«« Tech rage an office problem

A survey of 400 office workers in Sydney and Adelaide found that although modern technology had made many office and life tasks simpler, there was increasing evidence that technology was adding to workplace pressure.

Marketing research company Square Holes found the broad appeal of new technology and its accessibility meant people felt compelled to be more efficient. They want to be technologically savvy and always available to clients, family and friends, but this has its downsides and tech rage is now a common occurrence, particularly in the office.

The survey found computer crashes, spam, mobile phones and other communication devices among the major sources of tech rage. The workers reported an average of nine computer crashes per week.

Many people reported feeling trapped and their privacy invaded outside work hours by the heavy reliance on mobile phones and other communication devices.

However, despite the advent of tech rage, most people were receptive to the benefits of modern technology. Almost all said technology had made their lives better in some way. There was also widespread usage and appreciation of technology in making bill payment and banking easier and the benefits of internet shopping.

(The Age, August 05)

«« Google billionaires had $1 salaries

The trio of billionaires who run - and own much of - online search engine leader Google Inc. reduced their individual salaries to $1 last year and rejected a recent attempt to give them a raise.

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and the company's chief executive, Eric Schmidt, dramatically lowered their salaries last spring - right around the time that the company filed its plans for an initial public offering of stock that made their salaries largely irrelevant.

Before the concessions, Google paid Page and Brin an annual salary of $US150,000 ($A195,924) apiece. Schmidt collected a $US250,000 ($A326,541) annually.

Foregoing a regular pay isn't difficult for Brin, Page and Schmidt because they own two-thirds of the company's highly prized stock. Page and Brin each own a 27.8 per cent stake worth $US7 billion ($A9.14 billion) while Schmidt's 10.6 per cent stake is worth $US2.7 billion ($A3.53 billion).

(The Age, April 05)

«« Small business leaps into e-world

If your small business isn't connected to the net yet, you'd better get cracking. A new survey suggests Australia's small businesses have moved well past the need for an internet presence and are looking to drive real returns out of their investment.

According to the Sensis e-Business Report, nine out of 10 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have brought their business online and, thanks largely to the advent of broadband, more than 60 per cent have already recovered their investment. Sixty-three per cent of SMEs connected to the net are now on broadband.

Tourism and hospitality continued to get the strongest returns from their online investment. Several manufacturers were also seeing the benefits of having their products spread across the World Wide Web. Over a third of businesses that sell online are now making sales overseas.

The survey found 13 per cent of SMEs were doing most of their selling online and 15 per cent did most of their procurement over the web.

(The Age, August 05)

«« US passports go electronic from December

The United States will begin issuing electronic passports in December to help tighten border and identity security. A computer chip will be embedded in passport covers and will hold the same information that is written on the inside: name, date of birth, gender, place of birth, dates of passport issue and expiry, passport number and a photo.

The chip will also have a unique digital signature designed to protect the data from tampering. The chips will have technology to prevent unauthorised reading, or "skimming," of the data.

(The Age, August 05)

«« Song downloads triple at pay sites

The number of song downloads at authorised websites, tripled among US internet users in the first six months of 2005, compared with the same period a year ago.

US internet users downloaded 159 million individual songs over the period, (55 million in the same period in 2004).

Internet users are moving away from piracy on peer-to-peer networks and gravitating toward pay-per-download sites like Apple's iTunes.

A recent report by the Recording Industry Association of America showed 2005 sales of CDs and other disks rose five per cent in unit volume - the first increase after four years of declines.

The recording industry has been waging a fierce battle against online piracy over peer-to-peer networks. It won a major victory recently when the Supreme Court ruled that such networks could be held liable for piracy if they encouraged unauthorised copying of music or other content.

(The Age, July 2005)

«« Computer booths to help Indian farmers

India will set up a chain of computer booths across its rural heartland with the aim of enabling farmers to sell their produce to the best-paying customers. The computer booths will be housed in community centres, schools and government offices linked to the internet.

Nearly 25,000 villages will be connected to the network in the first phase of the program, but this will be stepped up to around 100,000 to complete a national rollout by 2007.

India's farm sector employs nearly 70 per cent of its workforce, with agriculture contributing almost a quarter of gross domestic product. Economists say boosting farm sector growth is vital to the country's ambition of maintaining seven to eight per cent growth over the long-term, to join the league of developed nations.

The project, called Mission 2007, is sponsored by 80 organisations including Microsoft and India's largest software services firm, Tata Consultancy Services.

One of the biggest obstacles confronting Indian farmers was that they were losing nearly 25 per cent of their incomes to middlemen. The computer network would not only help the farmers bypass the middlemen, but also enable them to tap the best sources for buying seeds, fertilisers or get advice on farming from scientists.

The expanded network could also greatly improve the quality of rural life by providing a platform for a host of other services including long-distance education and healthcare.

(AFP, July 05)

«« Satellite may boost broadband spread

The launch of a Thai broadband satellite could cause broadband charges to fall in some parts of Australia including outback communities.

The $US400 million Shin Corp iSTAR broadband satellite was sent into space onboard a European Ariane 5 rocket from its base in French Guiana in South America a few days ago.

Australia and New Zealand are among the 22 Asia-Pacific countries to be covered by the satellite's footprint when full operations start about a month after the launch.

Telstra and Macquarie Telecom signed contracts with Shin Satellite in early 2004 to build earth stations in the outback that will offer customers low-cost two-way satellite broadband. Costs could fall by as much as 50 per cent, opening new opportunities for internet customers far beyond the major cities.

The new satellite, built by the US-based Space Systems/Loral, will mean services such as virtual private network, telephony on IP, video conferencing and video on demand will all be accessible.

(The Age, August 05)

«« Navy cyber cafes keep soldiers in touch

Since the Navy began setting up "Internet cafes" for soldiers overseas to keep in touch with their loved ones, almost 200 of the high-tech tents have sprung up in war zones.

In recent years, e-mail communication has become easier for sailors on some larger ships and at some high-tech military bases around the world, but it was not available to most soldiers in the field.

Two years ago, civilians working for the Navy started the $US20 million program to set up communications systems - basically tents with 20 laptop computers and eight telephones - as a morale boost for Army soldiers stationed in Iraq. Each site is designed to serve about 1,000 soldiers.

Now there are 183 of the sites in Iraq, four in Afghanistan and even two aboard oil platforms in the Persian Gulf that are manned by the US military, all managed from the military base in Charleston, USA.

(The Age, May 05)

«« Asia online travel bookings to double

Online travel bookings in Asia are set to double 2003 figures to $US16 billion ($A20 billion) by 2006 according to a report by Asia's leading air ticketing and reservations company, Abacus International.

An estimated 29 per cent of regional air travel bookings will be made online by the end of 2005, up sharply from 3.5 per cent in the previous year.

The report cited the increasing ease of access to the internet within the region and the emergence of budget carriers as major factors contributing to the online travel boom. More travellers have become familiar with and are displaying increasing confidence in online booking. The number of regional budget airlines has increased dramatically, from just one in 2001 to the current 16.

Besides the traditional markets of Japan and Australia, residents in Taiwan and Hong Kong are also fast embracing online travel, which refers to the purchase of travel products such as air tickets, hotel rooms, short-haul packages and weekend breaks online.

(The Age, August 05)

«« Brief guide to buying a digital camera

Article by Roulla Yiacoumi of Next

If you shopped around for a digital camera a year ago, you might not recognise the graduates of 2005. Today's consumer cameras are smaller, smarter and even quicker to start up. Design is more important than ever in a market that offers an abundance of choice. Continued in Fact Sheet ...

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