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…
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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…
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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?…
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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…
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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 …
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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…
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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…
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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 Octo…
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Rather than wait until the end of the December, I like to use my birthday to reflect on how the year has been. This has been a very weird year. I mean, even aside from all the news, it was just an absolute mess of a year. I ended 2015 by unexpectedly winning tickets to the Star Wars premiere! That day in December was, basically, the high point of 2016... I started off the year with an amazing …
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If you have a TingTag, your location is being broadcast without encryption! Earlier this year I purchased and reviewed the TinTag. I've spent the last month trying to get hold of the company to report a serious privacy problem with their Android app. I've not received an adequate response, so I'm publishing this post to let affected users know about the issue. The TinTag is a BLE tracker. …
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Off the back of my ThingMonk talk I was invited on to BBC Radio 4's PM programme to talk about the Internet of Things in the home. Listen to me on BBC Radio 4 - about 47 minutes in 🔊 💾 Download this audio file. Want me on your show or podcast? Give me a call! You can read more about my IoT adventures, including: Singing to my lightbulbs. Hacking my vacuum cleaner. Hacking my elect…
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Moribund train company Great Western Rail currently have a two month backlog of complaints. I think that this breaches their agreement with the Office of Rail and Road. In an ideal world GWR would be forced to improve, or be stripped of their franchise. I've spent an utterly miserable month commuting between Oxford and London on GWR's over-crowded and decrepit trains. I was delayed around 21…
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