Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

If you send me crazy emails addressed to andrea, anthony, amanda or even father abraham roberts I might post them here 

The London Internet Exchange

Hello Andy Roberts,

The London Internet Exchange, where the vast majority of the UK Internet
traffic is routed trough, is currently experiencing severe networking
difficulties.

This is causing significant packetloss and intermittant outages.

We'll keep you updated.

Please do not reply directly to this email as it is sent from an
unmonitored email account.

Kind regards,

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LION 2009 - The News

LION 2009 NEWSLETTER
Dear Colleague
The 2nd Annual Winter LION Global Videoconference Broadcast
Wednesday December 9th 2009

 

The 2nd “LION in Winter” Broadcast will focus on "Myringoplasty: How we do it". Ten surgical techniques for tympanic membrane repair will be demonstrated using different approach, technique and material.

The Broadcast will commence at 08:45 and finish at 17:30. The timing: is GMT +1. Please check your local corresponding time zone at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock

Final Program of the 2nd LION in Winter Broadcast
Timing: GMT+1
08h 45 Opening remarks: Moderators from Utrecht (Netherlands)
 
Chris Aldren Gerry O’Donoghue John Oates Shakeel Saeed Rinze Tange
Chris Aldren Gerry O’Donoghue John Oates Shakeel Saeed Rinze Tange
 
         
09h 00 Live surgery : Myringoplasty in Marseille & Béziers
Case presentation
  Arnaud Devèze France Arnaud Devèze
Marseille (France)

Inferior TM perforation
Endaural approach
Temporalis fascia

ppt
  Robert Vincent France Robert Vincent
Béziers (France)
Posterior-inferior TM perforation
Transcanal approach
Tragal perichondrium
ppt
10h 15 Live surgery : Myringoplasty in Utrecht, Hannover & Béziers
Case presentation
  Wilko Grolman The Netherland Wilko Grolman
Utrecht (Netherlands)
Posterior TM perforation
Endaural approach
Cartilage/Tragal perichondrium
ppt
  Thomas Lenarz Germany Thomas Lenarz
Hannover (Germany)
Central TM perforation
Endaural approach
Tragal perichondrium
ppt
  Benoit Gratacap France Benoit Gratacap
Béziers (France)
Inferior TM perforation with myringitis
Retro-auricular approach
Temporalis Fascia
ppt
12h 45 Live surgery : Myringoplasty in Utrecht, Hannover & Sao Paulo
Case presentation
  Wilko Grolman The Netherland Wilko Grolman
Utrecht (Netherlands)
Sub-total TM perforation
Endaural approach
Cartilage/Tragal perichondrium
ppt
  Thomas Lenarz Germany Thomas Lenarz
Hannover (Germany)

Anterior-inferior TM perforation
Endaural approach
Tragal perichondrium

ppt
  Oswaldo Laercio Cruz France Oswaldo Laercio Cruz
Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Central TM perforation
Retro-auricular approach
Temporalis fascia
ppt
14h 45 Live surgery : Myringoplasty in Béziers & Marseille
Case presentation
  Robert Vincent France Robert Vincent
Béziers (France)
Sub-total TM Perforation
Transcanal Approach
Tragal Perichondrium
Total EAC Skin Removal
Watch the Video: click here
ppt
  Jacques Magnan France Jacques Magnan
Marseille (France)
Inferior TM perforation
Schambaugh approach
Temporalis fascia
ppt
 
To download all surgical cases presentation, click here :
pdf
16h 00 Panel discussion – Controversial case presentation
 
Moderators (from Utrecht):
Chris Aldren, Gerry O’Donoghue, John Oates, Shakeel Saeed, Rinze Tange.
Panelists (from Sao Paulo, Béziers, Marseille, Hannover, Utrecht, Padova):
Oswaldo Laercio Cruz, Gregorio Babighian, Arnaud Devèze, Benoit Gratacap, Wilko Grolman, Thomas Lenarz, Jacques Magnan, Robert Vincent.
17h 30 Closure

Their demonstrations will detail the various surgical approaches (transcanal, endaural, retro-auricular) and repair techniques (overlay, underlay) using several materials (fascia, perichondrium, cartilage).

The live surgery session will be followed at 16:00 by a 90mn panel discussion. The moderators located in Utrecht will present controversial cases to the panelists located in their own center (Sao Paulo, Utrecht, Hannover, Padova, Béziers and Marseille).

