You may or may not know that my day job involves bitwrangling for Datacom, using Microsoft development platforms (yes yes evil empire yadda yadda – give me a break). As such, I’m excited that Tech.Ed New Zealand is a mere [...]

We have voted no. Regardless of my personal vote, the democratic outcome is that a vast majority of votes cast were of the opinion that smacking as “part of good parental correction” should not be a criminal offence. I’m not [...]

It’s no secret that I found the Navman S200 appallingly irritating. So you can imagine my trepidation when I was accosted by a charming PR person (do they come in other flavours?), bubbling about the new Navman range, now with [...]

Correction: the TomTom application will work with the iPod Touch if there is an external GPS receiver. Since the TomTom cradle includes an external GPS receiver, TomTom will work on the iPod Touch when mounted in the cradle. Update from TomTom’s [...]

Please forgive the lack of posts for the next couple of weeks. I’m deeply involved in the circle of life at the moment. Dad passed away on Wednesday, and we’re expecting baby 2.0 this Wednesday. Both a blessing and a curse [...]

The morning after my father died, the NZ Herald had this article on their front page. The first signs of Spring – cherry blossoms, daffodils – have always brought a smile to my face. I smiled at the image, and [...]

Here are the items I reviewed on TVNZ this morning. Click the image for the video. Item: “Klutz” Science Books Price:Various (generally $30-$40) Rating: 4 / 5 Info: If you have a budding young scientist who is perhaps a bit too junior [...]

Watch the video

Back when we had two incomes, no mortgage, and no kids, I found it scarily easy to succumb to the attraction of the original Lego Robotics Invention System. It was quite the achievement at the time: two motors, a bunch [...]

Just a quickie in case you haven’t checked out the new discussion forums. You should! Not only is there a bunch of cool people and content, if you sign up during August you could be geeking out with your own [...]

There’s something special about the tangible nature of electronics. Moreso perhaps for geeks and nerds who tend to work with the intangible: maths, software, science. Taking those incorporeal concepts and turning them into physical phenomena – flashing lights, moving servos [...]