該力圖遵循該法律,抑或封鎖新聞內容。臉書表示,其平台為澳洲新聞發行業者免費帶來數十億個推薦連結,這對媒體公司而言是一筆很大的收益。

Alphabet Inc-owned Google, however, has backed down from a threat to withdraw its main search engine from Australia if the laws go ahead, and has instead struck deals with some of the country’s major commercial publishers. They include a global deal with News Corp for an unnamed sum in one of the most extensive deals of its kind with Big Tech.

然而,Alphabet旗下的谷歌已不再威脅說,若該法案通過,便要撤出它在澳洲的主要搜尋引擎,而是與澳洲一些主要商業出版商談好了條件。其中包括與跨國新聞集團News Corp達成的一項全球性的交易,金額不詳,這是此類與科技巨頭所達成規模最大的交易之一。

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/02/22/2003752624

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Topic: A Wearable Technology That Fits Just Like Skin

It is almost certain that the next era of computing will be wearables. But it is commensurately uncertain what these wearables will be and where on your body they will be worn.

我們幾可確定,電算的下一個年代會屬於穿戴型產品。至於這些產品會是什麼,又會穿戴在人體何處,卻同樣無法確定。

Apple and Samsung, for example, are betting on the wrist; Google, the face. Some tech companies believe clothing will simply become electronic. Yet there’s a whole new segment of start-ups that believes we humans will become the actual computers, or at least the place where the technology will reside.

例如,蘋果和三星押注手腕,谷歌則是臉部。有些科技公司認為衣服會電子化。但有全新一批新創公司認為,人類會變成實體電腦,至少會成為穿戴科技的居所。

These start-ups are working on a class of wearable computers that adhere to the skin like temporary tattoos, or attach to the body like an adhesive bandage.

這些新創公司正研發可像假刺青般附著於皮膚,或像黏性貼布般附著於身體的一系列穿戴型電腦。

Many of these technologies are stretchable, bendable and incredibly thin. They can also be given unique designs, to stand out like a bold tattoo, or to blend in to the color of your skin.

這些科技產品許多可延展、可彎曲,或薄到不可思議。他們也可能有獨特設計,如大膽刺青般醒目,或和膚色融合為一。

Attachable computers will be less expensive to make and provide greater accuracy because sensors will be closer to a person’s body (or even inside us) .

附著式電腦較不昂貴,也比較準確,因為感應器更貼身(甚至就在體內)。

MC10, a company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is testing attachable computers about the size of a piece of gum that can include wireless antennas, temperature and heartrate sensors and a tiny battery.

麻州劍橋的MC10公司正在實驗一種附著式電腦。約口香糖大小,內有無線天線、體溫和心律感應器,以及一個極小的電池。

Scott Pomerantz, head of MC10, said: “Ours are always on you. We have the smallest, most flexible, stretchable, wearable computer, and you can collect all sorts of biometric data tied to your motion.”

MC10負責人波梅蘭茲說:「我們的產品永遠是穿戴在你身上。我們擁有最小、最具可撓性與延展性的穿戴式電腦。你可蒐集與你的動作有關的各種生理數據。」


MC10 recently teamed up with John A. Rogers, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who has been working for nearly a decade to perfect flexible devices that can be worn on the skin or implanted .

MC10最近與厄巴納-香檳伊利諾大學教授羅傑斯合作。羅傑斯已投入近10年時間,讓穿戴於皮膚或植入體內的彈性裝置更為完美。

How would these gadgets work? Maybe you want to figure out which deodorant would be best for you. A sticker that tracks your sweat level would email you a few recommendations. Or if you want to monitor your baby’s breathing, a little sensor on the baby’s chest would alert you to any problems.

這些小裝置將如何運作?或許你想知道哪種止汗劑最適合你使用。可追蹤汗量的一張貼紙,會以電子郵件提供你一些建議。或許你想監測寶寶的呼吸,貼在寶寶胸前的一個小感應器會在出狀況時發出警示。

“We’ll eventually see a more intimate integration of electronics and biological systems,” Mr. Rogers said . “Without that kind of intimate physical contact, it’s going to be difficult, or maybe even impossible, to extract meaningful data.”

