I've been a big fan of Ovo Energy since switching to them last year. They email me a PDF statement, pay me 3% interest on any overpayments, and have their call centre waiting times displayed prominently on their homepage. So, when they announced their new app, I was expecting something a little bit special. And that's exactly what I've got. An automatic torch to help you when you're rooting…
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Wandering down my suburban street this morning, I noticed a manhole cover, with the initials G.P.O. carved into it. The General Post Office was the UK communications monopoly. Created by King Charles I in 1660, it remained a fixture of British life until it was abolished a mere 309 years later. The GPO ceased to exist in 1969. And yet, 44 years later, its brand remains seared on the flesh of…
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I hate the iPhone. Always have, probably always will. However, as a geek in the mobile industry, I have to try the full gamut of devices. So, this weekend, for testing purposes, I've been lumbered with an iPhone 4S. My aesthete friends are always complaining about how cobbled together Android is. Because there is no overall owner, the UI is full of unintuitive quirks. That's a fair…
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There's a nasty WordPress hack doing the rounds at the moment. Essentially, it looks for WordPress blogs and then tries to log in to them using common username / password combinations. If you're still using "admin" and "secret" - now is the time to change them! I've started using Better WP Security on my blogs. It automatically takes care of securing WordPress against the most common forms of …
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The only jewellery it seems acceptable for a modern man to wear is a discreet wedding ring, and a corporate necklace. I've long since given up wearing a tie - why trust a man who voluntarily wraps a noose around his neck? - but as a sop to modern work-wear I have a security badge dangling from a lanyard. The lanyards that work hands out are unspeakably corporate - and the ones I've picket up at …
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(Praying to Betteridge!) For the last few years, I've been using ergonomic computer input products such as the Microsoft 4000 keyboard and the Evoluent Vertical Mouse. I spend a lot of time on my computer - and I know how crippling the pain of RSI can be - especially for someone who relies on their laptop to earn a living. Recently, I've added a new tool - Oneko! Oneko is a little cat who…
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Like many people, I've collected a fair number of CDs over the years. As hard-drives and MicroSD cards have got larger and cheaper, I've gradually been ripping them to FLAC. Most CD rippers automatically tag the music files with the correct metadata and, nowadays, they will also download and embed album artwork as well. (As an aside, it always boggled my mind that CDs don't come with metadata…
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More bad news for Android owners. A huge Russian malware operation is infecting Android apps in the the Google Play Store. The malware - hopefully now removed - hijacks your personal details, and sends premium rate text messages to drive profits for its owners. Nasty. This is the price we pay for Android's open access policy. iPhone users can smirk all they want - but I like being able to…
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Media Discovery (New Web Ltd) is encouraging blogs to run paid for advertorials, without disclosing to their readership that the content is an advert. This appears to be in breach of the advertising industry's code of practice. Anyone who has ever run a blog is probably familiar with these sorts of email - I get one or two a week. Hi Terence, I recently sent you an email about hosting an…
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One of the "perks" of running a moderately popular blog is that sometimes people send you stuff. I've been sent wine, phones, apps, and all sorts to review - usually by PR people who realise that engagement with bloggers is a little different that their regular way of doing business. Yesterday, I received this delightful email from the publishers Simon and Schuster. NEW book by the "Prophet of …
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I've talked before about advertising hoardings with combined NFC & QR codes. It looks like Clear Channel - the advertising behemoth - is getting into the game. Spotted all over London are these bus stops with built in advertising poster. Look on the right hand side, and you'll see the interactive element. It's pretty well designed, although the disclaimer "standard network rates apply"…
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In 2010 I wrote a blog post called "Why Aren't Terrorists Bombing the Queues?" - but I chickened out of publishing it. Bombing a plane is hard, you have to buy a ticket, get past airport security, detonate it at just the right time, etc. By comparison, anyone can walk into a busy airport - say during the school holidays - wait for the shear number of people to build up, and then... But it…
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