# simoncoles.org > Simon Coles Personal Blog - Astro-based static site covering technology, business, society, and innovation from 2006-2025. This is an Astro-based personal blog and website that has been migrated from WordPress via Jekyll. The site contains nearly two decades of blog posts covering topics including technology trends, business analysis, social commentary, and personal observations. The content spans from early social media platforms and mobile technology to modern AI developments. ## Main Site Sections - [Home](https://simoncoles.org): Main site homepage - [Blog](https://simoncoles.org/blog/): Paginated blog index - [RSS Feed](https://simoncoles.org/feed.xml): RSS feed for blog posts - [About](https://simoncoles.org/about): About page - [Categories](https://simoncoles.org/categories): Categories page - [Contact](https://simoncoles.org/contact): Contact page - [Contact Me](https://simoncoles.org/thanks): Contact Me page ## 2025 Blog Posts - [Long Web Page Load Times on a Unifi Dream Machine Pro Network](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2025-06-21-long-web-page-load-times-on-unifi-dream-machine-pro-network): I've been experiencing frustratingly slow web page load times on my home network recently, and after some investigation, I've traced the issue back ... - [Hello, Claude](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2024-01-09-hello-claude): Well, ADHD got the better of me and this laid fallow for 18 months ## 2023 Blog Posts - [Hello, World - Again](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2023-10-05-hello-world-again): After over 9 years of silence, I'm back, and differently ## 2015 Blog Posts - [On the History of Food](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2015-09-02-on-the-history-of-food): My new slightly longer commute means I’ve started listening to random stuff, especially Podcasts ## 2013 Blog Posts - [Makerbot and Printing From Minecraft Part 1](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2013-04-20-makerbot-and-printing-from-minecraft-part-1): We’ve just got a [MakerBot Replicator](http://www - [No Sound with iPlayer and a Humax YouView box](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2013-04-12-no-sound-with-iplayer-and-a-humax-youview-box): I’m exploring “Cutting the cord” at home (cancelling Cable) ## 2012 Blog Posts - [Google Nexus 7 Brief Review](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2012-12-08-google-nexus-7-brief-review): I’ve killed my iPad Mini (dropped it in a car park) so I’m back to using my [Nexus 7](http://play - [Series: Tablet computer reviews](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2012-12-08-series-tablet-computer-reviews): For various work reasons, I tend to buy one of each of the viable tablets ## 2011 Blog Posts - [Brilliant,](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-11-12-brilliant): If you use Facebook you should do this (possibly without any Children about) It’ll probably freak you out, but that’s all the more reason to watch i... - [Friday Fun – Sales Job Titles](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-11-04-friday-fun-sales-job-titles): We're in the process of recruiting a new sales person for work, and were becoming increasingly exasperated with the difficultly of matching a job ti... - [The Innovators Dilemma in Action](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-11-02-the-innovators-dilemma-in-action): Seems Microsoft could have had a decent rival to the iPad, but killed it - [Picking Names](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-06-12-picking-names): Ah, the tricky issue of server names… [ - [Our houses are getting bigger](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-05-17-our-houses-are-getting-bigger): Rick Bookstaber makes the point on Business Insider that [technology is increasingly changing the way we live our lives](http://www - [Playmobil Apple Store](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-04-02-playmobil-apple-store): Very amusing video, Think Geek have a review [here](http://www - [Journalist Wall Of Shame](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-03-22-journalist-wall-of-shame): Some of the reporting is awfully sensationalist and fear mongering, playing on people’s fears to get a quick, cheap story - [What I want in a Washing Machine](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-03-19-what-i-want-in-a-washing-machine): So the washing machine died… it had been getting more and more noisy and this morning whilst I was performing my domestic duties it started doing th... - [Some more information on Japan’s current status](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-03-14-japan-status): The traditional news media is painting an alarming picture of the situation in Japan; if I just relied on what the TV was saying, you’d think the pl... - [An insightful experiment](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-02-19-an-insightful-experiment): Our psychological state allows us to see only what we want/need/feel to see at a particular time - [Doing what you love](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-02-19-doing_what_you_love): > “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life - [Fun with Remote Control