Category Archives: Mark Murphy

The Gadget Man – Episode 106 – Unused Kitchen Gadgets

I chatted to Mark Murphy at BBC Radio Suffolk this morning as part of a discussion about Kitchen Gadgets that have fallen out of use.

We have all bought something for the kitchen to help us cook or prepare food and consequently found that although useful, they end up sitting in a cupboard, in a draw or on top of a kitchen cabinet.

Listen into the audio stream to find out what I thought and how I placed my foot in my mouth at a well known shopping channel.

 

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The Gadget Man – Episode 104 – Defeating Vehicle Security

Following a report by the RAC that vehicle thefts in the United Kingdom have risen by 30% in the last three years, I spoke to Mark Murphy on his BBC Radio Suffolk Breakfast show about how thieves are trying to defeat the security measures that car manufacturers are putting in place.

You can listen into the stream, but clicking the ‘play’ button above.

If you are interested in the technology that is regularly being used to defeat vehicle security, Andy Greenburg has written a very interesting article on Wired which can be found here.

Matt Porter
The Gadget Man

 

The Gadget Man – Episode 102 – Nokia 3310 (re)launches in the UK

Click to buy the Nokia 3310 from Amazon

With the UK launch of the Nokia 3310, I talk to Mark Murphy at BBC Radio Suffolk about the nostalgia behind one of the most popular mobile phones of the last 20 years.

The original Nokia 3310 is without doubt an iconic mobile handset and in it’s original form which went on to sell 126,000,000 units.

Following the licensing of the ‘Nokia’ phone brand to HMD, four new phones, including three running Android, namely the Nokia 3, Nokia 4 and Nokia 5 are to be launched.

Nokia 3310
Nokia 3310

Alongside these modern smartphones see’s the  reborn Nokia 3310.

The handset is described as ‘a modern classic reborn’, retaining the durability and insane standby time of the original. Available in four distinctive colours and with a price tag of £49, expect the 3310 to be popular again.

Don’t forget to listen in to the stream to find our more!

The Gadget Man – Episode 101 – WannaCry – WannaCrypt – Eternal Blue – What Happened and What to Do?

Following my previous post which can be found here, I talked this morning to Mark Murphy on BBC Radio Suffolk about WannaCry and the effect it has had on the NHS, what needs to be done to stop it happening again and what we can do to protect ourselves.

To read and in depth article on how to protect your computers from such attacks, click here

PLEASE ensure your computers have all their updates installed and make sure you have Anti-Virus software installed.

 

 

Gadget Man – Episode 99 – Hackers, Spammers and Scammers

This morning I was interviewed by Mark Murphy on BBC Radio Suffolk about what makes me grumpy?

At the moment a lot of my time is spent securing websites and investigating hacking attempts, so this felt like a legitimate ‘grump’.

If you own a website, don’t assume it’s secure, make sure it’s secure.

Listen in to the stream and let me know what you think…

Gadget Man – Episode 89 – Star Trek 50th Anniversary – Fantasy Gadgets that are now Reality

uss_enterprise_ncc-1701-aToday we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek which first aired in 1964! Amazingly the series only ran for 3 series before being cancelled NBC. The show was an instant hit with a core group of fans now called ‘Trekkies’ or ‘Trekkers’. Star Trek went on to be shown on repeats or reruns many times over the years.

leonard_nimoy_as_spock_1967
Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock. Image courtesy Wikimedia

Star Trek went on to spawn 13 motions pictures starting in 1979 with ‘Star Trek – The Motion Picture’ and 5 subsequent televisions series including The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise. As well as the ‘Animated Series’ and a planned ‘Discovery’ planned for 2017. Along with all of this visual entertainment comes an enormous library of novels, audiobooks and reviews and in depth analysis of all of the above, it’s almost breathtaking!

star_trek_william_shatner
William Shatner as Captain James T Kirk. Image courtesy Wikipmedia

Star Trek is now surely etched in science fiction folklore possibly (and arguably) only surpassed in popularity by the monolithic and multi billion pound Star Wars franchise

What makes Star Trek so attractive is it’s almost prophetic vision of gadgets of the future. Today in the 21st century we can make use of gadgets and technology first shown a half a century ago.

From sliding doors, universal translators, natural language conversations with computers, tablets computers, personal communicators, virtual reality to food replicators and more!

So, what do we have to look forward to in the next 50 years?

Well, personally I can’t wait next movie instalment and next years TV series, but moreover, I REALLY looking forward to Warp Drive, Matter Transporters and Interstellar Space Travel.

In the words of Mr Spock (and spoken in the language of Mr Worf:-

qaStaHvIS yIn ‘ej chep

(“Live Long and Prosper” in Klingon)

Earlier I spoke to Mark Murphy at BBC Radio Suffolk about how these devices now form an integral part of our lives, so listen in don’t forget to comment below.

qaStaHvIS yIn ‘ej chep

Gadget Man – Episode 88 – 500,000,000 Yahoo accounts stolen in Worlds Biggest Hack

Yahoo HQ
Yahoo HQ – image credit Yahoo

On Friday, I spoke to Mark Murphy on the Morning Show on BBC Radio Suffolk about the breaking news story concerning the massive data breach at Yahoo, possibly converning over 500,000,000 user accounts and by far the largest leak in history.

Listen to the short interview where I explain what I think happened and what Yahoo users should do to ensure their accounts are kept safe and secure from now on.

Yahoo has released a statement concerning the breach, we can be read here

Featured image credit Can Pac Swire on Flickr

Grumpy Old Gits – 17 June 2016 – Shared Driveways, England Football Kit, Profiteering from Bad Luck

This week the Gog’s discuss Shared Driveways, England’s Football Kit, Profiteering from Bad Luck, Music on Hold  and many more!!

PAUL GASCOIGNE has the contents of the water bottle pored into his mouth by Alan Shearer as Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp join in his goal celebrations. EURO CHAMPIONSHIPS 1996, ENGLAND v SCOTLAND, 15/6/96. WEMBLEY CREDIT: COLORSPORT / ANDREW COWIE
PAUL GASCOIGNE has the contents of the water bottle pored into his mouth by Alan Shearer as Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp join in his goal celebrations. EURO CHAMPIONSHIPS 1996, ENGLAND v SCOTLAND, 15/6/96. WEMBLEY CREDIT: COLORSPORT / ANDREW COWIE

Grumpy Old Git’s it broadcast every Friday between 11am and Midday on Mark Murphy’s Morning Show on BBC Radio Suffolk.