BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Technology and lifestyle' English mega-class! 30 minutes of vocabulary!

Hello and welcome to

6 Minute English. I'm Dan.

And I'm Rob. So, Dan, what's that…

Oh, sorry. Oh, it's my wife.

Err… hang on…

You didn't answer!

Well, don't take this personally, Dan,

but I'm not exactly crazy about

someone eavesdropping on my

phone call. If you eavesdrop on

something, you secretly listen to

someone's conversation.

Some things are private, you know?

Oh! Of course! I totally understand.

One quick question for you though…

do you have a smart speaker?

You know, like the Google Assistant,

Amazon's Alexa or Apple's Siri.

Oh sure, yes, I've got one! It's great!

I can ask it all sorts of questions, it

tells me about the news and weather,

it plays music when I want… it does

all sorts! You just give it a voice

command and it does what you want!

So it can hear you, can it?

Of course! How else can you give

it a voice command?

All the time?

Well, I assume so.

So how do you know it's not

eavesdropping on you?

Well, I… oh… I see. I hadn't thought

of that.

That's our topic for this

6 Minute English.

How safe is your smart speaker?

However, before that, here is our

quiz question. By what percentage

has the number of smart speakers

used in US households increased

from December 2017 to December

2018? Is it…

a) around 40%

b) around 60%, or

c) around 80%?

Oh, well, I know they are very

popular even in my household.

So I'm going to go for c) around 80%.

Well, we'll find out if you're right later

in the programme. So, smart

speakers and privacy! Florian Schaub

is an assistant professor at the

University of Michigan School

of Information. Here he is speaking

on the BBC World Service programme

The Why Factor about smart

speakers. What does he say people

are introducing into their homes?

You're basically introducing...

listening bug in your home, in your

most intimate space. While the

companies say they are only actively

listening to what's going on in your

home when they hear the keyword,

the microphone is still on the whole

time in order to be able to detect

that keyword. We don't know to

what extent companies are

co-operating with the government

or to what extent the government

might try to circumvent company

security mechanisms in order to

then be able to listen to what

you're doing.

So, what did he say people are

introducing, Rob?

He basically said we're introducing

a listening bug. Now, a bug is a

small electronic device used for

secretly listening to conversations.

Much like a spy would use.

Yes, and he mentioned it was in

our most intimate space! 'Intimate'

means 'private and personal'.

Well, I can't think of anywhere

more intimate than my home.

Indeed! He also said that the

smart speaker's microphone is

on the whole time – even though

the companies insist that they're

only actively listening when the

keyword is said.

Yes, he suggested that we can't

know how far a company might

be co-operating with a government

to eavesdrop on people.

Or whether a government might

be circumventing a smart speaker's

security and listening in anyway

without the company's or owner's

permission!

'Circumvent' means 'cleverly bypass

or go around'. So, if all this

eavesdropping is possible, why are

smart speakers so popular?

Good question! And here's Florian

Schaub again with an answer. He

conducted a study on people's

attitudes to privacy when it comes

to smart speakers. How do people

feel about having a smart speaker

that could eavesdrop on them?

What we often saw is people just

being resigned to 'this is the

trade-off they have to make' if

they want to enjoy the convenience

that a smart speaker provides to them.

He said that people are resigned

to the privacy trade-off. If you are

resigned to something, you

accept something unpleasant that

can't be changed.

Yes and a trade-off is a compromise.

You accept something bad to also

receive something good.

So people accept that a smart

speaker gives them advantages,

even though there could be

downsides?

Yes. In the grand scheme of things,

the data that these devices hear

is probably not that significant

considering all the data companies

have about us already anyway!

So, can I have the answer to the

quiz then?

Of course! Earlier I asked by what

percentage the number of smart

speakers used in US households

increased from December 2017

to December 2018? Was it…

a) around 40%

b) around 60%, or

c) around 80%?

What did you say, Rob?

I said c) around 80%.

And you are right. The answer

is around 80% - from 66 million

in December 2017 to 118 million

in December 2018, and around

ten million people in the UK now

use one too! I guess they're

really not worried about

eavesdropping.

