TEXTOS PARA TRABALHO DO 3º COL NOTURNO – BAURU/SP

3º BIMESTRE - 2014

                                                           TECHNOLOGY

            A Brazilian inventor has come up with a new gadget that converts your breath into electricity. This means breathing has become a source of renewable energy – at least while you are alive. Joco Paulo Lammoglia, from Rio de Janeiro, won the Red Dot design award for his AIRE device. His invention uses the wind flow created by breathing and changes it into

energy that can power mobile phones and iPods. Tiny turbines in the AIRE charger create the electrical power from your breath. The device is worn like a mask and can be used while exercising or even when sleeping. Mr Lammoglia hopes his new creation will help protect the environment.

            Lammoglia explained how useful he hopes the AIRE will become. He said: “I hope to bring the concept into production and reduce the carbon footprint. It can be used indoors or outdoors, while you’re sleeping, walking, running or even reading a book.” He also said his invention encouraged people to exercise as well as saving energy and the environment. He explained why he thought the AIRE was so useful, saying: “Though many of our modern gadgets offer benefits, they tend to use a high amount of electrical energy. Harnessing energy from human activities and transforming it into electricity is possible and is a great solution.” The product is not yet on sale but is sure to be a big seller when it does hit the shelves.

                                                                       (breakingnewsenglish

            ECO CATASTROPHE PREDICTED IF WORLD DOESN’T ACT

            Smog will kill millions, primordial forest will be lost for ever and there will be a dramatic decline in biodiversity – these are some of the bleak possibilities outlined in a high level eco report.

            The Environmental Outlook to 2050 report was unveiled by the respected Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

            It looked at some potential consequences of current economic activity if nothing was done to change consumption, production patterns and population growth that are storing up problems.

            A troubling picture emerges with the report predicting that economic activity will increase fourfold, and energy consumption almost double, with most of that through increased consumption of fossil fuels. The report states this is why prime forest will be destroyed and more people will be killed by pollution.

            As the problems get worse from economic production so countries that rely on tourism will start to lose out as fewer people will want to travel from the comfort of their homes.

            It also paints a depressing view of animal species being made extinct and certain of the most vulnerable plant life being wiped out, which in turn will have a knock on impact on climate change and the planet’s ability to deal with pollution.

            Most alarming of all is the view that water shortages will get worse with parts of the world suffering prolonged periods of drought and what water there is being at far greater risk of being polluted.

            The report says that developed countries are going to have to take the lead in making changes if this doomsday scenario is to be avoided. Among a range of options are calls to back development of clean technologies, and heavy taxes on those who exploit ecosystems.

            It also proposes a radical agenda of improving education for women in the developing world and more contraception and information about birth control. The report also notes that the developed world has to take the first steps if booming countries like China, India and Brazil are to be persuaded to join in.

                                                                       (Isabelle Monte)

                                       SHOULD WE REWARD SUCCESS?

            Society is wrong to reward and try to emulate the most successful people in business – or indeed any sector. Instead we should be lauding those who are talented, but not as successful. Those are the findings of new research from academics at two British universities, who say that ‘success’ is often predicated on luck, a factor which is out of people’s control.

            The message that society’s top performers are not the most skilled and shouldn’t be emulated, appears to be counter-intuitive. Yet this report says that those who appear to have achieved the most in their particular field of expertise are often the beneficiaries of luck, an external, random force.

            The authors of this study point to the example of Bill Gates, the cofounder of the computing giant Microsoft, and one of the world’s richest men. They say that although he is undoubtedly talented, he achieved his initial success because his affluent family were able to send him to a school where programming was on the curriculum – at a time when most Americans didn’t have access to computers. Family connections also helped, according to Professor Chengwei Liu from Warwick University Business School.

            That kind of luck is often at work in the lives of the most successful, argues Mr Liu, which means their achievements aren’t completely attributable to their own skill. Instead, he advocates looking at those whom he calls ‘the second best’. They aren’t relying on lucky chances, so their performances offer na opportunity to measure real success. The study also argues that there are dangers if colleagues try to emulate the achievements of those who’ve been overly fortunate.

            This could explain the global banking crisis, says Professor Liu, who also believes that studying the lives of people such as Bill Gates for tips on reaching the top is fruitless. Of course, some academics argue that individuals can in fact create their own lucky circumstances through using personal contacts and pursuing all available opportunities. This research though says that because those with the highest salaries haven’t

completely earned them through skill, they should be taxed more heavily – which would be very bad luck.

                                                                                  (BBC)