• Fri, 12:04: Self-congratulatory redditt is still wrong? Social media revolution delayed yet again. Animated cat GIFs at 11.
• Fri, 13:05: Switching from Input Director to Mouse Without Borders as soft KVM. ID was just a little too flaky under Windows 8. Also MWB much improved.
• Fri, 16:25: It`s all kicking off in Richmond Park. Gang warfare between the parakeets and the jackdaws, with the jays and deer on the sidelines.
• Fri, 17:26: RT @toddbishop: Insights from Duane Campbell, a Microsoft coding legend who's retiring after 28 years: http://t.co/VaHPU6LzGg
• Fri, 18:03: Reading an update from the Complete Uncle Kickstarter, it turns out there was a mid-60s radio series. Anyone know of copies? (@neilhimself)
• Fri, 19:18: Recent Reads: Slow Dancing Through Time. Collecting the Gardner Dozois collaborations, from SF to fantasy to horror and back. A masterclass.
• Fri, 19:25: Really impressed with the latest Mouse Without Borders build. Rapidly becoming my recommended Windows soft KVM.
• Fri, 19:41: @tomgrissom Like this! http://t.co/JFj7yZiRKQ
• Fri, 19:46: Finally we have proof: the cake is not a lie! http://t.co/ee7GLCmTVL
• Fri, 19:53: The new food is not as good as the old one. The old food is not as good as the new one. #catFUD

( Read more...Collapse )

• Wed, 12:15: That was seamless. Didn't need to log out to get Windows 8 to synchronise my changed Microsoft Account. Nice job under the covers...
• Wed, 12:27: As political as I'll get about today: there is such a thing as society. So I gave to Shelter: http://t.co/ZhSYBPlMtt
• Wed, 12:28: RT @monkchips: thank fuckity fuck Gov.UK's fantastic design win is trending. #designsoftheyear something to cheer
• Wed, 12:48: Things the author won't work with: FOOF. I think I'd pretty much like to be in another country. http://t.co/iVGy0kzDtH
• Wed, 13:12: If you like the Xplanes Tumblr, then this blog of unbuilt aircraft and spacecraft projects is for you: http://t.co/h3pGjSYLMM
• Wed, 14:07: Interstellar archaeology. Have we already found signs of Dyson spheres in our kiloparsec IR studies? http://t.co/Rkc4KUafsC
• Wed, 14:08: How long does a WP8 device take to reset? Those gears have been going round an awfully long time...
• Wed, 18:34: Yay! My Lumia that I thought was bricked has suddenly sprung back to life! Huzzah... TIme to bring it back to life..
• Wed, 18:37: Think I'll still keep all the Nokia recovery tools to hand, though!
• Wed, 18:39: So. Changed Microsoft account email address, reset WP8 phone. Can I restore the backup or do I have to start fresh?

( Read more...Collapse )

• Tue, 13:34: Working through the Server 2012 BPAs to sort out some Active Directory issues. Looking good.
• Tue, 15:56: Recent Reads: The Hydrogen Sonata. Iain M Banks' final Culture novel is a bittersweet tale of endings and lies, leavened by plotting Ships.
• Tue, 16:24: I hate autoplay video adverts with the passion of a thousand burning suns. Especially when they have volume set high by default.
• Tue, 16:25: I just jumped out of my skin when an off-screen video advert started. Why oh why oh why? Did we fight in vain for this?
• Tue, 16:30: Lenovo Windows 8 tablet: the top of the pen is the same red dot as the pointer control on a Thinkpad keyboard. What a nice design touch.
• Tue, 16:31: RT @DrPizza: Reinstating the start button would be monumentally stupid. Of all the issues with Windows 8, that really isn't one of them.
• Tue, 18:47: ...and that's the last item out the storage unit: one door.
• Tue, 19:14: RT @charlesarthur: Flipping biscuits. Austerity programmes based on faulty Excel and researchers who kept their working secret: http://t ...
• Tue, 20:37: Y'know, it's good to have sunsets again. Also leaves. There's a horse chestnut in our street that's well on the way out. Spring at last.
• Tue, 21:46: Resyncing OneNote from SkyDrive. Ten years of notes takes a while. Especially with audio :-)

( Read more...Collapse )

• Mon, 13:01: Datalink. SPOT. If Microsoft is making another smartwatch (and it is a big if), you do know that it'll be version 3.0. The good version.
• Mon, 13:10: Cat yoga: http://t.co/RiBZKrqqXe
• Mon, 13:25: RT @GuardianBooks: The best young novelists from SF's universe picked by @damiengwalter http://t.co/iamM1SijvR #books
• Mon, 13:27: So if the Microsoft smartwatch uses Kinect and keeps its old branding, will we be able to say to it, "Run, SPOT, run. See SPOT run."
• Mon, 14:38: Today we are mostly being our own travel agents.
• Mon, 14:47: RT @maryjofoley: Some nice pics of the MS Redmond campus (and story of the MS HQ's original codename "88 acres"): http://t.co/J5zQPwKwin
• Mon, 15:04: Today's cute fix is a striped bat from Sudan. http://t.co/zGrTuE3vqT
• Mon, 15:27: Score: MCO to SFO Main Cabin Select for less than the cost of Main Cabin.
• Mon, 15:35: Smartwatches. Getting a little old, aren't they? http://t.co/5JlRiXp6pR
• Mon, 18:01: Now we have travel dates sorted, seriously considering booking to go see Thomas Dolby's Invisible Lighthouise event...

