IN ASSOCIATION WITH

For the record 28 April
28-04-2008
by Emmet Ryan

Number of customers affected by Bank of Ireland laptop theft trebles | Study claims to find health benefits in computer games

It was revealed on Monday that the number of people affected by the theft of four laptops containing personal details of thousands of Bank of Ireland customers has almost trebled. The computers were stolen from employees up to 10 months ago but senior management were kept in the dark until February this year. When the news was initially revealed the bank said 10,000 customers had been affected but further investigation has shown that the laptops contain information relating to 31,500 customers.

Dr Sinclair Stockman, former chief scientist and chief information officer at BT, has joined Singularity as chief industry analyst for the business software firm's telecommunications division. Dr Stockman has over 25 years experience in the telecommunications sector.

ComputerJobs.ie and Developers.ie are joining forces to hold a one-day course on 27 May entitled Managing Data in Web Enterprise Applications. The workshop will be held in the Alexander Hotel in Dublin.

Hostelworld.com has recorded the 1 millionth download of one of its Pocket Guides. The four-page downloadable PDF guides were launched in 2004 and provide backpackers with a free pocket-sized travel guide to accompany them on their city breaks.

The University of Cambridge and IBM have released a report encouraging businesses, universities and governments to accelerate investments in the services sector to ensure future economic prosperity and global competitiveness. The report calls for an increase of funding to support service innovation and education to balance current under-investments in the field.

Figures released on Monday by WEEE Ireland, the national compliance scheme for electrical recycling, found that the scheme collected almost 9 kilogrammes of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) per person for recycling in their collection area during 2007, over double the 2008 4kg target set for Ireland by the EU. WEEE Ireland collected over 28,000 tonnes of e-waste in 2007, an increase of 12 percent on 2006 figures. Since WEEE Ireland was established in August 2005, more than 50,000 tonnes of electronic waste have been diverted from landfills for recycling.

More than 60 primary school students helped to launch a new maths education initiative called Working It Out at Dublin City University on Monday. The programme is being run by Discover Science & Engineering in association with Junior Achievement. Working It Out is designed to link maths with everyday activities such as soccer, skipping and darts. The programme aims to highlight the link between maths and score-keeping in sports and games. Junior Achievement teaches young people about the world of work and specifically targets those at risk of early school leaving. The organisation annually supports 60,500 Irish children, from junior infants to leaving certificate, in schools throughout the country.

Finally For the record has good news for gamers. A six-month study by East Carolina University (ECU) has found that playing computer games can have positive health benefits. Fans of the Grand Theft Auto franchise should look away now though as the games used were the family-friendly puzzle and word games Bejeweled 2, Peggle and Bookworm Adventures. ECU's study has identified potential therapeutic applications of casual games as a means of addressing serious mental and physical disorders.