BCS Bedford Event: Fortran, alive and well at 59!

 ' Fortran, alive and well at 59! ' 

                        Speaker: Peter Crouch | Chairman, BCS Fortran Specialist Group

Followed by Branch AGM

Tuesday, 20^th September 2016

6.30-8.00pm

(Registration starts at 6:00pm)

Tavistock Suite

The Park Inn Hotel, 2 St Mary's Street,

Bedford MK42 0AR

(Free Parking at the rear – Inform Hotel Reception)

The talk will cover the history of Fortran from its inception in the 1950s to today, including its evolution through the standardisation of the language from the 1960s through to the 2010s and the Fortran Specialist Group's role in the UK and internationally in that evolution from 1970 to today. Some of the features of modern Fortran will be described together with examples of its current applications, including weather forecasting and climate prediction, computational chemistry and the design and maintenance of high performance cars and aircraft.

 Register online at: https://events.bcs.org/book/2170/ 

Peter Crouch joined the D and R Laboratory of International Nickel in Birmingham in 1968 to work on the technology of nickel electrodeposition after completing his PhD in inorganic coordination chemistry at the University of Reading.

His involvement with computing began in the late 1970s when he started using early personal computers for the statistical analysis of his experimental results.  Initially he used BASIC and Pascal but in the early 1980s he began to use Fortran.

In 1985 he was offered the opportunity to work full time as a software developer on the computer aided design and manufacturing systems of Inco Engineered Products.  He worked as a Fortran, and later C, programmer until 2001.

In the early 1990s he joined the BCS and later the Birmingham Branch committee.  He became Chairman of the branch in 1997.In the late 1990s he had joined the Fortran SG committee as Web Editor and became Chairman in 2002, within days of stepping down as Chairman of the Birmingham Branch!

Agenda

6.00pm                        Registration, refreshments and networking

6.30pm                        Guest Speaker – Peter Crouch

7.20pm                        Opportunity to question the speaker

7.45pm                        Opportunity to network and talk to the speaker

8.00pm                        Bedford Branch AGM 2016 – Everyone is welcome to attend 

 All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with

BCS Bedford: Information Risk In The Real World

Register your interest to attend via https://events.bcs.org/book/2082/ 

Information Risk In The Real World

(We don’t know what we don’t know until we know it)

28^th June 2016

18:00 Registration

18:30 Presentation

19:30 Networking Session

The Park Inn Hotel,

2 St Mary's Street,

Bedford MK42 0AR

(Free Parking at the rear – Inform Hotel Reception)

This is a joint event between BCS Bedford Branch & BCS IRMA

Speaker: John Mitchell, Managing Director, LHS Business Control

      Chair of BCS Information Risk Management and Assurance Specialist Group

Event Details: Computer systems are only a model of the real world, in that banking systems do not really hold your money and social media outlets do not really contain your physical body.  None-the-less these models are sufficiently important to be viewed as reality by society and the protection of the data they contain is of prime importance to organisations and individuals alike. 

So what are risks and how can they be managed, if at all?  Changes in technology has had significant impact on the so called control paradigm which has led to significant exposure in how we deal with information risk in the real world. This session will examine the exposures and how they can be managed and will provide a unique insight into the toolkit available to the assurance providers and how the gap between exposure and assurance is being tackled.

Speaker Profile: Dr Mitchell is managing director of LHS Business Control, a consultancy which he founded in 1988 to specialise in corporate governance and risk management.  He is an international authority on corporate governance, the control of computer systems, the investigation of computer crime and the impact of regulatory and compliance issues on the delivery of IT services. 

John has been an expert witness in a number of high profile UK criminal cases and he has featured in a major British computing publication as The IT Detective. He is a member of BCS Council, a member of the its Audit and Risk Committee and Chair of its Information Risk Management and Assurance specialist group. His doctorate in risk analysis techniques was awarded by City University, London, England. His MBA in financial control was awarded, with distinction, by Middlesex University, England.

Register your interest to attend this talk via https://events.bcs.org/book/2082/ 

Continuing Professional Development

This event counts for two hours towards your (CPD) more information available on CPD www.bcs.org/cpd.

IRMA Meeting Dates for your calendar

12 July, 13 September, 11 October, 8 November (AGM), 13 December. Details: http://www.bcs.org/content/ConWebDoc/18896

Bedford Branch Meeting Dates for your calendar

For details of future Bedford Branch events please go to http://beds.bcs.org/

 If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with

British Computer Society ( Northampton and Bedford ): Bletchley Park The National Museum of Computing Family Day

Taken from: http://northampton.bcs.org/events.php?menu_id=4

Doors open at 10.30am for an 11.00am start

You are warmly invited to take part in a Family Day in July at Bletchley Parks National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) on Sunday 19 July. Bring all the family – there will be activities suitable for children of all ages.

This event is for members of BCS Bedford and Northampton branches and their families. 

TNMOC enables visitors to follow the development of computing from the ultra-secret pioneering efforts of the 1940s through the mainframes of the 1960s and 1970s, and the rise of personal computing in the 1980s - including a newly rebuilt and fully operational Colossus, the world’s first electronic programmable computer.

TNMOC receives no government or lottery funding and you will be impressed by the enthusiasm of the staff involved in the project including the many volunteers who regularly give up their valuable time to ensure that this ever growing collection is restored and maintained.

It would be a good idea to register NOW since the number is limited to a maximum of 50 (25 people from each branch) and the event is heavily subsidised by the BCS. Note that children below the age of 6 years are welcome but will not be included in these numbers (but we still need their details for catering purposes). The cost per person (6 years and over) for the whole day is £10 and this includes a finger/sandwich buffet lunch. Registration is only available to BCS members.

A base room will be made available for use during the day with tea, coffee and water freely available all day. The LEGO will be kept in this room so that those who do not complete the competition in the morning will have the opportunity to try it in the afternoon.

Northampton Members Registration

TNMOC Directions

Bletchley Park

Event Flyer

If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with

BCS Bedford: Stop Social Marketing (Unless...)

A Joint British Computer Society (Bedford branch) and Bedford College Meeting at the Park Inn, Bedford

Date: Tuesday, 24 March 2015

Theme: ”Stop Social Media Marketing! (Unless…)”

Speaker:  Eric Swain, Client Services Director at Equinet Media.

Time:  6.30-8.00pm; registration starts at 6:00pm

Location:  Bridge Suite, The Park Inn, 2 St Mary's Street, Bedford MK42 0AR

                  [Free car parking to the rear of the hotel]

Register online at:  https://events.bcs.org/book/1456/

Promotional Leaflet: http://goo.gl/2GrY7g

You are warmly invited to attend a FREE evening lecture at The Park Inn, Bedford (opposite Bedford College) on Tuesday 24 March 2015.

The shine has gone off of social media for marketing purposes. Consumers are increasingly cynical.  Changes to the major social networks are challenging effectiveness.  And evidence is mounting that social media marketing is failing to live up to its original promise.

Should you abandon social media marketing? Chalk it up as a glorious experiment that sounds great in theory but doesn’t work in practice? Give it up and focus efforts on other areas?

The answer is probably “yes” for many organisations. For them, social media will never deliver the marketing results to justify the effort and resources they put into it.

But, for some types of businesses social media can help their marketing. And for a good many more, social media can significantly help other aspects of their businesses.

This talk will identify where social media works and where it doesn’t for marketing. And it will dig into the other areas of your organisation where social can deliver benefits.

With a background in marketing strategy, social media and mobile technologies, Eric Swain helps clients make meaningful sense of the brave new world where the customer controls the business ecosystem like never before. He’s been knocking about the place for the past 20 years as a consultant, agency head, director, head of marketing or sales (or both) for companies from tech startups and mobile app developers to brewers and vending machine brokers.

Once described as “smart, good-looking, athletic, persuasive and brilliant” on an anonymous feedback form he claims to have found, Eric is enthusiastic about real, honest communication and enjoys writing his own online bio whenever he gets the chance.

There is free parking to the rear of The Park Inn.  Parking spaces are also available at a £1 charge on the Bedford College Campus. 

Agenda

6.00pm                        Registration, refreshments and networking

6.30pm                        Introduction

               ‘Stop Social Media Marketing! (Unless…)’

7.20pm                        Opportunity to question the speaker

7.45pm                        Thanks

      Opportunity to network and talk to the speaker

Share your views/experience on this topic and join the LinkedIn discussion here:

https://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=4701821&type=member&item=5978058531813748739&trk=groups_most_recent-0-b-ttl&goback=.gmr_4701821

Register online to reserve your place at: https://events.bcs.org/book/1456/

If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with

Near northamptonshire: Project success or failure – what’s governance got to do with it

Joint Event between Bedford College and the Bedford branch of the British Computer Society

Register online at:  www.bedford.ac.uk/agile

Date: Tuesday, 14 October, 2014

Title:  “Project success or failure – what’s governance got to do with it”

             Agile Project Management and Project Assurance

Speaker:  Carol Long, CEO Three Triangles Performance Ltd, Fellow of the BCS, Chartered Engineer, founder member of ‘BCS Women’ and Professional Services Manager for Advanced NFP.

Time:  6.00pm for 6.30-8.00pm

Location:  Studio Theatre, Bedford College, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AH

Abstract

Carol Long has a software background and has been using Agile approaches for software and other types of project with success for a decade or more. Carol has also seen agile projects go badly wrong.

As a consultant and interim manager, Carol has provided assurance and worked with senior managers in large multi-nationals (like Philips and Infor) in the UK public sector and in smaller enterprises to put challenged projects back on the right track.

This lead her to a study of what makes projects fail or deliver successfully which has covered quality management, engineering, business management and many aspects of programme and project portfolio management.

Carol is convinced that governance and working discipline are more important than many realise. Carol is also an advocate for software craftsmanship, so how do the two ideas (governance associated with control and the professional freedoms of craftsmanship) sit comfortably?

Come and find out!

While Carol is at heart a practitioner, Carol has contributed to the project management body of knowledge with publications for APM and the PMI BoK. Carol is a Fellow of BCS, a Chartered Engineer, was a founder member of BCS Women and is a Trustee of the Women's Engineering Society. Carol holds MSP Advanced Practitioner, PRINCE2 Practitioner and postgraduate qualifications in management.  Carol Long is CEO of Three Triangles Performance Ltd.

Agenda

6.00pm           Registration, refreshments and networking

6.30pm           Introduction ‘Project Success and failure

7.20pm           Opportunity to question the speakers

7.45pm           Opportunity to network and talk to the speakers

BCS Bedford: Cyber Security talk and AGM

An event near Northamptonshire

Keith Clement-Drew from McAfee, to give a talk on "Cyber Security - A McAfee Perspective". 

The internet has become an increasingly important part of our lives, hence more of us are likely to have to deal with potential threats. 

It's free to attend so register via: https://events.bcs.org./book/1213

The talk will be held at the Harpur Suite, Bedford.

2014 AGM
After the talk the Branch 2014 AGM is in the same place.

BCS event (Bedford and Northants branches) Family Day visit to Bletchley Park

British Computer Society (Bedford and Northants branches) Visit to Bletchley Park – Family Day

 

 

Date: Sunday, 20 July 2014

 

Theme: Bletchley Park – The National Museum of Computing – Family Day

 

Time:  Doors open at 10.30am for an 11.00am start

 

Location:  The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK3 6EB (http://www.tnmoc.org/)

 

Abstract

 

You are warmly invited to take part in a Family Day in July at Bletchley Park’s National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) on Sunday 20 July.  Bring all the family – there will be activities suitable for children of all ages..

 

This event is for members of BCS Bedford and Northampton branches and their families. 

 

 

TNMOC enables visitors to follow the development of computing from the ultra-secret pioneering efforts of the 1940s through the mainframes of the 1960s and 1970s, and the rise of personal computing in the 1980s - including a newly rebuilt and fully operational Colossus, the world’s first electronic programmable computer.

 

TNMOC receives no government or lottery funding and you will be impressed by the enthusiasm of the staff involved in the project including the many volunteers who regularly give up their valuable time to ensure that this ever growing collection is restored and maintained.

 

You will need to register at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/111246.  It would be a good idea to register NOW since the event is completely free for the first 40 people who register (20 people from each branch).  Note that children below the age of 6 years are welcome but will not be included in these numbers (we still need their details for catering purposes). 

 

There will be a small charge for people who wish to attend above this number (unless there are cancellations).  If you are unable to register free on the www.ticketsource.co.uk website, you can register your interest on the British Computer Society website’s https://events.bcs.org/book/1166/ .