Nice slide into the vocabulary

there, Dan. If someone eavesdrops

on you, it means they secretly

listen to your conversation.

They could be eavesdropping on

you through a bug, which is a small

electronic device used to secretly

listen to conversations.

Yes, they may have bugged your

most intimate, or private and

personal, spaces.

Next we had circumvent. If you

circumvent something, such as

security, you cleverly or bypass

it or go around it.

Then we had resigned. If you are

resigned to something, it means

you accept something unpleasant

that can't be changed.

And lastly, we had trade-off.

A trade-off is a compromise.

You get something good, but you

also get something bad.

Right - like 6 Minute English!

A great discussion and vocabulary,

but the trade-off is it only lasts

six minutes!

Which is just about now,

actually - time to go. So until next

time, find us all over the place

online and on social media.

Just search for BBC Learning English.

Bye for now.

Goodbye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

I’m Neil.

And I’m Sam.

People collect all kinds of things

for a hobby, from stamps and coins

to comics and football stickers.

Do you collect anything, Sam?

I used to have a big collection

of Pokémon cards but I have no

idea where they are now.

Well, maybe you should start

looking for them because all

kinds of collectables – that’s

objects that people want to

collect – are selling for big

money on the internet. It’s

all part of a new tech craze

called non-fungible tokens,

or NFTs for short.

Non-fungible tokens?

Basically, NTFs are unique,

one-of-kind items that can

be bought and sold like any

physical object but only exist

in the digital world. ‘Tokens’

can be thought of as certificates

of ownership for these virtual

possessions.

Hmmm, OK. I understand the

‘token’ part but what does

‘non-fungible’ mean?

If something is ‘fungible’ it can

be interchanged, like money,

for example. With money you

can swap a £10 note for two

£5 notes and it will have the

same value.

So, something non-fungible

cannot be interchanged with

something else. Is that because

it has special features that

make it unique?

Exactly. Imagine something

totally unique like the Mona Lisa.

You can take a photo of the

painting or buy a copy of it, but

there will only ever be the one

original painting.

I can see that the Mona Lisa is

one-of-a-kind and extremely

valuable, but it’s not for sale

on the internet!

True, but lots of other things

are, from signed celebrity

artwork to virtual football

cards. NFTs are like autographed

photos – collectors want something

no-one else has, even though

there’s nothing physical they

actually own and keep.

And the value of NFTs is going

up and up?

Massively. A digital sticker of

French footballer, Kylian Mbappé,

recently sold for £25,000! Which

reminds me of my quiz

question, Sam.

In June 2021, Sir Tim Berners-Lee

sold the original source code he

used to invent the World Wide

Web as an NFT at a charity auction.

The sale started at $1000 but

how much did the source code

eventually sell for? Was it:

a) 5.4 thousand dollars?

b) 5.4 million dollars? or

c) 5.4 billion dollars?

If you’re asking me how much

the internet sold for, I’d say

c) 5.4 billion dollars.

OK, Sam, we’ll find out later

if that’s right.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee famously

never made any money from the

World Wide Web, insisting that

his invention should be free

for everyone. But the world of

NFTs is controversial and not

everyone thinks Sir Tim should

be getting involved.

That’s certainly the view of

Shona Ghosh, technology

editor at the ‘The Insider’ website,

as she told BBC World Service

programme, Tech Tent:

I think there’s a balance to be

struck between exploring new

technologies and

Sir Tim Berners-Lee is an

amazing figure but NFTs are

a Wild West. Not everything

associated with NFTs are

rogue, but these so-called digital

collectables are going for

lots of money.

Internet NFTs are very new and

there are no rules controlling what

can be sold and for how much, so

Shona describes them as a 'Wild West'.

The Wild West means a situation

where people can do whatever

they want because there are no

laws or controls, like the early

history of the western part of

the United States.

She also calls some things about

NFTs rogue - behaving differently

from what’s normal or expected,

often in a way that causes damage.

Love them or hate them, there are

strong opinions on both sides of

the NFT debate, as

Rory Cellan-Jones, presenter

of BBC World Service’s

Tech Tent, explains:

To some NFTs are a brilliant

innovation which has promised

to put a value on digital artefacts.

