Alternative on-line education works in Wigan

Although no-one knows the exact number, the terrible truth is that somewhere around 100,000 children of school going age are not in school. Many of these children are excluded from school and end up at home or in care. Without the proper support and guidance and without an education you don’t need a crystal ball to realise many will end up in prison. The simple truth is that if government fails to help them when they are still at school, the long term damage of disaffected and disengaged vulnerable children means the  cost to society rapidly escalates. There is a domino effect that impacts on policing, prison services, social services, housing and most importantly healthcare.

Wigan on-Line or WOL is a small education project run by Rob Jones and his team, who work directly with Local PRU manager Steve Rule to provide an alternate education service where school is no longer a viable option.  Using an Internet connection to remain engaged with excluded children is a very simplistic overview. Wigan’s small dedicated team make regular home visits, provide support and education on-line around the clock and encourage children and their parents/guardians to engage with other local services. They provide opportunities for work placement and encouraging attendance to drop-in sessions where children and families with similar problems can realise they are not alone and gain greater overall support.

Wigan on-line works. Last year only 4 out of 58 children under WOL’s care did not move in to employment or further education. That’s a 90% positive outcome.

My company is proud to be the technical partner of Wigan on-line. We focus on delivering internet services to their local cohort. Children may be enrolled for only a few months or much longer. Numbers vary throughout the school year. Providing new fixed line internet or Mobile broadband quickly and efficiently is key. We manage 10 - 100 internet connections in a single cohort on a single monthly bill. In addition we also must ensure the right level of security. Children are vulnerable. Our product is the result of nine years of partnering WOL and other similar specialist education services to local government authorities, schools and Pupil Referral Units.<

As the spot light of financial cuts sweeps back and forth across Local Government with all its complex array of services it is important we support efforts by WOL and others. Traveling to Wigan from Brighton by car is not one I would normally undertake without good reason. Yesterday’s trip begun with me rolling out of bed by 4am and returning back home around 8.30pm. Was it worth it? Yes, absolutely.

Since the New Year Rob Jones and Steve Rule at Wigan have worked with myself and my Business Partner Aidan Bowen to put together this meeting. A short presentation by Wigan and ourselves to 5 other local authorities who care about the same issues we do.

How nice it was to meet and share our ideas and concerns with such a nice bunch of people. I learned a great deal about how best we can support WOL and other interested authorities who might benefit from Wigan’s experience.

I look forward to working with more closely with these inspirational people who do such important work. Our Internet services are an integral component that simply ensure they remain able to focus their efforts and achieve the results the current economy demand.

Head teachers and educators in the UK work to annual budget constraints of around £4,500 per child (AWPU, Average Weighted Pupil Unit). That’s the amount of money available to schools for each child on the schools register. Students identified as ‘special needs’ cost schools more. Students attending PRUs cost Local Authorities considerably more. The overall cost of a failing child is almost unmeasurable.

I believe strongly the WOL style model delivers exceptional value for money. To find out more please do get in touch. You can email me: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

John Parvin

 

It's starts with turning off the stuff you often leave on at night needlessly.  Then you start reviewing your lighting, heating, ventilation & insulation values for each property. It's only been 48 hours since I set the goal of reducing our carbon footprint by 50% in 2 years and I'm back at home on my iPad typing this blog having spent the past 2 hours researching the feasibility of a new fleet of '0' emission electric cars run by each of our city centre stores to better serve local customers offering delivery, collection and pick-up/return for in store repairs.... It's easy to get carried away.

 

 

Solutions inc.  joins the fight to bring back Chichester Christmas lights.

Chichester city centre is a local treasure preserved in a way that so many other shopping centres are not. I spend a lot of my time touring the country looking at new potential store locations and meeting centre management teams. I much prefer locations where the centre is vibrant and I’m certain other businesses do too. Shops and communities both benefit from a busy high street that can quite easily fade and be lost forever. It’s a story being played up and down the country right now. I simply love Chichester, it’s my favorite location. Don’t let it happen on your own doorstep.

When I opened our Chichester store back in May 2008 I got a lot of support from local traders and customers alike. Despite the financial pinch retailers are enduring right now, I feel strongly we should do more to preserve what is an amazing and unique city centre full of stores run by local people.

