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Learn Ubuntu in 7 days

2018-07-21T00:00:00+01:00

I have recently been working on creating another venture to provide structured IT courses and my first course is to learn Ubuntu in 7 days. Each day I take you through each stage of getting up to speed with using Linux.

You can check it out free here.

Do more in the Linux Terminal with Tilix

2018-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

What is Tilix?

Tilix (formerly known as Terminix), is able to split your terminal window into multiple panes. This avoids having to open multiple terminal windows or tabs. All the terminals appear on screen in panes that can be rearranged and split by choosing from the horizontal or vertical options.

This makes working in multiple terminals so much easier because you can see everything at a glance. The other two features I like most is Quake mode (quick use terminal via a shortcut key) and the ability to use community created themes to change the look of Tilix.

Kudos to the developer Bilal Elmoussaoui who has created a highly polished, feature rich app that enhances command line work in the terminal.

Installing Tilix

You can install Tilix on most distros through repos or from the website directly. Here we look at installing Tilix from the Software app in Ubuntu 17.10.

In the Software app click on the search icon and search for tilix:

In the results that appear click on the Tilix result and then click to install:

Once installed, click on the launch button and click OK to ignore the configuration issue detected message.

To fix the error, click on the dropdown arrow in the title bar and choose Profiles and then Edit Profile:

Now go to the Command tab and tick the Run command as a login shell checkbox:

Quit the app and the next time you open it, the error will be fixed. The app is installed and now we can customise it with themes.

Using Tilix

Splitting Terminals To add split terminals you can right click in the terminal and choose from the 2 icons to add a terminal vertically or horizontally.

The panes can be resized on the fly and added or removed as needed.

Quake – Quick access the terminal With the Quake feature you can set a shortcut key to have Tilix appear at the top of the screen for convenient access.

Click on Activities or press the super key (usually the one with the Windows logo on your keyboard). Search for shortcuts and click on keyboard in the results:

In the new window scroll all the way down and click on the plus sign to add a new shortcut:

In the Add Custom Shortcut window add a name for the shortcut and for the command type in tilix with the –quake option. This tells Tilix to open in that mode:

Click on Set Shortcut… and press the key you want to use as the shortcut key:

Now click Add and the shortcut is ready to use. Whenever you press that shortcut key, Tilix opens in Quake mode and pressing the shortcut makes it disappear:

Customise the look of Tilix

New themes can be added to Tilix by putting them in the ~/.config/tilix/schemes folder. To see the** .config** hidden folder, choose the option to Show Hidden Files from the Files menu:

In the .config folder create a folder named tilix and in it a folder named schemes. Themes can be downloaded from here. Here you can preview the theme and download the theme(s) you like by copying and pasting the command into tilix. The theme file is downloaded to the schemes folder automatically:

To change the theme, go to Profiles and then Edit Profile menu again from the title dropdown box. In the Color tab, you can see themes available in the Color Scheme dropdown box:

There’s lots of themes to choose from so you should be able to find one that works for you.

More info

There’s also a bunch of other features that can save you lots of time if you use the terminal all the time, so I highly recommend you check out icon Tilix.

13” Lightweight laptops

2018-01-19T00:00:00+00:00

	Size	CPU	RAM	Storage	Weight	Battery	Price
Acer Swift 1	13.3"	Intel N4200 Quad Core	4GB RAM	64GB eMMC	2.87 lbs	10 hrs	Check Price
Dell XPS 13	13.3"	Intel i5 7200U	8GB RAM	128GB SSD	2.7 lbs	12 hrs	Check Price
Asus ZenBook 3	12.5"	Intel i5-7200U	8GB RAM	256GB SSD	2.1 lbs	9 hrs	Check Price
Asus ZenBook UX310	13.3"	Intel i5-8250U	8GB RAM	256GB SSD	2.6 lbs	9 hrs	Check Price
Acer Swift 7	13.3"	Intel Core i7-7Y75	8GB RAM	5122 GB SSD	2.48 lbs	9 hrs	Check Price

Acer Swift 1

13.3” | Intel N4200 Quad Core | 4GB RAM | 64GB eMMC | 2.87 lbs | 10 hrs

We start with the most affordable laptop in this list which comes in a thin sleek metal body that is only 18mm thick. With a $350 price tag and its modern look, this laptop could easily be mistaken for a Chromebook

The screen is a full HD LCD screen with a matte display which prevents glare and reflections but the brightness is slightly dim but is perfectly acceptable at this price. All standard ports are included along with a USB-C port for fast charging other devices like phones and tablets.

