Weelsof – Microsoft Malware Protection Center

Weels3

The malware will lock the screen, rendering it unusable for users. A reboot wouldn’t be helpful since the malware binary is registered as an Autorun executable in normal and in safe boot. The tactics of the malware is to scare the user into thinking they have illegally downloaded material such as MP3s, movies or software. The page will act as a governing body such as the FBI, Cuerpo Nacional de Policia (Spanish National Police) and police forces for many other countries.

via MSRT November ’12 – Weelsof around the world – Microsoft Malware Protection Center – Site Home – TechNet Blogs.

Maybe I should pay more attention to the little pop up on my computer reminding me to renew my anti-evildoer software.

Twitter and Facebook ‘harming children’s development’ – Telegraph

A generation of children risks growing up with obsessive personalities, poor self-control, short attention spans and little empathy because of an addiction to social networking websites such as Twitter, a leading neuroscientist has warned.

Baroness Greenfield quoted figures showing that more than half of 13- to 17-year-olds now spend more than 30 hours a week using video games, computers, e-readers, mobile phones and other screen-based technology.  She said the human brain evolved to its surroundings and needed a “stimulating environment” to grow and properly develop.  But she warned that a reliance on social networking and increased use of computer games could effectively “rewire” the brain.

via Twitter and Facebook ‘harming children’s development’ – Telegraph.

‘Mindfulness’ Is Being Incorporated Into Employer Strategies to Combat Multitasking

“Studies show that about 49 percent of our waking time, our minds have wandered away from the task at hand,” Bahl says. “Especially with digital communication, there’s a lot of texting, there’s a lot of multitasking going on, and people are losing the ability to focus when they really want to focus.”

This isn’t just harmless woolgathering. According to data from Basex, a Yorktown Heights, New York-based business research firm, the estimated annual cost to the U.S. economy in loss of productivity from multitasking is $997 billion and a minimum of 28 billion hours.

via ‘Mindfulness’ Is Being Incorporated Into Employer Strategies to Combat Multitasking – Featured Article – Workforce.

NatWest Open Sunday – IT Fail Causes Chaos

NatWest is battling to get on top of a huge backlog of failed payments after a software upgrade on Tuesday night went wrong, resulting in the bank being unable to process payments for its personal and business customers.

via NatWest opens on Sunday as IT glitch causes chaos | Reuters.

In a prior life, I ran information technology operations for two different insurance companies.  I changed my professional focus because the stress and pressure of maintaining 100% up-time in a 24/7 environment as my budgets were continuously cut was stupid.  Software upgrades should not, I repeat, NOT take down your entire business operations.  But in this case it did.

On Monday go give your IT person a BIG HUG.  She/he deserves it.

Tracking the Trackers – Video on TED.com

As you surf the Web, information is being collected about you. Web tracking is not 100% evil — personal data can make your browsing more efficient; cookies can help your favorite websites stay in business. But, says Gary Kovacs, it’s your right to know what data is being collected about you and how it affects your online life.

via Gary Kovacs: Tracking the trackers | Video on TED.com.

George Orwell was right.

What Captures Your Attention Controls Your Life – HBR

A few years ago, DisneyWorld executives were wondering what most captured the attention of toddlers and infants at their theme park and hotels in Orlando, Florida. So they hired me and a cultural anthropologist to observe them as they passed by all the costumed cast members, animated creatures, twirling rides, sweet-smelling snacks, and colorful toys. But after a couple of hours of close observation, we realized that what most captured the young children’s attention wasn’t Disney-conjured magic. Instead it was their parents’ cell phones, especially when the parents were using them.

via What Captures Your Attention Controls Your Life – Kare Anderson – Harvard Business Review.

How many people are not really where they are but someplace else?