Tricopters](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-02-01-fun-with-remote-control-tricopters): I’ve been having fun flying the helicopters around the office when it is quiet, learning a lot about keeping them stable and avoiding air currents e... - [New (disruptive, amusing) currency Exchange Service](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-01-26-new-disruptive-amusing-currency-exchange-service): Almost all our customers at Amphora are outside the UK, so we do a lot of currency exchange - [Amazing view of a Train Platform](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-01-05-amazing-view-of-a-train-platform): Wow – someone took a high-speed camera and pointed at the platform of a Railway Station as the train passed by (found from [here](http://kottke - [A Water Drop](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-01-05-a-water-drop) - [Finally revealed: the “sudo” report destination](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2011-01-02-finally-revealed-the-sudo-report-destination): So that’s where the sudo reports go… ## 2010 Blog Posts - [Ricky Gervais on religion](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-12-23-ricky-gervais-on-religion): I’m not really a fan of Ricky Gervais’s comedy (must admit I’ve not paid much attention – it could be excellent) and whilst I am not sure I share hi... - [How the Japanese multiply](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-12-19-how-the-japanese-multiply) - [If Jesus ran for president](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-12-17-if-jesus-ran-for-president): Interesting given how much religion gets wrapped up in US politics (at least, to this European’s eyes) - [Geminid meteor shower set for clear skies](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-12-12-geminid-meteor-shower-set-for-clear-skies): Something to watch out for Monday and Tuesday… - [Interesting 10 minutes on Education](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-12-11-interesting-10-minutes-on-education): I have been a Ken Robinson fan every since bumping into [this TED Talk on “Do schools kill creativity”](http://www - [The Speed of The Internet – fun 5 minute talk](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-12-09-the-speed-of-the-internet-fun-5-minute-talk): [Via BoingBoing](http://www - [MyNetDiary – what Weight Watchers should be](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-12-04-mynetdiary-what-weight-watchers-should-be): I’ve always been frustrated that Weight Watchers only have a Flash-based food tracking App in the UK – for it to really work for me I need an iPad a... - [Spot on: it isn’t the TSA’s fault](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-24-spot-on-it-isnt-the-tsas-fault): [Insightful](http://www - [One final TSA thing](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-23-one-final-tsa-thing): I’m going to shut up about the TSA thing now (although tomorrow might be interesting) but this (via Fake Steve Jobs) is sad: The awful thing is that... - [An interesting way of putting risks into perspective](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-23-an-interesting-way-of-putting-risks-into-perspective): Interesting idea in this Harvard blog post on [the TSA madness](http://feeds - [From the Roman Chariot to the Space Shuttle](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-23-from-the-roman-chariot-to-the-space-shuttle): How special – [the size of the Space Shuttle SRBs is determined by the size of a Roman Chariot](http://www - [“Groping people at the airport doesn’t solve our problems”](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-21-groping-people-at-the-airport-doesnt-solve-our-problems): I find the political process in different countries fascinating - [Common sense on the TSA](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-20-common-sense-on-the-tsa): Good post from Bruce Schneier on [the Backlash against the TSA’s new Backscatter Scanners or search-by-grope initiative](http://www - [Game changer: UAV for the Masses](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-18-game-changer-uav-for-the-masses): com/products/swinglet-cam/): Of course I want one… but I’d imagine anyone who wants to know where the Police are will too - [Quantitive Easing Explained](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-13-quantitive-easing-explained) - [“Twilight” explained for Men](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-13-twilight-explained-for-men): Tripped over this, made me smile remembering when a friend got completely into the Twilight books (I think she’s “Team Edward” whatever that says ab... - [Apple’s Tablet Computer History](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-12-apples-tablet-computer-history): [This is a fascinating overview of Apple’s Tablet Computer history](http://liquidpubs - [Rotting your brain](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-08-rotting-your-brain): Great post from Seth Godin on [people’s deliberate choice to be uninformed](http://sethgodin - [Scary read on US Airlines](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-03-scary-read-on-us-airlines): I have to admit, I really don’t like flying on US Domestic routes – it just isn’t pleasant and got a lot worse after 9/11 - [Experiences as