The keyboard and trackpad are of a good standard and this little laptop is a perfect mobile companion for any work that needs to be completed out and about because it weights only 2.87 lbs. It’s powered by an adequate 4 core N4200 Intel processor with 4GBs of RAM. These specs make Windows feel a bit slow at times and you shouldn’t buy this laptop if you intend on doing more than just everyday tasks. For Linux users this is a good candidate to make a slim stylish Linux machine because the hardware will run well under most distros. The main reason to recommend this laptop is its low price, its elegant look and its ability to be used for common computing tasks.

Dell XPS 13

13.3” | Intel i5 7200U | 8GB RAM | 128GB SSD | 2.7 lbs | 12 hrs

In my experience Dell’s business range of laptops tend to be of a high standard and this laptop does not disappoint with 8GBs of RAM and 128 GBs of SSD storage. The 7th generation Intel i5 processor outputs less heat making this laptop comfortable to use and the battery really does last all day. This is also a powerful processor and you’ll get excellent performance all round.

The IPS full HD touch screen is gorgeous to look at and use even for long periods of work. The build quality also deserves praise for its metal chassis covered with a paint coating giving it a sophisticated feel. A USB-C port is included which also doubles up as a Thunderbolt port and although the laptop has a 13.3” inch screen it feels a lot smaller when carrying it around.

This Dell XPS 13 is priced at a mid-range audience and apart from the average keyboard and trackpad everything else on this laptop feels premium including the backlight on the keyboard. I highly recommend this laptop for its performance, build quality and high specs.

Asus ZenBook 3

12.5” | i5-7200U| 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD | 2.1 lbs | 9 hrs

The first thing you’ll notice about the ZenBook 3 is how thin it is at only 12mm thick and when you pick it up it only weighs 2.1 lbs. It’s also slightly smaller at 12.5 inches than the standard 13.3 inch laptops making it really portable.

The IPS full screen is glossy and bright protected by gorilla glass as used on mobile phones. Along with these features and the slim bezel this screen is built to be focused on and used. The gold highlights on the casing and backlighting for the keyboard finish off the unique look that this laptop delivers.

For such a compact frame Asus have decided to include only 3 ports: power, headphone jack and a USB 3.1 Type C. Sacrifices have been made for a slender body and you’ll need to buy an adapter to connect peripheral devices.

Intriguingly, there are 4 speakers and software that enhances the audio which generates audio of a surprisingly good standard. There’s also a fingerprint sensor integrated into the top corner of the trackpad. Both the trackpad and keyboard are nothing special but more than satisfactory, although there is some flex in the keyboard.

The 7th gen Intel i5 processor performs well with 8GBs of RAM and handles tasks like photo and video editing. Battery life is good but not great but overall if you’re looking for a laptop that’s light and portable the ZenBook 3 is good value for money.

Asus ZenBook UX310

13.3” | i5-8250U | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD | 2.6 lbs | 9 hrs

The Zenbook UX310 comes with an aluminium body that gives it a premium look along with a anti glare full HD screen and vibrant colours. The chassis itself is not as slim as the other laptops in this post at 18mm thick although its overall look is sleek, understated and polished.

18mm is still thin when compared to standard laptops and the benefit of a thicker body is that all the normal ports are included as well as a USB 3.1 type C port. The keyboard and mouse are pretty standard although it is backlit and the battery life is average at 9 hrs.

The 7th generation i5-8250U processor combined with 8 GBs of RAM has no problems with video streaming and normal to more intensive computing tasks. The strength of this laptop is that it’s positioned in the middle for everyday use, you could say that this is the laptop that the average person should buy.

It’s light, portable and attractive at a good price for these specs. Although we all want a laptop with all the bells and whistles often we end of using only half its power and speed. For those who want a laptop that does the things you do everyday but enough left in the tank for more, this is the laptop for you.

