The Verge posted a hands on video of the new CarPlay interface from Apple - Siri in your car, basically. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYCSkTDXKRc It looks good. Well, no, it looks rubbish. But compared to what my current car does (which is nothing) and what other cars look like (which is awful), it's not a bad step up. The crucial thing about this new wave of in-car tech is that they are apps, …

Time is my enemy at the moment. Life is a repetition of work, study, Sidepodcast, sleep. It is always better to be busy than bored, but frazzled is the word I’m choosing to use at the moment. With that in mind, here are a few things I’ve been using to try and make life a bit easier. News The Yahoo News Digest app intrigues me greatly, because I always think …

It wasn't long ago I was waxing lyrical about how great Jimmy Fallon's skit with Paul Rudd was - the pair of them taking on a lip sync battle with amusing results. Now, the Tonight Show host is back again with another classic. This time, he's roped in Billy Joel for a spot of crooning. I love the use of the looping app in this, and how great they both …

We've recently invested some time and energy in using Flipboard to share posts, pictures and shows from Sidepodcast, which meant having to learn to use the crazy thing. Primarily an app, Flipboard allows you to browse through content from Twitter, sites and various web locations in a gorgeous looking magazine style. There's absolutely no doubting that it's a good way to peruse content. I found it quite hard to get …

I was sad to hear that We Will Rock You will be closing, after 12 years as a mainstay of the West End theatre scene in London. Long time readers will know I was completely obsessed with this musical when it first came out, seeing it no less than five times in just a couple of years. I’m not a huge fan of the so-called “jukebox” musicals, but this one …

I read with interest this post about Maria Sharapova’s views on men playing three set matches. I’ve heard the arguments that women should play five-setters, to earn the equal prize money they were given a while back, but I hadn’t heard the flip side to that. At first, I couldn’t really see any reason for change, but actually reading her quotes, it makes a lot of sense. Sharapova’s main points …

There was a lot of consternation doing the rounds this week when it emerged the BBC have plans to switch BBC Three from a TV channel to online only distribution. I can't say that it's a hugely surprising move, particularly as they have made a big push recently with putting the episodes of comedies up on the iPlayer before they appear on TV. The big pink Premiere logo appears on …

If you're not a fan of Kindle-shaped reading products, never fear! The iBooks edition of the Pocket F1 Handbook: Guide to the 2014 Grand Prix Season has arrived. The book contains all the driver and team profiles, rules and regulations updates, and circuit information that you're going to need for the upcoming Formula One season, and has the iBooks bonus of easier navigation and better-looking tables. So, if you own …

A great video of the lovely Paul Rudd is doing the rounds today, as the actor faces off against talk show host Jimmy Kimmel in a lip sync battle. I love this for three reasons. First: Paul Rudd. Second: Queen. Third: Lip sync battle sounds like a fab game! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LvMeYEwWGQ And while I'm indulging in a bit of Paul Rudd, I saw this other video a while back, in which …

The Winter Olympics drew to a close last night, with one of those closing ceremonies that include about ten minutes of fireworks. I don’t get fireworks at all. Anyway, the games themselves saw two weeks of triumphs and controversies and tears and flowers, and all sorts of stuff. I really didn’t get to see as much of the games as I wanted, but unlike the London 2012 fortnight, in which …

To celebrate the release of the latest Guide to the 2014 Grand Prix Season, the previous two editions have been reduced in price, allowing you to complete your Pocket F1 Handbook collection. The Pocket guides have been previewing the last three seasons of Formula One, featuring all the information you need to know about drivers, teams, rules and regulations, plus bonus extra content in each edition of the book. The …

I was recently watching one of those episodes of Friends that are always on a TV channel somewhere, and realised that there's a lot of landline usage in the show. Because Friends ended in 2004, they're missing a whole ten years of technology, which includes the revolution of smartphones that came after the iPhone in 2007. I dread to think of the jokes Chandler could make about Flappy Bird. Anyway, …

Recently, we've been playing Tomb Raider, the definitive edition on the PS4. It's the game that actually made us interested in the new generation consoles in the first place, and it's a highlight in what has been a very quiet early market for this new Playstation. I was intrigued by the game trailer when we saw it so very long ago, it looked good but I was concerned about the …

The 2014 F1 season promises to be a dramatic one, a time of regeneration and modernisation that more than anything else guarantees to be unpredictable. With an overhaul in the regulations, a raft of driver and personnel movements, plus a handful of new races to challenge all, it is set to be an eventful year in motor sport. Defending champions Red Bull field a revised driver line-up, but they are …

I’ve been following the recent tumultuous times at TWiT with interest. As one of the mainstays of podcasting, and one of the few able to create a business from the process, Leo Laporte has always been something of an inspiration. When he hired Tom Merritt to create a daily news show and step into his shoes whenever necessary, I thought they were on to a very good thing. Unfortunately that …

Do you read a lot of series of books? I do. Books from the likes of Clive Cussler, Jeffrey Deaver, Bernard Cornwell, and Alex Scarrow all make my list. And the list is the key point here. Sometimes, particularly if there are double digits worth of books in a series, it can be hard to keep track. It’s okay if you’re just working through a trilogy, it’s not difficult to …

You win this time, Benedict-Sherlock! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7jS7X-2ggA Ahhh, Sesame Street.

