MPs have had their fingers burned by texting and technology, and may have regretted the odd text or tweet.
Giles Dilnot looked at what can go wrong and offered tips for the future when putting digit to smartphone.
More clips and news on our BBC website; ‘like’ us on Facebook page; follow us on Twitter
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18119465#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
As Facebook prepared itself for its flotation on the stock exchange, technology experts attending the Future Everything conference in Manchester gave their reaction to the company’s view of its worth.
The social network said on Thursday that it valued shares at $38 (£24) each.
At this price the eight-year-old firm would be worth $104bn (£66bn).
On the eve of the historic flotation, the BBC caught up with Richard Ayers, head of Digital at Manchester City Football Club; Icelandic MP Birgitta Jonsodottir, an internet activist with the Movement Party; Blogger and internet entrepreneur Rohan Gunatillake; Rufus Pollock, Co-founder of the Open Knowledge Foundation; and Loz Kaye, leader of the Pirate Party UK.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18116434#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
17 May 2012
Last updated at 18:24 GMT
The nameless body of water next to the Gulf of Oman is at the centre of a dispute between Iran and Arab countries
Google is facing legal action over its decision to not label the body of water separating Iran and neighbouring Arab Gulf states on its online map service.
The Iranians call the waterway the Persian Gulf, while Arab countries often refer to it as the Arabian Gulf.
Iran has warned Google it will face “serious damages” if it does not denote the as the Persian Gulf.
The Gulf is bordered by Iran and its Arab neighbours – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.
Continue reading the main story
Google will face serious damages if it does not correct its mistake as soon as possible”
End Quote
Ramin Mehmanparast
Iranian Foreign Minister
Despite increasing pressure from Arab sources to call it the Arabian Gulf, or at least to use both names, Iran insists historical evidence shows the water has always been Persian.
“If Google does not correct its mistake as soon as possible, we will file an official complaint against Google,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Ramin Mehmanparast.
‘Missing landmark’
The controversy began earlier this month when Iran’s Irna state news agency reported that Google had deleted the Persian Gulf label from its map service.
In a rare show of unity, authorities and the opposition jointly condemned the decision. Thousands of Iranians vented their anger on blogs and in online forums.
Google rejected the criticism, saying the body of water had not been labelled from the start.
A Google spokesperson told the BBC it did not name every place in the world although he was unable to provide an example of a similar case of a missing landmark.
Interactive world map Google Earth, meanwhile, describes the waterway both as Persian Gulf and Arabian Gulf.
Iran has repeatedly criticised countries and organisations that do not use the term Persian Gulf.
Searching for Arabian Gulf elicited a spoof message during an Iranian internet offensive in 2004
In 2010, it warned that airlines using the term Arabian Gulf on in-flight monitors would be barred from Iranian airspace.
The same year, the second Islamic Solidarity Games were cancelled after Arab and Iranian organisers failed to agree on whether to describe the Gulf as Persian or Arabian on medals.
When the National Geographic Society decided to feature both terms in its 2004 world atlas edition, Iranians launched a huge internet offensive.
As a result, anyone searching for the Arabian Gulf on Google found a website saying it did not exist.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18108246#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
17 May 2012
Last updated at 11:19 GMT
AMD affects one in eight people aged over 85
Scottish scientists are working on a device to restore sight in people with a specific form of blindness.
Strathclyde University in Glasgow aims to create a prosthetic retina to tackle age related macular degeneration (AMD).
The condition affects one in 500 patients aged between 55 and 64 and one in eight aged over 85.
The retina under development is a thin silicon device with no wires, which would be simpler to surgically implant than devices currently used.
Strathclyde University is working on the new device in partnership with Stanford University in California.
‘Simpler design’
The new retina is described as being “simpler in design and operation than existing models”.
It is said to act by electrically stimulating neurons in the retina, which are left relatively unscathed by the effects of AMD while other image-capturing cells, known as photoreceptors, are lost.
It would use video goggles to deliver energy and images directly to the eye and be operated remotely via pulsed near infra-red light – unlike most prosthetic retinas, which are powered through coils that require complex surgery to be implanted.
Dr Keith Mathieson from Strathclyde University is one of the lead researchers on the project.
He said: “AMD is a huge medical challenge and, with an aging population, is continuing to grow.
“The prosthetic retina we are developing has been partly inspired by cochlear implants for the ear but with a camera instead of a microphone and, where many cochlear implants have a few channels, we are designing the retina to deal with millions of light sensitive nerve cells and sensory outputs.
