Mel’s Computer Care News Bulletin – September 2015
Welcome to my SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER which I do hope you find of interest.
Do get in touch if you have any technical problems with your computer, laptop or tablet or if you wish to comment on any item in my newsletter. I would very much welcome your feedback.
MILLIONS OF KEYLESS LUXURY CARS CAN BE UNLOCKED BY THEIVES AND VW WANTED TO KEEP THE PROBLEM SECRET…
The Daily Mail reported in July that car electronic locking systems are putting thousands of drivers at risk of car theft. Criminals have already stolen thousands of vehicles by cracking the security codes in remote car keys. It said that four in ten car thefts in London now involve some kind of electronic hacking.
Academics won permission after a 2 year court battle focused on the Volkswagon Group which made Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley and Lamborghini models, to release their study that showed that more than a hundred makes of cars had weak security systems that could be bypassed in some cases within a few minutes.
DOES THE INTERNET SCRAMBLE YOUR BRAIN?
New research reports the ‘Independent’ newspaper by an academic from Leicester DeMontford University has found that the more times a person uses the internet or mobile phone the more likely they are to experience “cognitive failure”.
These include a person’s lack of awareness of their surroundings that stretches as far as people forgetting why they have gone from one part of a house to the other says Dr Lee Hadington, author of the research. He says we are using technology on a daily basis but we don’t yet understand its effect on us.
AMAZON FAILS TO DELIVER FOR STAFF FACING PERSONAL CRISIS AND ILLNESS
In a USA expose reported in the ‘Independent’ the company is accused of having an oppressive and callous attitude to its workers. The New York Times said life at Amazon sounds bleak according to a devastating report. Warehouse staff in the UK walk up to 27 miles during a shift and their toilet breaks are monitored.
In 2013 Channel 4 News reported CPS tags were fitted to staff and talking to colleagues could lead to dismissal. In 2014 Tim McKinney an Amazon street poster who worked for 2 months at Amazons warehouse in Dunfermline to assess alleged claims of poor conditions told the SUN newspaper that the company used “fear and intimidation” on staff.
Amazon said at the time that employees were treated with dignity and respect. We are, they said proud of providing a safe and positive workplace for all our employees.
ONE BILLION USERS IN A DAY SETS NEW FACEBOOK RECORD
Facebook has claimed one billion users in a single day for the first time in the sites eleven year history as it develops new markets in Africa and Asia. The figures are more remarkable given that it was only in October 2012 that Facebook announced that it had one billion people using the site at least once a month.
THE GREAT INTERNET SWINDLE BY ANDREW KEEN…
In my newsletter in June and July I wrote about the view of Andrew Keen who said the internet has created a vast monopoly turning us all into victims, although the web was designed to liberate and empower its users.
So if the internet is actually the question what’s the answer? He says a different internet where the regulators and the entrepreneurs have to work together, about how we engage with other people and how we think about society, polities and values.
There has he says, been a profound change in the way we do business personally, socially, culturally and economically. The internet has produced a major shift in how we organise society. And he says we need to wake up to that. His book is called “The internet is not the answer”. Atlantic Books £16.99
SOME OF THE LATEST NEWS IN TECHNOLOGY
- Cambridge University academics have produced a robot that can reproduce itself and evolve to be better.
- Watch out for big poster sites in major cities that personalise their message to you.
- Have texting and Facebook spelt the end for birthday cards?
- Will driverless cars likely to be seen and used on the roads within the next ten years lower the cost of insurance cover?
- Blood transfusions could soon arrive to you or a hospital nearby via drones.
- You can play solitaire in the new Microsoft Windows 10 App free with advertising or by subscription if you access the premium version, or speak to us and we can get the original collection working!
- Watch out for a new App that will enhance and improve your imagination to be developed by Goldsmiths University of London over the next two years.
- Apple Music has launched a new streaming service to rival Spotify.
- Contactless cards can now be used to purchase items from stores and shops up to a value of £30.
- Ford have developed a new breed of cars that can see round corners, offering drivers a 180 degree view of traffic approaching from both sides of the road. MY SPECIAL OFFER THIS MONTHFor a limited period I can offer a Microsoft Windows 10 update, pre inspection and test guidance for the special price of £89.Do phone or Email me for further information on this new Microsoft innovation.
CUSTOMERS LOST DATA RESCUED BY CLOUD
My customer Mr Terry Murtagh recently lost all his precious data including photos of his family, friends and pets due to a virus in his computer system. Luckily we were able, through the use of the cloud system to save all his valuable files much to his delight and pleasure. Keep an eye out for an article about it in your local newspaper.
MY SPECIAL OFFER THIS MONTH
For a limited period I can offer a Microsoft Windows 10 update, pre inspection, test and guidance for the special price of £89.
You can find more information here: http://www.melscomputercare.co.uk/special-buys/