Industry Round-Up for the W/E 3rd February 2012
Yesterday people in North America observed their furry rodents in honour of the annual Groundhog Day to see if the winter is nearing an end, and it appears there is dissent in the groundhog ranks.
Leaving the prophetic rodents aside, here is our weekly round-up of the industry news for the week ending February 3rd:
- Technology firms to fight phishing
- Don’t scare people over cybersecurity, say MPs
- Obama’s Google+ Debut: Lessons Learned
- Microsoft Windows Phone 8 details leak
- Man recreates ZX81… in Lego
Technology Firms to Fight Phishing
A crackdown on “phishing” scams has been announced by 15 of the top technology companies. Attacks typically involve scammers posing as familiar companies in an attempt to trick users into sharing personal information.
The chair of DMarc, Paypal’s Brett McDowell explained:
“Email phishing defrauds millions of people and companies every year, resulting in a loss of consumer confidence in email and the internet as a whole, industry co-operation – combined with technology and consumer education – is crucial to fight phishing”
Read the complete article here.
Don’t Scare People Over Cybersecurity, say MPs
The Commons Science and Technology Committee said malicious software (malware) was a growing threat to the UK as more business was done online.
Labour MP Andrew Miller says:
“Knowledge is the best defence against fear, so the government should focus on raising awareness of how to stay safe online – rather than scaring people about the dangers of cybercrime.”
Read the complete article here.
Obama’s Google+ Debut: Lessons Learned
Obama, the most connected president to-date, participated in his first Google+ Hangout, a real-time video meeting with a handful of his citizens. This was a step forward for open government, but participation was limited and key questions were skipped.
The feel-good moment of the evening came when the president asked for the resume of Jennifer Wedel’s unemployed husband, a semiconductor engineer laid off three years ago.
“I will follow up on this,” Obama said.
Read the complete article here.
Microsoft Windows Phone 8 Details Leak
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 will support NFC and content sharing with computers and tablets, according to a leaked video.
According to Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s Windows Phone manager, the new operating system will support the NFC (Near Field Communication) system that allows services including contactless payments.
Read the complete article here.
Man Recreates ZX81… in Lego
For those of us who remember the Sinclair ZX81 computer from the 1980’s, it turned the home computer from a hobby for nerds into something anyone could buy and use.
‘Hairy Dalek’, retro-computing fan and Lego nut has knocked up a version out of the plastic bricks of the Sinclair ZX81 computer complete with a model of Sir Clive.