Author: Carrie

  • Kindles and iPads are the Tescos of tech

    A wee Techradar piece about something that’s been nagging at me for a while: As a gadget fan, I’m well aware that closed ecosystems such as iOS or the Kindle deliver the best possible end user experience. But I can’t shift the nagging feeling that when we welcome our new retail overlords we’re buying into…

  • “Imagine Coffin Dodgers unfolding as a movie”

    Yes, imagine! And then make it, and give me cash! Chris at Adarna SF has posted a thoughtful review of Coffin Dodgers, for which I’m very grateful. I think the criticisms are spot-on too. Despite these hiccups, I really commend Gary Marshall for coming up with a well-written (and well-edited) debut mystery. There are moments…

  • Amazon’s Kindle Fire is going to burn Android

    Me, on Techradar: In times of great excitement, I like to paraphrase Noddy Holder – and today is one of those times. Ready? So here it is, Merry Christmas Everybody’s Having Fun Apart from all the Android firms Who are probably chucking themselves off bridges right now

  • You have to admire Amazon’s attention to detail

    I received an email from Amazon this morning: during a quality check they’ve spotted a major, show-stopping problem with the Kindle edition of Coffin Dodgers, and I must fix it as soon as possible. The problem? A single typo.

  • Gears of waaaah

    I’ve been gaming long enough to know what I will and won’t like. Generally speaking, if it involves shooting space aliens in the face I’ll like it; if it doesn’t, I probably won’t. I’m being a bit facetious – my favourite games list includes the obvious Half-Life 2s, Mass Effects and Deus Exes, along with…

  • “Self-doubt convinces us that our own failure is inevitable, an unavoidable recourse based on our own screaming lack of talent.”

    Chuck Wendig wrote this post for writers, but I think it’s relevant to any kind of creative activity: Suddenly Old Mister Doubt is jabbering in your ear. You’re not good enough. You’ll never make it, you know. Everyone’s disappointed in you. Where are your pants? Normal people wear pants. …self-doubt is the enemy of the…

  • 78% of burglars are not using Twitter and Google Street View to plan crimes

    There’s a news story doing the rounds today: in the words of Metro, “A massive 78 per cent of ex-burglars” believe that other burglars are using social media and Google Street View to commit crimes. I’ve nothing against advising people to be careful – the survey’s part of a national crime awareness week – but…

  • “Not just the funniest group in the world, but something serious and valuable, too”

    A lovely piece by Taylor Parkes on the genius of Half Man Half Biscuit: Even now, there’s still this perception of Half Man Half Biscuit as a comedy band: a post-punk Grumbleweeds, the indie Stilgoe. No group in history can have been so woefully misunderstood – Half Man Half Biscuit are, in fact, an antidote to…

  • Sex, violence and swearing in crime fiction

    I was at a book reading by Christopher Brookmyre and Mark Billingham a few weeks ago, and Billingham described some of the angry letters he gets from readers outraged that he uses the odd swear word – but not, it seems, outraged by some of the absolutely appalling things his villains do. It seems to…

  • Ticket rip-offs strike again

    I thought I’d seen every booking fee rip-off going, but apparently not: this morning I discovered that if I want to buy four concert tickets from Ticketmaster, I have to place two orders for two tickets apiece – which, on top of the booking fees, means I’m paying eleven quid in postage for four pieces…