( Read more...Collapse )

• Fri, 12:20: Drip, drop little April downpour. <fwoooooosh> Ah, the London spring has finally arrived.
• Fri, 12:37: Get it while it is fresh! New Simon's Cat: http://t.co/1Zfdg3OxbK
• Fri, 13:16: Seeing references to my "era of good-enough computing" piece in other stories. Including the ABC News one: http://t.co/Km9s6gH37M
• Fri, 13:45: RT @marypcbuk: @gcaughey twitter feels like talking in the pub; it's just a pub where you're always on the jumbotron screen
• Fri, 13:45: Spring Pigeon http://t.co/dT7JrAX6EP
• Fri, 13:57: Closing my Foursquare account. Decided it's not worth feeding them information while they pivot into an advertising play. No benefit to me.
• Fri, 14:08: RT @marypcbuk: BlackBerry taking claims to SEC. would be nice to have analyst reports/figures held to some minimum level of proof http:/ ...
• Fri, 14:23: Ah. Found the Google News page bug. It is reuesting IE9 Standards mode for IE10 pages. No wonder it throws errors.
• Fri, 14:38: Where does the helicopter sample in so many records come from? Apocalypse Now? The Fairlight sample library? Pink Floyd?
• Fri, 14:47: Also, is @thelumineers Submarines a reference to Spielberg's 1941?

( Read more...Collapse )

• Thu, 12:03: Hmm. Short bloig post is now 1300 words, I probably ought to post it.
• Thu, 12:49: Just written 1500 words that tie together Vista, Windows 8, HP Moonshot, the end of planned obsolesence, and Ford Sync. Oh and Moore's Law.
• Thu, 15:04: So, I'm linking to a fun webcomic about a bunch of hipsters, with robots. The latest one has a fairy in it. Enjoy. #nolinkshortener
• Thu, 15:09: Perhaps emoji are a better solution to the linkage problem: 🌅🚕🚥⁉💸💣⚓
• Thu, 15:42: The real reason for the decline in PC sales: welcome to the world of "good enough". I rant a bit on ZDNet: http://t.co/H1mhaGhrgq
• Thu, 16:03: RT @mbrit: @AquilaRift @sbisson We should all keep our good enough machines longer, just from a carbon/resources point of view.<--- THIS
• Thu, 16:06: Hacker News delves into the guts of a Bitcoin theft attack: http://t.co/PEjEkUM7p4
• Thu, 16:10: RT @marypcbuk: if you click Run on a dialog like this http://t.co/FJnNsxNJ2w you shouldn't have had any bitcoins to be stolen in the fir ...
• Thu, 16:11: ZDNet blog post: The real reason for the PC sales plunge: The era of "good enough" computing http://t.co/wep9R256pd #zdnet
• Thu, 16:22: RT @BenBajarin: Traditional PC sales are no longer the benchmark for the health of the technology industry. Time to move on.

( Read more...Collapse )

• Wed, 16:45: The man behind the idea of the arcology, the architect Paolo Soleri died yesterday. This was my visit to Arcosanti: http://t.co/6kbsQtjndM
• Wed, 17:09: ICYMI, on ZDNet, a look at how the Windows APIs mirror the dominant trends in enterprise applicaiton development: http://t.co/qskmrFNEHE
• Wed, 17:26: Exchange Autodiscovery: it's not that hard. BlackBerry does it, iOS does it. So why does Android really really mess it up?
• Wed, 17:48: Disk rails how I love thee: all four disk bays are full, so found some 3.5" to 5.25" rails on Amazon, and mounted them in the spare CD bay.
• Wed, 18:15: Trying to help @marypcbuk set up an Android device makes me realise I'm not as familar with the non-tablet Android devices as I need to be.
• Wed, 18:20: RT @tomwarren: Exclusive: Microsoft's next Xbox will take over your TV, interact with your cable box http://t.co/e3ITCQu08s
• Wed, 18:34: @edbott @sjvn Another reason why Windows 8 is part of an evolution: the WinRT API is in tune with development trends: http://t.co/qskmrFNEHE
• Wed, 18:39: I like the new IFTTT recipe sharing tools: http://t.co/ORKCIW9hZU It's a great BYODev tool, as I said on @citeworld: http://t.co/L7oxlHFs30
• Wed, 18:44: Recent Reads: Child Of Fortune. Norman Spinrad's far-future polyglot wanderjahr is a densely poetic bildungsroman. Ornate and beautiful.
• Wed, 18:59: RT @maryjofoley: Microsoft delivers MDOP 2013 bundle of virtualization, management tools: http://t.co/evA0itSvzw #MDOP #BitLocker

