Category: Tech News

Fujifilm printlife@home exhibition: Tens of thousands of photos from members of the public showcase life in Europe in 2021

More than 35,000 photos from 21 countries complete this year’s Fujifilm’s printlife@home digital exhibition, an exhibition where every picture tells a story – continuing Fujifilm’s 15-year history of hosting public photo exhibitions.

From August to December 2021, Europe’s public has submitted photos to an exhibition open to everyone, regardless of the quality of the photographer or whether their photos are shot on smartphones or digital cameras.

Receiving more than 35,000 submissions from across the continent, the result is an exhibition that provides a unique snapshot of 2021. The exhibition shows that despite living through the second year of a global pandemic, creating new memories with family, friends, and loved ones have never been more important.

Throughout printlife@home, Fujifilm has also celebrated the most creative contributions and meaningful stories by choosing five Photos of the Week, with 90 prizes awarded overall. A selection of the best of these Photos of the Week, selected by a Fujifilm jury, is just a tiny snapshot of life shared by Europe’s public.

 

 

 The entire printlife@home exhibition is available to view online here.

Each photo uploaded has also had the opportunity for this memory to be preserved in print through the myFUJIFILM platform and other local Fujifilm print offerings. The result has also seen displays of photos created at home to look back at memories through the power of photo prints, giving comfort and happiness to many through difficult times.

Toshi Iida, President and Managing Director of FUJIFILM Europe GmbH said:

“This year’s Fujifilm printlife@home exhibition is a unique collection of truly memorable photos that tell the story of Europe in 2021 through the eyes of the public. So many of us have returned to old photos to remind us of what life was like before COVID-19, but what we see in this exhibition is how the power of photography continues to capture and preserve memories for years to come, with each photo telling its own unique story.

“Overall, we don’t just see how daily life has changed and continues to change because of the pandemic, but we are inspired by how the public have sought to return to normal, with a big focus on culture, travel, fun and family life emerging from more than 35,000 photos submitted.”

 

After Fujifilm’s global 100,000 Photos exhibition was postponed in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, printlife@home launched in Europe in 2020 to provide a way for amateur, professional and hobbyist photographers to connect with each other. In 2020, more than 10,500 photos were uploaded, giving a unique insight into the stories emerging across the continent.

Fujifilm’s 15-year history in mass public participation photo exhibitions has seen the 100,000 Photos exhibition tour across various locations, from Japan and Malaysia to France and the USA. Earlier this year, 500 photos entered into printlife@home were also showcased in an on-site exhibition at The Photography Show in Birmingham, UK, in September 2021.

Useful Tips That Will Help You Avoid Becoming The Victim Of Identity Theft

We live in the digital era where almost all facets of our lives are strongly tied to online activity. However, security threats such as hacking, identity, or data theft are increasingly becoming a cause for concern. Fortunately, there are preventive measures you can take to secure your information. Here are some useful tips that will help you avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. 

 

Secure Your Accounts With Strong Passwords

The most important thing you should consider is to secure your accounts with strong passwords. Make sure each account has a strong password consisting of more than 10 characters, including letters in upper and lower cases as well as figures. You should regularly change your password and do not use your nickname or other names that are easy to guess. Never share your password with anyone, even someone very close to you. You may never know what they will do with your data. 

Know Your Legal Rights

You should know your legal rights to avoid a situation where you can become a victim of identity theft. It is vital to know that no one should use your information without your consent. Companies usually collect customer details for different purposes. However, no company should use your information for whatever reason without consent. It is vital to seek legal advice from quality lawyers to understand how you can protect your information. When you engage a professional lawyer, you will also learn different steps you can take if you feel that your privacy has been violated. 

Use VPN 

Do you know that your online activity using a public Wi-Fi network can be accessed by unauthorized persons? If you want to perform sensitive transactions like online banking, you should never use a public internet café. The other thing is that your internet service provider can also access your information from their servers. Therefore, you can consider using a virtual private network (VPN) if you are concerned about your security and privacy. VPN provides data encryption solutions that make it difficult for an unauthorized person to access your data. 

VPN also gives you online privacy and anonymity through the creation of a private network that cannot be detected easily from a public internet connection. It hides your internet protocol (IP) address meaning that it will be impossible for anyone to trace your online activity. In a country where censorship is common, you should use the right VPN. Furthermore, a VPN also protects your browsing history since your online activity will be associated with the VPN provider’s server IP address located in a different place. In other words, a VPN gives you total protection. 

