Computer says… "what¿!" National test reveals ⅔ Brits clueless about the latest tech buzzwords

IF the most you use technology for is to check your emails and post a few cat videos on Facebook, the time has come to get with the programme, my friend: tech is advancing at a terrifying rate, and if you don't keep up with the latest developments, you might end up getting left behind. The (kind of) good news is, you're not alone.

Things are changing so fast, that most of us hardly bother to pay attention to new concepts unless they directly affect us (hello, massive change to Instagram's algorithm, we're still not over that). But there are some that are here to stay, so it pays to at least be familiar with the jargon that describes them. Leading translation and interpreting company LanguageLine Solutions decided to test the UK's knowledge of tech buzzwords for 2018, and carried out a survey of 1,500 people across the country. And it found that most of us are still a bit clueless when it comes to these! (we include ourselves in this…)

For example, would you know the definition of 'Blockchain?' 27.5% of us believe it's a word to describe a person who doesn't forward those (rather creepy) chain emails that keep going around. 27.3% of us think it's a system to block chain based emails (this could be quite handy to be fair), and 13% of us thought it was when multiple people block 1 person on social media (again, this kind of makes sense!) Less than a ⅓ (32.2%) of Brits knew that a blockchain is a ledger of all cryptocurrency transactions that have taken place in chronological order (sounds thrilling, right!).

And what do you think 'Peopleware' might be? Over a quarter of us (26.7%) not illogically thought it was software which analyses how humans use the internet, while 24% thought it was a form of malware to protect against human hacking, and 20.8%; fairly reasonably; thought it describes the interactions of humans across social media. However, it actually refers to the role that humans play in technology; such as designing it, developing it, etc. and only 28.5% of us got it right.

The buzzword that stumped us the most was 'Internet of Things.' Just 27% of Brits knew that it's a network of physical appliances that send and receive data; for example when your fridge 'talks' to an app on your phone to tell it you're run out of milk, or a central system in your home can control lighting, temperature or security systems. However, 43.9% thought it was a search engine of unusual online information (there's something we'd like to see!), 19% thought it was an online space that requires software to view and 10.1% thought it was a tech based podcast!

Overall, Brits scored 30.8% on the tech buzzwords quiz; so nearly a third of us can proudly describe ourselves as tech savvy. When broken down by gender it showed that men overall (35.3%) scored higher than women (26.7%).

The most tech savvy age group were the 25-34 year olds, scoring 35% on the test. Just behind them were the 55 to 64's (33.1%), the over 65's (32%), and the 35 to 44 year olds (28.9%). Surprisingly the 18 to 24's only scored 28.4% on the test! The least tech savvy age group were the 45 to 54 year olds who scored just 24.7% overall.

If you live in Northern Ireland, you're way ahead; they scored 39.3% in total. Forget Silicon Valley; looks like Belfast could be the next tech hub! In the middle of the scale were regions like:- Yorkshire and the Humber, and the West Midlands, who scored 28.7% and 28.2% respectively; so just under average, all things considered. But letting the side (well, the country) down, tying for last place, are the North West and Scotland, who both scored 23.1% on the quiz overall. Scotland may have given us the invention of penicillin, tarmac and mackintoshes, but it doesn't look like it will give us the new Twitter or Snapchat any time soon…

So how do you compare? To find out, logging on to LanguageLine Solutions interactive quiz and find out just how much you know!

Hillsborough Anniversary remembered

PEOPLE are being encouraged to commemorate the 29th Anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, on Sunday, with a minute's silence. The silence will be observed on Sunday, 15 April 2018, at 3.06pm, the exact time the fateful match was stopped, in remembrance of the 96 people who lost their lives 29 years ago.

As a mark of respect, flags on civic buildings (Cunard Building, Town Hall, St George's Hall and Central Library) will be flown at ½ mast and bells at the Town Hall will toll 96 times.

The Lime Street media wall, opposite Lime Street Station, and the M62 digital screens will display the words:- 'Never Forgotten' in a visual tribute to the 96.

The Mersey Ferries will also mark the Anniversary by sounding their horn, and traffic will be stopped for 1 minute at both tunnels.

Other organisations taking part in the silence include National Museums Liverpool venues, as well as all businesses at Alert Dock Liverpool, such as Tate Liverpool.

Shops in Liverpool 1 and in the Liverpool Bid Company have been asked to observe the silence, and a team from Liverpool 1 will gather on the steps near the LFC store just before 3.06pm.

A short, simple, private act of worship will be held at Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral from 2.45pm which will give people chance to continue to remember the victims of the disaster and pray for the families, survivors and all those affected. During the short service, a minute's silence will be held at 3.06pm. The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, will attend this service.

Councillor Kennedy said:- "We will never forget those who lost their lives at Hillsborough, and I urge everyone in Liverpool to observe the silence as a mark of respect to those who died and the family and friends they left behind. It is always an emotional day, and it will be incredibly poignant as the streets fall silent and the bells toll 96 times. As Lord Mayor of Liverpool I'm proud of this City and how it comes together to mark this sad occasion."