You are invited to send your question to the surgeons during the live surgery session and the panel discussion via the moderators by email : lion2009@lion-web.org.

 
The Format of the 2nd LION December Broadcast

Pre-operative case presentation :
Each surgeon has selected two patients with perforation of the tympanic membrane in order to highlight their technique of choice for repair. They will present individual cases prior to embarking upon surgery.

Each presentation will be performed in Powerpoint format via the LION videoconference network by the moderators prior each corresponding surgical procedure. It will detail the history and clinical features together with audiological findings, and other investigations felt to be relevant.

The operating surgeon will outline his thoughts and the reasoning behind the method he intends to employ to explore and repair the defect.

Panel Discussion :

During this live broadcast there will be extra alloted time for a panel discussion following the live surgery session.

Because of the real time interactive ability of the LION HD Network this discussion will be similar to any panel discussion at major conferences. It will give the opportunity for the audience to tackle the panel on their individual views. You can also put questions to the panelists via the moderators by email : lion2009@lion-web.org.

The group of Moderators at LION’s Utrecht Hub will present a selection of cases both straightforward and complex to the participating surgeons. Each case will be illustrated by at least 3 Powerpoint slides detailing history, appearances and audiological findings.

The surgical panel will be asked to comment on their individual reasoning and strategy for treatment and repair of the perforation, if they feel appropriate.

How to take part in the 2nd LION in Winter Broadcast
You can view the 2nd LION December Broadcast via internet from any computer. Go to http://www.lion-web.org . From the home page click on “Internet Streaming” and follow the instructions. Internet access is free.

You can send your questions to the surgeons via the moderators at any time during the broadcast including the panel discussion by email : lion2009@lion-web.org.

For colleagues within easy and economic travelling distance of the Utrecht Hub LION extends an invitation to join the moderating team and follow the event, free of charge, at the Utrecht's ENT Department meeting room. If you wish to come to Utrecht to follow the 2nd LION December Broadcast click here.

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Welcome to Guerlain Spa: Alan Roberts

Dear Alan Roberts,

We look forward to welcoming you to the Guerlain Spa, Waldorf=Astoria. Below are the details of your experience:

Date Tuesday, Dec 08, 2009


Services
4:00 pm Customization Foot Bath
Staff2 Myrna (On Call) Pena
4:15 pm Deep Tissue
Staff2 Myrna (On Call) Pena

Purchase Guerlain Gift Cards Today. They make a wonderful present!

Address: 301 Park Ave , 19th Floor, New York, NY 10022 View Map

Phone: (212) 872-7209

Website: Click here to visit our website.

Cancellation Policy: Click here to view our Cancellation Policy.

Calendar: Click here to add this appointment to your Outlook calendar.

Enjoy your service,

Guerlain Spa Waldorf=Astoria

Comments [1]

St Andrews Day

 

"DARnet Andy Roberts" - 1 new article

 

St Andrews Day

 

Today is St Andrews Day, Scotland’s national day and according to French tradition, a sort of birthday for anybody called Andrew. So here’s a picture of the city of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, showing a bit of a cliff where the fulmars glide and the St Andrews harbour wall.

St Andrews

St Andrews

St Andrew himself, if he existed as such, never went to Scotland, he lived in Greece.

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St Andrews Day

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listing agreement

listing agreement

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Latest H1N1 Virus Swine Flu Season in Full Flow

"DARnet Andy Roberts" - 1 new article

H1N1 Virus – Swine Flu Season in Full Flow

Swine Flu Season in Full Flow – H1N1 Virus check

It’s been more than six months since the swine flu epidemic erupted worldwide and in that time we have seen at least two major waves of illness around the northern hemisphere. The first was in our summer as the new virus spread in pockets after international travellers returned home already infected and affected wider populations in specific areas, particularly noticable when attributed to schools. The second wave started when the schools went back in September, in advance of our real winter which is only just beginning now, but peaked within weeks as the warm autumn weather held the virus in check.

November is traditionally the start of the flu season and this year is no exception apart from the fact that the flu virus in circulation is in most cases much more likely to be the new variant of type A H1N1 rather than the usual human h5n1 seasonal flu virus.

Second UK Swine Flu Wave Peaked?