Secure Your Records

You must secure all your financial statements or other papers with sensitive records. When you want to dispose of physical records like insurance forms, financial statements, expired ATM cards, medical statements, or any other personal information, shred them. Alternatively, you can burn the documents you no longer need to ensure that no one will access them. You must not leave confidential information in the open, even at your workplace. 

Secure your mail

Make sure your mailbox is empty every time since criminals usually target it. When mailing items like checks and outgoing bill payments, make sure you do it from the post office or any other secure place. Additionally, you must be very careful when dealing with people who may ask for your private details. If someone asks for your data, you must check the reasons why they need the information. If it is for marketing purposes, you should verify with the company first and make sure third parties do not access your confidential information. 

Monitor Financial Statements

You must closely monitor your financial statement or credit report to ensure that your data is correct. If your account has been tampered with, all the details will come to your credit card report. If you suspect foul play, notify the credit card provider immediately and block the card. In the same vein, you must keep your social security number in a safe place. Don’t carry cards with your number since you can lose them.   

There is nothing more important than securing what’s yours. While we do most of our transactions online during the current period, cybersecurity threats are real. Identity theft can lead to loss of money, or your data can be used in the commission of various crimes. There are different measures you can take to protect your data from unauthorized people. The tips above can go a long way in preventing you from becoming a victim.     

Esri Ireland Maps Ireland’s Favourite Festive Markets this Christmas

Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has created a digital map of some of the best Christmas markets across the Island of Ireland.

With the festive season in full swing, they have used Esri’s ArcGIS digital mapping system to create the interactive map highlighting the most festive markets for all the family this December.

Each market has a variety of local and artisan crafts on display and lots of our favourite festive treats like hot chocolate and mulled wine. A walk in the colourful glow of the Christmas market lights is a great way to brighten up the dark winter evenings.

Find your local market on the map below:

GoFundMe Now Allows Users to Fundraise For Charities in Ireland

GoFundMe is partnering with PayPal Giving Fund to allow users to send money directly to charities in Ireland for the first time.

Kind-hearted campaign organisers can now send  money directly and securely to charities – without having to lift a finger. Instead money will be safely delivered to organisations, using best-in-class technology, by GoFundMe’s partnership with PayPal Giving Fund Ireland.

GoFundMe first launched in Ireland in 2017 and since then millions of Euros have been raised for worthy causes. Ireland has been the most generous country in the world on the GoFundMe platform for three consecutive years.

With the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic to Ireland nearly two years ago thousands of campaigns were set-up to support Covid related causes, with more than 500,000 donations. Overall, more than 5 euros was donated for every person in Ireland as part of the response to the covid crisis.

John Coventry, Senior International Director, GoFundMe said “The past year has been tough for charities that have missed out on their traditional fundraising activity due to lockdowns and we hope launching charity fundraising will support them in developing their online fundraising activity.”

“Ireland is consistently the most generous country in the world on GoFundMe and we know we will see that continue with the power of GoFundMe unlocked for charity fundraising.

“This is just the beginning. We have more features planned to help charities connect with their users.”

Vanessa Babouram, Vice-President PayPal Giving Fund Ireland & UK  said:  “At PayPal Giving Fund, we’re delighted to extend our partnership with GoFundMe to Ireland in line with our mission to inspire a new wave of philanthropy and make giving a part of everyday life.”  

To get started off fundraisers need to follow these easy steps to start a charity campaign.

  1. Sign up and click ‘for a charity’
  2. Click start a campaign and choose ‘for a charity’
  3. Pick a Goal
  4. Tell your campaign story
    • What will the funds be used for?
    • How are you connected to the cause?
    • How will the donations raised aid you or help others?
    • Why does the recipient need this donation?
  5. Share your campaign with your friends and family and start raising money!

Chance to win an iPhone for free from TORRAS on Christmas Day!

Join TORRAS Christmas game ‘Bounty Hunter’ and win the Christmas gift pack-iPhone 13 Pro Max, COOLIFY, 2 TORRAS cases, 1 screen protector, 1 Magsafe charger.

The game is available between Dec 11th and Dec 25th.

Now the game begins!

#TORRASANTA is coming to celebrate Christmas Day with you, he has 5 mystery boxes in his backpack. And what’s next?

Step 1 (Required): Shop on www.torraslife.com from Dec 11th to Dec 25th and #TORRASANTA will put a mystery box in each shipping parcel.

Step 2:  Try to figure out the contents of those 5 boxes, you could share the box you get on the social media and directly get involved in discussion of mystery boxes. See an example below:

Step 3: Click the button, ‘Start Game’, and submit your answers.

The first one who uncovers all 5 mystery boxes can win the gift pack. 

Winner will be announced on @torras_global on Dec 31st.

