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… the worst thing that could possibly happen to me, poor health of family, friends and self aside.

The loss of internet access. Argh!

Such an inconvenience is much forgotten. It’s certainly not something I have ’suffered’ with any regularity across the last few years (although I do recall the days of Dial-Up and the excruiciatingly slow speeds and endless lost documents when the phone suddenly rang and everything got wiped *shudder*)

Yet the loss of internet access is precisely what has happened this last 24 – 36hrs.
Of course, I am going to swear blind it wasn’t my fault – that in the payment method transition I, of course, did everything perfectly and that big multinational corporation I pay silly amounts of money to balls’ed it all up – and then not only stiffed me with charges equivalent to a further 50% of the bill but also suspended my service.
Take the first initial of the name William, add an Anchor and the last letter of the word “Idiots!!” and you’ve my view on the matter.
Then, of course, I had the joy of calling their out-sourced call centre – at an extortionate rate per minute, might I add (these centres save money for who?!) and speaking with a charming young lady who not only didn’t understand me but her repetitive “I’m sorry, Miss Hamilton.” had the distinct tone of someone who didn’t understand the meaning of the words being spoken and wasn’t in the slightest bit sorry, if even alive.

Anyway, *deep calming breaths* internet access is now restored but rather than write about something wonderfully fascinating, I needed to rant.

Adds Bluetooth dongle to shopping list and reminds self how to link mobile phone 3G to laptop.

For some inexplicable reason every time I write “Entertainment” Robbie Williams song springs into my mind. I’m not sure that’s such a good thing!

valentine Each month we change the Seasonal Focus on TTB. In fairness perhaps I should call it “Monthly Focus” but not all of our themes run just for a month.
The themes don’t just appear on the screen either and sometimes need careful consideration, especially when we are approached by an event or a specific product who want to negotiate the theme subject.
This month however, not completely forgetting the 14th Feb (St Valentines Day – to clarify just in case you have forgotten. You wouldn’t, would you? No, seriously? Love it or loathe it, it comes round as regular as a year passing by … ) I had pretty much free reign over the subject.

Moments like this are so much fun because as I think about what I want the theme to focus on, in reality I have no idea what gadgets we might or might not see and test. It’s like a little mini-Xmas :-)

In the meantime however the team and I need to get our skates on  and complete our reviews on various amazing (and not so amazing) Health & Fitness gadgets we’ve had chance to get our paws on… :-D

Doughnut, anyone?

Geeky about pens?

Geekiness and gadget-fiendishness comes in many forms – probably as many as genres of gadgets themselves, easily. Aside from electronic gadgetry, I am also a fan of what I call peripherals - pens, notebooks, bags etc. What fun!

Muji 6-in1 Pen

Muji 6-in1 Pen

So, if you share this passion in any which way, you can imagine my delight when forcing myself to go for a much needed walk the other day in sub zero temperatures, I detoured into Muji and found two fabulous pens. They are the ’six-in-one’ multi-colour ink pens. One with standard colours pretty much and the other one with pastel shaded inks and a pencil lead.

Bugger the recession; I had to have them! :-) I returned to the office, the cold nigh forgotten and whilst winter was all around me a near spring in my step. How I enjoyed making notes that afternoon. I ‘mindmapped’ half my career in a wonderful array of colours.

Such was my delight that when I went to work this morning and left them in a jacket at home, my colleagues nodded sympathetically at my sad sigh.

Thank goodness for blogs – it has reminded me to pop them back into the gadget bag ;-)

MUJI

To some of us, the following might indeed be a standard part of our vocabulary and for others it can be one confusing and even somewhat stressful area of ignorance.

In my life revolving around gadgets, there are a set standard number and type of questions I am asked. They vary a little as technology moves forward but day to day it’s pretty easy to guess what the questions will be: -

“Can I review sex toys for you, please” is a definite and consistent number one.

“Is the Storm or the iPhone better?” this has recently slipped in at number two.

“What’s Wi-Fi / 3G / Ethernet / Dongle?” (Delete as appropriate) remains stoically at number three.

Whilst perhaps the answers to one and two are slightly more interesting, understanding the answers to Question number three is perhaps more rewarding long term…

All of them – Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 3G and Dongle – relate to different ways you can connect your netbook, laptop or home computer to the internet.