The UK launch of the iPad 2, due March 25th will be the one of the busiest times of year for us. Put quite simply, we sell as many as Apple can make and supply. Solutions inc. pledge £2.50 for every iPad sold between launch and the end of April. This is a significant date, the day the council will review whether enough funds have been raised privately for them to invest valuable public funds.

The Council are very keen to see more support this year having been unable to raise enough cash last year. They have a responsibility to spend public funds wisely and if we raise the money now, by early May, we can we get the best lights for the budget agreed. New energy efficient LED lights.

I’m hopeful of raising £2000 in support of the council’s Christmas lights campaign. We cannot rely solely on public goodwill and public funds. If you run a local business and want to keep a smile on your customers face this Christmas, give everyone a better and brighter shopping experience.

 

 

 

Slow reading or no reading...

Is it possible to read a whole article on-line? The Guardian recently featured an article about slow reading,  encouraging us to slow down, and relax with the printed word. Many Academics are frustrated with under-graduates that appear to skim read books or google keywords.

Technology is commonly blamed for this modern phenomenon. Text messaging and more recently Twitter have taught us to confine our reading to one or two sentences, worse still to completly ignore grammar and therefore poorly communicate true feelings or manage to inspire others. Reading on-line is hard with constant adverts, pop ups, hyperlinks and distractions. If you're still reading this article, well done: you're doing better than some.

So, in the future will our children grow up with minds full of useless bite-sized trivia loosely associated by keywords, or will great thinkers, being both well-read and patient listeners, persist? The Guardian concludes that while technology is the route cause of the problem, Apple's iPad may well be the first piece of technology to reverse the trend by introducing traditional text to a new generation. 

I lent my iPad to the National Trust for use at the Hay Festival this year and based on the crowds of bookworms gathered around, keen to try the iPad for themselves, perhaps future generations will continue to put their feet up and relax slow reading. A home without an overstocked bookcase still seems a somewhat sterile environment to me. Let's just hope the iPad is responsible for avid book collectors of the future.

 

 

 

Is a French car better than a German car?

Perhaps the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hr endurance race provides the answer...

Le Mans is an historic race popularised by Steve McQueen’s portrayal of a racing driver (1970). Starting at 3pm on Saturday and running non-stop till 3pm on Sunday, fifty+ cars contest 5 separate class trophies on the same track at the same time. They stop every hour for fuel, tyres, and, occasionally, to change driver.

Only two major car manufacturers contest the leading class for the biggest trophy and overall podium places: Peugeot and Audi. Peugot’s prototype diesel against Audi’s prototype diesel. Both purpose built race cars driven by the world’s best drivers.

All 3 factory-run Peugeots start clocking up laps a few seconds quicker than the 3 opposing Audis and a gap quickly develops. As night falls the french fans can be heard popping champagne corks around the camp fire. By morning, cracks have begun to show and the leading Peugeots are proving fragile, rough around the edges, fast but troubled. The Audis, by comparison, appear rock solid, consistent, unbreakable. As Wooderz said “To finish first, first you must finish”. Peugeot lose one car and then another but rally behind their sole remaining car lying in 3rd place, one lap down with 3 hours remaining on the clock.

It’s a bright warm Sunday afternoon and a quick calculation by recording lap times on an iPhone reveals the 3rd place Peugeot is on target to catch the leader on the last lap in the final few minutes, just when a puff of smoke signals the Peugeot’s last lap. Audi finish up in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

It would appear that Germany make reliable cars and the French don’t. Art imitating life?

iPhone repairs under contract

If you purcahsed an iPhone from one of our stores and it develops a fault within the first 28 days you can take it back to any of our Apple Premium Reseller Stores for direct exchange. If your iPhone is more than 28 days you will need to speak to your 'Service Provider'. We normally sell iPhones, where O2 is the service provider, though you may have a contract with Vodafone , Orange or another service provider / airtime carrier.

iPhones are 'locked down' to a single airtime provider and the iPhone handsets are subsidised by the respective service providers. Solutions inc. cannot interfer or alter the contract you have with your service provider and your iPhone is tied to that contract.

