Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 6th December 2013

Well hello hello! And it's December already! (Note to self - get an advent calandar from Tescos on the way home and eat the first 6 days before putting up on the wall)

The met line is only 53% full today so I wonder if that's because everyone is starting to take their annual leave before the year end. Either that or because it's 7:14 and normal people don't commute at this time...

Advert of the week: "Give Hunger the Finger"...woah, this is an advert for the 'Just Eat' app, which allows you to order from takeaways online. I was reading some of the customer reviews of the app and I think most of them were unfortunately giving the app the finger...

There is a man next to me watching a Korean drama series on his iPhone 4S. It looks quite interesting but even the subtitles are in mandarin so I will ask him about the plot in a bit...

So, last night I had a knock on the door at about 8:43 and in good Russell Peters style, mum looks like her watch and says that infamous line 'hoo is it? At this time?" It was of course the amazon man who had a PS4 shaped box for me. We are on first name terms as he seems to come to our house every day and he's invited me to his daughters wedding next year. When I say first name terms, not sure if 'amazon man' is his real name, though he calls me Min which is also made up.

Back to the plot. So spent the evening unpacking the new toy and setting it up. I received the PS3 for my 40th, so quite nice to get the PS4 for my 45th. Wonder what I will get for my 50th...

First impressions is that it's really good, the controller is loads better and has a built in speaker and a tilt sensor. The whole device is a lot lighter just in case you want to take it for a walk from time to time. After the inevitable - update available screen, I had a quick play with the menus, loaded up iplayer, bbc news, bbc sport and videozone and signed up to the free 14 day PS Plus trial which allows you to some free (not that good) games and to play online. Seeing as I hadn't actually got any new games yet, I just watched The Matrix again to test out the BluRay. Yep, he still took the blue pill..

Call of Duty - Ghosts should be delivered by amazon man tomorrow, so that should be the weekend sorted. There is also a PS app which allows you to connect your phone to the device and use it as a second screen. Hurrah...

Min marks out of 10 so far... 9.04

App of the week: My brother in law told me about this app and it's super duper. It's called LS Addicts, and no it's not an app to wean you off the drugs but a football scores app. Now I know there are loads of those already but what is great about this one is that as each team you want to follow starts playing, you get a lifelike referee's whistle being blown! It's very exciting. Seriously, the best bit is that if someone scores a goal, it goes and hunts down that goal from the internet and plays it to you! It's usually from some foreign station but I now know how to say 'goal' in 12 languages...It's free so get it now. Min marks out of 10. 9.67

Thought of the week: Do you ever wake up, kiss the person sleeping beside you and feel glad to be alive? I did and I apparently won't be allowed on that airline again...

Ahem! Right, let's leave it there! I hope you have a lovely weekend and a great sleep!

A small man called Min.

 

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 29th November 2013

Well hello hello! I trust you have been having a lovely week. Well the day has finally arrived. Yes folks, Black Friday...hurrah! Looking outside at this time, its certainly very dark. 

I wasn't going to do a blog today, as today is the launch of the PS4, so was going to work from home. However, as I only decided to get one earlier this month, I'm not guaranteed to get one today, though should get it before Christmas.

To be honest my dear blog reader, even if it did come today, not sure how much I could have done with it as I haven't actually brought any games for it and my. PS3 ones won't work on it...

Advert of the week: "Inseparable means always being in touch" Cheers Vodafone...power to you...

There is a man on a tube reading..wait for it...wait for it...a book! I can only see the back cover which says "utterly absorbing, utterly addictive, utterly mindblowing". Guess someone's learnt a new word today. For some reason I now feel like some toast with some butter on it now. Will report back if I can see what the actual book is called.

What I watched on iplayer this week: loads of stuff! But something that has caught my eye is a new series called 'Animal odd couples'. Yesterday it showed how some massive American buffalo thought this bloke was his parent. The chap even let him go around the house and said but if he wants to go to the bathroom, he'll just go to the door! Wowza! There was also another bloke who had managed to become part of a hyena pack (or whatever the phrase is). I thought he was particularly brave, especially when I think back to what happened in lion king...

The bloke has put the book away and is now just looking out the tube window.. Perhaps not quite as utterly absorbing as he was led to believe me thinks...

App of the week: Group shot pro. Picture the scene (see what I did there!), you've gone to some random wedding (it's an Indian thing), and it's time for snapping those group photos with your cousins and buddies in front of the lovely vase and flowers in the entrance hall of the country manor. Someone has the bright idea of saying, hey Kawks, take some pics of me and these lovely ladies in front of these flowers for my FB page. In the old days, when we used to have Kodaks and only 36 valuable pictures to use, it was always...err sorry uncle, I've run out of film. But now, we are all like...yeah how ever many you like! 

And here is where the app comes into it's own. It's that moment..'Say cheese', though us Indians tend to use the 'say Ghee (you just tried that right and it works just as well right) and we all know what happens. Yep, there is always one person who has blinked, looked away or picking their nose! And that's where this app comes in. It takes a series of shots in quick succession and then it allows you to replace the faces with another shot when they do actually manage a smile. It's quite fantastic and I'll give it a min marks of 10 of 8.76.

Thought of the week: If you want to set up a company and run it then that's your business...

Right! Let's leave it there! Have a lovely weekend and a great sleep.

A small man called Kawks

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 22nd November 2013

Well hello hello! How are we all? Firstly, let me apologise for the no show last week. I was in South Korea and they didn't have a Met line for me to blog from.

For those who have never been to this wonderful land, you definitely should, the next time you are in the neighbourhood! The tech there is simply super cool. Having got off the 11hr flight and having had a taste of Korean hospitality (Prestige class - well I needed the leg room right? ), I was booked into a six star Conrad hotel in the executive suite on the 32nd floor which was simply massive and rather bigger than the Travel lodge I usually take take Mrs Min to on our anniversary. The bathroom had more gadgets than I've seen in my entire life, and that was just the toilet! It had options to give you a massage, knew when you sat down and automatically gave the bowl a quick rinse and memory settings for the whole family for making sure the pressure, angle and temperature were just right for each bear in the family! Oh and it had a button for 'dryer' too! 

So after a few hours playing with the settings I ventured into the main bathroom and saw they had some buttons on the wall (that will never take off over here), and like the little kid I am, I started pressing them. One of them made the glass wall between the bathroom and bedroom go from clear to frosted, which I imagine was there just in case Mrs Min had come along too and I didnt fancy showing her my six pack or or my rather red and dried out bum. 

Then, I saw a remote control in the bathroom (as you do), between the 'his and hers' sinks. To my amazement, and I think the actual word I uttered to myself as this was happening was 'amaze-balls', because a flipping TV embedded into the bathroom mirror came on. Wowza!!  Took me about an hour to brush my teeth!

