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Non-geographic phone numbers for UK based businesses can be chosen online at the DBS Chess website where a variety of 0800, 0844 & 0845 numbers can be picked.
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By Alan, on May 9th, 2013
A new study conducted by Netmums.com stated that most parents are not aware of what their children actually do while they are online and that they are not aware of how much time their children actually spend in front of a screen. This is the first study that actually included both children and parents to determine what online habits and awareness really look like.
It found however that children are actually online about twice as much as their parents think they are. About three quarters of all parents think that their child is only online for about an hour every day, but the survey of children found that most spend two hours per day online.
In addition, about one out of every seven children was so addicted to the internet that they spent more than four hours online. However, the largest fear that parents have is not how much time their kids spend online, but what they are actually getting into while they are online.
The survey discovered that about a half of all children online have at some point ran into content that is not appropriate for their age. IT was also discovered that about 76% of all parents place restrictions on internet usage in an attempt to ‘ground’ or punish their child.
Most parents still are pro-internet and believe that it can be a great source for homework. Another 80% stated that their child has really built excellent computer skills that will help them in the future when it comes time to look for employment. Another third of parents in the survey stated that the web helped their child to know more about the outside world then they ever did when they were the same age as children.
By Alan, on May 5th, 2013
Internet giant YouTube are set to announce within the next few weeks that several channels will require payment to access, according to an industry source. The content on the new pay to view channels will be available in addition to the current content which has millions of videos that are watched for free on a daily basis on YouTube. It is not clear, as yet, whether these new pay to view videos will come complete with advertising.
The Financial Times has reported that the fees will not be particularly high, and viewers are set to be charged only $1.99 per month to subscribe to these channels. In a statement they released, YouTube have said that they are looking at creating this subscription platform to provide their partners with a way of generating revenue beyond the realms of video rentals and the placement of ad in and around the content, they also said they had nothing else to announce as yet.
It was back in March that executives first hinted at the possibility of pay to view channels before they had a meeting with their advertisers in New York. Such a platform could enable producers of videos to reap financial gain from niche audiences and this is very different from the way that YouTube currently works. As it stands it is only the most popular videos viewed, such as Gangnam Style by PSY, that makes the most money from the advertising.
An example that the executives gave was of a computer science teacher giving video lessons. At the time, the vice president of YouTube’s sales and marketing, Lucas Watson, said that he thought pay channels unlocked the potential for revenue streams on a wider scale unlike the narrow corridor that currently exists.
These channels will also accustom YouTube fans to paying for viewed content, this is not something they are known for, even though it has both rented and sold films and television shows from the major studios for nearly 5 years.
By Alan, on May 2nd, 2013
There are rumours circulating that China has decided to place a government bid that would crackdown on military license plates, internet rumours, and other debates. There are many papers now reporting that the State Internet Information Office has started a new campaign in order to combat rumours spreading online.
Already 11 people have been detained by the Chinese government for spreading rumours online about the H7N9 flu virus that was spreading in April. The office is going to continue to fine internet providers that do not cooperate with their no-rumours standard.
At the same time that this has been occurring another paper reports that a luxury car was seen o n the road with military license plates even though regulations have just been passed in China to help prevent military license plates from getting misused. According to the military the vehicle is aligned with regulations because it is driven by a high ranking member of the military.
China is known for being very controlling of the internet use within the country as the country has many regulations in place to control what information is available online. Controversial or anti-government subjects such as the riots in Tiananmen Square are completely blocked in China and it is impossible to access this information from any source.
In addition, China blocks the use of many popular websites that it has deemed unacceptable or unneeded by its citizens. The country’s latest attempt to stop internet rumours is just the latest step in the censorship that has continued to circulate around China. Computers are even sold with pre-installed internet chips inside of them to further regulate the use of the internet within the country.
By Alan, on April 29th, 2013
A new survey is suggesting that the internet might actually be leading to marriage for some young people. While it is true that almost everyone is more connected then they used to be, it seems crazy to think that the tool that is making us anti-social is somehow helping to connect us.
