Before I get started, yes, I admit it. I am quite a Microsoft fanboy. Apart from Internet Explorer, of course. But for me to put pen to paper and sing their praises publicly means that I really like something. Last night, I created a user account on my Windows 8 machine for my daughter. “Is this account… Continue reading Microsoft Family Safety on Windows 8
Category: General Computing
Review of Pimoroni’s Pibow Timber
I got myself a Raspberry Pi last Spring, played with it a bit, and then put it away back in its packaging, in a drawer, where it has languished ever since. I think the problem was that as it’s a bare board, it’s not really practical to leave it out. So, last week, I decided to get… Continue reading Review of Pimoroni’s Pibow Timber
Why Diaspora is so Important to Social Networking
I’m a huge fan of social networking, and post regularly on Facebook, and on Twitter under the handle @yeurch. I think Facebook is a great tool for keeping up to date with people I know (or knew) in real life, while I find Twitter invaluable in finding out what’s new and innovative in software development.… Continue reading Why Diaspora is so Important to Social Networking
Using URL Rewrite in IIS7 to have all Requests Handled by a Script
In my post last year about setting up Mercurial on IIS, I left it as an exercise for the reader to allow it so that index.py could be left out of the URLs. As an example, we want to be able to write http://myserver/myrepo instead of http://myserver/index.py/myrepo. Enter URL Rewrite! The easiest way to get… Continue reading Using URL Rewrite in IIS7 to have all Requests Handled by a Script
Estimating Effort
A few years ago, a former manager of mine taught me a valuable lesson about estimating the time it will take to complete a task in order to best meet expectations. Having done a significant amount of estimation recently, it brought the thought to the forefront of my mind. The tl;dr version is: Guess how… Continue reading Estimating Effort
I’m British – SOPA Doesn’t Affect Me, Right?
Wrong! The wording of the proposed SOPA legislation means that a huge number of websites can be classed as “facilitating the commission of copyright infringement”. For example: A blog which allows users to post comments An e-commerce site which allows shoppers to leave reviews Any other site which allows Internet users to upload content which… Continue reading I’m British – SOPA Doesn’t Affect Me, Right?
Steve Jobs, 1955-2011
Yesterday, the world lost a great visionary in Steve Jobs, who is synonymous with the Apple brand he co-founded. While reading reports of his death, I came across this great quote of his which I thought I’d share: No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die… Continue reading Steve Jobs, 1955-2011
Giving Something Back – Contributing to Open Source
For years and years, I’ve used open source applications and libraries. The more I used, the more I felt guilty for taking advantage of other people’s hard work. I’m not sure I’m alone in feeling that, but for years I’ve wanted to give something back, and for some reason, never got round to it. I… Continue reading Giving Something Back – Contributing to Open Source
A Review of Google+
Since the launch of [Google+][1] last month, I’ve seen quite a few blog posts about whether Google+ has anything new to offer in the social media space, or indeed whether it will even _survive_. I thought I could maybe add my tuppenceworth for good measure. When I first heard about Google+, I couldn’t wait to… Continue reading A Review of Google+
Why Does IE9 Installation Need Me To Close So Much Stuff?
We’re now supposed to believe that Internet Explorer is no longer baked into the Windows operating system. So, why is it when I upgrade to IE9 via Windows Update, that it needs me to close so much stuff. The list is incredible: Adobe Reader and Acrobat Manager Google Chrome GrooveMonitor Utility iTunesHelper Java Update Scheduler… Continue reading Why Does IE9 Installation Need Me To Close So Much Stuff?