PC Security is Rolling Around Again

It’s that time of year again for me that I start looking around at all the PC Security that is available and which one to go for. Now I have already written an article about free security but I thought I would write one about security in general and why I purchase the one I do and discuss issues I am having now with running any type of security at all.

Now do not get me wrong I have a yearly subscription to Norton but it does not mean that I will stay with Norton all the year through if there is another big release I will tend to change just to try it on a trial basis. However, that being said Norton seems to be the one I keep going back to, the major reason for this is that since 2009 edition it has been one of the lowest on resources and kept itself near the top of the Lab tests.

Being an Amazon Prime user, I am not too worried about running my subscription down to the last couple of days this year around, as I will be able to get a cheaper deal than buying directly from Norton within 2 days. Something that has confused me though is why up until this week Norton Internet Security 2012 has been £22 and now it’s gone up to £27 so who knows how much it will be when I need it.

However the main point of this article for me was, do we need all this security? I wouldn’t be a very good I.T. Graduate if I turned around out right and said no you don’t but I can see the world changing around us on the Internet and I could quite honestly say that give it a couple of years and we won’t need extra security even on Windows Machines. The reason for saying this is because Google Chrome and Internet Explorer in their latest versions now has some sort of Anti-malware layer within them, I know this isn’t up to the standards of the security software however this is a step to showing the browser in years to come could take care of that area for you. The reason I say that is because as more and more of our work and files are stored on the cloud, are you seeing a slowdown in the amount of pen drives or cd/dvds you are using and passing between friends to share data? My money would be yes so if these browsers have that security layer inside them do you feel like you need the extra security.

My conclusion for my own use would be I would renew for this next year but after that I will probably run without security being content with being behind my routers firewall and using my own common sense. As the browsers get better at the security layer as I have to say all Norton finds these days for me is tracking cookies which are not a security threat in my opinion they just invade privacy a little. That being said they do not collect personal information just where you have been, across select websites.

How do you feel about security?

^{At no point am I advising not to run security however it is just a discussion on the development of security within browsers as the technology in my opinion isn’t up to standard yet.}

Smartphone Use Good or Bad?

Have you ever stopped and considered the way you use your smartphone? Part of me guesses you have but then overlooked it because it is just convenient. For the past two weeks, I have been without BIS on my blackberry because of a swap in providers and have had to do without email on my phone that was no big deal until I went away for the week last week. However now I have BIS back, I am sat here wondering if I really needed it.

In this short space of time, I reset up Outlook for my emails and had Google Chrome taking care of my other social networking needs. However, I found not being able to update twitter on the move a little annoying. Along with the fact that, that is the time really I want to update it.

So with all this realised I am sat here wondering whether I really need to segment the use of my Smartphone because having got back into using Outlook I have to say I enjoyed using it. It also emphasised that I would probably prefer to be dealing with email on the desktop where possible because your day is not spoiled by mail that is not spam but also is just something that I want to cast my eye over.

As far as the social networking is concerned its place is definitely on the Smartphone, it is something that I tend to update when I’m doing something I deem interesting and something that I check on when I am not doing much constructive. In addition, I believe that as social networks becomes more and more part of everyday activities the response times are going to become closer to text message in scale.

So what’s the future for my Blackberry that is uncertain but maybe it’s time to remove the email account off it unless I know I am going away and just use it to keep up with my social network updates and replies needed?

Do you think you over use your Smartphone?

3rd Weekend of the Six Nations Round Up

For me the weekend that Wales plays England is always one of the biggest weekends of the year for me as the saying goes as long as we beat the English we do not care goes is true for the little village I live in. It is great to see Wales victorious over England, as it always seems to be a struggle in most part up until recent years is power against skill. That being said though let us get down to business.

Ireland 42 – 10 Italy for me this is a fair score however doesn’t seem to reflect the game itself, for parts of the first half Italy did have Ireland on the back foot and looked like they were the dominate team of the two. The problem Italy seems to have is not the fact that they are new boys on the block but they just do not have the concentration and the stamina for the second half. We all know that at International Rugby for the most part it comes down to taking your chances and being fit enough and having enough concentration to finish these chances clinically. Ireland for me made a few mistakes and seems to be missing O’Drisscol in some cases but for the most part considering he is such a big influence to the team they are not doing too bad without him. Both teams for me can take positives and negatives from the game but have to say it was an enjoyable game.

England 12 – 19 Wales this game for me was the main event and it did not disappoint it had it all, but from the beginning, you could see that England was going to be on the back foot, Wales seemed to dominate them for the first 10 minutes. However, you knew with the nature of these two teams playing that it could turn on a six pence. This game was no different, however as it turns out Wales took the edge, with a possible try by England being disallowed, which could be disallowed or allowed either way, as it was not conclusive. The game for me was really good and England did match up to the Welsh giant back row and it was a physical encounter, the only thing that really spoilt it for me was the referee not because he was biased towards any particular side but because he should of gone to Specsavers he missed so many calls.

Scotland 17 – 23 France although I had France to win I had to say I was in two minds Scotland seem to be getting more and more solid every time they play and this was no different, for the parts I managed to see I must admit I didn’t see it all. Scotland seem to be able to control the game and play the scramble ball as well but like Italy seem to just let that less pass go astray or make silly mistakes.

