As we prepare to "roll over" into the New Year - a blast from the past: The Y2k bug!

The Year 2000 problem, also known as the Y2K problem, the Millennium bug, the Y2K bug, or Y2K, is a class of computer bugs related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates beginning in the year 2000. 

Problems were anticipated, and arose, because twentieth-century software often represented the four-digit year with only the final two digits - making the year 2000 indistinguishable from 1900.

The assumption of a twentieth-century date in such programs caused various errors, such as the incorrect display of dates and the inaccurate ordering of automated dated records or real-time events.

So, why didn't IT all go wrong? The 7Ps: 

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Pi** Poor Performance.

A huge amount of time, money & effort was put in to checking, updating & where necessary replacing hardware & software - prior to the Y2k rollover: when 1999 became 2000.

www.bbc.com

www.npr.org

Merry Christmas - from Don & Kim

 

SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT explores the glorious account of the night that Jesus was born. In the second chapter of Luke’s Gospel, we read of countless millions of angels that appeared to a few shepherds as they tended their flocks on a hill outside of Bethlehem. It was a supernatural event orchestrated by God.

Today, in Earth’s polar regions, the auroras—a natural phenomenon – often fill the skies with spectacular light shows. In these stunning displays of flashing colours and movement, the Creator provides us with a small glimpse of what the shepherds witnessed more than 2000 years ago.

We wish you all a truly wonderful Christmas - full of love & joy. 
May God Bless you & all who you love: now & throughout 2025. 
Don & Kim x

www.thejohn1010project.com

Mark Tremonti - O Holy Night (Live in Orlando)

Mark Tremonti - O Holy Night (Live From Orlando) Checkout Mark performing the Christmas classic, O Holy Night, live with his big band at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in Orlando, Florida. 

Tremonti Sings Sinatra consists of members of Frank Sinatra's orchestra and is in support of National Down Syndrome Society and Take A Chance For Charity. 

One of my absolute rock favourites: Mark Tremonti - doing something very different: watch & enjoy!

www.youtube.com

Reading for today: on Heaven's dance

 

The golden apple of selfhood, thrown among the false gods, became an apple of discord because they scrambled for it. 

They did not know the first rule of the holy game, which is that every player must by all means touch the ball and then immediately pass it on. To be found with it in your hands is a fault: to cling to it, death. But when it flies to and fro among the players too swift for eye to follow, and the great master Himself leads the revelry, giving Himself eternally to His creatures in the generation, and back to Himself in the sacrifice, of the Word, then indeed the eternal dance ‘makes heaven drowsy with the harmony’. 

All pains and pleasures we have known on earth are early initiations in the movements of that dance: but the dance itself is strictly incomparable with the sufferings of this present time. As we draw nearer to its uncreated rhythm, pain and pleasure sink almost out of sight. There is joy in the dance, but it does not exist for the sake of joy. It does not even exist for the sake of good, or of love. It is Love Himself, and Good Himself, and therefore happy. It does not exist for us, but we for it.

By: C.S. Lewis

From: The Problem of Pain

Japan’s Honda and Nissan to reportedly begin merger talks

Japanese automakers Nissan Motor and Honda Motor reportedly plan to enter into negotiations for a merger to better compete in the rapidly changing global automotive industry, the Nikkei newspaper reported Tuesday.

Honda and Nissan are considering operating under a holding company, and soon will sign a memorandum of understanding, according to the report. They also look to eventually bring Mitsubishi Motors, in which Nissan is the top shareholder with a 24% stake, under the holding company.

The combined Nissan-Honda-Mitsubishi enterprise would equate to more than 8 million vehicle sales annually, according to Nikkei. That would place the company among the world’s largest automakers, but still below fellow Japanese automaker Toyota Motor, at 11.2 million in 2023, as well as German automaker Volkswagen, which last year reported sales of 9.2 million vehicles.

www.cnbc.com

TalkTalk to axe hundreds of jobs, £120m cost cuts

TalkTalk is set to cut hundreds of jobs in a sweeping effort to slash costs by £120m, as the debt-burdened broadband provider embarks on a radical restructure to restore its financial health.

In an update to investors last week, the company confirmed a “radical” overhaul, with initial redundancies already under consultation. Around 130 positions are set to go at its Salford-based consumer division, while further reductions at its wholesale arm—known internally as Platform X—are expected to push total job losses into the hundreds.

