Getting your tweets via ticker tape

23 August 2013 Last updated at 08:47 ET By Zoe Kleinman Technology reporter, BBC News

A web developer from Cumbria has built a modern version of a 19th Century ticker-tape machine which prints out tweets.

The 'twittertape' device was built from scratch using second-hand parts from clocks and other sources, said creator Adam Vaughan.

The wooden base hides a thermal printer and a micro-controller, he added.

Share prices were traditionally distributed via telegraph lines and printed out on ticker-tape machines.

They were invented in 1867 and some original machines are now considered to be high value antiques.

"I have a keen interest in history and have always been fascinated by ticker-tape machines as a design piece," Mr Vaughan told the BBC.

"One day I thought it would be nice to have one sat on your desk and started to think about what information it could produce. Twitter is perfect."

Mr Vaughan spent three months assembling his version of the machine but admits a lot of that time was devoted to finding the right parts.

"I'm a web developer by trade so actually building stuff is quite new to me," he said.

"I built it all from scratch after finding some examples online."

The device connects to a computer via an ethernet cable and pulls data from Mr Vaughan's Twitter account every 30 seconds.

Any future versions could include a control panel so that the owner could programme the machine to print from a particular hashtag or from multiple accounts, he added, but his project has hit a snag.

"The main issue is that Twitter has updated its API and restricted access to third party developers," Mr Vaughan said.

"There is a work-around but it has complicated things a bit."

He admitted that he had been surprised by interest shown in his "twittertape" invention, especially from the steampunk community who share a passion for Victoriana and technology.

"I built it as a curiosity piece," said Mr Vaughan.

"Nowadays things are built for function and I feel something has been lost.

"When I first pitched the idea to friends and family they all hated it."

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App gives bathers pollution alerts

24 August 2013 Last updated at 11:38 ET

An app that gives bathers and surfers real-time warnings about pollution incidents on beaches has been launched.

The free service sends alerts or text messages about discharges of sewage and storm water at almost 250 beaches in England and Wales.

It was created in response to concerns about a rise in sewage spills, which can cause illnesses for beach-goers.

It was developed by the charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and funded by the Environment Agency.

Last year's washout summer led to a rise in UK beaches failing to meet minimum standards for water quality, while the number of bathing spots which met the highest levels for cleanliness fell.

The app can be downloaded for use on iPhone or Android smartphones.

It accesses data from water companies on combined sewer overflows, which allow untreated sewage and storm water into the sea in periods of heavy rain to prevent sewers backing up.

Stomach bugs

The service works by sending out alerts or text messages to users when pollution reaches dangerous levels and the information is posted online.

SAS hopes the alert service will help beach users bathe at their favourite spots safely, without fearing illnesses such as stomach bugs, skin, ear, eye and chest infections, or sore throats, and even hepatitis.

The app also allows bathers to send a "must try harder" message to water companies and report pollution incidents to the Environment Agency's hotline.

The sewage alert service was tested on three beaches in Cornwall, and a poll of 591 people, conducted by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) found that 94% of people who received information about short-term spills took action to avoid them.

SAS campaign director Andy Cummins said: "This truly is an innovative concept, achieved thanks to years of campaigning against secretive combine sewer overflow sewage discharges from water companies."

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said it would help people make well-informed choices about where to swim.

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Wozniak: Microsoft resting on laurels

26 August 2013 Last updated at 04:33 ET

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Apple "found the formula" to remain innovative despite its size

Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak has said that rival Microsoft has been "resting on" the markets it built up a "long, long time ago".

He added that Steve Ballmer's time as the chief executive was not as significant as that of Bill Gates.

Mr Wozniak told the BBC that one of the key reasons for the success of Apple was that despite being a big firm, it had remained nimble and innovative.

He also gave his backing to Apple's current chief executive Tim Cook.

"Steve Jobs had very strong feelings about what makes a company great, what makes products great. He more-or-less chose Tim Cook to be in that role, in that position," Mr Wozniak told the BBC's chief business correspondent Linda Yueh.

He said that those who had been criticising Apple for not coming up with a great new product needed to understand that "great advances for mankind don't happen every year".