To others they’re little more than

a dubious pyramid scheme with a

damaging impact on the environment

because of the way the tokens

are created.

Some people are suspicious of

the large amounts of money

collectors are willing to pay,

comparing NFTs to pyramid

schemes - business tricks or

scams where money is

obtained dishonestly.

But for others NFTs are a

legitimate and useful way

to put a price on rare digital

artefacts – items, such as

images, videos and music,

that are produced and stored

as electronic versions.

Items like, for example, the

original source code for the

internet. So, how much money

did Sir Tim Berners-Lee raise for

charity when he sold it off, Neil?

In my quiz question, I asked

Sam how much the NFT for

the original internet source

code sold for at auction.

I said c) 5.4 billion dollars.

You were… wrong! In fact, it

was less - 5.4 million dollars –

but still far too expensive

for me to collect.

Hmmm, now I’m wondering

how much my Pokémon card

collection would sell for. If only

I could find it!

Well, while you look for your

collection, Sam, let’s recap

the vocabulary from this

programme all about NFTs

which are digital artefacts or

items that are produced and

stored as electronic versions.

NFTs are virtual collectables –

desirable objects that people

search for and collect.

And they are non-fungible

meaning they have special and

unique characteristics that

cannot be interchanged

with anything else.

If something is rogue it behaves

in a different way from what’s

normal or expected, often

causing damage.

The Wild West describes a

chaotic situation without

laws or controls.

And finally, a pyramid scheme

is a business scam where

money is gained dishonestly.

If you’d like to know more

about non-fungible tokens, bitcoin

and other trending internet topics

there’s plenty to find on the

BBC website.

And for more interesting

conversation and useful

vocabulary, remember to join us

again soon here at 6 Minute

English. Bye for now!

Bye!

Welcome to 6 Minute English,

the programme where we

explore an interesting topic

and bring you six items of

useful vocabulary. I'm Catherine.

And I'm Rob.

I have a question for you, Rob:

how would you feel about

having therapy from a robot?

I'm not too sure about that – you'll

need to tell me more! But first

things first, the word 'therapy'

refers to a kind of treatment

that helps someone feel better –

including treatment for mental

health issues. Someone who

delivers therapy is called a therapist.

We'll find out more about this

robot therapist in just a moment,

but first, Rob, I've got a question for

you about the scale of mental

health issues globally. So, roughly

how many people do you think

experience mental health issues

at some point during their lifetime?

Is it…

a) one in ten people,

b) one in four, or

c) one in three?

I'll go for one in four, but I know

whichever answer is right – it's a

big issue. How might a

robot therapist help?

We're not talking about a robot

in the Star Wars sense – so, there's

no flashing lights and mechanical

arms, Rob! It's actually an app in

your smartphone that talks to you –

and it's called Woebot.

So – it has a sense of humour.

'Woe' means 'sadness'; so this

is a 'woe' bot, not a robot.

And it was developed by

psychologist Dr Alison Darcy

from Stanford University in the

US. Here she is, talking to the BBC

radio programme All in the Mind.

Well, after you start an initial

conversation with the Woebot, and

he'll take you through sort of what

he can do and what he can't do, he'll

just essentially check in with you

every day and just give you a sort

of figurative tap on the shoulder

and say: "Hey Claudia, how are

you doing? What's going on in your

day? How do you feel?" So if you

say, like "I'm really, really stressed out",

Woebot might offer to help talk

you through something.

Woebot checks in with you every

day and asks you how you are.

So here, to check in with someone

doesn't mean to register at a hotel

with that person! It's an informal

way of saying you talk to someone

in order to report or find out information.

And this usage is more common

in the United States. So, for

example: "I can't meet you today, Rob,

but I'll check in with you tomorrow

to see how the project is getting on."

So, this robot checks in with you

every day. It tracks your mood and

talks to you about your emotions, using

a technique called cognitive

behavioural therapy.

Cognitive behavioural therapy is a

common therapeutic technique that

helps people deal with problems by

changing the way they think.

That all sounds great, but does

Woebot actually work?