You can contact O2 by telephone: 0844 8752302

AppleCare Protection Plan extends the warranty of your iPod and is available up to 1 year after you bought your iPod.

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iPad repairs under warranty

If you're iPad develops a fault you can take it back to any of our Apple Premium Reseller Stores.  Our company operates an iPad Exchange Service where faulty iPads are sent to Apple's European iPad Repair Centre. Our stores effectively act as a drop-off /collection point for a centrally run Europe wide scheme run by Apple. iPad repairs dropped off in store are normally available for collection within 7-14 days.

AppleCare Protection Plan extends the warranty of your iPad and is available up to 1 year after you bought your iPad.

Meet the Meru Wireless Experts

There are many wireless LAN infrastructure vendors in business today. They all seem to make the same claims: They will make your life easier, enable mobility, keep end-users happy and save you money. However, since most of them use the same basic  architecture and offer very similar features, they all run into the same problems – unreliable wireless connectivity, poor roaming, limited scalability and complex management. Meru Wireless Networks and Solutions inc. offer professional (non-domestic) wireless network technology ideally suited to environments such as Schools & Offices that require support for much higher user densities.

View Meru Wireless podcast

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Save up to 25% this summer - "No Strings attached"

Solutions inc. are pleased to offer a number of promotional bundles this summer offering unrivalled price/performance. Speak to us now for a no-obligation quotation or to arrange a site survey. Solutions inc. also has a limited number of "try before you Buy" packages.

Call 0844 8751 610 to speak to a sales advisor.

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How many access points do I need?

A typical Meru deployment requires 30% fewer access points than a similar deployment from any competitor. This is because all Meru radios can transmit at their full power, whereas other systems require that each access point's power level be adjusted to avoid interference. Reducing power results in a complex microcell architecture in which cells continually shrink as new access points are added. In contrast, access points that are part of a Meru Virtual Cell augment rather than interfere with each other. All can transmit simultaneously at full power.

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Can I roam between access points?

Microcell systems force clients to decide for themselves which access point they should connect to. The client must constantly scan each channel, then try to guess when it should disconnect from one access point and connect to another. This often causes noticeable delays, especially in voice networks, and can even sever a connection completely. Meru avoids the problem by virtualizing the link. Clients remain connected to the same Virtual Port wherever they move in the network, with zero handoff latency.

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How great a bandwidth density can the network scale to?

With Meru, bandwidth scales linearly as new radios are added. Each new radio can service a different Virtual Cell on a different radio channel, boosting the network to support higher user densities or new applications. Microcell networks don't scale so well, as much of the available spectrum is already consumed with mitigating interference. At 2.4 GHz., this makes Meru the only vendor able to support the full 40 MHz. channels without co-channel interference. At 5 GHz., a Meru network can scale almost without limit, with multiple network segments layered in the same physical space.

 

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A brief history

Most organisations did not initially plan a wireless LAN: they simply plugged in home wireless routers into existing networks, (unintentionally creating severe security problems). To bring networking back under the control of the IT department, enterprises installed access points with management features. The IEEE and the Wi-Fi Alliance created standard encryption and authentication technologies to address early security issues. Each access point was independently configurable, providing an island of connectivity. As IT departments added more access points, the isolated areas of coverage intersected to form a microcell system. Each access point was still an island of coverage, but the islands overlapped to give the illusion of continuous coverage. Though microcells enabled coverage over wider areas, packing access points close together caused radio interference; neighbouring access points then needed to be tuned to different channels and power settings and adjusted every time the network changed. Microcells also added complexity for clients, who had to decide for themselves which access point to connect to. With networks growing larger every day, independently configured access points became unmanageable.

Controller-based systems improved the wireless LAN scale, but only replicated the microcell architecture used by the isolated access points. Though managed together, each access point's coverage area was still an island. Radio interference was still a problem, and clients could still be confused when moving between them. Dr. Vaduvar Bharghavan, now CTO of Meru Networks, saw a better way. He envisaged the All-Wireless Enterprise: an organisation that would no longer need wires for client connections because wireless could become as secure, reliable and easy to manage as Ethernet. The company's founding team set about making that vision a reality using the principles of an advanced cellular network in the wireless LAN.

