Martin Koss

Offer A Hand of Friendship

Martin — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:27:33 +0000

Throughout last night I was exchanging messages with my cousin who, with her husband, had been visiting a poorly old man who has been blessed with their friendship and kindness during the later years of his life.

It puts things into perspective when you watch a life coming to an end, makes us appreciate what we have got, whether we have a lot or 'just enough' (aka 'enough') - we have more than many will ever have.

Mashable’s Batman Cover Pic FAIL

Martin — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:41:58 +0000

Well, well, well... There's always someone waiting to create traffic, drum up comments, get more readership on the back of a tragedy.

A discount on the anniversary of 9/11 last year was, I thought, the lowest. Apple's very fast promo of 'Remembering Amy Winehouse' splattered across the top of the iTunes Store home the day after she died was up there on the 'bad timing' list too...

And today, just hours after 12 people were killed in a shooting in a cinema in the US, Mashable decide it's a good idea to use Batman as their Facebook Page cover pic!

Speechless...

Has Website Design Gone Full Circle?

Martin — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:00:19 +0000

In the 1990s we all created 'cool' websites with 'great' content, right? Weren't those websites simply awesome? Well, I'm sure we all thought so but, in all likelihood, they were a bit naff by today's standards. But, the most important thing is; we created simple content in relatively simple layouts (except anything created by some dude throwing every trick imaginable at his website, of course - the show off!).

The thing is; They worked. Easy to consume content in simple layouts. Easy navigation and most people included contact details. It was, (again) by today's standards, rather primitive, fairly simple but, in most parts, usable.

Facebook Mobile Makes Custom Tabs Obsolete

Martin — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:16:25 +0000

How many adverts do you see around the web promoting custom Facebook page designs? Do any of these advertisers confess to you within their sales pitch that more than half of 'active' Facebook 'users' will never see your custom content?

As I wrote a few months ago, to an increasing extent custom tabs on Facebook business pages are a waste of money.

I'm not telling you this because I think it's a scam, but simply to make you aware that most people will never see your custom Facebook page content. I don't like seeing people are wasting money or being sold something that simply does not have the value the salesperson wants you to believe it has.

Easy, Convenient, Reliable, Fast

Martin — Wed, 09 May 2012 07:32:49 +0000

Do you love your gadgets and the simplicity of getting something done quickly? Me too. I love my gadgets. Never far away, when I'm away from my Mac Book are my iPod, iPad and HTC phone and between them I can do anything - well, that's the idea.

But; Faster, easier? Really?

This morning I wanted to read a book. Well, actually, I wanted to listen to the book. It's one of my favourite books I listen to when things feel like they are getting on top of me to the point I want to shout "STOP" (we all get there from time to time, right?); Richard Carlson "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff... and it's all small stuff".

Do You Trust Online Reviews?

Martin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:46:52 +0000

Over the past few days I have been doing a lot of research for a client which required me to find a particular solution unique to their industry. While doing this research I came across several applications and, eventually, made a shortlist of the ones most likely to do exactly what my client needed them to do.

I won't bore you with the details of what the software needs to be doing, the objective here is to explain my findings and why I find it so frustrating trying to siphon out the bogus online reviews and determine which reviews are actually genuine.

Record Anything Online Illegally

Martin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:47:05 +0000

Surely this cannot be legal? Isn't this Internet media recorder software in the same league as “MP3 Downloader Pro" that enables millions of people around the world to find and download any music they want, for free?

How can this be legal? It is a tool that enables anybody on the Internet to record anything they find!

This demonstrates what a lawless world we live in. A commercial enterprise manufacturing software that enables anybody who finds something they like online, rather than buy go and it, to make a recording of it!

Bahrain F1 Should be Cancelled

Martin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:52:13 +0000

Millionaire racing drivers should be risking their lives (so to speak) on the track, not en route to or from the track.

This race should not go ahead amidst ongoing violence in the surrounding area. Especially since the anti-government protesters have openly said there will be 3 days of intensified rioting during the Formula One weekend which kicked off a few hours ago with the first practice session.

