Hurrah! Spotify have released a native Linux player which works with free accounts! These notes show (which are mostly for my benefit) show you how to install it and configure your multimedia keyboard so the play/pause key controls the music on Spotify. Download Spotify for Linux. It's available in 32bit or 64bit. Double click on the .deb that has been downloaded and it should install. Nice…
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After the disaster that was my experience with the Nokia Lumia and the rather underwhelming time I had with the BlackBerry Torch, I've been thinking a lot about what my perfect phone would be. I think I've found it... My Photoshop skills are legendary! Here are the things that I want - no one platform covers them all, so I've nicked the best bits from each. Blackberry Here's what…
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I was tweeted an interesting link the other day - We Don't Make Demands. They have a set of posters for the "Occupy Movement" which incorporate QRpedia codes. These posters were designed by participants at the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City. They are in the public domain. You are welcome to print them out and post them in your own location. See all the posters. I love this use…
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It was the best of phones - it was the worst of phones... I want to start this review by saying three things: I got this phone for free - thanks Nokia! I'm an extremely demanding mobile user. I recognise that I am an edge-case; what I find annoying, you may not. I've tried to stick to actual bugs, not just "it does things differently." Sergeant Elop's Lonely Phone Club Imagine, …
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QR-jacking is the act of covering up a QR code and replacing it with an alternative - often malicious - code. Your carefully crafted code could be replaced by one which... Points to a rival's site. Calls a premium rate phone number. Redirects the user to a site which EXPOSES THE TRUTH BEHIND... Goes to a non-legitimate site which asks for credit card / personal details. …
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You are traffic Yes, it's a marketing slogan, but I think it illustrates the way we think of ourselves. Each of us is the star of our own show. However empathetic we are, we only see through our eyes. As the world hits 7 billion people, it's time to realise that there is not "an over-population problem". Rather, "we are an over-population problem!" Each of us is contributing to…
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Stephen Fry has recently recorded a BBC podcast about the history of the mobile phone. It's a really great series, and I encourage you to listen to it. At one point in episode 4, Stephen sings the Nokia ringtone. So, here it is for your edification, and delight. 🔊 Stephen Fry sings the Nokia Ringtone🎤 edent 💾 Download this audio file. Feel free to set it as your iPhone's ringtone :…
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To whoever is responsible for this QR code marketing monstrosity: go home. Seriously, pack up the tools of your trade, go home, pour yourself a stiff drink, and weep at what you have done. The Poster Here's a fun game for all the family! Play "spot the QR code" on this poster... Bzzzzzt! Time's up! Did ya see it? What? No! How could that be? Let's zoom in... There! Right beside the…
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This is a question I've posed in the Ubuntu forums, but I haven't found the answer yet. I've got a great little IP security camera - the Y-Cam. It's Internet accessible, so it can email me photos of any suspicious behaviour. It will also stream video and audio to a number of devices - including mobiles. Under Linux, it's very easy to get the video and audio via mplayer. mplayer…
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This blog post is designed to foster a technical and logistical discussion. In much the same way as the earlier QRpedia language discussion did. One of the most requested features in QRpedia is to have custom URLs. For example, the British Museum may want a URL of "bm.qrwp.org". This has two main advantages. Better analytics. Although the British Museum is the only place likely to have…
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When you create a QR code which contains a URL, it is vital that the code is not only as small as possible, but also as user friendly as possible. I'm not a massive fan of short URL services like bit.ly - but for shrinking the text you want to fit in a QR code, they are invaluable. I want to take a look at a particularly interesting example from Nat West Bank. The Poster Despite having the QR …
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Back when I worked for them, I was (partly) responsible for some of Vodafone UK's "Content Control" systems. I didn't like the system then, and I don't like them now. I understand the need that network operators have to protect themselves from bad headlines and give people some control over what they see online. What I dislike is the way it has been implemented. On trying to access Untappd on …
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