It’s time to fight back. Our data is being used to profit from us, influence us and even trick us. The question is what can we do about it? Well, we already have a lot of power under the law. We can demand from companies to treat our data in accordance with General Data Protection … Continue reading Time to fight back
For the love of it
A couple of weeks ago my daughter bought me a present. Actually it was a combined birthday and Father’s Day gift. It was a Google Home Mini. She knew that I hadn't got one and so she kept the receipt just in case it was not up my street. But I’ve kept it and it's … Continue reading For the love of it
Implementing technology is easy
The solution to problems may be quite simple. Seeing the results however, may take a lot more effort. In 1847, Ignaz Semmelweiss discovered that if doctors washed their hands before attending women in childbirth it dramatically reduced deaths from puerperal fever. But before his work could have much benefit he had to persuade people - … Continue reading Implementing technology is easy
A&E App
Matt Hancock, the Heath Secretary is proud of the NHS’s latest app. It is designed to help patients find the accident and emergency department with the shortest waiting time. He claims that the app will be’ good for patients, good for clinicians’. It won’t work for two reasons, firstly it is tackling the wrong problem … Continue reading A&E App
Health and cyber safety
There seems to be a lot of parallels between where we are with cyber awareness and the early days of Health and Safety. I thought this was a unique observation until I raised it at the latest North East Fraud Forum event. The speaker quite rightly pointed out that he had heard such observations before. … Continue reading Health and cyber safety
Why passwords are important
Passwords, ain’t you sick of them! They are so inconvenient. You have so many to remember and you are forced to change them at the most inopportune moment. They are getting longer and more sophisticated, with different characters and capital letters in the wrong place. Password1 is no longer enough. We all know that we … Continue reading Why passwords are important
Corporate Social Responsibility
‘We never use the phrase Corporate Social Responsibility, or the initials CSR at Ringtons.’ said Richard from the Newcastle based tea and beverages company. ‘It sounds too much like a crime. Instead we focus on our business doing good things in the community.’ I was at Muckle LLP for a breakfast event as part of … Continue reading Corporate Social Responsibility
A Nokia person
Someone once described themselves as a Nokia person. I think it was Chaditsa at the CyberFest event in Teesside University. Everyone laughed as they understood what she meant. She was not at the bleeding edge of technical innovation and was more comfortable with the simpler user interfaces that we used to enjoy. I realised that … Continue reading A Nokia person
Smartphones? For how long?
It is the future. How we laugh at the thought of people typing things into computers. They used to sit there at wooden desks, in adjustable chairs, interfacing with their device at the speed of tapping. Those who were good typists could get a good speed going while the rest of them had to keep … Continue reading Smartphones? For how long?
Imagine a car
The opening speaker on day 2 of the Unit4 conference gave us his thoughts on the future of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). It was at the Conference Centre in Harrogate. I am not the greatest of advocates for ERP in that I don’t think grand systems solve anything and in the effort to combine all … Continue reading Imagine a car
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 