contactless IC cards. contactless conman /con man, reeling, woozy, charlatan, self-luminous, pitchblende, a case in point

Japan's Top Inventions

The stories behind hit Japanese products, plus top creations for niche markets. This time: contactless IC cards & wasabi packets.

Could you fall prey to a contactless conman?

Here's how thieves can take money from contactless cards on the street

The equipment needed is available for as little as £30 online.

DAILYMAIL.CO.UK

"If countries get the politicians they deserve, the possibility of a Boris Johnson premiership suggests that the British are now a nation of charlatans."

Boris Johnson. Liar, conman – and prime minister?

The mayor of London has been treated with woozy indulgence by the media. But Britain may pay the price

THEGUARDIAN.COM|由 NICK COHEN 上傳

Monday, December 21, 2009

Today's Highlights

Spotlight:

The Curies at Work

Does radium have a color? Radium is nearly pure white. When it is exposed to air, though, it immediately oxidizes, turning black. The heaviest of the alkaline earth metals, radium is a chemical element whose atoms — like those of the other alkaline earth metals — have two electrons in their outermost shell; this causes them to react readily and form numerous compounds. The luminescent quality in radium made it ideal for use in self-luminous paints for watches, instrument dials, clocks and the like. Unaware of the danger of the extreme radioactivity of the element, many watch-dial painters who shaped their paintbrushes by putting them between their lips, died from the extended exposure to the radium in the paint. With its hazards come benefits. Today, radium is used medically to treat some kinds of cancer. On this date in 1898, scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovered radium in pitchblende that came from the Czech Republic.


While rumor-mongering has long been a stock in trade on Wall Street, the new era of virtually untraceable communication has added fuel to the gossip fire, Andrew Ross Sorkin writes in his latest DealBook column.

Case in point is last week's chatter that Lehman Brothers might be sold at a discount to Barclays -- a rumor that, though false, sent Lehman's stock reeling.

How do you make someone bend to your will?

The conman who pulled off history’s most audacious scam

How do you make someone bend to your will? Maria Konnikova finds…

BBC.COM|由 MARIA KONNIKOVA 上傳

con man 

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒn man/ NOUN

informal

A man who cheats or tricks someone by gaining their trust and persuading them to believe something that is not true.

a case in point
an example which shows that what you are saying is true or helps to explain why you are saying it:
Lack of communication causes serious problems and their marriage is a case in point.reeling
adjective

Having a sensation of whirling or falling: dizzy, giddy, lightheaded, vertiginous, woozy. Seeawareness/unawareness.

woozy 

Pronunciation: /ˈwuːzi/ ADJECTIVE (woozier, wooziest)

informal

Unsteady, dizzy, or dazed:I still felt woozy from all the pills

pitchblende

【鉱】瀝青ウラン鉱. Quote:

"A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales." — Marie Curie