IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 8 February
08-02-2010
by Deirdre McArdle
Maths, science linked to economic growth | SAP CEO steps down
The Irish Times reports that 73 percent of children aged between 9 and 16 are worried about being contacted by someone they didn’t know on the internet, according to a survey of 860 children in 37 schools published by the National Centre for Technology in Education. Asked about their willingness to post personal details online, 36 percent said they would post their date of birth, while 35 percent said they would post their full name (only 18 percent of 9-12 year olds said they would post their full name online, compared to 52 per cent of 13-16 year olds). Some 35 percent said they would post their school’s name online, and 32 percent said they would post their e-mail address. The survey was conducted to mark Safer Internet Day, which takes place all over Europe on Tuesday.
According to the Irish Independent Ireland could be an average of EUR8 billion a year better off if our "average" rating in the areas of science and maths were improved. That's according to an OECD report, which draws links between a country's educational abilities and economic growth. The report uses educational attainment levels in Finland as a benchmark, and reveals that while Irish students score well on reading, they rate only average in maths and slightly above average in science. If Ireland were to bring its levels up to those of the Finns it stands to reap the equivalent of EUR635 billion by 2090.
The paper also says that private equity group Duke Street will take over the business of failed payments group Payzone. According to Payzone the move will safeguard jobs and ensure all creditors are paid. Under the deal, receivers from Ernst & Young will be appointed to Payzone and Duke Street will invest EUR45 million in the business, for which it will gain a controlling stake in the company; the amount of debt owing to the firm's group of banks will be reduced from EUR320 million to EUR82 million. It also said the restructuring would help to safeguard 500 jobs in Britain, Ireland, Germany, Romania and Greece.
The Irish Examiner writes that Kerry will have 100 percent broadband coverage by the end of the year, according to Three Ireland, which is responsible for the Government's National Broadband Scheme. The mobile operator is confident that despite objections from local communities and regulations forbidding the placement of mobile masts within 1km of residential buildings, broadband will be rolled out throughout the county. "The availability of broadband in Kerry has been poor, but the aim is to correct this and get the county 'up to speed' in broadband terms by the deadline of next September," said Damien Gallagher, Three Ireland project director.
The paper also reports on the launch of an online initiative that uses a website, blogs and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote mental health among young people. The site, ReachOut.com, aims to direct people to state and voluntary agencies that can provide help. The initiative deals with topics from relationships and exam stress to suicide, depression and self-harm.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon and Macmillan have settled their pricing dispute and books by Macmillan authors went back on sale on Amazon's Web site over the weekend. Specific terms of the Macmillan agreement couldn't be learned. However, they are expected to include higher prices for e-books, similar to those offered by Apple on its up-coming iPad device. Amazon's new prices are expected to come into effect when the iPad goes on sale in March.
The Financial Times reports that SAP CEO Leo Apotheker resigned on Sunday night in a management reshuffle at the business software firm. The company said Apotheker would be replaced with Bill McDermott, head of field organisation, and Jim Hagemann Snabe, head of product development, in a joint-CEO structure. SAP did not provide a reason for the departure but a senior company executive said the supervisory board did not think Apotheker was the right person to repair morale at the company after an employee survey last September revealed a dramatic loss of confidence in SAP's senior management.
The Sunday Independent reports that RTE presenter Aidan Power was the victim of a Facebook hacking attack that saw his profile covered in pornographic pictures. The social networking site has been notified of the attack and an investigation is being carried out into the matter. Power was alerted to the incident by friends. Meanwhile, Bebo has received complaints after teenagers using the site found their profile pictures had been taken and used for advertising a "hook-up" website.
The same paper reports that the private equity firm backed by Bono, Elevation Partners, is buying a stake in US online media firm Yelp worth almost EUR100 million. The company will buy an initial stake of EUR25 million in Yelp, which provides local search information, before buying shares from employees for almost EUR75 million.
The Sunday Tribune writes that military experts have warned that western governments face a new threat of cyber warfare from hostile elements, with network attacks growing in frequency. Insurgents with the right capability could jam weapons systems and intercept classified communications during military missions, a report published by the British government said.
The Sunday Business Post reports that a group of entrepreneurs have received a multi-million dollar payout after their technology company Iontas was sold for about USD20 million. The firm, which works in the area of business process systems, was bought by US company Verint Systems, has deals with a large number of bluechip customers. Verint will pay USD14.8 million in cash for the company, with earn-out payments based on meeting targets over the next two years, bringing the value of the deal to about USD20 million. Iontas founders and management, who owned more than 30 percent of the company, will benefit from the deal, as will local investors who owned 20-25 percent of the firm.
The same paper reports that commercial manipulation is as much of a threat to children going online as cyber bullying. The National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) said that while social networking sites should still take a more pro-active role in protecting children, the guidelines issued by the sites are often unused. The NCTE's internet safety officer Simon Grehan said social networking sites should provide a mechanism for reporting content or behaviour and act expeditiously on the reports. Grehan also said the risk of encountering pornography and illegal content online had reduced in recent years, partly due to the fact that social networks began deleting accounts that were actively posting porn.
The paper also says that freelance contractors look set to lose lucrative work contracts this year, according to a new survey, as more than two in every five IT managers plan to cut contractors from budgets. The Irish Computer Society (ICS) survey found the biggest items to be reduced after contractors will be desktop hardware, staff recruitment and desktop software. Staff salaries are also in the firing line. The ICS survey also found that many companies allocated less than 10 percent of their annual budget to IT projects and maintenance. For almost a third, IT budgets are below EUR100,000. However, IT security, cloud computing and social networking projects are set to receive a funding boost.
The Sunday Times reports that the British Library is to make more than 65,000 works of fiction from the 19th century available for free download. The project, which will get started in the spring, will be open to owners of Amazon's Kindle e-reader and will include works by writers such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy. The e-book project is being funded by Microsoft. Book lovers will also be able to buy copies of the original texts from Amazon that look like the 19th century editions in the library's collection.
The paper also says that Google is developing software for a phone capable of translating foreign languages almost instantly, using technologies in voice recognition and automatic translation. However, the system will not be ready for some time, with Google hoping to have a basic system ready within a couple of years. The company already uses an automatic text translation system for computers, with 52 languages, while its voice recognition system allows mobile users to search by voice. It is now seeking to integrate the two technologies to develop a system that will be able to understand a caller's voice and translating it.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 