(tips: it is NOT a single-player game)

Go hunting for the treasures now!  Christmas Event Link: https://torraslife.com/bounty-hunter/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/torras_global/

Jabra and UMA deliver integrated meeting room technology solutions to transform the workplace

Jabra and UMA have partnered to deliver innovative video conferencing and meeting room solutions, enabling Jabra devices to be managed seamlessly from one place on the UMA dashboard with real-time analytics.  With Jabra PanaCast intelligent video conferencing cameras, users can manage meeting room occupancy levels and control room occupancy levels from a desktop, smartphone or meeting room display panel to optimise the use of office space.

The Jabra PanaCast and PanaCast 50’s unique 180-degree field-of-view covers the whole room and generates anonymous room occupancy data.  This feeds real-time information into the UMA dashboard, providing insights and analytics. UMA automatically makes a meeting room available to book in the event of a no-show. Rooms can also be automatically booked by simply walking in.

With the shift towards hybrid working, companies are reviewing their technology investments and utilisation of office space. UMA enables users to manage meeting room and desk utilisation, room, resource booking and device management of audio-visual devices, all from a single pane of glass.  Organisations are now able to optimise their facilities and technology infrastructure to create an efficient and safe workplace, compliant with Covid Winter Plan workplace guidelines.

 

The combined value proposition of UMA and Jabra allows customers to realise an improved return on their technology investments through the availability of business intelligence and simpler mechanisms to support and maintain their meeting room technology. Users can check the status of Jabra devices, remotely diagnose and fix issues, and push software updates.

Nigel Dunn, Managing Director, EMEA North at Jabra says, “We are thrilled to be teaming up with UMA to deliver a new standard in meeting room solutions for hybrid working. Jabra PanaCast’s data-driven insights and analytics gives a real-time view of how the workplace is being used, enabling companies to improve efficiency and maximise their real estate. It’s now time to start thinking about future-proofing offices and taking conferencing and the meeting booking experience to the next level.”

Stephen Milner, CEO UMA says, “Jabra’s range of meeting room technology will enhance the collaboration experience and with the integration to UMA, end customers will benefit from rich data insight on workplace occupancy and environment and an easier way to manage and support Jabra technology through its lifecycle. We look forward to the collaboration with the Jabra team and together driving innovation to transform the workplace.”

Nathan Rogers, Head of Channel, UMA says, “I’m looking forward to continuing to build a strong partnership with Jabra.  The UMA and Jabra integration will deliver meaningful insights to businesses ensuring they understand how their real estate is being used.  UMA delivers a simplified user experience to enable the booking of meeting spaces, and when partnered with the Jabra PanaCast the business has enhanced analytical data at their fingertips.  Jabra’s audio experience and smart UC technology working in coalition with our Workplace Software will deliver a game changing advantage to users.”

Working in partnership with our mutual UK and European distributors means the reseller and Integrator customers will get a cohesive approach.”

The Jabra PanaCast is supported on UMA’s platform today, with PanaCast 50 to follow in early 2022.

Tech Tips for a Happy Festive Season – Tara Gale Dell Technologies Ireland

By Tara Gale, Client Solutions Product Manager, Dell Technologies Ireland

With the festive season fast approaching, people across Ireland will be spending significant time purchasing gifts for loved ones online. It is expected that this year’s holiday season will be another year of record-breaking online sales.

We often spend so much time on our chosen e-commerce platform, that it never crosses our minds what happens behind the scenes. There are many threats online, especially during this time of year, and it’s very important to make sure that as you navigate shopping online, you are doing so safely.

Often, we get excited to purchase and open a brand-new device that we forget how we can make use of our old one. Have you thought about recycling your old version or extending the battery life of your current tech gadget? At Dell Technologies, we are here to help guide you to safely shop for new tech, dispose of the old and keep powered up over the festive period.

SAFE SHOPPING ONLINE

The convenience of the internet continues to create new opportunities for online shopping by ways of apps, microsites and so on. However, it’s also a time of year when experts see an uptick in cyberattacks. With both An Garda Síochána and Europol recently warning businesses and shoppers of the dangers of ransomware in the lead-up to Christmas[1], consumers should stay vigilant and follow these tips to stay protected while online shopping:

  • Be sure to use a secure website by looking at the URL (https://)
  • Avoid making purchases on public computers and public Wi-Fi as they may contain malicious software and are not secured
  • Ensure you have a strong password or passphrase, consisting of numbers, letters and special characters
  • Never reuse or recycle passwords and use multi-factor authentication whenever possible
  • Never click on suspicious links

YOU BOUGHT A NEW PC, NOW WHAT?

