Another botnet down
For the second time in weeks, a major botnet has been decapitated. Investigators have arrested the alleged operators of the criminal network. A team made up of law enforcement officials in Spain, the FBI, Panda Security, Defence Intelligence and Georgia Tech cut off the so-called Mariposa botnet’s command and control infrastructure in one day in December, ultimately leading to the arrest of the alleged head botmaster and two of his partners earlier this month by Spanish authorities. Mariposa was a massive global botnet with close to 13 million infected machines in more than 190 countries – including those of half of all Fortune 1000 firms.

The botnet harvested banking credentials, credit card information, account information from social networking sites and online email services, and other usernames and passwords. Mariposa’s demise follows that of Waledac, the reinvented version of the infamous Storm botnet, which was shut down last month.

Windows 7 success
According to Microsoft they have sold 90 million copies of Windows 7 since the operating system hit the market on 22 October 2009, making it the fastest selling Operating System (OS) in the history of the PC industry. Here at Geeks we recommend Windows 7.

Wi-Fi laptop thieves
Leaving your laptop in the boot of a car in sleep mode, without turning off its Wi-Fi, can be an open invitation to thieves. Thieves using increasingly sophisticated, directional Wi-Fi detectors can home in on the laptop’s radio, easily tracking it down even when the PC is hidden away. The detectors, sometimes called ‘Wi-Fi finders’, are readily and inexpensively available so be warned.

Argos security breach
High street retailer Argos has compromised its customers’ security by sending their credit-card details – including the vital security code – in unencrypted emails. The company has been including customers’ full name, address, credit card number and three-digit CCV security code in order confirmation emails, which are sent once a customer has placed an order on the Argos website. Although the credit-card details don’t appear in the text of the email itself, they are contained – in plain text – in the HTML code of the order confirmation.

It means that anyone intercepting or gaining access to the order confirmations would have all the details necessary to steal someone’s credit card. Argos has refused to confirm how many customers have been affected. The flaw was spotted by magazine PC Pro reader Tony Graham from Wiltshire. He was trying to hunt down another order confirmation in his inbox by searching for the last four digits of his credit card number.

He was surprised to find the Argos order confirmation in the search results. When he couldn’t find his credit card number in the email message itself, he clicked the View Source option and was astonished to discover his card number and security code were embedded in the HTML. Mr Graham initially reported the issue to Argos but received no reply, so he contacted the company’s secure payment provider VeriSign, who confirmed the issue. Argos subsequently claimed to have fixed the issue in correspondence with Mr Graham.

Mr Graham’s credit card details were subsequently stolen, although there’s no evidence to link the theft to the Argos email.

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The UK’s number one award-winning consumer show for design and inspiration for your home, Grand Designs Live, returns to London for the sixth year running. The show takes place across nine days from 1–9 May 2010 at ExCeL in London’s Docklands and Latest Homes has 10 pairs of tickets to give away to lucky readers..

Grand Designs Live 2009, was a runaway success, with a record 105,000 visitors attending the show and enjoying a wide variety of features from interiors and home style trends, build techniques and a selection of live eco houses, the latest in domestic gadgets as well as celebrity advice from Channel 4’s Kevin McCloud and George Clarke.

The 2010 show will be no exception, offering even more interactive features than ever before, with the largest showcase around of the latest cutting-edge design, new homes, interior products and advice, green building and renovation techniques, as well as the sleekest and most stylish kitchens and bathrooms for your home.

Based on the hugely popular and successful Channel 4 TV series – presented by design guru Kevin McCloud – Grand Designs Live is a show for anyone who has an interest in design, build, interiors, shopping, homewares, gardens, kitchens and bathrooms, and innovation. With over 500 exhibitors and seven separate shows, visitors will be able to buy products to build and furnish their home, all under one roof.

For more information on the show visit www.granddesignslive.com. If you’re not lucky enough to win, make sure you book in advance and save £5 on each ticket. Call 0844 581 0771 or book online.

Grand Designs Live is offering readers of Latest Homes the chance to win one of
10 pairs of tickets.

To be in with a chance to win, simply answer this question:

Which venue will host Grand Designs Live London?

Email your answer to competitions@thelatest.co.uk with ‘Grand Designs’ in the subject box. Don’t forget to leave your name and contact details. Alternatively, write to us at the address at the front of Latest 7 magazine.