The cuts are anticipated to fall heavily on central head office roles after TalkTalk admitted that multiple business units and management layers had weighed down operating expenses. The company reported a workforce of 1,857 in February, two-thirds of whom were in administrative roles.

The redundancies form part of a wider cost-cutting agenda targeting more than £120m in savings, around 60% of which TalkTalk intends to achieve within the next 12 months. Alongside job losses, the cost reduction plan is expected to encompass the sale of non-core businesses, office closures, and tighter controls over marketing, travel, and catering budgets.

In addition, TalkTalk plans to automate more tasks, ramp up its use of artificial intelligence, and consider outsourcing and offshoring options to streamline operations.

TalkTalk: how to take a awful Internet Service Provider - & make it worse! Want to move to an ISP that offers high quality & keen prices? Speak to Donline about Utility Warehouse!

www.bmmagazine.co.uk

LG discontinues all UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray players

LG has discontinued all Blu-ray players, including the UBK80 and UBK90 UHD Blu-ray players, with remaining units only available while stocks last.

The announcement echoes similar moves from Oppo in 2018 and Samsung in 2019, when both companies exited the optical disc player market.

LG has now officially discontinued its Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray players, as reflected on LG's online portals and confirmed by multiple sources to FlatpanelsHD.

However, in a statement to FlatpanelsHD, LG Korea stopped short of confirming a definitive global exit from the optical disc player market, leaving the door open for a return if demand picks up. For now, a few old models remain available in regions such as America and Europe, but only until inventory runs out.

www.flatpanelshd.com

What does a Firewall do to protect my Network?

A firewall is a security protocol that protects your internal network from the threats of the internet. It keeps an eye on the data that comes in and out of your network.

Without a firewall, your trusted private network could be at risk of cyberattacks, data breaches, and malware from the public.

To get to grips with how a firewall works, you need to understand how data travels between internet networks. Basically, data moves across the internet in the form of information-filled packets. A firewall inspects these data packets to analyse their:

• Content: The information each data packet contains, such as an image, text, or video.
• Protocol: The language of the data packet, for example, HTTP or TCP.
• Port: The medium that the data is traveling through, such as email, web, or a social media network.
• Source: Where the data is coming from, for example, the IP address or hostname of incoming traffic.
• Destination: Where the data is headed, including the IP address, hostname, and other information that describes where the traffic is going.

Afterwards, the firewall determines whether to let the data packet pass or, instead, to block it based on a set of predefined rules.

To ensure that dangerous data packets are blocked, it’s crucial that you properly set up your firewall, create effective rules, and keep it up to date.

www.techrepublic.com

Jesus - the Way to the Father

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Read all of John 14 at Bible Gateway

Alpha Course at All Saints Denmead - begins Jan 2025

What is Alpha? Alpha is a series of group conversations that freely explore the basics of the Christian faith in an open, friendly environment. Everyone’s welcome. No matter your background or beliefs, you’re invited. Looking to try Alpha? Keep reading...

All Saints will be running The Alpha Course starting on 15th January 2025. It will run for 8 Wednesday evenings (with a week’s break during half term) sharing a meal and exploring the Christian faith. Each evening looks at a different question around faith.

We will also be having an Away day on Saturday 8th March.

15th Jan. Is there is more to life than this?

22nd Jan. Who is Jesus?

29th Jan. Why did Jesus die?

5th Feb. How can I have faith?

12th Feb. Why and how do I pray?

26th Feb. Why and how should I read the Bible?

Saturday 8th March Alpha Away Day 10am-4pm The Holy Spirit.

12th Mar. Faith – ‘The good, the bad and the ugly.’

19th Mar. Taking the next step

Alpha helps create space for people to explore faith and get to know Jesus, in a friendly and open-minded environment.

To find out more speak with Revd. Buffy or contact her at the parish office: 023 9226 8757

www.allsaintsdenmead.org.uk

Jean-Michel Jarre + Notre Dame = son et lumiere!

AN INVITATION FROM JEAN-MICHEL JARRE TO CELEBRATE 
THE RENAISSANCE OF NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL

My dear friends,

Let us celebrate the renaissance of Notre Dame!

This Saturday, December 7, as Notre Dame de Paris reopens, join me for a unique moment.

Wherever you are in the world, explore our beloved Cathedral through a breathtaking immersive experience, streamed on my Facebook, YouTube, or website from this Saturday, Dec 7, 00:01 AM CET. 

