Things We’ve Stopped Doing On The PC

Mark Pickavance looks at a collection of once-common activities, which have now been all but abandoned

Being along for the ride, it’s often difficult to appreciate the sheer amount of change that has occurred over the past 30 years or so. Larger storage, faster processors and better technology have all come along and rewritten the PC playbook, along with the internet.

Because of this, there are activities that many PC owners did that they no longer do – and I’m not just talking about loving the colour beige.

Do you remember doing any of these, or are there some you’re sheepishly still doing?

Remembering… Horace

We recall a strange blue character this week

There are numerous famous characters in gaming that are recognisable no matter where you travel in the world – with the exception of some of the more farflung destinations, of course.

Lara Croft, Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Q-Bert and countless others have left their mark on society. For those of us of a certain age though, there’s also Horace. That strangelooking blue creature, with haunting large eyes, lack of facial features and hand-less arms that seemingly grow from the top of his/her/it’s head.

Papa’s Got A Brand New Laptop Bag

Carry your notebook PC around in comfort and style – without breaking the bank

There’s no doubt we live in a world of smartphones and tablets, but there are still plenty of reasons to buy a laptop for your mobile computing needs. Whether you want to write a few letters, create some PowerPoint presentations or just make things blow up in the latest videogames, you’re better off doing it with a full-size keyboard and a decent-sized screen. And you’ll also find it easier to play non-standard media files that aren’t necessarily supported by operating systems like iOS and Android.

Top 5 Internet Criminals

Causing mischief is what these guys are all about…

1 Kim Dotcom

Born Kim Schmitz, this Finnish and German internet entrepreneur has made millions from founding online services like Megaupload and, later, Mega. Of course, both of these are closely linked with copyright infringement, and this, along with accusations of money laundering, wire fraud and racketeering, is why the US Department of Justice is trying to have him extradited from New Zealand, where he currently lives.

From Bedrooms To Billions: The Amiga Years

From humble beginnings, a technical icon grew

The second documentary from Anthony and Nicola Caulfield of Gracious Films is now available. And instead of looking at the history of British influences on the gaming world and the technology behind it, it’s time for one of the most iconic home computers ever developed: the Amiga.

As with the original From Bedrooms to Billions, the documentary starts with the humble beginnings of what would become a machine far beyond its time. It opens with late Ralph Baer, inventor of the Brown Box and credited as the father of videogames, then moves on to interviews with Joe Decuir, Larry Kaplan and Trip Hawkins, providing the history of Atari and how the key players in the history of the Commodore Amiga found their place.