 

Parents attending with children under 6 year olds will need to send a separate email to groups@hq.bcs.org.uk with the Subject Line: BCS Bedford Bletchley Park Event with the following details

Name:

Any special requirements such as dietary: 

 

Luncheon and drinks will be provided free of charge.

 

A base room will be made available for use during the day with tea, coffee and water freely available all day.  The LEGO will be kept in this room so that those who do not complete the competition in the morning will have the opportunity to try it in the afternoon. 

 

Agenda

 

10.30am       Registration and refreshments

 

11.00am       Welcome

Tour of the LEGO-DUPLO Building with activities for children including a LEGO competition (build a vintage  computer from LEGO blocks)

OR

Guided Tour of ‘The National Museum of Computing’

 

12.30am       Luncheon

 

After lunch       

• Free-flow through ‘The National Museum of Computing’.  You are free to wander at will and enjoy all the interactive displays.  There are a multitude of activities suitable for all ages - not least vintage games consoles, a host of other games and also coding opportunities on the BBC Micro, in Scratch and on the Raspberry Pi (in its Fuze guise).
• Tour of the Colossus and Tunny Galleries
• View of the world's oldest original working digital computer – the Harwell Dekatron computer aka ‘WITCH’
• Women in Computing                         

 

The agenda is still being finalised but will include a family quiz between Bedford and Northants branches.  Let’s hope that the sun continues to shine so we can get out the giant lawn chess set!  

 

 

How to get there

The National Museum of Computing is located on the Bletchley Park Estate, near Milton Keynes.  The post code is MK3 6EB.  When using a sat-nav please enter Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, as the postcode may take you to the wrong location.

 

At the Main Gate of Bletchley Park ask for The National Museum of Computing in Block H.  There are parking spaces there and parking is free.

 

For further information see http://www.tnmoc.org/visit/getting-here.

 

Disabled Access

The museum has wheelchair access to all galleries and displays, and there is a unisex disabled toilet near the TNMOC Shop.

How to Implement a WiFi Network

Joint Event between Bedford College and the Bedford branch of the British Computer Society

Date: Tuesday, 26 February 2013

Theme: “WiFi Networks: The Practicalities of Implementing A WiFi Network”

Speaker:  Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant and Trainer, IT Governance Ltd., Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire.

Time:  6.00pm for 6.30-8.00pm

Location:  Studio Theatre, Bedford College, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AH

Abstract

Continuing the programme of highly successful events held at Bedford College, there will be another joint British Computer Society (BCS) and Bedford College free evening lecture on Tuesday 26 February 2013.

“WiFi Networks: The Practicalities of Implementing A WiFi Network” is the topic of a talk by Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant and Trainer, IT Governance Ltd., and Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire.

Secure configuration is becoming ever more important as an increasing number of devices are incorporating wireless technology - from laptops, smartphones, tablets, projectors and cameras, to multimedia entertainment systems and games consoles.  The growing demand for allowing BYOD (“Bring Your Own Device”) within the corporate network means that larger numbers of organisations are implementing wireless networks. 

The wireless network standard 802.11 was originally released in 1997 by the IEEE and, by computing timescales, is a mature technology with a large base of manufacturers and both commercial and domestic users.  Despite initiatives like Wireless Protected Setup (WPS) to make installation easier, there are still issues in implementing a network using wireless technology in both the corporate and home environments.

The courts have already convicted paedophiles for piggybacking neighbours wireless networks to download material, and hackers for using wireless networks for pirating software, music and films and for spying on occupants using their own security cameras.

Wireless networks have a history of security problems with flaws in the implementation of WEP and recently with WPS.  This talk will look at these issues, the (open source) tools that can be used, and how these apply to the wireless environment.  The talk will include practical demonstrations of the tools and techniques discussed in the presentation and will unravel the alphabetic soup of the available standards.

Geraint Williams is an Information Risk Consultant and Trainer for IT Governance Ltd. and an Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire.  Geraint is a knowledgeable and experienced Information Security consultant with experience including vulnerability testing, digital forensics, secure networking, and wireless security issues..  Geraint has a strong technical knowledge of security and IT infrastructure including high performance computing.  Geraint has a number of certifications in security and digital forensics including CISSP, CISA, CEH and CHFI.