Meru designed wireless LANs that offered single-channel operation, centralised control of all air traffic and smooth handoffs – all features that are now standard in cellular networks. Recognised by Gartner as the first Fourth Generation wireless system, Meru's early innovations led directly to Virtualized Wireless LANs, the technology that threatens to end wired Ethernet's dominance at the network edge. With a unique architecture that enables the most pervasive deployments, Meru’s WLAN System has been adopted in The UK by schools, colleges, univeristies, medium and large businesses alike.

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Ideal for your Business

With warehouses, factories and outdoor areas difficult to wire, Businesses have long been users of wireless LAN technology. But all too often, wireless systems pose their own problems thanks to metal obstacles and electromagnetic interference that make business sites a harsh radio environment. The microcell architecture used by traditional wireless LANs exacerbates the problem, with complex channel planning needed to deal with the network's own interference as well as that from external sources. Meru is different.

 

Designed for the All-Wireless Enterprise

From the beginning, Meru designed its network for the All-Wireless Enterprise: an organization that never needs to depend on wires for connectivity.  For a manufacturing, supply chain or distribution organisation, this can be a game-changer in terms of business agility and operational efficiency. Meru's Virtualized Wireless LAN architecture avoids channel planning and gives every user on the network a strong, contention-free signal through a dedicated Virtual Port. The system is cost-effective, easy to set up and adaptable to any application. 

To discover more about how a Meru network can empower 
your business, call us today on 0844 8751 610.

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Education

Solutions inc. have numerous case studies & testimonials from recent education customers. From small installations of just a few classrooms to full campus deployments in schools with more than 1,000 students and staff. Take a look at our ">Meru Technology podcast and ">Brune Park Meru Case Study for more information. You can also visit our Meru Wireless education page.

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Choosing a new set of headphones these days is ever more challenging. The vast array of headphones now available thanks to the popularity of MP3 players and mobile phones is simply mindboggling. It seems everyone is trying to cash in on this lucrative market. So what, if anything, makes the Monster Dr. Dre Beats Solos worthy of consideration?

Firstly, many of you may not be familiar with the "Monster" brand.  Monster is a privately owned American company with annual sales of around $500M that, for many years, has focused its attention on high-quality audio connectors, power conditioners and high spec home cinema/audio set-ups. I first met their charismatic owner Noel Lee a few years back. The lasting impression I got from a few days at CES courtesy of Monster was the pure drive and determination Noel imparts to his team. If anyone I ever met is likely to suceed then it's Noel and his Monster attitude. Monster has apparently teamed up with Dr. Dre and I'm not quite sure whether these are Dr. Dre Beats, Monster Beats or Monster powered Dr. Dre inspired Beats. Either way the Solos are the smaller on-ear headphones that complement the slightly larger, over-ear noise cancelling Monster Dr. Dre Beats Studio headphones.

So are they a worthy opponent for the popular Bose on-ear headphones? Can they outshine the Sennheiser HD238 on-ear headphones and outclass SkullCandy? What about BeyerDynamic or AKG? The answer is of course entirely subjective. Everyone in my office has their own opinion; their pick of the bunch. Given the fairly high price tag placed on the Monster Solos they certainly need to perform well if they are to be at all successful here in the UK. I found them to be very good. Amongst my favorite of all on-ear headphones, while others found them to be disappointing. Opinions are divided. A lot of this can be put down to your individual choice of music. If you listen to classical symphony ochestras or have a library full of acoustic noodlings slash classic rock and roll,  then the Monsters are unlikely to appeal. If however you listen to Rap, Hip Hop or Pop music then I think the Monster Solos are the best choice.

The Monster (Beats by Dr. Dre) Solo headphones are solidly built and the cable is particulary good (as you would expect from Monster). The sound reproduction has plenty of bass. I get the impression they can cope with the dirtiest of Hip Hop beats, perhaps in tribute to Dr. Dre, who I presume put his name to the products in return for cash. Me cynical of celeb endorsements?.. never. Let's face it: if people will buy a fragrance endorsed by Britney Spears, then they should be queuing around the block to buy headphones from Dr. Dre!

