Welcome

Welcome to another edition of the Prompt Newsletter.

This week we report on China’s efforts to censor the web, how blogging can improve your social life, and why WiMax could be a danger to satellites.

We also pay homage to Science Fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, who died this week.

If you enjoy reading this newsletter, why not visit our blog?

Hazel Butters, CEO - Prompt Communications

Technology News

Blogging your way to a better social life
By Duncan Heaney

New research from Australia has found that by regularly blogging, we can feel more satisfied with our friendships, both online and offline, and also feel less isolated. Research into the psychological effects of blogging was conducted by James Baker and Professor Susan Moore, from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. They have released two papers based on their findings.

The first paper has been published in the journal CyberPsychology and Behaviour. Baker and Moore compared the mental health of people that intended to blog to that of people who did not want to write a blog. Of the 134 MySpace users that completed the researchers’ questionnaire, 84 were intending to blog and 50 were not. Baker and Moore discovered that the potential bloggers felt less socially integrated and less satisfied with their friendships than the participants who did not intend to blog.

The researchers followed up this research two months later with another questionnaire. The same MySpace users were questioned, and 59 responded. This time, the people that had actually started blogging reported feeling like they belonged to a group of like-minded people, and felt more confident that they could rely on other people for help. The research indicates that by starting to blog, the participants had developed a much greater sense of community.

The research also revealed that after two months of social networking all respondents felt less depressed, anxious and stressed than they did before. That’s strange because after two months of fending off pokes, flung sheep and tedious test requests on Facebook, I’m not sure I can report the same thing…

Microsoft releases Windows Vista Service Pack 1
By Duncan Heaney

This should be of interest to all those who use Windows Vista at home or in the office. The BBC reports that a major service pack for the operating system has been released, but before users download it they should be aware of a few potential problems.

Service Pack 1 (SP1) is designed to improve the stability, security and performance of the operating system, but Microsoft warns that the update could clash with a number of programs and security applications users may have installed on their systems. SP1 breaks a number of programs upon installation. These include antivirus programs Trend Micro Internet Security and BitDefender. A list of applications that will not work with the update can be found here.

Microsoft also warns users that they may need to update some device drivers before installing the upgrade. Outdated drivers from RealTek AC, Intel and Symantec will apparently stop the update from being installed.

It’s recommended that users install SP1 through Windows Update, rather than use Microsoft’s download service. The Update version is 65MB and the download version 434MB. In addition, Windows Update can identify driver issues before installation.

US Media News

By Tarryn Morley

US

Narasu Rebbapragada has resigned from her post as senior editor at PC World magazine. Rebbapragada has been with the publication since 2004. She had previously served as associate editor and senior associate editor at PC World before being promoted to senior editor in 2007. No replacement for her has been named.

Frank Comes and Mary Kuntz have both resigned from their positions at BusinessWeek. Both Comes and Kuntz served as assistant managing editors. Comes had been with the publication for 31 years. Kuntz joined the magazine in 1995. Both have been hired as editors at McKinsey Quarterly.

IT ChannelPlanet has launched a blog reporting on technology news and trends. The blog is updated daily by Jupitermedia and is edited by Al Senia, IT ChannelPlanet’s managing editor.

Slate, the online news and opinion magazine owned by The Washington Post Co, plans to launch The Big Money website this summer. The Big Money will cover Wall Street and will focus on providing analysis and commentary in a witty and irreverent way. James Ledbetter, who has previously served as an editor at Time and The Industry Standard, has been appointed editor of The Big Money.

UK Media News

By Tarryn Morley

UK

Datacentre Times, a new website focusing on all aspects of the data centre, is scheduled to launch on 14th April. The website is aimed at anyone who is responsible for or works in the data centre. Datacentre Times will cover a variety of data centre related topics, such as racks, cooling systems, fire suppression, IT service management and data centre audits. Veteran technology journalist Ian Murphy has been appointed editor of the new website.

Helia Phoenix and Julian Rogers have been appointed co-editors at CXO Europe, a business management journal focusing on IT in business. Rogers recently joined CXO Europe after leaving Financial Services Technology. Phoenix has worked for CXO Europe since January 2007. Mark Wilkinson has been appointed news editor at thelondonpaper, a daily freesheet distributed in central London during the evening rush hour. thelondonpaper has a circulation of 495,650 and is aimed primarily at young urbanites. Wilkinson was previously assistant news editor at the Evening Standard.

Rachael Singh has been promoted from editorial assistant to staff writer at Incisive Media’s Accountancy Age and Financial Director. A replacement will not be sought for Singh’s previous position.

Tech Totals

By Zachariah N. Hofer-Shall

$300
The amount that each Facebook user is worth, from its $15 billion valuation by Microsoft (50 million users at the time)

$21.25
Amount AOL paid, per user, for Bebo at $850 million/40 million users, which is being considered a "good deal"

WiFi knocks out satellites
By Dave Wilby

WiMax, the long range specification for WiFi wireless networking, is a threat to satellite communications up to 20km away from base stations, according to a report in this week’s New Scientist. The Florida-based Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG) claims to have demonstrated conclusively that WiMax poses a significant interference threat to geosynchronous satellite signals thanks to both platforms’ use of microwave frequencies between 3.4 and 3.6GHz, known as the ‘extended C band’.

Although there is naturally concern that users in rural areas most in need of satellite links – especially in the South American region – will lose communications entirely, the WiMax Forum believes satellite users can avoid such interference through a number of solutions, including simply encircling dishes with metal grilles.

Great Firewall of China rebuilt over Tibetan crisis
By Dave Wilby

At the time of writing, the Chinese government had closed all access to many of the world's most popular websites in an apparent attempt to censor international coverage of violence in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. TimesOnline has posted daily updates this week verifying Chinese web blocking action, including a full blackout of YouTube, The Guardian, Flickr, Wikipedia, LA Times and partial restrictions to Yahoo! News, Google News and TimesOnline itself.

China now has an estimated 210 million internet users. Jeremy Goldkorn, the editor of danwei.org, a site which translates news from various Chinese sources into English told The Times: "The whole internet has also slowed down, which is almost certainly connected with authorities' attempts to censor content."

Sir Arthur C. Clarke ~ 1917-2008
British science fiction author and technology visionary Sir Arthur C. Clarke died on Wednesday in his home in Sri Lanka, aged 90. Sir Arthur continued to write until his death from cardio-arrest brought on by post-polio syndrome, finishing his final novel with friend and fellow author Frederic Pohl earlier this year.

Sir Arthur will be best remembered for those titles among his 100+ works of fiction which captured the mainstream imagination, such as ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘The Sentinel’, but he was also credited for a number of landmark white papers in which he successfully predicted technological advancements including geostationary satellites, the date of the moon landing, space shuttle launch mechanisms, and super-computers.

On his 90th birthday in December, Sir Arthur announced that he “did not feel a day over 89" and made three birthday wishes: for ET to call, for man to kick his oil habit and for peace in Sri Lanka. Ever the visionary, he also took the opportunity to write his own obituary: "I want to be remembered most as a writer. I want to entertain readers and hopefully stretch their imaginations as well. If I have given you delight in all that I have done, let me lie quiet in that night, which shall be yours anon."

Website of the week

By Sean McManus

Bunny Hunt

Easter eggs have been in the shops since Boxing Day, so you might be feeling bunny rage by now. If you’re plagued by Easter bunnies, you can set your mouse on them with this shooting game. Look out for the ones with bombs, and don’t shoot the black ones, otherwise you’ll lose a life. It’s just the cuddly multi-coloured ones you’re supposed to blast. Lock and load!

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