boon or bane

最近大量閱讀有關基因定序(DNA Sequencing)的技術資料. 1990年美國政府開始做基因定序, 花了27億美金13年，才將人類 33億個核甘酸基對 (nucleotide base pairs) 完成 99%. 現在只要花2500美元3天之內，就可以一一檢視一千億個基對(平常需要檢視30倍的量，才能夠將錯誤率減到最低)。 當人類開始漸漸地了解因為基因的些微不同，而產生的疾病，面貌，膚色，智商和個性的不同 ( 美國專利局因此而工作量大增)，甚至已經可以切斷再重整基因的結構。 這二十幾年來的基因研究的快速成長，不知道對以後的人類是一項福祉， 還是一個浩劫?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woBomKfikWlxM  

treacherous road

Tesla顧客 使用自動駕駛超過2億公里後，第一個車禍死亡的 事件在上個月發生。 車禍事件94%是人為錯誤。 Tesla 的自動駕駛技術是全球第一， 因為它有 眾多的顧客，將實際道路的自動駕駛狀況，不斷地傳回公司。讓 Tesla 可以不斷地改進自動駕駛的軟體。 去年年底，TOYOTA跟Ford 需要各自召回3萬多輛的車子， 因為他們的自動煞車的雷達有問題。 自動駕駛的軟體，平常有規定，如果手不放在方向盤上面一段期間後，會用影像跟聲音警告你，如果不聽警告，車子會慢下來。 即使是有這些防範措施 ，似乎自動駕駛的軟體，還是有很大的改進空間。
http://www.afr.com/technology/fatal-tesla-crash-on-autopilot-sparks-us-investigation-20160630-gpvzcn

double-edged sword

Forty years ago, NIH started the DNA research. Next month, NIH is going to issue guidelines for the first groundbreaking gene-editing CRISPR-Cas9 medical treatment of myeloma, melanoma and sarcoma. This CRISPR-Cas9, though beneficial for disease treatment and prevention, may upend human evolution if some rogue institutions use it for eugenic alteration in embryo in the foreseeable future.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/06/21/federal-panel-approves-first-test-of-crispr-editing-in-humans/

a slippery slope

If a presidential candidate can spend 12 minutes to lambaste and humiliate a federal judge who presided over Trump's legal case, it portends a slippery slope of the democratic system. 

http://time.com/4351376/donald-trump-university-lawsuit-gonzalo-curiel/

To buy a cow by clicking buttons without a bank account

U.S. has the Silicon Valley while Kenya has the "Silicon Savannah". It takes years for Taiwan to adopt the 3rd-party payment. In Kenya, most of the 23-million people don't have bank accounts but 90% of them use basic cell phones to pay bills for any thing. It ranges from paying taxi drivers to roadside peddlers, or even buying a cow simply by clicking a few buttons on the cell phones. Reason for this sweeping success and popularity of electronic payment even without a bank account: Kenya government is bold enough to brush off the lobby from the formidable bank industry.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/future-of-money-kenya-m-pesa-60-minutes-2/

disruptive innovation

Stripe, a payment processing company for Apple Pay, Android Pay and Alipay, was founded in 2010 by a Harvard dropout and a MIT dropout. Now, the company's market value surges to $5B. With the burgeoning and booming fintech, some of the coveting jobs in the banks may vanish into thin air in the near future.    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fintech-shaking-up-the-financial-industry/

Every phone can be eavesdropped even with strong encryption

Strong encryption makes your mobile phone invulnerable? Dream on! CBS "60 Minutes" tonight demonstrated that hackers can eavesdrop any mobile phone of their own accord in the whole world.  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-hacking-your-phone/