The real decider for me is street credibility. These headphones, like all on-ear headphones, are a reflection of the wearers character. Bose succeed across the globe because they represent quality and innovation. Sennheiser are the bench mark amongst audiophiles; they whisper more discreetly that the wearer is well-informed and un-pretentious. Skullcandy are cheap, plastic accessories for the iPod generation strapped for cash but wanting to look cool, while BeyerDynamic, AKG and other sound engineering companies are still struggling to find a definition of 'street cool' in their dusty old encyclopedias.

If you do decide to invest in the Beats by Dr. Dre Monster Solo headphones I very much doubt you'll be disappointed. They fold up fairly small and come complete with a carry case and you can try them for yourself in any of our retail Stores dotted across the South of England.

What is Mac mini business server?

A Mac mini specially configured with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server. Two 500GB internal hard drives (that when configured as mirrors*) give you access to 500GB of group storage in a secure format. It’s perfect for many small businesses/offices. Now you can have your own file server to hold and share important files and that supports email on Mac, PC, and iPhone. It is also possible to sync and share calendars and contact information, access and swap files securely between Mac computers and PCs, easily create full-featured wikis or high-quality podcasts and automatically back up all of your important data.

*Mirroring drives means data is stored simultaneously to both drives that appear to users as a single volume. This provides greater data security in the event of a single drive failure.

Getting started

The Mac mini business server is offered by Solutions inc. with a standard installation/set-up fee that covers all the basics in a single day. Delivered and installed by an Apple-qualified server technician. If you require any further assistance or time, we have a simple tariff of £2 per minute for server-related support or £1 a minute for client-related support services. You can discuss your exact requirements with one of our Apple-qualified server technicians prior to an install and arrange for additional time should you need it. For those who have never run a server before, our server technicians can help at every step of the way; you just pay for what you need, when you need it.

Storing your data securely

The Apple Mac mini is a small desktop computer with limited space inside for hard drives. With only a single FireWire 800 port for "fast" external drive connection. The business server's 2x500GB internal drives do not come configured in the preferred "mirrored" format as standard. This is part of the Solutions inc. installation service. You will still require a separate back-up device.

Back-up

To ensure your data is secure, we would recommend that you purchase an external portable drive capable of storing the entire 500GB capacity of the internal drive capacity on the Mac mini server. By specifying a FireWire 800 drive you will be able to take faster back-ups. If you choose to spec your server with an external RAID of a greater capacity (2TB+) then you will require a second, similarly large-capacity, drive for off-site backup. The Mac mini business server with Snow Leopard server software also utilises Time Machine, an application that automatically backs-up your data as you work.

More storage

If you require more than 500GB of storage, then we recommend that you purchase a separate external RAID storage solution that offers the capacity you require. We only recommend external RAID solutions that feature a FireWire 800 (as this is the preferred and only high speed Mac mini server drive interface) and would guide you towards a desktop model and not a rack-mount variant. We only recommend server products backed by a decent manufacturers' warranty repair/exchange service where the drive constitutes a business critical service. For more information about drive choice, speak to our business sales team for the latest information and pricing,

 

How do I order my Mac mini server?

You can speak to our business sales team Monday - Friday to discuss your requirements. We are also happy to meet with you in person to gain an understanding of your business. We will provide you with a written quotation the same or next day and, subject to your precise requirements, we are normally able to arrange for installation within 7-14 days.

How Much?

Solutions inc. Mac mini Business Server base Specification including on-site delivery, installation and 3-year extended AppleCare Protection plan as well as 2x LaCie Rugged portable FireWire 800 backup drives.

1. Mac mini business server £1665.32 + vat
2. £57.75 p/m over 3 years (36 months) on a Business Equipment Lease.
3. 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mac mini
   4GB memory
   Dual 500GB hard drives
   NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
   Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard (unlimited clients)
4. AppleCare Protection Plan (3 years)
5. Solutions inc. Mac mini server installation
6. LaCie rugged 500Gb portable firewire drive (back-up)
Priced 11/10/2010. E&OE. Business finance available subject to status

Support contract available for Mac mini server- from £60 pcm + VAT (depending on office size)