The hospitality provided by the local firm and their clients during the visit was truly amazing and for the first few days since I've been back, I've been getting a few weird looks on the met line as I bow to each person as I get on the train...

Woah, nearly at work now so just gonna quickly do app of the week.

App of the week: Hot UK Deals, Been using this app loads this week and in essence it uses crowdsouring to tell us what fantastic offers are currently available on everything in our supermarkets as well as online. You can even set up deal alerts to look for something specific. I've obviously set one  up for PS4. So if you were interested in amazing offers such as Levi Roots reggae reggae sauce is now only 20p at Sainsbury's, get this free app now! Min marks out of 10....9.20

Joke of the week: Yes, that bloke who invented the invisibility cloak had his 15 minutes of fame, but where is he now?

Ahem! Right, that's your lot. I hope you have a great weekend and a lovely sleep!

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 8th November 2013

Well hello hello! How are we all? I hope you have all had a lovely week.

I'm feeling a bit sleepy this morning so let's not mess about and get on with the show!

Advert of the week: "It felt like reading a book". Woah! That's brilliant! What was that you wonder? perhaps a book? Nope..it's the 'All-New Kindle paperwhite' I think I might change career and do adverts going forward as I reckon I could do just as well! How about for advertising toilet roll, the slogan...so soft you can use it for wiping your tears and your..."..maybe I'll stick to the day job for a tad longer...

What's happening Tube people?: A mother (I think it's the boy's mother but unless I see the birth certificate or request a DNA sample can't be quite sure), who is sitting next to me, has given her 'son' his school breakfast. It's a snickers bar. Nice...

That's made me think of my favourite cereal advert- coco- pops. We were only allowed it every Friday. The slogan was 'so chocolaty that it makes the milk go brown', though we used to tweak it slightly to 'so chocolaty it makes your teeth go black'...

If my writing is going a bit slanty, that's because the man next to me has fallen asleep with his head on my shoulders. Nice...

App of the week: Camfind. No it's not something that helps you find good deals if your in the market for a camcorder, but a really nifty app that helps you identify stuff, using your camera. So, take a picture of anything from a famous person, building, object and it recognises what it is and gives you a whole heap of info about it. I tested it by taking a picture of the Pizza Hut box that contained our lovely veg supreme (no mushrooms but pineapple instead) pizza last night. And before you could say "I feel sick...go on then... last slice", it had pulled back from the interweb, where my local Pizza Hut was, menus, coupons and even a site asking me if I was interested in a career with pizza hut. It's quite amazing and yes folks it's even free to download. Get it now and impress your imaginary friends. Min Marks out of 10...9.36.

Console update: yes folks, finally put in my order for the PS4, launching on the 29th of Nov. Over 1m peeps have done the same so might be quite a long queue at Game in Harrow that day! I thought in these times of recession I should sell my old PS3 games as the new device won't play them. I looked at a few of those trade in sites to see what my games would be worth. Most of the ones I had brought last year for between £30 and £40 were worth around £2.50, with Fifa 2012 showing me that I could get a massive 35 pence (as long as the CD wasn't scratched!) Decided to just keep them on my shelf in the end as I heard yesterday that Sony will introduce backward compatibility next year.

Thought of the week: Too many pigs seem to die whilst eating apples...

Right, let's leave it there! Have a lovely weekend and a great sleep!

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 1st November2013

Well hello hello! How are we all? Firstly a "Happy Diwali and wonderful New Year" to you all! (New Year!...don't worry it's called Indian time, and we are a tad late)

Here we are again on the lovely Met line for the last time of the week, and it must be half term as the carriage is only 63.72% full. 

What's happening on the tube met people: There is a man with a Crystal Palace jacket sitting opposite me. Judging by the non brand trainers he is wearing, I guess he has yet to make it into the first team...

Tube advert of the week: Lumie. It comes with the tag line - "Get up and Glow all day". Wowza, what is this amazing tech I hear you ask? Some sort of miracle lotion you spread on your face?...perhaps an energy saving drink from Aldi? Oh no...this my dear blog reader is a white box thing with a light. (Lumie.com). Damn, and all this time, I've just been wasting my time sleeping with the curtains shut wondering how I was going to boost my energy...

Loads of folks have got on at Harrow on the Hill, but that may be because the slow train has just been put out of service.

Crystal palace man is still tapping on his Sony Experia. Wondering if he's playing FIFA 2013?

App of the week: Seene. This app is truly cool folks, so much so that I've got it on the second page of my iPhone. You know those 3D printer things they have used to making...err 3D objects like guns and pound coins. ( though I did read recently that a new growing market for this was to create duplicates of your private bits). Sorry I digress...well yes, this app allows you to take 3D style pictures that don't need any coloured sweet wrappers to get the effect. The app guides you using arrows to move your phone up and down and side to side and gives you 4 green triangles once you are good to go. It's absolutely amazing and I would have shown you our Crystal Palace man in 3D, but it's not very discreet the old panning around the object and I don't fancy a kick where the Lumie doesn't shine, especially with non branded trainers. Like that other App Vine, you can see what other folks have seene.  (See what I did there!). Check it out, it's really cool and gets a Min Marks out of 10 of 9.38.

Event of the week: So last night I get a knock on the door and it's the pizza delivery man holding a vegetarian supreme pizza (no mushroom, pineapple instead). I was rather taken aback and told him that I hadn't even ordered a pizza!  He goes, "yeah I know, it's actually for my neighbour, but he's forgotten his Facebook password and wanted to show you what he's having for dinner...

Boom! Think we should leave it there. Have a great weekend folks and a lovely sleep!

A small man called Min.

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 25th October 2013

Well hello hello! How are we all? Judging by the look on the faces of my fellow Piccadilly line friends...tired!

Still, will be able to get an extra hours kip on Sunday with the clocks changing. (Woah min, your blog is not only a fun read but informative too)...

I like how the new weather app on IOS7 shows you the precise time for sunrise and sunset each day. I'm usually in the garden at these times just to make sure they have got their timings right. A couple of times the sun was a few minutes late...so perhaps the sun has adopted 'Indian timing' to accommodate me and my fellow indian families who live in our neighbourhood.

What's happening on the tube pic people: There is a lady reading a novel called 'Final Empire'. She seems to be about 79% through the book and is still awake. The dude next to her has just had one of those energy drinks, not redbull, the cheaper one you get for 37p from Aldi..and gulped it down it one go....and gone back to sleep. Nice...

Tube advert of the week: Lovestruck.com. It has a strapline of 'where busy people click'. Oh I see what they did there..must have taken ages to come up with that one. Guess they couldn't really go with 'This is REALLY your last chance, so make sure you photoshop your profile pic'...