Apple are celebrating thirty years of putting technology at people's fingertips, and they've come out with a beautifully creative video showing off their gadgets in glorious surroundings or being put to fantastic use. Thankfully, they've toned down the emotion and the smug for this video, and what comes across is just how useful mobile technology can be and what a difference it is making, and will make, to the world. …

Another attempt at capturing the bubbles in all their slo-motion glory. This time with rousing music! https://static.mrschristine.com/blog/videos/2014/bubble-icious.mp4

I joined Pinterest recently. I know this isn’t groundbreaking news, finally signing up to a social network that’s been around since 2010. I tried signing up once before but they didn’t have my preferred username so I had to go away and sulk about that for a bit. Pinterest, in my limited experience, appears to be one of those social networks that is different things to different people. I can’t …

Recently, I’ve noticed a few people lacking motivation when it comes to writing – specifically in this instance about blogging. I thought I’d share a few of my favourite tips on getting back your writing mojo, whatever the project, because it’s a new year and a good time to blow the dust off that keyboard. I’m not an expert, by any means, but I’ve written and I’ve had writer’s block, …

One of the things I miss most about running is playing about with Zombies Run. Making exercise fun is a key thing for me, and the game aspect of it helped keep my going when otherwise I would probably have stopped early. I've been keeping an eye on apps and things that made moving about fun, and spotted the new Zumba Dance app. Now, I've never done Zumba - my …

I wrote about our difficult initiation with the Playstation 4, but once it finally started working, there is no question that it's a great bit of kit. We've played a couple of games and been pretty impressed with what we've seen, but most of our attention has been on Need for Speed Rivals. I am the first to admit that my virtual driving skills are practically non-existent, and racing games …

For the previous two series of Sherlock, I have written a dedicated post for each episode, celebrating the highs and lows of each series as it progressed. This year, I didn't feel the need to do that, as my thoughts tend to cover the third series as a whole. That seems like a good place to start, the whole series didn't seem to generate as much excitement within me as …

I always like to look at the iTunes Film Bundles section, to see what they've got on offer. They do a lot of franchise bundles - Back to the Future, Harry Potter, etc. - but this past week I noticed they were doing a set of genre collections instead. The brilliance of these bundles is that they are around the £40 mark, for ten films. And not ten rubbishy films, …

So much love for this. I often forget to check xkcd but every time I do, there's always something that resonates.

Console gaming is a slow moving beast, particularly when compared with the fast moving online and app world. But after twenty years in the business, and with a desperate need to distinguish themselves from Microsoft's offerings, Sony should know better, try harder, get the digital side working seamlessly. Santa brought us an incredible gift this Christmas, in the shape of a Playstation 4. It's been well documented that we don't …

Just as with the top five songs of the year, Mr C also likes to pass judgement on the movies we have watched over the past twelve months as well. This is a slightly more tricky selection to explain, as we live constantly about four months behind cinema release dates due to the rental window. So, it's not quite "top five films released in 2013" and it's not really "top …

It's the last day of the year, and this is the time when people start making New Year's Resolutions. I don't tend to do that anymore, instead working from a broader Life List instead. When I set about thinking of this annual round-up, I felt a little disappointed about how much (or how little) I've achieved this year. Looking back can be useful though, as I hadn't quite realised I'd …

This is the time of year where I hand over the keys of my blog to Mr C, or at least give him a paragraph or two of space, to share the things he's been loving this year. There are two categories - films and music - and we'll be starting with the latter. Here's Mr C's top five songs from 2013, and I will tell you now, it's been …

This year, I was quite excited to see the Top of the Pops Christmas special, because it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't seen much, if any, of the TOTP brand through the year. I used to watch the 1970s editions that were showing on BBC Four but soon bored of that. I remember last year, there was a festive edition on both Christmas Day and New Year's, and …

I used to be a total Grinch about Christmas. The entire concept offended me and I wanted nothing to do with it. I'd link to the many posts I wrote about boycotting the festive season, but really, I'm over it. I've mellowed in my old age. In reality, I've realised that my issue with Christmas is the same as the issue I have with most things - the pressure from …

This Christmas special found itself with a really difficult task to accomplish. Following the almost-perfect anniversary special was always going to be difficult, but it also had to steer clear of the normal festive schmultz to head rapidly towards a regeneration. It was still a heartwarming piece in places, the children of the town called Christmas, the Doctor's dedication to staying in spite of himself, and Clara's constant despair at …

Every Formula One season tells a story. A continuing saga, a sporting soap opera, it dates back to the inauguration of the World Championship in 1950 and even before that. At the same time, each and every year, the slate is wiped clean and both drivers and teams are given the chance to impress all over again. This book will guide you through the 2013 season, visiting each event in …

