ABOUT Alistair Clarke
Alistair worked in technical support for a while and emerged a frightened layabout wholly unprepared to deal with the realities of adulthood. He now dreams of being given some money to do stuff with words. He’s a huge PC gamer, and in the time he’s spent playing Team Fortress 2, he could have eaten at least ninety thousand cupcakes or acquired rudimentary juggling skills. He’d love to play console games but can’t justify the expense.
A Bitcoin is a unit of electronic currency, transferred and traded by internet users, exchanged for goods or services with one another or—to an increasing extent—conventional companies. A lot has been said and written about it recently, enough to spark a mad panic among those who now feel that they must scramble to catch up…
When YouTube started to partner with users in monetizing videos, its business model really began to gel. Google has always yielded the bulk of its fortunate from advertising, and distributing but a tiny portion of its massive haul to encourage loyalty from its content producers seemed both fair and beneficial for all parties involved. Recently,…
Purchasing-crazed internet users found their hearts set aflutter recently by Amazon’s reveal of Prime Air. It is a system whereby a customer can opt to have their chosen item neatly deposited in front of their door by an unmanned flying robot, and Amazon intends to have it active by 2015, assuming relevant regulations can be…
The Washington Post’s story of sophisticated FBI spying through malware serves as a reminder of the complexity of the technology and internet access around which we now build our lives. What’s curious is that it really isn’t surprising, yet as it filtered out, blogged and reposted, there was a palpable tone of anger in its…
It’s only been just over four years since HTC shipped the HD2, their new Windows Mobile flagship. It was received as a behemoth at the time, a great big tank of a phone ready to conquer the world and revive the fortunes of the struggling Windows Mobile platform. As such, it was desperately unfortunate for…
Having filed for bankruptcy last week, OCZ has now agreed to offload its assets and brand to Toshiba for $35m. It marks a subdued end for a company which played a prominent role in the popularization of solid state technology. Let’s work through the reasons behind its initial success and subsequent fall, and assess the…
There are three main players in the phone OS market, but I only really see the appeal of Android. Well, that’s not quite true; Windows Phone and iOS by all accounts are very handy, being stable and powerful and lots of other good things. I just don’t know if I’ll ever find myself desiring anything…
In an obvious nod to Apple’s hypnotic video presentations, Amazon has produced this commercial comparing their new Kindle Fire HDX favorably to the latest iPad Air. It makes for a refreshing change, really; we don’t often get to see these companies take direct shots at one another. Let’s run through what exactly it means to…
Rumors first emerged in July that Apple were looking to buy PrimeSense, a company focused on motion control systems and responsible in part for the first Kinect model. While they still have not commented on any specifics, stating that they “generally do not discuss [their] purpose or plans” they have at least confirmed the news….
Some of you may recall the eloquent words I recently committed to the topic of Winamp’s sad descent into abandonment; feelings and experiences from years of my childhood, condensed into digestible and informative paragraphs. How silly would I feel if AOL ended up saying “oh, whoops, we’ve changed our minds”? Fairly silly, you might well…
Most people first became aware of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset when an early prototype garnered a lot of attention at last year’s E3 event. Screen technology has charged ahead since then, as evidenced by the pixel-dense displays of the current phone generation, and new versions stand to fulfill the promise offered by the…
Llamas worldwide have emerged from their safety bunkers upon hearing the news that Winamp and its associated services will be abandoned in December, bringing to an end 15 consecutive years of being a better option than Windows Media Player. If you know what I mean, then you were there with me. Join me in remembering…
It would be accurate to say that when Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy Gear, a wrist-mounted accessory for their range of Galaxy smartphones, I was really not impressed. Offering restricted compatibility, limited functionality and a hefty price tag of $300, it seemed set to be an expensive failure. Two months down the line, contradictory signals…
I hate winter. I really, really do. It’s cold and dark and depressing and most of my cherished television shows are nearing their season finales. I may know deep down that I should be outside getting some exercise or being productive, but I’m just so comfortable in here with my computer. If you can’t–or won’t–banish…
Seemingly in recognition of the soaring desire for (and recognition of) 3D printing, Microsoft have released a Window 8.1 application called 3D Builder which offers a basic design interface and includes some template models. Let’s consider it in the context of the numerous uses emerging for the technology, and imagine how widespread 3D printing might…