Event of the week: and you thought I'd forgotten! Oh no! last Tuesday, was the apple launch of the new Apple Ipad 5...I mean iPad Air. It's called that because like air, it only weighs 1 pound. (Costs a bit more 1 pound though). As expected, it's faster, brighter, lighter, etc. They have made it more like the design of the iPad mini and had a smaller bezzle. Who ever used this word before? So it looks like the screen size is bigger than it is, but still  fits in your hand ( unless you are me or Mrs Min). It didn't have any new super duper features, such as the ID touch or even that champagne colour. Still can't complain as it's the same price as the old one. Will have a little think if I should ask Santa (Amazon) for one. Min Marks out of 10...8.17.

Mac update. Last night I updated my iMac 27" (it's an Indian thing about having the biggest tech) to the new OS Mavericks. I saw the reviews of the new features, thought about what to do, saw it was a free upgrade and...yeah of course I updated it. Free folks...come on!...the new OS is really good and has brought a lot of the functionality of IOS7 to the mac, like apple maps, iMessage and iBooks. It's 'worth' getting and now I feel like I am using the worlds biggest iPad! Min marks out of 10. 8.87.

Joke: The missus thinks I'm too spontaneous. How would she know? 

I only met her a few hours ago...

Right, that's your lot! Have a lovely weekend and a great sleep.

A small man called Min.

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 18th October 2013

Well hello hello! I do hope you are having enjoyable lives. Sorry for the no show last week, I didn't have anything to talk about. Well ok... I fell asleep on the tube so there we go. Let me know if you need a refund.

Life stuff: I don't know if this strikes a chord with you my dear blog reader but this morning I forgot to charge my phone before going to the bathroom and it was flat!  It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I had to read the back of a shampoo bottle for the next fifteen minutes to make sure I had something to do whilst on the loo! 

Tube activity: There is a bloke playing pool on his iPhone 4S next to me. It's quite hard not to step in and explain physics and trajectory to him as he's not doing too well. Seeing as he has tattoos on his knuckles though..might keep my thoughts to myself!

News: So the world and his wife are still all quite keen to release their version of a tablet. Nokia are about to release their tablet next week. You take one to get over the pain of having a Nokia phone. Boom! And we are off!

Still loving my Hudl and giving it a Cudl every day!...

Argos are releasing their version, called MyTablet, aimed at the Kiddies/Teens market and selling for a round sum £100.

Wonder who will be next? Lidl? 

Talking about Tabs, and my daughter taught me this word as how kool kids refer to their tablets, Apple have announced that the iPad 5 event will be next week on the 22nd. Not expecting many surprises looking at the stuff leaked already so just expect the same stuff as on the iPhone 5S.

App: Roll. This one will take you back to you childhood, before we had mobile phones and I was a mere lad (31). The game is all about rolling various coloured balls into the right coloured holes within 60 seconds. It uses the accelerometer to work out how crazy you are slanting your phone. I play it on the tube so I have an excuse as to why I'm so rubbish, though mostly on the Met Line, it's not moving anyway, so need a better excuse! It's free and it gets harder as you progress up the levels. Min marks out of 10.. 8.12

Joke: All the shops in Harrow have signs that say "No Hoodies". Quite disappointing really...they've been sold out for months now...

Right, that's your lot! I wish you a great weekend and a lovely sleep!

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 4th October 2013

Well hello hello! I hope you have been having a lovely week and looking forward to the weekend.

This week has been quite an exciting one in the Min household, so let me tell you some more. Having been an apple fanboy all my life (if the gadget doesn't start with an i...I didn't get it.) Well, this week I have broken that rule and brought a...wait for it...wait for it...an Android device!!

Yes I know what your gonna say, but stick with me and all will be revealed. It started off quite innocently. Reading the gadget news (what other kind of news is there?), I saw that Tesco (the brand you normally think of straight after Apple) was about to launch a new tablet called the Hudl ( see what they did there...)

Having checked out the spec, and the trade reviews it certainly looked quite tempting. And at less than half the price of an iPad Mini, it seemed a bargain at £119. 

The deal became even sweeter when I discovered from the Tesco club card site that I had actually accumulated £25 of vouchers for the £1.25m. of shopping I had done at that place. This £25 was worth £50 in a scheme they are currently running called Tesco Boost if you buy from their Tesco Direct website. So the gadget was now only gonna cost £69!!

Because I'm quite a selfless kind of chap (and a bit cheap), what with Rajvi's birthday coming up this month, I thought job done!

I chose the click and collect option and collected it from my local Tesco express with my milk on Wednesday (launch day).

And what's my view I hear you cry?..we'll stop crying my blog friends, the news is good, the news is fantastic!!

I have not been this excited since Mrs Min said she would marry me 20 years ago as she said my jokes and love for gadgets was all she was looking for in a man.

The tablet comes with a mini HDMI slot so you can connect it with your TV and watch HD quality stuff, the speed of it is fantastic, all the same apps as the iPad and you can expand the memory from the 16gig standard internal to 48gig, via the external microSD slot. (Yep done that already). Even brought a little case to keep my new friend safe (£3 from China on EBay)

So got it all set up and thought, rather than waiting the 3 weeks for Rajvi's birthday, I thought I'd give her a surprise and give it to her straight away.  

The response was, and I quote..."err what's that? No thanks Dad, don't be so cheap, I'll wait for the IPad 5"

Which actually was fine for me as I have become quite fond of it and for a small man like me, the 7inch tablet is like a full size iPad would be for a normal sized human.

Min marks out of 10... 9.79. Get one 'for your "kids"', you won't regret it!

Right, let's leave it there! Have a lovely weekend and a great sleep!

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 27th September 2013

Well hello hello! It's that time of the week again to round up what's been going on in the world of technology!

News: Blackberry. Oh dear.... Who would have thought it? Sold for a few quid, could anyone have ever imagined this would have ever happened. That the day would come when it's more expensive to buy the fruit than their phone. They should have seen the writing on the wall when I changed over to the iPhone (when it came out in 2008)

Other news: iPhone S - so finally went on sale this week and did you hear about the chap who was that crazy to get his hands on the gold coloured one that he paid £10,000 on EBay for it! That's just mad. Still, I am getting quite a few jealous looks this morning on the Piccadilly line as I type away on it...

New section: Things to watch on YouTube. Ok, you MUST check out this dude call YLVIS. He has some very funny ( and slightly weird) songs. Have a listen to "Stonehenge". Think this is the only song that attempts to rhyme "Technology" with "Day", as well as the phrase "What car do you drive?" It's simply breathtaking and you will also learn a lot about the magnificent stone structure that is the Stonehenge... which might be all important for that Friday night pub quiz. Also have a listen to another one of their songs "What does the Fox say" Again, their rhyming of old school technology like Morse Code is simple genius!  Guaranteed to stay in your head for the rest of your lives!

Date for the diary: 12th November - 6pm. We have our Diwali event at work and by popular demand (thanks mum!), I've been asked again to do 5mins of standup comedy so let me know if you want to come.

