Wise words from Saint Augustine: on what love looks like

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” 

“Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”

From Confessions by Saint Augustine of Hippo

Worshippers seek to re-enact feeding of 5,000 miracle - in Southsea!

FIVE thousand battered fish in bread rolls will be handed out to visitors at a free fun day as a church seeks to replicate one of Jesus’s miracles.

Worshippers from St Jude’s Church in Southsea are leading other local churches in re-enacting the feeding of the 5,000 as part of a free community festival on Castle Field.

Members of the public will be handed the free food, along with a copy of the story of the miracle in comic-book form, which has been supplied by the Bible Society. The #Feeding5K event happens from 11:30am until 4pm on Saturday 7th September. It will be a reminder of the only miracle that is recorded in all four of the gospels.

This initiative, which was inspired by similar events organised by the Bible Society, is designed to encourage passers-by to think about whether Jesus performed miracles and whether he could transform their lives too. Twelve volunteers dressed as ‘disciples’ will be in charge of handing out the fish and bread, which will be cooked in three mobile vans.

It will be part of a massive free community festival on the Castle Field site, which will include live music, a samba band, talks, interviews, a kids’ zone, games, a refreshment tent, and more. There will be lots of free give aways - from Mark’s Gospels to knitted fish for the children. It is designed for anyone who will be visiting the seafront that day and also for Christians to invite friends and families along.

Among the musicians playing live will be the Bean Baker Band, who have previously played at festivals such as the Big Church Day Out, New Wine, Latitude and Soul Survivor; and award-winning indie singer-songwriter Jessie Dipper (pictured above), who has been described as the ‘female Ed Sheeran’.

Later in the day, there’ll be a special youth event in the same venue for 10 to 18-year-olds from 5:30pm to 8pm. Rap artist Hiddenman, who is from south London and has also played at New Wine, will be performing. There will also be pillow jousting, a bungee run, rodeo bull, sumo suits and food stalls.

www.portsmouth.anglican.org

Apple's new METAL credit card can be damaged by DENIM & LEATHER... Time for a SAXON link!

Apple is urging owners of the Apple Card to keep it away from leather wallets, denim jeans and even other credit cards. The firm published a guide recently that details how to avoid causing irreparable cosmetic damage to the card; included in the instructions is the disclaimer that “some fabrics, like leather and denim, might cause permanent discolouration that will not wash off.”

The Apple Card is made from titanium with a white multilayered coating that, according to the guide, is easily damaged by any “hard surface or material”. Cleaning instructions including wiping the card with a “soft, slightly damp, lint-free microfiber cloth” or applying a cloth soaked in isopropyl alcohol to damaged areas.

Outstanding: a credit card that can be damaged by the type of materials that people are likely to store their credit cards in: jeans & wallets. Any wonder why techies generally give apple products a wide berth?... 

Anyway, time for some classic metal: Denim and Leather by Saxon!

www.expertreviews.co.uk

Do you have a Lenovo Laptop with "Lenovo Solution Centre" installed? Time to uninstall it - NOW!

A vulnerability reported in Lenovo Solution Center version 03.12.003, which is no longer supported, could allow log files to be written to non-standard locations, potentially leading to privilege escalation. 

Lenovo ended support for Lenovo Solution Center and recommended that customers migrate to Lenovo Vantage or Lenovo Diagnostics in April 2019.

www.theregister.co.uk

How to avoid ransomware attacks: 10 tips

Nigerian princes are no longer the only menaces lurking in an employee's inbox. For healthcare organizations, schools, government agencies and many businesses, ransomware attacks—an especially sinister type of malware delivered through spear phishing emails that locks up valuable data assets and demands a ransom to release them—are a rapidly-growing security threat.

"We're currently seeing a massive explosion in innovation in the types of ransomware and the ways it's getting into organizations," says Rick McElroy, security strategist for cyber security company Carbon Black Enterprise Response. "It's a big business, and the return on investment to attackers is there—it's going to get worse."