So this is either a third wave or a reprise of the second wave if you prefer, and the signs are that this has just passed a temporary peak, with the number of new reported cases dropping week on week for the first time (UK estimate 46,000 new cases of swine flu in the last week, down from 53,000 week before.) An important question now is whether or not there are any signs of the virus mutating into a type that is more deadly as has happened previously in history with influenza pandemics caused by new strains. The pattern to look out for is one of successive waves of increasing numbers infected, followed eventually by one or more waves which are not only more deadly to victims but also more easily transmittable. Then eventually once a tragic number of fatalities have been cleared away, the flu virus mutates into a milder form that goes on to infect the rest of the world’s population who haven’t already acquired immunity, but without taking nearly such a bad toll in terms of lives. It is reasoned that it’s for this eventuality that various governments have planned vaccination programmes for whole populations, at present being implemented first only for the most “at risk” demographics -  young people, children and those with underlying health problems.

For the UK, another important fear is if the virus becomes resistant to the antiviral drug Tamiflu, since the government has taken the precaution of buying in huge stocks of the tablets, enough to treat one half of the country’s population.

H1N1 Swine Flu in the US after Thanksgiving

thanksgivingswinefluseason

The Thanksgiving holiday is typically followed by at least a modest bump in early seasonal flu cases, according to reports from the past few years. But this, of course, is not a typical year. Swine flu is a new virus that accounts for nearly all flu cases right now. Usually, seasonal flu is just getting going in late November, and holiday get-togethers allow illness to jump from small pockets to other parts of the country. Swine flu, in contrast, has been widespread for months.

“It’s not like we expect to see a bunch of infected people going to uninfected cities and towns”

said Andrew Pekosz, a flu expert at Johns Hopkins University. The swine flu pandemic hit the US in two waves: first in the spring, then a larger wave that started in the late summer.

The World Health Organization said H1N1 flu was moving eastward across Europe and Asia after appearing to peak in parts of Western Europe and the United States.

Reported Mutations of the swine flu type A H1N1 virus

Mutations of the DNA of influenza viruses are typical of any pandemic and world experts are watching carefully for any first signs of a dangerous mutation. So far the indications are that early warning systems are working but that no such mutation with a deadly combination of easy transmission, deadly payload and/or drugs resistance has shown up – yet. Isolated cases of different mutations have been reported from Brazil, Norway and China and drug resistance in a hospital in Wales.

from MetroNews.CA Toronto

WHO’s spokeswoman in Beijing, Vivian Tan, said the agency is aware of three such cases in China that occurred in June and July that were similar to the cases being investigated in Norway. Tan said WHO had no information on the cases mentioned in the Xinhua report Wednesday.

There is no evidence the mutated swine flu virus is circulating widely in the world, Tan said, but since it has been linked to deaths in Norway and elsewhere, investigators are focusing on whether this mutation could be a marker for more severe disease.

“We are concerned, but realize that influenza viruses, including A/H1N1, are relatively unstable and change easily, especially as they infect more people,” Tan told The Associated Press. “Some mutations can have minimal effects on how a virus functions, while other mutations can create important changes with significant public health impact.”

Several troubling outbreaks of drug-resistant H1N1 have been documented but it has been noted they are limited so far and there are no indications yet that the virus is mutating in a sustained way.

Swine Flu Deters Pilgrims to HAJJ

hajjhitbyswineflu

Saudi authorities announced four pilgrims have died of the H1N1 swine flu virus in the days leading up to the pilgrimage which began on Wednesday 26th November 2009. A Moroccan woman, a Sudanese man and an Indian man, all 75, and a 17-year-old Nigerian girl, died from H1N. The Saudi Health Ministry said the four had not followed ”recommended procedures, especially vaccination against swine flu”.

All the victims so far had been suffering from underlying health conditions with 16 other cases of swine flu infection among pilgrims. Health authorities in Saudi have mobilised for the world’s largest gathering since swine flu began spreading across the globe, but the number of pilgrims going on Hajj is likely to be lower this year due to rainstorms, and local officials admitting that fears of swine flu may keep away at least 40 percent of local pilgrims.

Tamiflu resistant swine flu

A Tamiflu resistant strain of the swine flu has spread between hospital patients in Cardiff, Wales.  They are thought to be the first confirmed cases of person-to-person transmission of a Tamiflu resistant strain in the world. Five patients at Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales appear to have acquired the infection while being treated for other conditions, and these have now been joined by a sixth related case of the drug resistent flu strain.

