Skill Zone News issue 16
It has been a month when a lot has happened in the world of computing, although little of it was technological, and much of it was social and political. And can any of us deny grinning just a little when we read that the Labour Party, the same people who are pressing for mandatory retention of all our emails and phone records for three years or more, is itself suffering a huge political embarrassment over its plans for smearing the opposition, plans which became public knowledge after it failed to keep its own emails secret?
24th April 2009
Be careful where you point that camera
Ever since the 9/11 attacks, governments and police forces around the world have used the threat of terror to take away liberties and reduce our expectations of privacy on the grounds that it is for our own good. It is inevitable that, in a surveillance society, the police and politicians themselves will come under the spotlight.
When Google points at you
Google's Street View project aims to photograph every nook and cranny of the cities of the world but in the USA, where this was first deployed, it has led to a number of complaints about invasions of privacy. Now it is coming to the UK too, and not everyone is happy about it.
Brussels to sue UK government
The European Commission has revealed it plans to sue the UK government over its failure to take action against BT and Phorm for their secret broadband interception trials.
Refunds for scam victims
The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) says it hopes to be able to return cheques to victims after breaking a lottery scam in Somerset.
Rewarding the wrong people
The author of a worm which attacked Twitter services has been rewarded by being offered a lucrative job in a security business.
Computers and music
Over the years there have been lots of covers of "Bohemian Rhapsody", and using computers to generate music is nothing new, but a computer enthusiast going by the name of James of Toronto has created a version of Queen's classic which brings a whole new meaning to computer-generated music.
This article comes from the SKILLZONE email newsletter, published monthly since January 2008, and covering topics related to technology and the internet. All articles and artwork in the SKILLZONE newsletter are orignal content.