Employers trying to stop people working

The proliferation of smartphones and tablets has meant that employees are constantly checking their in-boxes and the bosses are concerned that staff are more stressed by this need to be up to date.
A study by Pau university found that managers especially blur the boundaries of work and personal time by consulting their email frequently when not actually at work. 89% check when at home, 93% when on holiday, 82% in the car and even 51% when in bed.
Some firms have now started to block the company servers after a certain time and Mercedes do not forward mail to people on holiday - essentially "try later" is the message. Given the apparent need to check the mail constantly one can imagine that 12 hours without news will drive some people mad - even more stressing...
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Replay TV

Hello Val and Malc,French TV addicts
It is possible to use a program called Captvty which is available from (http://captvty.fr/)  to download French TV programmes to view on a computer.  When captvty is started it will list the available programs for download for each station, you can order on date aired or program type culture, sport etc. If a particular program is not visible there is an option to put that URL into the search function of Captvty and it will find the program if it is available.  There is also a facility to record live programs and even set up a future recording from the built in TV Guide. 
As it is for French TV then the program only supports French language but it is quite intuitive to use, it might even make French TV interesting.
Happy Viewing

Neville

Hi back Val,

I tried the link again and yes it has changed.  But I found this link.  Just scroll down and you'll see the video.

http://aquitaine.france3.fr/emissions/cap-sud-ouest/actu/tarn-et-garonne-causses-et-gorges-du-quercy-samedi-19-avril-19h.html

Ali

Hi again,

I also became friend with the show on facebook and here's a link to all the shows.

http://aquitaine.france3.fr/emissions/cap-sud-ouest

 

Malc says: the last two certainly work so we will be looking at the programme soon. You can also download a Pluzz TV app to do most of what Nev says above with Captvty, but to use a simple "iPlayer" like system is difficult as most programmes are only available for 7 days. But it seems there are ways round this (legitimately).

So we are looking forward to seeing "Causses et Gorges de l'Aveyron"

 

comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Is writing emails in Comic Sans like going to a party dressed as a clown?

One of the most popular typefaces of the 90’s has become “ringard” (old fashioned) and even ridiculed. It was designed for use by children, with its bold, rounded characters, but started to appear everywhere and even in places where it was not appropriate – on ambulances or undertakers’ publicity. An Australian designer felt sorry for all those red-nosed users and has re-engineered it to look more modern. Of course TAGlines would not be so crass and if you want to be “cool” too, don’t use Comic Sans (yet).
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Internet password scare

It appears that there has been a major security flaw in many so called "secure" log-in systems. We hope to see a "padlock" in the in the address bar of sites we log on to - so called OpenSSL - which denotes a higher degree of security. But there have been flaws in OpenSSL for two years and although many users have protected their servers many organisations, especially Yahoo, are advising internet users to change all their passwords. A spokesman for Cambridge Computer Laboratory said  "I think there is a low to medium risk that any given password has been compromised.
It's not the same as previous breaches where there's been confirmed password lists posted to the internet. It's not as urgent as that. But changing your password is very easy. So it's not a bad idea but it's not something people have to rush out to do unless the service recommends you do so."
So you can wait for sites you use to advise you (banks are major users) or just change your passwords.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Are you branché?

The Salon des Seniors is not a rest room in a maison de retraite, but an exposition opening today in Paris. One of the big themes this year is the use of information technology by "seniors" as we oldies are called. It seems that 11.5 million seniors regularly use the internet, mainly the woman in a couple. Keeping in touch with family is the main use, via email, chat or Skype. But also researching holidays, shopping, banking and even gaming.
"Branché" has long been used to describe someone who is "connected" socially, but now means literally connected to the web, and many more courses are offered to keep seniors up to date. If you are reading this you are by definition "branché", but if you want to get more out of your on line experience, or use your computer for more or even use a tablet or smart phone why not think about asking one of our IT experts.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

My Norton has expired

No, not an old motorbike gone kaput, but the pre-installed anti-virus on our new laptop. We asked a few in-the-know people for the best alternatives (especially free ones). As we are using Windows 8 the most popular answer was Windows Defender then Avast. I have used Avast before without problem and Bitdefender is also good. But free versions of paid for AV continually ask you to upgrade or add things on or include adverts - so annoying.
So I don’t like paid for anti-virus software because it is usually intrusive and slows things down and a Google search confirmed these choices and also the idea that paying for AV is generally not worth it.
But I came across a useful list of does and don’ts for protecting yourself from viruses etc (called malware).
1.       Install a good anti-virus suite
2.       Up-date software when it calls for it
3.       Do not open links from unknown sources
4.       Take note of warnings that a site may be unsafe * but ensure the warning is from a safe source.
5.       Vary your passwords
6.       On Facebook and Twitter etc beware of “short links” which conceal the true destination
7.       Uninstall old versions of software you have up-dated
8.       Get rid of Windows XP – “it’s a sieve” (we have XP on our desk top and I am worried about migrating to 7, but perhaps it should be done?).

There are other more technical things that most of us would never do and of course the Mac and Linux brigades say use these operating systems. But for now Norton has reluctantly chugged off and Windows Defender is quietly looking after us. Do readers have other experiences or ideas?

Malcolm
Alan says

I have used AVG for many years. There is a free version or you can pay for various levels of protection. I have had Norton on several computers but found it tended to 7nteract badly with other programmes and finished up getting rid of it. AVG updates frequently so hopefully is au fait with the latest threats.

Regards,

comments to taglines82@gmail.com