Planning a (post COVID) trip to Germany? You need to read this!

GERMANY has taken the bold (and slightly worrying) step of banning the use of any system that alerts the rider or driver of a vehicle to a fixed speed camera.

Both Garmin and TomTom have contacted their registered users by email alerting them to the news that speed camera detection systems are now banned in Germany.

The move is part of sweeping reform in Germany, and this change is just one in a long list of amendments the German Federal Council has adopted to the road traffic laws.

Germany has already for some time made it illegal to use specific speed camera detection systems, Snooper and Radar, and such like, although the new ruling makes it illegal to even use the built-in software that most major SAT NAV manufacturers use.

The hard to police change will mean that any motorists travelling through or to Germany on a motorcycle tour will need to manually disable the speed camera detection within the SAT NAV’s menus or risk a €75 fine!

www.visordown.com

Threats to the security of Google Chrome - propagated by Google's own Web Store!

Efforts to manipulate installation counts in Chrome Web Store extension listings appear to be alive and well, despite a developer's personal crusade to call attention to the problem.

Julio Marin Torres has been highlighting suspiciously popular Chrome extensions since January in posts to the Chromium Extensions forum, trying to get Googler to enforce their store policies.

In an email to The Register, he said Google has taken some action since his initial posts on the subject, but the problem has only gotten worse since then. "Something has to change," he said. "I think this hurts the entire Chrome Store developer and user community."

There are still thousands of extensions in the Chrome Web Store that artificially inflate their user count statistics, to make store visitors more inclined to believe the extensions are widely used and trustworthy.

Google Chrome is a great Web browser, but there are a number of vectors out there that can turn chrome from a great tool, into a misery! Extensions & Notifications are the biggest threats that I have to deal with on behalf of my clients. Have problems with Chrome? Contact Donline.

www.theregister.co.uk

Microsoft releases Windows 10 May 2020 Update, version 2004

Microsoft is starting to release the latest twice-annual update to Windows 10, featuring enhancements to the longstanding Notepad app and a way to find your cursor in a sea of text.

Windows is the world’s most popular PC operating system, and more than a billion devices are actively running Windows 10, which debuted in 2015. Last year Microsoft shifted to a cycle of a major update in the spring and a minor update in the fall, rather than a major update in each of those seasons each year. 

Microsoft has been testing different versions of the Windows update with a small pool of users for the past several months and is now ready to provide it to the full base.

www.cnbc.com

Video Chat applications - staying in touch during lockdown

The best video chat apps are now more valuable than ever for those looking to stay in touch and connected to friends and family. Fortunately, there's all kinds of software designed to help with that, across desktop and mobile — many of which are free.

We've rounded up a list of the best video chat apps, whether you're on desktop, using an iPhone or Android handset, or gaming on your PC. Some of these apps are better suited for professional cases, like working remotely with colleagues, while others are better for simply chatting. In fact, depending on the smartphone you own, some of this software might already come preinstalled on your device.

Read on for our highlights of the best video chat apps on a multitude of platforms. And if you're skittish about spending money, fear not: every piece of software in this list at least has a free tier - and most of them are totally free, period.

For years Microsoft Skype was the go to video chat app, but things have moved on. The applications that I use most often are: WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Google (Hangouts) Meet, Facebook Messenger, Zoom. 

I prefer WhatsApp for speed, ease of use, & security. Teams is amazing - really feature rich & professional. Meet has brilliant GSuite & Gmail integration. Facebook Messenger is useful for chatting with mates. Zoom is very popular - but I and many other techies & businesses have lingering security concerns.

www.tomsguide.com/

Norton's hiring: new owners expanding workforce

The new owners of Norton are wasting no time in getting up to full strength with job adverts for 15 roles posted on their website. The brand, now owned by Indian company TVS, are on the hunt for people to fill a range of engineering and admin roles including a quality manager, senior design engineer and principal powertrain engineer.

"We have begun the process of planning for the restart of the business and are looking to both fill some existing vacancies and add to the capabilities of the organisation," Norton’s interim CEO, John Russell, told MCN.

This intake will grow the headcount of the business by over 25% from the 55 members of staff it had when TVS took over, and it doesn’t sound like it will be the last expansion either.

Russell added: "The roles we are recruiting are across the organisation, engineering, operations, sales, marketing and service. Initially we are looking to fill around 15 posts and will be looking to further rounds of hiring as we grow Norton to its full potential."

www.motorcyclenews.com

Don's latest compo win: a lovely IOM TT quilted jacket!

I'm a bit of a competition hound, and regularly enter compos. Like the TV ad used to say - you've got to be in it to win it! Over the years I've been blessed with winning all sorts of lovely stuff: food, a TV, lots of computer kit - all sorts.

On Wednesday this week I was really pleased to receive an email from Motor Cycle News saying that I've won this competition! After a quick bit of email correspondence, I was advised that it would be posted out to me - fab I thought, something nice to look forward to... Unbelievably, the postie delivered it this morning - 24 hours later - all the way from the IOM! It's a lovely thing, but I'm gonna have to wait till later this year to wear it as it's nice & warm, so not ideal for the summer months. 

Thanks so much to MCN & Isle Of Man TT Merchandise for this lovely prize!

Organ donation law in England has changed - HORRAY!

Organ donation in England has moved to an 'opt out' system. You may also hear it referred to as 'Max and Keira's Law'. This means that all adults in England will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups. The opt out system in England came into effect on 20 May 2020.

Your family will still be approached and your faith, beliefs and culture will continue to be respected. You still have a choice whether or not you wish to become a donor. Get the facts about organ donation to help you decide. 

If you needed an organ transplant would you accept one?

If you needed a blood transfusion would you accept it?

Then please help those in need: by giving blood, and opting to donate organs and tissue.

Please do it now - the links are below. 

Don't put it off, you might forget.

Sign up & save lives.

www.blood.co.uk   /   www.organdonation.nhs.uk

www.organdonation.nhs.uk