Facebook Privacy Simplified

Martin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 06:33:57 +0000

Facebook is NOT, by it's very nature and model, a private platform. That was never the idea behind it and if you really want to have a conversation that remains completely private you're better off using the phone (cough, maybe not) or popping round for a coffee. Two sugars and milk? Biscuit?

Rule number one of online privacy (Facebook and otherwise): Don't post anything you might regret saying. There. That was easy wasn't it? Sadly, most people don't follow that rule and there's an awful lot of 'regret' out there.

Bottom line is we have 3 choices when it comes to Facebook;

make everything we do and say public (that includes 'Friends of Friends'),
make it between Friends only (that means only people know, right?) or
don't post anything or comment on anything someone else posted.

The "Ticker" and "Timeline" expose just about everything we do and say because of the settings for your posts. That's it.

Yet Another Pointless Gadget Update

Martin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:19:33 +0000

In our garage I have a 4x4 that is almost as old as our oldest child (about 17 years to be exact) and, you know what, it gets me and my gear from A-B with no problems whatsoever.

It passes it's inspection each year (MOT) and does all it is needed to do.

But it's outdated. So outdated. Certainly no fashion symbol (like the driver, I guess).

Yes. Very outdated. But it still does what it is needed to do. So why change it?

Streaming Movies. Please Try Again Later

Martin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:27:15 +0000

We wish to thank you for shelling out your 100 quid on your fancy little Apple TV gadget which, by the way, cost you about $60 (a massive 40%) more in the UK than your US friends are paying, and for giving us six quid a month for the pleasure of staring at this...

The entire family agrees; NetFlix is pants!

The Truth: We Were Lied To

Martin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:51:37 +0000

What a surprise. Weeks after all the panic buying at the pumps that boosted the revenues of the service stations, the oil companies, the haulage companies (including massive over-time wages for drivers) and put many extra millions into the tax-man's purse, suddenly and without grabbing the headlines, the strike is off.

Pants. We were lied to. I said it back then and I'll still say it.

This government with it's corrupt £250,000 lunch with David Cameron tickets for sale to the highest bidder (typically going for the measly sum of £250k) led us, once more down the garden path my dear, once more down the garden path.

Google COULD Clean Up If They Wanted To

Martin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:33:03 +0000

When 'Panda' was rolled out, word on the streets as that Google were 'dropping' spammy 'networks' (the link farm variety) - according to their blog (in February 2012 2012/02/search-quality-highlights-40-changes.html) which states

"we often re-architect or turn off parts of our scoring [the mystery algorithms] in order to keep our system maintainable, clean and understandable"

whatever that is supposed to mean.

So, if they CAN clean their indexing system and dump some clutter (link farms, blogging to the bank type networks and networks built with the sole purpose of 'Gaming Google' by boosting 'Page Rank'), then why don't they do us all a favour and get rid of all the useless clutter - blogs about nappy training puppies and MyCompletelyUselessAndStupidWebsite.com that have no real value, no particularly useful content?

Why not? Piles of dosh, wonga, greenbacks, loot! That's why not.

For the same reason they choose not to remove "get rich quick" scammy sites or pornography sites (along with all the disgusting images that make it into Google image search)… They are big business.

Formula 1 in Bahrain, Right or Wrong?

Martin — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:53:36 +0000

News channels overnight (and the buzz around social networking channels like Twitter and Facebook) have reported The Bahrain Grand Prix will go ahead on 22 April as planned, as announced by the motor sport's governing body, the FIA.

The statement from FIA confirmed its 'satisfaction' that "all proper security measures are in place for the running of a Formula One World Championship event in Bahrain".

But, that statement was (and remains) overshadowed by continued unrest in Bahrain and the protest and disgust was made clear overnight in social media.

The Bahrain authorities assured Formula One personnel that 'disturbances were limited to outlying villages where groups have clashed with police, who have been forced to combat petrol bombs with water cannons, tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets'.

QR Code Causes Motorway Pile-up

Martin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:01:38 +0000

Can someone please tell me where the logic is? Great advertising or a bunch of random square dots on the back of a truck that, for most people, will mean absolutely diddly squat and, for others (those who know what they actually are), they won’t be able to scan it because they are too busy driving!

I can see the headline now:

QR Code Causes Motorway Pile-up