Author: Daniel

How to Roll Crêpes (pancakes) by a Real French Person

Being British I’m naturally a connoisseur of fine cuisine but I’ve never mastered pancake-folding, crêpe-rolling, whatever you like to call it — until now. My friend and genuine femme française Coralie developed the perfect pancake preparation process but alas, it’s only in French! Perhaps it’s a government conspiracy to preserve tradition. Perhaps she enjoys the sight of Englishmen dribbling … Continue reading How to Roll Crêpes (pancakes) by a Real French Person →

Online Safety Basics: Clicking & Downloading

Now our child is using computers and the web more and more, I’ve been thinking a lot about protecting children on the internet. There seems to be an endless list of things you should and shouldn’t do but I was struck by some simple advice in the latest Security Now episode (#507) that provides a lot of … Continue reading Online Safety Basics: Clicking & Downloading →

Song: Oh! Selector ♪

http://www.youtube.com/embed/77T2keQGLSc Downloads Get high quality versions of this song from iTunes and Bandcamp.Also, free not-quite-so-high quality downloads are available from SoundCloud and Last.fm. Lyrics Now when I was a young boy startin' out in this industry I remember this pearl of wisdom that the internet gave to me. To manipulate or decorate something on a web page First ya gotta grab … Continue reading Song: Oh! Selector ♪ →

Tech Event Planning Checklist

This is mostly a reminder for myself when planning future tech events (meetups, hackathons, etc.) but others might find it useful too. Just print it out and cross off the bits that aren’t relevant. It’s based on my experience as an organiser, speaker and attendee but if I’ve forgotten something please leave a comment. Early … Continue reading Tech Event Planning Checklist →

Screen Readers 1, Humans 0

Spoken version: Yesterday I sent out a one-question survey on Twitter about screen readers. I’d had this fantastic idea for a website plugin that would enable blog editors to easily record an audio version of their blog posts when publishing [1]. Vision-impaired users would rejoice, website traffic would shoot up and I’d be rich and famous. … Continue reading Screen Readers 1, Humans 0 →

Responsive Is Not Just Visual: Three Useful Web APIs

Mobile users are on the go. They’re rushing to get a train or busy meeting people. They don’t have much time and they’re on a slow connection. Right? The answer of course is not necessarily. So-called mobile browsing could include shopping online while tucked up in bed, sending messages while watching TV or giggling at … Continue reading Responsive Is Not Just Visual: Three Useful Web APIs →

Please Retweet This Song ♪

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nMqLs4bWVcM Downloads Get high quality versions of this song from Bandcamp.Also, free not-quite-so-high quality downloads are available from SoundCloud and Last.fm. Lyrics I wrote a new song and put it up on the web. When I checked the next day, the number of plays, to my dismay was ten. Maybe my music is not that great in the end. … Continue reading Please Retweet This Song ♪ →

Song: Step Away From the Screen ♪

A lullaby for geeks (well, mostly for myself). https://www.youtube.com/embed/b8QP6HySYCg Downloads Get high quality versions of this song from iTunes and Bandcamp.Also, free not-quite-so-high quality downloads are available from SoundCloud and Last.fm. Lyrics Darkness is here and the streetlamps are lit. But you're still awake reading comments on the 'net. You're not in bed yet. So someone was wrong on the internet … Continue reading Song: Step Away From the Screen ♪ →