Mat's Hideout

Thoughts on Tech, Music, Politics

  • The Pluralist Paradox

    Deep down inside of me, there is a swing voter waiting to get out. A true British I-don’t-really-know-what-I-think voter, someone who could go both ways. Hell, I could go three or four ways. I know, dear imaginary reader, you are thinking, “but how can someone so … so – political – how can you not […]

  • Qype: Chipotle in London

    London – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants – Mexican Tucked away on a corner of Baker Street usually inhabited by (infested with?) large packs of spotty teenage tourists with matching yellow rucksacks of a Saturday morning, or suited office types of a weekday lunchtime, lies London’s newest addition to the fast-growing world of _quality fast […]

  • eBay – the final straw

    This will be a short post, in point form. Because the subject of eBay is a damned boring one. The history of eBay as per Mat: 2003 – eBay seems cool, amazing way of getting a bargain “Buy it now?” – surely that defeats the object of an auction? Hmm, teaming up with evil Paypal. […]

  • How Sociable is Facebook towards Developers?

    If Facebook wants to be the social ‘platform’ on which the web resides – a grand vision, but an attainable one – it had better start being nicer to web developers. That’s because the new algorithm it’s developed no longer grants access to particular sections, disabling marketing experts from companies like The Marketing Heaven to […]

  • Amazing Robocopy

    There was a time when my home server was a large computer with RAID drives and loud fans that stayed on 24/7. Gladly that time is no longer, and I’ve moved to a more power-friendly netbook-based thing which generates hardly any heat and can therefore be left in a small cupboard without airflow concerns. The […]

  • Who makes the decisions in your organisation?

    I just had a phone call that went something like this: Man: “Hello, can I speak to the person who makes the decisions in your organisation?” Me: [attempting to conceal sarcastic tone] “Well if you tell me what decisions you are talking about maybe I can help?” Man: “The decisions regarding IT purchasing” Me: “I’m […]

  • Qype: Franco Manca in London

    London – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants – Italian & Pizza Franco Manca gets my seal of pizzapproval! I’m upping sticks and leaving my home of 7 years in Shepherd’s Bush for the far more chic, distinctly less scary, and most definitely more beautiful Chiswick. And I simply can’t want to get stuck-in to the […]

  • The Long Tail

    I talked with the owner of my favourite pub in Cambridge last night. The pub shall remain nameless for reasons that will become apparent. He refuses to sell Carling, Stella, Bulmers, etc. on tap. Instead he sells fine whiskeys and rums, real ale (offering 2 guest ales which change regularly), and decent ciders. His landlord […]

  • No2AV – more expensive

    Doubtless you know the arguments for and against AV; I credit readers of this article with enough intelligence to understand the difference between AV and FPTP, as well as what it would mean in the bigger picture – how it would change politics over the course of a number of years, and over a number […]

  • Cycling is for the stupid and/or idealistic

    (UPDATE 2014: Cycling is no longer stupid. It’s beautiful. My new bike is also lovely.) Cycling is for stupid people. My brief love affair with the humble bicycle officially ended tonight in Cambridge. There is something positively Darwinian about the concept of getting on a 30kg skeleton of poles and axles and thinking it’s somehow […]