FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 005 (14/04/96)

SAFETY NET

Three months ago, following intense lobbying from my PC-literate children,  I purchased a multi-media computer. Now they’re telling me we have to join the Internet, to help them with their studies, but I’m concerned about the apparent ease with which they can access pornographic and other unsuitable material. Before I agree I would like to know what measures have being taken to protect young children from this kind of thing?

P. N

A

The responsibility for what your children get up to on the Internet must begin at home. It’s important for you to supervise their activities, and if that means learning how to use the computer and navigate the Net yourself, then so be it. That said it’s not always possible to keep an eye on them all the time and there are additional steps you can take, to oversee what they do. Larger service providers such as CompuServe provide varying degrees of parental control; they’re currently offering a program called Cyber Patrol, free of charge to subscribers. This restricts access to specific Internet sites and newsgroups, that can be defined by content, category or even the time of day. Simply type in GO CONTROLS, follow the instructions and the software will be downloaded into your computer. Various programs are also available, that work with other Internet provider’s software. The three best known ones are NetNanny, Surfwatch and SafeSurf, some of them can also be configured to read incoming e-mails and messages, looking for suspect phrases or words.

Contact: CompuServe 0800-0002000

SOCKET SENSE

Next week I’m off on a working holiday that will take me to four European countries. I’m taking my laptop PC and modem with me and want to be able to send and receive e-mail and faxes; is there such a thing as a universal phone-socket adaptor?

M.M., London SE

A

No, there are simply too many variations in socket design. World-wide there are more than 50 types, and counting. You can get modem adaptor kits, that cater for the most common sockets in Europe, Scandinavia, America and the Far East. However, many seasoned laptop travellers -- frustrated by the difficulty of connecting to overseas telephone networks -- would not leave home without one far more useful accessory, and that’s a screwdriver, so they can hard-wire their modems into the phone junction box in their hotel rooms, though clearly it’s not something we could possibly recommend... 

Contact: Avro Modem Adaptor Kit, circa £45 mail-order from many PC accessory suppliers

ALL AT SEA

I would like to know how well mobile phones work at sea? I have a 23 foot yacht moored at Littlehampton, on the South coast. I’ve considered buying a VHF marine radio but they are expensive and in any case can only be used for emergency calls.

C.A.S., Arundel

A

According to Cellnet and Vodaphone there have been quite a few cases of sailors using their mobile phones to summon assistance in an emergency. A lot of the cell-site masts are mounted high up on cliff-tops and headlands, and because there’s nothing to get in the way, coverage out to sea can extend to several tens of kilometres in some areas. Apparently it’s even possible to access UK cellphone sites on the South coast, from the French channel ports. Analogue phones have the best range, in any event there are still some fairly large dead spots in the digital phone networks, especially in rural areas.

DELIVERY ON TIME

I’ve seen the letters PDC on a lot of video recorders recently, what does it mean?

J..M., Bristol

A

If you’ve ever set your VCR’s timer to record a programme, only to come home and find that the last few minutes are missing, because an earlier programme over-ran, or there was a late schedule change, then you’ll appreciate Programme Delivery Control. It’s an automatic VCR timer correction system now being used by the BBC and ITV companies. Before each programme begins they transmit a series of codes,  hidden inside the TV signal. A PDC-equipped VCR -- set to timeshift a TV programme -- will not begin recording until it receives the correct ‘go’ code. It’s even possible for broadcasters to tell the machine to change stations if -- as sometimes happens with sports events -- the programme goes on longer than expected and has to be moved to another channel.