It’s been a few years since I wrote a “free web advice” piece, but I got really annoyed by the Marvel web site this morning. About a year ago I subscribed to Marvel Unlimited – a plan that gave me access to all of Marvel’s digital comics for about £40 a year. This morning, I… Continue reading Free Web Advice: Marvel
Sky Broadband
Back in October 2009, I wrote about how I had cancelled my Demon account and switched to Be Broadband. Be were the broadband provider of choice for the discerning geek. None of their customers had a bad thing to say against them. All was well with the world. And then, just over a year ago,… Continue reading Sky Broadband
Macs and Me
“It never stops raining!” ranted the lorry driver. He thumped the table, spilt his tea, and actually, for a moment, appeared to be steaming. You can’t just walk off without responding to a remark like that. Of course it stops raining,” said Arthur. It was hardly an elegant refutation, but it had to be said.… Continue reading Macs and Me
Year of Code on Newsnight
You’ve probably already seen the section on the government’s Year of Code initiative that was on Newsnight last Wednesday. But, in case you haven’t, here is it. We’ll wait while you catch up. Most of the commentary I’ve seen on this concentrates on Lottie Dexter’s performance in the interview that takes up the second half… Continue reading Year of Code on Newsnight
UK Film Releases
I like watching films. I’ve been a member of the Clapham Picturehouse for about ten years and I like to get there a few times a month. But I’m not very organised in my cinema-going. I never really seem to have much of an idea about what films are being released in the coming weeks.… Continue reading UK Film Releases
2013 in Gigs
According to Songkick, I saw 60 gigs in 2013. That’s quite an improvement on my previous record of 50 in 2011 and well past 2012’s rather disappointing 36. Songkick have stopped doing their excellent “My Year” feature, so I don’t have quite as many facts and figures at my fingertips. If they don’t do something… Continue reading 2013 in Gigs
The Return of Winterval
One Christmas tradition in my household is marking the appearance of the first Winterval story in the British press. Some time in late November or early December, you could always guarantee that one of the tabloids would take some innocuous council memo, link it with the Winterval meme and concoct a “war on Christmas” story.… Continue reading The Return of Winterval
Mail Misinformation
Yesterday, the Daily Mail ran a story about the London Borough where I live. It was entitled “The brightest spot in Britain: Wandsworth named brainiest place with 54% of residents having a degree“. The story did pretty much what you’d expect from the headline. The ONS have produced study which measures the percentage of the… Continue reading Mail Misinformation
Insurance Update
Regular readers will know that two and a half weeks ago, my kitchen ceiling collapsed. A few people have asked me how things are going. Here’s an update. It’s not a happy story. I’ve been talking to Aviva to work out what needs to be done. I took out my buildings insurance through my bank,… Continue reading Insurance Update
An Interesting Evening
(But the “Chinese curse” kind of interesting) This evening I got home at my usual time, picked up my post from the doormat and was sitting on the sofa reading it. Suddenly I heard an almighty crash followed by the sound of running water. It was coming from the kitchen. I ran in and found… Continue reading An Interesting Evening