( Read more...Collapse )

• Tue, 15:47: Back from a very infrastructure morning: servers as a service, servers for services, storage done different. Now to the word mines.
• Tue, 15:53: On the 8th of April 2003 I was laid off by Ciber. The next day @jackschofield asked me to write for the Guardian. Ten years a hack today!
• Tue, 16:10: RT @marypcbuk: If Pixel Chromebook validates touch/keyboard multimodal notebook input in developer minds, it does something useful http ...
• Tue, 16:16: The Return of the Magnificent Blakes 7: http://t.co/kusNz5phpb (via @ianbetteridge)
• Tue, 16:49: RT @maryjofoley: ZDNet's @edbott and @sjvn debating sanely and civilly about Win 8's future? They're doing just that. Read, then vote: h ...
• Tue, 19:23: Hmm. I just seem to have written up my Windows APIs rant. Probably a good thing.
• Tue, 20:06: RT @twilio: Introducing Multi-user Because Collaboration is King http://t.co/6Jq8hFgP9V
• Tue, 20:18: xkcd 1190? Still going strong! See the latest animation here: http://t.co/aeCMh0Vm4m
• Tue, 20:42: Over on @citeworld Tales from the Cloud gets the Knowledge: http://t.co/OmDfKf2Fyz
• Wed, 09:59: Really? 19 degrees on Sunday? I don't think I believe it.

( Read more...Collapse )

• Thu, 12:16: So (asking the world in general), is there any resell value on a near-mint original model iPhone?
• Thu, 13:26: I kind of want to title the piece I'm writing "Veteran of the Browser Wars". But then I realise not everyone appreciates Michael Moorcock.
• Thu, 14:24: RT @edbott: If you're using a notebook that's 4+ years old, it's time to upgrade. Good analysis by @PatrickMoorhead http://t.co/e6UUDOK5sd
• Thu, 15:56: Just spotted @VirginAtlantic's Little Red on @flightradar 24 for the first time: http://t.co/pY88Vo4dUE
• Thu, 16:02: RT @TheRealRiaz: Calling UK based IOS, Android, Blackberry developers, come learn about Windows Phone development in London for free: ht ...
• Thu, 16:03: Google blinks, and WebKit forks. I analyse yesterday's news from the trenches of the browser wars on CITEworld. http://t.co/L7ScwKD8QZ
• Thu, 16:47: Garlic jam under the grilled cheese. Mmmm....
• Thu, 16:48: My real theory about Blink? Google is full of NuWho fans.
• Thu, 16:57: @gcaugheyYes, I'm pretty sure that's why we were there. The CTO was fired, and our sponsor got his job. @marypcbuk
• Thu, 17:52: While you're waiting to read people's Facebook live blogs, here's a chunk of analysis on Google's Blink announcement. http://t.co/L7ScwKD8QZ

( Read more...Collapse )

• Wed, 17:13: I'm guessing the @skydrive iOS update is US-only. Still only version 2.0 in the UK App Store.
• Wed, 17:48: Today has been all cloud, all the time. Also all Valentina.
• Wed, 18:05: Ah, looks like I got the new Lumia firmware. Wonder if it'll fix the device freeze bug.
• Wed, 20:32: Somehow much of the music on KMTT2 seems apt for today. The Eurythmics striking a chord as always.
• Wed, 20:59: For folk joining in on the #toIain glass raising later, I found his Personal Effects CD on Spotify. Apt soundtrack. http://t.co/Fd6AawpnRJ
• Wed, 21:02: RT @ladymoonray: Whisky drinkers unite on Twitter tonight? Let's raise a glass to Iain. 9pm BST.
• Wed, 21:05: RT @FredKiesche: @ladymoonray Suggestion: Universal salute, around the world. 9:00 at anybody's LOCAL TIME, rolling naval slaute! @sbisson
• Wed, 21:07: 10 year old Glenkinchie. #toIain http://t.co/kJg2VgYJ15
• Wed, 21:09: For the best line Against A Dark Background. "Eventually". #toIain
• Wed, 21:16: RT @marypcbuk: I thought I'd share a link to the various interviews I did with Iain Banks over the years; always huge fun http://t.co/Lw ...