To prevent a ransomware attack, experts say IT and information security leaders should do the following:

1. Keep clear inventories of all of your digital assets and their locations, so cyber criminals do not attack a system you are unaware of.
2. Keep all software up to date, including operating systems and applications.
3. Back up all information every day, including information on employee devices, so you can restore encrypted data if attacked.
4. Back up all information to a secure, offsite location.
5. Segment your network: Don't place all data on one file share accessed by everyone in the company.
6. Train staff on cyber security practices, emphasizing not opening attachments or links from unknown sources.
7. Develop a communication strategy to inform employees if a virus reaches the company network.
8. Before an attack happens, work with your board to determine if your company will plan to pay a ransom or launch an investigation.
9. Perform a threat analysis in communication with vendors to go over the cyber security throughout the lifecycle of a particular device or application.
10. Instruct information security teams to perform penetration testing to find any vulnerabilities.

www.techrepublic.com

Still a good while till Christmas, but: the Virgin Wine calendars have just been released for pre-orders!

Whilst we know it’s still a while till Christmas we’re letting you know in plenty of time that our 2019 calendars are available to be reserved from today as they completely sold out each of the past three years!

So... after nearly a year of hard work they’re finally here; our brand new and improved family of 2019 advent calendars.

As always we’ve listened to your feedback and we’re excited to be launching not one, but THREE awesome varieties of different advent calendars for you to enjoy this year:

1. Wine Advent Calendars – This year we have added all-red and all-white versions alongside our mixed wine calendar for you to choose from.

2. Gin Advent Calendar – Try our brand new gin advent calendar packed with 24 x 5cl bottles of premium gins.

3. Beer Advent Calendar – Discover 24 delicious full-sized craft beers from around the world with our brand new beer advent calendar.

My mixed (white, red, sparkling) wine Advent Calendar is reserved!

To reserve yours: CLICK HERE, then click on GIFTS at the top of the page, on the 2019 Advent Calendars banner, click the RESERVE NOW button. Cheers!

www.virginwines.co.uk

Which: customer services poll. Guess who are amongst the worst performers...

The Which? survey asked around 4,000 members of the public to rate the customer services at up to three of 100 well-known brands.

This included how the companies made them feel, how helpful and knowledgeable their staff were, and how well they handled complaints.

After Ryanair the worst performers included Scottish Power, BT, TalkTalk and Virgin Media.

Words used to describe Scottish Power included "arrogant", while respondents said that BT's staff were "aloof" and that Virgin Media was "greedy".

Have you made the switch yet? 

Ready for better service & smaller bills?

Contact Donline to find about the benefits of switching to The Utility Warehouse!

www.bbc.co.uk

How to use Microsoft To-Do to keep track of your professional and personal tasks

An effective to-do app can help you keep track of your tasks for work and for your personal life. Some to-do apps include Google Tasks, Todoist, Wunderlist, Any.DO, and Toodledo. One program worth trying is Microsoft To-Do.

Accessible from the web, Windows, iOS, and Android, the free Microsoft To-Do app lets you set up each task with a due date, reminder, note, and other attributes. You can add multiple steps to a single task, organize your tasks into different lists, and share your lists with other people. And by signing in with your Microsoft Account, you're able to sync your tasks among your computers and mobile devices.

www.techrepublic.com

In the name of love: Ten profound U2 lyrics about Christian faith

Apparently, it's not very cool to like U2 (Actually U2 are one of my fave bands!). As with every band that's been around for several decades, their ageing members – and fan base – means they've become referred to as 'veterans' who many think should have hung up the guitars a long time ago. Whatever your view of them however, it's hard to deny that they've made a massive contribution to popular music – and in more recent years thanks to the strong Christian faith of lead singer Bono, to wider and more important areas of our culture.

That faith has consistently been the driving force behind the band's songwriting, and as a result their back catalogue is laced with incredible lyrics about God, Jesus, faith and doubt. Here are just ten examples of how the band have addressed Christian spirituality directly in their songs over the years, and no doubt inspired millions of people along the way.

Here is my favourite U2 song: "40". This track really speaks to me: of my beginnings, and what the Lord has done for me. Thank you Jesus!

www.christiantoday.com

Coming soon: the Sonos Move. A Bluetooth-enabled wireless speaker that can be used flexibly

The Sonos Move Wireless Speaker, according to previous reports, is slightly larger than a Sonos One, but should provide about a similar performance. The special feature here is that the new wireless speaker can be used by the owner both as part of a home network, as well as a mobile Bluetooth speaker. For the first time integrated Sonos for the appropriate BT functionality, because so far, all Sonos speakers only wirelessly. 

