Redundant staff 'have a six month window'

Redundant staff 'have a six month window'

People who lose their jobs have six months before the situation impacts on their employment prospects, according to a new study.

Workers who are made redundant have a six month window before they are viewed as being long-term unemployed, according to new research.

A study by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) revealed that while losing your job does not initially carry any sort of stigma, after half a year has passed a quarter of employers are less likely to hire someone.


Article

Tax to pay for fast net access

Tax to pay for fast net access

Every Briton with a fixed-line phone will pay a "small levy" of 50p per month to pay for faster net access.

The national fund created by the levy will be used to ensure most Britons get access to future net technologies.

The proposal is part of the Digital Britain report outlined by Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw in Parliament.

The report also includes a pledge to curb unlawful file sharing by giving regulator Ofcom new powers to identify persistent pirates.

Full story : here

Microsoft to give away anti-virus

Microsoft to give away anti-virus

Microsoft is poised to start giving away security software.

The company is reportedly trialling free anti-virus software internally and said the beta version would be released "soon".

Called Morro, the software will tackle viruses but lack the broader range of utilities, such as parental locks, found in paid-for security suites.

Morro will be Microsoft's second venture in the highly competitive security market.

Microsoft's first attempt revolved around the Windows Live OneCare service that did not succeed in turning many customers away from rivals such as Symantec and McAfee.

Microsoft plans to discontinue Live OneCare once the Morro software is ready.

No specific date has been given for when Morro will be released, but in the past Microsoft has said it would be out by the end of 2009 at the latest.

Full story :...

No IE onboard Windows 7 in Europe

No IE onboard Windows 7 in Europe

European buyers of Windows 7 will have to download and install a web browser for themselves.

Bowing to European competition rules, Microsoft Windows 7 will ship without Internet Explorer.

The company said it would make it easy for PC makers and users to get at and install the web browsing program.

In response Brussels expressed scepticism over the move and whether it went far enough to ally accusations of it abusing its market position.

Full story : here

BT suggests a charge for video content

BT suggests a charge for video content

Video over an Internet connection is hardly new, back in the dark ages of 2000 there were places where 300Kbps video streams could be found. In 2009 we now have a myriad of totally legal video sources, some in the UK and some hosted abroad, offering video at a wide range of qualities.

BT according to the Financial Times is attempting to call an end to the 'free ride' that it perceives video websites have had. The FT article specifically mentions the BBC iPlayer and YouTube, but there are many other sites offering video which, while not as massive, still contribute to the peak time traffic load.

"We can't give the content providers a completely free ride and continue to give customers the [service] they want at the price they expect" - John Petter, managing director of BT Retail's consumer business

Full story :...

Three-strikes law banned in France

Three-strikes law banned in France

French law designed to disconnect and ban users from the Internet at the request of rights holders has been deemed unconstitutional by the French Constitutional Council. The law known as the HADOPI law (Higher Authority for the Distribution of Works and the Protection of Copyright on the Internet), backed by President Sarkozy and the entertainment industry, was based on the three-strikes principle. The agency would first send a warning e-mail, then a letter and finally cut off the connection for a year if users were found to be illegally sharing files. A similar rule was considered in the UK for the Digital Britain report but rejected by Lord Carter to be replaced by what is expected to be traffic management instead of being disconnected.

Full story : here

Home computer injuries are rife

Home computer injuries are rife

Home computer-related injuries have increased more than sevenfold, with children hurt most often, data reveal.

Over 78,000 patients were treated for such injuries in US hospitals between 1994 and 2006, and 93% of the trips, bumps and falls occurred in the home.

Over the 13-year study period the injury rate increased by 732%, which is more than double the increase in household computer ownership.

The findings appear in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Children under five had the highest injury rate, mainly due to falls after tripping over cables or head injuries from falling monitors.

Similarly, in the UK computer-related accidents in the home sharply increased from around 800 in 1995 to more than 1,800 in 1999 and 2,100 in 2002 - the latest figures available.

A third of the incidents in 2002 involved a child under the age of 15, according to the Royal Society for the...

Personal Computer World to close

Personal Computer World to close

Twelve jobs at risk as Incisive Media closes Personal Computer World, one of Britain's oldest consumer technology titles

Incisive Media is closing Personal Computer World, one of the UK's oldest consumer technology titles, after more than 30 years, putting 12 jobs at risk.

The company said that it had been forced to close the title, which was first published in 1978, because of a combination of factors including the economic downturn and the decline of the computer magazine market. PCW's final issue, for August, will go on sale on 18 June.

"Because of the unprecedented adverse economic climate, advertisement and copy sale revenues have declined in parallel with the contraction of the monthly personal computer magazine market, to the point that the title is no longer economically viable," the company said today.

Full Article:...

London is UK’s most e-town - Torquay is most e-Luddite

London is UK’s most e-town - Torquay is most e-Luddite

London and Canterbury are the e-capitals of the UK according to the first national survey to lift the lid on what Britons are doing on the internet. Bournemouth was second to last and Torquay had the lowest score, making it the most e-Luddite town in the land.

More than 12,000 people completed the Great British e-test “How ‘se’s are you?” developed by online consultants Enhance Media. It covered 30 internet activities, ranging from using a search engine and email, to subscribing to an RSS feed and uploading a video to YouTube. Results revealed:

Britain’s most e-literate towns
1 London
2 Canterbury
3 Cambridge
4 Swindon
5 Chelmsford
6 Glasgow
7 Milton Keynes
8 Sheffield

Britain’s least e-literate towns
1 Torquay
2 Bournemouth
3 Twickenham
4...

IT managers 'must prepare for growth'

IT managers 'must prepare for growth'

Technology executives should start aligning their business towards growth regardless of the recession, Gartner has advised.

The industry analyst firm suggested that organisations should attempt to roll out their growth plans by July 1st this year.

Gartner explained that rises in unemployment have led to staff operating at nearly full capacity and customer demand is likely to increase in the coming months.

Full Article here.

-Ken