What's been happening out there?

Hi there!

There's been quite a bit happening on the web lately. Various major web players have been making exciting developments, or getting into hot water, or both.

We thought we'd tell you a bit about it, just to give you something interesting to read – seeing as you're stuck at home reading this while all your mates are watching the World Cup ;-)

Facebook

Facebook has recently overhauled its privacy settings, probably in reaction to getting in a spot of bother with a few authorities. They've also just hit $1 billion in revenue , which I'm sure they're pleased about.

And, I kid you not, Columbia Pictures is releasing a star-studded Facebook movie this year. Wow, riveting. I wonder if it's got car-chases, guns, and aliens...

Enjoy reading?

Then you'll be pleased to know that Amazon has decided to significantly reduce the price on their Kindle E-reader – it's starting to become a very tempting proposition.

If you're into less-mainstream alternatives, you may already be aware of Whitcoulls' Kobo, and Barnes & Noble's Nook.

Of course, some of us still enjoy flipping the pages.

Google hitting the headlines

Web search giant Google (maybe you've heard of them?) seems to have been up & down a lot recently. According to Stuff.co.nz, they paid less tax last year than your kids' schoolteacher.

And they're getting in a bit of trouble lately because they stole your wireless internet data. It'll probably blow over, but you should still make sure your wireless network is secure.

For the web enthusiasts out there, Google has been making some actual advances. The most interesting is Google's new Caffiene engine, meaning website updates & new websites are found by Google quicker than ever – sometimes almost instantly. Of course, that doesn't make it any easier to get your website to the top! (hint: we can help)

And a quick heads-up: don't blindly follow directions from Google Maps. For example, if there's a car coming towards you, and Google says to keep walking, perhaps Google wasn't aware of the car.

Oh yeah, Brush Technology

We haven't forgotten this is the Brush Technology newsletter. There's little major news this month – we've been hunkering down, producing high-quality results for our much-valued customers like you.

We like to keep this newsletter interesting & relevant for our readers, so we're interested in your feedback. If you have any tips, criticisms, or things you think we should cover, please let us know! Just reply to this email.

Don't forget, we offer lots of great services in the areas of web, software, and electronics. We've told you previously about some of the great electronics we've done – a specialty of ours is in the area of remote monitoring and telemetry. If you've got any exciting projects in that area, we'd love to hear from you.

Call us today on 03 741 1204.

Staff profile: electronics wiz Berwyn

Two months ago we told you about Ben. He's operating from New York now, so we'll move the spotlight to Berwyn, another director and the brains behind our cleverest gadgets.

Berwyn enjoys wine & cheese as much as the next man, but his secret weakness is for ice cream stacked high on a cone. Seriously, he loves music, science fiction (his 8-year-old son is a lightsaber-waving Star Wars fan), good company, and of course, electronics.

Berwyn has a quirky sense of humour, and enjoys a good practical joke. Don't get too comfortable – even our customers are never safe from a timely prank call.

By the way...

...hope you haven't missed any World Cup highlights while reading this. If so, here's a funny Monty Python football sketch to make you feel better about it.

Have a good couple of months!

 – Brush Technology