BBC iPlayer

The BBC iPlayer registration has been launched.

"Catch-up on the last 7 days of BBC Television... on your computer

BBC iPlayer Beta is in the final stages of testing and we're now opening it up to even more people around the UK" http://www.blogger.com/www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

Does your virus checker detect police spyware

Most virus checkers won't. More info here .

FBI's Secret Spyware Tracks Down Teen Who Made Bomb Threats

London drivers exempt from privacy

If you did not already know - there are a ring of highly sophisticated cameras within London, which are used to operate the central london congestion charge system. These cameras are fitted with automatic plate recognition (APNR) technology.


Last week the Police in London were granted exemption from the Data Protection Act to track the city's motorists. The Home Office has granted The Metropolitan Police full, real time access to surveillance footage from London's congestion system cameras.

"The camera data shall only be processed for the purpose of processing for matters relating to safeguarding national security, it shall not be used for general policing purposes," said the document which sets out the reasons for granting the exemption"

I would like to see a definition of "National Security". Not really a big deal, just means more people will have access to our details. Car registration, facial images and driving habits : )

Your company may own your facebook profile

Employers could have grounds to demand ownership of employees' social networking profiles, such as those generated on Facebook, MySpace or Bebo, according to a recent case.

This is all due to a recent case where a journalist was forced to hand over his contact lists from facebook, after he left the company.


The argument is that if you create or use a network in work time it belongs to the employer.

"The basic law is that if you create copyright material, something you write or type into a computer, you take photographs, you do cartoons, you potentially create film, if that is created in the course of your employment then the assumption is that that belongs to your employer, so that doesn't have to be written down by your employer "

We all think this does not affect our work and if we are in touch with colleagues then this is our own business. This is not the case and you should all be very careful.

So what should you do?

1).You should keep personal and social lists separate, or even better use a totally separate site.
2).Do not use social networking sites in work time : ) yeh right...
3). If you are going to leave and continue to stay intouch with your colleagues or your boss - make sure you leave on good terms,
4). Try not to implicate your organisation in a negative manner - REMEMBER - it only take one person too google you, to see what your like as a person.
5). Your profile represents you...too much info on it and you loose privacy.

Read the whole ruling http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2007/1570.html

Facebook and a class war

According to Vnunet -a class war is breaking out and your status in society is dependent on what social networking site you use.

I think this is a pile of pants but there you go. Nothing to do with the fact that facebook started out of universities and in particular Harvard.....
Full Article

Promise Me By Harlan Coben

This is only my second Coben book and it was a very easy read. A crime thriller with an easy to follow story line, but way too many characters.

Set in todays New York, a man goes out of his way to keep a promise he made to some college students. A few twists and turns on the way and some very descriptive chapters. If you are after some light hearted read that could turn into a Saturday afternoon channel five film, this could be the book for you. Let me know what you think.

SpinVox - Voicemail to Text

SpinVox converts your voicemail into text messages. It is quick, simple and not that expensive.

Once you have registered they provide you with a replacement voicemail number that will allow you to access any voicemail. What callers will notice is that they are being transferred before they go through to voicemail. After that you will hear a standardised SpinVox greeting - or you can personalise it.

Once a message has been left, you will receive a text message informing you of a new voicemail. If the caller is within your phone book, the message will look like a normal text and will appear as it is from the caller. I like this because you don't have to have a pen handy or replay a message several times. You can add any number to your phonebook from the text and if you want you can even change the settings so it sends you the same text to an email address for no extra charge.

Voice recognition software can be a bit patchy, but i have to admit, this little product comes in handy and handles different accents well. It even leaves a gap in the text if the reception is not so good or there is interference and displays this as "_ _ _".

It costs £3 for ten conversions a month, £5 for 20 and £10 for 50. If you use your packages allowance before your month is up, they will just update your allowance from that point.

I like this product and think it is very useful for business and personal. You don't always have a pen to hand or are even in a place where you can hear a voicemail and that is where this will be at its best. Personally, i think the pricing should be a bit more flexible, like 25p a conversion and no monthly charges. I think i will keep using it : )

Unwanted Calls

We all get them.You answer the phone and you say "hello" but no one is there. But, when someone does respond it is either a sales person or a computer telling you that a representative of an organisation has been trying to contact you.

My recommendation is that you go to the TPS. "The Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) is the central opt out register whereby corporate subscribers (see definition below) can register their wish not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls to either all their organisation's telephone numbers, or to certain numbers. It is a legal requirement that companies do not make such calls to numbers registered on the CTPS"

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/

The best thing i found is that it allows you to opt out your mobile number and mailing address too.

Hope this helps

Bose Ipod Dock

I was given an Ipod for my birthday, mainly due to the fact it was the only music device that was compatible with my car. Not being much of a big fan of them i kinda surprised myself how much i used it compared to my previous Sony NWH3.

Anyway, being a bit of a techno freak i purchased a dock.

The Bose dock is probably one of the more expensive docks on the market at nearly £250, however, with the exchange rate,you cant go wrong purchasing this over in New York. It has connectors for most ipods and comes with a fairly plain and simple remote, which allows you to go skip to the next track or album. The actual front slot where the ipod docks is slightly flimsy and i don't like the fact the functions on the remote are pretty limited - Forward,back,volume and power.

It's a small piece of kit which don't look bad and provides some major clear sounds. The clarity is excellent and would come on par if not better to the Denon stereo we have in the house. I just could not believe how loud this little device will go without any distortion. It can get a bit basey when the track is more intense, however, you can use your ipods music settings to change this.

I really like this device, however, i can understand the dilemmas people have when buying this. The sound quality and compact size compared to others, such as the apple dock, make this an accessory everyone should think about.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Picture courtesy of http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/