Advert of the week (on the tube). There is one advertising Flexicover travel insurance with a man sitting on the floor looking sad next to a big pink suitcase and the tag line - "Just in case"...

Woah, how long did that take for them to think of? Even I thought that was a bit pants! 

App: This weeks app is quite excellent. It's called Human. According to scientific research, it is recommended that you walk 30 minutes a day. But how could I possibly measure that! I hear you cry because I don't want the faff of remember to press random buttons on my cycling app every time I start to walk. Well fear not my blog friends, Human is intelligent, you could say human (see what I did there!) and just knows! So it can work out based on your speed if your in the car, running, cycling, on the toilet etc. also draws you a lovely map of you efforts so you can show your mum. It's brilliant and gives you a lovely tick for every day you manage to reach that goal of 30mins. Chews the battery big time as it has to be running in the background all the time, but it's worth it. (free app). Min marks out of 10. 8.96...

Joke: it's been 4 years to the day that I threw that boomerang. I still find myself looking over my shoulder and living in fear...

Right, that's your lot! 

Have a lovely sleep and see you next week!

A small man called Min.

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 20th September 2013

Well hello hello! Yes I know it's been a while since my last blogfession but thought I should do a blog special to report back on the big event that happened yesterday! 

I think it was a severe bout of the 'vomit bug' and all I'm saying is that the vomit wasn't just coming out of one end...

What? Wasn't that what you were thinking...I'm only messing, yes folks the big event was the release of IOS 7.

Unlike some folks (newbies) who tried to download the download (hence why it's called a download) the SECOND it came out and then got a message saying it would take 32hrs to download.... I used some analytics to work out the optimum time to do the upgrade, including factors such as time zones, population densities, wind direction etc to work out that 6:12 would be the right time. Yeah ok, so I had to wake up at that time to be sick but I wasn't wrong. 8 minutes later and I had downloaded the 1.25gig file.

I had done some prep the night before as it said I needed 3.3gig free for the download to do its thing, so deleted Apsalt 8 (racing game), which I had paid 69p for, so was a bit gutted. In hindsight, should have just deleted all the wedding pictures in Camera Roll but hey ho.

So, enough of the messing about. Already at Wembley station on the Met line and the bloke reading this blog over my shoulder has just told me 'to stop messing about and to get on with the blog as he needs to get off at Finchley Road'...

Well folks, what can I say... It's that same feeling I had when I first met Mrs Min, Nervous and excited and hoping that this would be the one. Well, it was just that!  It is simply like having a brand new phone and I'm loving it!

In some ways, it's made me think, why even get the 5C (cheap..though not really) or the 5S (Super Secret) as the IOS has really given my Iphone 5 a new lease of life (that and it's a work phone and I'm legally bounded to keep it for 3 years)...

Let's talk about some of the new features folks. I'm loving the swipes up and down, though my nose has been running for a few days now...

The IOS certainly goes back to Apple design thinking of 'less is more and all about simplicity and design rather than just cos you can... you should". 

Loving new features such as the multitasking of the apps when you double tap the home button. Love flicking the apps up to close them. The safari multiview is also cool!

The new compass is also neat as it has a spirit level built into it now, so spent most of yesterday seeing if the floors in our house were level. Found out they weren't so asked our builder if he can rebuild the house...

Then there is the new Siri and now you can change the voice to be Female. (Bit more realistic when your taking instructions from a women). To do this, make sure you change your Siri settings to use US English. You may have to talk like your a bit drunk so give it a go whilst your in the bar tonight...

Min Marks out of 10 overall is 9.7. Well done Apple, we are friends again. Oh, looks cool on the IPad as well. Would have been full marks but that security pad is rather large to be a SECURITY pad. Who was that aimed at...King Kong?

Right, no time for the app review, so a quick joke to finish with.

How do you know when someone has installed IOS 7?  

Don't worry they will tell you...

Right, that's your lot! Have a wonderful weekend and a lovely sleep.

A small man called Min.

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 21st June 2013

Well hello hello! Or should that be 'not well cough cough'...Been off sick with some flu, cold, chesty fever thing but seeing as it's blog day and that can only be written on the tube...well here I am!

It feels like that movie 'I am legend' on the pic line this morning. There are only 5 people in the whole carriage! 

As I may pass out at any moment, lets get on with the show...

Tube advert: Best Thing Ever. That's what students are saying about the Open University. Nice! It says that their materials are so good that other universities use them too, Wowza! Google has a fight on it's hands...

Gadget: well, gonna give the gadget a rest this week. Did think about doing a piece on the 90" sharp LCD TV I'm thinking of getting and relegating our 65" to the bedroom, but will wait to do that review for a future edition (and obviously if I'm still alive till then).

So in it's place, a new section:

TV programme of the week: So who else watch Airport Live on the BBC this week? No? Just me and my dad then. Watched all 4 episodes and learnt loads...things like 76,000 people work at Heathrow (well done all my Sikh friends in Hounslow), It's the world's busiest hub at 98% capacity with 1,400 take offs and landings each day and one of those fancy fire engines costs £700,000. Yeah ok, it was a bit dull, even though you would have thought they could make a machine in this day and age to cut the 27,000 holes for the stencil thing for the BA logo on the back of the plane, rather than pulling them out individual by hand. Perhaps that's why they have to employ 76,000 people at the airport...anyways, well done Heathrow, and see you on Sunday for my flight to Madrid. Min TV marks out of 10...7.47

App: Citymapper. A must have app for my fellow commuters and yes my friends it is free. It's the app which gives you all the travel info you need in Landan town. (Did you like my accent there?) not only does it combine tube info, including when your next met line will arrive on platform 2, but also bus stops, boris bikes and national train services. You can tell it where you work and live and it can tell you the best way to get there and how long it will take you. Check it out. Min marks out of 10. 9.16

Joke: I've decided to call our new dog '5 miles'. So I can tell everyone I walk 5 miles every day...

Right, time to have a little cough now so have a lovely weekend and a great sleep.

A small man called Min.

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 14th June 2013

Well hello hello. Here we are again and what an exciting week it has been. More later...

Lot to fit in today, so lets not mess about and on with the show!

Tube: Cryptonomicon, that's the book the dude next to me is reading. He is on page 7 and not fallen asleep so far, so looking promising. I guess that's quite an impressive word to remember for the next time you play scrabble!

Shout out: Just to say a massive thank you to all the folks who have given me a like on LinkedIn or downloaded the book. Even had some oversee downloads, but that was probably just the FBI. Big shout out to my favourite recruitment lady who has a clear edge on her competitors with the number of blog likes.

Kawks2009: Just in case the weekly tech blog is not enough for you and you want to see me do some one liners, I now have a video channel on YouTube, called Kawks2009. About 6 videos on there so far and only need another 499,984 views and YouTube will send me a cheque for £10. Come on mum, get clicking....