However, despite what it sounds like it appears that the internet might actually be having an effect on marriage rates according to a paper written by Andriana Baellou. Bellou did not just find that there is a soft connection between the rising rates of marriage and broadband adoption, she also discovered that marriage rates increased in some areas after broadband was made available which suggests a stronger link.
Given the fact that broadband access has been slowly growing over the last two years while marriage rates have declined, it seems pretty easy to be sceptical of the new research and following suggestion. Despite this fact, she took a close look at marriage rates among white twenty year olds and young individuals from other racial groups and discovered that as broadband became more common in certain areas the marriage rates in the accompanying states also grew.
However, what might be more interesting is the suggestion made by Bellou that the internet might actually make marriage a bit more efficient and not just better. After all, it makes it easier to find compatible people and makes it much easier to meet people.
This in itself could be leading to a higher marriage rate because people are not isolated to just those that live in their immediate area. The scarier thought is that as divorce gets more common and more people meet people casually it may actually lead to the increase of quick marriages and thus ensuing quick divorces.
By Alan, on April 24th, 2013
A new survey from the government hints at a sharp increase in cyber attacks against businesses along the past few years. The results coming out after some studies were conducted show that 87% of small businesses now say they experienced some type of security incident last year. This is much higher than before, and a 10% growth year over year.
The picture is even worse in large enterprises, with 93% saying they were the victim of some type of attack as well. The survey, called Information Security Breaches Survey, was created under the direction of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and it found that these breaches caused over a million pounds in damage.
The businesses affected experienced a rate of attack 50% higher, pointing to more tenacious attackers as well. As a result, the government is now stepping up its efforts to try and stop this increase, helping businesses to cope with the problem with security procedures and help for small businesses.
A new scheme made by the Technology Strategy Board allows small and medium businesses to get up to £5,000 to help build up their cyber defences, from a total fund of £500,000. This could involve bringing in extra expertise, or buying hardware.
A new guide was also published for businesses to know what to do when something like that happens, and how to keep electronic data safe. Often, that data is owned by customers, and has to be protected securely. Computer security can be vital for many industries. A new support package was introduced to help small companies protect such vital data such as financial information, intellectual properties, software and websites that they run.
By Alan, on April 13th, 2013
While you may not notice it, social media and the web are changing the way that people think every day. While it might seem obvious when you think about it, on a daily basis people spend less time thinking about how connected they are and how much this is hurting their physical interactions on a day to day basis.
Scientists on the other hand are quick to point out that the internet is changing the way that people think. Hey believe that the new connected generation is now quicker to analyze information and is quicker to come up with an answer, but there is a downside to sharper analytical thinking.
For example, a study performed in 2007 by Gary Small a UCLA professor of three neophytes and three internet users found that there were significant differences between people who used the internet regularly and those who did not.
Those who used the internet regularly rated much higher in problem-solving and decision making compared to the other group. However, after just six days of internet use the non-users brains also started to show the same strengths. In other words, it is clear that the surfing habits of people have a dramatic effect on the way their neural pathways are charted.
Researchers continue to test the effects of the internet on a regular basis and have found that internet users are more easily distracted but at the same time much more likely to be multi-taskers as they have learned how to easily shift from one activity to the next.
Regular internet users that ranked high for multi-tasking were found to rank lower in memory tests when compared to those who did not use the internet as frequently. A researcher commented that they have trouble separating items in their mind.
By admin, on April 11th, 2013
Security remains a hot topic in any cloud discussion, because potential adopters want to know whether their mission-critical data will be as well protected in the cloud as it is when kept on-premises.
A new report from Alert Logic published recently, reveals fairly conclusively that there is no reason to believe that cloud computing offers less security than a standard internal IT infrastructure.
The study was carried out over the course of five months in 2012 and bases its findings on data pulled from real world cloud usage scenarios, rather than artificial tests or hypothetical surveys.
Looking at the threats faced by modern businesses, current cloud platforms are less likely to be targeted by DDoS and malware attacks than individual business servers, which makes the outsourced option less risky.
Interestingly, it was also revealed that web apps are perhaps the biggest weak point in cloud-based platforms at the moment, since cybercriminals were making concerted efforts to crack this type of software solution.
