Wikipedia and other wikis

Whose knowledge is it anyway?

“Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That’s our commitment.” Wikimedia Foundation - the creators of Wikipedia.
Wikipedia, officially launched in 2001, is the largest single body of encyclopaedic knowledge on the Internet. It has grown to contain over three million articles in its database – larger even than the legendary Encyclopaedia Britannica – and there are currently 253 language editions of Wikipedia. But Wikipedia is more than just an encyclopaedia:  it’s an evolving collection of articles that are created and maintained by its users. Anyone can visit the site and create or edit an article - anonymously. This both provides a huge source of research material and also gives writers a great opportunity to contribute in their areas of expertise.
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Internet Explorer Zones

(Printed in Internet Magazine, a few years ago)

What are zones?

Microsoft introduced the concept of security zones when the company released IE 4.0. You can think of security zones as invisible boundaries that prevent certain Web-based applications from performing unauthorized actions with a Web browser. To control Web security, you can add and remove sites from a zone, depending on the functionality you want to provide for users on a particular site. During browser operation, the browser checks every site that you access for its security zone membership. (more…)

How to avoid junk mail

(Also Printed in Internet Magazine, a few years ago)

Want a university diploma? Or how about a free debt consolidation quote? Would you like a free holiday in the Caribbean? The chance to earn £££s today? Some Viagra, perhaps? Thought not. You probably find unsolicited email – or spam – like this waiting for you every time you check your messages. It’s the scourge of every inbox and is always useless and annoying. Luckily, getting rid of it can be easy. (more…)

Your Privacy on the Internet

(An extract from my book of the same title)

It is often quoted that ‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’. Despite the fact that the quote excludes people from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and half of the population of England, it is a good analogy. However, castles are not as secure as they used to be. In this day and age, they are suffering from dampness at the least and many have even crumbled to little more than a quaint attraction that is unable to defend itself from even the most harmless tourist. (more…)