A Brief History of Killing the Headphone Jack


Is it the end-of-days for the humble headphone jack? As Apple prepare to remove it from their next iPhone - with Android manufacturers no-doubt following suit - I thought now would be a good time to look at the previous occasions when smartphone makers have tried to kill the headphone jack. This is a non-exhaustive […]

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TinTag - Unboxing and Review


A couple of months ago I was giving a talk in Romania - the organisers had set up a technology expo showing off some great local start-ups. One which caught my eye was TinTag. Tintag is pretty clever. BLE beacon but has built in Qi recharging. Very useful. https://t.co/wFjMRy6rlD#DevTalks pic.twitter.com/SJizDEW274 — Terence Eden is on […]

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PayPal doesn't care about 2FA security


Remember when PayPal was a cool new company dedicated to radically improving online payments? Seems like it was ages ago. Now PayPal is little better than then bloated banks it sought to overthrow. Arcane bureaucracy, impenetrable fees, and a lamentable approach to security. I was minded recently to switch on 2-Factor-Authentication (2FA) for all my […]

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Why do some WebP Images appear upside down?


A few years ago, Google introduced a new image format to the world - WebP. It purports to be a superior image format for the web but, like all new toys, it takes a little while for the bugs to be ironed out. I found a curious case where some WebP images are rendered upside […]

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The UK's Digital Driving Licence


I am an idiot. I am a Grade A+, certified, undeniable plonker. The man in the hire car office looked at me with barely concealed contempt. Fair, really. He'd asked for my Driver's Licence and I'd collapsed to my knees at the sudden realisation that the slim plastic card was 1,700 miles away from the […]

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Sci-Fi Holiday Reading


Book cover for The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. A young man holds up a recursive sign showing a picture of him holding a recursive sign.

I like to go on holiday in order to read books. After last year's post a few people expressed surprise that I hadn't included many female authors. I felt compelled to rectify that, so I decided to read only female authors this holiday. I only had 7 days, and did quite a lot of sight-seeing, […]

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What Is "Internet Use"?


A router with lots of fibre optic and ethernet cables plugged in.

A former advisor to the Prime Minister was recently convicted on charges of downloading indecent images of underage girls. I don't want to go into detail about whether or not his punishment is adequate, but I would like to talk about this curious remark made by the Judge during his sentencing: beginning today and lasting […]

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Facebook is lying to you about needing its messenger app


Like many people, I can't be bothered using Facebook's mobile app. I live my life in the browser and don't need a battery-hungry, always listening, contact stealing app notifying me every five minutes. I check Facebook Messages when I want. If it's urgent, there are many better ways to contact me than Messenger. Until recently, […]

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Review: Vallie - the on-demand car parking app


Parking in London is a pain in the arse. As I drive an electric car, I'm spared the cost of the Congestion Charge, but I still have to stalk the back-streets looking for an available parking bay - or pay through the nose for an NCP space and hope I can squeeze in between the […]

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