Category: Online column

A weekly tech column written for The Southland Times, a company that pays well enough to keep me in handbags and Drambuie

Don’t let the trolls in

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) All the hoo-hah that has erupted over the trolls invading the Southland Trader Co Facebook page is a good example of why we all should be careful about our online…

Keep ‘selfie’ culture at arm’s length

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) Do we really need an app to encourage people to take more selfies? Well, the obvious answer is no, we don’t. Unfortunately, we’ve got one anyway. Frontback combines pictures of…

Facebook click can cook your goose

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) I reckon the Government could have saved a lot of kerfuffle with that whole spy bill drama by just setting up a Facebook account and friending all of us. While…

Conspiracies made for the internet

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) I enjoy a good conspiracy theory as much as the next tin-foil hat-wearing crackpot, and the internet has certainly made the sharing and perfecting of those conspiracy theories so much…

Twitter nearly implodes with tiny arrival

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) There are some news stories that just take over the web and this week’s arrival of the newest royal was one of those stories. As much as we try to…

Gaming takes over unveilings

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) Maybe I’m turning into a grumpy old woman, but I just can’t get excited about all the latest announcements and unveilings at E3. Sure, the various flavours of gamers are…

For those with a short attention span …

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) I’ve had the attention span of a gnat lately and the internet is the perfect accessory for the concentration-challenged. I’m blaming my shortcomings on my recent surgery: I couldn’t stay…

Rugby World Cup: are we excited yet?

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) I know the Rugby World Cup is just around the corner but for some reason I cannot get excited about the whole thing. The hugely discounted HP Touchpads that went…

Let’s cut northerners some snow slack

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) I’m a proud born-and-bred Southlander but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel the pain of my northern countrymen and women. This latest patch of decidedly non-tropical weather engulfed the entire…