Gadget: So, nearly took the day off early this week to make sure I could get my self ready for the Apple conference IOS7 launch. Apple are certainly very slick at doing these events, especially when you see what Samsung did recently with their S4 launch. Simple, no nonsense and slick..but enough about me, what can we expect in the fall? (why can't they just say spring or September..expect broken bones perhaps and a 4 hr wait at A&E?)

Really liked the new IOS7 features and finally has some things that should have been available a year or two ago. The control centre for making it much easier for turning on Airplane mode, Bluetooth, flashlight etc by just swiping up rather than messing about going to settings and  3 other menus is very much welcome. The amount of time i will save the next time I'm on a flight and I want to take some pictures of the ground crew playing football with my suitcase is going to be massive... The other features like multitasking and airdrop are also neat. Good to see that finally I don't need to spend all that time whilst I'm on the loo in the morning doing App updates as these will now happen automatically. Hurrah...Overall, good job Mr Cook, you can stay for a while longer. Min marks out of 10: 9.59

Gadget: In this stressful world we live in, where its go, go, go. (And that's just when your playing monopoly at work), when you have a billion email in your inbox by 9:31 and the mrs has also given you a long list of chores for the day. Yes dear, I won't forget your vitamin tablets from Boots, to ring the council about the bins and ringing the Indian high commission about visas for the mother in law (Shame they never pick up). You get the gist right, it's a stressful life we live in and if you want to stayed chilled out, this app can help you monitor yourself. Oy, not like that, get your hands out of your pockets...I meant your heart beat!! What you do is place your finger in front of the camera and it uses the camera light to detect your pulse. Clever huh. I always make sure I do a bit of yoga and some chanting, deep breaths (imagine you are floating in the sky and all round you, there are birds chirping)...My last reading was 72, which is within the boundaries for a human being (60-100), so that's great. Check out Heart Beat pro if you too want to make sure you are alive....Min Marks out of 10...8.72

Joke: Overheard on the tube: 'I think that weird guy sat on his own is listening to our conversation.'...

Right, that's your lot! Have a wonderful weekend and a lovely sleep.

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 7th June 2013

Well hello hello! How are we all today? Thanks so much to the folks who have downloaded my book from the iBook store. Will keep this blog brief just in case Penguin or Random House are trying to call me to get me to sign a mega million pound deal (and movie rights).

So, lets not mess about. On with the show.

Tube: There is a  bloke to my right in a purple hoodie who is watching one of those Japanese Manga style cartoons on his Samsung Galaxy. Nice. It has English subtitles and he also has his headphones on. Wonder if the narration is in English too? Might ask him in a sec if I can borrow one of the headphones and listen in...

Advert: First direct were going to be offering new customers a family of china piggy banks. But they thought you would prefer £100 instead. Too right Fiirst Direct, what were the Chinese family supposed to put their savings in??

Gadget: Picture the scene..You are in a meeting, it's been over 40 minutes and your getting a bit bored (perhaps a bit sleepy if you've just had lunch), and you've ticked off all the business speak lines such as 'let's talk offline' (when did you turn into a computer, how about you talk after the meeting) or 'our immediate strategic objective is to climb the maturity staircase and along the way pick up the low hanging fruit' (tell you what bud...firstly I'm only 5ft 2 and that fruit still looks quite high and have you thought about just going to Sainsbury's..

Sorry I digress...so you really want to get out your phone to have a quick look to see if anyone has sent you a text or updated their Facebook status (to tell you that they went to the gym for lunch (err hello..what kind of sandwiches do they sell in there?). Well, my dear blog readers, fear not, the pebble watch is here. It uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone and gives you all these kind of alerts. Your watch buzzes when you get a notification and you can just look cool and pretend you are just checking what the time is! The most amazing feature is that you can change the clock face, and it even works in the swimming pool. Wowza is all I can say. It's £125 and if it wasn't for the fact that there are big rumours from apple that they will be announcing their watch (I wonder what they will call it?) I would have brought one for my other hand. Still good effort pebble, not actually seen one in real life so you get a Min marks out of 10...8.19

App: Got more of an update this week as the Phillips hue app is now totally amazing and for those hangers on, worth considering buying. App is free (though kit to make it work like the bulbs and hub costs £180. See my first tech blog for what the lights are all about. So several new features to tell you about. It now has geofencing and so as you approach your house, it knows that daddy is home and turns on the lights for you. Same when you leave. You can set it to small, medium or large so control how far away you want this to happen. But the most amazing feature now is that they have linked up with IFFTT (nope I hadn't heard of this before either) but it means that you can trigger the lights to do something based on specific things happening. So For example, I've connected it to the weather channel so if the forecast is rain in the next few hours, the lights go blue, it's connected to the sports channel, so if Liverpool score a goal, they go red (no jokes about wont be needing that then), or even if someone tags you on Facebook the lights blink twice. Cool huh. Come round if you want a demo...updated Min marks out of 10...9.87

Joke: I really wish I knew who kicked the jack out from under the car I was working on...The suspension is killing me...

Right , that's your lot. Download the book, free for the first 100 downloads and has lots of extra bits in there (including my Facebook updates)

Have a great sleep!

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 31st May 2013

Well hello hello! How are we all? A nice short week and predicted to get to a crazy 20c today. Wowza...

Not got a seat on the tube, so let's not mess about, on with the show.

Tube: There is a bloke next to me playing Football Manager on his Sony Laptop. It's currently Chelsea 1 - Wigan 1. He is really into it and changing the formation every couple of mins. Wonder if he will get fired if Chelsea lose?

Advert: 'My sweat terminates here'. Ho Ho ho, my sides. See what you did there Boots anti perspiration spray...yeah I know, it stinks...

Gadget: Picture the scene, it's late, you've just come back from the pub / work / Indian restaurant and you fancy watching some TV for a bit before going to bed. However disaster!!! You can't find the sky remote (other TV services are also available). You check under the pillows, under the sofa (do you find it's quite soothing on your cheek if you have a laminate floor when doing this) and finally even the TV cabinet drawers, where there are 20 other remotes from back in the day that you know will be helpful at some point, just in case you want to watch your VHS video of your wedding. (Even though you no longer have the video recorder any more, just the remote). Looking at all the remotes and thinking I'll just take out the batteries as I can use them somewhere else ( even though you brought 20 for a £1 from the 99p store. If you thought I was going to say Poundland...hello I'm Indian and every penny counts and that spare change comes in handy on so many occasions. (Leaving card envelope when everyone watches but pretends not to when the card comes round the office and you have to be seen to be sticking something  in for John's card (who the hell was he anyway?). Back to the plot...so in order to make sure that I was NEVER in that situation again, I decided to buy this gadget. It's a massive remote control that is so big, we have to store it in the garage. The jag now has to be parked on the road as there isn't enough space for both...it's brilliant and each button is the size of your hand (or finger if your normal size). You can control all your devices from the TV, Sky, magic box, Playstation, sound system, Toaster..you get the gist. Got it from Tiger and it was about 7 British pounds. Min marks out of 10. 8.19. Would have been more but the batteries are the size of sleeping bags and take ages to rub when they are running low on juice.