Jean-Michel Jarre

TO THE EXPERIENCE

(Exclusive excerpts from the immersive concert “Welcome to The Other Side” in a virtual Notre Dame, conceived and performed by Jean-Michel Jarre during the pandemic, in coproduction with VRROOM XR studio.)

www.youtube.com

Outlook is poor for those still on Windows Mail, Calendar, People apps by end of year

Microsoft is preparing to kill off the old Windows Mail, Calendar, and People apps by the end of this month and shift users to the Outlook for Windows app.

In November, Microsoft confirmed there would be no reprieve for the apps. It will be possible to export local emails, calendar events, and contacts that users have stored in Mail, Calendar, and People into the new Outlook up until December 31, 2024. After that, however, the ability to send or receive mail will be revoked.

"The new Outlook for Windows is for everyone. Now everyone with Windows gets the best of Outlook built into Windows for free," Microsoft said. AI is also on hand "to help you write impactful, clearer, mistake-free messages."

While it will continue to support "Classic" Outlook, Microsoft wants users to migrate to the new app. One user complained: "I don't need a bloated mail client. Mail and Calendar apps just work. If I need a more fully featured email client, I will just use the Office 365. But the 'new' Outlook is garbage."

Just you haven't had the misfortune to try the Outlook (new) app - don't. It is like the old Windows Live Mail program on steroids. Probably even worse though as it tries to take over from the proper full fat Outlook - but isn't compatible with PSTs! Microsoft seems to be making all their decisions as bad decisions: Copilot, Recall, Win11, new Outlook - all horrible...

www.theregister.com

Windows 11 market share falls despite Microsoft ad blitz

Despite Microsoft's push to get customers onto Windows 11, growth in the market share of the software giant's latest operating system has stalled, while Windows 10 has made modest gains, according to fresh figures from Statcounter.

This is not the news Microsoft wanted to hear. After half a year of growth, the line for Windows 11 global desktop market share has taken a slight downturn, according to the website usage monitor, going from 35.6 percent in October to 34.9 percent in November. Windows 10, on the other hand, managed to grow its share of that market by just under a percentage point to 61.8 percent.

The drop was more pronounced in Microsoft's home market of the United States. Americans are now less than keen on the IT titan's flagship operating system, at least if you judge by the figures, resulting in a fall in the US of more than 3 percent in market share, while Windows 10 grew by a similar amount.

The figures are not official – Microsoft does not release market share numbers unless it has a milestone it wants to boast about – but Statcounter calculates its statistics from logging netizens generating more than five billion page views across 1.5 million global sites, making it a reliable-ish indicator of market trends.

www.theregister.com

Revamped Motorcycle Live show at Birmingham’s NEC welcomes almost 90,000 visitors in 2024

Thousands of bikers descended on Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) for this year’s rejuvenated Motorcycle Live show – now featuring more stages, additional stunt shows, and an evening of live musical entertainment.

Kicking off on Saturday, November 16, the show concluded on Sunday, November 24 – welcoming in 43 motorcycle manufacturers including established players like Ducati, BMW, and Suzuki, as well as smaller concerns such as CCM, Paton, and Ohvale.  

“Because there’s so much new stuff in there, you don’t really know what to expect as an organiser, but I’m pleased to say the changes have been properly embraced by the visitors,” Managing Director, Finlay McAllan said.

MikeyG & I drove up to Brum on Weds 20th Nov, back on Friday 22nd. We stayed at one of my favourite places: The White Lion Inn, Hampton in Arden. Thursday Mike was volunteering for Mental Health Motorbike @ MCL - so I went to the National Motorcycle Museum. Friday - we both went to MCL. We go up most years - usually a great trip, lots of interesting things to see & opportunities to part with hard earned... They've revamped the show for 2024 - did a good job of it too. Better grub & drinks, live music. The stands (manufacturers & retailers) were good. I was particularly keen on Honda's GB350s & CB1000 SP Hornet. Mike was very taken with the Honda rolling road demo of their Dual Clutch gearbox in the NT1100. We had a blast on the electric bike test ride zone - I rode the Kawasaki Ninja EV - which was a great bike! All in a very enjoyable few days away c/w excellent curry & a few swift arves :0). Cold / snowy trip & could have done without the cold that's been troubling me for the last few weeks - but "ho hum"! Photos HERE - enjoy! :0).

www.motorcyclenews.com