Computer Shopper June 2020

With the coronavirus outbreak, all our lives have changed – and no doubt will continue to change – immeasurably. As I write this, the Prime Minister has just announced unprecedented measures that have put the country in lockdown mode. To help fight this virus, we can only leave our homes if it’s absolutely essential, and thousands of organisations across the nation have been shut for the time being. The schools have now closed, meaning many of us will be trying to carry on working from home while home-schooling children; and we won’t be able to see our loved ones, or indeed have any social contact outside the people we share homes with, for many weeks to come. Fortunately, we live in an age where technology has advanced to a level to fill…

letters@computershopper.co.uk Hunguptodry Although you offered sound advice in your ‘Beat the Hackers’ article (Shopper 385), the piece on dealing with scam phone calls had one serious error. The advice to hang up and dial your bank was wrong. If the scammer had called you, by staying on the line they will hear your attempt to dial out and simply impersonate your bank answering your call. If you wait for the dial tone before dialling, which many of us rarely do, you may be actually dialling your bank, unless the scammer is particularly clever and mimics the sound of a dial tone. The accepted advice is to call your bank on a different device altogether to ensure security. Dave Sheppard Assistantmanager As a home automation enthusiast, I read the article in your recent issue with interest (‘Smart…

Tech pioneer and all-round good egg letters@computershopper.co.uk ALL GREAT WARS are the same. They are the same because they start with a comedy moustache, then go horribly wrong. In 1914, there was a Bosnian with a baby comedy moustache who wanted to invent Yugoslavia. He believed that the main reason he couldn’t invent Yugoslavia was because of an Austrian with a waxed comedy moustache, and so he took a pop at him. The result was 40 million deaths. A few years later, there was another Austrian who had a comedy toothbrush moustache. He got annoyed about a missing testicle, and the personification of his annoyance was a Georgian with a droopy comedy moustache. So he took a pop at him. That resulted in 80 million deaths. Obviously, both world wars need never have happened if…

Software guru and Shopper legend letters@computershopper.co.uk WITH A NAME like Ewbank, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that I come from a long line of sheep farmers. This means I know from bitter experience that counting sheep successfully isn’t easy; it’s certainly not a relaxing way to fall asleep. Sheep are natural rebels, and will do almost anything to avoid being counted. Shepherds, by contrast, are determined to work out how many sheep they’ve got in a field, largely so they can work out how many have escaped over the wall. It’s a battle between shepherd and sheep, and when I used to do it, the sheep usually won. Lose concentration for a second and the little beggars would have nipped round to be counted a second time, or hidden over…

David Ludlow RAVES THE DAY THAT Boris Johnson announced the pubs were to shut, I took part in a pub quiz with a whole bunch of friends. Then, on Mother’s Day, Johnson said don’t visit your mum, but I did. And I saw my dad, my sister and her family, too, as we all shared an afternoon tea. So am I the most irresponsible person in the country? Well no, as everything that I mentioned was done using the power of video chat. In my case it was Google Hangouts Meet, but any other video chat service could have done the job. Stuck inside for however long the coronavirus pandemic lasts, video is a good alternative to being with other humans, and certainly better than a voice-only call. As it turns out, the…

Major tech events cancelled by coronavirus pandemic SAY WHAT? WE ARE NOW in the midst of the Covid-19, more commonly referred to as coronavirus, pandemic as it sweeps across the globe. And it’s having a very noticeable effect on the technology world, forcing major events to be cancelled. As one of the most significant shows in the gaming calendar, from a software and hardware perspective, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, aka E3, is a big deal. It was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in June. The show started life as a trade event for both the gaming industry and games-related media, but has expanded to include gaming fans and consumers in recent years. At Computer Shopper, we’d keep a careful eye on the announcements and showcases to get a glimpse at what developers…