They've done some trials which

show it can be more effective than

simply reading information about

mental health. But they haven't

compared Woebot to a real therapist

due to ethical concerns.

Yes, it could be unethical to deny

a real patient access to a human

therapist for the sake of a trial.

'Ethical' basically means 'morally right'.

And another concern is privacy.

People who use apps like this are

not protected by strong privacy laws.

Despite these fears, digital therapy is

booming – and Woebot is just one of

an increasing number of electronic

services. One reason for this could

be using an app carries less stigma

than maybe seeing a human therapist.

And stigma refers to the negative

associations that people have

about something, especially when

these associations are not fair. Even

though mental health is now being

talked about more openly than before,

some people do still see mental

health issues and therapy negatively.

Whatever you think of robot therapy,

Dr Darcy believes that in the modern

world people need to self-reflect more –

which means thinking deeply about

yourself, in order to understand the

reasons behind your feelings.

The world that we live in right now

is very noisy. Particularly digitally. You

know, since we've had these little

computers in our pockets with us

everywhere we go, there aren't that

many opportunities for real silence

or self-reflection. You know, even a

commute on the tube might have

been a moment to just take a second

to yourself, but now that void can be

filled always with super-engaging

content by looking at your phone.

Darcy believes that we don't have

much time for self-reflection because

there are so many distractions in

life – especially smartphones!

After discussing all this – would

you actually try a therapy app

like this?

Yes I would, actually – I think it

might be quite helpful.

And how about the question

you asked me at the beginning

of the programme: how many

people experience mental

health issues?

The answer was: one in four,

according the World Health

Organisation and the World

Federation for Mental Health.

But the WHO say that as many

as two-thirds of people never seek

help from a health professional –

with stigma being one of the

main reasons.

And just there we had stigma

again; let's now run through the

other words we learned today.

So we had 'woe' - meaning 'sadness'.

I'm full of woe. Woe is me!

Maybe you need some therapy –

that's the process of receiving

treatment for a particular health

issue, especially mental

health illness.

And we had – to check in

with someone. After we finish

this programme, I need to check

in with the boss about my

new project.

We also had self-reflection – that's

the process of thinking deeply

about yourself.

And finally, we had 'ethical'. If you

describe something as ethical, you

mean it's morally right.

So woe, stigma, therapy, check

in with, self-reflection and ethical.

That's it for this edition of

6 Minute English. We'll leave you to

self-reflect – and after you've done

that, do visit our Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram and YouTube pages, and

of course our website!

Bye for now.

Bye bye!

Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute

English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Neil.

Now, Neil, can you remember the first time

you ever used the World Wide Web

or as we often call it, the internet, and

what you used it for?

Oh, that's a good question. I do

remember. And... well, nothing really

changes does it? Because I looked up

pictures of cats!

Cats! Very useful, anyway do you

think the internet has generally

been positive or negative for

the world?

Wow! Now, that's a big question. A huge

question. I don't know if I can

answer that.

Well, one person who perhaps

can answer it, is the man who

invented it: British computer scientist

Tim Berners-Lee. We'll find out what

he thinks has become of his 'child'

shortly but before that, a question

for you all. When did Berners-Lee

first suggest the idea for what

would become the World Wide Web?

Was it in...

a) 1985,

b) 1989,

or, c) 1991?

Tricky, but I think it's earlier than

people think so I'm going to go

for 1985.

Well, that was a long time ago but

we'll reveal the answer a little later

in the programme. I think it's true to

say that the internet has been one of,

if not the most important

technological developments perhaps

of all time. Would you agree, Neil?

Well, it's hard to imagine living

without it. Not impossible, but not

nearly as convenient.

These days we take the internet

for granted. We share our lives on

social media and not just with

friends and family. And that isn't

always a positive thing, according

to the father of the internet,

Tim Berners-Lee. In a recent

BBC Tech Tent programme, he

talked about his concerns with

the internet and particularly the

companies that control its information.

Companies which he calls

'internet giants'. What does he say

he thought these companies

had to do?