As the marketing images show, the Sonos Move is visually in the usual design of current Sonos products held. It has six microphones to operate voice assistants and, in addition, has built-in buttons for controlling audio playback and volume on the surface of Bluetooth speakers. LEDs indicate the connection status and the charge level. 

www.winfuture.de

SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 End of Support

It’s incredible how much and how rapidly technology evolves. Microsoft’s server technology is no exception. We entered the 2008 release cycle with a shift from 32-bit to 64-bit computing, the early days of server virtualization and advanced analytics. Fast forward a decade, and we find ourselves in a full-blown era of hybrid cloud computing with exciting innovation in data, artificial intelligence, and more.

I want to thank our customers for choosing SQL Server and Windows Server to run their business and trusting Microsoft to be their technology partner. I would also like to make sure we support our customers in getting ready for the future and taking maximum advantage of today’s technologies. End of support is quickly approaching for these popular 2008 releases:

Extended Support for SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will end on July 9, 2019.

Extended Support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will end on January 14, 2020.

End of support means the end of regular security updates. With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated and frequent, running apps and data on unsupported versions can create significant security and compliance risks. The 2008 family of products was great for its time, but we highly recommend upgrading to the most current versions for better performance, efficiency, and regular security updates.

Are you running Server 2008 or SQL 2008 in your business? It's important to keep up to date to protect your data & your company. Contact Donline to discuss options and migration planning.

www.microsoft.com

He tried to prank the DMV with the vanity license plate "NULL". Don't try this at home kids!

Everyone hates parking tickets. Not everyone, however, is an information security researcher with a mischievous side and a freshly minted vanity license plate reading "NULL."

That would be Droogie (his handle, if that's not obvious), a presenter at this year's DEF CON hacking conference in Las Vegas and man with a very specific problem: He's on the receiving end of thousands of dollars worth of tickets that aren't his. But don't tell that to the DMV.

It wasn't, of course, supposed to end up this way. In fact, exactly the opposite. Droogie registered a vanity California license plate consisting solely of the word "NULL" —  which in programming is a term for no specific value — for fun. And, he admitted to laughs, on the off chance it would confuse automatic license plate readers and the DMV's ticketing system. 

"I was like, 'I’m gonna be invisible. Instead, I got all the tickets."

www.mashable.com

Symantec Announces Sale of Enterprise Security Assets for $10.7 Billion to Broadcom

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC), the world’s leading cyber security company, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Enterprise Security assets, which include the Symantec name, to Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), for $10.7 billion in cash. The transaction, which was approved by Symantec’s Board of Directors, is expected to close before the end of the calendar year pending regulatory approvals.

“Symantec has a long history of offering unparalleled cyber technology,” said Daniel H. Schulman, Chairman of the Symantec Board of Directors. “It is a testament to our market leadership and dedication to the mission of making the world a safer place, that Broadcom has chosen Symantec’s Enterprise Security assets to expand their reach into cyber security. By unlocking value from Enterprise Security, we are significantly advancing our ongoing transformation strategy and positioning our consumer cyber safety business, Norton LifeLock, for success.”

“This is a transformative transaction that should maximize immediate value to our shareholders while maintaining ownership in a pure play consumer cyber safety business with predictability, growth and strong consistent profitability. In addition it allows the Enterprise Security business to grow and compete on an enterprise platform with a worldwide sales and distribution reach which can service our existing customers,” said Rick Hill, Interim President and CEO. He added, “It also allows our Norton LifeLock business, a world recognized leader in consumer and small business cyber safety to operate independently and give investors a clear understanding of the growth opportunity and strong financial performance.”

www.symantec.com

Huawei announces its new Harmony operating system

Huawei has announced it is developing a new operating system called HarmonyOS.

There had been speculation that Huawei was planning to replace the Android operating system which powers its smartphones and tablets.

In May, Google suspended the company's Android licence after the US government put Huawei on a trade blacklist.

However, Huawei said HarmonyOS would first be used in devices such as smart speakers and watches, rather than replacing Android in its phones.

"HarmonyOS is completely different from Android and iOS," said Huawei's Richard Yu, who announced the project at the Huawei Developer Conference in Dongguan, China.

So that's Huawei designed & manufactured hardware & OS.

