A great series of short educational videos: How Do Computers Work? Watch & learn!

www.code.org® are building a growing library of educational videos available for re-use by educators worldwide, online or in classrooms. Our goal is to enable our efforts to be amplified beyond our own curriculum's reach.

www.code.org® is a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools and increasing participation by women and underrepresented minorities. Our vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science, just like biology, chemistry or algebra. Code.org organizes the annual Hour of Code campaign which has engaged 10% of all students in the world and provides the leading curriculum for K-12 computer science in the largest school districts in the United States. Code.org is supported by generous donors including Amazon, Facebook, Google, the Infosys Foundation, Microsoft, and many more.

www.code.org

Bitcoin's worst week since 2013

Digital currency Bitcoin fell 30% last week, leaving it on track for its worst week since April 2013.

On Friday the price fell below $7,910 on the Bitstamp exchange, a 12% fall on the day before, but recovered slightly. Although it is far short of the $19,000 it reached in November 2017, it is still way above the $1,000 level at which it started trading last year.

The fall comes amid a number of recent incidents that appear to have shaken faith in cryptocurrencies.

www.bbc.co.uk

11 things you must do now for GDPR compliance

On 25th May 2018, today’s Data Protection Act (DPA) will be replaced with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This checklist highlights the 11 most important steps you can take now to make sure your data and processes remain compliant. 

According to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), if you’re already DPA compliant, then most of your approach to compliance will remain valid come May 2018. However, there are some differences in GDPR, which means you’ll have to do certain things for the first time and some other things differently. Before we get into the specifics, here’s an overview of the GDPR and what it means for businesses and individuals. 

What is GDPR?

The point of the GDPR is to provide clarity and consistency for the protection of personal data. It imposes new rules on organisations that offer goods and services to people in the European Union (EU), or that collect and analyse data tied to EU residents, no matter where they’re located. The GDPR establishes: 

Enhanced personal privacy rights

Increased duty for protecting data

Mandatory breach reporting

Significant penalties for non-compliance

Read the full article here: www.clouddirect.net

Calli has been to Pam for a (long overdue) trim & pampering!

Calli always looks gorgeous, but she looks so much more puppy-ish after Pam has worked her magic! Before the trim, she was starting to look like a mini Old English Sheepdog! Nice one Pam! 

Why not criminalise all road users - infers Britain’s road policing chief

Motorists should be penalised for going just 1mph over the speed limit, Britain’s road policing chief has said as he called for the 10 per cent buffer zone to be scrapped.

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said ...“As an example, anything from 31mph onwards is over the speed limit and the options for a police response – a speed awareness course, fixed penalty notice or attendance at court – are discretionary based on the circumstances.  My message to drivers is - don’t assume you have a free pass if you’re over the limit."...

Well that's going to ensure all users end up on the side of police. Not! I'm afraid to say that anyone who claims they have never exceeded the speed limit by 1mph is either lying or not paying attention. 

www.telegraph.co.uk

Donline is 12 years old today!

I'm Don Tocher, a highly experienced freelance IT Consultant who previously worked for Synstar International (now known as Hewlett-Packard CDS), until I left to set up Donline Computer Consultancy on the 1st February 2006.

Donline delivers professional IT support for small / medium sized businesses, home offices, & home users.

Donline specialises in bringing true enterprise class IT support to those without their own IT department, and in supplementing existing IT teams where additional skills or resources are required.

Thanks for your custom & for making the last dozen years happen!

www.donline.co.uk

Toto’s "Africa" - played on the IT organ, the one and only: Floppotron!

Celebrate your inner geek: Toto - Africa cover by computer hardware orchestra: the Floppotron.

How does it work? The principle is simple. Every device with an electric motor is able to generate a sound. Scanners and floppy drives use stepper motors to move the head with sensors which scans the image or performs read/write operations on a magnetic disk. The sound generated by a motor depends on driving speed. The higher the frequency, the greater the pitch. Hard disks use a magnet and a coil to tilt the head. When voltage is supplied for long enough, the head speeds up and hits the bound making the "drum hit" sound. The disk head coil can also be used as a speaker to play tones or even music, but… that would be too easy and too obvious.

www.youtube.com