“The implant is thin and wireless and so is easier to implant.
“Since it receives information on the visual scene through an infra-red beam projected through the eye, the device can take advantage of natural eye movements that play a crucial role in visual processing.”
A paper on the under-development implant is published in the latest edition of Nature Photonics.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18103242#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
18 May 2012
Last updated at 02:07 GMT
The H-2A rocket blasted off from Tanegashima Island in southern Japan
Japan has completed its first successful commercial launch of a foreign-made satellite.
The H-2A rocket blasted off from the space centre on Tanegashima Island in southern Japan at 1:39 am on Friday (16:39 GMT Thursday).
The South Korean satellite separated from the rocket 16 minutes after launch, followed by three Japanese satellites.
This marks Japan’s entry into the launch business.
The South Korean satellite, the KOMPSAT-3, is a multipurpose observation satellite developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, said a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) press release.
One of the Japanese satellites, the Shinzuku, would be used for monitoring global ocean currents and the other two smaller satellites were experimental models, officials said.
This was the 21st launch of the H-2A rocket developed by Jaxa, which is reportedly working on a next generation H-3 rocket.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), which has operated the rocket since 2007, is looking to carry out more commercial launches, joining the race in a space dominated by the Europeans and Russians.
Japan has been on a decades-long quest to be part of the commercial launch business.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18113000#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
17 May 2012
Last updated at 13:10 GMT
Danny Mann says he is looking forward to playing the game with his grandchildren
Scientists at Newcastle University have developed a computer game designed to help stroke victims recuperate.
The Circus Challenge game, created with a computer game studio, aims to help patients recover motor functions.
Players use wireless controllers to perform virtual circus acts such as lion taming and plate spinning.
It is hoped the PC-based game will serve as a cheaper and more effective alternative to existing treatments, with patients able to play at home.
The project received a £1.5m grant from the Health Innovation Challenge Fund, a partnership between the Wellcome Trust and the Department of Health, to allow further development.
‘Trapeze artist’
One patient, who suffered a stroke in February, said the game was “something different which encourages me to keep going with my therapy”.
Danny Mann, 68, from Dudley, Northumberland, said the game compared favourably with the “dull” exercises he had previously been instructed to complete.
“This is the first time I’ve ever played a video game – I mean, I don’t even own a computer.
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The BBC’s Sharon Barbour reports on the computer game for stroke patients
“When I got the controllers I tried being a trapeze artist – something I never expected to try at my time of life,” he said.
Mr Mann said he was looking forward to furthering his recovery by playing the game with his grandchildren.
Janet Eyre, Professor of Paediatric Neuroscience at Newcastle University, said the game would help meet the shortfall of trained therapists who stroke victims must normally work with on a frequent basis as part of their rehabilitation.
“With our video game, people get engrossed in the competition and action of the circus characters and forget that the purpose of the game is for therapy.”
Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer and chief medical adviser at the the Department of Health, said the newly-developed technology was a “remarkable innovation in the NHS”.
“The government is committed to supporting such work and bringing breakthroughs from every area – even video gaming – to the front line of patient care,” she said.
Circus Challenge becomes more difficult as players gain more strength as their recovery progresses. The tasks require both gross and fine motor skills and can be performed by people in wheelchairs.
About 80% of stroke patients do not fully regain their arm and hand functions, however it is hoped there will be some improvement on this figure as patients are able to continue their rehabilitation at home.
In the UK, 150,000 people suffer a stroke every year, costing the economy an estimated £4bn in care and loss of income.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-18102299#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
18 May 2012
Last updated at 11:44
Anonymous used YouTube to announce its OpIndia campaign
The hacker group Anonymous has carried out a series of attacks against websites in India.
Websites for government departments, India’s Supreme Court and two political parties all came under attack.
Anonymous said the attacks were carried out in retaliation against blocks imposed on well-known video and file-sharing sites.
The Indian anti-piracy firm behind the blocking of Vimeo, DailyMotion and The Pirate Bay was also attacked.
In late March, Chennai-based Copyrightlabs won a restraining order that made Indian ISPs and phone firms stop their customers reaching sites that were illegally sharing copies of Bollywood films called 3 and Dhammu.
As the the blocks started to come into force in mid-May, Anonymous launched attacks against 14 separate government and political sites. Hit hardest were the Indian telecoms department, electronics and IT ministry, supreme court and sites used by the BJP and INC political parties which were all knocked offline.
The website of Copyrightlabs was also “down for maintenance” during the attacks.
In tweets documenting its ongoing hack attacks, Anonymous said they were being carried out in retaliation for “internet censorship” in India.
