Mel’s Computer Care News Bulletin – January 2017
Welcome to my JANUARY NEWS BULLETIN which I do hope you find of interest. I would welcome your comments on any aspect of my news bulletin or any comment you care to make which would interest my valued customers.
Mel’s Free Top Tips:
To click or not to click
When browsing the internet, you will rarely find a place without any kind of reference to a link or hyperlink, leading you to another destination. However, often it can be hard to tell where that destination is, and more importantly, whether it is safe or not. Luckily, there are several ways you can check before you’re caught out by an internet fraudster, and by keeping my tips in mind, hopefully you can steer clear of cybercrime altogether.
Find out more here:
Click here for a downloadable copy of my news bulletin (black text on a white background): http://www.melscomputercare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Jan-2017-News-Bulletin.pdf
SCHOOL GIRL DEVISES COMPUTER PRORGAM TO HELP DETECT DYSLEXIA
The Times Newspaper reported in December how a schoolgirl called Caitie Glover aged 12 from Chelmsford in Essex has devised a system to help people with learning difficulties similar to her own. She believes that the computer games she has devised could be used by primary school children to identify early signs of dyslexia. The games can be played wearing headsets that would ask children to match written words to sound recordings & by using words in colourful 3D letters in a fun game would be much easier to read. The idea has already attracted interest from a number of entrepreneurs & a leading charity. Caitie has already set up a company called Syper & is now seeking financial investment.
Stephen Hall from Dyslexia Action said we were impressed with Caitie’s innovation & her passion to help children with dyslexia.
THE NEW SMART DUSTBINS
Your dustbin in time will let you monitor the state of your rubbish through your smart phone. The maker of the Qube is seeking £ 200 000 from Kickstarter, the crowdfunding site to develop a stainless-steel bin. It will have an LED display to tell you the status of your cardboard boxes & banana skins & will include a clean air system fed by cartridges powered by a battery that will last for three to four weeks.
DIGITAL SKI BOOTS WILL HELP YOU TO IMPROVE YOUR TECHNIQUE
A group of Imperial College alumni in London have come up with the idea of a digital instructor that uses algorithms & an array of sensors in your boots to give you real time advice on or off the piste. The Carv system which will cost around £200 connects wirelessly to your smart phone offering feedback to casual skiers & detailed metrics & analysis to advanced skiers & professionals.
DIAMOND BATTERY MADE FROM NUCLEAR WASTE
British scientists have found that nuclear waste can be converted into radioactive black diamonds that can be used as batteries that will last thousands of years. These could power pacemakers & spacecraft components that need to last for long periods of time with absolute reliability.
FAKE APPLE CHARGERS ARE DANGEROUS
The TIMES recently reported that APPLE fake chargers have dangerous safety flaws. Trading Standard Departments bought 400 counterfeit chargers online & found 397 failed a basic safety test meaning they had the potential to deliver fatal electric shocks. APPLE have complained about fake charges being sold on AMAZON & the TIMES has reported that legal action has been taken against one manufacturer without naming them.
JAGUAR PLAN TEN THOUSAND JOBS IN AN ELECTRIC CAR REVOLUTION
The company plan to build electric cars in the west midlands in a move to create thousands of jobs. It is reported the government has earmarked a £390 million fund for electric vehicles. Tim Lawrence a manufacturing specialist at PA Consulting said recently that the car is becoming much more of an electronic product. It’s a software product he said it’s no longer about traditional powertrains, body & aerodynamics & more about connectivity & electric powertrains.
HOW YOU WALK IS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING YOUR CAR
Have you had a problem finding your car keys? If so this new system currently in development could be of interest to you.
Jaguar Land Rover are developing a facial recognition & gait analysis which will detect when the owner of a car approaches their vehicle & opens the door for them. Cameras mounted inside the doors will film people walking past or standing by the car & compare the footage with that saved on the computer. The system will also be seen as a safer alternative to many electronic keys employed in new cars & concerns over the number of devises being cloned by thieves to access vehicles.
ROBOTS IN HOSPITALS DESIGNED TO ZAP BUGS
Two disinfecting robots called Rosie & Mavis have been unleashed on an NHS hospital for the first time at the Queens hospital in Romford using a xenon bulb to fry the DNA of unsuspecting bacteria. The trial has shown that together with the existing cleaners they could eliminate more bacteria than either robots or humans on their own.
I hope you found my Newsletter of interest
I will be back with a new one next month
Meanwhile if you have any queries with your computer do remember I am always at the end of my phone to give you any advice or help on any computer or tech problem.