Category Archives: blog

A Lucky Tombola Win and the Start of My Midlands Bonsai Society Journey

About 15 years ago, I won a large Jade bonsai at a raffle during a visit to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens with my sons. Over time, caring for the bonsai became more of a duty than a passion, but recently, I joined the Midlands Bonsai Society (MBS) for guidance on how to properly look after it. With help from members, I learned about techniques such as back budding and successfully repotted the bonsai. My initial journey with bonsai care has been rewarding, and I look forward to continuing this process with the support of the MBS.

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Reaction to FT’s Comparative Analysis of AI Video Models: Sora versus Runway

In the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence, video generation technologies are shaping up to be the next frontier in digital media creation. As companies strive to leverage AI for more realistic and creative video content, OpenAI’s Sora is emerging as a standout contender. A recent evaluation by the Financial Times, which tested several AI video models including Sora, Runway, and Pika, revealed intriguing results about their capabilities. This article delves into why Sora appears to be leading the pack, potentially redefining how industries like advertising, animation, and real estate utilize video content in the digital age.

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Reasons not to implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

The article discusses the various reasons why organizations may choose not to implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), despite its significant security benefits. These reasons range from cost and complexity to technical and regulatory challenges, emphasizing the need for a balanced assessment of MFA’s advantages and drawbacks.

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Lester Dent’s Master Plot Formula: A Guide for Structuring Compelling Narratives

This article outlines Lester Dent’s Master Plot Formula, a systematic approach designed to help writers craft engaging and tightly structured stories. Originating from the pulp fiction era, Dent’s formula divides a story into four equal parts, each with specific goals and challenges for the protagonist, culminating in a resolution that ties up the narrative threads. It offers a practical framework for narrative development, emphasizing pacing, character predicaments, and a satisfying conclusion.

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Securing Success: Strategic Questions for Cyber Startups Seeking Growth in the West Midlands and UK

This article outlines critical questions that cyber security startups, particularly those like Cyber Tzar after completing the NCSC’s “NCSC for Startups” Accelerator programme, should consider when seeking support from regional organizations such as the West Midlands Growth Company or Invest West Midlands. It emphasizes prioritising inquiries around funding and marketing to harness regional opportunities for development and expansion.

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Secure Your Site: A Comprehensive Guide to WordPress Backup and Restoration

Backing up and restoring a WordPress website is a critical task for website administrators, ensuring that website data is not lost due to unforeseen circumstances such as server crashes, hacking, or accidental deletions. This article will guide you through the processes involved in backing up and restoring your WordPress website, an overview of popular backup and restore plugins, help you to choose the appropriate backup and restore approach, and hopefully help you recover your site quickly and efficiently when needed.

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BCS Birmingham Branch Committee Summer Barbecue

Last Sunday I hosted a barbecue for the Committee of the BCS Birmingham Branch and thought I’d share a few of the photo’s that we took with you.

After the Branch Committee’s request for new Committee member applicants I’m very pleased to say we had five people come along and take up new positions on the Committee. We’re fortunate to be joined by Martin Froggatt, Rob Gilliam, Steve Harris, Dawn Peers and Hugo Russell, and most welcome they are too!

This bring the size of the Committee back up to a healthy twelve members, which is excellent, however we on the Committee thought that it would be good idea to hold a small event to help everyone get to know each other, and hopefully build a sense of camaraderie, outside of the usual Committee meetings and BCS Birmingham Branch events (one of which is on Tuesday the 15th evening). I was happy to host and for my part I wanted to say ‘thank you’ to the long serving members of the Committee for all of their dedication (as well as a couple of long serving ex-Committee members too).

We’ve also recently started to reboot the Branches approach to social networking technologies and will be refreshing the BCS Birmingham Branch facebook page, please consider joining if your a BCS member and either associated with or interested in the Birmingham Branch.

And here’s those photos I mentioned, as you can see we all had an excellent time, and as Peter Crouch had to say “Thanks also for posting Donna’s photos on the Web, now everyone can see what the Birmingham Committee does on a Sunday afternoon!”.

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