Last week I reviewed the Chipolo Plus. It's a small Bluetooth beacon which you can use as an item tracker - attach it to your keys or wallet and know where they are at all times. As I said in the review, the only downside is that it has a non-replaceable battery. I'm not sure I want to buy one for £20 and then throw it away after 12 months of use. A few of you asked how tightly sealed the unit is - so I'm going to take one apart and show you its guts! Warning! Opening your Chipolo will …
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I've long been a fan of the Opera Mobile browser. I used it back in my Nokia Symbian and Blackberry days - it was simply the best browser for those limited devices. I've carried on using it on my Android devices due to its superior text handling. Last week I was scrolling through my bookmarks, when I found a curious addition - "Breaking News". I didn't remember adding that bookmark. I suppose I might have done it by mistake...? Let's take a look at where it goes. Oh. An advert. Shoved …
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Just me scratching my own itch. I want to create an RSS feed of all the blog posts which I'd published on this day in the past. For example, if today is 21st of November 2016 then this plugin will show blog posts written on 2015-11-21 2014-11-21 2013-11-21 And so on. You can view a demo at https://shkspr.mobi/blog/on-this-day/ Code The code is pretty simple. The WordPress API is fairly easy to get on with. /* Plugin Name: OnThisDay Description: RSS feed of posts which occurred on…
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AMP is Google's attempt to re-fight the transcoding wars of the early 2000s. It is actively dangerous to the web ecosystem, helps disseminate propaganda, and is disliked by many users. If, like me, you made the mistake of trying out AMP on your website - you're in a tricky position if you try to remove it. Google doesn't like anything leaving its clutches. After a few weeks of AMP, I decided that it wasn't suitable for me. So I uninstalled the WordPress plugin. That's when the problems…
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It's nearly Christmas! That means Secret Santa time at work, and the need for little stocking-filler gifts. But where can you find such cheap treats? Aha! I have created a service just for you! https://fiverfun.tumblr.com/ is my new(ish) project. It scours Amazon for the best and/or weirdest things for under a fiver! At the moment the site posts updates 3 times per day - and you can also follow it on Twitter. It has been fascinating to see what people buy - as part of Amazon's affiliate…
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I was contacted by a Google recruiter the other day - and I turned them down without a second thought. Part of the reason is that I'm happy in my current role (hi boss!) - and another part is that last year Google deleted me. But perhaps the biggest reason is Google's awful reputation when it comes to hiring. Google's attitude seems to be similar to that of a top-flight university. It knows it only wants the best-of-breed and is acutely aware that there are thousands of qualified people…
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For many years, my email footer said "Sent via my Casio cPhone" - my attempt to poke fun at the users who hadn't updated their iPhone's default email signature. This leads to an interesting question: Marc Blank-Settle @bbcmarc on Threads@MarcSettleIs there an easy way to see what device an email is sent from? If I type the attached on an email on my PC, can the truth be shown easily? pic.x.com/i8impwkxlo❤️ 1💬 3🔁 014:44 - Wed 26 October 2016 Because 2016 is maximum news, I'm sure there are som…
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There are rarely new ideas in cryptography - and I doubt this idea is particularly innovative - but I thought it would be worth discussing. When I want to log in to a system on the web, I have to send that system my password. It is (one hopes) encrypted in transmission, but once it arrives at the server there is a brief window where the server holds my password in plaintext. It then hashes it and compares it to the hashed value it has stored in its database. A malicious party could…
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After hearing my interview on Radio 4, the Jeremy Vine show asked me to talk about my smart home tech for Radio 2. BBC Radio 2 @BBCRadio2 BBC We discuss controlling all the devices in your home with your mobile phone. #r2vine pic.x.com/O9hx7aTFpp ❤️ 6 💬 8 🔁 0 …
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Earlier this year, I reviewed the Chipolo Bluetooth Tracker. It's a small fob which you can attach to your keys & bag, stuff in a wallet, or slip in a pocket. Push a button on your phone and, if the Chipolo is within 60 metres, it starts beeping loudly. Six months is a long time in technology, and Chipolo have just released the Chipolo Plus. They've sent me one for free to review. Set your bias filters accordingly! Cost The Plus is £20 each - or £62 for a pack of 4. They come in a v…
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Scene: An airport. A few years from now. "I'm sorry sir, we can't let you on the flight until you visit the rest-room." I'll admit that it caught me off-guard. Surely the woman at the airline gate was joking? "Sir, two of the plane's toilets are out-of-order. At this time we're requesting all passengers void themselves before entry." "Look, I'm a grown man. I've been responsible for my own piss for several years now. Pretty sure I'll be fine." She gave me a sceptical look and prodded her…
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This is a lazy way of making a collage of Tweets. I was originally going to use this method: Terence Eden is on Mastodon@edentReplying to @6byNine@6byNine it is all I've got so far!❤️ 1💬 0🔁 019:11 - Sat 29 October 2016Mike@6byNineReplying to @edent@edent No idea about getting urls, but this may or may not be useful (cmd is also in image alt-text) pic.x.com/jh3yh4yki0❤️ 4💬 2🔁 020:01 - Sat 29 October 2016 but, sadly, gnome-web-photo crashed repeatedly when I tried to use it. It is a typically u…
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