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Our Must-Have Tech from 2011

Posted on January 20, 2012 by admin

Lots of publications do a ‘Best of the Year’ feature, so for my blog post I’m going to do the same. I don’t want you to think that it’s an easy option or anything like that. Because it isn’t*. And I think you may find it useful.

Here are three products that I used in 2011 that I think are worth recommending.

1. Chillblast

I needed a new computer. Which is always a difficult decision. You don’t wake up one morning and think ‘I need a new computer’. Well, maybe you do, but I don’t. It’s a bit like being in a bath that slowly gets colder. You don’t want to get out, because you know that it’s not going to be nice. But neither do you want to stay in because the water’s getting colder. I’m not going to extend the analogy to computers, because I’m sure you can see where it’s going. So in December, it was time to get out of the bath, and get a new PC. I did my research and found that Chillblast were regarded, in the trade, as a good brand. So I sen t them an email detailing what I would use my computer for and hoped that they would reply with a sensible specification.

And they did. Someone called Ben replied with a well-thought out solution and it wasn’t anywhere near the most expensive option he could have come up with. It did cost £730 but I wanted it to be able to manage video editing. Delivery isn’t quick (it took about a month) but the computer is very good, it’s good value for money and when it went wrong (which it did, albeitwith only a little problem – the processor had been ever so slightly overclocked or undercooked or something like that ), the guy on the Chillblast helpdesk wasvery good, and sorted it out without fuss. And you can’t ask for much more than that.

So Chillblast, I recommend you. Which I appreciate is not like winning an Oscar or getting the Queen’s award for industry, but a satisfied customer is not to be sniffed or sneezed at.

www.chillblast.com

2. Dropbox

A friend of mine recently had his laptop stolen. I could hardly bear to ask him if he had backed up his stuff. Of course, I asked him anyway (I couldn’t resist) and he hadn’t. Which brings me to dropbox, which is a good place to store your stuff. You get a bit of space for free, but it’s almost certainly not enough for your needs, so pay them to get extra. I pay about £40 a year for 50GB and have, to date, used 66% of my storage space. I like the fact that your storage space can (if you wish) appear on your computer, like an actual drive. This can take up quite a bit of space, so I have ours on external drives. It’s good if you back up a number of computers, or if you have a mixture of macs and PC’s.

I would like it to have an automatic way of syncing files, but if you use your dropbox as your ‘my documents’ file then this problem doesn’t arise. I however, don’t want to do this, for reasons that are too involved to mention here. So I have to use SyncToy to keep my files synchronised with my dropbox (and for matters of accuracy I should say that I use Chronsync on the mac).

Anyway, just let me say that Dropbox is good, and if you don’t have anywhere to backup your files, I would recommend it.

www.dropbox.com

3. LG N2A2 NAS Drive

A NAS drive is a Network Attached Storage Drive. A hard disc that many computers can access over a network. In our office, everyone saves their work on the NAS and so all files can be accessed from all computers. And it makes it easier for me to backup all the files in the dropbox. NAS drives are great if they work and can be a nightmare if they don’t. Because we use a mixture of macs and PCs, this can be extra difficult. I wish we didn’t, but we do and that’s not likely to change in the near future, as the mac user is the one who wields the power and she’s probably going to realise if I replace her mac mini with windows 7.

Our last NAS drive was a Lacie and while it’s a fascinating tale, I’m going to say that I’d rather have root canal surgery than buy another Lacie and leave it at that.

So again, I did my research and bought an LG NAS drive for about £180. It’s quiet, you can set it up reasonably easily and it only went wrong once, whereupon the help desk was very good. It’s not perfect as some of the dates of files are wrong when you look from one computer, but I think if I updated the software then this would be fixed.

If you need an inexpensive NAS drive, you can do worse.

LG Website

So there you have it. Chillblast, Dropbox and the LG NAS. As Basil Fawlty once said, “A satisfied customer. We should have him stuffed.”

*It is a bit.

- John

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Meerkats and Avatars

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Rachel Holdsworth

Businesses with disruptive or near market technology projects, were given a boost with a programme of events hosted by St John’s Innovation Centre Limited (SJIC) under the title ‘Meerkats and Avatars 2011’

The programme offered a novel and unique combination of specialist intensive support to early stage ventures. It also offered a valuable and rare opportunity for exhibitors to interact with national journalists and technology investors.

This coverage by the BBC gives a flavour of the event.

If you would like to participate in future events then we would welcome expressions of interest from potential demonstrators, investors, sponsors or collaborators. Do get in touch.

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Have you outgrown your website?

