Category
Gadgets
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03.07.08When is a fix not a fix?For some reason, my phone suddenly decided to stop sending text messages this morning. It seems to have forgotten the Orange Message Centre number. So I pop over to the orange site to find the number, and attempt to use the "fixing basic problems" menu to resolve it. It asks a series of questions, and after each provides two choices: Yes this has resolved the issue, or No it hasn't. Are you roaming? Do you have Line2 selected? Do you have enough signal strength? To each I answer "no, this hasn't resolved my issue" until I get to one which reads Have you checked the message centre ...
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12.13.07Dear SantaFor the avoidance of doubt, for Christmas/birthday/Festivus/Winterval/etc I would like: An Asus EEE PC 701 with optimal RAM etc A DAB Pure Evoke radio A Lomo LC-A Some stripy socks Some extra RAM for my iMac ...and that's it Geek, much?
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04.22.05i-PotThis is a fantastic idea: Technology in a teapot keeps watch on elderly:His electric kettle, an "i-pot" (for information pot), not only boils water for his instant miso soup and green tea, but it also records the times he pushes a button and dispenses the water. A wireless communication device at the bottom of the i-pot sends a signal to a server. Members of the service can see recent records of i-pot usage on a Web site. In addition, twice a day the server e-mails the most recent three usage times to a designated recipient.Presumably also works for people who ...
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09.16.02MysteryPhone rings. I answer."Hello?.... Hello? Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?"The sound of silence. But no, not quite silence. Quietly punctuated by faint laughter, the distant, distinct sound of Chef from South Park singing Chocolate Salty Balls.Someone must have sat on their phone, and dialled our number. This has happened before, and it's frustrating and mystifying because obviously you can't make a call (e.g. to 1471) until they hang up - and since the phone is probably wedged between the sofa cushions, there's not much chance of that.Ten minutes later, through careful, studied listening to the occasional muffled guffaw, P manages ...
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07.24.02Hit Any Key to ContinueWatching QVC (I'm ill, OK? I can be excused) I am stunned into silence at the demonstration of a PC keyboard which has all sorts of hot keys, allowing you to use your computer without resorting to drop-down menus, mouse clicks and other GUIs developed over the past twenty five years. No no, now, instead of merely pressing, say, ctrl+z to undo something, or using the edit>undo drop down menu, you can simply press the "undo" button. And to save a document, just press "save", or to switch between apps, press the "switch between apps" button. Is ctrl+s or alt+tab ...
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06.16.00Good griefOh my god. I just saw the best commerical I've seen in absolutely ages, reminding me exactly how much I love North American TV. This product has restored my faith single-handedly. It's a product I think Luke would really really appreciate, and I'm tempted to get it for him - except I doubt they ship this marvel of modern invention overseas. It would be excellent to have something to put on the mantlepiece next to the lovely Fabio - it's Boogie Bass. It sings! It dances! It tells jokes! And it's only $19.99! Mounted on a plaque, Boogie Bass has ...
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04.25.00GadgetryI used to have a boyfriend like this, years ago, when mobile phones and PDAs were newfangled and clunky and the size of bricks. His jacket used to weigh about 2 stone, I remember, and he always had to bring the whole kit with him, wherever we went, because there was no such thing as device convergence. At the time, I found it immensely irritating...now I'm a bit like that myself.....
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