( Read more...Collapse )

• Tue, 13:18: Refiling CDs, found my copy of Billy Idol's Cyberpunk with the HyperCard stack, and a floppy of Brian Eno's Generative Music. Dead media!
• Tue, 15:43: Handed in notice on the storage unit. Last few bits and bobs need to be out in 14 days.
• Tue, 15:44: Shadows Cast In The Sky http://t.co/0yCuFS3jM6
• Tue, 15:46: ZDNet blog post: Having a ball with code: Can Sphero inspire the next generation of developers? http://t.co/9eEpmht4FI #zdnet
• Tue, 15:47: RT @blowdart: Mac users need to test your sites under IE10 and IE8? Donate to charity and MS will send you Parallels and VMs http://t.c ...
• Tue, 15:52: As @marypcbuk can testify, I can be very slow on the uptake at times. The joke I just "made up" is apparently over ten years old.
• Tue, 16:01: RT @steveranger: Microservers: What you need to know http://t.co/nnxHzIVJsY << small boxes, big future
• Tue, 16:44: RT @migueldeicaza: Imagine, go to SF for BUILDWin, and walk with the knowledge to also build iOS and Android apps, all in one trip! htt ...
• Tue, 17:46: I'll be kicking off Build with style and rocking C# on 2.5 billion devices at @xamarinhq's #bldwin Welcome Party! http://t.co/DBVCWuqMjW
• Tue, 19:14: RT @edbott: "The new http://t.co/CtpstBznPH calendar is rolling out now and will be available around the world this week." http://t.co/F ...

( Read more...Collapse )</lj-cut

• Thu, 13:26: Folk seem to like my macro shots of cherry blossoms in Putney, so I've wrapped them up as a Windows Theme. Enjoy. http://t.co/hCRc7IUWeL
• Thu, 13:57: The To-be-read shelves: http://t.co/OBk93FdJ5f
• Thu, 14:13: Buffalo in the snow http://t.co/kp0wfR9rN2
• Thu, 15:58: Cinemagraph: the forever Tube http://t.co/IGR795n5Oo
• Thu, 16:31: I grew up reading the Uncle books, so I had to back this one and share it with the world. http://t.co/OW2aPHrPVe via @kickstarter
• Thu, 16:36: As my cousin the librarian notes the Uncle books I read as a child are still in the collection at the Jersey Library! http://t.co/IarcVhaPGh
• Thu, 16:59: ICYMI I've wrapped my macro shots of cherry blossoms in Putney up as a Windows Theme. Enjoy. http://t.co/hCRc7IUWeL
• Thu, 17:05: Wow. XKCD 1190 is STILL going: http://t.co/aeCMh0Vm4m
• Thu, 17:16: @gcaughey @BenThePCGuy One of my best Cinemagaphs yet: http://t.co/55WQdIWUlA
• Thu, 18:58: Ouch, Temple Run for #wp8 is a bit of a mess isn't it? Doesn't render backgrounds on my Lumia at all. Hey guys, test before release!

( Read more...Collapse )

I've got a couple of laptops I'm no longer using that could go off to new homes.

First... HP TM2 Touch/Pen laptop. Core i3 processor. I've upgraded memory to 4GB, and swapped out the hard drive for a 160GB SSD. So it screams. Running Windows 8 for the full touch experience. It's a one of a kind machine with a unique sticker collage of geeky stickers on the lid that really makes it stand out in a crowd...

£350 ONO.

Mail for more details.

(Selling because I've just bought a Surface Pro)

• Wed, 12:11: Idea for a Silicon Valley Magic story: the great bee drive of Central Valley. Beeboys and girls, the all powerful Almond and Orange boards.
• Wed, 12:15: RT @marypcbuk: Asking if Windows Blue will have a desktop reminds me of a question at the Windows RT press conference of "will Windows 8 ...
• Wed, 12:18: Noodling an upcoming #byodev piece. Would be interested in talking to anyone using Unity for non-gaming applications in business.
• Wed, 13:17: Veronica Mars Kickstarter now has rewards for UK backers. I once drove around La Jolla looking for show locations: http://t.co/pDX4hF4riK
• Wed, 13:33: Unfolding the Sakura in Putney Snow http://t.co/4LRIXdnq9H
• Wed, 14:51: Scary thought from @marypcbuk: we are raising a generation that doesn't know The Boxer is by Simon & Garfunkle and that it goes tish-boom.
• Wed, 15:25: RT @jeffjames3: We're hiring! @petri_co_il is looking for @windowsserver experts - http://t.co/KRRpCIDZrO #hiring #helpwanted #sysadmin ...
• Wed, 15:51: Numberwang!
• Wed, 18:01: If the only clues you had were roads, could you tell the difference between city and country? http://t.co/1EInHPqfbf
• Wed, 18:48: Behind The Sakura http://t.co/DRst1sKbSx

( Read more...Collapse )