Technically Speaking

Why does AV break my world??

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:53:44 GMT

I had a mysterious problem a year or so ago, when a server started mysteriously to go hideously slowly. Having investigated everything to do with the network, the database and anything else we could see that had more than a...

Web 2.0; the millionth word in the dictionary

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:53:00 GMT

It was announced recently that "Web 2.0" had become the millionth word in the English dictionary. My immediate reaction was: "What a load of old b****cks".

Web 2.0; the millionth word in the dictionary

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:53:00 GMT

It was announced recently that "Web 2.0" had become the millionth word in the English dictionary. My immediate reaction was: "What a load of old b****cks". Let's get this straight. Web 2.0 is a vague term, not a proper word....

Hello? Are you still there? Dammit ...

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:57:00 GMT

What is it with Orange?

Hello? Are you still there? Dammit ...

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:57:00 GMT

What is it with Orange? I've used their cellular service since I joined Network Week, back in 1995. And for years they've served me well. Why is it, then, that my mobile is becoming increasingly irritating to use? The other...

The green light for UI designers

Thu, 28 May 2009 07:38:00 GMT

I was standing waiting for my lift, when I noticed that there were loads of red and green lights around the car park. Further investigation showed that there was one light on the ceiling above each parking space; if the space was occupied the light was red, and if it was free the light was green. Each light clearly had a little sensor looking downwards and detecting whether there was...

The green light for UI designers

Thu, 28 May 2009 06:38:00 GMT

Right, all you user interface designers out there: I've found probably the cleverest yet simplest user interface feature ever. And you know what? It's in the user interface of the car park at Johannesburg airport.I was standing waiting for my...

What time is lunch?

Wed, 20 May 2009 19:50:00 GMT

What do four techies do when faced with a long flight and then a long transfer from the airport to the office? They start playing silly games, giggling and acting like schoolchildren, that's what.

What time is lunch?

Wed, 20 May 2009 18:50:00 GMT

What do four techies do when faced with a long flight and then a long transfer from the airport to the office? They start playing silly games, giggling and acting like schoolchildren, that's what. In the most recent example, the...

Why do you want to know?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:34:00 GMT

There's a very useful government Web site, http://www.bluelight.gov.uk. It's a portal on which the UK's emergency services post invitations to tender for work, from catering to IT projects. And it's got a fascinating section in the bit where you sign up as a potential supplier.

Why do you want to know?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:34:00 GMT

Citrix client won't work? Stop being so colourful!

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:36:00 GMT

A client I worked for recently delivered a lot of its applications via Citrix. We tested it before deploying, and then once we'd deployed it we tried it out on various desktops; given that the vast majority of desktop PCs were identical and spanking new, we thought we'd cracked it.

Citrix client won't work? Stop being so colourful!

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:36:00 GMT

That looks funny

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:15:00 GMT

There's an old joke about the quality assurance department of a pipe manufacturing company.

That looks funny

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:15:00 GMT

There's an old joke about the quality assurance department of a pipe manufacturing company. They take a sample of pipe from a batch the've made; they X-ray it, do metallurgical tests, run pressure tests on it and have the welds...

To pay, or not to pay

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:55:00 GMT

Some time ago we ran a review of Talend Open Studio, the Open Source incarnation of Talend's ETL and data migration tool.

To pay, or not to pay

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:55:00 GMT

Some time ago we ran a review of Talend Open Studio, the Open Source incarnation of Talend's ETL and data migration tool. Althoughy I didn't write the review, it said a lot of things that I'd have said as I...

The case is NOT closed

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:29:00 GMT

I raised a ticket with a client's support department recently, telling them that the printer in the office had jammed yet again. Now, this machine jams roughly five times a day, and it's got to the stage where you're lucky...

The case is NOT closed

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:29:00 GMT

Within 24 hours, the problem had been addressed and closed, with the detail of the action taken added to the ticket on the support log.

Take the Cerco challenge

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:02:00 GMT

Oh, don't you love these companies that advertise computer training on the telly? Cerco caught my eye last night, and urged me to take their on-line test. A few things occurred to me whilst taking the test, though:- I've never...

Take the Cerco challenge

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:02:00 GMT

Oh, don't you love these companies that advertise computer training on the telly? Cerco caught my eye last night, and urged me to take their on-line test.

The logic of lunchtime

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Just lately I've started to suffer more than ever before from QALS. I'm sure most of you reading this have exactly the same affliction, albeit to varying degrees. I've had it all my working life, of course - I'm a...

The logic of lunchtime

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Think before you start typing

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:39:00 GMT

A client paid me a wonderful compliment the other day. He phoned to ask me for my thoughts on a new feature he's thinking of adding to a software product I designed for the company a while back. He ploughed...

Think before you start typing

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:39:00 GMT

A client paid me a wonderful compliment the other day. He phoned to ask me for my thoughts on a new feature he's thinking of adding to a software product I designed for the company a while back.