Next week is just one match because of the postponed match between Ireland and France and for this, I will predict that Ireland may have the edge of France just because they look the more stable and if they can make a platform they will be better off than France.

Jack and Jill Movie Review

While being a huge Adam Sandler fan when needing to kill some time on my recent road trip to Halifax, Sheffield and Chesterfield we decided to grab a movie and this was the choice as it was one of the movies that neither of us had seen. Albeit being something of a chick flick I really enjoyed it although it was very touch and go in the beginning.

The acting in the movie wasn’t the best by any stretch of the imagination, I would say that it was one of the worst performances I have seen by Adam Sandler and I guess that is saying something when he is playing two roles in the movie. However that being said it lent itself to the movie quite a lot as it was a struggle between two twins and the way one didn’t want the other around. Things would go wrong and even though the acting wasn’t good it captured this weird relationship quite well.

The story itself as a concept had quite a good ring to it and I felt they could have possibly added more comedy to it, as I felt that it wasn’t quite sure what it was supposed to be, was it supposed to be a drama or a comedy. It did not seem to lend itself either in any of these categories or in the middle ground.

In all this confusion of relatively bad acting and the storyline not really deciding where it wants to be you got the feel walking out of the cinema that it was quite a good movie for what it was however it wouldn’t be one I’d recommend. For all you Sandler fans it you might want to check it out but I will say now that it is definitely a bargain bin DVD pick up not one to go and watch. For this, I give it a 3/10

 

Road Trip Update

I thought that I would be pop in a blog post even though I am away currently on a random road trip as an update on my personal experience.  This road trip seems to be a real eye opener to just how my life is really quite isolated in some cases.

Isolated could be the wrong word, but living in a little village and in general terms going a maxium of about 20 miles from it in normal life probably doesn’t seem that bad.  The problem I have found though is the fact that when your so used those places you don’t really see the different things in life.  You have that way of thinking and that maybe even though think of yourself as a social person that maybe because  you haven’t been open to these experiences and situation that maybe your not and you can be intimidated by the difference in experiences.

Now the philosophy is over the road trip is amazing have really had a laugh and we are only half way through the experience.  All be it not really a football fan, but we have gone to see Sheffield United’s football stadium and some huge Shopping Centre that is like 10 times the sizes of ones that I have seen.  Now we start the second leg of the journey today and wonder what it brings, that being said though it does have that air of when mate just passed his driving test and that we are teenagers again.

I know this seems a very weird blog post but thought I’d write it as I had the chance due to my wake up call and everyone else is sleeping.

Jobs Created for Prisoners

Something that really annoyed me in the news last week and didn’t have time to write a blog post about it was the fact that the U.K. government plan on launching a scheme that has the potential to create jobs for prisoners. The main problem I had was the fact that in the same week announced was the fact that unemployment reached a record high.

Before I go on and talk about why I disagree with this planned move I will say that if we had a situation where unemployment wasn’t a problem then I would be all for this idea as it gives people a chance to make a positive change in their lives. Along with the fact, it would be helping the small companies and increasing the economy by having money come into the country from the production of products. That being said though the amount of money coming back to the country isn’t as much as it could be because the prisoners will be paid under the minimum wage which means they will not qualify to pay income tax and national insurance.

Being part of the millions looking for a permanent full time job, I am annoyed to here this plan by the government because it seems they are helping the people that have broken the law more than they are helping law-abiding citizens. As I have said I am all for people getting a second chance but as a younger citizen of this country trying to finding a job and have found that it all boils down to experience in these trouble times. When I look at this scheme all I see is people that have broken the law and they have had a step up while in prison because they would have gained experience. This means that when they come out they might be competing for a job that I am going for and have the qualifications for but they might get the job because they have the experience.

I know this is a biased reaction to the new plans, but how do you feel about the move? Is it right that people that have broken the law is getting more help than the people that have not?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17064163

Rounders Movie Review

I have to see right off the bat that my Netflix subscription has been worth every penny. I know I was apprehensive in the beginning because I was thinking what if they do not have the movies I want to watch on there will it really be worth it. I have to say after a month I have not cancelled my subscription and I have suggested Movies and TV Series for that matter that I would never have watched this being one of them.

It centred on a person that loses everything playing poker and he rebuilds his life with the help of his girlfriend. He was using the winnings to try to put his self through law school and it deals with the dilemma can you really change who you are? As his mate comes out of prison the demons come back and he is tempted to go back to playing poker and in the end does because the trouble that his friend gets himself into.

Now I would not say this movie was the best however it had something to it albeit that I could not put my finger on what it had. The acting was good, it was more of drama than anything else with some good action scenes was but the story does get you thinking about your future. Whether you can walk away from the mistakes, you have made in the past or whether that is who you are.

The downside to this movie was the cinematic, I just felt the camera work was not the best and that audio quality was a bit lacking.

Overall, it was a great performance by Matt Damon and I really enjoyed the movie. That said though I give it 6/10 because it was missing something and I am not sure what but it is one to watch to fill out some time.