Friday 1 April 2016

The Evolution of Trolls

The Evolution of Trolls

People have been writing about this creature called the internet troll for some time now, mostly unfavourably, likening them to terrible mutations that we hope will die out. Should they?

Every one of you has already encountered an internet troll. Even if you’ve not been the target of a troll attack, and don’t even know what a troll is, you’ve certainly seen someone on social media who had to deal with them. If you’ve ever read the comments of a popular video on YouTube, or if you’ve read comments on popular Facebook posts, you know that there are some people out there who deliberately like to stir things up and cause debates to get heated, and topic of discussions to get derailed.

Those of you who have lived a life before the internet will know that there always were some people who were like this. Some of us would have had friends (or classmates) who would fit this description of a “trouble-maker. However, is that really the definition of the word “troll”?

Can You Support Your Favourite Websites And Still Block Ads?

Can You Support Your Favourite Websites And Still Block Ads?

No one likes adverts. But how else can websites make money? Sarah Dobbs investigates

When you’re reading a magazine, how much time do you spend looking at the adverts? Might be a risky question to ask in a paper magazine, but chances are you generally flip past them, unless maybe you’re in the market for a new graphics card or something catches your eye. Most people don’t exactly like seeing ads in the middle of their mag, but they’re just there, aren’t they? They’re a part of the publishing landscape, a way for magazines to finance their existence, so you look at them, or you turn the page, and that’s it.

X86 Alternatives To The Rasperry Pi

Minnowboard

We look at what other low-powered computers are available right now

Older readers wills no doubt remember IT classes in school back in the day. Long before we had PCs and any sort of decent equipment, there was the BBC Micro and the Acorn. Classes consisted of pretty basic stuff, with nothing too adventurous. Any kids with even a passing knowledge of computing were quickly bored, often knowing more about the subject than the teacher. Yes, not a great deal was learned by those already interested in computers, but it was a start.

How far we’ve come since then. Schools now have decent PCs, the internet, proper programming lessons and much more. Even better, they now have access to the Raspberry Pi.