• TECH

  Headlines are disappointing

  Life, James Hein, Published on 22/11/2023

  » If you have been in any way involved in social media over the past few years, there will be words that immediately have you wondering if the headline is in any way real. My favourite recently was "SpaceX Launched REAL UFO In ISRAEL! HAMAS And Iran Shocked!" on YouTube.

• TECH

  Who checks the fact checkers?

  Life, James Hein, Published on 30/08/2023

  » The information landscape has changed a great deal over the past five years. Back in the 1990s, information exchange was mostly between academics and IT people. The majority of the information was accurate and typically scientific or technical in nature. The communication was polite and debates were just that, debates. It was an inclusive community, though in some cases you were required to stick to the topic at hand. Then came the social media platforms.

• TECH

  Transpacific cable is cut, for now

  Life, James Hein, Published on 16/09/2020

  » In light of the problems between the USA and China, and that those in power in Beijing want to grab data from US networks, Google and Facebook have dropped plans to build an undersea cable between the US and Hong Kong. The new target limits the landing points to the Philippines and Taiwan and now excludes Hong Kong. The HK section of the cable is built but will not now be activated due to a national security agreement between the US and Google and Facebook. I will predict that if Joe Biden wins the next US election this decision will be revisited.

• TECH

  China foundering in IT advances

  Life, James Hein, Published on 17/06/2020

  » - As I write this it has been a strange two weeks in the world and this has kept most news on the technology front well in the background.

• OPINION

  Silicon Valley is not an arbiter of free expression

  Life, James Hein, Published on 15/08/2018

  » It is somewhat disconcerting that Silicon Valley -- which occupies about 300 square miles, and where most think the same and have the same politics -- can determine allowable content for the rest of the planet. Some of us remember that many of the major platforms were developed using government grants and public funding. With this base they should represent all views, of all types, and not just the ones they happen to like. This was the initial declaration at least, but in the modern world, that seems to have changed. I am certainly no great fan of Alex Jones, but that a cabal of providers can effectively execute social termination is very worrying for the future of open platforms and freedom of expression.

• TECH

  Fuzzy logic and online translations

  Life, James Hein, Published on 07/09/2016

  » In the IT world it is very important to get things exactly right, unless of course you are dealing with fuzzy logic. If your banking system, for example, is out by a decimal place, this can lead to some very unhappy customers or some very happy ones and a less than happy bank. There are many areas where calculations and units of measure are vital, just ask one of the Mars exploration landing teams.

• TECH

  Google wants your Android

  Life, James Hein, Published on 15/06/2016

  » Which is the world's most valuable brand? A number of them should pop into mind like Coca-Cola, Apple and Cartier. The new leader of the pack however is Google taking the slot from Apple based on the recent BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study. With a 32% increase in brand value they were a big mover since last year, while Apple dropped in value over the same period. Other IT names are in the top 10 like Microsoft at third, Facebook at fifth and Amazon at seventh place.

• TECH

  Coining it in

  Life, James Hein, Published on 03/02/2016

  » So the People's Bank of China (PBOC) is planning to set up a virtual currency for China. The stated purpose sounds reasonable, reduce the cost of paper currency and allow the country to have greater control over the currency supply. Apparently this would also help with money laundering, tax cheats and allow for greater transparency.

• OPINION

  Arguing over social media

  Life, James Hein, Published on 15/04/2015

  » This week's article is a little different. The modern world is now largely based around social media. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Secret, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Taptalk, Skype, Yahoo Messenger and many others are linking people all around the planet, 24/7, 365 days of the year. Some countries like China have banned some of these sites and replaced them with local variants, but for the most part, no matter where you are, you can let people know what you are doing.

• TECH

  #hashtag is now official

  Life, James Hein, Published on 25/06/2014

  » It is as official as it is going to get — Oxford have accepted the word “hashtag” into their dictionary. Normally it would take longer, but due to the widespread use of the word it has been added early. The first use was on Aug 25, 2007, in a Twitter posting. The symbol itself has a longer history when back before the 1960s the # symbol, technically known as the “octothorp”, was used as an indicator for a number. It is also called the hash, hatch, crunch, pound, number and tic-tac-toe sign. Yes, I made up that last one.

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