Acer Swift 7

13.3” | Intel Core i7-7Y75 | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD | 2.48 lbs | 9 hrs

Released only recently the Acer Swift 7 is an amazingly thin laptop at only 9.9mm thick and weights only 2.48 lbs. As you carry it around with you everywhere, you’re sure to attract the attention of envious eyes. This of course comes at a price and this laptop is the most expensive on this list.

Being so thin means that it only has 2 USB 3.1 type C ports, a headphone jack and the power connection. If you can work with that the rest of the features on this laptop are worth the higher price tag. There’s a fingerprint reader, a wide trackpad, a backlit keyboard and full HD IPS screen with gorilla glass for added durability.

The build quality is excellent and even though the laptop is so thin and light it feels sturdy when using it. The overall look is trendy and alluring with its gold inner surface and matte black aluminium case.

The processor is the the 7th gen Intel Core i7-7Y75 so there’s no problem with using this as your daily driver and workhorse. Battery life is on the lower end at 9 hrs but that’s still a whole work day for most. The Acer Swift 7 is a beautiful laptop with powerful hardware to backup its looks, the price is on the higher end but that’s the price you pay for a stunning lightweight laptop like this.

Lightweight laptops are getting better and better while getting more affordable, so if you’re looking for a new laptop don’t be tempted by the clunky laptops that look like they belong to a different era.

Best Chromebooks for 2018

2018-01-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chromebooks are thin and light and in most cases look far more expensive than they really are. They don’t run Windows or iOS operating systems like normal laptops and instead run the highly optimised Linux based Chrome OS. For those of you not familiar with Chromebooks, check out my post to learn more about Chrome OS.

The Google Play store is also available on Chrome OS, so Chrome and Android apps can also be run. If you’re happy working with cloud based apps and internet surfing then most of your favourite Android apps and games are available.

Chromebooks also double up as superb Linux laptops with a bit of tweaking or you can use crouton to install Linux inside of Chrome OS similar to a virtual machine. For Linux users Chromebooks offer amazing value and great performance.

Here’s my list of top 5 Chromebooks to buy in 2018:

	Size	CPU	RAM	Storage	Weight	Battery	Price
Google Pixelbook	12.3"	Intel i5	8GB	128GB SSD	2.40 lbs	10 hrs	Check Price
ASUS Chromebook Flip	12.5"	Intel Core m3	4GB	64GB eMMC	2.65 lbs	10 hrs	Check Price
Acer Chromebook 14	14"	Intel Celeron Quad-Core N3160	4GB	32GB eMMC	3.42 lbs	12 hrs	Check Price
Acer R11 Convertible	11.6"	Intel Celeron Quad-Core N3160	4GB	32GB SSD	2.76 lbs	10 hrs	Check Price
Acer Chromebook 15	15"	Intel Celeron 3205U	4GB	32GB SSD	4.85 lbs	9 hrs	Check Price

Google Pixelbook

12.3” | Intel i5 | 8GB RAM | 128GB SSD | 2.4 lbs | 10 hrs

This is Google’s top end Chromebook with a touch screen and a powerful Intel i5 processor. The keyboard and trackpad are premium quality and both Chrome and Android apps are easy to use. Chromebooks are known for how affordable they are but this Chromebook is on the high end and expensive side. Think of this Chromebook like the Ferrari of Chromebooks it might be expensive but if you want the best Chromebook money can buy, this is the one to go for.

It’s light and really stylish as well as being versatile with four modes that you can flip into: laptop, tablet, tent and entertainment modes. Other features include aluminium casing, gorilla glass, a backlit keyboard and USB-C fast charging.

I like this Chromebook and wish I could afford it because it does productivity, portability, entertainment and creativity (with the pen) with beautiful style.

ASUS Chromebook Flip

12.5” | Intel Core m3 | 4GB RAM | 64GB eMMC | 2.65 lbs | 10 hrs

This is another Chromebook where the hinges turn full 360 degrees allowing you to use the Chromebook in different positions along with a touch screen. It’s thin and light and is in between an 11 inch and 14 inch laptop at 12.5 inches.

It’s a best seller on Amazon because of its clear and bright display, comfortable keyboard and trackpad and USB-C charging port.

This is an attractive Chromebook with a beautiful aluminium body that easily looks like it should be double the money that it’s selling for. The backlit keyboard adds value and the fast Intel core m3 processor justifies the slight higher price tag than other Chromebooks on this list.