I'll give it a miss thanks & stick with Sony Mobile - I'm currently rocking a Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact - spot on & SECURE...

www.bbc.co.uk

Behold The Man! A new production from the folks at Havant Passion Play. 17 & 18 Aug 2019

This weekend Havant Passion Plays will be taking over Havant Park to perform their newest play Behold The Man, with a cast drawn from churches around the Havant area. In previous years these plays have been drawn huge crowds, presenting the gospel with excellent production and enthusiastic performances, and provide an excellent opportunity to engage in conversations about the relevance of faith and the life of the church in our communities.

Having a large, supportive audience makes a huge difference to those performing, and acts as a draw to passers-by, so we’re working with Havant Passion Plays to help get the word out and invite as many people to come as possible.

Everyone is welcome to come, and you are encouraged to bring chairs and/or picnic blankets (and picnics!) so you can enjoy the performance comfortably.

August 2019 - in Havant Park, Hampshire.

Saturday 17th - Noon & 3pm:

Sunday 18th - 3pm.

Entrance is free - please bring something to sit on.

Hope to see you there!

www.havantpassionplay.org.uk

Microsoft finds Russia-backed attacks that exploit IoT devices

The STRONTIUM hacking group, which has been strongly linked by security researchers to Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, was responsible for an IoT-based attack on unnamed Microsoft customers, according to the company - a blog post from the company’s security response center issued Monday.

Microsoft said in a blog that the attack, which it discovered in April, targeted three specific IoT devices - a VoIP phone, a video decoder and a printer (the company declined to specify the brands) - and used them to gain access to unspecified corporate networks. Two of the devices were compromised because nobody had changed the manufacturer’s default password, and the other one hadn’t had the latest security patch applied.

Devices compromised in this way acted as back doors to secured networks, allowing the attackers to freely scan those networks for further vulnerabilities, access additional systems, and gain more and more information. The attackers were also seen investigating administrative groups on compromised networks, in an attempt to gain still more access, as well as analyzing local subnet traffic for additional data.

www.networkworld.com

Windows 7 to 10 migration starts to kick into high gear

A month after Windows users took a break from dumping Windows 7 for Windows 10, in July they put shoulders to various wheels and ... shoved.

According to web metrics vendor Net Applications, Windows 7's share of all personal computers plunged precipitously last month, falling 3.6 percentage points - the second-largest amount in a single month for the aged OS - to end July at 31.8%. Meanwhile, Windows 7's portion of only those PCs running Windows also plummeted, falling to 36%, a number not seen since late 2011 when the operating system was barely two years old and busily nibbling away at Windows XP.

(The second number is larger than the first because Windows does not power every PC; in July, Windows ran 88.5% of the world's machines. All but a tiny fraction of the rest ran macOS, Linux or Chrome OS.)

At the same time, Windows 10's share jumped by 3.1 percentage points to 48.9% of all personal computers and 55.2% of those running Windows. The monthly increase was the second-largest ever for Windows 10 (first place went to March 2019), while both percentages were records for the OS.

Still running Windows 7? End Of Support is 14th January 2020!

Time is running out to plan for upgrades or replacement systems.

Contact Donline to get the wheels in motion.

www.computerworld.com

Waterlooville Summer Fete: Sunday 18th August 2019, 11am - 3pm Jubilee Park, Waterlooville, PO7 6AW

Lots of fun for all the family!

Free children’s activities, mobile farm , circus workshops, laser tag, ktroo, zorb, giant dartboard, tony spaghetti, games, dog show, full arena program, classic cars,  funfair, food, bungee trampoline, carriage rides, bouncy castles, over 50 stalls and much more!

Click here to download the flyer.

Hope to see you there!

weteamuk.blogspot.com

I love motorcycles & BBQing, but how to combine them?...

Here’s Indian’s motorcycle with onboard BBQ!

So you’re going to the Sturgis Rally this year (big rally in America with loads of Harleys, Indians… that sort of thing…) and you want to make the hungry hipster statement so that you get noticed amongst the beards, tattoos and cloth caps.

What do you do? How about fitting a working BBQ to the side of an Indian Springfield Darkhorse?

Yeah, that’ll do it. Apparently this bit of metal for cooking meat is a Traeger Ironwood 885 wood-fried thing that can hold 10 whole chicken or seven racks of ribs.

www.morebikes.co.uk