Education](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-01-experiences-as-education): Having an experience is so much more powerful than learning in the abstract; it is one of the insights which makes [the Outlook courses](http://anew... - [Flashmob at LHR Terminal 5 Arrivals](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-11-01-flashmob-at-lhr-terminal-5-arrivals): I do like Flashmobs, although I have to admit if I had got caught up in this one I would have found it hard to get into the spirit of it… by the tim... - [Giving women the vote causes inflation?](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-30-giving-women-the-vote-causes-inflation): Merryn Somerset Webb at MoneyWeek theorises that [giving women the vote causes inflation](http://www - [The problem with the Media industry](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-30-the-problem-with-the-media-industry): [Really good illustration](http://mnmal - [Proof that I am not that Sad](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-29-proof-that-i-am-not-that-sad): For those that think I have too many Macs, I give you [this gentleman](http://www - [SSD drive in my MacBook Pro – wow](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-29-ssd-drive-in-my-macbook-pro-wow): My MacBook Pro has increasingly been creaking under the load, especially when I use it for Demos using VMware - [The iPad in education](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-27-the-ipad-in-education): Really interesting thoughts on the [impact of the iPad in education](http://speirs - [The Story Behind “Free Public WiFi”](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-17-the-story-behind-free-public-wifi): Ahhh, so the “Free Public WiFi” I keep seeing as I travel is in face the result of a bug in Windows XP… I’d always thought it was an attempt to get ... - [How Tech Support should be done](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-15-how-tech-support-should-be-done): [XKCD On Support](http://imgs - [Dilbert explains why managing Developers is so hard](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-10-dilbert-explains-why-managing-developers-is-so-hard): This is too close to home to be funny - [Forget your password, go to Jail?](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-07-forget-your-password-go-to-jail): A [19 year old gets a 16 week jail term for not disclosing an encryption password](http://www - [What are you doing to your Child’s Digital Footprint?](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-07-what-are-you-doing-to-your-childs-digital-footprint): Interesting article on [the digital footprints we are creating for our children](http://jrsmith - [Political judgements about “Fairness”](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-07-political-judgements-about-fairness): Interesting segment from Newsnight with [film director Ken Loach and former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Heseltine debating “Fairness”](http:/... - [Children and Social Media (and The Internet in general)](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-05-children-and-social-media-and-the-internet-in-general): Andy Affleck in a TidBits article asks [When Should We Introduce Social Media to Kids - [Cool Unexpected Kindle Feature – Clippings](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-05-cool-unexpected-kindle-feature-clippings): Yes, I have an iPad and I love it - [TMI on Mechanically Separated Chicken](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-02-tmi-on-mechanically-separated-chicken): More detail than you want about what goes into Chicken Nuggets etc - [Google Accounts/Google Apps Transition – Nightmare](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-10-02-google-accountsgoogle-apps-transition-nightmare): In the beginning Google had various services like Reader, Picasso etc - [BlackBerry’s Playbook iPad competitor](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-09-28-blackberrys-playbook-ipad-competitor): They’ve [finally announced the BlackBerry PlayBook](http://www - [Good Analysis on Afghanistan from Stratfor](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-09-28-good-analysis-on-afghanistan-from-stratfor): My inner geek quite enjoys Stratfor, which is a (paid) “Global Intelligence” service – kind of like a free-market CIA I guess - [Good Analysis of Apple’s Strategy](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-09-20-good-analysis-of-apples-strategy): Via the [MaRS Blog](http://www - [The Arun LNG Plant in Lhokseumawe will close in 2014](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-09-20-the-arun-lng-plant-in-lhokseumawe-will-close-in-2014): End of an era… according to [this article in the Jakarta Post](http://www - [Low-dose Prozac may help relieve the misery of PMS](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-09-19-low-dose-prozac-may-help-relieve-the-misery-of-pms): Interesting and relevant – maybe my life would be a lot more content 🙂 - - - - - - [ - [Biscuit matriarch stages takeover of family firm in car park](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-09-02-biscuit-matriarch-stages-takeover-of-family-firm-in-car-park): I’ve always found the detailed mechanisms at the top of organisations interesting… after all it is just a bunch of