'Fight for Apple'

Continue reading the main story

Samsung had great marketing prowess. They also had distribution channels in so many markets of the world that Apple was not in"

End Quote Steve Wozniak Co-founder, Apple

Apple is one of the pioneers in the smartphone and the tablet PC markets. The success of its iPhone and iPad devices has been a key driver of its growth in recent years,

However, the company has been facing increasing competition in the two segments, especially from Samsung.

The South Korean firm has gone on to become the world's biggest smartphone maker and has been increasing its share of tablet market rapidly.

Mr Wozniak said that while Apple had great products and technology, the firm had found it tough to take on the reach of Samsung, especially in emerging markets.

"Samsung had great marketing prowess," he said. "They also had distribution channels in so many markets of the world that Apple was not in, because Apple more-or-less grew up under the Macintosh, which had a low world market share.

"You are going up against people that already have the connections, the business strategies, the business methodologies of those other parts of the world.

"It is going to be a fight for Apple and a worthy fight," he added.

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Big web firms hit by Amazon glitch

26 August 2013 Last updated at 05:16 ET

Software problems at one of Amazon's data centres have knocked out several high profile web services.

Users of Instagram, Netflix, Vine, Airbnb and several other services reported problems getting through to the services for several hours late on Sunday.

All of them rely on servers that are part of Amazon's cloud-based network.

The problems were traced to a data centre in northern Virginia that was struggling to keep up with demand.

Also caught up in the network problems were cloud software firm Heroku and web automation service IFTTT.

Instagram was the first to acknowledge that access to its services was intermittent via Twitter and other services put out warning messages soon after.

The problems for Americans began about 16:00 Eastern time (21:00 GMT) and continued for several hours. During this time access to the web services was intermittent with many people reporting that login pages were hard to reach or pages were taking a long time to update.

On the status page for its web services, Amazon said it was investigating a series of problems at the Virginia data centre. The problems hit databases, software that spreads queries across servers as well as the code controlling the core computers underlying the whole service.

After the problems were resolved, Amazon said the glitch was caused by the "partial failure of a networking device" but added no further details.

The short-lived problems come less than a week after Amazon's North American web stores went offline for about 30 minutes.

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Giant leap for Pi-powered teddy bear

26 August 2013 Last updated at 12:54 ET

A soft toy controlled by a Raspberry Pi computer has recreated Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking skydive.

Mr Baumgartner made the furthest freefall in October 2012, from a balloon almost 39km (24 miles) high.

A bear called Babbage has now leapt from a similar height after ascending beneath a hydrogen-filled balloon.

The Raspberry Pi low-cost micro-computer inside Babbage transmitted his position and shot stills and video throughout the flight and descent.

Sky high

The robot Babbage was created by high-altitude ballooning enthusiast Dave Akerman, who has used the Pi as the control centre on other flights.

Babbage the bear is the official mascot of the Raspberry Pi project. The bare-bones computer was created to serve as an introduction to computers for children, but it has become a favourite among hobbyists who use it to control their home-brewed tech projects.

The Babbage flight is one of the more ambitious projects centred on the Pi and shows what the low-cost computer can do.

The launch site was a field near Mr Akerman's home north of Newbury, Berkshire.

Take off was at 12:25 GMT on 26 August. Babbage drifted south-west during his flight and rose to a height of just over 39km - slightly higher than Mr Baumgartner's record of 38,969m.

Mr Akerman made a cradle that Babbage sat on during the flight that was equipped with another camera that shot images similar to those taken over the shoulder of Mr Baumgartner before he jumped.

The Raspberry Pi inside the bear and his cradle switched from stills to video to record the moment when the toy fell off the cradle and started its descent.

On the Babbage flight, the Pi inside the bear's body logged altitude, shot footage and transmitted it back to the ground. It also constantly broadcast the craft's location so the flight could be mapped and the pioneering toy retrieved. Many people followed the flight online via the streaming video feed sent back by Babbage.

Mr Akerman said the whole flight had gone "brilliantly".

"It released on time at just above 39km," he told the BBC, adding that a firing mechanism on the balloon was set to triggered just above that altitude. "Now," he said, "we just need to get all the bits back."

Babbage landed at about 16:00 GMT, in a field a couple of miles south of Shaftesbury.

