When a phone's web browser visits your site, how can you tell what capabilities that phone has? How can you work out its screensize, whether it can play mp3s, or know if it supports a particular bit of JavaScript? It ought to be possible using a mixture of UAProf, accept headers, and media queries. But it's not. The data are inconsistent and unreliable. Out of this frustration, a number of…
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An amusing mistake spotted by my wife on her way to work. SouthWest Trains are trying to promote their Twitter service - @SW_Trains - via their LED message boards. Looks like the displays don't understand the underscore character. I wonder if anyone tested this before it went live? You can watch the full video …
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The TSA have come under fire for many things. Most recently, Fred Trotter has called them out for using a "dummy" QR code which leads to a page the TSA don't control. An astonishingly lax approach to QR use. Last year, I noticed this QR code as I passed through San Francisco Airport. The code goes to a TSA site (albeit non-mobile), which is odd, as the TSA do have a capable mobile site. What…
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Terence Eden specialises in helping organisations craft amazing QR campaigns. Contact Terence for a consultation Wander around the London Underground and you're likely to see safety posters from the British Transport Police (BTP). This is the first one that I've seen with a QR code on it. It's a fairly good poster. A good call to action, a URL in case your phone can't read QR codes, and the…
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(These notes are mostly for my own benefit). Android is moving away from USB Mass Storage. You will no longer be able to plug in a USB cable and have your Android show up as a USB disk. There are some good technical reasons for this, but it is a pain if you want to copy some files to your phone. The new system - MTP - isn't automagically detected in Ubuntu. This is something which is likely…
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I'm watching all of Woody Allen's films in chronological order. Set in Paris, a struggling writer on the brink of a loveless marriage seeks solace in the city's many nocturnal delights. Featuring a suicidal young woman, a cameo by Toulouse-Lautrec, and some delightful shots of Paris and its surrounding countryside. Is this Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris"? No, it's his 1965 film "What's New…
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You know what I love about the streets of London? The pavements are so clean. Many is the time I crawl around on my hands and knees - rubbing my trousers into the walkways of my beloved city. Hardly anyone kicks me up the arse, either. You feel the same way too, don't you? What? You don't? But... but.... What else could explain the advertising industry's love of putting QR codes as close to…
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I'm in love with my keyboard! The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 is a dream to type on. Large, well spaced keys, split keyboard, and a whole host of extra media buttons. There's only one tiny problem. Two of the buttons don't work in Linux - specifically, the keyboard scroll buttons. This is a long standing bug in Linux, but luckily it is fairly easy to fix. Using Florian Diesch's…
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I'm watching all of Woody Allen's films in chronological order. I'll confess, I tried watching What's Up Tiger Lilly a few years ago. I didn't get more than 40 minutes into it before switching it off in a mixture of boredom and disgust. I'm not sure who first came up with the idea of revoicing a movie - making snarky comments about the action on screen - but this is one of the most influential…
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As I watched Woody Allen's latest film - Midnight in Paris - I realised that there are so many films of his that I haven't seen. So, I have a brand new resolution for 2012. Watch every single film Woody Allen has made. In chronological order. Posting reviews on this blog. Woody has made over 40 films - so I'll be aiming to watch one per week over the next year. I'll be…
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I've never been a fan of Microsoft's proprietary 2D barcode system. With the latest news that their tag reader and creator will support QR codes, it looks like the writing is on the wall for the multi-coloured blobs. Further evidence of this can be found on Microsoft's latest XBox poster which contains a rather prominent QR code. Here it is in more detail. When scanned, it goes to a Google …
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(After Ben Metcalfe's post on the the vb.ly sage). As a mobile Internet consultant, companies often ask me which QR generator to use. There are many worth considering, but I always tell clients to avoid bit.ly. The security of Libya Internet organisations are probably not an immediate concern (you did know that's what .ly stands for, right?). What is worrying is how bit.ly exposes your QR…
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