people doing what people do, but ... - [Scary: What web advertisers know about you](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-08-31-scary-what-web-advertisers-know-about-you): My friends and colleagues are quite freaked when they realise what information we get from even our basic web site analysis software at work - [“A New Outlook” promotion video](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-08-09-a-new-outlook-promotion-video): The Outlook peeps have just snuck some more videos onto YouTube, along with testimonials there’s a low key advert-style film which is pretty good… …... - [Ahhh so this is why you get “Charging is not supported”](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-08-09-ahhh-so-this-is-why-you-get-charging-is-not-supported): Seems that everything Audio has an iPod charger on it these days which is great - [Good (brief) talk on why Space Exploration is important](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-08-02-good-brief-talk-on-why-space-exploration-is-important): I have to say, Space and all things related inspired a lot of my interest in science as a young boy - [If you want to take your 3G iPad abroad…](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-08-02-if-you-want-to-take-your-3g-ipad-abroad): Someone has started a Wiki with details of how you can get [pre-paid Data SIMs for different countries](http://paygsimwithdata - [Nice TED talk on the Mars Rovers](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-25-nice-ted-talk-on-the-mars-rovers): I try to keep a look out for TED Talks which the boys might like - [“I write like” – most interesting](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-15-i-write-like-most-interesting): Found a link to “I write like” on Twitter, which takes an example of something you’ve written and by statistical comparison comes up with name of a ... - [Well worth watching – The Monkey Business Illusion](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-12-well-worth-watching-the-monkey-business-illusion): I first saw this at a Usability Conference this year, it has now been updated most amusingly - [EMail updates via Feedburner](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-12-email-updates-via-feedburner): I think I’ve set this blog up so you can get updates via email - [Microsoft’s Problems](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-10-microsofts-problems): Microsoft have lots of problems - [Microsoft Vs Google Vs Apple](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-10-microsoft-vs-google-vs-apple): Insightful: > Microsoft—in a nutshell—is a company that had one successful product that we are all beholden to—that then used that capital to buy ot... - [Rebecca has a blog!](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-09-rebecca-has-a-blog): My friend Rebecca from CENSA days now has a blog - [Why everything sucks on The Internet](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-05-why-everything-sucks-on-the-internet): Insightful article on [why everything on the Internet sucks](http://powazek - [Football: a dear friend to capitalism](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-04-football-a-dear-friend-to-capitalism): My first post with the Guardian plugin – quite an intriguing process, it’s like they are actively wanting you to put the full content of articles on... - [As The Times disappears, The Guardian shows leadership](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-04-as-the-times-disappears-the-guardian-shows-leadership): I can’t believe this is a coincidence - [Outlook Training (and a video of me!)](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-03-outlook-training-and-a-video-of-me): We’re great fans of the [Outlook series of courses](http://www - [Scary thoughts about the BP Gulf of Mexico spill](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-07-01-scary-thoughts-about-the-bp-gulf-of-mexico-spill): [This analysis](http://www - [What about BP’s employees?](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-06-30-what-about-bps-employees): Something you don’t hear enough – someone [thinking about BP’s employees](http://blogs - [Interesting perspectives on Farmville](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-06-30-interesting-perspectives-on-farmville): I’ve never really got into Farmville despite being invited by an old school friend (Hi Clare - [Fun with WordPress](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-06-26-fun-with-wordpress): 0 has just come out so I thought I’d upgrade, and at the same time switch the theme to something a little fresher - [Why you can’t roam with your iPad](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-06-17-why-you-cant-roam-with-your-ipad): I travel a lot, so roaming is an important thing for me - [Interesting cultural perspective on Apple & AT&T’s issues with iPhone 4 launch](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-06-17-interesting-cultural-perspective-on-apple-atts-issues-with-iphone-4-launch): [Really interesting post from someone who used to work at AOL](http://seclists - [iPad used during Surgery](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-06-04-ipad-used-during-surgery): From Crunchgear, here’s an example of an [iPad being used in Surgery in Japan](http://www - [ClickToFlash – a must-have for any MacOS X machine](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-06-01-clicktoflash-a-must-have-for-any-macos-x-machine): Flash really bugs me, as it eats up all the CPU on my laptop causing the fans to go nuts, only to show me an advert - [Good article on the iPad in homes](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-06-01-good-article-on-the-ipad-in-homes): I find myself agreeing a lot with this poster’s view on [how the iPad fits into the home](http://www - [Stephen Fry on Apple](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-05-31-stephen-fry-on-apple): [Stephen Fry’s latest post on Apple](http://www - [Vodafone’s iPad 3G plans already have customer reviews](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-05-24-vodafones-ipad-3g-plans-already-have-customer-reviews): In my iPad shipment notification there was a link to each of the 3G providers - [My iPad 3G has shipped](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-05-24-my-ipad-3g-has-shipped): Just got the shipping notification for my iPad 3G :-) - [Ahh the Newton](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-05-13-ahh-the-newton): I did my MEng project on the Newton, and it has a really special place in my heart – beautiful development environment too - [International iPad pricing announced](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-05-07-international-ipad-pricing-announced): (I posted this on ELNBlog, but worth posting here) The iPad starts shipping 28th May (which means the App Store will work for those of us who have i... - [Amazon, Kindle, iPad, and the power of focus](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-05-07-amazon-kindle-ipad-and-the-power-of-focus): So Amazon to their credit have embraced the iPad, and [like this poster](http://timberry - [iPhone-controlled Drone](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-05-06-iphone-controlled-drone): [I want one](http://ardrone - [Lego Characters do Star Wars in 2 Mins](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-05-05-lego-characters-do-star-wars-in-2-mins) - [And now, I feel old](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-03-22-and-now-i-feel-old): As a follow up to the discussion with Josh about old computers, I thought I would try to find them a Green Screen terminal, similar to the ones I us... - [A child’s perspective on computing before The Internet](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-03-22-a-childs-perspective-on-computing-before-the-internet): Whilst waiting for him to finish his Tea this evening, I was chatting with my eldest Son, Joshua ([in-progress blog](http://josh - [This is why I fly British Airways](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-03-21-this-is-why-i-fly-british-airways): I used to fly an insane amount, but now I just fly a lot - [Seth Godin on Curiosity](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-03-11-seth-godin-on-curiosity): I really like this [‘curiosity’](http://vimeo - [An excellent post on what the iPad really is](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-03-09-an-excellent-post-on-what-the-ipad-really-is): The iPad is certainly causing people to think, and this post from Matt Gemell with thoughts on [How to Compete with iPad](http://mattgemmell - [UK ADSL Comparison – Be lines Vs BT lines on Andrews & Arnold](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-03-08-uk-adsl-comparison-be-lines-vs-bt-lines-on-andrews-arnold): I’ve had an ADSL connection with [Andrews & Arnold](http://aaisp - [Seeding digital devices with Content – the problem of books](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-02-27-seeding-digital-devices-with-content-the-problem-of-books): When I got an iPod, I could Rip all my CDs to MP3 and later AAC - [Waiting for the iPad](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-02-27-waiting-for-the-ipad): I wonder how many people have now stopped buying physical books because the iPad and eBook store are just around the corner - [The Robin Hood Tax](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-02-11-the-robin-hood-tax): I’m not sure about the idea itself (at one level seems good but I suspect it’ll have some nasty unpredictable side effects – more detail [here](http... - [The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-02-03-the-hierarchy-of-digital-distractions): [This is absolutely brilliant](http://www - [Hitler’s reaction to the iPad](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-01-31-hitlers-reaction-to-the-ipad): I’ll have more to say on the iPad in time – it’s clearly important, I’ll get one and if the US price point translates, we’ll probably get them for m... - [Clay Shirky’s rant on women (in the workplace)](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-01-18-clay-shirkys-rant-on-women-in-the-workplace): We employ a lot of women – it wasn’t deliberate, although if I am allowed to generalise a bit I suspect the work we do means that qualities associat... - [Apple TV, Parental Controls, Ooops](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-01-18-apple-tv-parental-controls-ooops): So we have AppleTVs on all the TVs in the house - [Um, about this whole anti-Private school