4th March 2013

Evernote Security Breach

All 50 million users of the cloud-based note-taking service, Evernote, have been asked to reset their passwords after their security was breached by hackers. The California-based company released a statement on their website that “suspicious activity” had been discovered on the network in “a coordinated attempt to access secure areas of the Evernote service.”

CTO at Evernote, Dave Engburg, stated that though user names and email addresses were accessed, passwords were protected by their one-way encryption system. They added that there is “no evidence” of payments details being accessed and no stored content had been changed or lost. The hackers have not been identified.

Breaches of security of larger services are becoming more common with Apple, Facebook and Twitter recently revealing that they had been victims of similar attacks.

evernote

+ Internet

26th September 2012

Hackers attack the Galaxy S3

A code is circulating that can trigger a complete reset of the best selling Galaxy S3 Smartphone, completely wiping all contacts, photographs, music , apps and valuable data stored by the user, it has been learned. Comprising of just eleven digits and symbols, the code is freely circulating around the web and was discovered at the recent security conference held in Argentina.

The unfortunate Samsung owner is powerless as the whole attack takes but a few seconds and the data is gone. The fears are that malicious hackers are now, for whatever their distorted reasons, able to trick Samsung Smartphone owners into wiping gigabytes of data. It seems that the codes conform to USSD, which is normally used by mobile phone operators to provide basic services such as pre-pay top-up. In a statement Samsung has said that a recent software update had resolved the problem and urged all customers to download it as soon as possible. Also that all customers should be aware that that the recent security issue concerning the GALAXY S III has already been resolved through a software update, according to a Samsung spokesman.

+ General Information, Mobile Phones, Samsung

20th September 2012

Bathroom Technology

When we think of technology our minds often turn to gadgets and modern electronic equipment such as TV’s, iPods, mobile phones and the like, not often to the bathroom. However, the modern bathroom is often full of technology and we use it today without giving it a second thought.

Today’s shower does not have to be similar to those of yesteryear which relied on the user accurately mixing together the hot and cold water. Now you can turn your shower on using a wireless control from your bedroom, the wireless remote can be positioned virtually anywhere convenient within 10 metres of you shower! Thermostatically controlled valves ensure that the temperature of the water is right for you every time you step into the shower enclosure.

Today when taking a bath or shower you can safely catch up with the day’s event or see the news channel on a specially designed television, HD ready with heated screen to prevent misting. When not in use the glass has a crystal clear finish suitable for shaving or applying make-up.

Technology in the simple bathroom tap has advanced too, no longer do we have to rely upon washers which have to be changed at intervals, ceramic disc technology has put an end to all that. The precision of this new ceramic technology means that you can gauge the correct water temperature when filling the bath from a mixer tap and the taps never drip!

Lighting in the bathroom has advanced with technology also, now you do not have to wake the household at night with bright lights or the bathroom fan, motion sensory LED lighting with guide you there.

There is a whole new world of technology in today’s modern bathroom.

+ Gadgets

12th September 2012

Europe runs out of internet addresses

During the 1970’s when the web was being built up it was never believed that in a short space of time, thirty years or so, that we would run out of IP addresses and 4.3 billion, then allowed on the internet protocol (IPv4), was believed to be more than enough. However, this has proved not to be the case and the body that hands them out in Europe is beginning a strict rationing system, the pool is now exhausted.

In future companies can only make one application and if they are successful they will be only be able to get 1024 of them. Plans are being laid down for a new system known as IPv6, which it is claimed has an inexhaustible supply! In order to qualify for one of the old addresses a company must clearly demonstrate it is using the new addressing scheme, IPv6 and demonstrate how it plans to use them.

The organisation that gives out the addresses in Europe is run by Ripe NCC and in a statement they have said that they are down to their last 16 million IPv4 addresses, although this seems a lot they consider that the supply is at an end.

+ Internet

16th July 2012

Help with design technology

In a fast moving world, many teachers find it difficult to keep pace with technological developments on top of the demands placed on them from the authorities. The result can be that our children are often being taught this important subject using an out of date curriculum, certainly at primary level and often in the early years of secondary school.

In order to ensure that our children are as well versed in the subject of design and technology as their counterparts in China and France, where they emphasise the study of electronics, computer aided design and manufacture, we need to improve our schools’ curriculum. For this reason alone, many parents look for design technology help through access to the internet particularly when it comes to AS and A levels. Help with essay writing and understanding with advice on how to put across ideas with many teacher critiqued essays for helpful comments, summaries and notes can be found at the best sites. Education, like the world of design technology does not stand still.

