Stuart Sumner, Computing, Thursday 26 August 2010 at 15:00:00 Pentagon official reveals US military network was infected by malware in 2008 A cyber attack in 2008 was the "most significant breach ever" of the US military network according to deputy defence secretary William Lynn. The attack started when a flash drive infected by malware was inserted into a US military laptop at a base in the Middle East. "The flash drive's malicious computer code, placed there by a foreign intelligence agency, uploaded itself onto a network run by the US Central Command," wrote Lynn in US-based...Read More »

Dawinderpal Sahota, Computing, Thursday 26 August 2010 at 14:09:00 Traffic rises 75 per cent on the quietest time of the week Office workers are most likely to start shopping at 4pm on a Wednesday afternoon, according to a recent study by price comparison web site Invisible Hand. At this time traffic to internet shopping sites is 75 per cent higher than at the quietest times. The research suggests that employees tend to visit online shopping sites to stave off boredom and escape from work pressures. There is also a 52 per cent...Read More »

Computing, Friday 20 August 2010 at 10:42:00 Join Tech Talk for an overview of the week's top IT stories, and a debate on IT skills. Is the UK slipping behind? Welcome to Tech Talk episode 4. Stuart Sumner and special guest Dawinderpal Sahota lay out and debate the week's news, then discuss IT skills. Is schooling in ICT necessary for candidates wishing to find employment in the UK IT industry? Full published article at: Read More »

Rachel Fielding, Computing, Thursday 19 August 2010 at 11:48:00 Survey says 80 per cent of companies are giving precedence to mobile websites Four out of five companies are looking to develop, or have already set up, a mobile website, according to a survey conducted by Adobe Systems, which adds clout to the mobile channel as an important medium to drive traffic and support multi-channel commerce. Adobe’s first annual Mobile Commerce Survey details strategies that businesses can use to harness the emerging mobile channel over the coming year, based on feedback from more than 400 companies...Read More »

Stuart Sumner, Computing, Thursday 19 August 2010 at 11:46:00 MasterCard agrees to buy UK payment service provider to compete in the online payment market US credit card company MasterCard has committed to buy London-listed internet payment company DataCash for £333m. DataCash services include secure electronic payments solutions, fraud prevention, international payment services and various added-value options such as dynamic currency conversion. MasterCard has stated it needs to become more competitive in the global consumer cash payment and transfer market against popular web-based rivals such as PayPal. A report in The Financial Times quoted...Read More »

Rachel Fielding, Computing, Wednesday 18 August 2010 at 14:23:00 Centrica warns impending skills crunch will affect the energy industry Widespread resistance to science and technology-related careers among A-level students and undergraduates is in danger of thwarting the UK’s attempts to embrace low-carbon technology, energy giant Centrica has warned. The UK’s biggest domestic energy supplier has joined forces with employers’ federation the CBI to warn of an impending skills crunch of candidates coming into the energy industry to keep the lights on in the next decade. While policy makers have focused on getting the...Read More »

Computing, Tuesday 17 August 2010 at 14:08:00 Join Tech Talk for a rundown of the week's IT news, and a special debate on government crowdsourcing Welcome to Tech Talk episode 3. Stuart Sumner and Nicola Brittain lay out and debate the week's top IT stories, then move on to an analysis of the coalition government's use of crowdsourcing. Listen for more. Full published article at: Read More »

Dawinderpal Sahota, Computing, Monday 16 August 2010 at 17:17:00 Pharmacy2U uses Avail Intelligence’s behavioural merchandising software to recommend products to customers Online pharmaceuticals provider Pharmacy2U is using Avail’s behavioural merchandising software to better promote products to online customers. The technology provides real-time recommendations for site visitors based on the surfing habits of other customers matching their profile. Pharmacy2U said that it needed a way of presenting only the most relevant items to shoppers online out of its thousands of product lines. It said that Pharmacy2U customers are already responding to the tailored experience and...Read More »

Dawinderpal Sahota, Computing, Monday 16 August 2010 at 15:01:00 Erik Huggers says Flash technology does not betray the BBC’s commitment to open standards The BBC’s director of future media and technology, Erik Huggers, has defended the broadcasting corporation’s use of Flash on BBC iPlayer and across BBC Online. He claims that using Flash, which is a proprietary software that is used to add interactive features such as video and animation to applications and web pages, does not betray the BBC’s commitment to open standards. Huggers was responding to criticism of the BBC’s...Read More »

Stuart Sumner, Computing, Monday 16 August 2010 at 11:57:00 Millions being ploughed into sites in the face of deficits and job losses A report in The Telegraph states that councils are spending large sums on web site refreshes and redesigns, despite facing the largest funding cuts in their history. The spend also needs to be viewed in the context that not all consumers of council services are internet users or have reliable internet access, especially in rural areas. According to the report, up to...Read More »