Book Review Custom Post Type
It’s been a while since I’ve updated the Book Review plugin, mainly because it was complicated to write and with each release of WordPress I largely had to rewrite it. And because most of the code it used emulated core WP functionality there wasn’t a lot of help anywhere to guide me how things had […]
Where and What Make of PC to Buy
When the question of recommending computers comes up something that everyone wants to know is what make to buy so they don’t get a duff one and where to buy so they don’t get stiffed on price or service. I used to build my own machines, but you don’t save much, your only real gain […]
How to Register a Domain Name
Download How to Register a Domain Name as a PDF Registering a domain name is easy, surely? I can hear you all thinking it, and for the most part, you’re right, but as with many things, registering your domain name has many hidden problems that may not occur until later down the line. There are […]
Identifying Spam Email
The BBC recently ran a series on online security which included a lot of tips for staying safe online. One of the articles talks about how to identify spam emails. This was broken down into the sender’s name, the from email address, the body text, images and associated links and provides a good overview of […]
Speed Up Your Web Pages
Google has released a whole microsite of speed tips for web masters. Some of them cover topics such as gzip and caching that, while well worth doing, are sometimes outside the control of someone using normal shared hosting. Some simple tips that should be easy to implement are: In fact, I’m contemplating going back to […]
Hosting a Site on Surge
Having converted one of my sites to a static one, I decided to try out some of the alternative options to traditional hosting packages. I drew up a list of a few options and set about trying to get my site online. Getting Started I began with Surge because it looked easy (having started to wade through the […]
How to Improve Your Boot Time
I was recently on a mission to make my laptop boot as fast a possible. I learnt a fair bit in the process of getting my boot time down below 30 seconds (that’s from hitting the power button to being able to use it), which doesn’t sound fast, but compared to most machines is very […]
What to Look for when Buying a PC
Updated: August 2010 One of the things I get asked quite often is what to look for when buying a new PC. So, here’s a few basic tips, with some figures that I’ll try and keep updated from time to time. If you’re looking to run Windows Vista, check out the section at the bottom. […]
How Do I Keep My Computer Secure?
It seems like barely a week goes by without a story about computers being hacked, a virus being spread or another critical flaw being found in Windows means you need to download a patch. I’ve been running my main machine for the better part of two years and spend a lot more time online than […]
Introducing HA-Pen
In a previous post I wrote about my search for a cheaper home automation solution, where I explained how I used a Raspberry Pi and a cheap 433Mhz transmitter to control some RF sockets. I mentioned in that article how I was spurred to try again after reading about using the Pi-mote from a company […]