An Age of Magic

One thing after another…

And so it goes. I have documented well the long running saga of trying to get the hole in our kitchen ceiling repaired – that has been completed and all is well. Then the extension required fixing and that was a job in itself getting builders out to do that – job completed and all is well. Now we have a problem with the bathroom – of course. Once again years of the in-laws refusing to repair small drips and carry out basic maintenance has caused this – there is nothing so destructive as a tiny drip-drip-drip that is left unseen to.

The fridge gave up the ghost last weekend and we don’t have an extended service plan to fall back on due to the fact that it is over 15 years old so there is another appliance to replace. One thing we are not worried about is the fact that we are about to score a whole new kitchen out of the insurance company – that tiny drip caused so much damage that it had knock-on effects and now we are looking through kitchen brochures for renovating ideas. I wonder how happy the insurance company will be to have us stay on as customers after this is all over?

Popularity: 9% [?]

The phone that tells you if someone has been snooping…

Technology has made trust a thing of the past with the launch of a new iPhone app that catches out prying partners who read their loved one’s text messages. The iTrust app works by creating a locked, dummy screen to stop suspicious eyes poring over the owner’s text messages, emails or social networking accounts.

But as well as guarding sensitive information, iTrust also records any clandestine activity while the owner was absent – storing a fingerprint record of every button pressed on the phone’s touch-screen display.

Little Brother is watching you…?

Popularity: 23% [?]

Has the internet affected the way we interact with family and friends?

You would have to say ‘yes’ otherwise you are either deluded or have been totally cut off from civilisation for the past 15 years. The internet has totally influenced and consumed the way we communicate, work, think, play…

It has no doubt also been a major reason why the divorce rate has soared with so many social networking sites reuniting former lovers and childhood sweethearts – and these have certainly brought out a dark side in many people. On the other hand it has made vastly easier staying in contact with friends and family who live miles apart – you can do things like set up your own website where they can keep track of what you are up to, or simply place happy greetings on the web like people such as richard willich do on theirs.

Like it or hate it, the internet – and all it’s pros and cons – is here to stay and we better learn to get along with it.

Popularity: 15% [?]