The H1N1 virus has been remarkably stable since it emerged in April, but virologists had been half expecting new resistant strains to emerge somewhere in the world, and it appears to have happened first at the University Hospital of Wales in  Cardiff.

Norwegian Swine Flu H1N1 variation

Scientists in Norway announced recently that they had detected a mutated form of the swine flu virus in two patients who died of the flu and a third who was severely ill. The Norwegian mutation could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease, such as pneumonia. Influenza is a mutable virus, and changes are to be expected, this is typical early in the spread of a pandemic virus.

Some 680,000 Norwegians are estimated to have been infected with swine flu to date, of which 23 have died.

WHO says there have been over 6,750 deaths worldwide so far.

Vaccine programmes, limited and late

Although the world was alerted to the new strain of flu virus spreading in Mexico City back in April, the preparations made for a vaccination programme have been effected later than was originally hoped. Last  week in the UK for example, it was announced that more than three million healthy children under five across the UK will be offered the swine flu jab, whereas the announcements back before the summer were that a widespread vaccination programme would begin in September. Over in France, the first cases of a vaccine induced illness have been reported, reviving fears of a repeat of the terrible situation in the US during the 1975 pandemic when a vaccination programme was halted due to large numbers of tragic side effects.

Further Information: Swine Flu H1N1 Virus Symptoms

Click here to view the embedded video.

symptoms-of-swineflu

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H1N1 Virus – Swine Flu Season in Full Flow

Related posts:

  1. Symptoms of Swine Flu – H1N1 Virus
  2. New Brazilian Swine Flu Discovered
  3. Swine Flu Vaccination Plan

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Filed under  //   Drug Resistant   h1n1   Mutation   Pandemic   Peak   Swine Flu   Tamiflu   Vaccine   Virus   Wave  

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Website Unblocking...Please Help

Hi Guys -

Anything you can do to help Amy?   Thanks!

Ellen

Hi Ellen,

This is Amy Bacchieri (Roberts) at QHS. We are currently working on
the students' personal poetry anthologies. I would REALLY like them to
be able to explore design layout and aesthetic storytelling as part of
their anthology project--and I would also like them to have the option
of ordering their anthologies in book form through shutterfly.com. It
is the perfect medium for them to be able to do all these things, and
it is important and exciting for them to be able to see their work
presented in a more formal medium. They are super excited about the
project, but we are held up at the moment because of server/blocking
issues.

When I tried to set the project up in Shutterfly, I realized that the
site is blocked--my students were able to get on the site, but weren't
able to sign in. When they tried, they were directed to the filtered
due to "Social Networking, etc." Is there any way that we can get
shutterfly.com unblocked so that the students can complete their
projects?

Thanks,
Amy

Comments [1]

The Forth Road Bridge

 

"DARnet Andy Roberts" - 1 new article

  1. The Forth Road Bridge

The Forth Road Bridge


Forth Road Bridge Scotland

Originally uploaded by AndyRob

I don’t have anything in particular I wanted to say about the Forth Road Bridge really, just to post this photograph I took from a vantage point on the south bank of the Forth, just outside the town of Queensferry.

Anything you wanted to know about the Forth Road Bridge you could find out in the rather dull Wikipedia entry:

The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth; connecting the capital city Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry. The bridge replaced a centuries-old ferry service to carry vehicular traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians across the Forth; rail crossings are made by the adjacent and historic Forth Bridge.

Issues regarding the continued tolling of the bridge, and those over its deteriorating condition and proposals to have it replaced or supplemented by an additional crossing, have caused it to become something of a political football for the Scottish Parliament, which eventually voted to scrap tolls on the bridge with effect from 11 February 2008.

Just whatever you do, don’t get it confused with the much more spectacular but more difficult to photograph “Forth Bridge” which is a railway bridge running parallel, in much the same way as the Tamar road bridge and Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s famous Saltash Bridge ( The Royal Albert Bridge) between Plymouth and Cornwall.

Neither the Forth Bridge nor the Forth Road Bridge is painted continuously.

