Here's my GoTo website for anything which takes batteries and which is related to cycling, triathlon et cetera. Ray Maker is an American but he now lives in Paris with his American wife who runs an American cupcake/patisserie business in the centre of Paris - with their young child. A few years ago he started up a blog but being a triathlete – and mostly a cyclist, so far as I can gather, he started reviewing gadgets and he quickly got a reputation for telling it how it is – and in the world of rather over-effusive Internet reviews where almost everything eventually turns out to be pretty good and gets at least four stars, Ray Maker's reviews were pretty refreshing. If you are into sports of any kind and you like gadgets and if you want to read a serious and unbiased opinion before you splash out your hard earned lucre, then the website of DCR is probably one of the best places to go to. He does a lot of reviews about drones and also action cameras as well and these are pretty interesting too. However, I'm a bit disappointed that he hasn't started to do any reviews of some of the more downmarket Chinese/Korean items which are available for a fraction of the price of the big brands and which sometimes really aren't too bad at all. Maybe he'll get round to it. https://www.dcrainmaker.com/ @dcrainmakerblog

Technology advances-videos for you. Virtual Trip To Ireland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R5J8Je2j_4&feature=youtu.be

A few days ago a vitally important judgment was released concerning (once again) the matter of Liability Order 'costs'. This particular case was an appeal and was heard in the High Court but unlike in the recent case of the Reverend Nicolson, this particular local authority (East Northamptonshire District Council) had prepared a schedule of standardised costs of the type encouraged by Judge Andrews in the Reverend's case (paragraph 46). The claimant; Edward Williams represented himself and his appeal concerned (amongst other points) the following: One: That the summons served was an abuse of process because within it, it included an amount of costs (£75). He contended that the Regulations make no provision for the summons to include an amount by way of costs and that costs could only become due once, and if, a liability order were made Two: That including the amount of costs on the face of the summons was an abuse because it was an unlawful demand for money which the local authority had no right to make at that time. He contended that the costs were not due and owing at the date of the summons . He pointed out that the complaint on which the summons was based made no reference to the costs of £75. He submitted that it was an unfair manipulation of the Court process to include an amount for costs on the face of the summons, particularly when the only real summons cost was £3. He suggested that the recipient of a summons would be misled into believing that the costs of £75 were fixed and could not be debated or challenged. Three: He wanted to appeal the earlier decision regarding the sum of £75 and whether the costs had been 'reasonably incurred'. Most importantly; (and this is of significance to all local authorities who had been waiting for this case to be heard), Mr Williams considered that when compiling a schedule of costs, East Northamptonshire Council were wrong to include figures for: Information and Technology costs. Chip and Pin costs. Pension deficit funding.

Illegal EM technology use by collection agencies ======================================== USE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION TO SPY and HARASS (Cant post links yet but will soon ... See websites/links for details on the possible technology being used) ============================================ Websites and links: - Use infrared and microwave image mapping and spectral reconstruction to invade privacy ... entire home mapped and monitored - Monitoring is 24/7 and includes all family - EM brain monitoring device which stores brain activity patterns and uses them to selectively manipulate (see links at bottom) - Most likely remote EEG >> has subvocalization recognition capabilities (mind reading) - Mobile - can be used from a car - Software with the antenna system which is used to select from a list of options of torture/intimidation tactics - Use EM radiation to induce unpleasant sensations and pain (see links for the full list) - Induce emotional states - Torture pets/animals in neighborhood - Flipping MOSFET on adaptor power supplies and damaging wires connects - Aggressive drive-by and cutting up in traffic - Power cuts/fluctuations - EM microwave burns - EM manipulating of heartbeats/dreams/limb dexterity etc - Jamming Internet and cell phone calls - EM suppressing brain activity - EM enhancing waves at time of stimulus to accelerate memorization (or enhance association) - Operating during sleep cycles to manipulate subject's memories - Manipulating motor behavior - Illegal hacking of electronic devices - Bug and stalk/spy on online activity - Read all emails/texts - Spy on other electronic devices / power cords =============================================

Adblock Plus allows people browsing the internet to automatically hide those intensely irritating adverts and pop-ups on pages that they’re visiting Over in Germany, a group of media companies took AdBlock Plus to court. They said it was threatening their business and that the whole thing is anti-competitive and, of course, they wanted it to be shut down. However, much to the dismay of the media outlets, a court ruled in favour of allowing people to continue to block ads. http://www.bitterwallet.com/court-rules-in-favour-of-software-that-blocks-adverts/84795 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/adblock-plus-technology-to-hide-adverts-on-websites-is-legal-court-rules-10195786.html

Iain Duncan Smith’s plans to force claimants to spend hours a week endlessly searching for jobs on the Universal Jobmatch website* could become a laughing stock after the launch this week of an app which will carry out jobsearch automatically. According to their website, Universal Automation is a “browser extension which will automatically search for jobs on Universal Jobmatch and apply for them. It is the robot that will perform useless job search activities instead of you at a click of a button.” I would love to be a fly on the wall when IDS realises.

Not sure exactly where to post this - sorry if this is the wrong place. My experience is with Nat West but I believe the issue is of wider relevance. I have just sent Nat West the following complaint, after they sent me a 'Contactless' debit card without me asking for it and with a leaflet that tries to claim that the technology is safe and secure. Any thoughts? "You have just sent me a replacement Visa Debit card after I left my last one in a shop and subsequently cancelled it. With the card you sent me a leaflet telling me that the card includes 'contactless' technology and explaining how it works. My very first thought was that if I were to lose my card again, a criminal would now be able to make transactions for up to £20 without the need to know my pin number. How many such transactions could they make? The leaflet doesn't say. The leaflet says that 'from time to time' the pin number will be needed. How many transactions could be made fraudulently before the requirement for a pin is triggered? 3, 10, 50? Again, it doesn't say. I telephone the bank and your operator said that I should report any card loss immediately and that the bank would then be responsible for any fraudulent use. What if I didn't know that the card had been lost or stolen? Well, he said, the bank security team would block any apparently fraudulent uses. What if they didn't do so or didn't realise that it wasn't me using the card? What was the maximum number of £20 transactions that I could be liable for? HE DIDN'T KNOW! I have asked the bank to replace this card with one without the contactless technology and that has been agreed. However I am shocked and totally disgusted with the Bank's ethical position in this. Your leaflet explains that 'Contactless is very safe. Your card comes with the same secure technology used in all our cards....." The leaflet makes no attempt to spell out the potential liability that customers may now be exposed to. It appears to me that you are keen to increase the number and value of transactions that your cards process but that you couldn't really care less about the increased potential losses for your customers. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO SPELL OUT THE FACTS OR BRIEF YOUR TELEPHONE STAFF ON THE MATTER. And then there is the social damage. Prior to the mass use of this technology, people are aware of the attractiveness of the cash that they carry to petty-criminals. But cards at least had the protection of pin numbers. By introducing this technology on a mass basis, without engaging in ANY kind of debate with customers or even offering informed choice, you are actively fuelling petty crime / muggings. How do the managers of the bank live with themselves?"

Made me laugh. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ctrvp