Branch manager James Carrier of Fox & Sons in Brighton is celebrating after being named as the best new starter in the country at the company’s national awards ceremony.

James worked at manager level on the residential sales side of the business for a number of years before becoming lettings manager at the office in Brighton last year. “It is a privilege to be given this award. I have an excellent team around me and we pride ourselves on providing the best service possible,” he says.

Maslen Estate Agents – Woodingdean refurbishment

The Woodingdean branch is the latest Maslen Estate Agents’ office to get the makeover treatment, having been fully remodelled and refurbished. Brighton-based interiors specialist Katherine Shrubb has designed the space to give it an updated modern feel. She is also responsible for the design of the Lewes Road and Fiveways branches.

With a buoyant lettings market it’s hardly surprising that Dean Webster of Countrywide Residential Lettings wants to shout out about the company and the standard of service that they are committed to providing.

Dean has been working in lettings for the last two and a half years. Before that he had spent 17 years working in property sales. ‘‘I decided that it was time for a change and I wanted the challenge of a more competitive market and in many ways a more demanding one,” he says. “Right now we are offering new landlords our nought per cent challenge. If we cannot find a suitable tenant within four weeks of receiving their instruction then there will be no management fees of any subsequent let of that property for the first three months.

“Countrywide has been established for over 30 years. With that kind of track record we understand the high expectations of landlords and are always trying to exceed them. With tenants we have exactly the same approach. On either side of any deal we provide a real service; you will never feel like you are just another number.

“It’s also vitally important that we find exactly the right property for the right person. The right match is essential if we are to keep all parties happy. No one will feel that they will simply be given any old home to rent. And we cover all areas of the market too, from students to luxury long and shorter term lets. We also like to ensure that a property is ready for occupation. To that end we operate a breathing period of one week. No one can walk in and walk out with a set of keys.

“We have very strict criteria for both landlords and for tenants. Both have to reach a certain standard that we believe is acceptable. We also deal with any issues that might arise head on; nothing gets put to one side. We can deal with most issues immediately and within the branch, but we also have the strength of a large national organisation to back us up if we need it. And of course we are ARLA bonded too and all clients’ deposits are securely held in TDS deposit accounts.”

“On either side of any deal we provide a real service; you will never feel like you are just another number”

As a company, Countrywide offer landlords advice at the market appraisal stage. “We advise on how best to present a property to maximise the rental potential and also to have a smooth letting process,” Dean explains. “We like to troubleshoot potential problems.

“We offer all three levels of service to landlords: introductions, rent collection and a fully managed service. Currently we fully manage 92 properties.”

With frequently changing legislation the letting business is constantly training negotiators. “Lettings is more complex than sales and negotiators have far more legal information to absorb and skills to use. You have to be very organised indeed.” James Williamson and Jonathan Long are Dean’s lettings negotiators and both undertake ongoing training to ensure they are at the top of the game.

“If you look after your tenants then they will look after your landlords’ properties,” Dean continues. “In the same breath, if a landlord looks after his property tenants are far more likely to treat it with respect. We do feedback comments to landlords after viewings so that they are aware of what expectations tenants have. And yes, we do turn down properties, especially where landords are reluctant to deal with issues like health and safety. We will also disinstruct if we feel that a landlord is not meeting the standards we set. We want return customers and not unhappy ones. And all our properties are given regular visits from our Property Manager Samantha Stevens.”

“We have built up a reliable list of maintenance contractors over the years,” Samantha says. “All are credit checked and there are certainly no cowboys.”

The current trend in letting is for unfurnished property, with Countrywide seeing very few furnished properties except for some in the student sector.

Countrywide Residential Lettings has a massive head office supporting them from their national base in Cheam. They give regional support and advice across the whole package. It is there that they manage landlords’ accounts. All the marketing is done from Brighton but they are provided with promotional materials. “This allows us to target the market in an appropriate way, utilising local knowledge to our best advantage.”

Countrywide also offers specialist insurance for tenants and landords and have received special awards for these services. Overall there is a sense of professional pride at work here, with a commitment to offering a service at the top of the business and to building long-term relationships with their clients, landlords and tenants.

