Hi there, it's an all-new episode of News Bites.

I'm Nancy Sun.

And I'm Hope Ngo.

In today's news…

Play to sharpen your mind, and swipe your palm to pay.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…

14,998, 14,999…annnnnd 15,000! What have we done for the day? We'll explain at the end of the episode!

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台北長照中心徵麻將志工

Mahjong Mania Helps Seniors

Did you hear this sound over the Lunar New Year holiday?

Mahjong is a big part of game culture in many parts of the world, especially in Asia.

The game was developed in 19th century China, during the Qing Dynasty (清朝).

The word "Mahjong" means "sparrow" in southern Chinese dialect (方言).

Many say that the name refers to the bird-like sound the tiles make when reshuffling (洗牌).

Over the years, the game grew popular in Asia.

It also became popular in western countries.

It's mostly a game for 4 players.

They use up to 144 tiles, all with different symbols and numbers.

Each player tries to collect the strongest set of tiles to win.

There are many different ways to win.

Each player has to plan carefully.

They also have to pay attention to what other players are doing.

And this is why some research says playing mahjong may help elderly people who have mild cognitive impairment (輕度認知障礙).

A long-term care center in Taipei was looking for volunteers.

They wanted these volunteers to play mahjong with the elderly.

They were looking for seniors aged 65 years or older, and college students.

Students who volunteered could also get credits for school.

The center planned to take 5 volunteers.

But within a week, they got hundreds of applications (申請)!

More seniors are now taking classes to play mahjong.

研究顯示打麻將能為長輩帶來許多的益處。

Playing mahjong requires lots of focus, calculation and coordination (協調性).

All these challenges can help fight the symptoms of dementia (失智).

And, as it is a 4-player game, you need to interact (互動) with people, which also helps fight dementia.

This helps lower the possibility of depression (憂鬱) and improve mental health.

For the seniors that are disabled and have difficulty leaving their house, online mahjong is also an alternative (替代方案).

Who would have expected that a traditional game could help the well-being of the elderly?

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付錢只要"刷掌"?

Just Swipe Your Hand to Pay

Nowadays, people can do almost anything with a swipe of their cards or phones.

They do this for rides on public transportation, or to pass through security at their offices.

What if you can do all these things…with just a swipe of your hand?

The technology of biometric scanning (生物辨識) is not new.

Face, fingerprints, even retinal (視網膜) scanning have been on the market for some time.

But they have only been used in specific areas.

Now, a company in China wants to make palm scanning (刷掌) mainstream.

Tencent, the company that owns Wechat, is launching a palm payment system in China.

For traditional palm scanning, users press their palm on machines to scan.

But after the COVID-19 pandemic, some people do not want to do this.

Tencent's system uses infrared (紅外線) cameras to look at palm prints and the veins (靜脈) under the skin.

The users only have to hold their hands over the sensor.

The company says the system is like facial recognition (臉部辨識).

But they also say it is more accurate (準確).

The company says people can look a lot like each other, like twins.

But even twins have different palm prints and veins.

The company thinks the system can save people the trouble of carrying physical items (實體).

Currently, more than 1,500 shops in Guangdong, China are using the system.

However, experts have warned that technology like this is risky.

The system would store a lot of important data about people.

That data could be stolen by cybercriminals (網路犯罪份子).

Other experts say that this technology could also be used to monitor (監控) people.

The system would make it very easy to track where you go, and what you do.

Do you think this technology is a tool or a danger?

你覺得這種科技為人類生活帶來的是方便還是危險?

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So, in today's news…

A long-term care center in Taipei was looking for volunteers to play mahjong with the elderly.

Playing mahjong requires lots of focus, calculation and coordination.

All these challenges can help fight the symptoms of dementia.

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and…

Tencent is launching a palm payment system in China.

The company thinks the system can save people the trouble of carrying physical items.

However, experts have warned that technology like this is risky.

Do you think this technology is a tool or a danger?

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

What are we talking about in today's Tasty Tidbit?

Oh, you just did it… Oh, you just did it again… Wow, you just can't stop doing it, can you?

Did you know that we humans blink over 15,000 times a day?

It's not just a funny habit. Your eyelids are like windshield wipers on a car.

Every time you blink, your lids clear away gunk in your eyes. And blinking keeps your eyes moist and sparkling!

And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!

If you have a fun fact, a joke or news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [email protected], and you might hear it at the end of an episode.

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!