vivweb01blog

AI development has continued apace since this blog was first published in June 2024, with little sign of a slowdown. Herewith an update for 2025.....   Introduction There has been much discussion, and not a little concern, voiced in the press and on social media recently about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the dangers it might pose for humanity.. How dangerous is it really, and what if anything can, or indeed should, we do about it ? First, let’s try to pin down what we mean by the term ‘AI’. The OED dictionary definition is: “.. the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. ” This rather narrow definition focuses on the use of AI as a tool, to be used to enhance what we as humans already accomplish, rather than considering what a new ‘cohort of intelligent machines’ might do themselves in the future. Apocal...

  Editor's Note: I published this blog in March of last year in response to an upsurge in phishing emails and other hacking incidents. The recent UK government demand that Apple provide them with a bypass to their end-to-end encryption serves as reminder that our comfidential data is at risk. Whatever the outcome of this particular 'spat', (in which I suspect Messrs. Trump and Musk will soon become involved, given their roles as 'champions of free speech') there is only one way to ensure that your 'at risk' data remains hidden - encrypt it yourself. ....read on to find out how....... ------------------------------------------- Could my email be hacked....? Unfortunately, it's more likely than you might think that your email either has already been hacked...or will be at some point….here’s why. There are a host of opportunities for a would-be hacker to find a way into your email account, and some of the 'professionals' are really expert at it. ...

  'Norovirus' (otherwise known as the 'winter vomiting bug') is the term in general use to describe the symptoms of an unpleasant stomach complaint caused by a virus.  This isn’t a new virus, as was the causative agent of Covid i.e SARS-CoV-2. Many of us will already have been exposed to it during our lifetimes. It’s certainly not a ‘nice to have’, particularly for the very young and the elderly. The incidence is to some extent seasonal, and the virus does seem to be gaining the upper hand this winter, with significant numbers catching it in UK, hence the recent reports in the news media. There have been quite a few consequent hospital admissions over the last few weeks, hence the use of the term 'epidemic' in the press. The NHS is concerned about a rapid influx of new patients, at a time when it's already stretched to the limit,  if the situation continues to worsen. The recent surge in admissions hospitals are already facing due to an emerging 'flu epi...