By @edent · adverts android NaBloPoMo opera · 2 comments · 300 words · read ~792 times.
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, […]
Continue reading →By @edent · IoT nest wifi · 2 comments · 250 words · read ~365 times.
I never tire of telling people how bad my Nest Protect smoke alarm is. It is a buggy box which requires magic batteries and doesn't support some of its advertised features. Still, I've drilled it on to my ceiling now, so have to put up with it. This morning, I glanced bleary-eyed at my phone. […]
Continue reading →By @edent · facebook spam · 200 words · read ~4,468 times.
Like a lot of you, my Facebook feed often fills up with dodgy adverts for discount sunglasses. In this case, Mark's account has been hacked and the spammers are tagging lots of his friends. The post then shows up on my feed as "look what your friend is up to!" Annoying. So, here's how to […]
Continue reading →By @edent · android emoji google spam · 5 comments · 550 words · read ~9,202 times.
What could be worse than email spam? Animated gifs in the subject line of email spam! This is a trend I've recently started to see on Gmail - here's what it looks like and how it works. So, what's going on here? How have they got an animated image into the subject line? Here's the […]
Continue reading →By @edent · Amazon badvertising mobile NaBloPoMo · 1 comment · 350 words
The Internet Movie Database is one of the most venerable sites on the Web. It was founded by a British programmer in 1990 as a collection of Usenet posts (kids, ask your parents). By 1993 it was on the nascent World Wide Web - and was hosted out of Cardiff University in Wales. IMDb was […]
Continue reading →By @edent · facebook spam · 1 comment · 400 words · read ~1,177 times.
I got into an argument with a friend a few weeks ago. I was complaining that I really didn't like the spam that Facebook shoves into my newsfeed. His argument was - and I paraphrase... I don't mind the occasional advert - between the Farmville notifications and "inspirational" quotes, I barely notice them. For me, […]
Continue reading →By @edent · asa Social Media spam · 350 words
Earlier this year, I received an offer from a sleazy marketing company to place adverts on this blog - on the express understanding that they were not identified as sponsored posts. I reported the company - Media Discovery - to the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) who, after a perfunctory investigation, decided not to prosecute. They […]
Continue reading →By @edent · advert coral sms spam · 1 comment · 850 words · read ~3,565 times.
I don't like spam. I'm very careful always to tick the "do not pass my details on to 3rd parties" box on forms. So, when I do get SMS spam, I like to know who has been flouting the rules. See my previous investigation. A few weeks ago, I received this rather annoying message: I'm […]
Continue reading →By @edent · advertising badvertising coca cola coke NaBloPoMo · 1 comment · 150 words · read ~366 times.
I've been taking a look at how big brands try to buy their way in to social spaces online. I'm not talking about ephemeral advertising on the side of the screen, I mean "sponsored posts". It strikes me that large companies simply don't realise that buying your way into a conversation is an admission of […]
Continue reading →By @edent · advertising crash linux NaBloPoMo windows · 36 comments · 250 words · read ~38,801 times.
As I was exiting Oxford Railway Station, I glanced at this screen showing the bus departure times. Notice anything odd about it? sigh Yet again someone has shoehorned Microsoft Windows into a product it is completely unsuitable for. Why does a screen which displays a fairly basic set of information need to be running on […]
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