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Rebecca Nesbit

Fashions in websites change, and it can seem like you need a new website more regularly than you need a new wardrobe. But it’s not just the nature of the internet that’s changing, it’s the nature of your business. As you move from development into production or take on more products your target audiences change. Where once you wanted to attract investors, now you want to focus on customers. Or, very likely, now you want to attract both.

It’s very easy to just tweak your website to accommodate your growth – just as your mother would let down the turn-ups in your trousers as you grew. But sooner or later they would end up half way up your calves and be an embarrassment. In a fast growing company there is a danger that just tweaking a site means you don’t actually provide the right information for any of your audiences.

The look of a website is very important, but this shouldn’t be the starting point. However tempting it is to start by calling the designer and saying ‘my favourite colour is blue’ or ‘can you do one of those whizzy graphics’ a better place to begin is by analysing the needs of your audience.

Who wants to visit your website? What do they want when they get there? Depending on who they are this might be background information, places they can buy your product, corporate details, or how much you charge for your services. Your website should make the important information easily accessible – both in the way it is written and in the layout.

If you have distinct audiences wanting different information think about how to present this. It can be appropriate to have more than one website – for example a corporate one for investors or job seekers, and a specific product orientated site. But often it is better to have different areas within the same site, perhaps protecting one with a password.

Finally, it is tempting to populate your website with what you want to say not what people want to hear. While this is a mistake, it is important to think what you want visitors to do. Is it to buy your product? Or to pick up the phone and call you? Everyone likes things to be easy, so if you want them to buy something make sure this is very very simple.

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www3maitloir

Posted on October 27, 2011 by John Holdsworth

Passwords. You’re meant to have loads, and change them regularly. They’re meant to be a mixture of letters, cases, numbers, symbols and, if you really want to stop your bank account being robbed by Croatian hackers, shapes that have not yet been invented. But you are probably like me. You’ve got one password and add the number 1 after it, if you want to be really secure.

That’s actually not true. I’ve probably got 4 passwords that I use. You’ll never guess them, but we are encouraged to have more, and this is difficult to do, so here’s a good tip that I read today. Use a famous sentence or title and create a password from it.

The example that was given was ‘To be or not to be, that is the question’. Which neatly turns into 2bon2btitq. Which is a good password other than the fact that some websites might not accept it because it has got ‘tit’ in the middle.*

Here are some others that you might find useful to guess and then use. Some have got the added security of 1’s instead of i and 0 instead of o.

www3maitloir (It’s what the witches say in Macbeth – did you see what I did there with the www thing?)

nmb1eytd – Goldfinger

1wtb0t1wtw0t – What the Dickens?

Apy1khh – the Bard again

0bd0bdlg0 – The Beatles

Another helpful tip about passwords. Don’t forget to write them down in big letters (using a Sharpie helps) and put them somewhere safe so you don’t forget them**

*This isn’t true
**ddt11aeo1 (Don’t do this. It is an example of irony)

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Cambridge Cleantech opens for business

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Rachel Holdsworth

We had good news on Friday, as Martin Garrett and Hugh Parnell unveiled to a packed room their new baby – ‘Cambridge Cleantech’ – a membership organisation aimed at facilitating the exploitation of the third wave of innovation following that of high tech and biotech.

Martin’s impressive chart demonstrated clearly that Cleantech is a loose term to cover a wide range of different technologies; all of which are aimed at disrupting the status quo. What they share is tangible evidence that it is possible to do business better and reduce impacts on the environment.

This win win scenario is one that other countries seem to appreciate better than us so a major concern is that without a concerted effort this will be yet another UK baby that is thrown away with the bath water (or grey water as I think it is called now).

The Greater Cambridge region has world leading expertise particularly in building technologies, alternative energy sources and renewables. This was demonstrated by the four exciting companies that presented: Cambridge Carbon Capture, which is using fuel cell technology to convert fossil fuels to energy without the release of carbon dioxide; Enval who have struck a deal with two confectionary companies to build a plant to extract aluminium from laminated packaging; Green Tide Turbines that has attracted funding from two Brazilian companies to build its first turbine; and Polysolar, a replacement building material that can generate energy from sunlight. These are just four of the 450 companies that Cambridge Cleantech has identified within this growing sector.

All exciting stuff which prompted two observations. Firstly, that these babies need some serious mothering if they are going to fulfil their potential and secondly, that there was no mention of the other great strength that this region offers which its world-class expertise in environmental conservation and management.

Two Cambridge based organisations UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and Flora and Fauna International, among others, are at the forefront of environmental consultancy and have been advising governments and multinationals on strategy and impacts for many years.

