At the moment I am re-reading a humorous book about computers from 1996 called Dave Barry in Cyberspace. I have quite a few of his books and like to dip into the ones that are basically collections of his newspaper columns every now and then because they are light reading and more or less timeless. [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Computing'
Technologically challenged
November 24th, 2011 · No Comments · Life, Technology
For the last few days I have been wrestling with technology. My PC died over the weekend and I spent a couple of days trying to resuscitate it, then a few days deciding what to replace it with. I finally forked out on a new one on Tuesday when trying to use the laptop annoyed [...]
Data centre in a box
April 20th, 2010 · No Comments · Technology
I am currently nearing the end of a novel by Cory Doctorow which at one point describes the data centre provisions of a fictional MMORPG company. They had shipping containers kitted out with self-contained server farms which could be built centrally and then shipped out around the world to cool locations where they would be, [...]
Unsolicited testimonial
February 19th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Technology
I have been trying to sort out space issues on somebody’s laptop this week. They didn’t have enough room to install World of Warcraft and all its various add-ons. Never played the game myself, but the rest of the family (the Sussex-based ones anyway) are obsessed. From what I can see it is the crack [...]
Technohousekeeping
November 2nd, 2009 · No Comments · Technology
Been a good boy this evening: installed the new Beta of Firefox, backed up all my data, and deleted a load of old e-mails. Feeling very virtuous. Not sure about the new Firefox yet. You can install themes, like with Chrome, and it is supposed to be faster. Maybe it is but no so that [...]
Tags: Computing
Defeated
July 29th, 2009 · No Comments · Technology
Three hours trying to get Charlie’s PC to connect to the internet tonight, with no success. For some reason it just will not load the drivers for his wireless LAN after I uninstalled it.  I suspect something happened during a Windows update. Mind you, all those DIVX programmes, Limewire, dozens of toolbars and other rubbish [...]
Tags: Bloody Windows·Computing
One in ten
July 9th, 2009 · No Comments · Technology
Plenty to say about this week’s Torchwood marathon, but I think I’ll wait until the last episode. I’m dying to see what sort of deus ex machina they have to rely on to get out of it all. One thing though: passwords. I do believe that some people are stupid enough to give a newcomer [...]
Foxed by Firefox
May 5th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Technology
yesterday I downloaded a bit of freeware called PDF Creator. It’s very good, doing exactly what it is supposed to – taking a file (Word document for example) and turning it into a PDF file. I do have Adobe Acrobat Professional at work for that sort of thing but its a drag having to email [...]
Tags: Computing
About time too
February 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Technology
Anyone who has ever had to sort through old backup tapes will welcome this idea.   I have a slight suspicion that the 4 million euro cost is under estimated, as all major IT projects are. I am equally confident that the estimated costs to business are overstated, but even if the cost doubles and the [...]
Frustration
December 10th, 2008 · No Comments · Technology
I am starting to see the appeal of this whole concept of cloud computing.  On Saturday I bought a replacement PC. The old one is one that I bought a couple of years ago when the motherboard of the previous computer blew up, and it was basically the cheapest base unit I could get in [...]
Tags: Computing·Gadgets·Internet·Virgin Media
