By @edent · gadgets NaBloPoMo tado · 14 comments · 400 words · read ~40,184 times.
I've an unhealthy amount of smart gadgets at home. Enough so that it's worth running an orientation session when friends come to visit. This is what the Alexa does, here's which light switches not to use, don't be scared if the Roomba attacks. That sort of thing. I don't know how long we'll live in […]
Continue reading →By @edent · conference food hackday inclusive NaBloPoMo vegan vegetarian · 3 comments · 350 words · read ~280 times.
I go to lots of conferences, unconferences, hackdays, and tech events. As a vegetarian, I'm used to being relegated to second-class when it comes to event catering. If I'm lucky, I get some cheese sandwiches mingled with a plate of meaty snacks. That's why I was overjoyed at ODF Plugfest Rome when the organisers made […]
Continue reading →By @edent · IoT NaBloPoMo network security · 16 comments · 600 words · read ~1,312 times.
Me being grumpy and stupid again. I have an IP Camera on my LAN, I want to connect to it via HTTPS. I can't. Why is that? Why do this? I have a username and password to access my IP camera. And my TV. And my lightbulbs. And all my networked gadgets. If I try […]
Continue reading →By @edent · culture NaBloPoMo · 75 comments · 250 words · read ~24,105 times.
When I was a small child, I took an IQ test. One of the first questions I stumbled on was "A piece of candy costs 25¢. Jonny has a dime. How many nickels does he need to buy the candy?" My 7-year old brain popped. WTAF is a nickel? Or a dime for that matter? […]
Continue reading →By @edent · NaBloPoMo svg · 25 comments · 250 words · read ~50,055 times.
You may not realise it, but bandwidth is expensive. It costs you time, money, and battery power whenever you download a file larger than it needs to be. That's why I've become a little bit obsessed with SVG - Scalable Vector Graphics. They're the closest thing to magic that the web has when it comes […]
Continue reading →By @edent · gadgets NaBloPoMo projector review · 2 comments · 800 words · read ~515 times.
Way back in 2006, I got my first projector - a 720p model for a few hundred quid. Even after all these years, there's still something magical about watching a movie on a humongous screen. But projectors are still wildly expensive and out of reach for most people. Aren't they? DBPower have sent me their […]
Continue reading →By @edent · facebook NaBloPoMo · 450 words · read ~193 times.
(…all analogies break down eventually…) On receiving a new credit card, there are two kinds of people in this world: OMG! FREE MONEY! SPEND IT ALL!!!!! This is a tool which can be used appropriately to make my life better. The first set of people quickly hit the limit of the card and are often […]
Continue reading →By @edent · beijing china NaBloPoMo · 3 comments · 50 words · read ~116 times.
A few more photos from my trip to Beijing. During my trip, I took a quick excursion to the Temple of Heaven. I decided to take a selfie with this delightful water fountain. But there was something bothering me. I could hear... something... What's that? Zoom! Enhance! RUN AWAY!
Continue reading →By @edent · bluetooth gadgets NaBloPoMo USB · 3 comments · 250 words · read ~4,042 times.
Here's a weird market gap. Most modern phones use USB-C to charge. Increasingly, they forego a headphone jack in favour of using Bluetooth. Peachy! But all of the Bluetooth headphones that I can find are charged via Micro USB. Which is bloody annoying! I want to charge my phone, laptop, camera, games console, and headphones […]
Continue reading →By @edent · NaBloPoMo podcast unicode · 100 words
The inimitable Jess Rose interviewed me for her Pursuit Podcast - talking about the Unicode Power Symbol proposal. We talked about how to subvert bureaucracy, building a team of supporters, adding new stuff to Unicode, and recognising that you're a background character in most people's lives. Bit of a ramble, but jolly good fun. Sketchnotes […]
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