Whilst we sweltered in June, July has seen unseasonably cold and wet weather. However, the heatwave in the Mediterranean did get us thinking about what can be an all-too-common problem with your devices, overheating.
Fire risk
At some point, you may well have experienced your mobile device or laptop getting hot but is this a major problem? Some laptops are better than others when it comes to heat dissipation, but if your laptop is constantly hot then there may be an issue with faulty software causing the processor to run at full speed all the time (check out Task Manager on Windows or Activity Monitor on Mac). It could also be that the processor is not powerful enough for your needs (Zoom or Teams meetings use a surprising amount of processing power). Occasionally a hardware issue such as a faulty fan is to blame. The important one to look out for is your battery getting hot and your device case swelling, as this could indicate a faulty battery which is a fire risk. Power down your device and seek professional help immediately to remove and dispose of the battery safely.
AI – potential dangers
And no, we aren’t talking Skynet! There have been numerous news reports and discussions on AI, from using ChatGPT to write school essays to the potential for discrimination risks. Whilst AI is already changing our lives and is set to do so even more in the future, it is important to remember that, as it currently stands, the output of AI is driven from its inputs – admittedly, enormous amounts of information. This BBC article is an interesting read as it outlines some of the potential drawbacks from bad actors and the need for cyber security to be built in to new developments to keep the hackers at bay.