Phorm shares plunge following BT dump

A small cheer, as by lunchtime today there was good news as shares in the controversial and insidious advertising company Phorm plunged down 40%.

The news that BT had dumped them has at least started the process that might see us rid of this invasive business. BT was a key player in the development of Phorm’s Webwise system, which uses information about which sites an internet user visits to target them with relevant advertising on subsequent pages.

Significant in the nature of this nasty operation is the news that “The fundamental Phorm proposition remains highly attractive”. A comment made by James Wheacroft of Evolution Securities, along with “we retain our positive recommendation based on overseas development and deployment, in particular Korea.”

Jim Killock, the executive director of Open Rights Group, which has campaigned hard against Phorm, said: “Open Rights Group welcomes BT’s decision and hopes other UK ISPs, particularly Virgin Media and TalkTalk, will follow their lead. This is the right decision for BT and other online providers who respect privacy. Phorm will remain a threat to our fundamental rights while they offer services that intercept communications without the consent of all parties.”

Phorm naturally played down the blow:

A spokesman for Phorm said BT’s decision was not the end of the world, not least because it has been expanding overseas and was now in talks with potential ISP partners in 15 other countries. This year, the company announced a trial of its technology with KT, South Korea’s largest ISP, and another overseas deal is expected to be announced shortly.

This is is the latest in a series of setbacks for Phorm. Amazon recently opted out of Webwise, saying it did not want traffic to its websites monitored by ISPs that sign up to use the technology. Google and Bebo are also considering opting out, potentially depriving Phorm of crucial information about internet users’ tastes.

Well, here’s hoping it’s only the first of many.

BT dumps Phorm

Insidious online snooper Phorm has been ditched by former key player BT.

BT may have made some mistakes in the past, but this at least is one of the company’s better decisions.

The controversial Phorm system tracks users using DPI (deep packet inspection) to analyse their viewed content and habits, and target them with relevant advertising on subsequent pages.

BT carried out secret test using the system in 2006 and 2007, but without customer’s consent, and this is now being investigated by the European Commission which considers the UK government failed to protect its citizens online.

BT, which received complaints from its customers about Phorm, said the decision reflected its need to conserve resources as it prepares to invest £1.5 billion in its plans to provide a next-generation, super-fast broadband network for 10 million homes by 2012. Privately, BT bosses have become increasingly concerned about consumer resistance to advertising based on monitoring their online behaviour, and specifically about the backlash against Phorm.

The two remaining players, Virgin Media and Talk Talk still control about 75% of the UK broadband market: Virgin Media is reported to still be interested, due to the services it offers, but is now less enthusiastic with regard to to Phorm as its reputation slips; and Talk Talk is reported to have stated that it is watching, but would only implement the system on an opt-in basis, but has stated it has no time-scale in place for deployment.

One of the nastier aspects of the original Phorm system is that it was configured as an opt-out service, in other word, you were automatically rolled into it whether on not you wanted to be, and had to deliberately register your desire not to be tracked and targeted by the system.

Losing BT, its original partner in crime, and provider of secret tests carried out on unsuspecting BT customers, is a significant event, and Phorm is burning significant finds without making returns. If the backlash continues, then even though it is winning funds (see Good news – and bad news about insidious Phorm) on the basis of future advertising returns, continuing delays and the unpopularity of being associated with the brand must just see it go belly up before it can make a profit and sustain itself.

Road signs – the union knows best

I don’t mind admitting I have little time for unions – and one of their own TV adverts shows why. Presumably intended to show the evil boss ignoring the single downtrodden worker, it went on to show the good worker and union members clearing their throat to gain attention, but that throat clearing was depicted as an earthquake, as it was echoed by all the the other good union members.

If unions merely provided representation, I wouldn’t have a problem, but strikes, political affiliations, and involvement in things that are none of their business cause me concern.

A little over year ago, I noted that eight Caithness councillors had tried to stop bilingual road signs being installed in their area, and while they failed in their attempt, the issue highlighted a potential hazard as there was evidence from research which suggested that bilingual signs may cause accidents and that a report from a review of existing trunk road signage was due in 2011, and transport minister Stewart Stevenson noted that it would include the effect of current signs on roads controlled by local authorities.

However…

It seems that “the union” knows better, and there is no need for this report.

A union has urged Highland Council to end “politically correct” initiatives such as bilingual Gaelic signage rather than cutting jobs. Unison spokesman Shane Manning said bilingual signage was one area where cuts could be made without job losses: “Unison Highland branch have a mandate from our membership to oppose bilingual signing. It may not be a vast amount of money but it’s one example of where money could be saved just now when there are more important things to be spending the money on.”

Since when does a union of office workers have a say in how the country’s road signs are deployed?

Is there really any significant cost saving in reducing the content of a road sign that s going to be produced anyway? the English only sign would presumably still be being manufactured and installed anyway, and I’ve nothing that indicates the existence of a scheme to remove and replace English only signs with bi-lingual version – which clearly would add to costs (and create jobs).

There’s another consideration – unlikely as it may be, that the report finds bilingual road signs actually have a positive effect, so the union would be calling for something that created a road hazard.

In reality, the 2011 report will most likely confirm that bilingual signs are a hazard, and the union could have won more Brownie Points if it had waited for the outcome of the report, and supported it with mandate to end the use of such signs, and the potential danger they present.

Guess we’re headed for the union blacklist now, and the pickets will be flying in.

Busy time for renewables

There’s usually a steady trickle of renewable energy stories arriving on my desk, and it’s generally possible to handle them individually, but the past week or so seems to have been busier than usual, and if I try and note them individually, I’ll never finish the job, so I’ll try summarising them in the hope that it will be quicker.

If you haven’t seen or visited the web site for Scottish Renewables, the home page at least is worth a look, as it carries a small graphic displaying the relative amounts of Renewable Energy Generation Capacity in Scotland (MW), together with the date of update. I’m not taking a dig at this, and I merely point out that it shows Generation Capacity, not and not the amount actually being delivered, to avoid misinterpretation.

An event known as the Scottish Renewable Festival took place over the weekend of June 13/14 2009, intended to celebrate green energy and allow members of the public to visit installations they would not normally be open to visitors. These included small scale community and household applications using solar power, wood heating, wind power and heat pumps, together with some of the largest renewable energy installations in Europe, and included displays of new technologies such as marine power.

Education and information seems to be the theme, and it’s good to see that it doesn’t concentrate solely on promoting wind power.

In fact, the BBC mentioned it, and then went on to provide an article based entirely on hydro power, looking at the past, present, and potential future for this option in an interview with the British Hydropower Association.

Indeed, following the Queen’s recent visit to the new Glendoe hydro power scheme above Loch Ness, near Fort Augustus, two more major hydro power schemes have been announced for the Highlands. Last year, Glendoe operated at its maximum level for a period of 24 hours during a rehearsal ahead of coming on stream, and is capable of generating up to 100 megawatts, said to be sufficient to power some 250,000 homes.

SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy) has currently declined to identify the areas involved, and is still seeking permission for the scheme. This particular scheme is clearly intended to be a pumped storage scheme, and will involve two bodies of water. Surplus power available when demand is low will be used to pump water from the lower to the higher reservoir, then released to generate power during periods of high demand. According to Scottish Power, it will be able to generate ten time that produced by Glendoe, and said: “If we build those two then the total amount of hydro output in Scotland would be able to power every house in Scotland at the time of system peak.”

SSE said that it would submit planning applications for both in 2011, and that it could be operational by 2017 if permission is granted.

A similar scheme is planned for Sloy, the hydro electric power station at Loch Lomond, which we mentioned a few weeks ago.

Also, we mentioned that the Crown Estate was due to begin leasing areas of the sea bed around Scotland for developers who want to generate tidal electricity. While we haven’t spotted any update to this storyt, ministers recently approved new wind power sites for the Crown Estate around the the UK’s coastline – the government is relying heavily on wind to meet its European commitments to provide 15% of all energy from renewables by 2020.

This news was accompanied with the convenient release of a National Grid study which concluded that the electricity distribution grid could cope with on-off wind energy without spending a lot on back-up fossil fuel power stations – an apparent lack of security of supply had been used by opponents to argue against wind power, as they argued that fossil fuelled power stations would still need to be built, to bridge gaps in supply when the wind failed. Although the reason for this improvement was not explicitly stated, it seem safe to assume that new pumed storage systems, such as the two described above, are key to ensuring supplies are maintained in the absence of wind.

Ministers have also stated that they no longer see any difficulties arising from the installation of wind farms within the Crown Estate limit of 12.5 miles of the coast, but no specific reason for this change is reported. This could mean that currently proposed wind farms (planning permission permitting) could be in place by 2016, and add 33 GW of capacity by 2020.

However, there seems to be a further hurdle, as demand for wind turbines is now reported to significantly exceed supply, inflating their price. A further hit is taken when it is realised that wind turbines are prices in euros, not good when the pound is weak.

Credit card cheques – banned

This morning was one of those that comes with a fairly regular irritation.

Even though I conduct all my business online – then again, maybe I don’t (just to confuse anyone that might want to try and steal from me, I might have given you a helpful clue, then again I might not, then again, I might be playing a double bluff) – there are still a few regular thumps on the doormat as the postie fights through the security to my letterbox. Most of the deliveries are fine, paper records of things I need to be able to shove in people’s faces when they try and tell me I’ve made a mistake, when their systems foul up yet again.

Some however, are far from fine, and the cause of today’s thump was a major irritation – the arrival of the unwanted blank credit card cheques. These arrive incessantly ever since a certain credit card company (that I would never have touched with a barge pole and rubber gloves) took over my credit card. While I would have normally have cancelled it immediately, they continue to honour the donation scheme that the original company ran, and I didn’t want to see the beneficiary lose out, so have kept this account live.

But I abhor those insidious cheques. They come with all sorts of invitations, and practically beg the card-holder to use them because they’re so convenient and simple. Of course, these pleas leave all the  information regarding fees and charges to the small print, so anyone stupid enough to write a credit card cheque gets what they deserve – charged, and have to pay for spending their own money. What a rip-off. Think of the phrase “A fool and his money are soon parted”.

Worse, because the credit card company wants to make it as simple, easy, and painless as possible to write out one of these cheques, they are pre-printed with all your account details, and come attached to a letter with your name, address, and card number details printed in the clear.

Throw that sort of thing in the bin intact, and you might as well print your account details on cards and leave them in all the local pubs.

I collect them, and they go into the wood burning stove during winter. They might not produce much heat, but at least burning them means I’ll probably not have my account sucked dry, and will still be able to buy a little fuel during winter.

The good news is that the government sees credit card cheques as undesirable, and credit card cheques will be banned as part of government plans for consumer protection due to be unveiled in a this White Paper.

And it’s only taken until 2009.

Nelson’s Monument restoration work nears completion

Nelson's Monument © Peter Church

Announced last October, work on the restoration of Nelson’s Monument on Calton Hill began back in March, and is now reported to be nearing completion.

The monument carried the once essential time-ball, which was used to signal 13:00 GMT to the surrounding area, and the ships in the Firth of Forth, so that clocks could be set correctly each day. This was of particular importance to those at sea, as accurate knowledge of the time was essential for determining their position when they were out of sight of land.

The mechanism was damaged during storms in 2007, and was dismantled and removed to allow repairs to be carried out – the ball weighs some 762 kilogrammes, and was craned out to allow repairs to be carried out to the supporting structure.

The ball, constructed of wood and zinc, was returned to the tower this week, and is due to return to operation during August, once the final repairs to crumbling stonework and corroded banding on the monument has been completed.

Adam Wilkinson, Edinburgh World Heritage director, said: “This is great news for Edinburgh, and marks an important milestone in the Twelve Monuments Project.

“As the project has progressed we have learnt more about the importance of time-ball and its place among other mechanisms around the world. No longer will this great institution drop with an ignominious thunk, instead the repaired historic mechanism will ensure it glides to its resting place each day at one o’clock.”

Guaranteed data security?

I’ve often struggled with the securing of passwords and data, both at the personal level, and at the level of the business networks I look after.

My own data is pretty secure, as I have not problem in keeping lists of password and accounts secret and secure, and following the simple not do pass any of them on to anyone – EVER. Same goes for any source that ever contacts me by any means possible. This never happen with a legitimate party, so these are disconnected, deleted, or ignored if they ever appear. Their mere existence is enough to warn that they are bogus, and phishing for the unwary.

Business systems are easier in some respects, as I’m the only person with top-level access, and control everone else’s access,  but it does have the responsibility problem, as I’m the only one that can maintain the systems concerned, but, there’s a surprising advantage that comes with that problem. Since no-one else accesses the systems, and only I allow all user access, there are no problems caused by unauthorised tampering, so barring system implosion, things actually work surprisingly well and smoothly. And anything unauthorised sticks out a mile, like the proverbial sore thumb.

That said, as systems grow, there is a need to act more responsibly, and while I’m not giving away any of my own solutions, the points in the following article is worth giving consideration:

When I’m dead, how will my loved ones break my password? Tales from the encrypt: If you care about the integrity of your data, it’s time to investigate solutions for accessing and securing it – and not just for the here and now.

(Considering how simple it is to secure things, you have to wonder how those charged and entrusted with handling and managing really sensitive data don’t appear to be able to do it. Maybe if they were simply fired whenever they were found to have failed, natural selection would make things better).

Polphail – abandoned village redevelopment announced

A sudden jump in last week’s site activity was explained when the detailed stats for the week arrived this morning, and identified the single cause as our Portavadie page, with more than four time the usual number of page views for the whole site being directed towards this single page on Tuesday, and almost the same on Wednesday. Then things returned to normal.

In Tuesday, June 23, the BBC carried a news item on Reporting Scotland, with a video from the village, reporting on an announcement by the owner that the derelict accommodation at Polphail was to be demolished, and construction of 270 houses on site would be completed by 2019.

The area has already seen a number of other deelopments and changes in recent years, although it would appear that all previous plans for development of the Polphail village area have failed to materialise.

Polphail was built as accommodation for construction workers, when Portavdie was chosen as the site for a construction yard for concrete oil platforms, but the demand the government of the time had hoped to cash in from the oil boom of the 1970s simply never materialised, and after creating what one report described as the largest and most expensive man-made hole in the world, it abandoned the site.

We’ve seen two reports on the hole – excavated to form the dry dock where the platforms would have been constructed – and one has to have a misprint, as each has a different cost figure, £4 million and £14 million. We’d really appreciate it if anyone could point us at a definitive figure or report, so that we could quote the correct figure with some confidence

The slipway for the Portavadie to Tarbert ferry has been moved from the area of the dry dock, and relocated just to the north – a modicication that has yet to be caught by some of the online mapping services, which still show the old road leading into the water there. The former dry dock is now a marina, which was completed and opened recently, and will be looking forward to the arrivial of the homes wich will eventually occupy the old accommodation area. The sheltered coastal area has also seen the creation of a fish farm.

Waverley woes II

Not quite to the day (it was actually June 19), but almost exactly a year ago I wrote about the paddle steamer Waverley’s unfortunate start to the 2008 season, Paddle Steamer Waverley suffers at start of season, when problems with a drive shaft sent the steamer off to Greenock’s James Watt Dock for essential repairs, and the Telegraph newspaper published a claim by the Nautilus UK trade union, alleging to have found evidence of failure to comply with with UK employment regulations regarding a Latvian sailor working on board.

I should add here that Waverley excursions replied that the accusations were unfounded, and that they were without grounds, but I failed to catch any later reports, so can’t provide any update on the outcome.

Waverley is seen below, during that 2008 visit to the James Watt Dock.

You did spot the missing paddle wheel, didn’t you?

PS Waverley under repair at James Watt Dock, Greenock, June 2008 © Thomas Nugent

Sadly, it came to pass that the 2009 season began little better for the last ocean-going paddle steamer in the world, when a routine survey of the boilers at the start of the year showed that they required essential work, and their extent saw PS Waverley sailings postponed to May/June.

It seems that the rest of last year’s season was not without incident, and according to some online reports I’ve read regarding 2008, PS Waverly and English piers don’t seem to get on too well with one another, and are said to have come to blows on more than one occasion.

If correct, it seems that this problem has made it across the border, and it seems that the Waverley had a coming together with pier at Dunoon, on June 26.

Waverley Excursions issued a statement on their website: “Whilst berthing at Dunoon the Paddle Steamer Waverley landed heavily on the Pier. There were passengers on board, 12 of whom sustained very minor injuries which were attended to by a doctor.”

One of the passenger said there had been a loud bang, followed by a hissing sound coming from two of the life rafts stored on deck, which had been released into the water and began to auto-inflate. He added that the other passengers didn’t seem to be angered or begin complaining about the incident, but appeared to be more concerned about the damage done to the steamer.

You can see the damage suffered by the steamer in this picture, with the life raft mount visible immediately above – small wonder two of them made the way down to the sea.

There is also a gallery with more Waverley images here.

Waverley seems to have more than her share of problems, and it should be remembered that compared to today’s modern ferries,manoeuvring with two giant paddle wheels lacks the finesse of control which these vessels now enjoy thanks to the adoption of bow thrusters, Voith Schneider propellers, and azi-pod propellers – although on the Clyde at least, the latter appears to have proven somewhat inferior to the Voith Schneider units which preceded them.

<a href=”http://secretscotland.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/ps-waverley-sailings-postponed-to-mayjune/”>PS Waverley sailings postponed to May/June</a>

Black Craig wind farm developer dangles £64,000 annual community benefit

As noted recently, an appeal by West Coast Energy Ltd against Argyll and Bute Council’s refusal of plans to build a 14-turbine wind farm on Corlarach Hill, facing directly into Rothesay Bay, was dismissed.

At the same time, it was noted that there was another appeal under inquiry with regard to a 16-turbine installation on Black Craig, directly north of Corlarach, by Argyll Windfarms Ltd.

In the past, I’ve been taken to task for suggesting the wind farms received a subsidy, and eventually gave up explaining that I wasn’t referring to direct subsidies, payments or grants, but to the indirect subsidies which apply to the electricity generated by renewable sources. Two sources have provided this indirect subsidy: The Renewables Obligation, which is an artificial market administered by the government’s Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem); and The Climate Change Levy.

For a fuller and more comprehensive description of the process, which I’m not even going to attempt in this space (it can get complicated, even though the idea is simple, but the government’s involved, so what else would you expect?) you can download and read a Word document which gives fuller details here. It’s even got pictures, which might make it easier for some of the folk who have had a go at me – their command of English suggests reading might not be one of their strong points.

Returning to Black Craig, Bute Community Council (BCC) has been told that the developer has suggested that there might be a ‘community benefit’ of £64,000 a year coming Bute’s way – part of an overall payment scheme for the wider area of £4.4 million over 25 years – should the scheme receive planning permission. The developer is reported to be “keen” to meet representatives from Bute to discuss ‘community benefit’.

Also, a local councillor warned that there might be consequences should BCC decline to enter talks until after a final decision is made by Scottish ministers on the fate of the project. He suggest that it may be too late to enter discussions should the project be given the go-ahead, and that the developer may then just do as it pleases once it has approval for the scheme. The councillor pointed out that the law states there should be a ‘community benefit’ of some kind from any wind farm project, and suggested it would do no harm to at least talk to the developer.

That warning, however, cut no ice with a number of BCC members, with treasurer Ian Hopkins suggesting that he felt the offer was “just blackmail”.

The fate of the Black Craig project currently lies in the hands of Scottish Government.