FluentU is a great method to learn a foreign language. We watch videos with subtitles and at any time, we can stop the video if we don’t understand a word or an expression. We click on for additional explanations. Then, we have a quiz to work the vocabulary. I find this method very interesting to improve and stay motivated.

—Estelle Jaouen

I appreciate being able to hear the pronunciation from a male and female voice. I think the mix of characters and pinyin are great and well-balanced. I love the fact that I’ve only been doing this for less than a month and I already know dozens of useful phrases and words!

—Maria van Eeden

I like the fact that it’s very dynamic and not grammar focused. Also, having many videos to learn from makes it even less boring no matter where you are as long as you have a smart phone. I like to just watch each video one time, pause at each sentence and try to remember words and sentences.

—Eduard Marius

The best thing about FluentU is that you have direct context for each new vocabulary that you learn. Repeating the dialogues is the way I learn. Also, that you can bring in your own vocabulary list and that the program searches for videos or material in which the words are included are remarkable!

—Jan Rehmer

On some Swedish trains, passengers carry their e-tickets in their hands---literally. About 3, 000 Swedes have chosen to insert grain-of-rice-sized microchips beneath the skin between their thumbs and index fingers (食指). The chips, which cost around $150, can hold personal details, credit card numbers and medical records.

They rely on Radio Frequency ID (RFID), a technology already used in payment cards, tickets and passports. By one estimate there are 10, 000 people with chip implants (移植物) around the world. Sweden, home to several microchip companies, has the largest share.

Fifty employees of Three Square Market, a Wisconsin-based firm, volunteered to receive chip implants that can be used to pay at vending machines (自动售货机) and log in to computers. Individuals can order do-it-yourself kits, which come with tools to insert the device, or attend “implant parties”, where a professional gives chips to a group. Sometimes they get T-shirts that say “I got chipped”.

Jowan Osterlund, the founder of Biohax, a Swedish firm, claims chips are more secure than mobile phones. But there are still some concerns. RFID chips do not have GPS, but they leave a digital footprint when they interact with doors or printers. In 2004 a Mexican senior official and his staff had chips inserted in their arms that tracked who had accessed sensitive information.

So why take the risk? Convenience is one draw. Chip implants can be used wherever contactless IDs or payments are accepted. Sweden is well suited, as one of the world’s most cashless countries.

But the chips have little use unless companies play along. Few shops recognise chip implants yet. Even those organisations that do have had teething troubles. When Swedish rail officials began scanning (扫描) passengers’ microchips, they saw LinkedIn profiles rather than evidence of ticket purchases. For now the chips are used largely as digital business cards, keys or to store emergency documents such as wills.

So exhibitionism is another explanation. Chip enthusiasts include those who believe technology can perfect human bodies. Elon Musk, a successful business leader, has invested in tech that combines machines with human brains.

The two-hour show on March 25, 2019 put on by Tim Cook may be remembered as a milestone for the company – and the entertainment industry. Mr. Cook did not announce his company’s latest device. Instead, he unveiled a set of products and services, including video streaming (在线播放), news games and even a credit card.     

Apple’s 900 million iPhones worldwide grant it access to a massive potential audience. Analysts speculate that Apple will eventually offer them something similar to Amazon Prime, where customers pay a fixed monthly fee for some combination of news, games, cloud storage, music and video, and which could possibly connect with the company’s iPhone subscriptions (订阅).

Apple TV+, which got prioritized by Mr. Cook, will offer original programming in more than 100 countries. The money Apple plans to spend on original shows – perhaps $1 billion to $2 billion thus far – is dwarfed by that of Netflix, which will spend as much as $15 billion this year on original and licensed content, or Disney, whose own video-streaming is expected shortly. But Apple’s high-profile shows are for now meant chiefly to draw customers to its universe of apps and services. That includes subscription services for games, a long list of big American magazines and a few newspapers. You can pay for it all using your new Apple Card, developed with bankers at Goldman Sachs (高盛，著名投资银行). The credit card puts Apple in direct competition with banks: it has no fees and will give users 2% cash back on purchases made via Apple Pay, the company’s payments system – or 3% on purchases of Apple kit and service.

Although Apple continues to earn most of its money from devices, its business in services is growing quickly, accounting for nearly $40 billion of revenues of $266 billion in 2018. The new subscription offering, which is easier to click and buy than their predecessors (先前版本), should accelerate that trend. Its new partners hope to be along for the ride. Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated that Apple may turn 10% of the 85 million monthly users of its free News app into paying subscribers, wining a cut of newspaper and TV subscriptions sold through its services.

Some content providers are cautious. The New York Times and The Washington Post have rejected Apple’s advances on behalf of its news service. Netflix and Disney will not take part in Apple TV+, which they view as more a threat than an opportunity.