You successfully got through the online shopping experience for your new device, now what?

Data is often stored on the hard-drive of your PC or computing device. So, when it’s time to make that holiday upgrade to a powerful new system you’ve had your eyes on, you’ll want to safely remove your personal files and information from your old device before disposing of it.

For this, you have options. Some computers already have data removal software. For Dell computers, many models include the Dell Data Wipe feature built into the System Setup. Other brands may have similar software. If your computer does not have software to erase the hard drive, there is software you can purchase.

Once you have removed your files from the computer, what should you do with it? We see out-of-use devices as a valuable resource, one that can go on to be refurbished, reused or recycled. We believe in working with industry to advance sustainability by recycling materials needed to produce our devices.

Through Dell Technologies, we make it simple for our consumers to participate in one of our free consumer recycling programs – taking back any brand, in any condition. In Ireland for example, if your computer is a bit older or no longer working, our Return to Dell mail-back service offers free recycling, even covering the cost of shipping.

TRAVELLING WITH YOUR NEW LAPTOP? TIPS TO EXTEND YOUR LAPTOP BATTERY LIFE

Whether you are closer to home or on the road to visit loved ones over the holiday break, I understand the obstacles that come with technology on the road and the feeling when your battery life runs out along the way. Now that you have your new laptop up and running, let’s make sure the battery life will last as long as possible during your travels this festive season. Here are a few quick tips that may help conserve some battery time:

  • Power off your device before placing it in a laptop bag or other enclosed area.
  • Always use the original AC adapter provided with the laptop. Do not use third-party AC adapters or batteries.
  • Reduce the brightness of the screen.
  • Reduce the amount of open software.
  • Avoid exposure to extreme temperatures. If the system is exposed to extreme cold or hot temperatures, allow it to reach normal temperature before use and before charging.

When it comes to online shopping it’s important not to lose sight of the dangers, even more so in the coming days and weeks. Whether you are buying a new device or disposing of old one, take note of all of the above and make your online shopping experience safe and sustainable.

From everyone at Dell Technologies Ireland, enjoy the festive season.

How to Deal with Friendly Fraud and Chargebacks

In order to have successful business operations, every company or organization needs to keep an eye on every element that makes those operations a success. From marketing, sales, engineering, accounting, HR to security, business can’t be successful if all of those elements are not doing as well as the others. While most of the businesses try to keep all of them in balance, a lot of them still don’t pay as much attention to the area of security as they should. Fraud and cyber attacks have become an ever present threat that can impact any business or organizations, which is why it is no longer possible to keep your head in the sand and ignore the threats. Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, the volume of cyber-crime and cyber-attacks has become significantly more prevalent around the world with the rate of attacks skyrocketing by over 600% compared to previous figures.

 

Protecting their business from the threat of fraud should become everyone’s priority, but ecommerce shops are under bigger risk than any other sector as they are one of the favorites targets. There are various types of fraud that can impact ecommerce shops from triangulation, transaction fraud, card testing or even an account takeover, but the one ecommerce businesses find hardest to deal with.

What is Friendly Fraud?

Even though this type of fraud is called friendly , it is nothing friendly in any type of fraud as they all cause significant damage to the ecommerce store. It is called friendly because it is conducted by legitimate cardholders and not by fraudsters using stolen card or payment details. SEON’s view on friendly fraud separates them into 5 different categories ranging from accidental to malicious fraud.

Unintentional Friendly Fraud: This happens as a genuine mistake as the customer either didn’t recognize the transaction on their bank account or they completely forgot about the purchase.

Intentional Friendly Fraud: This type of fraud happens when a customer deliberately requests a chargeback from their card provider even though they have knowingly made a purchase. 

Merchant Error: According to Braintree, this happens when a customer requests a chargeback because of merchants issues like a delayed delivery, missing products or even unclear merchant descriptors.

Shared Card Fraud: Also known under the name family fraud, CNBC explained that this type of fraud happens when unauthorized purchases are made with the shared card, often by the child that is using parents devices.

Policy Abuse Fraud: This happens when customers take advantage of flexible return or refund policies which is why it is imperative your return policy is accessible and easy to understand.

Protecting your business from friendly fraud

Main problem with friendly fraud is that customers don’t try to contact the merchant in order to resolve the issues but they go directly to the bank requesting a chargeback. This can cause even bigger financial damage to the merchant than just losing a revenue from sale, as they would have to pay a chargeback fee and in the worst case scenario the bank might terminate their account as they consider them a high risk. This is why it is extremely important that merchants are easily reachable and their contact info is clearly stated on their website. 

