Mel’s Computer Care News Bulletin – May 2017
Welcome to my MAY NEWS BULLETIN which I do hope you find of interest.
Click here for a downloadable copy of my news bulletin (black text on a white background)
ROBOTS RISE TO THE CHALLENGE AT CADBURYS
The TIMES reported recently about the rise of Robots at the CADBURYS Bournville factory following the takeover of the company by the giant Mondelez global conglomerate in 2010.
The company has recently installed state of the art automated robot production lines to ensure the future production of chocolate making which was first started at the site in 1879.
However the company has had to cut the number of employees at the site by 75% following the installation of robots.
Will the future of robot production have a similar effect on employment in the future?
TILTING YOUR PHONE COULD LET IN THE HACKERS
In the same newspaper, a report indicated that a team of scientists has shown that just by monitoring the movement of a phone as its owner enters their pin number enables the hacker to guess the correct code three quarters of the time.
The research is the latest to find that security can be breached in unexpected ways. Computer security experts are hoping that a switch to biometric passwords such as fingerprint recognition might eventually help.
CHILDREN SPENDING MORE TIME ONLINE MAY MAKE THEM UNHAPPY
A research team at the university of Sheffield has found that the more time children spend chatting online the less happy they are about their school work. The findings are likely to stoke the debate about the upsides & downsides of social media such as Facebook & Twitter to name just a few.
The researchers suggest that the current picture is mixed with some evidence suggesting that spending time online diverts children from risky behaviour such as smoking & underage drinking while other studies suggest that the time online has contributed to poor mental health among younger people.
WILL DRIVERLESS CARS FUEL A BETTER WORLD?
It is believed that driverless cars will operate more cautiously than human motorists at the wheel with congestion dropping significantly in parts of the country. In addition driverless cars should reduce driver error which will reduce the number of collisions by up to 95% according to The Institute of Mechanical Engineers with current accidents estimated to cost the country £34 Billion a year.
APPLE DEVELOP NEW DEFENCE TO PROTECT YOUR iPHONE
Apple have developed a new system to protect their iPhones if they should be dropped by use of a so-called accelerometer which senses when a phone has been dropped & triggers shock absorbers that deploys protective bumpers whilst the phone is hurtling to the ground.
It could save Apple phone owners a repair bill of £136 plus. According to this news story the idea has been patented by Apple & will be available on their phones in due course. It sounds like science fiction but shows how technology is continuing to think outside the box.
THE REALITY OF THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION
A development by David Whelan who is the founder of a company called IMMERSIVE VR EDUCATION believes that VR has a huge potential for teaching & training in the future.
The concept allows up to 30 people to take part in a lesson or a meeting from anywhere in the world. Among its early projects is a training programme that has been developed with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland that allows a trainee nurse or doctor to take part in the emergency treatment of a road accident victim. It is also working with Oxford University to teach nurses in Africa how to resuscitate a baby with minimal medical equipment.
A HACKER SHARES HIS SECRETS TO HELP YOU TO STAY SAFE
The following notes were published on the web in early April this year by an anonymous person in the USA which makes interesting reading.
BEWARE your emotions can get you into trouble. Most breaches contain what is known as social engineering where the hacker plays on human emotions to request you to act such as someone needing your help or assistance. Be wary of any message that asks you to take action without spelling out clearly who they are. The old maxim that if you are in any doubt of any communication do NOT respond and if necessary seek professional advice.
Never click on a link in ANY email you receive and always visit a website directly
Never share personal information with any network unless they need to know for a very specific and important reason
Have minimal information on your social media profile. Your friends & relations will already know your personal details such as your phone number & your address
Complex passwords are necessary
An expert said that it can take a hacker up to two years to crack a complex twelve-character code
Always use both numbers & capital letters in your password
Be very careful in using WI-FI in a public area as its openness can allow snooping
THE END OF THE OLD £5 NOTE
Lastly just a reminder that the Bank of England will withdraw the paper £5 note with an illustration of Elizabeth Fry the prison reformer on May 5th this year. There are an estimated 160 million still in circulation.
That’s all for this month’s news bulletin.
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.
Melvin Harris
Mel’s Computer Care
Tel. 0161 977 0107