Online column

(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 all a-flutter about PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but these days you’re more likely to find me […]

(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 awake for the first day after the anaesthetic and during the following two weeks I

(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 up for grabs on Tuesday were much more exciting, even though I didn’t buy one.

(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 country and divided it at the same time. You see, apparently Aucklanders aren’t allowed to

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) The wee meltdown that meant our lovely newspaper wasn’t published on Tuesday shows how damaging technology can be when it decides to have a bad day. The whole frustrating situation showed both sides of technology: the agonising epic failure of no printed newspaper on one

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) That lovely wee polar blast that blew through town early this week was certainly a shock to the system. No matter what it’s doing, we all like to talk about the weather: it’s too hot (yes, it does happen), it’s too cold, too windy, too

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times) I suppose I should get the obvious conversation-starter out of the way now by saying ‘how about this interesting wee spell of weather we’re having at the moment”. I was talking to someone earlier this week who lives in Singapore but had just arrived in

(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times)   A few years ago, the internet was all about email, chatrooms and pornography sites, but as the younger generation infiltrates the web, that focus has moved to social networking.  The question has to be asked: does this mean being on Facebook is the technological