Second step you need to do is to update your return policy and clearly state all the terms and conditions that the customer is required to follow in order for you to process a refund. It needs to be easily understandable and more importantly accessible to prevent unwanted chargeback just because customers didn’t have access to your return policy. 

Next, you should implement a cybersecurity protocol that will help protect your business from different types of fraud, including friendly fraud.

86% of chargebacks are likely causes of friendly fraud which means 86% of chargebacks could’ve been prevented by clear return policy and open communication between merchant and customer.

YouTube’s growing creative ecosystem supports over 1,600 full-time equivalent jobs in Ireland

YouTube today launched its first ‘From Opportunity to Impact’ report in Ireland. Developed in partnership with Oxford Economics the report assesses the economic, societal, and cultural benefits of the world’s most popular video hosting website in Ireland.

Around one billion hours of YouTube videos are watched every day across the world. With a low bar to entry, in terms of cost, and access to a global fanbase, YouTube offers Irish creators the opportunity to build a business on the platform.

The report, commissioned by YouTube, found that the platform’s creative ecosystem supported the equivalent of 1,600 full-time jobs in Ireland in 2020. Oxford Economics also estimated that the total contribution of YouTube’s creative ecosystem to Ireland’s GDP was €30 million in 2020.

As well as measuring the economic impact, the report outlined the value of YouTube as a place to learn, as an amplifier of diverse voices and creative entrepreneurs and, as a source of relevant information during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A place to learn

Every day YouTube empowers people of all ages across Ireland to develop their personal and professional skills. It has become an unrivalled learning repository with 91% of Irish users accessing the platform to gather information and knowledge. Users turn to YouTube to learn new hobbies and solve practical problems with 68% regularly watching ‘how to’ and DIY videos for example.

Discerning this desire for educational content led Irish design engineer Brian McManus to leave his job in 2016 to pursue a career as a YouTube creator. Five years later, his two channels Real Engineering and Real Science have 3.1 million and 518,000 subscribers respectively. Brian employs four people full time and regularly hires freelancers who work as editors, animators, and writers in his production team.

Commenting on the report, Brian McManus said,

“I could see that people watched a lot of educational content on YouTube, but I could not find anyone creating engineering videos that represented how important the career was to the world. I began to teach myself animation and video editing in my spare time, and when I felt I was ready, I quit my job to start the channel.

“The channel grew rather quickly and within 6 months I had replaced my income. I’m now doing something I love and I’m also employing a vastly talented production team as well as hiring many more freelancers – and all based from the West of Ireland.”

YouTube provides a vehicle for Irish creators, like Melanie Murphy to find opportunities and economic success by sharing content with audiences, locally and internationally. Melanie’s videos on health, culture, and motherhood have been viewed more than 71 million times and she has earned a full time income for the past seven years from her YouTube presence. While Melanie describes herself as a ‘one man band’ she has, in the past, hired staff like camera crews to help in the development of content for her channel – further demonstrating the knock-on economic impact of the YouTube creator community. You can also find US on YouTube for hands on tech reviews

Commenting on the report, Pedro Pina, Head of YouTube EMEA, said,

“It is inspiring to see the many ways YouTube is touching the lives of Irish people, including those of Brian and Melanie. As the only open platform that allows people to both share their voice and the revenue  derived from their work, we’re bringing to an entire new generation of creative entrepreneurs — regardless who they are or where they come from — the chance to build thriving businesses on YouTube.” 

Ireland’s creators have cultivated a diverse audience with over 95% of time watched on content produced by channels in Ireland coming from international users. The global success of Ireland’s creators represents a real export opportunity with the potential to further increase the already significant number of jobs as well as the sizeable contribution to Ireland’s GDP – generated by the creator ecosystem here.

The number of Irish creator channels with over 1 million subscribers has increased by 20% year over year, with over 70 channels attracting those audience levels. There has also been growth in the number of channels that have 100,000+ subscribers reaching 450 further indicating the potential revenue growth opportunities that exist for creators.

Diverse voices and relevant content

On YouTube, viewers can find voices in every accent, creators of every colour, and people from every age and background on their screens. A key finding from today’s report is that 74% of Irish users agree YouTube is home to diverse content. The diversity of the creator population means that more viewers can be served content that’s familiar and important to them with 68% of users agreeing that they feel YouTube has relevant content for them.

In Ireland YouTube is valued by users as a trusted source of information. The research carried out by Oxford Economics finds that  69% of users agree that YouTube allows them to view content they can’t access through traditional media with over half of users agreeing that the platform has been a reliable source of information since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic.