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Sixtyplus Music Fans Urged To Get Streaming For
Free And Legal Music Online
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Last month (June), the Government’s Digital
Britain report outlined stricter penalties for
people accessing ‘pirated’ music online but
online music jukebox
We7 has
found that two in three (64%) consumers are only
listening to and sharing music illegally online
because they do not know how to do so legally.
We7 wants
to help the retired community enjoy music across
the web without fear of penalties and fines and
to help teach them about legal streaming and
sharing online.
How to stream
1. Go
to
www.we7.com
2. Register
- you’ll need: username, password, e-mail,
gender, DOB & postcode
3. Activate
- an email will be sent immediately to the
e-mail provided in registration, open it and
click ‘activate’. This will open We7 logged in
to your account
4. Search
using to search bar: any song by name, artist or
album
5. Select
the version you want
6. Play!
And/or ad song to playlist of your choice, or
queue it up to play next.
7. Enjoy!
From easy listening to jazz, classical to
country as well as all the latest chart hits,
with over 4 million tracks on the site, We7 is
bound to have something to suit your tastes.
Have a go
To encourage more people to have a go at
streaming music themselves, We7 has introduced a
fun competition called Me7 – the 7 songs that
define Me!
A month-long competition with £7,000 in prizes
to be won, the ‘Me7’ challenge invites everyone,
from novices to seasoned streamers, to create a
7-song playlist of tracks that best defines
their life in music - from a teenage anthem to a
first dance track – the trick part will be
shortlisting down to just 7 tunes!
Me7 Competition
The Me7 competition will run for four weeks from
24th June. Each week, the most
played playlist will receive a £1,000 cash
prize. At the end of the 4 week competition,
the most played playlist overall will win
£3,000!
7 steps to winning:
1) Build
a Playlist of seven songs at
http://www.we7.com/#/competition/me7
2) Describe
track by track why the playlist defines your
life in music
3) Enter
your playlist into the competition from 24th
June
4) Share,
Share Share – use twitter, emails, social
networks and share the link to your playlist and
have it played as many times as you can by as
many people to stand a chance of winning
5) Do
this for one whole week and see if you’ve won
6) The
winner for a weekly prize will be the person
whose playlist is played the most in the week
7) The
competition will produce four winners and the
winner of the Grand Prize will be the one who
out of the four who had the highest play count
in any one week.
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Seven In Ten Caught
In Phishing Net
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Web scams in the UK have reached epidemic levels
with over seven in ten Brits targeted in the
last twelve months alone.
A report from life assistance company CPP shows
that over 77 per cent of people received fake
banking or ‘phishing’ e-mails, 70 per cent have
been targeted with bogus pleas for money and 67
per cent have been told they’ve won a
competition only to find it was a sham.
Cunning fraudsters are even posing as friends
and family members to con their victims. More
than one in ten (17 per cent) has received fake
e-mails from impostors claiming to be relatives
or acquaintances to steal personal information
or money.
And even high profile celebrities aren’t immune
to this type of crime with recent online fraud
targets including comedians Harry Hill and Ricky
Gervais and Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba.
This e-scam activity is no surprise given that
the amount of unsolicited e-mails received has
also grown. Over 60 per cent of us have been
targeted by more spam this year compared to last
year, with young Brits getting the most (64 per
cent).
The growing trend to use the internet to defraud
people saw online banking fraud losses total
£52.5m in 2008 according to APACS, the UK’s
Payments Association – a 132% increase from 2007
losses.Commenting on the report, Michael Lynch,
identity fraud expert at CPP said: “Your
identity is your most valuable possession. With
web threats on the rise, people need to ensure
that they protect their personal information not
just in public, but also online.
“Cyber criminals now operate in very
sophisticated ways. Although we are seeing very
high levels of phishing e-mail attacks asking
for passwords and account details, we are now
seeing more ‘malware’ attacks such as
key-logging, where fraudsters can read what you
type on your computer to capture your passwords
and other sensitive financial information
without you even knowing. People need to be
vigilant and make sure that they have the proper
security in place such as up-to-date anti-virus
software.”
Top tips to avoid online crime:
• Install an active firewall which updates
automatically preventing hackers gaining access
to your PC or laptop
• Install anti-virus protection which scans
malicious files
• Install anti-phishing tools which identifies
phishing emails and links that can trick you
into giving away personal information
• Sign up to Verified by Visa or MasterCard
SecureCode as it will largely put a stop to
unauthorised online spending
• Apply for an Identity Fraud protection policy
to insure you against identity fraud online
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Your Computer
Questions Answered
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Q 1. iTunes blocked
I’ve been using iTunes for a
year now with no problems,
except that when I try to go to the iTunes store my PC
tells me that I don’t have a network connection. I am
online at the time and I can’t figure out the cause of the
problem.
Emma M, London
Hi Emma,
If your internet connection is
ok, and you can get emails and
browse websites without any
problems, it may just be the
Windows Firewall that’s
misconfigured. Apple has put
together a FAQ document on their
support site that explains how
to change Windows Firewall
settings so iTunes can connect:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1368#win24
Q2. Lost files
I recently had to reinstall
Windows XP and I lost all my
email messages, my address book
and pretty much everything. Is
there any way I can find these
messages if they still exist?
Thomas P, Bristol
Hi Thomas,
It sounds like your computer was
restored to factory settings, so
any old data has been wiped.
You may still be able to get
some mail back, but it depends
on how you collected your emails
from your ISP. Check with them
and see if you used POP3 or IMAP.
If it’s the latter then you may
have some messages stored on
your ISP’s mail servers.
Alternatively, if you’ve lost
some very important messages you
could contact a specialist data
recovery company, which might be
able to get some of your old
data back from your hard drive.
This kind of service can get
quite expensive, so I’d only
consider it if you’re missing
some extremely important
information.
Q3. Missing shutdown
The start menu of my HP660
laptop has lost its
Shutdown,Sleep, Hibernate and
Restart options, and all that
remain are Lock and Logoff. I
have gone to System Restore in
the hope that something I
installed might be the problem,
but it said that System Restore
had failed and that the computer
had not changed. I tried Norton
but nothing came back. I am
running Vista Home Premium and
it has all the latest Windows
updates.
Mandy L, Coventry
Hi Mandy,
This has been covered quite
extensively by the people over
at Windows Vista Forums, and
they’ve put together a
comprehensive guide on how to
change the power options
available in the Start Menu:
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/
105003-shutdown-options-start-menu.html
Q4. Unwanted screensaver
I did a bit of exploring on
Picasa, but I now find that when
my laptop goes to sleep I have
random photographs displayed on
my screen. I don’t want
screensavers if that’s what they
are. So how can I delete or
disable this option?
John I, Manchester
Hi John,
You can change the screensaver
that Windows uses via Display
Properties in the Control Panel
– once you’ve got this open just
click on the Screensavers tab.
You can set it to a plain, blank
screen if you like, or you could
simply set your screen to switch
off completely after a specified
time.
If you don’t want Picasa on your
PC anymore you should be able to
remove it from the Add/Remove
Programs page in the Control
Panel – just search through the
list until you get to Picasa,
and then there should be an
option on the far right to
Change/Remove the program.
Q5. Utorrent connection
I have just decided to try using
a router because my son wanted
an internet connection in his
room. I bought a Netgear router
and I am having an issue with
Utorrent now. When I use the
router , I am shown as a
non-connectable. I understand
there is a site called
PortForward, but I am at a loss
as to how to set up a static IP.
PortForward informed me that I
shouldn’t change the settings on
my PC, but I seem to need to do
this in order to use the site.
James P, Birmingham
Hi James,
You shouldn’t need a static IP
from your ISP. You do, however,
need to specify the IP addresses
for each of your computers that
connect to the router. If you
look on the 'Connected Devices'
tab on the Netgear router it
will show you each computer's
name and its MAC address (the
unique hardware address of the
computer itself - specifically
its network hardware, but that
makes no difference in this
case). You can then specify an
IP address to be issued to each
computer.
Once you've done that, take note
of the IP address of the machine
you want to run uTorrent on.
Then run uTorrent on that PC and
take note of which ports it
needs forwarding. You then need
to specify these ports in the
Netgear router as being
forwarded to the IP address of
the uTorrent machine. You can
specify the ports to be open on
the 'Add Services' page on the
router, and choose an IP address
to point this service to on the
'Ports' page. Once this is done
you should notice utorrent begin
to behave as normal.
