Journalist, editor, analyst and trainer on computing, government, climate and data
It’s synonymous with high-speed connectivity, so why do new users have to wait so long to get broadband? SA Mathieson delves into BT’s exchanges to find out
This Guardian Technology article involved visiting a BT telephone exchange in Birmingham to see how broadband connections are made, which is where the image was taken.
In 2012, I received an email from Johnny from America about why it was still so hard to get broadband in Britain, which I replied to here.
‘Hot stocks to your inbox’ was published by Infosecurity Today magazine in its July/August 2006 issue. It was based on substantial research that I carried out over a number of weeks, tracking companies whose shares were being promoted through spam emails.
This article is now available as a Kindle e-book. It includes an update written in May 2013 and another article for Infosecurity Today on social engineering, ‘The big con’. More information here.
An innovative exercise in electronic mapping aims to bypass the block on access to data subject to Crown copyright
Researching this meant spending a memorable day with some great OpenStreetMap volunteers on the Isle of Wight, in the early days of what has become a massive wikimap.
Continue reading “A sidestep in the right direction”
Local authorities are keen to widen participation in democracy through the use of technology, but many campaigners are sceptical, says SA Mathieson
This article was based on a Bristol city council e-democracy conference, held to discuss the potential for more online participation in the democratic process. Continue reading “Pushing the button”
First published in Health Service Journal, 8 September 2005
Across continental Europe, patients visiting a doctor take a plastic card to prove their entitlement to healthcare. Increasingly, these cards hold a microchip allowing payments for treatment to be processed and if necessary refunded more quickly than in the past.
But smartcards can also be used as electronic keys to patient records, boosting security and demonstrating consent.
Continue reading “Smart move: use of health smartcards in EU countries”
