Syllabub.net

There are a couple of ways to back up your contacts - so when you lose your phone you don’t lose your friends…

1. Sync with Outlook on your PC - this has the advantage of meaning you only have to add contacts once to either device (PC/mobile) and you have a complete list with you at all times
2. Backup to PC - most phones come with some form of PC software and a way to connect your phone - USB, bluetooth, infra red
3. Free Online Backup with ZYB - new service which copies your contact information and stores it securely online. Is super easy to set up and use (and even has some pseudo-social networking built in). NOTE you will need a data connection for this.

Please use one of these so you never have to lose your vital contact information again (and send out an “I’m stupid” email)

Some useful tips here. I particularly liked the zoom feature for inline editing.
My favourites apps:

• Gmail
• Google Calendar
• Facebook
• Mundu
• BBC Podcasts - virtual radio player

List of iPhone apps from Apple and also here.

This is bloody delicious and takes literally 10 minutes

Ingredients (for 1)

• packet of pancetta
• 1 leek (chop into slices - about £1 coin thickness)
• 1/2 packet of (organic chestnut) mushrooms
• small pot of creme fraiche

Method

• Add pasta to boiling salted water (add a little oil to prevent sticking)
• cook pancetta in olive oil (I use a flat bottomed wok)
• add chopped leek and mushrooms
• season with salt & pepper (if you don’t use Maldon Sea Salt, maybe you should)
• cook for another 5 minutes or so (until leek is cooked)
• add drained pasta to everything else, mix
• remove from heat
• add a couple of dollops of creme fraiche, mix

I have looked online and couldn’t find a good simple guide to moving iTunes from one compter to another - so here’s my version. Unfortunately you can’t use your iPod to do this (actually you can but it’s pretty fiddly and this method is far easier and less time consuming).

I’m going to assume that you let (and want) iTunes to manage your music files - I can’t see why you wouldn’t - or why you would particularly care - there are those that do, and this sort of information probably isn’t for them.

Summary - we need to copy all of the music files (MP3s, etc) and also make sure we copy the library information (ratings, listening info, etc). You can either copy these directly (over the network if you have one) or copy them to an intermediate device - external hard drive, USB key, etc.

First, we need to copy the files from the old computer

By default iTunes stores the music files in C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music (Windows XP) or C:\Users\<Username>\Music (Vista) - you need to copy the entire folder structure either to the new computer (easiest to copy to the desktop) or via the Hard Drive.

You now have two options - if you already have music (that you want to keep) on the new computer then we will add to the existing library. If the new computer doesn’t have any music on it then we will use the existing library (from the old computer.)

I have iTunes on the new computer and want to keep the music stored on it.

1. Assuming your music files are now on the desktop of the new computer we just need to copy the music files to iTunes.
2. First check that iTunes is managing the music files:
3. Launch iTunes - Menu - Edit - Preferences - Advanced
4. Make sure the following options are checked -

• ‘Keep iTunes Music folder organized’
• ‘Copy files to itunes Music folder when adding to library’

5. Keep iTunes open and move and resize the window to the right-hand side of your screen.
6. Make sure you have selected Music (top left hand corner).
7. In the left hand side open the Music folder on the desktop, and navigate to the ‘iTunes Music’ folder where you should see folders for each of the artists in your collection.
8. Select all folders and drag them onto the iTunes window.
9. You should now see the music being copied in the iTunes status window.

I don’t have any music on the new computer and just want to copy what I had on the old one.

1. Install iTunes on the new computer if you haven’t already
2. Close iTunes if it is running
3. Copy the ‘iTunes’ folder from the desktop to ‘C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Music\iTunes’
4. Start iTunes

So, you have all your music on your PC, probably have an iPod, and now want to be able to listen to your music anywhere in your house - on your HiFi in the living room, in the kitchen, in the bathroom and in the bedroom, maybe even out in the garden.

As is usually the case you have a few options and it depends slightly on budget and also whether you might also want to watch movies/TV shows around the house. The following assumes you have a PC with your music on it and wireless networking in the house.

The first one we’re going to look at is the Sonos - the daddy - this is the most sophisticated and powerful of the systems here, and also by far the most expensive. You attach the ’server’ to your router and then you can place up to 24 ‘clients’ around your house creating zones. You also get a beautiful remote control which allows you to pick the music you’d like to listen to and where you’d like to listen to it. Each client needs to be attached to either an amp/TV or a set of speakers. Entry level pricing is £699 for one server and two clients - one with a built-in amp (just connect speakers) and one which needs to be attached to an amplifier or TV. For more information go to http://www.sonos.com