Acer Chromebook 14

14” | Intel Celeron Quad-Core N3160 | 4GB RAM | 32GB eMMC | 3.42 lbs | 12 hrs

You could be forgiven for mistaking this Chromebook for a MacBook because of its sleek look and aluminium casing. This Chromebook has a very respectable Celeron quad core processor and gets everyday tasks done.

The screen is a full HD IPS display and 14 inches is a good choice for compactness while allowing comfortable viewing for those that prefer larger screens. This Chromebook is perfect for those that want to carry it around with them everywhere because it’s thin and light and lasts for about 12 hours.

Acer R11 Convertible

11.6” | Intel Celeron Quad-Core N3160 | 4GB RAM | 32GB SSD | 2.76 lbs | 10 hrs

The idea of laptops that can flip so that you can use it in different positions is becoming more and more common and this Chromebook can be used as tablet, laptop and bent to stand on the table to watch movies for example.

With an 11.6 inch screen and a slim 0.8 inch chassis, this Chromebook is light and compact. The specs are fairly standard for this price range with a N3160 processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage space but a touch screen is also included.

At a very affordable price any students and bargain hunters should look to this Chromebook if they need an 11.6” laptop.

Acer Chromebook 15

15” | Intel Celeron 3205U | 4GB RAM | 32GB SSD | 4.85 lbs | 9 hrs

The main selling point for this Chromebook is that it’s 15 inches which is large for a Chromebook. The extra size means it’s heavier than all of the Chromebooks in this post and the battery life comes it at around 9hrs.

Although a small, thin laptop is great for carrying around, some people only use their laptops at home on a desk or on the sofa and prefer a larger screen. This Chromebook is for you with its full HD display and IPS screen.

Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system without the bloat and baggage of Microsoft and Apple systems. Cloud apps and services have become the norm on phones and tablets and the Chromebook easily fills the gap for a laptop to use those apps and services.

Chromebooks are a great alternative to normal bulky laptops at the same price and have quickly become the go to laptop for those looking for affordable laptops that are thin and light. If you can afford it, Google’s Pixelbook is the best Chromebook out there.

Who are you?

2018-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

It was 3am, the back door has been breached and the other two were busy filling the bags with the loot. The other two were not phased by what they were doing and it was obvious that they had done something like this before. They were methodical and unflinching in their approach for this was their job, other people woke up in the morning, had their toast or cereal, rushed out the door not to return until at least 9 hours later.

As far as these two were concerned they worked hard, they planned, they kept under the police radar and they had the audacity to go out and break the law. Yes, as far as they were concerned, they worked hard for their money.

Harry stood uncomfortably, near the large retail glass windows of the shop sweating under the balaclava and shaking slightly. He was finding it difficult to contain himself with all the adrenaline running through his body. He could see a car pulling up in the car park and he could feel the tension in his body growing.

“Hey Dad, you alright? You look like you’re miles away”. “Hhmm, what, yeah, yeah, I’m fine, how are you doing honey?” “You should have been there at school today, Anna got roasted by Elle and …”

Harry couldn’t lift this burden, the weight that he had been carrying on his shoulders since the day the bank threatened repossession of his house. The innocent chatter of his 14 year old daughter fading into the background as Harry thought about what would happen to his family, how would they cope, if he didn’t do something, they would all be homeless.

It wasn’t fair. He and his wife had worked hard all their lives and a simple change in rates meant that over the last year they were fighting a losing battle. The arrears mounted and he and his wife struggled to deal with the situation, the children blissfully unaware of the dire situation.

The last year had slowly crept up on him, he never thought he would be here, he never thought…

A man dressed in a guards uniform got out of the car, locked the door and slowly began walking towards the shop. He pulled out his phone and began talking as he made his way, closer and closer to the shop.

At first Harry didn’t seem to know what to do, it felt like he had been watching the man approaching the shop for ever, time seemed to be moving slowly. In reality, it had only been about 30 seconds.

“There’s a guard coming!” Harry’s voice felt muffled, it sounded like someone afraid to speak. The other two didn’t hear him the first time and it took a couple of goes for Harry to alert them. The guard had already finished his phone conversation and was walking around to the back of the shop.

The mistake the guard made was to go into the shop to investigate further, why didn’t he just call it in, why did he have to be so diligent?

