Blogs

This summer I spent time searching for a file which had inadvertently been archived onto a DVD some time in the past. Since there was a brief description of what was burned onto many archive disks, it was possible to narrow down the number of possible disks to a handful. While searching for them, I spotted these - and was immediately intrigued as I had no recollection of ever having used gold coloured DVD blanks.

Wondering what you should have in your email signature? Wonder no more...!

Infographic by WriteThat.name

We're all familiar with Adobe Reader - most of us probably use it daily to view PDF files - but it's very ubiquity has made it a prime target for hackers, and it's frequently in the tech news as a result, and it's often suggested that users consider using alternatives.

So, what alternatives have we? There are many options, but pundits suggest...

26 January 2013 was the 30 anniversary of the launch of Mitch Kapor's Lotus 1-2-3, (a spreadsheet, for those young 'uns who've never heard of it!) That's pre- MS Excel, just so you know! 'So what?', you might ask. Well, this was not the first spreadsheet incarnation, but it was the one that changed the world, triggering a move to bigger and faster personal computers, and instantly becoming a must-have application.

Given the frequency with which we receive bank related phishing emails, it probably should have been no surprise to happen upon an email purporting to come from LinkedIn. This one appeared in the e-mailbox recently, apparently a reminder of an open invitation to connect that was still pending. At first glance, it looked quite plausible.

Some time in the summer, we noted a report suggesting a developing trend toward ownership of "simple" phones and wifi only tablets. Viewed against the ongoing flood of new smart phone announcements, this hardly seemed credible (though perhaps cost has something to do with it, we thought!).

Is data forever? Good question! If ever you have researched the durability of DVD discs you may have been disappointed to learn that their "lifetime" durability may in fact be quite limited. So, have any of you seen or even heard of a drive with this "M-Disc" logo on it?

Everyone is familiar with the term 'USB' right? We associate it with those little flat connectors we stick into the matching sockets on our computers, sometimes connecting cameras, othertimes USB 'sticks', 'pendrives', or hard drives, smart phones, or a range of other devices. Quite ubiquitous.

But, if you read the ads in the local flyers carefully, you will more and more frequently see references to 'USB 3.0'. What is this and why should you care..?

Forty three years ago in July, those of us old enough to remember the event, sat glued to the radio or television listening to the Apollo 11 moon landing, spellbound by the courage and high adventure of it all. This month, many of us sat fascinated, watching and listening to the scientists and engineers at the JPL in California, as they monitored the automated landing of the rover Curiosity on Mars.