Each week, Ben Hopkinson looks back at a serious, crazy, and happy news story from the past week.
Serious News
A cyber-security expert has stated that following the attacks that hit the NHS back on 3rd June, the systems are still vulnerable unless they are updated.
Professor Ciaran Martin, who founded the United Kingdom National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), says: “In parts of the NHS estate, it's quite clear that some of the IT is out of date” and urges those in charge to identify “single points of failure” and improve them. In turn, improving basic security measures could put off attackers: “Those little things make the point of entry quite a lot harder for the thugs to get in”.
A consultant who focuses on A&E in North London admitted that they use “decade old computers and Windows 7” which is no longer getting security updates.
NHS England declared it a regional incident, which resulted in 4,913 outpatient appointments and 1,391 operations being postponed.
Crazy News
In a bid to see the nicest city in the UK, a YouTuber published bank details containing real money to see who would spend the most money and first.
WillNE splashed the details on advertising hoardings in London, Bristol, Cardiff, Southampton, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, and Glasgow. Each city had its own bank account with a balance of £1,000.
The YouTuber wanted to challenge the stereotypes on the North-South divide, saying: “the North is considered the poorer of the two but generally more friendly whereas the South is seen as richer but rude and unwelcoming. We're out to prove once and for all which one of them's better”
Birmingham spent £199 booking flights, while someone in London splurged £400 on Roblox. Leeds and Glasgow wanted to spend money on ASOS and the PlayStation Store respectively, however donations were made to charity in Cardiff, Leeds and Manchester. Most notably, Newcastle tried to empty the bank of £50,000.
The results showed that Cardiff was the most honest city, whilst London was the least. According to the experiment, overall, the results hinted that the North of the UK might possess a higher degree of honesty than the South.
Happy News
A company have come up with the idea of keeping memories of loved ones alive using podcasts.
One person who listens back to her father is Joanne Berry. Bill Berry talks of the birth of his children which was recorded when he was 83 and passed away four years later. Speaking of listening to the recording she says: “I love listening to my dad's voice, it's like he is in the room with me again, telling us his funny stories. Hearing my dad's voice now that he has passed, is precious because it brings his story to life. It's dad. It's real”.
Life Story Recordings is one of many companies with the idea – they are based in Hertfordshire but work across the entire of the UK. Founder Dave Creasey was a radio producer when someone told him that they listened to her son’s message on the answerphone for comfort after he passed away.
He said: “I think audio is the most powerful and intimate medium there is. The sound of a laugh, the mispronouncing of a word, the really subtle, but incredibly important details that make up a person. Lots of us enjoy listening to the life story of our favourite actor, or singer, so this is a chance to have exactly that, but for your parents or grandparents”.
Comments
Add a comment