Countrywide Residential Lettings, 9 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3WA, 01273 329776, www.crldirect.co.uk

Brilliant bespoke furniture and storage solutions from Richard Hill Interiors

It’s quite remarkable how many times we come across the work of one man when looking at properties in Brighton and Hove. Richard Hill has been building superb custom-built and designed furniture for many years now. His intelligent approach to storage and his stylish and clean-lined style appeals across the board, equally effective in modern and minimalist interiors as it is in more traditional settings.

Richard has the knack of taking space that has been dismissed as useless and making it extremely useful. His popular method of maximising space under staircases is a fine example. Gone are the clutter of shoes, coats, brooms and vacuum cleaners and, in their place, sensible and accessible draws and cupboards.

Other clients have commissioned bespoke furniture ranging from cabinets for home entertainment to home office suites with tailor-made desks, perfectly created to suit and individual’s needs.

“We have space to assemble furniture
in the new workshop, enabling clients to see what we have built prior to installation”

Richard produces his designs after a home visit and at the next stage will show the client a three dimensional drawing which he can then manipulate to show the design in a variety of colours. He works in a variety of materials but often his designs are painted to blend into an existing interior; like most great designs, what he does would often appear to be invisible.

As well as a wide range of domestic commissions the company is also undertaking an increasing number of commercial projects. Office solutions and receptions are no problem and Richard has also built interiors for a well known Brighton and Hove estate agency as well as the Tin Drum group of café bars. Richard is keen to expand into this area of retail interiors and his method of working would be ideal for the many independent and free-thinking businesses in the city who would like to be set apart from the crowd.

Working from a small industrial unit in Portslade Village for many years, Richard has now outgrown his space and is about to move. The new premises in Shoreham–By–Sea are purpose-built and offer the company easier and larger accommodation. “In our new premises things will be far easier and we will be able to undertake much larger projects,” says Richard. “We will also have space to assemble furniture in the workshop and clients will be able to come along and see what we have built prior to installation. Visitors will have a much clearer view of work in progress and will be able to get an idea of processes we have employed in producing their finished furniture.”

The new Shoreham premises will offer clients easier parking and a more comfortable environment in which to meet with Richard to discuss projects. The larger space will no doubt allow Richard to be more ambitious and undertake bigger projects. “Yes, we will have more capacity in one sense but we have no intention of taking on more work than we can handle and compromising the standard of quality on which we have built our reputation.”

Richard Hill Interiors, Unit D3 Dolphin Enterprise Centre, Evershed Way, Dolphin Road, Shoreham-By-Sea, BN43 6QB, 07970 274626, www.richardhillinteriors.com

The Wooden Flooring Centre 01273 423600 www.woodenflooringcentre.com 116-120 St Andrews Road, Portslade, East Sussex BN41 1DE

Real wood flooring is hardwearing, practical, beautiful, and very now. Choose the right product, and it can also be one of the most eco-friendly floor coverings, too. This week, Latest Interiors puts some of the most stylish wooden flooring to work…

The basics

Single strip wooden flooring, £poa, www.johnlewis.com

The simplest – and often least expensive – choice for a real wood floor is sanding, and staining or varnishing, existing floorboards. This is an option if your floorboards are in good condition (and you don’t mind the mess and sheer hard graft of sanding and finishing!). If one or two boards are beyond repair – look out for woodworm in old houses – they can be replaced with new or reclaimed wood. If you’re partially replacing sections of floor, be careful to select a stain or varnish that blends new boards in with old. There are some great eco-friendly stains and varnishes available, too.

If you’re on a tight budget but can’t face too much hard graft, painting floorboards white or off-white is a short- to medium-term option. However, even the toughest paint will show wear-and-tear quite quickly, and your floors will look tatty when chipped and worn. Paint is also a nightmare to remove if you change your mind later, so use with caution. You can always commission an expert to do the sanding and preparation. Get at least three quotes before you decide on one.

Fancy floors

New wooden flooring falls into two main categories. Engineered or wood-laminate flooring consists of a plywood base with a coated veneer of real wood on top, and is usually cheaper than solid wood. Boards can be laid on top of existing wood or concrete floors. The second type is solid hardwood flooring – solid timber planks that can be laid straight onto joists or on top of existing wooden floors, which come either pre-finished (sanded and treated) or unfinished.

The Wooden Flooring Centre 01273 423600 www.woodenflooringcentre.com

No sooner than I declare that I am campaigning to outlaw middle age than I am told that I have the strongest chance of living to a ripe old age.

