iPad allergies and the government of ‘weirdos’

This week in Around the World, Japan calls for tech-savvy ‘weirdos’ for government-backed innovation; a UK teacher’s heartfelt letter to students draws international attention and research by pediatricians in the USA reveals you may be allergic to your iPad. 

17.07.14

Japan: how do you communicate on your CV that you fit the ‘weirdo’ criteria? That’s the ¥3 million question in Japan where the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry have started taking applications from tech-savvy ‘weirdos’  in order to find the next pioneers of ambitious IT-related projects. (The Japan Times)

UK: a heartfelt and supportive letter from a teacher in Lancashire, England, to her pupils has gone viral around the world. In the letter, enclosed along with national curriculum test results, reminds students to remember that no matter the results ‘there are many ways of being smart’. (BBC)

Germany: in the wake of the US spying scandal, German politicians are so concerned that they are considering ditching emails and reverting back to typewriters to keep sensitive material away from prying eyes. (The Guardian)

South Africa: a social network that can operate on low-cost mobile phones using slow Internet connections is emerging as ‘South Africa’s Facebook’. Mxit, which is expanding into other countries such as Ghana and Kenya, also aims to provide information about health and education.(Deutsche Welle)

USA: unexplained itch? Turns out you may be allergic to your iPad.A case of an 11-year-old boy in San Diego with an unexplained allergic reaction has led to the discovery of nickel exposure coming from Apple iPads. The co-author of the report, published in a medical journal this week, says that nickel allergies now affect 25 % of children, 8 % more than a decade ago. (CNET)

And in other news…

Ireland: A bionic suit has helped a young Irish jockey walk again. “It was brilliant. It is a huge breakthrough. The suit is something I have known about since I got hurt but I never imagined that one day I would get the opportunity to try it,” Jonjo Bright tells (Belfast Telegraph)