One for the newspapers

Jonathan Bowers, May 31st 2006, 5:24PM

It's very rare to type a phrase into Google Suggest and be told that there are only 205 results. But such is the case for "ransomware."

Even more astonishing is that ransomware was brought to my attention by the Manchester Evening News today. My daily browse of BBC Online, The Register and ZDNet.com did not bring anything to light and yet, the front page of the local paper delivered a story of International importance about cybercrime through the tale of a local woman.

The first entry Google does offer is the Wikipedia definition which is worth a read.

It's hugely important to keep informed about new emerging threats to our online security. But I have to admit I'm a little surprised by the source of the breaking news.

It shows that while the Internet has found ways to deliver the national and international news faster than ever before, it still has a little to learn when it comes to local news.

One to the MEN!

Tags: newspapers, security
# Comment (1 comments)

Web 2 point Oh (no)

Chris Norton, May 30th 2006, 2:53PM

Books of academic criticism of a certain movement, whether literary, artistic or philosophical, always seem to start with the same introduction. Say you're reading about abstract expressionism. The intro will say 'first, what is abstract expressionism? It's hard to define the movement in any definite way'. You will now feel a little annoyed that this author doesn't know what he's talking about. Then the intro will say 'of course, none of the artists discussed in this book would call themselves abstract expressionists'. You will now start wishing you'd picked up the copy of Heat instead of this book about a movement that doesn't seem to exist and that nobody wanted to belong to.

And that, my friends, apart from showing off my extensive knowledge of the art world, is all a bit like Web 2.0. Nobody seems to know what it means, and all the real innovators and cutting edge folk on the web seem to be shunning the label. No wonder - the phrase itself sounds incredibly smug, mainly because of the 'point oh' bit. It is scientifically impossible to say 'Web 2.0' aloud without sounding like a punchable buffoon - try it.

What's more, it's kind of innaccurate: the 'version number' format of the name implies a completely new version of the WWW, where instead, on the sites sited as being part of this exclusive club, all we find is more of a 'Web 1.25' - a web with a few bells and whistles on top. Ben Ramsey has been talking about the need for a new term, now that O'Reilly Media have claimed Web 2.0 as their own - but I'm thinking perhaps the whole buzzword needs to be binned, or at least saved until the web really is revolutionised.

Tags: web2.0, www
# Comment (1 comments)

The magic numbers

Chris Norton, May 26th 2006, 10:45AM

The rise of the machines continues apace, and it behoves us, puny mortals that we are, to race into a mechanistic state to avoid being crushed under their metallic robo-feet. On a rare trip into the dragon's den of R&D, June, our head of accounts, was talking to me of this syndrome of robotisation - namely how we all have to memorise vast chunks of numerical data. Credit cards, alarm codes, PIN and mobile numbers rattle around our heads until we're practically thinking in binary.

Which is all well and good for those of us who have Derren Brown style mental powers - but as June pointed out, what happens when you've got a less-than-perfect memory? I think I can dredge up quite a few important numbers purely from memory, but I also remember fraught times at cashpoints when all the digits got mixed up and I ended up freezing my card, or setting off house alarms. Numbers - they're just so abstract and hard to remember.

Of course there is an alternative, which we see all the time using computers - passwords. Every so often you hear statistics about the majority of passwords being 'secret' or 'password'. As is often the case with this blog, I'm starting to wonder what people's passwords say about them. Sadly I can't really conduct a poll of the office, all I can analyse are my own passwords. My policy is to go for phrases, words and collections of numbers completely unrelated in anything but the most tenuous way to myself and my interests...

... which kind of makes them abstract and hard to remember. Perhaps I should swallow my Orwellian terror of ID cards and biometric scanning and just relax in the knowledge that soon my fingerprints will get me into my house OK. Unless, of course, a Terminator turns up and steals my fingers.

Tags: bigbrother, passwords, privacy, security
# Comment (1 comments)

Bringing the new web to the uninitiated

Jonathan Bowers, May 25th 2006, 10:30AM

How do you bring web developments like RSS, blogging and Wiki to a wider audience and encourage use even from technophobes?

There are still many businesses using the Internet only because they feel they should be a part of it. But efficient online contact with potential clients in this category is reliant on their embracing the forms that we associate with Web 2.0 and becoming a part of our online circles.

Well, Winelog is a new wiki site set to draw a whole new audience into the arena. It's almost an irresistible destination for any true wine lover and with a prominent blog, the chance to share each other's favourites and a firm guiding hand the site will educate many in the potentials of online communication tools without them even realising it.

Coming soon on the site is the opportunity to have your own RSS feed direct from your personal winelog.

While the traditional networking circles are still alive and well, online arenas are opening up everywhere and it's important now for businesses to make sure they are integrating into them.

Tags: web2.0, wikis
# Comment (1 comments)

World Wide Web Conference

Jonathan Bowers, May 24th 2006, 11:02PM

The World Wide Web Conference 2006 is on this week in Edinburgh and the buzz today surrounded the 'semantic web.'

For many, the semantic web is the real Web 2.0. I'd recommend a read of a BBC report that discusses the developments. For many web businesses the wait is now on to see how 'semantic' search changes the way they are found and therefore, the way they have to programme and populate their sites.

There's a semantic search engine already on the web. Why not get a head start and have a look at Swoogle.

Tags: search, web2.0
# Comment (2 comments)