Do you have a Facebook “problem”?
Putting aside the purists’ argument that addiction can only really exist in the physical addiction to a chemical sense (I gave up arguing with him), the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale has been developed to see if you are hooked to Facebook.
According to the report by the University of Bergen there are six signs you need to look out for:
- You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or plan use of Facebook.
- You feel an urge to use Facebook more and more.
- You use Facebook in order to forget about personal problems.
- You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.
- You become restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using Facebook.
- You use Facebook so much that it has had a negative impact on your job/studies.
For each of the above signs, consider if you experience that sign very rarely, rarely, sometimes, often, and very often. If you answer “often” or “very often” for at least 4 of the signs, then you could have a Facebook addiction.
Personally, I refuse to take the test until there is a Facebook app for it.
In the meantime, if you think you can handle it, please go and like any or all of these Facebook pages…
http://www.facebook.com/hdgnet
http://www.facebook.com/fairlymarvellous
http://www.facebook.com/deargeek
…dare you like all 3?
Roll on June – Whitstable needs you!
Apparently, although no doubt this is not cast in stone, come June Whitstable will have their broadband connection upgraded. “Fibre to the Cabinet” will roll out, which means instead of dodgy old copper between your house and the exchange, most of the distance will be covered by fibre optic cable.
So the broadband connection between the exchange and the little green cabinet round the corner from you will get a lot better. And boy, do we need it…
I’ve been fiddling around with mobiles and SIMs while I upgrade to a Nokia Lumia 800 (more on that in another post, I suspect) and decided to run some speed tests. First of all, on my normal broadband connection:
3.46Mbps down, 0.65Mbps up
Then, on my 3 mobile connection:
4.89Mbps down, 1.57Mbps up
Yes, that’s a 40% increase using the mobile.
Roll on June, I cannot wait!
Playing with Facebook’s Timeline Cover Picture
I saw this great post “How to Hack Your Facebook Profile Photo with Timeline” over on Gizmodo and had to have a go myself. The idea is, by playing around with your Profile and Cover pictures on Facebook, you can get a pretty nifty effect. I didn’t have the greatest of source pictures, but if you have a look at my Facebook profile you’ll get the gist.
I made this!
If you’ve got Photoshop, head over to Nico’s Facebook Timeline Hack Template post to download the template.
Define an English Person… gasp!
WARNING – links contain words that may offend!
I’m not sure what is funnier, the fact that when you Google the term “define english person” the first result is this…
…or that when you click the Wikipedia link, you see this…
If you’re not faint hearted, why not try it for yourself?
The secret is out – GCHQ sponsored blogs :)
Secret Squirrel work going on
It’s on the Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Mail websites, even the BBC have given the game away – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15968878 – so I will too…
Yes, our cryptic sponsored post – Can you crack it? – was sponsored by GCHQ as part of a recruitment drive – crack the code and you’re invited to apply for a a job.
Can You Crack It?
A rather interesting challenge has been brought to my attention, in a rather interesting way.
A cyber code challenge, no less.
Perhaps the biggest hint of just how intriguing is the “Sponsored Post” link at the bottom of this page. But I’m not allowed to tell you who has really sponsored it.
It’s not a scam, not some way to take money off you. Nor is it your everyday competition to win some gadget or other, but success could open some rather exciting opportunities.
So, take my word for it, it’s worth trying this challenge – trust me, I’m a geek. But not geek enough to crack this one, I suspect.
Bletchley Park - Home of Colussus
The history of computing is steeped in code breaking. Indeed, the first electronic programmable computer was built for code breaking, but for years nobody knew because its very existence was a secret.
The Colossus at Bletchley Park was employed during WWII to crack encrypted German messages but for years it couldn’t take its place in computing’s history books – it wasn’t until the late ‘70s that information began to emerge.
Of course, computing power has changed dramatically since then, you’ll have far more power in your mobile phone today than computers had for years. And with all that power, codes and encryption have become stronger and all the more important. Whether it’s the password on your wireless router at home or the SSL technology used when you do your online shopping, encryption is everywhere.
And while hacking has evolved, brute force attacks have to become ever more brutish, the hacker mentality has remained the same. It’s still curious, tenacious, creative thinkers that are coming up with ways to create and break these codes.
So, do you reckon you are one of these people? The link below will help you find out, a code waiting to be broken.
How easy was scrapping my car online? Very, thanks @Cartakeback_UK !
My days of driving a gorgeous Alfa Romeo, all expenses paid thanks to big Pharma, are long gone. Nowadays I prefer my driving costs lower, positively frugal in fact.
Image: think4photop / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Last year I managed to pick up an old Ford Escort on eBay, with a full year’s MOT for £400. No, it wasn’t in perfect condition but it was perfectly usable and served me well. It didn’t need to be serviced and I had no intention of trying to get it through another MOT.
So this year, once I had picked up a bargain replacement, I needed to dispose of the old Escort. I’d been offered £100 trade-in but that wasn’t convenient, but I didn’t fancy trekking around scrap yards either, so we got Googling.
I’ve tried to use webuyanycar before, and was disappointed by the ‘hidden’ costs and downward haggling you get after the valuation. Besides, this car wasn’t for sale, it was for scrap. So it was while looking for this we found Cartakeback.com – which promised to make the process easy. And sure enough, it did. I was offered quotes from four local yards but even better was the highest quote, which included collection.
It’s things like this that make using the internet to do business so good. They take a, lets be honest, nasty task of scrapping a car and make it a simple process. I entered my details on Wednesday, they called me to confirm on Thursday, on Saturday the lorry arrived to collect – the driver had a nice fresh cheque in his hand – and on Monday I received the DVLA Certificate of Destruction by email.
That’s exactly how this online life should be.
P.S. they gave me £170, so that car cost me £230 plus petrol and tax for a year – I think that’s pretty good!
Whistle while you wee – Apple wins slide to unlock patent
Slide to unlock
The constant patent bickering between Apple et al will no doubt become even worse following news last week that Apple have won a patent for the concept of sliding to unlock.
See TechRadar’s “Apple wins slide to unlock patent” or ZDnet’s “Every Android device now infringes Apple patent: Slide to unlock“
Personally, I find all this patenting of concepts rather ridiculous, a great way for lawyers to make money. Especially as it appears I will now have to whistle every time I go to the toilet…
I cannot afford the licensing fee for my bathroom door.