Q6. Premature shutdown
I am running Vista Home Premium
on my laptop that I have had
only 3 months. But it is already
starting to play up. When I
watch streaming video [from BBC
iPlayer] or play music from my
hard disk, the computer
completely loses all power after
a few minutes and I have to turn
it back on via the power button.
I am stumped as to what to do.
Mary R, Reigate
Hi Mary,
It sounds like a hardware
problem, but it’s hard to say
exactly which component could be
causing the whole PC to shut
down. Video streaming and
playing audio have historically
been quite ‘intensive’
applications in terms of
processing power and memory
used, but a new laptop should be
able handle this sort of
activity with no issues. As your
laptop is only a few months old
I’d recommend getting in touch
with the manufacturer to
repair/replace as appropriate.
Q7. Generic error
Can you help me with the
following message, which comes
up on my screen almost every
time a program starts on my PC:
‘The instruction at “0x57d46dd4”
referenced memory at
“0x00000000” the memory could
not be written. Click OK to
terminate the program Click
CANCEL to debug.’ I also have no sound
unless I start Windows Audio
manually.Brian
S, London
Hi Brian,
This usually indicates a
hardware problem with the memory
in your PC. A very small part
will have been corrupted. When
Windows tries to read or write
to that part of your PC’s memory
it can’t do it, so reports an
error. The only fix is to
replace the memory. Thankfully
memory prices are quite low, so
you should be able to replace it
without making a big investment.
Windows Audio should start
automatically, so it may be that
the settings for the service
have been changed. To check this
you’ll need to use the Services
manager. The Elder Geek explains
in detail how to do this, and
the service you’re looking for
is called ‘AudioSrv’:
http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm
If you have a question, send it
to me at:
murrayhj@live.co.uk |
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Online
Payment Services
Spoof Unmasked
Stealth malware redirects browsers towards phony
websites.
BitDefender researchers have found that scammers posing
as online payment services continue to be one of the top
ten most spoofed identities in the world of spam and
phishing.
The latest phishing campaign targets e-banking and
e-payment users by deploying several malicious
components. The initial approach is an unsolicited
message advertising a product claiming to offer the
ultimate ‘open source Antivirus solution’, and inviting
readers to visit a web page where they can download the
product.
However, upon clicking the link, the victim does not
receive the promised security suite, but a fake
executable – setup.exe – which is, in effect, a
self-extracting archive. Its purpose is to replace the
content of C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\etc and to alter
the Web browser’s behaviour, by automatically loading
maliciously crafted pages for phishing purposes of
PayPal, Abbey and Halifax.
Each time the victim types the address belonging to one
of these financial institutions, he or she will be
redirected automatically towards the fake pages. Here,
the log-in credentials (user name, password, security
code) and other sensitive data (first and last name,
complete home and e-mail address, credit card number,
expiration date, Card Verification Code, and even PIN)
are harvested by using PHP scripts. |
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How
Do I Use My
Digital Camera?
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Taking photos with a digital camera is just like
using a camera with film - point the camera,
press the button and take the photo.
The complicated bits come when you have to get
your pictures out of the camera - you can't just
take it to the chemists to be developed! But if
you want to e-mail pics of the kids to their
gran, or put family photos onto your Christmas
cards, then digital cameras are the business.
The
Basics
A digital camera is still a camera. If you've
ever picked up a disposable camera, taken some
holiday snaps and had your photos developed then
you can use a digital camera too.
This means that you'll need to keep the camera
still while you take your pics, so they aren't
all blurred and you'll need to make sure that
you point the camera in the right direction! If
you can manage that with an ordinary camera, you
should do fine with a digital one.
The
parts
The main parts of a digital camera are just like
the main parts of a film camera. You point the
camera at whatever it is you want to photograph,
look through the viewfinder to line up your
photo and press the shutter button to take the
photo.
If you've got it set up to use the flash then
most cameras will check how much light there is
around, and flash if they need to.
Apart from the top of the range cameras, you
don't need to focus or think about technical
stuff like shutter speed or exposure - the
camera does all that for you.
The difference is that instead of using film to
capture the scene a digital camera uses a
special sort of computer chip - the same sort
used in video cameras - to turn the picture into
millions of dots which can be stored in its
memory. Once you've taken your photo it is
stored in the camera until you decide what to do
with it.
Useful Extras
Digital cameras
have everything that a film camera has, like a
flash for taking photos indoors or where it's
too dark, and a zoom that lets you close in on
the details that you're interested in.