羅傑斯說:「我們最終會看到電子產品和生理系統更親密的結合。不靠這種與身體的親密接觸,蒐集到有用的數據會變得很困難,甚至不可能。」

The health applications are enormous. Over the past year, Mr. Rogers and his team of scientists have been working with patients with Parkinson’s disease to monitor their motions, with dermatologists to treat skin diseases, and with beauty companies like L’Oreal to develop digital stickers that track skin hydration.

在健康方面的應用可以無所不包。過去一年,羅傑斯和他的科學家團隊一直在與巴金森氏病人共事,監測他們的運動,也與皮膚科醫生合作,治療皮膚疾病,也和美妝公司如歐萊雅公司共同開發數位貼紙,追蹤肌膚水分。

Anke Loh of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has been experimenting with making the attachable computers look like body art. “You see these patches and you really want to put them on your skin, even without knowing what the function is,” Ms. Loh said . “There’s a lot of potential to combine fashion and technology.”

芝加哥藝術學院的羅安克正從事一項實驗,讓附著式電腦看來宛如人體藝術。羅女士說:「看著這些貼布時,你會真的很想把它往身上貼,即使不知道它有什麼功能。時尚與科技結合,潛力無窮。」

Scientists at the University of Tokyo have been working on an “e-skin,” which is an electronic skin that sits on top of real skin. It looks like a stretchable sheet of plastic wrap, yet contains lots of health-related sensors.

東京大學的科學家一直在研究「電子皮膚」,它是放在真皮膚上的一種電子皮膚。外表類似一片具伸縮性的保鮮膜,但內含許多與健康相關的感應器。


In another iteration of e-skin, scientists are working to add a layer of LEDs, turning it into a screen that sits on the body.

在另一個電子皮膚的反覆研究中,科學家正設法為電子皮膚添加一層LED燈,讓它變成人體上的一個螢幕。

Digital skins offer numerous applications, not only in monitoring a user’s health, but also as a visual user interface. They may even replace smartphones one day.

數位皮膚應用範圍十分廣泛,不僅可監測使用者的健康狀況,還可作為使用者的視覺介面。有朝一日,甚至可取代智慧手機。

But don’t throw aside your smartwatch or Google Glass just yet. It will be a while before our wearable future becomes known.

不過,暫時還別把你的智慧手表或是谷歌眼鏡扔到一邊。我們的穿戴未來還要一段時間才會明朗。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/268839/web/

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Topic: Facebook is making its own AI deepfakes to head off a disinformation disaster 防制假訊息災難,臉書積極產製人工智慧「深度偽造」影片

Facebook fears that AI-generated “deepfake” videos could be the next big source of viral misinformation—spreading among its users with potentially catastrophic consequences for the next US presidential election.

臉書擔心用戶散播由人工智慧生成、未來有望成為假訊息主要來源的「深度偽造」影片,對下屆美國總統選舉帶來具有災難性潛力的後果。

Its solution? Making lots of deepfakes of its own, to help researchers build and refine detection tools.

提出因應「深度偽造」的解決方案?臉書自己產製大量深偽影片,助力研究者創建及改善辨識工具。

The rise of deepfakes has been driven by recent advances in machine learning. Algorithms capable of capturing and re-creating a person’s likeness have already been used to make point-and-click tools for pasting a person’s face onto someone else.


機器學習的技術進展助長了深偽的崛起。能夠捕捉及重現人物肖像的演算法,已被應用在點擊式工具的製作,它能把人臉貼在另一個人身上。

Facebook will dedicate $10 million. Together with Microsoft and academics from institutions including MIT, UC Berkeley, and Oxford University, the company is launching the Deepfake Detection Challenge, which will offer unspecified cash rewards for the best detection methods.

臉書將貢獻1000萬美元。與微軟及學術機構麻省理工學院、加州大學柏克萊分校、牛津大學等,一起推出「辨識深偽挑戰賽」,該挑戰賽將頒發未指定金額的獎金給最優秀的檢測方法。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1327942 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1329588