Of course I want to start with explaining a Dongle. It has to be one of the daftest names ever given to a piece of peripheral computer equipment and I still enjoy using the word in polite if unaware company. As often as possible :-D

Hopefully you know by now what a USB stick is. A Dongle looks very similar. In fact a Dongle is often mistaken for a fat flashing USB stick. Like a USB stick, you pop it into a USB port on your chosen device (netbook, laptop etc) and as long as you are in a 3G area, voila your system will connect to the internet.
That wasn’t so hard was it?
One thing to watch out for though. Dongles are often sold in packages which dictate how many Gigabytes of information you can send and receive each month. Check the small print and be as careful as possible in your judgement. More so if you’re buying a Dongle on contract for 12, 18, 24 months – how will your usage be different two years from now? …

Ok, so I mentioned 3G when I wrote about the Dongle above. What the hell is 3G and why is everyone raving about it? Frankly, I don’t really understand 3G myself! What I do know is that certain 3G providers like to big up that 70%+ of the country is covered by 3G, enabling internet access. They obviously just forgot to cover every other step down Oxford Street, Central fricking London… >:-| Numpties.
That mini rant aside, 3G really is quite good in its general application – a majority of mobile phones use 3G now to connect to the internet. Laptops and netbooks can now do the same – either via a built-in 3G system (pop in your SIM and off you go) or by … buying and plugging in a Dongle ;-)
The advantage here is that you don’t have to sniffle around for Wi-Fi hotspots if you’re on the move with your system.

Wi-Fi. Love it in the house but it can rack off when ‘on the go’. Wi-Fi can be purchased from a long and prestigious list of broadband providers (and just try asking around to find out which one is the best – oh the horror stories you’ll hear!! :-) ) Wi-Fi and broadband are two very personal things – it’s a bit like the modern day version of discussing politics or religion when you ask a group “What broadband / Wi-Fi should I get?:-D
My mischief aside, Wi-Fi can be used outside the house but it can be a bit confusing at first as you need to find a shop, a park or a coffee bar that is a Wi-Fi HotSpot – and they’re not all free, either.
Running the risk of upsetting the Wi-Fi fans out there, I am not one and frankly can’t much be bothered to write anymore about it. It’s wire-less (no cables), generally available where you have to buy something else (like a coffee) and a fidgety dang nuisance (in my opinion. I do like being uncensored here!)

Which brings us last and quite probably least to Ethernet. That’s pretty much as snazzy by-word these days for Broadband. You’ll need a telephone line and a cable. Pop the cable into your phone line (when you’ve bought the appropriate package from your chosen broadband provider – oh, and they usually provide the cable) and the other end into your computer. Fast, simple, minimum fuss and completely useless if you like being on the move, as I do.

And there is a not brilliant but hopefully sufficient overview of four different types of connectivity available for your device. My one overriding piece of advice about them all? Read the small print – don’t just scan it but read it. Note down the facts and figures that concern you, work it through and only sign up for something when you feel you understand the contract. The contract for anything these days seems to cause as much of a fuss as a stolen dongle, defunct internal 3G, pricey Wi-Fi and static broadband ;-)

Snail mail, anyone?

I say ‘introducing’ but sadly Shed and I have yet to get together for coffee (I was under the weather last time and had to bail, short notice)

Gay or Straight, mate?

Gay or Straight, mate?

Shed – yes, really, everyone calls him that as no doubt the Queen will when she knights him – is a (if not The) Ideas Man and by goodness, he’s not lacking in those!

Whether you’ve heard of Shed or not, chances are you’ve seen or perhaps even purchased one of his gadgets at some point.
Pre-Christmas I stood in the basement of Selfridges and allowed myself an almost proud smile as I watched two Chinese gentlemen point and giggle over Sheds Gaydar Keyring. I have one in my top drawer and sure enough, if I leave it out every Tom, Dick and Harry picks it up and presses it, pointing it at someone else and awaits the response. The results of which generate either a laugh or quite an interesting discussion (usually amid considerable ribbing too)

As a general rule, most of Sheds creations to date have an element of crudity or sexual innuendo to them so his gadgets may not suit all. However, the man is such a prolific ideas generator that I suspect it won’t be too long before he does something as simple and successful as either the paperclip or cocktail umbrella.