The chaps in charge of Tomb Raider these days, Square Enix, have in their infinite wisdom released the first installment of the game for iOS devices for just 69p. I was always more of a fan of Tomb Raider 2, but getting access to any of the early games has been tricky of late. Now, the game that made Lara Croft famous has been released for next to nothing and …

This weekend, we had chance to test out the slow-motion feature on my new iPhone. It's something we've been excited about (as there aren't that many major feature upgrades on the phone), but we needed some time and something fast moving to video. Step up some trusty alcohol. https://static.mrschristine.com/blog/videos/2013/my-peroni.mp4 I love it. Although, I've realised that many of the videos I take tend to be slower things that need speeding …

At some point this year, I became absolutely obsessed with Cabin Pressure. If you're not aware of it, Cabin Pressure is a Radio 4 sitcom, penned by John Finnemore and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephanie Cole and Finnemore himself. It follows the plight of a small charter airline (although you can't put just one plane in a line) and it is brilliant. I don't remember where I heard of it, but …

At the beginning of this year, I wrote about my ambitions to complete a puzzle book. Not a grand aim, I'll grant you, and not one I thought it would take me almost twelve months to get back to. I have, on occasion, sat down to write an update about my adventures through puzzle land, but as it turns out, writing about puzzles isn't as entertaining as I thought it …

When I first starting putting together my Life List, I pondered adding "See a Backstreet Boys concert" to it. I added it, then I took it off again, then added it, then removed it, and repeated the process a few more times. In the end, I left it off. I wasn't totally convinced I wanted to see the band with just four members anyway, and besides, going to gigs isn't …

I've been following the progress of Ghost, a new Kickstarter-funded blogging platform, for a while. It just recently went live for self-hosted blogs, which I briefly considered signing up to. I really want to try out and encourage new blogging formats, rather than the same-old, same-old, but having been through the pain of self-hosted, I decided I'd wait for the hosted solution instead. This week, the brilliant Ghost folks gave …

I’ve developed a bit of a fascination with workout apps and digital videos, and it turns out iTunes is stocked full of both. I’ve tried a few here and there, but was most excited when it was announced that Miranda Hart, of Miranda fame, was going to release something. The premise behind her video is that you have to have fun while getting up and moving, otherwise it’s easier to …

Up until recently, Bose was just a name that I occasionally heard in reference to headphones. I didn’t realise it was a pretty big brand that have their own stores and everything, not until I was dragged into one. Mr C was investigating the options for their SoundTouch system, and wanted to get a closer look. The SoundTouch is a pretty clever piece of kit, similar to the Sonos system. …

I managed to miss a lot of the hype surrounding the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who. Obviously in the run up to the episode airing, it was almost impossible to take an online step without finding something related to the sci-fi show, but before that, I’d side-stepped most of it. I knew of the Billie Piper/David Tennant return, and was obviously expecting an appearance from this new rogue Doctor …

The trailers Okay, so, we watched The Internship recently and it left a pretty awful taste in our mouths. I'm thinking that watching Vince Vaugn do something slightly less of a commercial might work, and thus the trailer for Delivery Man kinda works. It's a pretty far-fetched concept, and all seems a bit contrived, but hey, I didn't see any Google in the trailer, so I'm sold. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlBG_3XQEmg Delivery Man …

I've always managed to get a lot of use out of my iPad. There are two main dilemmas around Apple's tablet device (aside from price, etc) with one being "What would I use it for?" and the other being "It's only good for consuming, not creating." My iPad has always been kept busy, but I would admit that it's mostly for consumption. Watching TV, videos, listening to music, browsing the …

Sky have been expanding their Now TV offering with a fantastic Entertainment Pass. The Now TV app is on demand and live programming from Sky without having to sign up to a huge contract, or get dish-shaped things installed on the side of your house. They've got sports and movies, but it's the entertainment package that has really caught my eye. For £4.99 a month (introductory price, we'll have to …

When I took on some pretty serious studying, I knew I'd have to make some sacrifices and that the book learning, revision hours and exam week would need a lot of time, focus and brain power. I hadn't quite anticipated the degree with which diving into those books took over my life, but this week I finished up the first batch of exams, giving me a bit of breathing space …

I stayed with the Apple podcast app for much longer than I should have done. For a while, I couldn't really abandon it - having far too many podcasts to listen to, limited space available on the phone, and a need to manage which episodes synced to my device. But a while back, I got over my obsessive compulsion to listen to every single thing in the right order from …

I hadn't heard of Bastille before I saw them on the iTunes Festival this year, but I've grown to like quite a few of their songs, particularly the anthemic Pompeii. I loved this recent video on Vevo of the band rocking up to a park with the barest of instruments and putting on an impromptu performance. Well, impromptu enough that you have plugs for your keyboard, anyway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRZjnGUGXBI Things to …

The Valley of the Rocks is in North Devon, accessible from the nearby village of Lynton. It’s steeped in history, all sorts of Ice Age glacier references and rocky bits and pieces. The Wikipedia entry has what is now my new favourite word – fossiliferous – included in the description. Apparently parts of the book Lorna Doone were set there, although I can’t really picture that in my head, despite …