IT Week Insider, Volume 9, number 21

Welcome to the IT Week Insider.

This week the Insider looks at video-conferencing, road charging and shopping online. Hang on, if video-conferencing and online shopping are so big and interesting why are people out on the roads anyway?

You might notice a distinct absence of monkey mentions this week, but fear not. They are still here, they are just watching Big Brother. Who do they think will win? We are not sure, but they do like it when the girl that dresses up like a bunny comes on. That might be a hunger thing though.

Comment:
Is video-conferencing set for take-off?
Bill 'I'm here to amuse you?' Pechey thinks that next generation IP-based video-conferencing units are going to radically alter visual communications. Given that until now our idea of a visual communication has been to stick two fingers up at something before running away, we find the idea of this to be pretty interesting. Bill explains all here. But he never answers the question, "Why does the mention of take-off and video-conferencing make us think of Dirty Den?" Mind you, that's probably because no one posed it. Until now.

Road-charging system sets poser
Daniel 'Danger, Will' Robinson doesn't like posers, flash Harrys or wide boys. Nor, it appears, does he have much time for failed IT projects. So, what does he think of a 10-million-pound fund for the development of nationwide, road-charging schemes? Well, not much to be honest. Dan thinks that the government should look before it leaps when it comes to investing a lot of money in tracking technology - or, since this has something to do with driving, should indicate before it pulls out. Either way, it should do something other than what it's doing.

News:
Tenth of UK shopping now done online, says IMRG report
According to the Interactive Media in Retail Group a whopping 10 percent of all retail sales are now made online. Just 10 percent? They weren't hanging around the IT Week office in the last week before Christmas. The sixth yearly IMRG Index report, published this week, says consumers are spending £50bn each year online. Blimey, how much "herbal scaffolding" do they need?

IT staff could be vulnerable under RIPA laws
Proposed changes to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, and the Computer Misuse Act could potentially criminalise IT professionals, according to security experts. Yup, as if your job wasn't bad enough you now also have to worry about whether your firm uses encryption keys, and if it does, what you should do with them. Apparently, refusal to hand over said keys could result in one of those very large books being thrown at someone. That someone being you. 

Nearly half of all Wi-Fi networks pose a danger
More posing? Is this the Grattan's catalogue? There hasn't been this much posing in the IT Week office since the RSPCA sent in that attractive young lady officer to check out the monkey situation. Typically, all the monkeys hid that day, but the staff where everywhere. Anyway... according to Kaspersky Lab and RSA security, most WiFi networks are as secure as something called Shahbaz.

IT Week Podcast
This week: Madeline Bennett talks to Roger Howorth about some stuff that would make egg-headed, lab-coat-wearers fall over, and chats to David Neal about why you should never mention [sakdk] [fofofo] or [woewofov]* in an email..

Editor's blog
This week: Lem 'Bingo' Bingley goes back to Xenon Green - not a charming little village, despite how it might sound - and gets himself invited to the Beeb (and doesn't go there either).

Gary Flood blog
This week The Flood gives us "24" reasons why IT kicks ass... Please no spoilers Gary, some of us don't want to know that Nina is a hybrid man-machine, or that Jack Bauer is actually frightened of hamsters. 

IT Sneak blog
Odds and ends from the odd end of technology. This week Sneak gives you a coat that can call you a taxi, and some underpants that can hurl themselves out of a window before burning themselves... probably.

Phil Muncaster blog
This week: Phil is becoming increasingly concerned with the spread of Bluetooth headsets, and alarmingly fixated with a web-based Japanese lady. All in a day's work.

David Neal blog
This week David Neal writes about Monkeys, God, Nigerians, running shoes, and Compo out of Last of the Summer Wine. Oh, IT might get a look in as well.

*words scrambled, at the last minute, out of common sense.