App: Every wondered what to do when you have a dilemma and just not sure what to do? You know, should I have toast or Rice Krispies today, wear flat shoes or heels (that's just the men), comb my hair or look like I'm a hobo. Well this is where the app comes in and my life has not been the same. The app is called Thumb and as well as helping others with their dilemmas you can post pics and questions yourself. You get back a thumbs up, down or neutral and sometimes comments. It's dead good fun and makes the evenings the mother in law comes round just fly by...Min marks out of 10. 7.52

Joke: I have't spoken to Preeti for a week now. I don't like to interrupt her...

Right that's you lot. Try not to melt in the heat today and have a lovely sleep,

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 17th May 2013

Well hello hello! It's Friday, it's coming up to the bank holiday weekend...it's raining..hurrah...

No messing about this week as feeling a bit sleepy and already midway to the office.

Advert: O2 are proudly displaying their new offer 'change phones as often as you change tubes'. Well that's all fair and good O2, but not everyone is a pickpocket...

Gadget: Just got off the phone to my contacts at Apple and got some juicy news about the new iPhone 5S. Listen up...that right, it's going to have a better spec mic. Brilliant...if only I was with O2, I'd have swapped mine in a heartbeat. (Perhaps could have heard the heartbeat with the 5S). There are also rumours of Apple launching a budget version of the iPhone which will have plastic instead of aluminium. Well that's Preeti's birthday present sorted...Can't give Min Marks out of 10, till I see it, so holding score till then....2.13. (Come on Apple sort your selves out, give us SOMETHING otherwise you know what's gonna happen...)

Ooo, before I forget, my iBook which is currently in final stages of review by Apple should by available by the weekend. It's a book version of my tech blogs plus all my FB updates that week. And yes you cheapskates its free...just search for author 'Bhogaita' or the title of this blog.

App: Zeebox. Believe it or not (no not you Ripley), but no one just watches TV anymore. Most of us usually have our iPhone or tablet on whilst we watch Sir Alan (Glueless...bloody clueless)...or Britain Got Talents init (Leicester version). That's right and this app, Zeebox is bloody brilliant. Not only can you use it to change your TV channel (aka Sky+ app), it shows you real time tweets from the general public and stars who are watching the same programme. It really made the 3 hrs and 15mins of the Eurovision Song Contest fly by! (My favourite lyrics on the show were 'It becomes untrue because of my shoes I’m wearing today, one is called love the other is pain”...nice (perhaps get a bigger size next time). App is very addictive and gets Min Marks out of 10...9.73

Joke: well going to do a little poem to make up for always having a joke at Preeti's expense...

I can't eat in the morning because I'm thinking of her.

I can't eat at lunchtime because I'm thinking of her.

I can't eat in the evening because I'm thinking of her.

I can't sleep at night because I'm really starving...

Right, that's your lot! Have a lovely bank holiday sleep,

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 17th May 2013

Well hello hello. Yes I know it's late and you normally expect the blog to be ready by 8.25am, but I have a valid excuse (just in case you were wanting a refund or something). Woke up dead early and had most of the blog written by 7am, even made sure to do a copy every so often and was mid way through the app section then was busy all day at work. Thought I'd finish it on the way back home and then boom (that's the sound effect denoting that the battery died) and when I charged it up, the paste was not pasting. Damn...

Thought about sacking it off this week, till the phone started ringing and the texts started to pile in saying if I was ok, alive and where was the blog. And as they say, no matter what happens, the show must go on...unless your Rolf Harris, Jimmy Saville, etc. 

Enough of the messing about, on with the show!

App: Bluetooth Speaker. Imagine the scene. it's Sunday afternoon, your at home busy looking at random stuff on FB (better than doing those chores right?) Then the door bell goes. "Whose this? At this time?" (as if there's a better time). and yes, it's Auntiji and some relatives that you see every couple of years who decided to give you a visit as the wedding nearby finished early and it was ages since they had lunch. Get ready for that tricky time that you never quite know what to do as the guests come into the hallway. Do you give them a hug? Bow whilst doing something with your hands? or go old skool and give them a kiss (well touch cheeks for a bit). I always seem to get stuck in two minds and go half way between the two and just make me look like a bloke whose lived in space for a few months and not quite used to gravity back on earth!. After this standard ritual and 'here have some glasses of water' bit come the next stage in the process. BTW, like me do you always go for the one that's got the least water in it? because its probably luke warm. I mean should I drink it or have a little wash with it? 

Finally, its that time! oh yes, time to crack out those frozen Samosas you brought from Leicester. you know the ones right, £10 for 50 right. (if you live it London, make that £20.) This is where this week's gadget comes in! To look super cool and also relax the mood, I switched on the Bluetooth speaker that is so small that it fits in the palm of my hand (and I've got small hands!). You can play music from your iPhone via the tooth that is blue and the sound is amazing! Even better than the 7.1 DTS DDS STS GTI sound system I brought from Rayners Lane Market. But check this next bit out! It also comes with a microSD slot, so you flick a switch on the bottom of the device and it plays music direct. I'd loaded Anup Jalota and some Krishna songs on it for extra brownie points, which did the trick with Aunty..well until those songs ran out and Drake started playing on it. Damn, back to square one! Min Marks out of 10. 9.75. For about £25 you can't go wrong and it even has these cool LEDs and rechargeable battery.

App: Snapchat. Having seen this in the App Store Top 10, I thought I'd look into it a bit more. what can I say. Err harram. Apparently it's one for the teens and its used to send pics or videos to your friends (or randomers) and you can control how long they see the image/video for, after which it self destructs (boom!..that was it self destructing). A

nd why would I want to send a picture of my nose to anyone? hmmm. Min Marks out of 10. 2.16.

Joke: Preeti said shes leaving me because apparently "I live my life through my iPhone". I've no idea where she's getting that idea from my dear blog reader and I've left her a voice mail message to that effect...

Right that's you lot and it actually is time to have a lovely sleep!

A small man called Min.

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 10th May 2013

 Well hello hello! How are we all on this merry Friday morning. Looking at my fellow Met Line passengers on my way to work, I'd say 'ready for the weekend'. On my left we have a lady playing scrabble on her iPhone (stalled - good word lady), and on my right the dude is reading a book on his ipad mini called 'A feast for crows' (la di da...)

Before we get on with the show, just a quick mention that this recent series of blogs will be available in the iBook store in a couple of days as a proper book. Not only will it have all the blog content, like a DVD (or blueray if your posh), it has some extras. the extras in this case being my FB musings (jokes). I know these extras are usually rubbish (see black hawk down where they had this whole section on how they composed the music), but I've put this in for the hundreds of you who would rather punch yourself in the face then join the book of the face. My last book about my met line journey home has been downloaded in 64 countries so no pressure peeps, no pressure...yes, before you ask, it's free to download!