Let me explain. It’s that time of the year when we media types are told about the forthcoming offering of the Brighton Festival. What joy, always fun and always exciting.

But last Wednesday had so much more. My delight started when I spotted that the drab pebble logo seems to have gone. Hoorah! I cried. I read on and found a fantastic programme of events to tempt my cultural appetite. Could things get any better?

Oh yes, and how! Press launches can be fun and they can be a joke, or not fun if you follow my drift. I can remember sitting in embarrassment waiting for a ballerina to dance for us. I was not alone, the organisers were waiting too. But it was not to be, the Russian prima ballerina had no intention of doing any more than standing in position one and looking, well looking pretty, well pretty stupid actually.

“If healthy diet and exercise were at the top of the list I would be defying nature by staying alive”

Last week was the opposite, a short film of interviews with artists rather than programmers gave us plenty to talk about. But what followed left us inspired. This year’s guest festival curator is Brian Eno. I’ve been a fan since I was 16, and I have almost everything he has ever released on disc too. I know that he is a great intellect but what I did not know was how great and how entertaining a speaker he is – simply brilliant.
I left feeling that I had been to the best lecture of the year, I could have listened for hours.

So why will I live for ever? Well it would seem that Mr Eno has read a paper in which a global survey took a look at the factors that seem to lead to a longer life. One would automatically assume that healthy diet and exercise would be top of the list. And if that were so then I would be defying nature already by staying alive.

But no, Brian assured us that the top two factors are singing and camping. My heart leapt. I have sung almost all my life, in one way or another. These days it’s karaoke or bathtub but for 20 years it was madrigals and church music. And regular readers will know that I love to spend my time away in my tent when the summer comes.

Who would have thought it, I wanted to stand up and give them a rousing chorus of ‘Ging Gang Gooly’ there and then. I restrained myself and simply joined in the applause for both him and the forthcoming festival.

I have booked my first beach holiday in nine years! Well the flight, as I’ll be staying with my mates who’ve moved abroad. I can’t wait. Well I can – ‘til it gets a bit hotter in Spain. If my first beach holiday in years involves cardigans I will cry. I will cry so much there will be a tsunami in Majorca.

I’ve bought a celebratory bikini. (I have others but just as all brides own a few white dresses, I need a special one for the special occasion!) I’ve suddenly realised other people will see my pale body. Looking down at my 37-year limbs, I thought, wow, last time these legs were basted in Ambre Solaire was 2001! Hope they will still pass! Hope a lifeguard won’t come running up to me and throw an emergency towel over me: “Ma’am would you mind covering up? Did you read the sign? This beach is for young fitties only.” Maybe I could sunbathe on a pensioner’s beach to ensure I look hot in my swimwear? For all I know sunbathing may be out of fashion and outlawed in Europe by now.

“When I last went on holiday you didn’t take an iPod, you took a CD Walkman!”

I am also worried about staying at my mate’s house for a week as it usually ends up a false economy. In a hotel you can get up when you want to; you, er, literally treat the place like a hotel. Staying with family or friends usually involves tip-toeing round for a week saying thank you so many times you build self esteem issues. Handed a towel: “Oh, thank you!” Offered a lift into town: “Thank you, that’s so kind! You really don’t have to!” Well, you do actually, as your mates live in the middle of idyllic nowhere! The beach is a secluded oasis because no one can get there unless they live in the villa through the rocks behind it.

I bought a sundress. In February. That wasn’t an easy task but I found one! Took my gloves/scarf/six layers of clothes off and tried it on, staring in the changing room mirror at my shivering pale body wearing a strappy T-shirt dress, trying to consider if it is sunny, then will it give unsightly strap marks?

What else do I need to get for this holiday? When I last went on holiday you didn’t take an iPod, you took a CD Walkman! One of the benefits of staying with friends is that I won’t need to purchase portable tinny speakers. Or yellow, pink, green, and orange patterned towels that are apparently only to be used for the beach. What determines whether a towel is for beach or for bathroom? It would seem it’s how much the towel’s colours/pattern want to make you vomit.

I am so excited I might buy a ‘beach towel’ just ‘cos I will actually be using a towel for once on a beach! Even if my March trip means I am using it as a windcheater.

