June 17th, 2011
stuff.co.nz has a good article with some handy tips on how to create a better password.
It seems we’re not very creative when we come up with our passwords. In 2009, 10,000 Hotmail passwords were leaked. The most popular passwords? 123456, followed by 123456789. Not very secure!
I use the Password Generator tool over at pctools.com whenever I need a new password. It’s great. It instantaneously generates a password of whichever length you choose. So next time you’re in need of a password, give this tool a go.
Tags: passwords, security
Posted in passwords | No Comments »
June 8th, 2011
The New Zealand government recently passed legislation that gives ISPs the choice to send up to 3 copyright infringement notices to suspected copyright infringers. If they still persist, it is expected the Government will eventually give their ISP the ability to disconnect them.
A recent UN report concluded internet access was a human right.
UN special rapporteur Frank La Rue said he was “alarmed by proposals to disconnect users from internet access if they violate intellectual property rights”.
Despite this, Justice Minister Simon Power has said he’s “very satisfied” with the law and will not be looking into changing it.
You can read more over at stuff.co.nz
Tags: copyright infringement
Posted in New Zealand government, copyright | No Comments »
May 30th, 2011
Ultra Fast Broadband is expected to be available to the greater Wellington region by 2019, with priority given to schools, hospitals and other “priority users” which are scheduled to be fully connected by 2015.
Wellington and Christchurch are set to benefit most due to the presence of TelstraClear’s popular triple-play InHome cable network. The product is a direct competitor to Telecom’s new network.
TelstraClear chief executive Allan Freeth has said,
“We are here to stay and compete hard and we are certainly not scared of fibre. Are they going to lower the price? Well, I can lower the price.”
You can read more over at stuff.co.nz
Tags: broadband, Telecom, TelstraClear
Posted in Telecom, TelstraClear, broadband | No Comments »
May 23rd, 2011
A warning from Microsoft, hackers are starting to trick people into downloading viruses, rather than installing them on your PC without you noticing.
Feedback from the Internet Explorer (IE) web browser has shown that 1 out of every 14 programs downloaded contain malicious code.
Our top two tips,
Only download content from trusted sources
&
Keep your browser up to date!
You can read more over at the nzherald
Tags: Microsoft, viruses
Posted in Microsoft, malicious software | No Comments »
May 16th, 2011
The online rivalry between Facebook and Google has taken a bit of a twist, with news out that Facebook hired a PR firm, Burson-Marsteller to bring to light negative information about Social Circle, a Google service that collects and uses data about people.
You can read more over at stuff.co.nz
Posted in Facebook, Google, social networking | No Comments »
May 11th, 2011
Microsoft has purchased Skype for US$8.5 billion, with the intention of increasing its online presence to rival that of Google and Facebook.
Skype had reportedly also attracted interest from Cisco, Facebook and Google. Skype is Microsofts largest ever acquisition, eclipsing its $6.3 billion purchase of Quantive.
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said on Tuesday,
“Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world,”
“Together we will create the future of real-time communications so people can easily stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues anywhere in the world.”
Skype has 170 million users worldwide.
You can read more about the acquisition at the nzherald
Posted in Microsoft, skype | No Comments »
May 2nd, 2011
A poll of over 750 people has found almost half of New Zealand adults now shop online, with 46% using the internet to buy a wide range of items, from clothing to TVs.
Not such good news for online grocers however, with the poll finding only 4% of respondents regularly shopped online for groceries, 18% infrequently, and 78% had never purchased their groceries online.
While more and more of us are willing to purchase goods online, it seems we still want to pick out our own fruit and vegetables!
You can read more at stuff.co.nz
Posted in Online Sales, shopping | No Comments »
April 26th, 2011
Amber MacArthur, social media expert and author of Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business offers some great advice on how you can use social media to promote your business.
Facebook, Twitter & Youtube are available free to all businesses, but are often not utilised as well as they could be. Amber explains how to best use these.
You can read these tips over at stuff.co.nz
Posted in Facebook, social networking | No Comments »
April 19th, 2011
Proposed changes to copyright law could have a negative effect on the uptake of ultra-fast broadband, according to Rene Summer, an international industry analyst.
Under current copyright law, the copyright holders are in control of the distribution of content, rather than offering flexibility to users.
Whilst we’d all love faster broadband, without copyright holders offering their content via online mediums, such as the ability to stream movies, we are limited in how we can use the ultra-fast broadband network.
You can read more at the nzherald.
Tags: broadband, consumers, Copyright Bill
Posted in consumers, copyright | No Comments »
April 13th, 2011
It seems unbelievable, but the virtual planet Calypso on the Entropia Universe social media site sold for $6 million USD.
What would be the point of owning a virtual planet? Well, real life businesses are beginning to understand the value of online gaming networks, and are investing in virtual worlds at a rapidly increasing rate. Also, owning a virtual planet allows you to tax players to own ‘homes’ or play on the planet.
In the USA, the virtual goods market overall will reach $US2.1 billion this year!
The Stuff.co.nz article has more info for those would-be investors.
Tags: Entropia universe, social media
Posted in gaming, virtual planet | No Comments »
