Protecting the jewels
Awhile back I looked at the LG V20 as a new phone option but I ended up getting the latest Samsung. The next LG top-end model is the V60 ThinQ. Its 5000 mAh battery offers a lot of battery life and will eventually be used by the Samsung S20. It will come with a 17.2cm edge-to-edge screen and unlike the S20 will retain the headphone jack. It also supports a clip on second screen but with a hinge between them. This allows two apps to run side by side, useful in a number of circumstances. It has 8K video recording but not the 10x optical zoom found in the top end S20. Pricing is expected to be less than the S20 range. When you’re buying a new phone these days there are a lot of options so find the features and price point that suits you. After that it probably comes down to the colour of the case.
I’ve been noticing an increase in the number of ads being presented as I watch YouTube videos. In some cases, they pop up every five-10 minutes and usually in pairs. By the second or third video the presentation starts with an ad. Sometimes I can close them after a few seconds, other times I have no control. I watch across a wide range of subjects on YouTube. It could be a coincidence, but I’m noticing these more when I watch conservative rather than neutral or left-leaning content. If you download the video using one of the available plug-ins or extensions then the ads do not appear so that is my go-to these days.
Should you trust and use Wikipedia for your research? The short answer is probably not and definitely not if you want a balanced coverage of any politically sensitive subject where a left versus right bias is likely. A 2017 MIT study found that edits to Wikipedia in areas of science influenced up to 250 papers on the subject. A European study found that positive edits in Wikipedia had a positive impact on visitors to Spanish cities. Three years later the influence is possibly greater, particularly in the area of politics but I have found no recent studies on this. Some more reputable universities ban the use of Wikipedia as a reference source. Bottom line is if you use Wikipedia make sure you also check a couple of cross references from an independent source.
There has been a lot of discussion and news concerning Huawei and countries outside of China being able to trust their technologies. The US ban is still in effect so no Android as yet on new Huawei phones. There is nothing to stop people sideloading Android but Google warns that this comes with risks. It works, but unofficial Google apps are open to security risks, something that as history has shown, can also be true for the official apps on the Play store. Google is still working with Huawei and with the White House to allow them to provide the OS to Huawei. Google is also worried that China will come up with their own alternative potentially cutting them off from a good cash flow.
The main issue is around the 5G technology and the potential that China will use this to spy on other nations and even control some elements of the Internet of Things. A number of sources have issued warnings. The readers should ask themselves what the history of China has been over the years. How open and honest have they been with outsiders on a range of subjects? For example, I’ve written in the past on formal government-sponsored hacking efforts.
Arelated concern for 5G is the old one of electromagnetic radiation and the effects on health. This has been raised as long as there have been mobile phones. With 5G there are more towers as the frequencies used by the technology does not travel as far. Based on all studies to date there is very minimal evidence that there is any threat to health. With the lower penetration of 5G signals the risks should be even less. For example, according to the Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research (ACEBR) at the University of Wollongong there is “no indication of any health impacts from exposures at the intensities related to mobile communications have been observed” to date. The energy levels are low and are “non-ionising” so do not affect the structure of materials it passes through. Yes, 5G implementations vary across the globe, but in general they emit no stronger signals than 3G or 4G networks. Research continues but so far there have been no issues identified. That said I do not plan to keep my phone in a sporran anytime soon.
James Hein is an IT professional of over 30 years’ standing. You can contact him at jclhein@gmail.com.