OK, here’s the task: I wanted to build a discreet music system to go in a room with a bookcase, using an old third-generation iPod from about 2004, whose battery had long since died but which worked perfectly sitting in its original dock. The challenge was to make use of two nice Gale speakers, which [...]

I’ve had my Apple iPad for 48 hours now, and here are a few observations on what’s happened so far. It’s extremely covetable. The only person outside of the family who’s seen it took about ten seconds to decide she wanted one. And she’s a completely IT-illiterate (but smart) mother of two, who wouldn’t know [...]

Stop Press: Full Panasonic SD 257 review – with video – now here. My online review of Panasonic’s SD255 breadmaker has been one of the most widely-read pages on this site for the past three years. Now the Japanese electronics outfit has introduced a couple of replacement models, and although I’ve yet to get my [...]

OK, bit the bullet and had my Virgin Media cable internet connection upgraded to 50Mb/sec. Quite painless, smart guy did the installation. That’s the result above. The only problem is that my Devolo dLan 200AV, which I’d used to connect the internet around the house, turns out to max out at around 20Mb/sec, which was [...]

So, it’s the iPad is it? Lots of potential. My predictions were at best average, but considering so many people are saying the device is “nothing more than everyone predicted”, I can’t find a commentator who accurately described it beforehand. I think there are a few problems. Note they show people watching video on it [...]

One of the most irritating things about Apple launches is that you can’t accuse the company of “overhyping” them, because they do nothing of the sort. They just sit back and watch people work themselves up into a sense of excitability precisely because they haven’t hyped up the announcement. One thing I will say though: [...]

In a Cherry Hinton Blues exclusive, I can reveal full details of the new Apple “tablet” computer which has completely occupied the tech media for the past few months. To be launched next week at one of those Apple presentations where, halfway through, Steve Jobs pretends to have an afterthought and says “…one more thing…”, [...]

Took my Panasonic GH1 and new tripod over to the park yesterday afternoon and shot an hour or so of people in the snow. It was cold. There are a few rather over-long panning shots, for which I apologise, but I wanted to see how smooth the tripod could pan horizontally and – as you’ll [...]

Ever had this irritating message when you click “All Items”? Here’s the fix. 1. Add an “s” after “http” in the URL, so it reads: “https:// www.google.com/ reader/ view/ #stream/ user%2 …etc…” 2. Er… 3. That’s it. And that’s all for this public service announcement.

Google seems to have decided it doesn’t want the money from many people using AdWords to drive traffic to thin affiliate sites, which it’s already been penalising out of its organic results for several years. The move became clear on Friday 25 September 2009, as noted here, when AdWords advertisers were sent the following abrupt [...]