But they also have lots of extra bits too. Most
digital cameras have a little screen in the back
that lets you see what you're about to
photograph without having to look through the
viewfinder.
This is great if you want to take a photo over
people's heads, or if you want to be absolutely
sure that you've got everyone in the picture.
The same screen will show you your photo after
you've taken it, so you can see whether you've
captured the moment or just taken a shot of
someone's feet.
Then you can get rid of the failed pics and try
again. And again, if you're really not much good
at this sort of thing!
Some of the top-end digital cameras let you
change all the photo settings, just like using a
posh film camera. That means you can alter the
speed of the shutter and change the amount of
light you let through the lens, or set the flash
so that it get rids of redeye. Really expensive
ones even let you change the lens you're using!
Camera memory
Before you start taking digital photos you'll
need to make sure that there's some film in the
camera. But with a digital camera the 'film'
isn't a plastic roll but some computer memory,
and it can get full of pictures just the same.
Most digital cameras will let you take twenty or
thirty pictures before they fill up, and once
they do, you have to either get rid of some
photos or copy them to your computer to free up
space.
Or, if your camera uses special computer memory
like CompactFlash or a Memory Stick, put in a
new card. Don't forget to keep the old one safe.
You'll also need to check the batteries. Digital
cameras use power, and if you've got a camera
that takes normal disposable batteries you'll
find it eats them really fast. Better to get
rechargeable ones or - if you can afford it - go
for a camera that has its own rechargeable
battery pack built in.But whatever the power
source, make sure that you've got enough juice
for the party or day on the beach.
Downloading your pics
A digital camera holds your photos as computer
files, and before you can do anything with them
apart from look at them on the camera's own
little screen you generally need to copy them to
your computer.
Some cameras can be plugged straight into your
TV so that you can have a slideshow of your pics
- it's called video output, and you'll need a
special cable for it. But mostly you'll want to
copy your pics to your computer, and probably
print them out.
There are various ways to transfer your pictures
from the camera to your computer.
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How to do it
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What this
means |
What you do
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Linking Up |
Connect the computer and the camera
and copy the files. |
Use a cable, or a special holder or
a wireless link. |
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Swapping |
Take the bit that stores the
pictures out of your camera and put
it in the computer. |
Take a card or disk out of the
camera and put it into a special
reader on your computer.
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Jargon
Here's some jargon to look out for:
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Jargon |
What it means |
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USB: |
The latest and fastest way to send
computer data down a wire. |
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Serial cable: |
The old-fashioned and slower way to
send computer data down a wire. |
|
Cradle |
A special holder for your camera
that is plugged into your computer. |
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IR: |
Infrared - send the information over
the air, just like a TV remote
control. |
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CompactFlash: |
A common sort of computer memory,
often comes as a square. |
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Memory Stick: |
Another sort of computer memory,
rectangular instead of square. |
Whatever way you use, once you've got the pics
onto your computer's hard disk you can clear
them from your camera - and then take some more.
That's the real difference between digital and
film, because film is used up when you take your
pics, but you can reuse the memory on your
digital camera as many times as you want.
On the screen
The pictures you
take are computer image files and you can look
at them on your screen.
Most cameras come with a free program to let you
do this, or you can get a painting program like
PaintShop Pro, or even look at the pictures
using your web browser. You can make changes to
these pictures too, just like you can change any
computer image - make it smaller or bigger, cut
out the bits you like, even add captions or
borders, or just fix common problems like
red-eye.
You can easily add your pictures to a family
website, or include them in e-mails to
grandparents or old school friends.
And you can set up a slide show on screen to
show off your holiday snaps - if your neighbours
will let you!
Printing your
pics
Most of us like
to have prints of our photos, and there are lots
of ways to get your digital pics onto paper.
The simplest is just to print them on your
ordinary printer.
If you've got an inkjet printer then even a
budget digital camera will give you reasonable
results, as long as you don't print your
pictures too large.
You can buy special glossy paper for printing
digital photos too - it's slightly more
expensive but the results can be great.
But for
the best prints, use one of the internet print
services like
Boots or
Jessops. These let you send them your images
and they'll do really high resolution photos. In
fact, if you've got a camera that is good enough
then it's hard to tell them apart from ordinary
photos.
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July 2009 