Initially, I felt the main thing an

internet giant had to do was

just to be neutral, just be a platform

and humanity, once connected by

technology, will do wonderful

things. And, clearly, it doesn't

work like that. If you connect

humanity via Wikipedia then

they do produce, in general,

wonderful things. If you connect

people by social network where

they have anonymity, then it can

bring out the very nastiest of people.

So, what did he say he thought these

internet giants had to do?

He said that he thought initially, that

they just had to be neutral. 'Initially'

means 'at first', 'in the beginning' and

it also suggests that later he

changed his mind. Anyway, he said

that he thought they just had to

be neutral. 'Neutral' here means

that they didn't need to do anything,

they didn't need to control the

internet or information. He thought

it would be a tool to connect

people and ideas and information

and it would be wonderful.

But it's not all good, is it?

No. He does say that giving

people access to sources of

information is generally a good

thing but that when it comes to

social networks, social media,

people have anonymity.

Anonymity?

Yes. It means that on the internet

people can hide their true identity

or personality. Some people write

things that they would never say to

someone in person because they

think there will be no consequences.

Berners-Lee says anonymity can

bring out the nastiest side of people.

People saying horrible and terrible

things to each other.

Berners-Lee does have some

suggestions for how this could

be changed. And it's based on the

idea of likes and shares, which he

calls kudos. What's his suggestion?

The different social networks and

different platforms are in different

situations and, in some cases, they

have acknowledged there is an issue.

I think they realise that the issue

could be hugely ameliorated by

tweaking the way the thing works

by changing the way retweets are

propagated or changing the way

people get kudos - give them more

kudos for being constructive,

for example.

So, how does he think companies

could address the problem?

Well, he says that some of the

social networks have agreed

that there is a problem and they

know what could improve it.

He didn't use the word 'improve'

though, did he?

No, he actually used the rather

formal verb 'ameliorate', which

means 'to improve or make

something better'.

So, how does he suggest the

problem could be ameliorated?

By tweaking the way in which

people give or receive kudos.

'Tweaking' means 'making a small

change to the way something

works'. Much of what happens on

the internet is driven by our desire

to get likes and shares – this is

the kudos that Berners-Lee talks

about. He feels that tweaking this

could lead to a better experience.

For example, getting more kudos

for constructive or positive actions.

Mmm, interesting – but I wonder

who would decide if something

is constructive?

Well, that's another big question

for another day, I guess.

For now though, let's have the

answer to our small question. In

what year did Berners-Lee present

the idea for what would become the

World Wide Web? The options were

a) 1985, b)1989, or c) 1991.

It was, in fact, 1989.

Now, before we go,

let's have a quick recap of

today's vocabulary.

'Initially' – means 'at first - in

the beginning'. Then we

had 'neutral'.

In this case, it meant 'not controlling'

or 'not taking any action to control'.

Then, there was the noun 'anonymity'

which is the state of having a

hidden identity or personality.

Next, to 'ameliorate' a situation is

to make it better.

To 'tweak' something is to 'make

a small change to the way

something works'.

And then we had, of course, 'kudos'.

'Kudos' is praise and appreciation

for something you've done.

Well, kudos to you, Rob, for

today's programme.

Thank you very much.

Well, thank you, Neil, and

thank you everyone for listening.

That's all we have today, but you

can, find us on Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram and YouTube and, of

course, our website

bbclearningenglish.com!

Bye for now.

Thanks for joining us

and goodbye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English

and I'm Rob.

And I'm Neil.

Today we’re talking about buttons.

Yes, buttons. Buttons are what

we have on our clothes to fasten

them but the word is also used

for things that we push to make

things happen.

Things like your bedside alarm,

radio, toaster, kettle. We press

hundreds of buttons every week

without thinking about it. Not everyone

likes buttons though, particularly

the ones we have on our clothes.

It’s a recognised phobia.

What is this fear called? Is it:

A: buttonophobia,

B: koumpounophobia,

or, C: coulrophobia?

Any ideas Neil?

Er – I think I’ve got a fear of

pronouncing these words!

I've got no idea what the answer is, I

think buttonophobia is much

too obvious – so it’s one of the

others – or is it? It’s a hard one.