ForthBridgeScotland

The Forth Bridge (Railway)

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November 2009: London ICT e-bulletin

 

 london ict ebulletin

 London Councils logo


Dear Andy,

As someone with an interest in voluntary and community sector ICT we hope you find our monthly London ICT e-bulletin useful. Our bulletin is aimed at smaller organisations, managers, circuit riders and accidental techies. It will keep you up to date with the latest news, ICT events and training, accessibility, opinions and more. You can also forward it to a colleague or unsubscribe at any time.

Join in the discussion
In the Bulletin we will normally have one or two discussion points which can be followed up by Bulletin subscribers over on the Knowledgebase Forums  - we encourage all Bulletin subscribers to join in and take forward the ongoing debates. Currently there are discussions running on the importance of ICT management, training, budgeting, social media and much more.

Lasa Information Systems Team

In this London ICT e-bulletin for November 2009:

ict news
Win a website, Computanews out now, PCs for the elderly, Community Voices

events, training and learning
Creating newsletters, NetSquared's Net Tuesday, SpiceWorld, NCVO Foresight, London Circuit Riders, Modernising Volunteering, Media Trust training, Lasa ICT Learning Programme

funding and awards
BT Community Connections, eBay for charities and Media Trust awards

resources
ICT elements of the National Support Services, updated data protection, ICT Security Guide, upgrading to Windows 7, people and project management, social media library, legal issues

practical tips
Listening dashboards, reducing energy use, extending computer life, accessibility in Vista

tools & applications
Pasting tool, information mapping, VOICE websites, typing training, Drupal introduction, green software

opinion
Measuring social media ROI, real time web, keeping online donors, dangers of social media

discuss
Have you thought about your social media policy?

ict news

Competition opens for charities to win free website and digital strategy

Digital communications agency Precedent Communications is offering £30,000-worth of its services as a competition prize for charities. The prize includes a new website, training and a digital strategy. To enter, Precedent is asking charities to post short videos on YouTube. Full details on the competition microsite. Communications charity the Media Trust is also offering prizes to the runners-up, including free training in digital media.

New Computanews out now

Issue 154 is now available to download. In this issue:
  • Microsoft's latest operating system is compared with Ubuntu and Mac alternatives along with accessibility features
  • using student volunteers and volunteering best practice
  • 12 ICT security tips to help you stay safe
  • Mobile and wireless technology explained and help with moving from cabled to wireless network
  • our round up of ICT news and events from the voluntary and community sector.
New PC for elderly people launched
A new computer aimed at people aged over 60 who are unfamiliar with PCs and the internet has been unveiled. The simplified Linux-based desktop - called SimplicITy - has just six buttons directing users to basic tasks such as e-mail and chat. Read the story on the BBC website.

Digital media research
Research commissioned by Media Trust reveals there is an opportunity for Community Voices (see Resources) to add value to media activities within disadvantaged and isolated communities. The research aimed to get an overview of the success stories as well as identifying some of the biggest barriers that prevent communities from finding their voice. Download the Community Voices report.


Related Knowledgebase articles:


events, training & learning

24 November: Create e-newsletters that get read @ venue tbc - This Media Trust afternoon workshop will teach you what content is of genuine value to your audience, how to write killer subject lines and other key elements to drive click-through rates and traffic to your website. £95 for charities/voluntary sector organisations. More information on e-newsletters workshop.

01 December: Netsquared Net Tuesday @ eOffice, 2 Sheraton Street, Soho 5.30 -7.30 - This month's meeting looks at the eCampaigning Louder.org.uk website and an opportunity for sharing. Sign up for Net Tuesday.
 
4 December: SpiceWorld London
@ Roxy Bar and Screen, London SE1 - A full day's learning on the free SpiceWorks helpdesk and inventory tool. Register for Spiceworld London

8 December: NCVO ICT Foresight Seminar @ NCVO, London, N1 - What's round the corner in the world of technology and where might your organisation be in 5 years' time? Find out more about this afternoon seminar (2.30 - 5.00pm followed by drinks reception) and book online.

15 December 2009: London Circuit Rider afternoon networking event @ Novas Contemporary Urban Centre, London Bridge - Joint event with members of LVSC's STAN and Cascade networks. We'll be exploring what circuit riders, information workers and development workers can learn from each other. Sign up for the London Circuit Riders.