In the meantime, you might want to check out the website where you can find the “Hide your Identity Glasses“, “Control-a-Boss” remote control, Cock-a-Doodle pad and the ever popular “Flying F*ck“: The Ideas Man – Shed Simove

I, in the meantime, need to go and call the man himself and arrange for that coffee! (I might just ask for an autograph whilst I’m there too ;-) )

… a member of my team – and perhaps yourself too.

Very Cool

Very Cool

One of the women on the team has the most dreadful short-term memory. She knows this, recognises it and works to counter and compensate for it constantly.

One of the ‘back-ups’ she uses is that when she wants to remember something she pulls out her mobile phone and punches in a draft text (or if the phone allows, a note).
Wonderful.
Until she forgets to check the phone…

I think Jotterbot however was designed with her in mind.

One thing this team member seldom forgets to do is check her email. With Jotterbot, she can now punch in a text to herself, press send and voila, it springs into her Email InBox and waits patiently to be read. The cost of this service? A standard text charge and nothing more.

Pure simple genius.

Another pretty swizzy idea from Zygo – and a big thank you from us.

The title was indeed my first thought. In fact when I was first made aware of Q4’s technology and how it was visually presented, I was not endeared to the idea. At all.

I must have been having momentary sense of humour failure because now that I know a little more, the idea rocks.

See the photo below: -

Glad to see you; to see you, glad.

Glad to see you; to see you, glad.

Now, imagine kiddie winks being presented with one of these Robots and told they can make them dance beautifully, seemlessly, even in perfect unison. Can you imagine what several of these robots dancing in unison to a glorious piece of classical music might inspire in a young heart? A blossoming sense of achievement; a sense of ‘coolness’; a sense of ‘what can I do next?’ as their creativity is either sparked or enhanced.
Beautiful.

One of the things my own generation suffer from presently is a distinct case of technology advancing faster than we can keep up. Do you know what OLED is yet? (It’s the latest in TV and will no doubt be a house-hold term by the end of 2009)
However, the technology to encourage children from school age upwards to approach technology, to play with it, to learn and grow with it is being unveiled by Q4 tomorrow at BETT Educational Show and will be available generally on Wednesday.

Robots in drag?
Damn good idea.

Gadget Belt.

Ok, it’s Friday and it’s the end of that hell that is the first week back at work. I do work, you know. Yes, aside from TakTik Bitch I am (un)gainfully employed elsewhere. Bless ‘em.

Anyway, after various incidents pre and post Christmas, I have decided I would like a gadget belt – preferably one with a built in camera (oh, and audio please!) In black too, if you don’t mind.

Ha! I can bet a few people who are reading this (and are able to pull their minds back from thoughts of walking into the wrong changing rooms at the gym) are wondering why… yes? No?

Oh well, I am going to tell you anyway. Oops, no I’m not but if I get one – a gadget belt – I might just share the footage here ;-)

Happy End of Working Week One (and with this post it might be the end of my working altogether ;-) )

PS. What would you use a gadget camera belt for?

Gadget bags?

What is it with all these retro style holdalls?

I cannot believe they’re coming back into fashion (ok, so they’ve been pulsing in and out for a good coupla years but ya know, it’s gotten a bit much now!)

Companies are charging the earth for what was essentially an ugly poorly designed heap of leather / plastic / whatevah way back and should have been left way back. Yet people are falling over themselves to buy them! Eh?

What on earth am I missing?

I feel a bit like the minor in the crowd before the Emperor with No Clothes.
Bleugh.
I hate them.

I’ll probably be sporting one myself next week …

Somehow – and most satisfyingly, I admit – my top draw contains one or two really nifty multi-function penknives. One has a chisel, a saw, to name but two never used but smugly appreciated gadgets and the other has amongst its many blades a bottle opener (note I don’t say “never used” to that *blush*. Mine’s a good red, thank you. Rioja or Pinot Noir are particularly favoured)

I need nothing else! Phwoar.

I need nothing else! Phwoar.

However, just down the road from me Victorinox have opened a brand new flagship store and guess what they’ve got in there… loadsa gadgets!

One in particular caught my eye though – the Victorinox Traveller Lite. Corrh!
Not only does this little beauty have all the blades (and bottle openers) you could want, but it has funky functions like an altimeter, thermometer, barometer and a clock!
Can we have Christmas again please – and one of these in my stocking this time?

Available at www.victorinox.ch (and about £95 if you don’t hunt around… ;-) )

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