Agenda

6.00pm            Registration, refreshments and networking

6.30pm            Introduction

                        WiFi Networks: The Practicalities of Implementing A WiFi Network

7.20pm            Opportunity to question the speaker

7.45pm            Thanks

Opportunity to network and talk to the speaker

Details available : http://www.beds.bcs.org.uk/  

Register online at :  http://www.bedfordtrainingservices.co.uk/wifi

BCS Bedford Apps Event

Title: An insight into the development of smartphone apps for business.

Mobile computing and the apps markeplaces have opened a new channel for communication. 

The new channel can be used to ‘get the message out’ for marketing, or maintain contact with staff and customers. 

We are fortunate that schools do not need to use their apps to tell parents about snow closures this year.   Creating mobile apps can be very simple, or can be very complex.

The University of Buckingham has been creating and teaching apps as part of their curriculum on a number of platforms.  Some of the work has been put into practical business uses. 

If you are interested in finding out how Smartphone Apps could help your business, or have any suggestions for what apps may be useful for your business, this event will be ideal for you.

The Date:  Tuesday, 22nd January 2013

The Time: 6.30pm for 7.00pm start

The Venue:  University Buckingham

Refreshments available

Only 20 places are available to BCS Members.
 

Please register for this now, via email to : david.briggs@bcs.org

Related

Work done on App development in Northampton

• northamptonshire - iphone and ipad app update
• BCS: New Colossus Gallery, Bletchley Park
• The award for digital excellence goes to...Northamptonshire
• Apps for coffee

• BSc Computing Student Work:MY UNi- Prototype android application for mobile phones.

Hollywood Effect on Digital Forensics

 "There is a knock on the door - no answer.  The FBI team crashes through the door and find the apartment empty.  A computer is switched on in the corner of the room.  An FBI agent goes across, types at the keyboard and in seconds is into the computer system.  In no time an email is recovered revealing the location of a nuclear weapon about to explode destroying Washington.  There is enough time … just … to stop the weapon and capture the terrorists.  A typical scene from a Hollywood movie - but, in reality, the evidence from the email will be thrown out of court due to lack of procedure."

 Do you want to learn how computer forensics is really done? 

Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant and Trainer for IT Governance Ltd and an Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire, will be speaking at Bedford College on the evening of Thursday 28 June.  This is part of the continuing programme of free evening lectures organised by the Computing Department at Bedford College in partnership with the local Bedford branch of the British Computer Society (BCS).

The success of forensics-based dramas like CSI, Numb3rs, and NCIS has ensured there is no shortage of applicants to study forensics.  Hollywood and its public are enamoured by the apparently supernatural potency of the discipline.  The "CSI effect" has given the public and particularly some members of juries inflated expectations of computer forensic analysis.  This talk looks at Hollywood and the TV interpretation of digital forensics and gives an insight into how it is really done.

Geraint will be speaking at Bedford College Studio Theatre on Thursday 28 June between 6.30 and 8.00pm, and this again promises to be an incredibly informative and enjoyable evening.

To ensure that you don't miss out you should register online at:

http://www.bedfordtrainingservices.co.uk/forensics

Everyone is welcome so mention this to all your colleagues, family and friends. 

Please register now to avoid disappointment, and we look forward to seeing you on 28 June

BCS Bedford: IT Security for SMEs - Who wants your information, why and what you can do to keep it secure

Not exactly Northamptonshire but nearly...

Date:: Thursday, 15 December 2011

Theme:: IT Security for SMEs - Who wants your information, why and what you can do to keep it secure

Speaker:: David Pybus, Head of Security Governance, Risk and Compliance, Diageo

Time:: 6.00pm for 6.30-8.00pm

Location:: Studio Theatre, Bedford College, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AH

Rationale:

A short talk that will answer some key information security questions including:

• Who is really after your information? Has the stereotypical hacker changed?
• What sort of information do they want?
• Why do they want your information and your computer?
• What might it mean to you and your customers if they do steal your information?
• What can you do to secure your systems against information theft?
• How else might someone steal your information?

More details can be found at: http://www.bedfordtrainingservices.co.uk/itsecurity