13 January: Modernising Volunteering by Red Foundation - a free training seminar providing an introduction to working with social networks for volunteer support service workers and those who are thinking of or just starting to use these networks for volunteer recruitment and communication with their peers or members.  Find out more about modernising volunteering 

Media Trust training
The Media Trust is running a number of digital media training events in the London area over the next few months - see the Media Trust training page for more information.

Lasa ICT Learning Programme
A reminder that applications are open for this new innovative programme which will help circuit riders, development workers and accidental techies develop their awareness of the sector and its ICT needs, consultancy, planning and non-technical skills. More information and application forms

Event/training organisers - if you are planning an event please send us brief details so we can include it in the e-Bulletin by emailing ictbulletin@lasa.org.uk 


funding and awards

MissionFish - eBay for Charity
eBay for Charity gives eBay users an easy way to support their favourite charities by making donations when they buy and sell. Buyers can support a good cause and sellers can donate a percentage from any sale to a charity of their choice and add Gift Aid. Charities can also sell their own items directly on eBay to raise unrestricted funds. As eBay’s partner for the programme, MissionFish vets charities, processes donations, collects Gift Aid and advises on how to make the most of eBay. More information at Mission Fish

Inspiring Voices digital media awards
Media Trust is always looking to celebrate the varied and inspiring ways you are using digital media to help empower disadvantaged communities. Community Voices has  20 £500 awards to give away before the end of March 2010.  More information on Inspiring Voices.

BT Community Connections
A reminder that you can still apply for a laptop and contribution to a year's free broadband connection.  Postal applications must be received by 5 January 2010 and online by 7 January. Find out more about BT Community Connections

Related Knowledgebase articles:

resources

National Support Services
This month we look at three of the nine NSSs funded by Capacity Builders, highlighting ICT tools and elements included in each service.
Marketing & Communications - lead agency - Media Trust:
  • Marketing matters - a video guide giving practical advice on the fundamentals of marketing and demystifying Web 2.0 tools such as vodcasts and blogs.
  • Other Media Trust projects include Community Voices - engaging and equipping citizens who feel unheard or voiceless with the tools to help them express and exchange views using digital media with funding available for grassroots projects and youth media - see Media Box, Youth Mentoring and the Communication for the Next Generation guide
Campaigning & Advocacy - lead agency NCVO's Campaigning Effectiveness:
  • Louder is a new website which has been developed to support the set up and running of e-campaigns using a range of free tools.
  • There is also a collection of other resources, examples and case studies of use of new media to aid campaigns.
Equalities & Diversity - lead agency Women's Resource Centre
Updated Data Protection book published
The third edition of Paul Ticher's book on Data Protection in the Voluntary Sector has just been published.  £18.95 from Directory of Social Change.

Computanews Guide to ICT Security
Aimed at voluntary sector staff with responsibility for managing and securing ICT systems, the free 34 page ICT Security guide (2MB PDF file) looks at:

  • Assessing the risks and policies needed
  • How computer security is affected by people and the environment in which it used and
  • How to secure those all-important assets
As ICT security is a vast subject, the Guide is split into easily digestible sections, written in plain language and complemented with a rating system so as to be appropriate whatever the size or complexity of your organisation's ICT systems. Download the ICT Security Guide.

Should You Upgrade to Windows 7
Kevin Lo at TechSoup looks at four questions to ask before acquiring and deploying Windows 7 at your organisation.

Project Management – The People Side
Project management methodologies abound, but the usually overlooked people side is just as important as the processes. This new Knowledgebase article looks at some tips and tools for working successfully with people on projects, and takes a brief look at some online project management tools that can help.

New social media resource library
There are many resources on social media for nonprofits, but they are scattered all over the web. As a first step in their year-long social media research initiative, Idealware has compiled a library of nearly 200 – and growing – resources on social media. Visit the library.

- legal

Commission considers wider-ranging data breach notification law
The EC will consider passing new laws forcing organisations that lose personal data to go public with that loss. The Commission has until now been opposed to the creation of wide-ranging data breach notification requirements. More on data breaches at Out-Law.com.

Online advertising threatened by cookie law
Visitors to websites in Europe may soon face a barrage of pop-ups that seek their consent to internet cookies. The plan to change current laws on cookies can be stopped only if politicians fail to resolve a file-sharing dispute. More on cookie laws at Out-Law.com.

