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.