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April 17, 2014

The Cricketing Upgrade

Spring has arrived which means two things, the flowers are out and the cricket season has begun. If you are not familiar with cricket, which is surprising in itself as it dates back to 1598, then this year you really should. Granted the English national side are in dire straits at the minute, a dismal Ashes Tour and a woeful Twenty20 World Cup performance has led many people to worry about England’s chances at next year’s World Cup, however, the domestic scene is flourishing. The annual County Championship has recently got underway and it seems that the 2014 season could…

April 17, 2014

Upgrade your tablet

There were 195million tablets sold in 2013 and these sales look likely to continue in 2014. The electronic device is quickly becoming the must have accessory in the technology world. However, if you do plan on upgrading to a tablet do not fall into the Apple trap, you can upgrade and actually minimise costs by choosing one of Apple’s competitors. If we compare the iPad Air, Apple’s tablet, and the Android operated Kindle Fire, which is £100 cheaper, you can see that the Kindle is a significant upgrade for a considerably lesser cost. Let’s start with what’s inside both tablets.…

April 3, 2014

How Do I FIFA?

It’s closing in on that time of year again: that long month where people who take no interest in soccer for 11 months of the year start setting their alarms for 4am and watch every match of the FIFA World Cup. Of course, there are the diehard, drooling fans — but I’ve been astonished over the years to find out just how many people pay attention to this sporting event, and wonder who actually knows too much about what’s going on. If you’re like me and a) barely know what goes on in soccer besides kicking a ball back-and-forth and…

April 3, 2014

The Dos and Don’ts of Internet Dating

Once full of stigma, Internet dating has really taken off — now it’s only 15 percent stigma. More and more people are turning to the web in order to add some romance to their busy lives. There’s no doubt it’s more convenient than conventional dating: you can take your time, peruse (though it’s difficult not to feel like you’re looking at a catalogue), and exchange as many messages as you want before committing to anything. On the other hand, you can also be granted opportunities to express yourself in ways you’d struggle with in person, which can be freeing. However,…

April 3, 2014

These Life Hacks Will Make You a Really Efficient Human Being

We all love to make our lives a little easier. The trouble is, a lot of things designed to be “more efficient” actually wind up creating the opposite effect. (I mean, drive-throughs? Seriously? And don’t even get me started on escalators and travelators). So, I’ve created a list of little tricks you can use throughout your day that actually work and will make you a TOTALLY AWESOME AND EFFICIENT SUPERHUMAN. (Hyperbole? Hardly). 1. Use paper clips and toilet rolls to organise your cords. Those tangly little buggers are always getting tricksy, aren’t they? Attach some paper clips (the ones designed to hold…

April 3, 2014

How to Stay Healthy While Travelling

Travel improves our lives in a lot of ways. We’re exposed to new cultures and sights and smells, taught humility and patience, and, well, we have a lot of fun along the way. What travel also does, however, is wreak havoc on our health. I’m not just talking about the odd bout of Delhi Belly here; I’m talking months of poor sleep. I’m talking your eyes turning grey and dull because you’re not getting enough essential nutrients. I’m talking your skin breaking out due to excess pollution, muscles slacking, and cargoes growing tighter because you’ve had a straight week of…

April 3, 2014

Men: This is Why You Hate Shopping

Even though I’m a woman, I have a man’s mindset when it comes to shopping. Most of the time, I loathe it – except when shopping for very specific leisure items – and count down the minutes until I can break for lunch. My heart pains for the lost and confused congregations of boyfriends and husbands eternally sitting on benches, or lone partners trailing the aisles while shooting longing glances towards the pub. I empathise because of shared frustration for the same things: repetition, overwhelming variety of items that are 99% identical (yet different enough to merit consideration), and the…

April 3, 2014

Would You Get in a Self-Driving Car?

Google have a lot to answer for. Of course, they’re revolutionising technology: Google Glass – basically, smart technology in eyewear form – was hailed as one of the best inventions of 2012, and let’s not forget what the phrase “Google it” symbolises. But there’s no doubt some of their inventions are subject to controversy. Driverless cars – or Google Chauffeurs, as they may well be known – are one such invention I’m pretty content not to trust as far as I can throw them – which, of course, is not very far…or at all, really. The concept behind driverless cars…

April 3, 2014

Tips for Better Blogging

More and more people are turning to blogging as means of growing their business or personal image. It’s easy to start, accessible by the general public, and, best of all, it can be free (although the option to pay is there). All you really need is an Internet connection and something to say or promote. However, there are simple techniques to get your message seen by larger groups of people, in shorter amounts of time. Moreover, there are ways you can encourage would-be readers to pay close attention, and be personally affected by your words. Getting to this stage is…

April 3, 2014

Glasshole: the Tech World’s New Swear Word

Let’s face it: from an optimist’s (and tech lover’s) point of view, Google Glass is a staggeringly brilliant invention. You can perform all kinds of actions – taking pictures and recording video, getting directions, translating, sending messages to friends and colleagues, and more – hands-free and by voice command, essential features in today’s needed-to-be-there-ten-minutes-ago society. However, there are several arguments to counter the upsides: Google Glass can be used to document information without permission. Google Glass, at the moment, looks a little ridiculous to wear (the quote from designer Marc Newson was that it makes you look like “a d*ck…