Well, I'll have the answer later in

the programme. Thinking Allowed

is a BBC Radio 4 programme

which covers a range of interesting

topics. Recently, they featured a

discussion about buttons and

how important they are to

everyday life. Steven Connor,

Professor of English at the

University of Cambridge, was on

the programme and he talked

about appeal of buttons. What does

say about children and buttons?

We do love buttons and I think the

pleasure and the temptation of

buttons… this temptation and

everyone feels it, which is why

buttons have to be very convenient.

On the other hand, they have to

be kept away from children, so

they've got to be put high up

on the wall, and buttons that

really matter have to be made

quite hard to push – like put

behind glass or something.

OK. What does he say about

children and buttons?

That they have to be kept away

from them! As I said before, I

loved pressing buttons as a child.

I would press any that I saw, so

important ones did have to be

out of my reach.

Yes, he said buttons are a

temptation. A temptation is

something that makes you want

to do something and it’s often

used when it’s something you

shouldn’t really do. So, buttons

that lead to potentially dangerous

or serious consequences, like a

fire alarm, need to be protected,

maybe behind glass, so temptation

doesn’t get the better of us.

But many buttons have a useful,

practical purpose in everyday life,

like calling a lift - so, these buttons

have to be easy to use without

difficulty. The adjective for this

is 'convenient'. These everyday

buttons have to be convenient.

Professor Connor goes on to

say a bit more about why

buttons are so appealing.

What’s his opinion?

You know what I think? I think

it's down to the fidgeting

instinct of very digital or

manual creatures. I think we

want to fidget with things and

adjust them, we want to make

them slightly better… I guess it's

the grooming instinct in apes.

So then, why can’t we resist buttons?

Because as humans we have a

fidgeting instinct. We can’t stay still

for very long, we need to move

around a lot because we are

very digital creatures.

The use of digital though, is nothing

to do with modern online

technology, is it?

No, a 'digit' is a finger or toe. So, we

are digital creatures – we have

fingers and we like to use them.

And one thing other digital

creatures do, creatures like apes,

is grooming. That is they use their

hands to clean the body hair of

other apes. They look through

the hair for insects and bugs and

pull them out and eat them.

But we can also use the word

grooming for humans, someone

who is well-groomed for example

is neat and tidy, clean and well

presented. Here’s Professor

Connor again.

You know what I think? I think it's

down to the fidgeting instinct of

very digital or manual creatures.

I think we want to fidget with things

and adjust them, we want to make

them slightly better… I guess it's

the grooming instinct in apes.

Before we wrap up, time to get the

answer to this week’s question.

Some people have a fear of

buttons, it’s a recognised phobia, but

what’s it called? Is it

A: buttonophobia

B: koumpounophobia, or

C: coulrophobia?

And, Neil, you said?

Well, I didn’t, but I don’t think it

can be ‘buttonophobia’, that would be

too easy. And I think coulrophobia

is a fear of clowns, so I’m going

for the other one -

koumpounophobia.

That it right. Buttonophobia is a

made up word, and as you said,

coulrophobia is a fear of clowns.

Right, now let’s review

today’s vocabulary.

We’ve been talking about buttons.

These can be small round things

we use to fasten our clothes, or

the things that we push to make

something happen.

Buttons can be a temptation.

We see one, we want to push it.

So, a 'temptation' is something

that makes us want to do

something we know we shouldn’t.

And then we had the adjective

'convenient'. Something that is

convenient is easy to use without

difficulty. For example, the buttons

to call a lift are at a very convenient

height, they can be reached easily.

Professor Connor went on to talk

about our fidgeting instinct.

As humans we love to fidget, we like

to keep moving around, we can’t

stay still for very long and we love

to do stuff with our hands.

The professor talked about us being

digital creatures, which means

creatures with fingers – a digit is

another word for a finger or toe.

And finally, we had grooming.

This is the habit of making ourselves

look nice by cleaning, washing and

doing our hair. It’s something some

animals, such as apes, do for

each other.

Well, the button here in the studio

is flashing, which tells me it’s time

to wrap up for today. Do join us

next time and if you can’t wait, you

can always find us on Instagram,

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube our app

and, of course, on our website

bbclearningenglish.com.

Bye bye for now.


Bye!