event gadgets geeks london · 150 words
Geeks Of London kicked off the new year with a gadget meet up. It was great seeing so many weird and wonderful gadgets. I think it would have been a good idea to give everyone a 30 second slot to talk about what they'd brought to show off. As for me, I took along an iPad competitor from 2004, my MP4 watch, and my now ubiquitous video glasses - from which I recorded the highlights from the event. (more…) …
Continue reading →bing facejacker sponsored · 100 words
SPONSORED POST I love me a Segway! I only wish they were street legal in the UK. Anyway, Bing have paid me to say... Brian’s technological adventures lead him to a store in Los Angeles where he experiences the greatest invention of all time - the Segway. Now watch the video. If you're interested in sponsoring a blog post - get in touch. [polldaddy poll=4109872] …
Continue reading →le bel canto opera restaurant review · 300 words
For our third wedding anniversary, Liz and I went to an amazing restaurant - Le Bel Canto (warning: Flash site with auto-playing music). The waiting staff are all professional opera singers - they serve the food and they sing to you. And, wow they can sing. Take a listen to this AudioBoo. 🔊 More of le Bel Canto🎤 edent 💾 Download this audio file. The highlight of the evening was the communal sing-a-long - The Drinking Song from La Traviata. Thoughtfully, it included a complime…
Continue reading →oauth security twitter · 2 comments · 300 words
Why doesn't Twitter's OAuth let me specify the length of time a 3rd party has access to my account? Take a look at all the crap you've given access to your Twitter account. Are you ever going to use that "See how many of your friends like cheese" app again? No. Long time readers will know that I have some severe usability and security concerns with Twitter's OAuth implementation. See also my interview in The Register. Zach Holman has an entertaining and informative blog post about giving…
Continue reading →advertising apr asa badvertising loans mobile oft wonga · 7 comments · 500 words · read ~673 times.
I'll preface this by saying that Wonga's lawyers are far better than mine. Wonga, the payday loan company, has found itself in a bit of hot water recently. They've had an Advertising Standards Authority adjudication against one of their adverts and they have raised the ire of Stella Creasy MP over their sponsorship of the Tube on New Years. Even London's mayor has said people should be aware of the extortionate rates of interest that they can charge and people should not enter into…
Continue reading →#BCSsocial bcs · 18 comments · 750 words · read ~13,565 times.
I had the opportunity recently to interact with the British Computer Society (BCS). It reminded me strongly why I don't want to join them. Last night, I attended the BCS Event "Are You Social or Anti-Social?". (The fact that I can't link directly to the event should already show you the BCS's attitude to good web-keeping). Before I get on to the even itself, I'd like to go through a little history. Last year, the BCS found itself in a bit of a kerfuffle. It was trying to reorganise and…
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SPONSORED POST Brian Badonde, Facejacker’s eccentric art critic at large, has launched his new web-based series entitled "The Art of Technology." The series follows Brian Badonde in his quest to learn more about how technology can enrich his already extravagant life with the help of Bing. This week's episodes feature Badonde furthering his quest to harness the power of technology using Beautiful Bing. Along the way he gets to know a Bing engineer a little better and ventures across the pond t…
Continue reading →apathist atheist comedy review richard herring · 250 words
I'm not saying I'm a better blogger than Richard Herring. That's for other people to say... - Terence Eden Is Richard Herring the son of a god he doesn't believe in? He may not be the Messiah, but he is a very funny boy. For this long time apathist, none of His arguments were very new - the Bible is inconsistent, God is petty, etc. - but the sheer enthusiasm and obvious joy He brings drew huge laughs from the audience. The show is unremittingly funny - weaving skilfully between…
Continue reading →advertising badvertising mobile QR Codes qrstuff · 2 comments · 250 words · read ~393 times.
Another day in London - another sighting of a QR code! This time, on a poster for high-brow art-house flick The Mechanic. Quite close to the bottom of the poster - so low, I had to kneel to scan it - is a QR code. Scan it and it takes you a mobile friendly trailer on YouTube. Issues It wouldn't be a Terence Eden blog post if I didn't criticise the approach taken by the advertisers. QR code is far too low down - who wants to stoop to scan (other than nerds like me)? No call to…
Continue reading →bit.ly metro mobile newspaper QR Codes web · 4 comments · 600 words · read ~1,706 times.
Updated! 2011-01-11 20:00 - see the response from the Metro. The Metro is a London-based UK newspaper national newspaper which is distributed in 33 cities across the UK. Around a year ago, I reviewed the Metro's mobile website. It wass a perfectly fine mobile site and I'm pleased to see that over the last 12 months it has undergone substantial improvements. You can visit it at http://metro.mobi/ This morning, I spotted this prominent QR code - placed on page 2 of the paper. Photo by…
Continue reading →android mobile rant sony ericsson vodafone x10 xperia · 3 comments · 1,050 words · read ~779 times.
(Yes, the title is link bait.) Sony Ericsson have announced that their Xperia X10 range of Android handset won't be updated to the latest version of Android. They'll be stuck on Android 2.1 with no hope for any bug fixes. As I discussed last year in "The Future of Android - And How To Stop It" there is a fundamental tension between users, manufacturers, Mobile Networks, and Google when it comes to the Android Operating System. First up, a common misconception... Some Android Phones Are Too …
Continue reading →food rant travel vegetarian · 5 comments · 300 words · read ~876 times.
The life of a vegetarian isn't always an easy one. I'm aware that I'm lucky enough to live in a society which is broadly accepting of my dietary preferences - which is what makes it all the more annoying when a company which should know better cocks up. Twice. This has been sent to Virgin Atlantic's complaints team. Dear Sir, I realise that it's a standing joke to complain about the quality of airline food - but I wish to convey my distress at the vegetarian meals provided on the last two…
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