To knock out the sites, Anonymous bombarded them with data, a tactic known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.
The tactic had only partial success as most of the sites targeted soon recovered and were only offline intermittently.
The disabling of the websites was the first tangible result actions of the OpIndia campaign announced by Anonymous on 9 May in a message posted to YouTube.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18114984#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
18 May 2012
Last updated at 13:20
Twitter will look different if people take up the Do Not Track privacy option
Micro-blogging service Twitter has declared its support for an initiative that lets people browse the web without being monitored.
The “Do Not Track” initiative stops firms tracking people as they visit several different websites.
The monitoring is done to help advertisers craft ads to a user’s preferences and lifestyle.
Blocking the tracking depends on websites honouring requests from users to browse anonymously.
Do Not Track (DNT) has been brokered by the US Federal Trade Commission which wants people to be able to tell websites to stop gathering and sharing data when they visit.
Sites that decide to ignore users’ requests to stop tracking them could be subject to FTC action.
A DNT option is available in the recent versions of the Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari browsers. Turning on Do Not Track in Google’s Chrome involves installing an add-on.
For DNT to work, websites have to agree to discard any data they would otherwise collect and share about what people do when they visit a site.
In a help document, Twitter said it would now respect the Do Not Track option in all the browsers that supported it.
However, it said that those that turn on DNT would notice a change in the information Twitter presented to them.
“We stop collecting the information that allows us to tailor Twitter based on your recent visits to websites that have integrated our buttons or widgets,” it said in its help document.
A survey carried out by Mozilla, which makes the Firefox web browser, found that 8.6% of the users of its desktop browser and 19% of mobile browser users were opted in to Do Not Track.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18114990#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
18 May 2012
Last updated at 11:09 GMT
The researchers are already collaborating with a manufacturer on prototypes
Researchers have revealed details of a promising way to make a fundamentally different kind of computer memory chip.
The device is a “memristor”, a long-hypothesised but only recently demonstrated electronic component.
A memristor’s electronic properties make it suitable for both for computing and for far faster, denser memory.
Researchers at the European Materials Research Society meeting now say it can be made much more cheaply, using current semiconductor techniques.
There has been significant interest in memristors since the first prototype was unveiled in 2008, not least because it took 37 years for the device to make it from theoretical proposition to reality.
The name is a portmanteau of memory and resistor, because its resistance changes depending on how much current has passed through it; it “remembers” that value even after power is turned off.
In a flash
The history-dependent nature of their electrical properties would make them able to carry out calculations, but most interest has focused on developing them for memory applications, to replace the widespread “flash” solid-state memory of USB sticks and memory cards.
“We’re reaching the limits of what we can do with flash memory in terms of increasing the storage density, and it’s also relatively high power and not as fast as we would like,” said Anthony Kenyon of University College London, UK.
However, researchers are still working to get memristor devices out of the laboratory and into consumer electronics. Hewlett-Packard, whose engineers demonstrated the first working memristor, already have plans to bring early memristor designs to market.
Current designs employ expensive or exotic materials, but a real memristor revolution could hinge on making them compatible with existing semiconductor technology, based overwhelmingly on silicon.
Memristors employing more “exotic” materials will probably make it into devices first
That would make them easy and cheap to integrate into existing manufacturing techniques.
Such attempts have been made before, but previous devices reported in a 2010 paper in Nano Letters were fairly delicate and worked only under vacuum.
Now, Dr Kenyon and his colleagues have stumbled across a better way to make silicon memristors.
The team was working on silicon devices for LEDs when they accidentally discovered that a film of silicon oxide on their devices – which forms naturally when silicon is left out in air – behaved as memristors.
They went on to study just what was going on inside the films, and recently published details of their findings in the Journal of Applied Physics.
What they have found is that their devices appear to significantly outperform existing solid-state “flash” memory.
As they described at this week’s conference, the energy required to switch the state of their devices – the energy it would take to store or retrieve a bit of information – is just a hundredth of that in existing flash memory, and significantly faster.
“Flash memory devices switch at 10,000 nanoseconds (billionths of a second) or so, and in our device we can’t measure how fast it is,” Dr Kenyon said.
“Our equipment only goes down to 90 nanoseconds. It’s at least as fast as that and probably faster.”
Though the team’s idea is a bit behind other more well developed memristor recipes, Dr Kenyon is hopeful the cheap and simple nature of their devices will make them industrially attractive.
