Japan to require microchips for "dangerous" animals

　　日本研发缩微芯片对危险宠物强加管制

　　JAPAN is moving towards requiring owners of potentially dangerous animals, such as crocodiles and pythons, to have microchips implanted in their pets in case the animals get loose. The move follows a recent wave of incidents around the nation in which dangerous pets have been found wandering loose, frequently on the streets of densely populated cities.

　　Exotic animals such as reptiles have become increasingly popular pets in Japan over the last few years, largely because they are clean and quiet and usually reside in terrariums. This is a big plus in the nation's cramped apartments, which often forbid ownership of more common four-footed friends.

　　最近，日本国内接连发生多起“危险”宠物走失，频现闹市街头作怪的事件。为有效控制这些对人类有潜在危险的宠物，日本政府近日出台了一项新措施，要求饲养鳄鱼、蟒蛇等宠物的国民在其宠物的表皮下植入缩微芯片，以便在宠物走失后，主人能够借助芯片尽快找到它们。

　　近几年，把从外国进口的爬行动物作为宠物在日本日益流行，这主要是因为此类动物干净而且安详，通常可被放置在小动物养育箱内。节约空间对日本人而言可是件天大的好事。因为住房面积狭小，政府禁止国民饲养普通四足类宠物。

　　New gadget to make theft of mobile phones harder

　　手机防盗新装置 通过步态识主人

　　FINNISH scientists have invented a device to make it harder to steal mobile phones and laptops by enabling them to detect changes in their owner's walking style and then freeze to prevent unauthorized use.

　　A technical research centre of Finland said the device, which is patented but has yet to sell, could prevent millions of portable appliances from being stolen every year. "A device is equipped with sensors that measure certain characteristics of the user's gait. When the device is used for the first time, these measurements are saved in its memory," the centre said in a statement.

　　The gadget would monitor the user's walking style and check it against the saved information. If the values differ, the user would have to enter a password. "Compared with passwords and traditional bio-identification, the new method is simple: confirmation of identity takes place as a background process without any need for user's intervention," the researchers said.

　　近日芬兰科学家们发明了一种可防止手机和笔记本电脑被盗的装置。一旦发现携带者与机主的走路姿势不同，这种装置就会自动锁定手机和电脑，禁止非法用户使用。

　　据芬兰一家技术研究中心称，这种装置已经获得专利。投放市场之后，预计每年将防止数百万的便携式电子产品被盗。该中心在一份声明中指出:“这种防盗装置配有可以准确识别使用者步态特征的传感器。当装置首次被使用时，它就会将所获得的数据储存在记忆库里。”

　　这种装置将监测使用者的走路姿势，并将其与存储的信息对照，如果两者不一致，用户必须接受密码身份验证。研究人员介绍，与常用的用户密码和传统的生物识别技术相比，这种新的监控方法简单易行:装有防盗装置的机器可以在工作的同时自动识别用户的身份。

　　Policemen steal diplomat's phone

　　外交官手机被盗 窃贼原来是警察

　　LAST week, two Bulgarian border policemen were caught red-handed after stealing a mobile telephone belonging to US ambassador John Beyrle. They could face up to 10 years in prison.

　　The two took the expensive telephone after Beyrle left it by an X-ray machine at Varna airport, where they worked. They denied having seen the phone when the ambassador called to inquire about it, but the hi-tech gadget's inbuilt tracking system led to its eventual location in one of the men's pockets. Bulgaria's Interior Ministry said the two policemen would be fired and their superiors disciplined following the incident.

　　上周，两名保加利亚国境警察在偷取美国外交官约翰 伯利的手机时被当场抓住。两人为这一荒唐之举付出了沉重的代价，等待他们的将是长达10年的牢狱生活。

　　当时，伯利不小心把手机遗失在了瓦尔纳机场的X射线机旁。两名警察见手机昂贵，不禁起了据为己有的念头。当外交官询问他们是否看见过手机时，两人矢口否认。但他们万万没想到的是，手机内置高科技跟踪系统却显示手机就在他们其中一人的衣服口袋里。据保加利亚内务部透露，两名警察将被解雇，他们的上司也将受到纪律处分。