+ General Information

6th July 2012

Every second counts

Because the earth is not a perfectly round object and its structure constantly changes through natural events such as earthquakes for example, and this means that it does not revolve precisely and the time year on year varies very slightly. This requires atomic clocks, used by global timekeeping services, have to be adjusted and this normally happens every leap year to compensate. On 30 June, at 23:59:60 (01:59:60 BST), the extra second was added to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

No problem you may think, but in fact it was a major one for a number of high-profile sites which rely heavily on synchronised operations and caused them to be disrupted. Google and some others overcame the problem in a simple and novel way by adding tiny fractions of time, a couple of milliseconds, gradually over the course of a day. Christopher Pascoe, Google’s site reliability engineer explained: “when it became time to add an extra second at midnight, our clocks had already taken this into account, by skewing the time over the course of the day.” Reddit the social news aggregator was affected along with some others including Foursquare, LinkedIn and Gawker, as well as another Reddit-like site, StumbleUpon. Other reports suggested that airline booking systems were also disrupted.

+ News

25th June 2012

Finding the right digital television package

Finding the right digital TV package will enable you to have access to the features that you require at a price that is right for you.  Digital TV providers offer different services, so exploring what is available will help you to find a package that suits your requirements.  Comparing different packages will enable you to select the services that you need and avoid paying extra for any features that you are unlikely to use.

The main advantage of digital TV deals is that you can have access to your favourite channels as well as many other features.  In addition to digital TV channels, some providers also offer access to digital radio stations and on demand services.  Many of these services are included in package deals.  Broadband and home phone services are also included in deals to enable you to get the most out of your package.

Comparing different packages will increase your chances of finding a digital TV deal that is right for you.  There are many comparison sites available such as Recombu Digital that will enable you to compare the many deals available.  In addition to providing information on what is included in each package, some comparison websites will also enable you to go directly to the website of the provider that you are interested in.

Comparing different packages will not only enable you to locate a deal that suits your budget, but also one that provides you with the features you need to fully enjoy your package.  For example, if you wish to have access to a package that offers extra film channels, then comparing packages will enable you to find a deal that is right for you.  Some providers include film channels as a standard part of a package, which is ideal for those wishing to have access to a wide selection of films.

+ Digital TV

24th June 2012

Samsung order to stop selling tablet

A US judge has ordered Samsung to stop selling its Galaxy 10.1 tablet computer while the court considers Apple’s patent infringement claims. Seen as the main rival to best Apple’s selling iPad, Samsung sold 1.6m tablets from January to March, giving it 7.5pc of the market, it is powered by Google’s Android operating system.

Many in the industry believe that Apple, successful maker of the iPhone as well as the iPad, is using patents too aggressively in its bid to stamp out competition. The company has aggressively waged a war using the patent system since 2010 in an effort to try to stop competitors from gaining a foothold into the very lucrative market for their products, as well as to try to limit further growth of Google’s android system, which has proved to be the best selling system for mobile devices. Success for Apple could mean that an agreement is reached for companies to use each others’ technologies currently patented.

+ Apple, Gadgets, Samsung

22nd June 2012

BBC wants to axe twitter

The popular BBC TV programme question time is estimated to draw a weekly audience of around 2.2 million viewers and has been one of the corporation’s most popular current affairs programmes. When the show is on, it is believed that it receives 3,000 messages an hour, which would overwhelm most systems, but of course the BBC has massive resources to deal with these. By using the “red button” some 200, 000 viewers are able to reads remarks of other viewers which appear on screen.

Like most other publicly funded organisations, the BBC is not immune from cuts and is having to look at all departments to see where it can save money. An official commented that it is “under” review, but what they can expect is a massive reaction from the tweeting brigade. Twitter is one of the fastest growing social networking sites at present being used by more people to send short pithy messages to other recipients.

+ Internet, News

17th June 2012

Tablet use is growing

If you own a tablet then it could possibly be an Apple iPad which has accounted for the biggest growth in this sector of the market. Amazingly the newest version sold a staggering three million during the first weekend it was introduced this year. Recently released figures suggest that you will own a Smartphone and that 25% of you will use your tablet and pay to watch videos and other such entertainment.

Certainly the iPad has to be a tremendous marketing success as it does not do anything that a laptop can, other than being extremely portable where it can be used virtually anywhere. For serious computing a laptop or desk computer is far easier to use for everyday actions and typing on a screen will never replace a keyboard for the serious user. But take nothing away from a tablet, they are here to stay and they do allow people to access internet and check out emails on the move, but so does the modern Smartphone!

+ Gadgets, iPad, Tablets