Adblocking is a boycott

David Carroll takes a closer look at how marketing technology has failed 

It’s been called the biggest boycott in human history; nearly 200 million people worldwide are now blocking online ads. Adblockers are browser extensions that prevent digital ads and trackers from loading. Trackers gather data about us through our browsing habits, and are used to target ads and record if we have viewed them. Advertisers only pay publishers when their ad loads into our field of view.

Top 5 Unwritten Rules Of Social Networking

None of these are in the T&Cs, but they’re probably even more important…

1 Don’t Drunk Post

Social networking has become completely entwined into the daily lives of many people; every time they have an interesting thought, see something they like or eat something particularly tasty, they share it with their friends and family – or even with complete strangers. Of course, when you’ve had a few too many to drink, pretty  much everything can seem worthy of sharing with the world, whether that’s the sublime, the mundane or – more dangerously – the completely inappropriate. Yes, that risque or edgy joke might sound good in your head after you’ve had your fifth Babycham of the evening, but once you’ve sobered up and your better judgment has returned to full control of your body, you might wish you’d left your phone at home.

Recreated ZX Spectrum

We get to review an old favourite, again

It’s fair to say that I have a bit of a soft spot for the ZX Spectrum. It is, after all, the first computer I ever owned and what got me into this whole crazy technology world I now work and play in.

I therefore followed with great interest the Kickstarter project from Elite, back when it was first launched in December 2013 – even when the project stalled due to unpaid royalties to some developers of the games featured. It’s been a bit of struggle for the team behind the project to finally get the Recreated ZX Spectrum to the desktops of the backers, but despite some bad press from certain quarters, it’s finally here. And we now have a valid excuse to re-play Chuckie Egg.

Speedlink Medusa 5.1 True Surround Headset

Because you wouldn’t want any false surround now, would you?

How much difference does surround really make? I’ve had my fair share of surround systems, and certainly when it comes to movies and TV, I’d much rather have a good set of stereo speakers and a strong subwoofer, because I honestly don’t care if I can hear helicopters flying over my head while I’m watching Die Hard.

Gigabyte P34W v5

Performance mobile gaming on the go

The last time we had a Gigabyte P-series laptop in for review, we were extremely impressed by its performance, build quality and price. That was the P34 v3. This time, we have the newest member of the P-series, the P34W v5.

The list of specifications on the P34W v5 are just magnificent, as they were on the previous generation model. This particular 14" laptop boasts a sixthgeneration 3.5GHz Intel i7-6700HQ processor, 16GB of DDR4 memory, a 128GB M.2 SSD and a further 1TB 2.5" hard drive. Installed on the SSD is a copy of Windows 10 64-bit Home Edition.

Epson ET-2550

Inky fingers did not stop our reviewer from testing a new multifunction printer

The Epson ET-2550 is a multi-function printer from the company's Eco Tank range. Rather than using ink cartridges containing 4ml or 5ml of ink, Eco Tank products use ink supplied from bottles holding 70ml of appropriately coloured ink. These bottles should give the user up to two years of printing activity based on an image rate of 200 pages per month.

Pricewise, Eco Tank can offer a considerable savings with regards to running costs. Whereas each 70ml bottle is priced at £7.99, cartridges, often lasting less than a month, can cost around a pound less. Over a two-year period, the saving should work out in excess of £200. There is a downside, as Eco Tank printers have a price premium. The ET-2550 is currently priced at £259.69 on Amazon.