Turn Off Bluetooth on Microsoft Surface

Another quick tip for Microsoft Surface owners. By default, Bluetooth is enabled on Microsoft Surface devices which can take its toll on battery life so if you’re looking to improve battery life then this is worth turning off. It’s fairly simple to do as follows: Swipe in from the right of screen to get the …

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Quickly Finding the Time on Windows RT

Here’s a quick tip for those getting into Windows RT and Windows 8tablets out there. One common complaint with Windows RT is when you run full screen apps or you are on the Start Screen you are unable to view the time. The only apparent place to see the time and date is on the …

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Check Your Router for Universal Plug and Play Vulnerability

In the news recently, it was discovered that a whole stack of consumer routers have copied and pasted Intel’s UPnP reference code into their router firmware. Unfortunately, the UPnP protocol was designed to be used on private networks in order to allow for the automatic configuration of port forwarding thus avoiding the need for regular …

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Consider Switching to Wi-Fi in Larger Venues

On the weekend, I went along to see a presentation from Martin Seligman about positive psychology which actively encouraged the use of Twitter for the duration. This was hoped to encourage discussion inside and outside of the venue which happened to be the Sydney Opera House as part of the Ideas at the House presentation series. In …

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Backup the Recovery Partition on Microsoft Surface

If you want to create a backup of the recovery partition on your Microsoft Surface to protect against it becoming corrupted on the device or if you want to free up the space used by the recovery partition then this quick guide may be of interest to you (as far as backing up the recovery …

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Get Tux the Penguin in Team Fortress 2 on Windows

With Steam now officially available on Linux, Valve is celebrating with a free promotional for Team Fortress 2 in the form of a Tux penguin. If you use Windows then you might feel left out but if you really want a Tux penguin then you could always do the following: install Oracle VM VirtualBox, install …

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Choosing the Right Power Socket When Multiple Voltages are Present

Here’s a quick tip. Hotels in some countries can offer power sockets of varying voltages in the same room which may leave you scratching your head as to which one to use before you’ve even cracked out the adapters. Well, it’s pretty simple – use the socket that provides the maximum voltage compatible with the …

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How to Open InPrivate Tabs in Metro Internet Explorer

InPrivate browsing has been around in Internet Explorer for desktop Internet Explorer for a while now but finding this functionality in the Metro-style Internet Explorer in Windows 8 or Windows RT may be a mystery. Fear not, as it is fairly straightforward. When in Metro Internet Explorer do the following: Swipe down from the top …

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Microsoft Surface, Windows RT and International Travels

Usually when I am on travels away from home I pack quite a comprehensive technology bag including cameras (a tough camera and a higher end replaceable lens camera) as well as a backup smartphone, tablet and a laptop. The laptop I have been packing recently is a MacBook Pro but decided to throw caution to …

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Cities XL Platinum Sale on Steam

Here’s a quick tip for those Cities XL Platinum enthusiasts out there. It appears that Cities XL Platinum is going for 85% off on Steam at present bringing the price down from US$29.99 to US$4.50 for existing owners of Cities XL 2011/2012. Not a bad deal if you’ve been looking for a city simulation fix …

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