On with the show!

New section: (requested by my brother in law): Tube advert of the week.  There is one about Toilet Roll. Wowza! Why are there adverts trying to sell toilet roll? Whose not buying it?...

App: If you are like me and can't be without a wifi signal around the house, then I have just the thing for you! Imagine, like last Sunday, your sitting in the garden, swinging in your hammock whilst wanting to see on catchupTV or the bbc iplayer app  if Ronnie was going to make a 147 or self destruct during the snooker world championship. However, your iPad (mines is only wifi as I'm a cheap guy) refuses to find your router as it's in the opposite corner of your house. What you gonna do boy? (Quote from Speed - all rights reserved). Well, I brought this amazing bit of kit which allows you to plug into any socket and it uses the electrical cabling in your home just like if you had a massive long network cable! It comes with 2 bits, 1 that you plug into your router, and one for where you need a signal. Dead easy to set up and even comes with a Ethernet port if you did want to go old school and physically wire up your laptop to it. These things have really come down in price and I reckon you could get one for about £35. Shabash technology (and shabash Ronnie...see you next year). Min marks out of 10. 8.76.

App: Nearest Tube. Ever gone somewhere in London, where the first bit was easy, where you hopped into a cab from work to a restaurant in the city for a celebratory project din dins (ie that's fine to claim back the expense...you worked damn hard on that project and even worked past 8pm...mostly because the free pizzas didn't arrive in the office till 7:45. Anyways, so you have the lovely meal (being a veggie, before i even look at the menu I just tell the waiter 'can I have the token risotto with mushrooms dish pls. Obviously have to have the pudding as well as what does a pudding over £10 look like!! And then the dreaded moment of wondering how the hell do I find the nearest tube station? Well fear not my dear blog reader, help is at hand with this lovely app. It uses AR (alternate reality) to superimpose on your camera where all the tube stations are! Amazing. So as you hold the phone up and do a 360, it shows you the tube station direction and even how many yards away it is! It's great and I've only been mugged a couple of times whilst waving it in front of my face like a loon. It's a paid one, 69p, but saves hours walking up and down the street like a hobo. Min Marks out of 10. 9.69

Joke: I helped Preeti with the dinner last night. I took the batteries out of the smoke alarm...

Right that's your lot. Have a great weekend and a lovely sleep!

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 3rd May 2013

Well hello hello! Yes it's that time of the week again. Hurrah, I hear you cry with tears of joy and laughter.

Lets get on with the show!

Gadget: So, hands up those who have a lovely iPhone 5 or Ipad 4? Yeah? Nice one. (Are girl followers of Apple called FanGirls?). Anywhoo, if your anything like me and have all the other stuff that Apple have released, this gadget could be just for you! You know what I'm talking about right? Yep, that bloody new connector on the new devices. Now none of those old wires you have safely stored away in the TV cabinet drawer are next to useless for the new devices! Now if your like me, and on your gadget 24:7, you need a constant charge to keep up with all the nonsense your 'friends' are putting on FB. (Thanks for letting me know you are at the Gym, eating somewhere posh, doing a poo) etc), then you need to have your charging wire in your back pocket. (Though its dead uncomfortable if you sit on the plug bit). Now I hear what your saying, just buy another one Min, it's only about 25 British pounds, so you have the original one at home and one for office. And I say back to you, err hello, £25!!. Indian...So, long story short, a quick search on amazon and I found the gadget you need. It's a converter that plugs into your old wire (the 30pin bit) and make its the new fang dangled shape. Hurrah! And the price of this life changing bit of kit...£1.47.(incl p&p). Shabash and thank you China, you are the best! Had it 4 weeks now and still working like a dream. There are loads of suppliers for these so let me know if you want the details of the one I purchased it from. Min marks out of 10...9.47

App: Flowergarden. So after a talk (tell off) from Preeti that I seemed to have become obsessed with my phone and no longer enjoyed the simpler things in life, I reflected on what she said and yes it was true, that I needed to get back to Nature. A quick trawl of the App Store and I had the answer! FlowerGarden! With this app, you are given 12 empty pots, and you have to grow virtual plants. Starting off with seeds, fertiliser and lots of water. It's well addictive man, as if you don't water them, they die. It makes this really neat noise when the plants need a drink, and when you get out the virtual watering can(press your finger in the top right corner), it sounds just like the real thing. The number of times this week I've had to stop people mid sentence during meetings to tell them to just 'hold that thought', whilst I spent 2 minutes giving my plants a top up. The best bit is that once they are full, all the flowers that were previously flopping all rise back to full health again! Hurrah!! I do however get some strange looks whilst on this app from fellow tube passengers, and some have been known to start banging on the tube door as the gurgling sound of the water has meant they they now desperately need to go for a number 1. Lool! Min Marks of 10. 8.15.

Joke: Preeti just said to me, "I really wish you'd pay a pension when I'm speaking to you."...

Right, that's your lot! Have a great week and a lovely sleep.

A small man called Min.

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 26th April 2013

Hello Hello! and welcome to my weekly tech blog. Thanks again for all the likes last week! (You know who you are!)

No messing about today, lets get on with the show.

Gadget: So a few months ago it was my little nephews' birthday, so Preeti asked me to find a suitable present for a 5 year old. Several searches later, I had found the perfect present for him! A remote control helicopter!! So just as I was gonna hit the 'buy' button! I thought..woah are you crazy, what are you thinking!! That's right folks, if its good enough for a toddler, then it must be good for a middle aged man! So I ordered two of them! However, I thought that I should get a couple of optional extras on mine. So as well as the standard flashing lights when it's flying, mines also came with a little video camera so I could take pics and photos mid air. It comes with a miniSd card , has built in gyroscope to keep it level and the helicopter can be charged via USB. The gadget is brilliant though the lady next door does seem to get a bit annoyed when the rotors tap against her bedroom window....It cost about £27 pounds. Min Marks out of 10. 9.18.

App: Pedometer. So been using this app for about a month now and it's super fantastic (and free and everyone loves free). It records how many steps you walk during the day and is smart enough to know when you are sitting down. When this happens, I shake it a bit to improve my step count. You can set a daily goal (2km in my case), and it tells you in a lovely lady robot voice what percentage of your goal you have walked, calories burnt etc. you can also see a map of the same route you have followed day in day out and summaries for weeks and months. I'm not saying its addictive but sometimes during meetings I just stand up and walk around the table a few times to increase my record...Min Marks out of 10...8.43

Joke: Preeti had me do a spring clean of the loft last night and in one of the boxes was a CD called "The Only Jazz Album You'll Ever Need". And they were bloody right....

