After attending the French Car Show 2008 at Rockingham this year I was reminded about how much things have changed over the last five years of car modifying and tuning. Back in 2003 I took part in my first “show” at Lutterworth House in Leicestershire at French Car Show 2003. Just five years ago styling was all the rage, with classy glitter paint and chrome 19’s the UK car scene was all style over substance.

photo credit: johnblackmore

In the last two years things have changed considerably. In the UK now it almost impossible to have a good amount of fun in your car without breaking at least a few laws. The introduction of anti-social behavior laws has made even parking up with your mates in a car park illegal and speed cameras on what feels like nearly every street have taken the edge off of your “blat” round the countryside. Read the rest of this entry »

With the increasing rise in numbers of portable devices in recent years the demand for ubiquitous Internet connections is increasing too.

At the time I was taking my degree in 2006 there were estimated to be over 1 billion pervasive computing devices and this number was increasing all the time.

photo credit: gailjadehamilton

As we move forward it is not just our computers that are using the Internet. Mobile phones have been able to browse websites for years but new technologies such as intelligent home appliances, mp3 players and more are now becoming Internet enabled.

With all these new devices the question is how are they going to connect to the Internet? In recent years the number of WiFi hotspots has increased to the point where it seems you are never far from a wireless connection.

This has been helped largely by companies such as Starbucks and MacDonalds who have rolled out WiFi hotspots to their outlets. But are WiFi hotspots a thing of the past?

Johan Bergendahl is chief marketing officer of Ericsson, who was quoted this week at the European Computer Audit, Control and Security Conference in Stockholm as saying:

“In Austria they are saying that mobile broadband will pass fixed broadband this year. It’s already growing faster, and in Sweden, the most popular phone is a USB modem”

So is this the end of WiFi hotspots? I think it is. Like many people in the UK and Europe I now have a mobile broadband modem and having used it now for about a month I can not imagine why for many years I would have trekked around a city looking for a WiFi hotspot.

Mobile broadband is simplicity in itself. The USB modem I have from UK mobile provider Three is self installing and once connected it is extremely quick, a full 3.6Mbps. Even for speed mobile broadband is give WiFi hotspots a serious run for it’s money.

photo credit: inju

Mobile broadband is here to stay, and with HSDPA networks rolling out all over the UK under the “Turbo Network” brand name I think mobile broadband will soon be a viable alternative to fixed broadband for many UK homes who are unable to access ADSL broadband.

Over the coming years I expect to see many more advances in mobile broadband and with companies such as HP releasing laptops with built in 3G capability and the latest generations of smart phone such as the Apple iPhone and Blackberry I can see huge growth in this area.

Related Links

• Information on Ubiquitous Computing
• HP 3G Enabled Laptops
• Three Mobile Broadband
• UK Broadband Users Group: Mobile Broadband to Replace WiFi?

Over the last few days I have been working on an article about my feelings towards web hosting. It is my opinion that behind every good website is a good web host. The article is titled Laying the Foundations of a Good Website – Good Hosting as is the first article of my relaunched website White-Pug.

The article has been written for novice webmasters and those taking their first steps on the road to building an online presence. It focuses on the factors that I think are important in selecting the right web hosting package for your project and then follows to explain some of the types of web hosting that are in common use today including shared hosting, virtual private servers and dedicated hosting.

photo credit: sonicwalker

Please take a look and let me know what you think. I have been compiling the article over the last few days and in all it probably took me about 3-4 hours to write. I am not a naturally good writer so your thoughts will be appreciated, and any tips you are willing to share will be taken on board with enthusiasm.

White-Pug was originally a personal website of mine first started when I was at Cardiff University. The name derives from the car I drive, a white Peugeot 306 which is affectionately known as “pug” to those who know me. I have now relaunched the site with the intentions of writing articles based on building and maintaining your own websites and will be aimed at people who are just getting in to web development. I have plans to write about one or two articles a fortnight and I am willing to take suggestions as to what areas I should cover.

Please let me know what you think about the site, and keep watching this blog for more information about what I am getting up to!