For businesses, the concerns over web apps will be twofold, because it is necessary to consider not only the use of officially sanctioned services that are endorsed by the company, but also the apps that staff members might use independently.
It is this element of personal use, which can intermingle with business practices, that could open security holes if not properly managed, according to Alert Logic.
The best way to make sure that web apps are used appropriately in the workplace is to train staff and ensure that they understand which methods are secure and which platforms should be avoided for business purposes.
Cloud advocates will be glad to see that yet another report has found this type of service to be as secure as on-site setups, if not a little more so.
By Alan, on April 10th, 2013
A new survey reports that the most important resource in most homes is now the internet according to the responses of hundreds of Londoners. According to those in the survey, the internet is more important than heating, water, or television.
When they were asked what household utility they cannot live without 38% of respondents claimed that they would be stressed out the most if they did not have access to internet. 31% reported that they would be worried without water and only 18% stated that heating was their primary concern.
The television was only a concern for 8% of all people and four percent said that the most annoying thing would be going without a washing machine. Another survey that was carried out in 2012 had found that 17% could not live without internet, but now that figure has increased by an additional ten percent.
Those who stated they could not live without internet were also asked how long they could go without getting online and 27% stated that they did not think they could make it all while another 25% stated that they would be able to make it at least one day. 29% responded that they could make it for a few days. Only four percent reported that they could live without the internet.
Survey respondents also stated that the internet going down at work is more stressful then an accident on the way to work, arriving at work late, or dealing with computer problems. The survey included 1000 commuters that were questioned on their way to work. Infosecurity Europe commissioned the study. Another unrelated study also found that most people under thirty use their toilet time at work to check on social media networks and to read news articles.
By Alan, on April 6th, 2013
A new project by the British Library is aiming to ‘harvest and capture’ the internet in order to preserve billions of blogs, web pages, and e-books that have appeared on the UK web domain at some point in time. The library hopes to be able to take a snapshot of the entire UK web domain and create a database that would contain every Facebook page and public Tweet.
Project leader Lucie Burgess explained that the group wants to create an accurate picture of how life was during this time period by using the web. She went to explain that a lot of material has already been lost especially about events such as the 2008 financial crisis and the 7/7 London bombings and the material about it is now lost in the digital black hole because no one had bothered to capture it.
Ms Burgess added that since most of this material has already been taken down to make room for new comments or lost the social media reaction to these events is now ancient history. However the British Library hopes to prevent that from happening again by launching a new three month operation during which they hope to harvest about one billion web pages.
Burgess added that the task will be made even more difficult because they have to figure out what content was published from the UK and what was published from outside of the UK. Already the project has cost £3m and was sparked by a new regulation change that now allows libraries hold onto certain types of digital content without first receiving copyright clearance to do so.
Chief executive of the British Library stated that ten years ago there was a large threat to the digital heritage of the country but now regulations make it possible to create a real digital deposit of information.
By Alan, on April 4th, 2013
It is becoming much harder for parents to get children to play outside when the lure of an iPad screen is just fingers length away from them. According to WhoIsHostingThis.com the Web host comparison engine a new study shows that the internet is actually making kids stupid. The website found that internet obsession has already started by the time a child is two years old and over 90% of all American children have an internet history that has already been laid for them by their parents.
By age five they have taken control of their own internet habits and use a tablet or a computer on a regular basis. In addition, now the teen years are even worse for parents because with digital media teens are finding thousands of new ways to rebel. Data from WhoIsHostingThis found that about 90% of all kids between the ages of 12 to 17 use the internet on a regular basis spending much more time on their gadgets accessing the internet then their teachers or parents.
However, there are many negative side effects to this dependence on the web. Over the past decade, attention spans have dropped from 12 minutes on average to five minutes which is possibly because kids to not do any in-depth reading anymore. Instead the internet has taught them how to be the masters of skimming.
Children are also becoming used to instant gratification as they believe that the answer is always a quick click away. Children are more likely to consider Google as the source for all questions and 94% of teachers stated that their students think that Google research is enough to write a paper. Wikipedia is in second place and is cited by 75% of teachers as the number one place their students get information.
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