These agencies do not aim to stop business but instead to show how its impacts on the environment can be managed for global economic benefit and sustained quality of life.

Technology does not exist in a silo; any change it makes – to misquote another Cambridge scientist – will have an equal and opposite effect. It is therefore vital that we understand the implications of technology clean or otherwise to make sure that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

We think that Cambridge Cleantech is an excellent first step in this direction and look forward to hearing this baby talk.

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ECOLINK workshop supports cleantech innovation

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Rachel Holdsworth

The global market for cleantech is valued at £4.3 trillion, and companies in the Greater Cambridge region are at the forefront of innovation in this area.

As we approach peak oil and price of energy becomes a major driver, the market will prefer the cleantech alternatives. However, in the short term these technology companies need support.

Determined that the UK shall not fail once again to exploit the commercial opportunity of its technology there are two major initiatives happening this week (Oct 20 and 21) which will be of interest to cleantech companies, investors and end users.

St John’s Innovation Centre is showcasing 11 promising cleantech companies from the UK and France at an ECOLINK workshop on 20th October. ECOLINK creates an opportunity for companies to get profile and pitch to potential investors across the EU.

A panel discussion will investigate how best to support the development and drive market-acceptance for these technologies. Potentially this could include a simplified taxation process that stimulates R&D investment or legislative pressure that drives market demand.

The panel will include EcoTechnilin, which produces natural-fibre materials for construction and transport (I’ve seen their materials and can confirm they’re sturdy and light and absolutely impossible to bend!).

EcoTechnilin's Ben Schadla-Hall shows the natural fibre alternative to injection-moulded plastic for the automotive industry

EcoTechnilin found it extremely difficult to gain finance in the UK to develop its technology, and UK manufacturers seem unwilling to alter their supply-chains to accommodate the new material. In France, however, it was a different story. Their technology was welcomed with enthusiasm, and now EcoTechnilin has a production facility in Northern France and finance their English R&D through French tax breaks.

The East of England cleantech sector already has a market value of £12bn, according to Hugh Parnell, who is chair of Cambridge Cleantech, a new organisation to be launched on the morning after the workshop. He estimates that in Greater Cambridge alone there are 450 cleantech companies and there is the potential to invigorate a ‘third wave’ of innovation, following the rapid progress in high-tech and biotech industries.

Companies, policy makers and potential investors can find information about the ECOLINK workshop (taking place on 20th October 14.00 – 18.30) on the St John’s Innovation Centre website.

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Meerkats and Avatars 2011: open for applications

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Rebecca Nesbit

What determines which technologies make it big? Attracting the attention of those who matter is essential – whether this is potential investors, collaborators or customers – and media relations is a rapid way of spreading the word widely.

We are working with St John’s Innovation Centre on an event to help up-and-coming businesses, and at the moment we’re looking to hear from early-stage or pre-spinout companies with innovative products or technologies. The event, Meerkats and Avatars 2011, was devised to contribute to the success of technology companies by raising their profile in the media and with investors.

This year’s event follows Meerkats and Avatars 2010, which saw film and radio crews join journalists from national, local and technical publications to view 13 technology demonstrations. A highlight for me was a horse outside the Hauser Forum having its heart-rate trace sent to a mobile phone (which doesn’t quite the top live bees that attended a few years earlier). Other popular demonstrations included drug tests using fingerprints, magnetic detection of breast cancer and sound-recognition for CCTV.

I had a very interesting conversation this week with one of the organisers of the event, Janette Pallas, and she gave me some insight into which businesses succeed. As Enterprise Manager at St John’s Innovation Centre, she is at the heart of it when it comes to the community of aspiring start-ups. She sees promise in businesses led by passionate people who believe in what they are doing – who work to put things right rather than make excuses for why things are going badly. She is a firm believer that this ‘can do’ attitude is essential to success.

I love meeting the region’s entrepreneurs, and hearing about their ambitions. The passion of everyone who attended last year’s Meerkats and Avatars was clear, and I think that’s one of the reasons the event had such a buzz about it.

Please get in touch if you would like to be considered for Meerkats and Avatars 2011. I’m Rebecca Nesbit and I can be reached on rebecca@holdsworth-associates.co.uk or 01954 202789. I look forward to hearing from you!

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Posted in Cambridge, News, Technology | Tagged Cambridge, Meerkats and Avatars, PR, public relations company, technology press event | 1 Comment

Backing up your data

Posted on September 15, 2011 by John Holdsworth

You may well back up your important data, but you probably don’t. It’s something that you know you ought to do, but never quite get around to doing it. Like regular exercise or reading some Dickens. Maybe you never think about backing up your data. But you should a) think about it and then b) do it. ‘Our Mutual Friend’ can wait. Backing up your data cannot and will not.

