Welcome to our August edition of Web Talk
This month we will take a look at how to maximize our safety when shopping online and also find out the Hollywood's response to the idea of bringing new movie releases directly to our homes.

Movies on demand

Intel is pushing the idea of distributing premium movies directly to consumers over the Internet. The company, ClickStar Inc says their aim is to bring first-run premium entertainment to movie fans all over the world and to make film easier to buy, rather than to pirate.

ClickStar's strategy is to build an online service where consumers can access, pay for and download first-run, pre-DVD-release films as well as entertainment channels in their homes. This new online service will be designed to give filmmakers the ability to directly connect with fans and offer consumers a new and exciting way of experiencing home entertainment.

The company plans to release first-run films directly to Intel-based digital home entertainment devices before they come out on DVD’s.

However, not everyone is happy with the new proposition, specifically the Hollywood . They are afraid of the risk of losing their theatre and DVD revenue. There is also concern that encryption is far from being perfect and this will lead to additional piracy.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

Maximize your safety when shopping online

We all know how easy and tempting is to shop online. It is fast, we get good deals and there is so much choice on the Internet

With a click of a mouse we can book our holiday, buy a car, order a service, buy the latest fashion accessories etc.

And what’s more, we do not have to leave the house and goods are delivered to our doorstep. The Internet is opened to us 24 hours a day, we have access to stores all around the world and the offer of bargains is countless and very tempting. However our online shopping experience can easily turn into a nightmare if we are not careful enough when supplying our personal details.

So a few tips to follow when you purchasing online:

  • Always use a secure browser. You can download some browsers for free over the internet.
  • Shop online with the companies that you know. If you are unsure and dealing with an unknown business, request catalogue or a brochure to get a better idea, because anyone can set up an online store under just about any name. Also make sure you are aware of the refund and return policies before you place your order. It should be posted on their website, otherwise request it from the shop.
  • When paying bills, make sure you are familiar with the way the company secures your financial and personal information. Most of the companies explain their procedures on their Web sites.
  • Do not give your password to anyone. Never use your birthday date, telephone numbers or anything too obvious that could be easily worked out. Try to use combination of numbers and letters.
  • Keep a record of your orders and payments. Always print out the copy of your invoice with confirmation number for your records.

 


Glossary

Hyperlinks – text or graphics, that when clicked, connects a visitor to another Web page

FTP – File Transfer Protocol, used for publishing Web pages

E-commerce – an online shopping facility


JPEG or GIF

GIF – First graphic format used on Web, well suited to graphics that have horizontal bands of colours of large area of similar colours. Works well for banners, buttons, basic illustrations.

There is a limit of 256 individual colours and its compression technique does not make it suitable for photos.

JPEG – was devised as a method of compressing digitized photographs. It is used for complex images and larger background images. JPEG however, when compressed, sharp edges will appear blurred. It also does not support transparency and everything that is saved as a JPEG image will loose some of the quality.

JPEG uses millions of colours.

 


Quote of the Month

“I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.”


Lily Tomlin


Remember if you have any queries or would like assistance - please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Have a great month

The Strobe Net team.

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