Don't waste your gadgets, just wipe them

Try a clean install before you send hardware off to landfill, urges Barry Collins

We now live in a society that’s as disposable as a used tissue. Clinging to perfectly functional hardware until it breaks, instead of instantly replacing it when a new model comes out, now marks you out as something of a weirdo rather than a sensible, frugal type.

Best privacy add-ons for browsers

Worried about advertisers and social networks tracking your movements on the web? Wayne Williams tests six tools that can help you block them

Privacy Badger

Privacy Badger is from the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), a non-profit organisation that has 25 years’ experience of defending civil liberties and privacy in the digital world.

The death of Flash

Flash is no longer the darling of the internet and is increasingly being seen as the enemy by many web companies. David Crookes explains why Flash is finished

What's happened?

Flash, the software that’s used to create and deliver online videos, games and adverts through a browser, has had a torrid time of late. Various technology companies have been warning people against using it, with some browser makers going a step further and blocking it altogether. Many people believe that the final nails are now being hammered into Flash’s coffin.

In Between

In Between is the latest in the current trend of narrative 2D platform games that use its stages as a backdrop for a much deeper story than the likes of Mario and Earthworm Jim ever encountered. In this case the story’s protagonist is diagnosed with cancer and so the player takes a journey through his head, visiting his memories and feelings.

The Cat Machine

Sometimes the simplest games are the most satisfying to play: this is clearly a rule The Cat Machine hopes to live by, offering a solitary gameplay mechanic for its 50 or so stages. According to its intro sequence, the Earth’s orbit around the Sun is not powered by gravity, but in fact by cats being flung into space. The player is in charge of repairing the flinging machine and ensuring the kitty-launching process continues.