AppleTV - assuming you own an iPod and have iTunes running on either a Mac or PC then why not have iTunes running on your telly - this is essentially what AppleTV gives you - it has a really slick interface and is easiest described as an iPod in your living room. You can either stream music from your PC or sync it onto your AppleTV (40-160Gb) and play stuff locally - the advantage of this is that you don’t need to leave your PC on all the time. Apple’s selling point is that as well as music you can also download podcasts, movies, TV shows, watch YouTube and watch movie trailers, which is pretty cool. Costs £199 for 40Gb http://www.apple.com/appletv/tour

AirPort Express (£65 from Apple) - a wireless gizmo which you can attach speakers to and play music from iTunes - it couldn’t be simpler or easier to use - you can attach cheap portable speakers, such as the excellent T40’s from Creative (£65 from Amazon) or attach it to a proper hi-fi setup, or even (and this makes a lot of sense) a DAB radio so you have the best of both worlds - I really like the PURE Oasis (£80 from Amazon).

UPDATE The only downside with Airport Express used to be that you had no way of controlling the music, but now you can use your iPod Touch/iPhone as a remote control this solution is now pretty compelling.

Squeezebox - this is a wireless streaming client which can be used to play music and internet radio - it’s a great looking device, has a clear display and has received many favourable reviews. Its outputs can be attached to a HiFi or TV speakers. It costs £185 - for more information go to http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html

Here’s some random stuff I stumbled across today…

• Get email updates from your MP so you can see what they’re up to
• Cool new program about photography on BBC4 starts Thursday
• Cool online TV guide - nice way to find out about new shows - DigiGuide

Home Cinema stuff

This subject just keeps on coming up - two of my friends are looking into it with a budget of around a grand, then another mate decides he’d like to convert his (enormous) loft into a ‘proper, proper’ home cinema with a budget of over £10,000!!

• Picking the right speakers
• Hi-Def - is your fancy new screen actually HD ready?
• Sky 2.0 -with networking - so you can record in one room and watch anywhere… fingers crossed

Am going to the What Hi-Fi / Stuff show at the weekend so should get a chance to take a look at all this is new’n’shiny in the world of sound and vision…

You want to be able to watch movies at home and have that full cinematic experience - you may well have already purchased a great new flatscreen (LCD or plasma) and now want to make the next leap forward. Virtually all TVs have speakers, but to be honest, they’re fairly rubbish. If you really want to be submersed then you need to consider buying some speakers… but how many? I will try to help you answer this question…

Do I even need rear speakers? Well, if you really want that all encompassing sound coming from every direction - like you do in the cinema then you do need rear speakers but you can ‘cheat’ slightly…

The ideal set up is 5.1, which means a pair of speakers on either side of your telly and a centre speaker, two rear speakers and a subwoofer (for all the bangs and crashes, and for deep booming bass).

However, there are some clever alternatives which enables fewer speakers - as few as one - which can ‘throw’ the sound around the room to make it seem that sound is coming from the back of the room, even though it isn’t…

The reason you may not want rear speakers is that it means lots of cables running through your living room and lots of extra boxes taking up valuable living space… they’re valid reasons and why most people shy away from this.

You can get wireless rear speakers these days, but they need power so you need to plug them in. It’s still quite new and I think I would probably stay clear for now - if this appeals then audition a couple and compare to either virtual surround (2.1) or a full-blown 5.1 setup.

Finally you can go all the way up to 6.1 and 7.1 with additional rear centre speaker (6.1) and side speakers (7.1) - my advice is simple - don’t bother unless you have a massive room and a massive budget - if this is the case then you should consider professional installation.

Virtual Surround Sound (single speaker)
If you want a surround system without the extra boxes you need to have a ‘closed’ room - if your living room has four walls and no obvious leaks then you can use speakers which bounce the sounds off the walls - there are several systems which provide this.

Single speakers - these actually contain multiple drivers, 23 in fact, which try to bounce the sound off the side walls to simulate effects coming from behind you - their effectiveness depends on your room - try before you buy. Start from around £400 such as the Yamaha YSP-900 below.

Virtual Surround Sound (2.1)
This works similar to the single speaker solution but uses two front speakers and a subwoofer - for many this is a reasonable compromise as it keeps cabling and numbers of boxes to a minimum but also provides more of a room-filling sound. Best one around is probably the Denon SmartLife S-301 (£750)- a nice bonus is that it’s iPod friendly so you can hook up your iPod direct to your hi-fi, though the dock costs extra.

Full Surround Sound (5.1)
Let’s assume you’ve decided you want to go the full hog - how many boxes do you really want in your living room - you now have to choose whether you want separates (dvd player, amplifier, speakers) or an all-in-one system (combined dvd/amp and speakers). The advantage of the latter is that you can buy one bit of kit which has been designed to work together and is one less box under the telly, whilst the separates means two boxes under the telly and loads more decisions to make about compatibility between DVD, amplifier, speakers and subwoofer.