They say ‘It’s Easy!’ and ‘You Can’t Go Wrong!!’ Well it’s not and you can. So here’s my advice.

1. Decide which files you would be heartbroken to lose. The chances are it will be only your photographs, any novels you’ve written and any files that you are likely to need again such as teaching notes or presentations that you’ve made. Anything like music files and films can be replaced. You can probably live with losing your emails, and most of the other junk that you’ve accumulated over the years. You might not want to lose these, but it won’t make you feel sick in the stomach like losing all your digital photos.

2. Once you’ve identified these critical files, that you can’t possibly bear to be parted from, then the simple solution is to use a DVD (if you can burn to DVD), a usb memory stick or, if that won’t provide the necessary capacity, then an external hard drive. Copy the files onto your device of choice and then put it somewhere safe. And by safe I mean somewhere that you won’t forget and somewhere that will still be safe if your house burns down. I’m not going to tell you where this place might be, because I don’t know.

3. If you are constantly adding to these files, then you’ll need a way of regularly backing up this data. And the method above won’t work, because you will forget to do it. There are, however, lots of online backup sites to use. They all have advantages and disadvantages. I once used one, and when my computer crashed the encryption key I had been provided with wouldn’t allow me to retrieve all my precious files. This was obviously a major disadvantage. In the end I had to use a data retrieval firm and they got my stuff back (but it cost me about £400).

I’m going to recommend Dropbox but there are others available and the chances are that your Internet Service Provider will be able to help you out. If you are using this method, then it helps if all the files you want to back up are in one big documents folder. It saves you having to go all over your hard drive identifying the individual folders to back up. I call my folder ‘Live Files’ and in there I have my documents, photos, and anything else I really want to keep if disaster strikes. I know that if the ‘Live Files’ folder is backed up, then I’m sorted.

4. Keep an eye on the online backup to ensure that it’s regularly doing its job. It’s no use shouting at it after a hard drive malfunction when the last synchronisation took place eleven months earlier. I know this, because I’ve tried it. I got cross at the online backup and it couldn’t have cared less.

I often create a file called ‘Backup 22/9/11’ or whatever the date is, and then check the following morning that it’s in my ‘Live Files’ online.

It’s not straightforward, it’s not easy and you can’t set these things up and assume that everything is taken care of forever more. But forget running round the block and leave ‘Little Dorrit’. Sort out your backup first.

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Rewarding experiences with the German press

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Alex Seber

Whilst contacting German journalists this week on behalf of our client SureFlap I got thinking about the diverse ways people from different countries communicate with each other in the business world.

When I am calling Germany to offer a press release it certainly helps that I am able to have the conversation in German. Even if I eventually end up speaking to the German journalists in English, I get a much better response for having made the initial contact in their native tongue. (I am reminded a this point of the time when, as a keen 12-year-old, I made a real effort to ask for a Sprite in German: “Kann ich ein Sprite haben bitte?”, only to be asked in English: “What size do you want?” Germans in all walks of life are notoriously good at English!

Germany is a major trading partner for many countries throughout the world and so it’s important for us British businesses to try to get our etiquette right, whether it be over the phone, by email, or in person!

I have been delighted at the friendly response I have received from German journalists. They seem very happy to communicate with you, at length if necessary, whatever their level of interest in the story you are putting forward to them.

I’ve also been struck by how polite and efficient the Germans are, and this has been bourn out in the responses I have received. Emails have been replied to almost immediately, and if not, the reason has usually been due to the journalist being on holiday.

Something else that interested me was how all the follow-up emails I received from German journalists started with “Hallo….!” (Hello….!) , rather than Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren (Dear Sir or Madam) or “Liebe/r…..!” (Dear…..!) as is more customary in German letters and business emails written in English. My experience of visiting Germany is that everything is less formal. At school there is usually no uniform and teachers dress pretty casually too.

It was also interesting to note that, without exception, everyone assumed I was Herr (Mr) Seber when I signed myself as Alex. When writing to Germans in the future I shall sign myself as Alexandra or Frau Seber to avoid any confusion! I’m pleased to note that when they discover I am indeed female, their courteous attitude remains just as friendly, if not more so!

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Our Must-Have Tech from 2011

Meerkats and Avatars

www3maitloir

Cambridge Cleantech opens for business

ECOLINK workshop supports cleantech innovation

Meerkats and Avatars 2011: open for applications

Backing up your data

Rewarding experiences with the German press

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