During his descent, Babbage had been pursued by Mr Akerman and helpers in a chase car, and he was found at about 17:26 GMT.

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Grand Theft Auto leak sparks apology

27 August 2013 Last updated at 06:19 ET

Sony has issued an apology to developer Rockstar after audio from forthcoming title Grand Theft Auto 5 was leaked online.

Customers who had pre-ordered the eagerly awaited game were allowed to download a "locked" version ahead of the game's release.

But some people were able to extract audio from the game - details of which were posted on forums.

Rockstar said it was "deeply disappointed" by the leaks.

"Unfortunately some people who downloaded the digital pre-order of Grand Theft Auto 5 through the PlayStation Store in Europe were able to access certain GTA5 assets leading to leaked information and media from the game appearing online.

"As you can imagine, we are deeply disappointed by leaks and spoilers being spread in advance of the game's launch.

"GTA5 represents years of hard work by many people across the world, and we all couldn't be more excited to finally share it with you properly this 17 September."

'Spoiling the ending'

The company warned that anyone posting plot details from the game ahead of its release would be temporarily banned from its community.

However, this was too late for some fans who said they were disappointed to learn of details which previously had been securely under wraps.

One user commenting on the Sony blog said: "Thanks a lot Sony for basically spoiling the ending of GTA5 before the game was even released."

In its statement, Sony said it had now removed the digital pre-order file from the European PlayStation store.

The Grand Theft Auto series has for several years been one of the highest-grossing titles across all gaming platforms. However it has often caused controversy, with calls made to ban it in several countries.

This latest release will feature an online mode, allowing 15 players to exist in the same game at once.

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Keypads 'cause mobile banking risks'

27 August 2013 Last updated at 06:53 ET

Fraud and mistakes on fiddly keypads could create problems for people who use banking services on their mobile phones, a regulator has said.

Consumers transferring money should be careful to enter correct details on the smaller keypads, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

They might also be using mobile banking late at night, which could affect their concentration when moving funds.

The FCA is studying the potential risks to customers of mobile banking.

The review is looking into a sector that involves all sorts of payments to individuals and firms using mobile phones, tablet computers or other handheld devices.

Mobile banking also involves apps that allow customers to check their account balance, view statements, and check the latest activity on their account.

About one in five UK adults have already used their phone to make a payment, with one in four using it to check their bank balance.

'Exciting development'

The FCA will publish a full report into mobile banking in early 2014. However, its early findings are aimed at giving guidance to providers, and explaining the potential risks to consumers.

It found that there were concerns about fraud, with thieves attempting to place malicious software or viruses onto devices to access people's accounts.

Accounts could be hit by problems with IT systems. The FCA also said that there could be errors made by consumers who were not familiar with the new technology.

"Mobile banking is an exciting development in financial services, with increasing numbers of consumers attracted to the convenience of banking on the move," said Clive Adamson, director of supervision at the FCA.

"With the market growing, now is the right time for us to take stock and, as part of the FCA's forward looking approach, to ensure that consumers are appropriately protected."

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Facebook pays $20m over privacy flaw

27 August 2013 Last updated at 07:29 ET By Joe Miller BBC News

Approximately 614,000 Facebook users whose personal details appeared in ads on the site without their permission will each receive a $15 (£9.65) payout.

The names and pictures of an estimated 150 million Facebook members were used in Sponsored Stories, but only those who responded to an email from the site earlier this year will be compensated.

Privacy organisations will also receive some of the $20m (£12.9m) settlement.

Facebook said it was "pleased" the settlement had been approved.

The payout was approved by a US court on Monday following a class action filed against Facebook in 2011 by five of its users.

The group said their details had been used to promote products and services through the site's Sponsored Stories programme, without paying them or giving them the choice to opt-out.

A Sponsored Story is a tailored advertisement that appears on members' Facebook pages, highlighting products a user's friends have endorsed or "liked" on the site.

No 'meaningful' harm

US District Judge Richard Seeborg acknowledged that the $15 payments were relatively small, but said it had not been established that Facebook had "undisputedly violated the law".

He added that the claimants could not prove they were "harmed in any meaningful way".

The court estimated that Facebook had made about $73m (£47m) in profit from the Sponsored Stories featuring details of the 150 million members.