You have two options in this category - lots of big boxes, or sub-sat (subwoofer / satellite) systems - the latter means the 5 speakers are all tiny which is room-friendly but leaves the sub to do most of the work - which is fine for 90% of people - if you are fortunate to live in a big house you might want bigger boxes to do the work… I shall assume you can live with this slight compromise.

Budget
I think there’s two major price points for most people £500 or £1,000 - so I’ll work with these - clearly if your budget is more generous then you should go straight to your local hi-fi dealer and talk to them about your needs - I recommend Sevenoaks, and Unilet in my local area - it’s easy to work out if they’re any good - talk to them and see whether they’re listening.. if they do then they will be happy for you to try some stuff to make sure you’re happy - if not, try someone else…

Speaker Systems (assume you already have DVD/amp)
KEF KHT2005.2 for around £600 - KEF virtually invented the sub-sat sector with their now famous ‘eggs’ - they work really work, provide a full and exciting sound and are easily integrated into most living rooms as they are pretty small…

If your budget can stretch there’s another range from KEF - KHT3005SE is about £1,000 and looks and sounds even better.

If your budget can take it there’s another system which you should audition from B&W MT-30 - it’s not cheap at £1,500 but it is multi-award winning - please don’t listen if it will offend your wallet.

Complete systems (one box for dvd/amp and 5.1 speakers)
This is ideal if you have a smaller room or just don’t want the hassle of separates - there’s two obvious candidates one is 2.1 (virtual surround) and the other is full 5.1

Samsung HTX200R is very stylish and is ideal for smaller rooms or even for bedrooms (or other places you have a telly) - at only £300 it is also very affordable.

Sony DAV-IS10 is a super compact all in one (£500) with just unbelievably small satellite speakers which shouldn’t work, but do. Worth a listen. What Hi-Fi Product of the Year.

DVD Player / AV (audio-visual) Amplifier
If you’re getting separates (as opposed to the all-in-one) then you obviously need a DVD player and AV amp - too many choices here to get into - just budget little for the DVD player because you can get really good ones for under £100 (eg. Samsung DVD-HD870 £70), and slightly more for a decent amp (eg. Onkyo TX-SR505 £250). Check out What Hi-Fi’s Awards magazine for further options, or better talk to your local hi-fi dealer.

Position of telly
Most British households have their telly in the corner of the room - it’s convenient but troublesome for speaker placement - the problem is that your front pair of speakers need to be slightly wide of the TV to separate the sound which is difficult in the corner of a room… For most, there’s not much of a choice - if there is then you will definitely appreciate having the speakers a foot or so wide of the TV.

Conclusion
Don’t buy without trying - talk to your local dealer and make sure you compare systems - all of these will sound great, but until you listen to two systems side-by-side you won’t appreciate the difference. Also don’t listen to stuff you can’t afford - it’s really upsetting…

Interconnects and speaker cables
Budget 10% for cables - there’s no point spending a grand on great kit and using crappy cables to join it together - you won’t believe the difference between cheap and ‘quality’ cables. £5/metre for speaker cable (eg. QED Silver Anniversary XT) is perfectly reasonable and £40-£50 for an HDMI cable (eg. QED HDMI-P) is also well worth spending… Check out the recommendations in What HiFi or talk to your retailer.

Useful links

• SuperFi - cheap, and really useful descriptions including quotes from magazines
• Weymouth HiFi
• Richer Sounds
• Empire Direct
• Google for finding reviews and best prices..

Amazing - yup, that’s how I would describe it. For years I have been thinking about what it might be like - 5 years ago I even planned a trip to Zimbabwe, Botswana & Namibia but that went up in smoke - long story… Anyway, I decided not to put it off any longer and booked it a few months ago - I knew my Mum had always wanted to go so I thought I would treat her - bank balance notwithstanding!Overnight flight from Heathrow to Nairobi was uneventful but unfortunately not punctuated with periods of deep sleep and relaxation. Immigration was a breeze - $50 and you’re in - once through we were greeted by extremely friendly cab drivers eager to relieve us of our newly gotten currency. Met up with our group and set off in 2 minivans to Lake Elementaita, where we were going to spend the first couple of nights. The roads outside Nairobi are diabolical - huge potholes, broken tarmac, and massive ruts meant that driving in anything like a straight line was completely impossible. So, no sleep, dazed and jolted wildly for several hours - I sometimes wonder why anyone would choose this for a ‘holiday’!