thing](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-01-18-um-about-this-whole-anti-private-school-thing): The Telegraph has [an article](http://www - [The snow of 1963 was really scary!](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-01-09-the-snow-of-1963-was-really-scary): No fun whatever now, and we’ve got a few more days to go it seems - [More on the changing Cellphone market](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-01-06-more-on-the-changing-cellphone-market): Good analysis in [this TechCrunch post](http://www - [Snow!](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-01-06-snow): The view from my office at home, taken and posted using the WordPress iPhone app - [The odds of being a victim of Airborne Terror in the US](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-01-05-the-odds-of-being-a-victim-of-airborne-terror-in-the-us): Interesting [analysis of the numbers in this post](http://www - [Flying Naked](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2010-01-05-flying-naked): [This post](http://blog ## 2009 Blog Posts - [UK iPhone Tarrifs](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-12-31-uk-iphone-tarrifs): Carphone Warehouse have a table of [UK iPhone Tariffs](http://www - [Travel security gets better but worse](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-12-31-travel-security-gets-better-but-worse): It seems that the travel security policies are getting saner… but with a fatal twist according to this [Reuters article](http://www - [The TSA’s current security insanity](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-12-28-the-tsas-current-security-insanity): I’ve been watching with increasing concern the absurd reaction to the latest security incident involving planes - [Q&A with Santa’s CIO](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-12-25-qa-with-santas-cio): com interviews Santa’s CIO](http://www - [Herman, Santa’s GPS](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-12-24-herman-santas-gps): The Christmas experience has been enriched with the discovery of Herman, a homing pigeon who sits on Santa’s sleighdoing all the navigation of the S... - [Retro games](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-12-02-retro-games): Love it – games fondly remembered from the 1980’s, for modern machines http://homepage - [Lessons from an Ad Man](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-11-22-lessons-from-an-ad-man): An amusing and thought provoking TED talk - [Child-friendly Wikipedia](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-29-child-friendly-wikipedia): We sometimes use Wikipedia to help the boys with their homework – most recently Josh had to write about India etc - [O2 finally let us upgrade our iPhones – sort of](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-28-o2-finally-let-us-upgrade-our-iphones-sort-of): So I tried to upgrade my iPhone and [wasn’t that happy](https://simoncoles - [Whiteboard paint](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-28-whiteboard-paint): Didn’t realise you could do this - [What I never knew about inheritance laws](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-27-what-i-never-knew-about-inheritance-laws): Both my parents have passed away, so I’ve done the whole Will/Inheritance/Estate thing and having a passing interest in all things legal I found it ... - [Nerd Attention Deficiency Disorder](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-24-nerd-attention-deficiency-disorder): Just come across an old blog post (from 2003 - [Apple AppStore economics](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-17-apple-appstore-economics): There’s an interesting article on Gizmodo talking about the [persistent downward pressure on prices at the Apple App Store](http://gizmodo - [Tog on iPhone apps](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-11-tog-on-iphone-apps): I’ve always been a fan of Bruce Tognazzini - [Heartwarming story about airports](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-11-heartwarming-story-about-airports): I love airports, which is a good thing given how much time I spend in them - [The Fun Theory](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-09-the-fun-theory): Want more people to use the stairs – make it fun - [I use a Mac to avoid this stuff](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-04-i-use-a-mac-to-avoid-this-stuff): A post on the [Gartner blog](http://blogs - [The Girl Effect](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-04-the-girl-effect) - [Dear O2, about my iPhone](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-10-01-dear-o2-about-my-iphone): Dear O2… I tried to upgrade my iPhone to the new 3GS model when they first came out - [Recipe databases/managers – what I want and can’t have](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-09-11-recipe-databasesmanagers-what-i-want-and-cant-have): So… I am cooking occasionally - [The Apple TV](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-08-30-the-apple-tv): I must confess I don’t understand why the [Apple TV](http://www - [BrightKite – quite fun for travel diaries](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-08-05-brightkite-quite-fun-for-travel-diaries): I’m on holiday at the moment, and have been amusing myself with [BrightKite](http://brightkite - [Apple, the iPhone App Store, and Corporate Self-harm](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-08-02-theres-no-app-for-that-riverturn-blog-and-talk-back): Seems that Apple are [doing an Amazon](http://www - [Interesting series of posts on the Air France Airbus Accident](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-06-11-interesting-series-of-posts-on-the-air-france-airbus-accident): A couple of posts by Miles O’Brien on Air France Flight 447 give a really good insight into the realities of flying - [FT.com | Don Sull’s Blog | Identifying dry rot in your industry](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-05-01-ftcom-don-sulls-blog-identifying-dry-rot-in-your-industry): [Very interesting posed on FT - [Pirate Bay Vs Financial Meltdown](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-04-20-pirate-bay-vs-financial-meltdown): From Umair Haque at Harvard Business school, [an interesting compare & contrast](http://blogs - [Amazon – they still don’t get it](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-04-15-amazon-they-still-dont-get-it): Good post by Clay Shirky on the [\#amazonfail incident, and how the Twitter Mob rushed to judgement and got it wrong](http://www - [Another brand crucified on the cross of social media](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-04-15-another-brand-crucified-on-the-cross-of-social-media): Following on from #amazonfail, we have Domino’s Pizza who also [got into serious trouble](http://www - [“Amazon Fail” – the problems of large companies](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-04-13-amazon-fail-the-problems-of-large-companies): I’ve been watching the whole “Amazon Fail” thing with some interest - [World Builder](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-04-10-world-builder): Touching story, excellent effects - [Twitter & a Small Planet](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-29-twitter-a-small-planet): I’m finding Twitter is making the world feel a lot smaller - [BudgetSketch](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-27-budgetsketch): Or friends at [BudgetSketch](http://www - [Social Transparency and being a parent](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-21-social-transparency-and-being-a-parent): Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn – and many others to come, I am sure - [Parallels with the Great Depression etc.](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-21-parallels-with-the-great-depression-etc): Wondering aloud… There’s a lot of content written trying to compare our current problems with events of the 1970’s or 1930’s - [Chemical Engineering & The Future](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-15-chemical-engineering-the-future): Found an tnteresting presentation on how Chemical Engineering can help solve the very real problems we’re facing – [get it here](http://www - [Viewing the global Twitter conversation](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-15-viewing-the-global-twitter-conversation): [This is a really cool animation](http://twittervision - [Letting kids do “dangerous” stuff](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-14-letting-kids-do-dangerous-stuff): This is a great TED talk on kids at play – and of course, how kids need to learn to play with things that we might feel is “dangerous” but still an ... - [Why play is vital at work](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-14-why-play-is-vital-at-work): This is a really interesting talk from TED on why play is important – just as sleeping, dreaming etc - [Stock Market Manipulation](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-12-stock-market-manipulation): Got to admire Jim Cramer for his honesty - [Siftables – I want them](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-03-02-siftables-i-want-them): [This is a TED talk on “Siftables”](http://www - [Thoughts on Twitter](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-02-22-thoughts-on-twitter): I have to confess to feeling a bit like a Twitter newbie, but some thoughts might be of use - [General Law of Laptop Relativity](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2009-02-08-general-law-of-laptop-relativity): Amusing post on the magic gap which seems to form between code that you write on your laptop but doesn’t work when you get it on the server – and th... ## 2006 Blog Posts - [How a dictatorship develops](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2006-09-09-how-a-dictatorship-develops): I’ve always been interested in the transition from democracy to dictatorship - [Monty Python REST joke](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2006-07-30-monty-python-rest-joke): [xml-dev – Re: \[xml-dev\] Monty Python REST joke](http://lists - [Cardboard Rivets – excellent!](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2006-05-14-cardboard-rivets-excellent): Found during an idle browse – [Mr - [Rain and lawn sprinkers](https://simoncoles.org/blog/2006-05-10-rain-and-lawn-sprinkers): A very rainy few days in Boston (and they complain about the English weather) ## Content Summary This site contains 164 blog posts spanning 2006 to 2025, covering topics including technology trends, business analysis, social commentary, and personal observations.