Tech and Auto

This week I tested the Powermonkey Explorer 2, a powerpack device that allows you to charge your phone or laptop anywhere... Leaving for our annual ‘Dad’s on tour’ trip to Snowdonia, filled with the joyous prospect of a good night sleep away from my two toddlers, I practically skipped down the path to the waiting camper van full of my mates. Yes we all had a box of beers and crisps, but we also came prepared with eyemasks and ear plugs...

A new road rage survey from the car leasing company, Lease Car, has revealed that 45% of drivers in London think cyclists are the most irritating road users, followed closely by school run mums! The top 5 most irritating road users in London Cyclists 45.00% School Run Mums 30.70% White Van Drivers 25.10% Taxi Drivers 18.50% Lorry Drivers 23.30% The survey asked more than 1,200 people in the UK a series of questions about their road rage experiences and found...

Get your a capella version of Dragonborn all sung out now (I know you're all doing it), Skyrim in Concert is coming! The first ever orchestral concert dedicated to the music of The Elder Scrolls® V: Skyrim, will premiere at the London Palladium on 16th November. Based on the award winning score by Jeremy Soule, Skyrim in Concert takes concert goers on a nostalgic, musical journey through the landscape of one of The Elder Scrolls’ most popular installments. Performed live by the Winterhold Philharmonic...

I have been watching too many countdowns on Youtube. Too many. So many I could probably write a Top 100 countdown of the best Youtube countdowns ever. The recommendations algorithm has me ensnared. The little load wheel between videos has become self-aware. It can see me slouched in my chair, just out of reach of my mouse. It can sense my defeat by swirling numbers and static shots of grainy gameplay. What is it? What is number one? Tell me,...

Motorists love the thrill of getting their hands on the steering wheel of a new car – but less than ever before are actually doing so. According to research from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in the Financial Times, used car sales outstripped new sales three-fold in the first half of the year at 4.18 million. That still means that 1.42 million new cars were purchased in that time. What are the advantages? Firstly, you’re driving a car...

Another day, another hack into huge data banks. This time Yahoo has said that a “state-sponsored” group of hackers managed to steal information from around 500 million users. If this is found to be correct it would be the largest cyber-breach in history. The hackers were able to gather personal data from Yahoo’s customers including names, e-mails and possibly bank details, however the tech giant has denied these claims. The worrying news is that this happened in 2014 and the...

I think I own more websites than the secretive North Korean state, after the country accidentally revealed they have just 28 websites. North Korea’s internet is Government owned and is tiny, almost non-existent. However, the country accidentally gave browsers from outside the state, access to their internet. In total they found 28 sties, including a sports website, a cooking tips websites and an insurance organisation, according to data uploaded to GitHub. It was thought that North Korea’s internet offering was...

It’s 2016 and the Online Casino Industry is Still Growing It was in 1994 when the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act in the islands of Antigua and Barbuda licensed and granted organisations to extend their trade in the online world. Exactly 22 years later, a lot of casinos and gambling associations are open online and make their way to the homes of millions of people around the globe. Improved broadband connections and innovative software have made the online gaming...

Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor has decided to ban PornHub and YouPorn sites. The outcry on social media has been huge. Many have seen it as unnecessary censorship, while other voices have welcomed the decision, as it protects children who might stray onto these free sites and see images too shocking for their young age. Pornhub have seen the funny side of the ban though and they tweeted the Russian agency offering them a free Premium account. The tweet said: “If...