|
You are viewing the "Who's who" page.
Click on the links to find out all about who's who at Bertha net.
Bertha Paul Farley Nominet
Bertha
Bertha is the leading light here at Bertha Net. She keeps a keen eye on what's happening from her place on the bookshelf above Paul's workstation. Being only 4" high this lack of actual computer work is understandable as she finds it very hard to reach from one side of a keyboard to the other.
What Bertha lacks in actual practical work she makes up for in other ways. Her picture appears on every page and in every guide. She even decided on the delightful colour scheme found throughout Bertha net's site and guides. The shocking pink has been described as "unique" by more than one visitor!
Top
Paul Farley
 Paul's first experience of a computer was back in the early 1980's with the ZX Spectrum, a very early personal computer which plugged into a domestic TV (via the aerial lead) and used a tape cassette recorder to load programs! He fondly remembers spending many a happy hour trying to complete The Hobbit - something he never managed to do.
A few years ago Paul found an on-line version of this classic game, unfortunately it is now so dated that it is obvious what the term "classic" actually means. The Hobbit can be played by following this link. Just a quick hint, don't even think of using a mouse - it's that old!
More recently Paul has moved into the field of Web design and computer maintenance. The maintenance is more by accident than design, when family and friends hear that you "work with computers", they always assume that you can mend them!
As a result, over the last 5 or 6 years Paul has been helping an increasing circle of computer users in the local area - and some further afield (150 miles away actually!). During this time Paul has noticed an interesting phenomenon.
Firstly, perfectly able and competent people go to pieces when faced with a computer which is doing the unexpected. This is true even when there is a simple solution.
Secondly, people are perfectly willing to buy (often at significant expense) computer programs without having checked if the programs are suitable for their needs, or even if it is safe to install. Scareware obviously rules OK?
In 2009, as an experiment, Paul decided to take an old laptop and, without spending any money, install all the software commonly found on the computers he looks after. Surprisingly, not only was this software simple to find, it was also a great success. Indeed,as people heard about "Traveling Bertha" Paul started getting requests for help in installing the software used.
As a result the first Bertha Guide (KeePass) was written which has been followed by an increasing range covering everything from free music to curing computer faults.
Top
Nominet
Nominet doesn't actually work at Bertha Net, but is the organisation responsible for controlling all the Internet site names which end in "uk". It keeps all the web site names (called "Domains") and rents them out to people who want a British Domain name. They also settle ownership disputes and (here's the important one) keep official records of who "owns" which Domain.
The big problem with anything to do with the Internet (against visiting a High Street shop) is the question of who are you dealing with? After all, you only have my word that I am Paul Farley and everything you've just read is true.
You can always check the Nominet database though.
Click on the nominet logo (the purple word above) to visit their site and you'll see a search box headed "WHOIS". Type in the name of the site you want to check (it must end with "uk" don't forget) and then click on "Lookup". You don't need to put in the "www" bit, the rest of the main address is all that's needed.
Lets have a trial run and see who "owns" the BBC web site name. The full name is "www.bbc.co.uk" (without the "" of course). To look up who "owns" the Domain you would type "bbc.co.uk" (without the "") and then click on the word "Lookup". Not altogether surprisingly you will then see that www.bbc.co.uk is actually registered to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Any web site can be checked in this way, though don't forget that the Nominet service is only for "uk" sites. If you want to check other endings try a site such as www.whois.net.
If you want to check who "owns" Bertha Net look up our details at Nominet.
Top
|