The settlement also requires Facebook to make changes to its "Statement of Rights" and to give users more information and control over how their details are used in the future.

This move was estimated by the plaintiff's lawyers to cost Facebook $145m in advertising revenue.

Approximately 7,000 Facebook users opted out of the settlement altogether, allowing them to bring their own legal action against the social network.

A Facebook spokesperson said: "We are pleased that the settlement has received final approval."

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China hit by 'biggest' cyber-attack

27 August 2013 Last updated at 07:53 ET

China has said it has suffered its "biggest ever" cyber-attack, causing many websites based in the country to go temporarily offline.

The distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack was said to have targeted servers responsible for sites with a ".cn" domain name.

The country has not speculated on who may be responsible.

DDoS attacks, in which a target is flooded with traffic in an attempt to render it unreachable, are common.

The technique is typically employed by hacktivists looking to disrupt websites from operating correctly.

Enhanced capabilities

Notice of the attack was posted on the website of the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).

It said that the DDoS had begun at 02:00 local time on Sunday - before intensifying at 04:00.

The CNNIC apologised to the affected users.

It said it would "enhance the service capabilities" of the network responsible for the affected domains.

China is often accused of being responsible for major attacks on Western countries, particularly the US.

A New York Times investigation claimed that China had targeted their systems over a four-month period - but the Chinese foreign ministry described the accusation as "groundless".

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Facebook details government requests

27 August 2013 Last updated at 12:34 ET By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

Governments around the world requested information on about 38,000 Facebook users in the first six months of 2013.

Facebook's Global Government Requests Report, released on Tuesday for the first time, offered details on official requests from 74 countries.

The US made by far the most requests, asking for information on between 20,000 and 21,000 users.

UK authorities requested Facebook hand over data on 2,337 users.

"We will continue to be aggressive advocates for greater disclosure," Facebook said.

"We hope this report will be useful to our users in the ongoing debate about the proper standards for government requests for user information in official investigations," wrote Facebook lawyer Colin Stretch.

"And while we view this compilation as an important first report - it will not be our last."

Unlike other countries, which had an exact figure, the US data was given as a range due to it being forbidden for companies to disclose how many requests they have had.

"In coming reports, we hope to be able to provide even more information about the requests we receive from law enforcement authorities," Mr Stretch added.

Compliance

The report covers the the first six months of 2013, ending 30 June, and is the first time Facebook has released data relating to these kind of requests.

The company said it hoped to publish similar reports every six months from now on, and hoped the report highlighted the "stringent processes" involved in the obtaining of user information.

The company did not give a break-down of why the requests were made, instead just dividing the data by country, outlining how many requests were made, and how many users were involved. Several users could be cited in one request.

Country	Total requests	Users/accounts requested	% of requests where some data was produced
Source: Facebook - full list
United States	11,000 - 12,000	20,000 - 21,000	79%
India	3,245	4,144	50%
UK	1,975	2,337	68%
Germany	1,886	2,068	37%
Italy	1,705	2,306	53%

Facebook also gave a percentage of how often the requests were successful.

In the UK, Facebook complied with 68%, while US authorities were successful 79% of the time.

Of particular interest were figures for countries affected by civil unrest.

In Turkey, 96 requests were made, covering 173 users, of which 45 were complied with - but the firm insisted this was for claims related to "child endangerment and emergency law enforcement".

No requests made by the Egyptian authorities were complied with, according to the report.

'Terrifying reality'

Rights group Privacy International welcomed the publication but had wider concerns.

"Given Facebook's ever-growing presence in the lives of people around the world, we commend them for releasing this report today - a release that has been a long time coming," it said.

"However, we are left with a disturbingly hollow feeling regarding Facebook's gesture, and it has little to do with Facebook itself.

"Since documents leaked by Edward Snowden have been published and analysed, the veil has been lifted on what information governments actually collect about us.

"We are now aware of a terrifying reality - that governments don't necessarily need intermediaries like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft to get our data."

Facebook said it remained committed to releasing more detailed data in future with regularity.

"We hope this report will be useful to our users in the ongoing debate about the proper standards for government requests for user information in official investigations," added Mr Stretch.

"And while we view this compilation as an important first report - it will not be our last."

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

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