Life & Technology

I’ve talked quite a lot recently about Internet and email scams and how not to fall for them. I though the subject had been done to death, and that most of the ways of trying to extract monies out of gullible people had been tried and tested.

Turns out I might wrong, with the latest coming out of Nigeria and the Cameroon now targetting the goodwill of animal lovers with their latest sick scheme – and they have done their homework, too.

What this idiots are trying to do is sell Australians dogs and cats that don’t exist via the Internet, with the veiled threat that the animal will be put down if it doesn’t find a suitable home. In one case, scammers even went to the extraordinary (although easy to do) lengths of have the logos and names of Aussie-based company put on what a person thought was a legitimate pet website.

Maybe it’s the hard financial times, but surely even if the fraudsters were successful, the pay-off would hardly be worth it, ye they seem to think so.
So, if you have any dodgy dealings with these kinds of websites, drop me a line. The more we can publicise them the better.

School was the subject of this morning’s discussion with Karl and Lisa, and how technology has developed over the past decade or so.

Back in the day it was blackboard and chalk when I was at school, then they moved onto whiteboards and ink markers.

A couple of years ago they started putting up interactive whiteboards connected to computers, which meant a teacher could give a lesson using this technology as an aid.

Today, we had the ActivExpression Handsets, which are nifty little devices that allow students to learn at their own pace. A teacher will ask questions that the children answer by putting in their answer. If a child gets the question right, the next one is a little harder. Alternatively, if a child gets the wrong answer, they get a question that is a little easier. This allows the student to learn at their own pace. There is even a little race that can be screened on the classroom television between characters that represent the children. The more questions you get right, the faster your character goes.

It’s not a bad idea, and it certainly gives children a new facet to their learning. As long as there is still interaction between the teacher and the children, then I’m all for it.

Identifying Cyberbullies

 

Clip courtesy of the Nine Network Australia
Went on the Today Show this morning to talk about cyberbullying and a case that has just finished in the United States involving a former model, which will open up a whole new can of worms.

 

 

Liskula Cohen was called a Skank and several other derogatory names on a blog. Deciding she had been defamed, Cohen took Google to court to make them reveal the name of the anonymous blogger so she could take the person to court – and she won.

 

It is not known whether Google will appeal the decision (more than likely due to other implications regarding privacy issues), but what it does say is that within the court system, the benefit of the doubt is turning towards those who feel they are being bullied online and have no recourse.

 

Personally, I think this si a good idea. The internet has been a bit like the Wild West, with little or no control over what is said by whom about who. Most often there is little or no way a person can address an issue where they think they have been wronged. This decision, if it stands, will change all that.

 

2UE
Was a lot happening on 2UE, with a lot of info covered. Talked about this pair of CK sunnies that have a USB attached in their right-hand frame. They are suitable for taking on holiday when you can upload you snaps, or take them with you. With 4GB of memory, that’s about 1000 pictures or 3 movies.

 

Rodney was asking about a good quality camera to take on holiday. He was asking about the Panasonic Lumix, which I think is a pretty good brand to be using. Canon also make some good units that are dust and waterproof, which would be suitable for taking on holiday.

 

Kerry spoke about the Kindle e-book reader and how great they are. As far as I know, you cannot buy one from Amazon unless you have a US-based credit card. If anybody knows how you can get one from Australia, I’d love to know.

 

Matthew suggest that Steve should have downloaded the Apple application that chases down your phone if it is stolen. Steve didn’t have that on his phone, but I suggest it is well worth getting.

 

Michael had problems with his Beyonwiz set-top box and the sound. It could be something wrong with the box itself, or the strength of the signal he is getting. I’m inclined to think it might be something to do with the latter because he said it was happening at the same time most nights.

 

Ray was interested in a new desktop computer. I recommended the BenQ nScreen, which is an all-in-one computer with an in-built hard drive, and has been designed with the likes of Ray (who is a baby boomer) in mind. It is cost-effective and very suitable for word processing, emailing and surfing the net.