Consultation over maximum fine for data protection breaches
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) would have the power to fine organisations up to £500,000 for serious breaches of data protection principles under plans announced by the Ministry of Justice.
More on data protection breaches at Out-Law.com.

Related Knowledgebase articles:

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practical tips

Each month we look at some practical tips and techniques to help you get the most out of using ICT.

How to create a listening dashboard for your organisation
NetSquared's Amy Sample Ward investigates how to pull together sources of online information in one place.

Reduce Your Energy Use
TechSoup's five quick and easy ways to reduce your ICT energy use - part one is an overview, part two looks at two of the suggestions in more detail.

Extending the Life of Your Computer
Save money and resources and keep that PC out of the graveyard for a few more years - a TechSoup article.
 
Accessibility Features in Windows Vista

Download this Superhighways guide to the accessibility features available in Windows Vista.

Related Knowledgebase articles:



tools & applications

Each month we look at some handy tools to help you get the most out of your technology:

BetterPaste
Better Paste is a simple, lightweight application for Windows that tweaks the Ctrl+V paste shortcut so that it pastes plain text every time. This is really useful if you are copying text from a Word document and need to strip out the formatting in order to bring it into a web page.

Get a Brain!

The Personal Brain is a great free visual information mapping desktop application. Download your Brain
 
VOICE websites
Cambridge Open Systems is making available free websites to all not-for-profit, voluntary, and community groups throughout the UK that can be set up with no technical expertise required.  Interactive modules such as events calendars, discussion boards and surveys can easily be added to sites. Local authorities can subscribe to the full VOICE package which includes training and technical support.

Learn to type
UltraKey 5.0 UK is a downloadable application which teaches touch typing and safe keyboard use. It provides many options that adapt to a broad range of age groups and special needs. There is a free time limited trial download from the Bytes of Learning website; through the CTX programme eligible organisations can opt to buy 5 licences for  £10 + VAT.
 
Drupal 101
An introduction to Drupal website content management system by Peter Campbell at Idealware.

Greening Your IT Through Your Software Choices
Computers and servers can consume a tremendous amount of natural resources.  Over at Idealware David Deal and the Green IT Consortium take a look at the software that can help you reduce your environmental footprint.

Related Knowledgebase articles:



opinion

Our new section takes a tour around the sector's blogs...

Measuring ROI on social media
Clare Rollinson at NCVO looks at why you should ask the question: have we received more donations or more sales from our activity in social media?

Real time web in action
There's more to real time internet than Twitter - Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWrite Web gives 10 useful examples.

Online Donors: Why They Leave and How to Win Them Back
Rebecca Higman and Kayta Andreson from Network For Good discuss how to keep your online donors over at NTEN's blogs.

Has Your Organization Thought Through its Social Media Policy?
Dee Allbritton examines the dangers of social media and why a policy is important to safeguard your organisation online.

Related Knowledgebase articles:



discuss

Has your organisation recently started using social media? Has it thought through the potential issues and dangers and established a social media policy (as discussed by Dee Allbritton in the Opinion section)? Discuss this over on the ICT Knowledgebase Forum.

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About Lasa
Lasa is a charity which delivers innovative services in the fields of welfare benefits advice, ICT (information and communications technology) and advice policy. Our clients are mainly from the voluntary sector and statutory sector but we also work with some private sector organisations.

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Lasa's monthly London ICT e-bulletin provides up to date ICT news, events, funding, tools, tips and resources for staff in small to medium-sized voluntary organisations. Published in collaboration with Superhighways

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Comments [1]

East London Bus Strike - 48-hour Industrial action

 
Some East London Bus and Coach Company staff are planning 48-hour Industrial action from Friday 20 November 2009.

If this goes ahead, the following bus routes will be affected from Friday morning 0300 until Sunday 22 November at 0300:

5, 8, 15, 25, 26, 30, 48, 55, 56, 62, 69, 86, 97

101, 103, 104, 106, 115, 145, 147, 158, 169, 175

205, 230, 238, 241, 247, 257, 262, 276, 277, 287, 294, 296

300, 325, 330, 366, 369, 376, 387, 396

473, 496

D3, N8, N15, N26, N55, N86 and N550

For latest information and help planning your journeys, visit tfl.gov.uk

DLR, London Overground and London Underground will accept 7 Day or longer period Bus Passes during the day where buses are not operating.


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