“Discussions are at a early stage but we are talking to some fairly major names in the industry about taking this and commercialising it,” he said.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18103772#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
18 May 2012
Last updated at 15:33 GMT
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Mark Zuckerberg rings the Nasdaq bell as Facebook shares go on sale
Facebook shares have jumped on their market debut in one of the most high-profile share sales of recent years.
Shares in the social networking site, initially priced at $38 each, rose to $43 within the first few minutes of trading.
Founder Mark Zuckerberg officially opened the day’s trading on the Nasdaq exchange earlier.
He appeared via video link from a celebration at the social network’s headquarters in California.
The $38 share price values the eight-year-old social network site at $104bn (£66bn).
Strong demand has led Facebook to increase both the price and the number of shares available for sale.
Facebook’s valuation means the social network site is worth about the same as internet shopping giant Amazon, and more than the value of stalwarts such as Disney.
The initial public offering (IPO) of the shares is the third-largest in US history, after the financial giant Visa and General Motors.
Facebook’s owners are releasing just under a fifth of the company’s total shares, about 421 million, which could raise about $18bn.
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Is Facebook worth $100bn?
Facebook employees have been up all night ahead of the event, taking part in a “hackathon” at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California.
It is an event in which programmers work on projects and come up with new ideas.
Future profits?
Facebook’s profits are tiny in relation to its size – it makes about $5 a year for each of its 900 million users – and its plans to increase profitability are unclear.
David Kirkpatrick, author of The Facebook Effect, says there is an army of potential stock holders among its users who are likely to push the share price higher.
“People want to own the [Facebook] stock because they love it so much. I find people all the time who are just devoted to Facebook,” he said.
The site is largely used for social updates, and although Facebook has said its use on mobile devices are the key to new profits, analysts question how much room there is for advertising on such platforms.
Car giant General Motors added to those doubts by saying on Tuesday that it would no longer pay to advertise on the site.
Mixed fortunes
Other internet companies have had mixed experiences when they have started selling shares.
Online games maker Zynga’s shares fell 5% on their first day of trading in December 2011.
But shares in business networking site LinkedIn more than doubled on their debut in May last year and are still trading well above that level, while Groupon shares jumped 30% on their debut in November.
However, they have since fallen back, particularly after the daily deals firm admitted in April that it had overstated its previous revenues and earnings.
Voting power
The feverish anticipation for this market debut did not extend to all investors.
Oliver Pursche, president of Gary Goldberg Financial Services, told the BBC ahead of the flotation: “We’re telling our investors to hold off.
“Number one, we don’t know what the guts and the balance sheet of the company looks like yet so that’s a big red flag for us. We want to understand the business before we tell people to invest.”
The new shareholders will not have much say in how the business is run.
The shares on offer are “A” shares, which carry one vote per share, as is normal, but the current owners’ shares are “B” shares, which carry 10 votes each.
They will control more than 96% of the votes after the flotation, with founder Mark Zuckerberg holding just under 56% of the voting power of the company.
Mr Zuckerberg, who owns about 25% of the company, stands to gain the most from taking Facebook public. Fellow founders Dustin Moskovitz and Eduardo Saverin will also become paper-billionaires overnight, as will Napster founder and former employee Sean Parker.
US venture capital firm Accel Partners and Russian internet investment group Digital Sky Technologies also hold significant stakes in Facebook, while software giant Microsoft and U2 frontman Bono also stand to make a huge profit on their investment in the company.
Who
Value of stake
What they did
Numbers source: Bloomberg Billionaires Index
Mark Zuckerberg
$19.1bn
Co-created Facebook while a student at Harvard University. The famous hoodie-wearer is now its chairman and chief executive.
Dustin Moskovitz
$5.1bn
Facebook co-founder and former Mark Zuckerberg roommate. Co-founder of the collaborative software company Asana.
Alisher Usmanov
$5bn
Billionaire Russian entrepreneur with metals, media and telecoms interests. Has stake in Arsenal football club.
Eduardo Saverin
$2.9bn
Brazilian-born, former US citizen. Set up Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg and two others. Gave up dual US citizenship, saving millions in tax, and plans to settle in Singapore.
Sean Parker
$2.5bn
Entrepreneur. Co-founder of file-sharing site Napster. Played by Justin Timberlake in the film The Social Network.
Peter Thiel
$1.06bn
German-born US entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist and hedge fund manager. Co-founded PayPal, which floated on the stockmarket in 2002.
Sheryl Sandberg
$1bn
Facebook’s chief operating officer. Previously worked in the US Treasury Department and later for Google.
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Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18115914#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa