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Past Events
This page holds information and links concerning previous events hosted
by the Berkshire Branch.
Events from: 2007-2008
Events from: 2006-2007
Events from: 2005- 2006
Events from: 2004-2005
2007-08
May Event
April Event
Topic
|
Life in the Games Industry - An
Introduction?
|
Speaker
|
Andy
Thomason, featured recently in IT Now, is a veteran of the
computer games industry, from the arcade games of the early 1980s,
through the 3D simulation and racing games of the 1990s to his position
at Sony Computer Entertainment. Currently he is working on compiler
technology for the PS3 (PlayStation3). |
Description
|
Andy
Thomason will lead a discussion on current trends and developments
as well as the issues facing game developers of the next generation of
video games on consoles and PCs.
|
Date
|
15
April 2008
|
Time
|
20:00
|
Location
|
Reading
University, Room 1.03 of the Palmer Building
|
Slides/Material
|
Coming
soon
|
March Event
Topic
|
Anatomy of an Attack
|
Speaker
|
John
Hogan - Principal Security Consultant with SELEX Communications Limited
He has been working in Information Security since the early ‘90s, and
is currently Network Security Manager for the Service Provider on a
major Defence contract. He is a member of the
Communications-Electronic Security Group Listed Adviser Scheme, run by
the Government Communications Headquarters.
|
Description
|
The
misuse and abuse of Information and Communications Systems is growing,
and criminals have been quick to take advantage of opportunities
offered by the Internet. Identity theft, leading to financial
theft, extortion through threat of Denial of Service and suspected
state-sponsored theft of data are making the headlines.
The Internet was conceived and built as an open system to enable easy
sharing of information. The original standards provided very
little in the way of security, and so security has been bolted on, in
most cases as a reaction to the activities of the wayward and more
recently the criminals.
The presentation will explore the means and motives of those who use
the Internet and connected systems for their nefarious purposes.
The techniques used to mount attacks will be explored and some
observations on the ease with which current technology enables such
attacks will be given.
|
Date
|
18
March 2008
|
Time
|
20:00
|
Location
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Reading
University, Humanites Building Room, HUMSS 125
http://www.info.rdg.ac.uk/maps/maps-display.asp
|
Slides/Material
|
Coming
soon
|
February Event
Topic
|
ProBlogging: Money, Metrics and Mentalism
in the Long-Tail world of the Web
|
Speaker
|
Dr
Michael Evans
|
Description
|
ProBlogging
is the art of writing professional blogs to a wide web audience for
profit. Thanks largely to innovations in the online advertising
business, professionally written blogs can now earn significant income
if implemented correctly.
This presentation will focus on the evolution of Dr. Evans's own
ProBlog, MobileMentalism.com, which, over the past two years, has
gained a readership of over 160,000 unique visitors per month, and
which generates an extremely healthy profit. The presentation will
discuss the various components of ProBlogging, showing how it is a
fascinating blend of art and science, craft and technology, and will
give an insight into the underlying dynamics of the Web that makes
ProBlogging both possible and successful.
Finally, the presentation will give some tips on the keys to
ProBlogging success, and through detailed analysis of server logs and
other Web metrics, will show just how much the majority of Web sites
now depend upon Google.
|
Date
|
19
February 2008
|
Time
|
20:00
|
Location
|
Reading
University, Palmer Building Room 103
http://www.info.rdg.ac.uk/maps/maps-display.asp
|
| Slides/Material |
Slides
available here
|
January 2008 Event
Topic
|
IT: Back breaking work
|
Speaker
|
Brendan
Quinn has been a qualified Sports Therapist since 1996. He is an
individual member of the Bowen Therapist European Register (“BTER”) and
the Society of Sports Therapists (“SST”).
|
Description
|
Brendan
Quinn will be discussing the common physical problems caused by regular
computer usage and talk about some of the treatments available
including the Bowen Technique. So start 2008 with a healthier outlook
on life!
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are the most common cause of
occupational ill health in Great Britain, currently affecting 1.0
million people a year and costing society £5.7 billion.
|
Date
|
22
January 2008
|
Time
|
20:00
|
Location
|
Reading
University, Palmer Building Room 103
http://www.info.rdg.ac.uk/maps/maps-display.asp
|
Slides/Material
|
Coming
soon
|
December 2007 Event
Topic
|
Social Networking event with BCS Berkshire
|
Description
|
A
chance to meet other BCS Berkshire members, participate in a Quiz and
have some food. |
Date
|
Wednesday
12th December 2007 |
Time
|
6:00
pm - Doors Open
6:30
pm - Intro
7:00 pm - 8:00pm -
Activities / Food
8:00 pm - 10:00pm -
Networking
|
Location
|
The
Abbey Bar, 32-36 Kings Road, Reading, RG1 3AA |
November 2007 Event
Topic
|
The
Dynamic Data Centre
|
Speaker
|
Chris
Bone - Enterprise Product Manager for Fujitsu
Siemens
|
Description
|
Chris
Bone looks at the Dynamic Data Center, which is Fujitsu Siemens
Computers strategy to drive business-responsive IT utilising the latest
virtualisation and automation technologies. Chris will show how using
this approach IT becomes not only more agile, more efficient and more
reliable but is also well-prepared for integration into
service-oriented architectures. He will demonstrate how dynamic IT
solutions are developed in three phases, with implementation time
reduced to a minimum.
Chris Bone is the Enterprise Product Manager for Fujitsu Siemens
Computers in the UK
|
Date
|
Tuesday
20th November 2007 |
Time
|
19:30
|
Location
|
Reading
University, Palmer Building Room 106
http://www.info.rdg.ac.uk/maps/maps-display.asp
|
Slides/Material
|
Coming
soon
|
October 2007 Event
| Topic
|
The
legal and social approach to privacy of electronic data in Japan
|
Speaker
|
Dr
Andrew A. Adams |
Description
|
Dr
Andrew A. Adams has just spent nine months visiting Meiji University
in Tokyo, funded by a Global Research Award from the Royal Academy of
Engineering. He has been studying the legal and social approach to
privacy of electronic data in Japan and will present some of the
results of his study.
There is a myth amongst researchers that there is no such thing as
"Privacy" in Japan. Dr Adams refutes that and shows that the advent of
networked information processing of personal data has brought Japanese
attitudes to information privacy to a highly similar position to
Western attitudes.
Grounded in the social and psychological literature about Japan, this
work explains the emergence of Japanese legal protection for personal
data in recent years. |
| Date |
Tuesday
16th October 2007 |
Time
|
19:30
|
Location
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Reading
University, Palmer Building Room 106
http://www.info.rdg.ac.uk/maps/maps-display.asp
|
Slides/Materal
|
Slides available here.
|
September 2007 Event
| Topic
|
The
expanding Internet and IP V6 |
Speaker
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Mark
Commeadow |
Description
|
Mark
Commeadow looks at the continued growth of the Internet, the
impact of IP V6 and how this will impact the Information and
Commmunitions Technology (ICT) industry. Mark will draw\on his
experience as a leading edge systems engineer with Cisco systems, the
world's largest provider of IP routing technology, to explore the
immediate future for the Internet. Mark works with leading ICT
providers to implement leading edge IP solutions and is a regular
visitor to leading research labs in San Jose and East Anglia. |
Date
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Tuesday
18th September 2007 |
Time
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19:00
|
Location
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Reading
University, Humanities Building Room 126
http://www.info.rdg.ac.uk/maps/maps-display.asp |
Slides/Material
|
Slides available
here.
|
2006-07
Compilation in progress
2005-06
| Subject |
Home-built flight simulator |
| Date |
Wednesday 21 September 2005 |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Palmer
Building |
| Speaker |
Prof Bill O'Riordan |
| Photographs of the Flight Simulator |
http://shannon.smugmug.com/gallery/528509
and
http://www.migman.com/hw/cp/O-Riordan/O-Riordan.htm
and SCROLL DOWN .. |
| Abstract |
The
'Flight Simulator' project has been a result of thinking 'inside and
outside the box'. It is an exploration in complexity management
utilising a very large number of embedded programmable microcontrollers
that embrace and require new and different ways of thinking when
processing analogue and nonlinear behaviour. The articulated Flight
Simulator Platform contains elements of Physics, Mathematics,
Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Materials
and Chemistry, Networking and Communications Hardware, Psychology,
Human Interfaces and Perception, Physiology, Robotics and Autonomous
Systems Software Systems, Languages and Programming. The key to the
development of this work has been to understand 'how' and to become
truly multidisciplinary and 'do it for real'. The 'Flight Simulator'
project has meant getting 'back to basics' and required a process of
unlearning. Its successes have been a result of wisdom-driven thinking
as knowledge and skills have been used that have been acquired
throughout Bill's working life as an engineer and scientist. This
project demonstrates very practically what is really possible if one
'steps outside the box' and can be done in one's own home. |
| Subject |
Computer Arts |
| Date |
Wednesday 19 October 2005 |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Palmer
Building |
| Speaker |
Alan Sutcliffe |
| Subject |
Anti-virus |
| Date |
Wednesday 16 November 2005 |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Palmer
Building |
| Speaker |
Stuart Taylor |
| Affiliation |
Sophos |
| Subject |
VoIP |
| Date |
Wednesday 18 January 2006 |
| Time |
19:00 ? for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Palmer
Building - Room G05 |
| Speaker |
Peter Gradwell |
| Affiliation |
Gradwell |
| Description |
Peter Gradwell is Managing Director of Gradwell dot com
Limited, an Internet Service Provider he started in 1998 during the
second year of his undergraduate degree in Software Engineering. In
2004, he converted his company phone system and is now one of the
leading providers of VoIP services in the UK.
Starting from when we lift the receiver, Peter will follow a phone call
across the public telecoms network and onto the internet, discussing
the different types of VoIP available, the issues that surround
implementing them, including phone number provision, call quality,
firewalling VoIP, identifying the location of a VoIP subscriber and
connecting a 999 call. |
| Notes |
Gradwell.com are the provider of BCS email facilities. |
| Slides |
[PDF
1.1 Mbytes] |
| Subject |
Bite Size ITIL |
| Date |
Wednesday 22 February 2006 |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Palmer
Building - Roo102 |
| Speaker |
John Perks |
| Synopsis |
The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is rapidly becoming
an essential discipline for all IT support departments. ITIL is often a
desired skill on job descriptions, and is regularly quoted as a
standard for external suppliers. This talk will provide a basic
overview of ITIL, including the history of ITIL and its place in 21st
century IT. The remainder of the talk will cover the various modules of
ITIL, and explain how they build to an all-encompassing methodology. |
| Affiliation |
Partners
in IT |
| Slides |
[PDF
467 Kbytes] |
| Title |
So you think you understand your business processes? |
| Subject |
Business Process Modelling |
| Date |
Wednesday 19 April 2006 |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Agriculture Building |
| Speaker |
Martyn Ould |
| Affiliation |
Venice Consulting Ltd |
| Description |
It's always been important for anyone building a system
to understand the processes in the business that the system is supposed
to support. With information systems the emphasis was on information
and its flows and usage. With workflow systems the notion of 'case' was
introduced, a 'case folder' moving from desk to desk for processing.
The new breed of Business Process Management System, in which the
process itself becomes a first class object, makes a real understanding
of the organisation's processes an imperative. But traditional ways of
thinking about processes have just been ways of thinking about computer
systems shoehorned into use for business processes - and they simply
aren't good enough.
Martyn Ould will describe an approach to understanding the
organisation's processes and the relationship between those processes
and the organisational structure that gets to the heart of things in
business terms, but all with rigorous underpinnings and in a way that
makes a transition to computerised process support meaningful. |
| Programme Status |
All meetings are open to the public unless otherwise
noted.
Please always check back for updates a day or two before attending a
meeting.
Latest Information will be published here.
|
| REVIEWS |
Berkshire BCS Event Attendees are encouraged to send a
review to the Chairman
and Webmaster. Please mark carefully which sections may be
published here and which are for the benefit of the committee alone in
planning future events. |
| BCS Contact |
Unless otherwise noted contact Andrew
Fieldsend for additional information. |
2004-05
| Event |
Thames Valley University Institute for IT - INVITATION TO
LAUNCH SEMINARS |
| Subject |
The globalisation of IT: developer and user perspectives |
| Date |
Wednesday 22nd September |
| Location |
Wellington Street, Slough |
| Time |
18:30 - 21:00 |
| Date |
Thursday 23rd September |
| Location |
Kings Road, Reading |
| Time |
18:30 - 21:00 |
| Hosted by |
Andy Smith, Head of Computing, Thames Valley University |
| Speakers |
Wednesday - Mark Greatorex, Director, Microsoft (UK)
Thursday - Ian Smith, Managing Director, Oracle (UK) |
| BCS Contact |
Andrew
Fieldsend |
| Notes |
The Thames Valley University Institute for IT (IIT) aims
to enhance
research, knowledge transfer, consultancy and training within the M4 IT
corridor.
IIT will launch with a seminar in both of its main centres for IT -
Slough and Reading.
Reflecting both the skills available within IIT, and the international
standing of computing within this geographic region. |
| Booking |
Entry to this IIT inaugural seminar and launch is free
but delegates are asked to register for the event by emailing iit@tvu.ac.uk |
| Reviews |
The first Lecture on the Microsoft future perspective of
the Globalisation of IT was given by Mark Greatorix, Director Microsoft
UK. This was an interesting and well received view of how software
needs to adapt, in order to be developed, used and outsourced outside
the English speaking world.
Professor Andy Smith, Director IIT, then shared his vision and research
on how the Human Computer Interface and its design is affected by
diversification, language and cultural differences, that are brought
about by the globalisation of IT.
On Thursday the talk by Ian Smith, MD, Oracle UK, considered the
evolution of computing and the moves towards GRID computing; covering
how industry could and should provide such faciities to the not for
profit sector. Trust is a key issue. Concluding with a ribbon cutting
animation to declare the IIT open. Applause.
A memorable quote from Andy's talk came from the 3rd world: What is the
point of a desktop metaphor when we do not have a desk. |
| Subject |
Open Source or Open Standards? |
| Date |
Wednesday 20th October |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Department
of Computer Science,
The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading. |
| Speaker |
Brad Tipp - National Systems Engineer |
| Notes |
Much has been made of the rise of Open Source and its
role in meeting the needs of customers. This talk will examine if Open
Source is a solution or whether Open Standards provide a better
solution. |
| Affiliation |
Microsoft Ltd. |
| Slides |
[Powerpoint
737 Kbytes] |
| Subject |
Risk Management |
| Date |
Wednesday 17th November |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Palmer
Building,
The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading. |
| Speaker |
David Spinks |
| Notes |
Considering the new Basel II and Sarbanes Oxley section
404 regulations ... and how they might impact the IT department. |
| Affiliation |
EDS |
| Subject |
Indian Outsourcing |
| Date |
Wednesday 19th January |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Palmer
Building,
The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading. |
| Speaker |
Paul Davis |
| Notes |
The talk postponed from last years AGM. |
| Affiliation |
Onshore Offshore Ltd |
| Slides |
[Powerpoint
849 Kbytes] |
| Subject |
Business Continuity |
| Date |
Wednesday 16th February |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Palmer
Building,
The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading. |
| Speaker |
Chris Frampton |
| Affiliation |
EDS |
| Subject |
GIS - Geographic Information Systems |
| Date |
Wednesday 16th March |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Palmer
Building,
The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading. |
| Speaker |
Peter Beaumont |
| Subject |
Anti-Virus |
| Date |
Wednesday 20th April |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
HUMSS
125,
The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading. |
| Speaker |
tba |
| Notes |
Unfortunately the speaker did not turn up. Shirley, Ann
and Andrew ran
an impromptu workshop enabling the audience, swelled by members of the
IEE, to exchange a lot of knowledge and terminology around malware.
Discussions and personal recommendations included non-exhaustively -
AVG from Grisoft, Anti-Spy - SpySweeper, SpyBot, Ad-Aware from Lavasoft
(beware of spoof sites), Firewalls including Zonealarm, Smoothwall, and
other software: Firefox, Opera, cygwin, and Linux. |
| Subject |
Prestige Lecture |
| Title |
The First Digital Electronic Code Cracker? |
| Date |
Wednesday 18th May |
| Time |
19:30 for 20:00 start |
| Location |
Microsoft - Thames Valley Park |
| Speaker |
Anthony E. Sale, Hon FBCS. Leader of the Colossus Rebuild
Project. |
| Synopsis |
Tony
Sale will describe the highly successful Bletchley Park attack on the
Lorenz telegraphic cipher used by the German High Command in World War
II. This led to the design by Dr Tommy Flowers, of the electronic valve
code breaking computer, Colossus. Eventually 10 Mk 2 Colossi were built
and working in Bletchley Park by 1945. Tony will then describe the
rebuilding, over 10 years, of a 2,500 valve Mk 2 Colossus from minimal
information, getting it actually working and breaking ciphers just as
it did in WW II. He will end by showing a video (or DVD) of the rebuilt
Colossus actually breaking a cipher text. |
| Affiliation |
Museum of Computing |
| Speakers Website |
http://www.codesandciphers.org.uk |
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