Rick Power

Amazon enjoyed Christmas 2008 as they saw profits raise by 9% in the final three months of last year. The company took full advantage of a robust holiday shopping season. Amazon claim net profit totalled $225m in the fourth quarter, up from $207m a year ago.

Unlike many, Amazon has not yet been hit hard by consumers cutting back. Amazon has re-assured their customers that the online store would continue to offer low prices and free shipping deals to help budget-conscious shoppers.  Revenue increased 18% to $6.7bn, beating analysts estimates and Amazon it expected sales to rise in the first three months of 2009. In a time where many retailers are struggling, it seems that Amazon find themselves in the small group of stores that has managed to avoid negative changes to profits and takings.

Recently released stats show that use of micro-blogging service Twitter rocketed nearly 1,000% in the UK over the past year. This data was released by industry analysts HitWise.

For the first time, the site has seen more visits than “social bookmarking” site Digg, which allows users to share links to sites. Twitter hit the headlines earlier in January, providing the first pictures of downed US Airways flight 1549 and continues to attract exposure with an increase of users, including celebrity bloggers.

The site may continue its meteoric rise as the new US President is a long serving user of the service. Twitter has jumped from 2,953rd most popular in the UK in 2008 to 291st as of mid-January and shows no signs of slowing.

If you don’t have the latest security updates, you could be in danger of being attacked by a worm that spreads through low security networks, PCs and even memory sticks. The malicious piece of software has been infecting under several different names including Conficker, Downadup, and Kido.

First discovered in October 2008, this worm is posing an increasing threat on Windows’ users. To combat this, Microsoft have released a patch, however the worm has already infected over 3 million machines.

According to experts, this figure could potentially be far higher. It is advised that users should have up-to-date anti-virus software and install Microsoft’s MS08-067 patch to protect themselves against this dangerous worm.

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Grey Coat Hospital School in London have suspended 29 girls schoolgirls for using social networking website Facebook to engage in a hate campaign against their teacher. Headteacher Rachel Allard said the girls were suspended for up to 15 days for persecuting a member of staff using a Facebook hate page.

As a result of the attack, the Telegraph newspaper claim the targeted teacher was forced to seek counselling. The offending Facebook page has now been removed.

Headteacher Allard added: “The vast majority of parents who have been to see me about this incident are supportive of the school and understand why we have taken firm disciplinary action.”

A nine-year-old girl, allegedly kidnapped by her grandmother,

has been located and found using a Google’s Street View and a mobile phone signal. Authorities in Athol,

Massachusetts, joined forces after they were informed that the young girl named Natalie had been taken.

Officers used

GPS in the girl’s mobile phone to find her approximate location.

They then used these co-ordinates and put

them into Google Street View, thus pinpointing a hotel where the child was subsequently found. A happy ending to a

potentially dangerous situation, all thanks to Google and smart moves by the local authorities.

The first public trial/beta version of Windows

7 has been released. Microsoft’s very own Steve Ballmer announced the news in his keynote speech at CES,

revealing that software developers would be able to get their hands on the trial version on 7th January.

Two

days later, members of the public will get the chance to download the successor to Windows for

themselves.

Ballmer said Windows 7 would be the pivot of a broader Microsoft push to improve the way its

separate software and service families work together.

Mr Ballmer delivered the opening keynote, signifying the take over from

Bill Gates – who in last year ended his day-to-day involvement with the company he founded years ago.

Agreeing

with the current state of the economic climate, Steve Ballmer said: “We face some really big challenges. We are all

feeling it and its impact will likely be with us for some time.”

Plastic surgery has skyrocketed in popularity in the UK, prompting many people

to travel abroad for cheaper procedures, such as tummy tucks and breast reductions. Unfortunately, in a world where “you get what you

pay for,” the outcomes can be frightening. As a result, surgeons from the UK

plastic surgery community are speaking out about the dangers of so-called plastic surgery holidays.

BAAPS Conference

Findings

At a recent conference of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), research revealed that many

patients were reporting complications after undergoing surgery abroad. The problem countries most often cited are Thailand, South

Africa, Poland, Turkey and Belgium. If you go abroad for cosmetic surgery, it is difficult to return for aftercare should you have a

complication from the surgery, especially if the complication is life threatening.

The BAAPS research also cited unethical

website marketing practices being used to lure patients. These practices included not warning patients about the risks and possible

complications associated with surgery and an overall lack of details about surgical procedures. The UK plastic surgery association is

also concerned that many people looking abroad for cheap, cosmetic surgery are only receiving pre-surgery phone consultations, which

are hardly adequate to tailor cosmetic surgery to the personalized needs of the individual.

Plastic Surgery Holiday

Warning

One way to protect yourself is to do your research regarding foreign clinics and pay close attention to any practices

that appear unethical or unprofessional. Most of these surgeries are serious and require some form of aftercare. If you go abroad for

cheaper services and you do experience complications, you may be forced to have the procedure all over again at home. Of course, you

will have to pay for it all over again as well.

Because more and more people are choosing to have plastic surgery, surgeons

from the UK are urging people considering plastic surgery abroad to look into the qualifications of the surgeons, as well as how each

country regulates these types of procedures.

Although you may be tempted to cut costs when having elective cosmetic surgery,

staying close to home may actually save your life. Going to a trusted clinic like

href="http://www.transforminglives.co.uk">Transform, the UK’s largest plastic surgery practice, guarantees that you get the

results you seek safely and beautifully. In addition, you have the peace of mind that you shall receive high quality aftercare should

complications arise.

The president of Guyana has contacted police and has asked them to investigate

who is impersonating him on Facebook. Associated Press has reported that a government statement said that Bharrat Jagdeo was indeed

not a Facebook member, claiming he has been a victim in a crime that can only be described as ‘Facebooked’.

The fake Jagdeo

page has over 170 supporters, and features images of the president as well as his biography. Maybe Guyana is a quiet place this time

of year, even so maybe the president should be concentrating on other stuff like running the country?!

Obviously not it seems

as further research done by the Guyana government shows that officials also discovered that someone had impersonated the president of

the South American nation on another social networking site.

Personally I think it’s just an excuse to visit such websites

during work hours. The real question the officals of Guyana should be asking themselves is… Why does the man running their country

only have 170 supporters on his Facebook page?!