This has been a really tough NaBloPoMo for me. Work has been frantic - meaning that my lunchtime blogging has been restricted to a quick bit of copy editing. I've also had some wonderful new toys to play with - which has distracted my attention. But the biggest problem? My Android phone. Don't get me wrong, I love Android - but for typing, it's nowhere nearly as good as my BlackBerry was. I spend a lot of my time on trains, so I'm used to being able to bash out a fairly lengthy post or…
Continue reading →
I don't want this to be seen as an anti-Microsoft rant. I'm a great fan of Windows Phone 7, my Microsoft 4000 keyboard is the only device I'm comfortable typing on, and my Xbox hardware is still going strong years after release. I'm also heartily impressed with Microsoft's continuing support of the Creative Commons. True, I don't use Windows at home - but I don't blindly devote my life to knocking them unfairly. But I do have serious concerns about Microsoft's attempts to enter the 2D tag…
Continue reading →
I'm a big fan Show Film First. A company which aims to get people to preview screenings of films - for free. There's also a confusingly similarly named company called See Film First with broadly similar aims. I'm not sure what, if any, relationship the two have. Show Film First concentrate mainly on bloggers - getting them to exclusive screenings in the hope that they will generate some online buzz about a movie before release. To help you on your way to creating a blog, they've created a…
Continue reading →
I'm dreadful at setting goals. Personally and professionally, I drift to whatever takes my fancy. Planning what I want to have for dinner in the evening is an unfathomable prospect. I can't comprehend how friends can have calendars showing every meal for the week in advance. To me, that's a crazy, OCD-esque level of organisation. I am simultaneously bemused and full of admiration for people like SpaceKate - she has goal to get to space in the next 10 years. Comedian - and blogger for 9…
Continue reading →
For years I've been mildly obsessed with the Voynich Manuscript. An ancient book, written in a language no one can decipher, showing plants which don't exist, and measuring astronomical configurations which make no sense. The book is an enigma. Many think it to be an elaborate hoax - others have more.... esoteric explanations. Regardless of what the book means, it is a beautiful and mysterious work of art. And I want to read it on my Kindle! Archive.org has an ebook version of the Voynich …
Continue reading →
Spotted all over the London Underground in the last few days, these QR enabled adverts from Eastpak for their I Am The Bag campaign. Close Up of the QR Code YouTube Video The code immediately directs the user to YouTube to watch a video. Two Ways To Make The Campaign Better Use a smaller URL to create an easier to scan QR Code. Eastpak currently use http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1fBMmR103Q - they could drop the www to make it slightly smaller, or use "m." so people know they're…
Continue reading →
I am incredibly gratified to be in the running for Geek of the Year 2010. Thanks to The 405 for picking me as one of their favourites. You can check out the other entrants on Facebook - don't worry, you don't have to vote for me! You can also find GeekOfTheYearUK on Twitter. …
Continue reading →
Nick Burcher has done a great job detailing Lacoste's new QR code campaign. Being the curmudgeon that I am, I want to point out a couple of rather glaring flaws in its execution. Contrast See if you can scan in the code on this image. The image links to Nick's site if you want the full resolution version. I tried several different phones and scanners and wasn't able to get the code to scan. This is because QR codes are designed to be black and white. As I've explained before, most QR…
Continue reading →
I caught an interesting snippet over the weekend. With the latest Top 500 Super Computer list published, there has been lots of talk about whether Linpack is the best way to measure how powerful computers really are. This prompted Steve Wallach to say... "we could get 100,000 [Android phones], hooked up together, and we would have the world's fastest Linpack that no one could exceed for a long time." What a thought! Would it be possible to organise a flashmob - albeit a humongous one - to…
Continue reading →
I love being vegetarian. Don't get me wrong, there are some annoying aspects of having a restricted diet - but mostly it's plain sailing. I also love visiting food fairs - but recently it has felt like I've seen every vegetarian product under the sun. There doesn't seem to be much more innovation in veggie friendly food. This year, I went to the Good Food Show (well, MasterChef Live - but hardly anyone is there for the TV tie in) to see what was on offer. The usual range of meat…
Continue reading →
It looks like I've missed an anniversary! I've been blogging continuously for three years. I've also recently turned thirty-one - and it's got me thinking about the digital trail that I leave across the Internet. I started blogging nine years ago - but they were private blogs. Love letters to the woman who would eventually become my wife. I'm sure I hope I have them backed up somewhere. I know that all my emails from university and before are etched into CD-ROMs somewhere. But my trail…
Continue reading →
(eBuzzing have sponsored this post. Please let me know what you think about sponsored articles on this blog.) Android phones are now big business - even Woz seems to think they'll take over the world. Into the crowded arena steps the HTC Wildfire. I'm a huge fan of the HTC hardware - but I often feel that they ignore the customer service side of things. For too long they were silent on when their firmware releases were coming out - leaving VillainROM and Cyanogen to pick up the slack. …
Continue reading →