Astonishment is our five-month-old’s default expression. He’s a master at it. If RADA ever produce a brochure illustrating key expressions for their acting students, his would be the face you’d see. Two wide round eyes and perfectly round open mouth. (My own default expression would be ‘frowning in concentration’.)

His is an expression at the peak of its power, headlights at full beam. A degree of astonishment you’d think could be only be sustained for a split-second, and would only show on rare occasions. But Youngest can sustain astonishment for long periods, frequently.

In the last week alone, here‘s some of the things he‘s been astonished by: a fire exit sign, my stripy top, Hove, the roof of our car, that advert with Martine McCutcheon, a mobile ringing, silence, the mention of broccoli, arriving in Cornwall, a crack in the ceiling. Air. His own left hand.

“If an adult looked at their own left hand in this way, you’d assume they were insane”

Particularly his own left hand. He is astonished by it. If an adult looked at their own left hand in this way, you’d assume they were insane, but I’m going to give Youngest the benefit of the doubt (he is my son, after all) and say he’s marvelling at the design of the human hand including the opposable thumb. I say ‘design’, but even he knows its just the incredible sum of tiny improvements that have been blindly accumulated over successive generations. That’s why he’s looking so wide-eyed and open-mouthed, he has the beautiful concept of evolution, quite literally, in his grasp. (Then he slightly ruins this by giving the same expression at a scone I’m trying to eat with him on my lap.)

I think you can split astonishment into two components: No.1 is ‘I can’t believe that just happened’ and No.2 is ‘I have no idea what just happened’. With him, they’re mainly combined. For me to portray the same extreme of facial expression, Elvis will have had to have just strutted in the front door carrying a wicker basket full of marshmallows, or perhaps I’d witness David Lloyd George riding a shopping trolley while dressed as a bear. (Although I might miss both as I’m busy perfecting my ‘frowning in concentration‘ expression.)

Having mastered astonishment, Youngest doesn’t even attempt blinking. His eyes are either wide open or shut tight. Then again, I suppose his love of life explains the lack of blinking. If you’re a sun lover on a glorious day, there’s no point pulling down the blinds even for a moment. If we return to the RADA theme, any acting part that required blinking would be unsuitable. Then again, what play would have blinking as crucial to the story? If it does exist, just don’t get seats towards the back.

Should the process of consultation just be used as a tool by developers to appease those affected by a planning application or can it be a positive opportunity to learn from neighbours who know a site best? As consultant for the owners of Brighton Aquarium, I am finding out first-hand that embracing the latter really is key to any successful project.

The Aquarium opened in its original Gothic form in 1872 to the designs of Eugenius Birch, a famous pier engineer who had already built the West Pier. It closed in 1927 and reopened two years later following a £117,000 face-lift featuring white Empire stonework. New facilities included a ballroom, bandstand and concert hall. A number of units were built on the terraces above in 2000 and a nightclub at beach and basement levels, set to be Brighton’s biggest, was to anchor the development. The club never opened though and the scheme ultimately failed.

I’ve been lucky enough to be involved as a consultant to ensure that a great deal of genuine communication takes place between those responsible for what happens next on the site and those living nearby. A master-plan is evolving and a critical point has just been reached in that plans have been submitted for the site’s flagship restaurant.

“The Aquarium opened
in its original Gothic form in 1872 to the designs of Eugenius Birch ”

The unit’s dull façade on the lower terrace is to be overhauled and additional windows in a complimentary style added to the side in order to flood the interior of the 1990s structure with light. The dreadful 1990s pavilion will be removed from the upper terrace and the clumsy disabled access ramp replaced with a lift. Young Architect of the Year winner, David Kohn, has been responsible for the architectural work which, incidentally, doesn’t affect the operations of the Sea Life Centre below. From a historical perspective, I am particularly delighted that the rejuvenation of the landmark 1920s pavilion is central to the scheme.

I recall arranging tours several months ago of the derelict units on the terraced areas of the building along with the vacant nightclub space below with a genuinely open mind on what the future was to hold. The Aquarium’s owners have since managed to put together sympathetic plans consisting of a restaurant and small interconnecting hotel within the confines of the current structure.

Plans for other unoccupied areas are uncertain but I can’t wait to discuss them with those living nearby who care most.
Get in touch: robert@buildingopinions.com or www.buildingopinions.com