Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

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Wolfgang
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Wolfgang »

Well, for those who are worried about my blood pressure, I hope it's okay now, after doing some tweaks on the settings the DVD-files are okay now as it seems. I'll check out the complete film this evening to make sure though (which I originally had planned to do yesterday).
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Daisy »

Glad to hear you're winning now Wolfgang! I hope all goes well and you enjoy watching the film this evening.
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Hope everything works fine, Wolfgang, and that you don't have to make any more adjustments.
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Courtenay »

Now here's something completely different when it comes to computers... I was a bit puzzled at today's new Google Doodle of the "Antikythera Mechanism", which is something I'd never heard of. It turns out it's the world's oldest known computer, built over 2,000 years ago with a level of technology that wouldn't be seen again until the 1600s! No-one knows who made it, or if there were other machines of its kind (there probably were), or indeed how the knowledge of how to build such devices was lost for so many centuries. Fascinating stuff, that's for sure!

Researchers have gradually pieced together what the mechanism would have looked like and how it worked, going by the fragments we have — it seems it included both solar and lunar calendars, showed the movements of the known planets and the constellations of the zodiac, predicted solar and lunar eclipses, and even counted the days until the ancient Olympics and other sporting events!! :shock:

This is the most in-depth article I found on it (including a video of a modern reconstruction): The Antikythera mechanism is a 2,000-year-old computer Just thought others here might find it interesting too. :D
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Fiona1986 »

I'm getting frustrated with my work PC as today, all of a sudden, it won't let me search the cave. I get this message -
This content has been blocked because it does not comply with our acceptable usage policy.

Category: Intolerance, Safe Content Filetypes, Web Content
every time. I know sites like eBay are blocked and a lot of things with foul language/sexual content but a cave search? I can view the cave just fine, but not the search and I can't see why.
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Moonraker
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Moonraker »

The Society website isn't secure, so in the light of recent malware attacks, maybe your IT dept has tightened security.
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Fiona1986 »

But why would the search page be the only one that I can't access (touch wood!)
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"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Fiona1986 »

And the weirdness continues as I can access the search page again!
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Maybe it depends what words people search for! :shock: :wink:
Moonraker wrote:The Society website isn't secure, so in the light of recent malware attacks, maybe your IT dept has tightened security.
A few weeks ago I emailed Keith about the website showing up as "not secure". He said it's actually fine. Some browsers were updated and began labelling the website as "not secure" but he doesn't see why.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Moonraker »

Yes, I too spoke to Keith about this some time ago when one of my forum members queried the fact that it wasn't secure. If you click on the i in a circle to the left of the address bar (Chrome) it says:
You should not enter any sensitive information on this site (for example passwords or credit cards), because it could be stolen by attackers.
I was able to make my forum address secure by delving into the admin area. Another forum I co-run is a phpBB forum (as is this one), https://beerandpubs.prophpbb.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , and that is secure. So there must be a way of securing the Society one, too. This is in the admin section:

Force SSL (new!)
Force HTTPS connection:
This requires the use of a .prophpbb.com subdomain


Of course, the Society forums don't have a subdomain so it might be impossible for laymen such as us to do this.

I imagine the worst thing attackers could do is to somehow find our passwords and use them to post their spam.
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I mainly deal with forum matters and don't poke around in admin, so I'll leave that to Keith and Tony!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Wolfgang »

Firefox also complains that the transmission of the PW isn't secure. Well, I don't use the PW for this site for anything else, so I can live with that.
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Moonraker »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:I mainly deal with forum matters and don't poke around in admin, so I'll leave that to Keith and Tony!
I'd hesitate to let Tony poke around too much! :shock:
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Jack400 »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:Maybe it depends what words people search for! :shock: :wink:
Moonraker wrote:The Society website isn't secure, so in the light of recent malware attacks, maybe your IT dept has tightened security.
A few weeks ago I emailed Keith about the website showing up as "not secure". He said it's actually fine. Some browsers were updated and began labelling the website as "not secure" but he doesn't see why.
I think that it's because the web address does not have "https" in it. The "s" standing for "secure". Since we do not enter bank account, credit card numbers or other sensitive details we can probably relax.
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Thanks, Jack.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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