Once we arrived at the Lodge (gorgeous colonial building overlooking the lake) we could rest for a while, grab some food and then we went for a walk down by the Lake with a local Masai, called Joseph (strangely they all have Masai and English names - which I think is a shame) and we went bird spotting - not something I would normally get very excited about, but then we don’t have 500 species in the UK - we saw storks, herons, pelicans, flamingos (at the right time of year there are enormous flocks - this wasn’t it), eagles and woodpeckers - our guide could spot and identify them when they were only a brown flicker to the rest of us

After a couple of hours we retreated to the Lodge (I love saying that) and had a quick nap - then onto the patio for a cold beer and watch the sun go down - I would love to describe the incredible sunset for which this part of Africa is rightly famous, but it was slightly overcast so it just went from light to dark… After dinner we were invited to watch some local dancing - this worried me - it’s a bit package holiday/cruise ship kitsch but amazingly it was really cool - they were really fun - tons of energy, they really seemed to be enjoying themselves which was highly infectious - and of course they made us join in…

Day 2 - early start to travel to Lake Nakuru, famous for huge flocks of flamingos as seen in Out of Africa. We went down to the shore and got out of the vans - to one of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen - flamingos as far as the eye could see - thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, packed tight like sardines and making lots of noise - we also saw some buffalo, storks, pelicans and a small group of zebra - you really wanted to be able to turn your head 360 degrees so you could take it all in… then a fish eagle appeared and landed amongst the flamingo (which are part of his diet) and they all shuffled up and provided him with a safe area of maybe 10-15 metres - quite surreal.

Later on in the park we also saw White rhino, various gazelle and topis - around every corner was the promise of spotting more animals - I like that we choose to hunt animals with cameras now rather than guns.

The following day we made the long, and extremely bumpy ride to the Masai Mara, broken by a trip on a lake where we saw lots of birds, including pelicans, and some hippo - although most of them remained underwater and teased us with mere glimpses. After many hours on the road we were all exhausted - on the plus side we arrived at a beautiful camp site right in the park - no fence, no separation between us and the animals. Our tents had proper beds, electricity, running water, proper loos and a shower - luxury! We were told that once we had gone to bed we weren’t allowed out of the tents without a guide (just in case something was prowling around looking for an easy meal!)

Before we settled in we went for our first game drive and saw elephants (from afar), giraffe, gazelle, impala, and lots and lots of wildebeest - enormous herds having migrated from Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya. It was amazing - open plains, a blissful soundtrack and wild animals just doing what they do with us as observers…

Back at the camp we sat around a fire and discussed our day and swapped photos with each other - then we sat down to a fantastic meal (made by the camp’s Italian chef) and a few cold beers…

Next day we were fortunate to spot a couple of male cheetah (not sure if animals get pluralised), one of whom jumped up into a tree which was amazing to watch…

We only had a couple of days at the camp and it went so fast - but we were very fortunate to see a large number of animals - in particular we had three sitings of lions - a couple of females hiding in the bush, a lone female looking for her pride, a male lion out in the open protecting a recent kill, and best of all a couple of lionesses with their cubs - possibly the nicest thing I have ever seen…

This article explains what free software I use and recommend - naturally I am talking about legally free software, this is not a how-to-steal guide.

First things first - Firefox is my preferred way to browse the internet - it’s faster, safer and easier to use than Internet Explorer - I particularly like tabs (now availabile in IE7) and the huge array of add-ons (my favourites are Download Statusbar, IE Tab, deskCut, Super DragAndGo, and Forecast Fox) - you can find them all here.

Office - I use both OpenOffice and Google Docs instead of Word and Excel - OpenOffice is a pretty good copy of MS Office and most stuff works pretty much the same and you can open and save documents in .DOC and .XLS formats. For simpler stuff I use Google - it’s pretty basic but equally good enough for 75% of what I do - the big benefit of Google is that you store your documents online so you don’t need to worry about losing your stuff.

Anti-virus - I use AVG (as do many others) - just install it and it will automatically keep itself updated. Infinitely less invasive and chatty than Norton or McAfee. And free.

PDFs - it’s quite useful to be able to produce PDF’s - for capturing web pages (eg. order confirmations), or for sending a Word doc that you don’t want the recipient to alter (eg. contract). My free PDF producer is CutePDF - after installation you have a new printer option which outputs a PDF file - simple.

Backup - I use SyncBank - it’s simple, has a built in scheduler and plenty of options to play with.

Screen grab - sometimes it’s useful to capture a bit of the screen to share with someone else - I use FastStone Capture - you can choose a window, or a freehand rectangle - it’s super easy to use, output to file, clipboard, printer.

Photo management - Google Picasa is great for organising, viewing and sharing photos with the world on the web. It also has some basic tools to improve your photos - adjust colour, cropping, remove red eye, etc. It’s one click to upload your photos to the web and share them with the world. You can also upload direct to an online photo printer with just one click. If you want to export them to look at on your phone etc, select the photos you want and click on ‘Export’ - you can resize them on the fly (to fit the screen).

Instant Messenger - if you have friends on AOL, MSN, Yahoo, Google there’s a free IM client which works with multiple protocols and is less invasive than the proprietary tools from the vendors, it’s called Pidgin.

Talk for free - I use Skype for calling people around the world for free, if they’re on their computer, or pennies to anywhere in the world.