Right, that's your lot! Have a great weekend and a lovely sleep.

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 19th April 2013

Hello Hello! Welcome to the 4th blog in the series, and I sincerely hope the BBC do fund another one. So 6 likes last week! (and 1 comment - thanks Mohneesh!) so a 50% increase on the previous week. One of the statistics I read this week was that 'In the next 10 years, the sexiest job in the world will be that of a data scientist!' And as I have a massive shiny head, I reckon that I'm gonna be in the top 1% of the 1%, the best of the best (all rights reserved Top Gun). Ladies if you want my personal contact details autographed on your Rubix cube, just let me know...

Gadget: Gonna talk about Google Glasses today as its being tested by volunteers at the moment, who have the pleasure of paying $1500 to Google for testing it. Lucky them! First question...Will it spoil my good looks by putting them over my regular glasses?..and what if I'm down at the cinema watching Lion King 3D, will I be able to wear 3 pairs of glasses at the same time? The video released a while back was amazing though! For the 'volunteers, guidance has already been issued to make sure they don't break the law'. Stuff like 'don't wear them when you drive as you might be distracted', and 'no secret recording when you are in the women's changing rooms'...that kinda thing...Can't give it Min Marks out of 10 until I try a pair, so a holding score of 8.3 based on potential excitement they will bring to my life.

App: KView+ So a few months ago, passing Maplins (as you do), I noticed a fancy CCTV system in the shop window with loads of cameras (4), a shiny black box and lots of wires so went to have a closer look. On the box it said, iPhone. Enabled so 30 secs later, I brought it! It's brilliant and we have set up the cameras all around the house, and you can set it to just email pics of when there is movement or get a live feed from anywhere in the world. Yep, works even when you leave Harrow! Setting up the app to work with the router was a bit tricky, but what I don't know now about opening ports and network IP addresses isn't worth knowing.
A few weeks ago, there was a headless pigeon on our doorstep and initially I thought it was some voodoo from someone suggesting that I should step away from the blog! Having viewed the recording on the app for the previous 3 hrs, I saw that it was actually a hawk that had try to fly off with its prey, couldn't quite lift it so just ate its head and flew off. How's the lunchtime snack going by the way?
It does have a few glitches though. For example, every time the milkman comes to drop off the milk and have a chat with Preeti, the cameras always freeze for an hour...sure it's a glitch right? Min Marks out of 10..7.3 as a bit tricky to set up but brilliant after that.

Joke: "So how did the interview go?" Preeti asked me.

"I'm not too sure to be honest, I said all the usual stuff like, "I'm a hard working person, I get on well with others, I won't let anyone down, blah blah blah, but then he sort of looked at me funny."

"How come?" she replied.

"Because I said blah blah blah."...

Right! that's your lot. As always lets have your likes and comments and see you next week!

Have a great sleep,

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's MinIT Update. Friday 12th April 2013

Well hello there! Week 3 of the technology blog and I've hardly been able to do much work due to all the constant calls from the TV and Radio people. Most of them saying 'Please stop, my eyes are bleeding reading your blog', but as Gandhi once said... 'Where's my slippers'...sorry wrong quote, as Gandhi once said 'Believe in the people'...that's what I'm gonna do as the '4 likes' last week told me.

Gadget: Gadget emergency battery. Have you ever been in a situation where you have to make that really important call and you have the dreaded 1% battery sign? I'm talking to you my iPhone buddies. Then you have to use all your brain power to do the call as quickly as possible. So most of my calls were like 'Fetch me' (translation : I'm at Rayners lane tube my dear wife, can you come and collect me as I can't be bothered to walk the 963 steps home), or 'Pizza...now!' (Calling Papa Johns, though more into Papa Mia (£9.50 for really large pizza, though you do have to collect). The finally straw was when I recently flew back into Heathrow and had the 1% warning and still had to call the taxi man. 'Taxi now, OK bye' was as much as I could get out before the swirling lines indicating shutdown came on (did you do the 'OK bye bit in an Indian accent? Errr racist...)

Anyways, brought a really good 5000mA strength charger about a month ago for about £23 and its brill. Can charge 2 devices at the same time and most importantly has these 3 funky LEDS that show you how much power you have left and comes with a million different connectors (except iPhone 5). Min Marks : 8.3

App: Solar. Great little weather app I got (free) which is really slick. Seeing as its going to be a crazy 18c this Sunday, the timing couldn't be better to show all your (imaginary) friends how much the mercury is rising. You can swipe and pinch as much as you like, and once you've stopped messing about with your nose, check out the app. Best bit is when it shows rain or snow, if you tilt your phone, the rain or snow falls in that direction, it's brilliant and the meetings this week have just flown by! Min Marks out of 10.: 9.2

Thought for the day: With the lovely weather in mind, why do people draw the sun wearing sunglasses. What is it protecting his eyes from?

Tara for now and have a great sleep!

A small man called Min

Got anything new to report? - Min's Minute Update. Friday 5th April 2013

Well hello there! Thank you so much for the 14 likes and hundreds of cards and flowers for last weeks blog. Mum you are the greatest! Reached my 1,000th LinkedIn contact this week, so great to see OVER 1% of my contacts enjoyed last weeks musings. Lets try for 1.5% this week. Little steps as my mum used to say (Being 5ft 2", it was always going to be).

Lets crack on with the show:

Gadget: Robomop Robot Floor Cleaner. As a bit of a contingency for if Preeti ever decided to leave me, I brought her this robot cleaner for Christmas. Obviously you can't put a price on happiness (or cleanliness), but £34.99 seemed to be around the right ball park seeing as it was coming out of our joint bank account.
Having had the robot (I've named it Rho Bhatt) for a few months now, It's safe to say that it has performed admirably. It's like we have a new pet in the house (though Lucky, you will always be in our hearts). It's essentially like one of those hamster balls and a bit of cloth on the bottom (sorry for the technical phase folks ), but it picks up the dirt, can get under the sofas and if it bumps into anything, it remembers and tries again later. Comes with rechargeable batteries and you can set it to clean for up to 2hrs! The best bit is that it makes this gruffing noise whilst it cleans which is quite cute. Min Marks out of 10....8.5

App: Facestealer. Ever wanted to look like Barrack Obama or the Mona Lisa? Well here is your chance. Yes folks, before you ask, it's free and will keep you amused for at least 5 minutes. It comes with a load of templates, and the best bit is that it uses the camera to augment the selected character onto your face. It's dynamic too so will update if you move your face. You can even download an image and turn into who ever you like. I tried Michael Jackson but that just looked strange and that's before I used the app..boom! Min Marks out of 10...6

Joke: What did Jay-Z call his girlfriend before getting married? Feyonce...

Ahem! Right that's your lot! Have a great sleep and if we get that 1.5% target, I'll do another one in a weeks time.

A small man called Min