Facebook’s Particular Shade of Blue

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013

Wake up in the morning lookin’ like P Diddy, grab my phone and check my Facebook … and learn that Girl Who Was In My Class Last Year “loves Ikea.” Ugh. Who cares? I’ve got the Facebook Blues. That particular shade of blue makes me feel dissatisfied, bored, and a little uneasy. Like many Read more...

Loved up and ‘Appy

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013

Don’t you hate it when your significant other plays relationship games with you? Like the ever-popular “figure out why I’m angry, or else” move, or the infuriating “do you think that guy’s hotter than me?” test. Answer correctly, or risk the silent treatment. Forget all that, now there’s an Read more...

App of the Week | Issue 19

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013

Pixlr is a great web app for quick but thorough image editing. It’s better than Microsoft Paint; it’s not as good as Photoshop. This is not one for graphic designers, and if you use it, your graphic designer friends will cringe. But it does the trick. Open up the web app and you can choose Read more...

Freemium and Subscription Models Making Life Harder for Pirates

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013

Just as with music there is a trend in the gaming industry to offer subscription models to gamers, which has had an impact on gaming piracy. Game purveyors are offering perks for players who opt in to paid subscriptions, such as free games and online multiplayer, while punishing pirates by Read more...

App of the Week | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013

Weebly is a drag-and-drop, no-coding-required platform for creating websites that actually look good. If you need to create a quick website to advertise your tutoring skills, or your Mum’s clothing-swap event, Weebly is the way to go. Think of it as the 2013 equivalent of GeoCities, with nicer Read more...

I Just Want to Watch Game of Thrones, Damnit

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013

Television networks have pulled their socks up over the past few years. The proliferation of piracy online means it is no longer acceptable to air international TV shows in New Zealand months, or even years, after their inception. Not that it was ever acceptable, really – we just didn’t have much Read more...

App of the Week | Issue 17

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013

Did you know that there are still people who carry their assignments around on a USB drive? It’s a risky game. Half the time you forget to bring it; the other half you leave it in a library computer. Awesome. Save yourself the pain by signing up for Dropbox. It’s a simple but powerful service Read more...

The Many Paths to Yeezus—Piracy or Purchase?

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013

Ten years ago, you may have been regarded with awe when you successfully downloaded the new Green Day album and burned multiple copies so that your friends could listen to “Wake Me Up When September Ends” on their discmans. No? Just me? These days, piracy is a pretty casual pastime in Read more...

App of the Week | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013

You know those vibration masturbation apps that are widely available in app stores? I have questions: Why would that be a good idea? First of all, your phone is a disgusting piece of equipment. It’s covered in germs and you probably use it while you’re on the toilet. And secondly, the Read more...

Mundane, Fleeting, Fun

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013

Occasionally, I have reason to suspect that at the grand age of 22 I might already be “over the hill.” This realisation came several weeks ago when I found myself asking, irritably, “what is this Snapchat thing and should I be on it?” I had heard that teenagers were using it to sext each other. As Read more...