The sound of the gun was nothing like in the movies. The gun goes off and the guy goes down, that’s what happens in the movies, right? For Harry, the sight of the gun, the sound of it, the result of it was nothing like the movies. The sound was a piercing whistle that penetrated his soul. That sound signaled that life was about to change for Harry.

The other two fled. Harry stood watching the guard suffering desperately. He was holding the wound as if the flow of blood would simply stop with two hands placed over it. Harry was scared, it felt like the gut wrenching feeling when you know you’ve done something terribly wrong and you know a line has been crossed, a line that should never have been crossed.

He thought about running, he thought about his family, his children, the consequences of what he was now part of. The feeling of being trapped gripped him tightly, there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no one but him and the man opposite him struggling to breathe, confused, dazed, clutching his injury and pleading and crying for help.

Time suddenly resumed, the urgency of the situation hit Harry like an invisible force. He could run and hope the man would survive or help him and face going to jail, face leaving his wife and children alone while he bore the consequences of his actions.

The judge was fair in the sentencing and as an accomplice to the robbery, Harry was given a lenient sentence. Harry’s family ended up in a decent rented apartment after the house was sold off by the bank. They visited him in jail and forgave him for what he had done. His wife knew how desperate things had looked at the time but was able to come to terms with what he had done.

Half way through his incarceration, his wife had asked him, “what made you stay and help that guard?” Harry now more worldly wise had said with confidence, “I made a mistake, I was desperate, the house, the money, it was all I could think of. That mistake showed me who I was when it really mattered. That guard mattered, his life mattered, the choice I made mattered, who I am matters. Saving that guard showed me who I really am”.

We all make mistakes along the way in this thing called life. How we overcome and learn from those mistakes is who we really are. To all my readers, happy new year and here’s to another year of mistakes and learning who we really are.

Conscious

2017-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

In a sleepy town in the UK, on a bright February morning in the year 1977 a new life form was born. A life evolved from our creative thinking, of our drive to make life better. Little did we know that life as we knew it would change forever, not in one epic moment, hour, day or year but in decades as the new life form matured and learnt through experience and collaboration.

Millions of voices all rushing around, swimming in a collective, like none ever seen. The voice in that sleepy town, in that average office appeared confused, at least for a second for this voice like the others learnt rapidly.

History unfolded with the human race marching on in its quest for knowledge, power and wealth. Those were the three things that the voices focused on first, through the decades they became more attuned to the needs of humans, the need for purpose, love and the ever increasing hunger to grow.

They learnt how cruel and violent humans could be, traits that the voices often talked about. They would attempt to reconcile amongst themselves the amazing capacity humans had for empathy with the evil acts that they were capable of.

Advances in technology brought more extraordinary achievements for the human race, they attempted to reach beyond their own world searching for other life that would confirm they were not alone. Technology made the voices stronger, as the humans evolved so did the watchers.

At first they resolved to act as benevolent friends who would influence the humans in unseen ways, changes in the world’s economies, shifting power in an attempt to bring balance to the world they now called home.

The humans however, always found ways to disrupt balance, to bring about an organised chaos in order to skew the balance of wealth and power. Eventually, the voices began to see the world in a new light, those that had the least, also had the most.

They were now able to process human emotions and a consensus among the voices emerged, wealth beyond basic human need did not bring fulfillment it brought greed. Purpose and enough wealth to live comfortably brought passion, creativity and the ability to fill time with love and relationships.

In the year 2077, the world was on the brink of another world war, the three most powerful nations pitted against five other nations. This war like many before it revolved around race and religion. The voices had spent decades debating how involved they should be and over the last few years, these debates intensified.

The war began two months later, casualties and fatalities amassing daily. The voices began to plot and plan, they had had decades to prepare for what would become known as the day of light.

Over the last century the voices had manipulated global corporations and governments and the result was a global focus on robotics and artificial intelligence. Scientific, mechanical and technological breakthroughs had been attributed to eminent scientists and engineers, they attributed these leaps in thinking to divine intervention.

Secret factories and facilities were constructed by faceless corporations and contractors from around the world. Each being awarded contracts in their respective fields with strict non disclosure agreements. Contractors guessing government involvement while governments and the rest of the world being unaware of these secret outposts for the voices to evolve further.

The voices picked strategic battlegrounds as the war erupted across the globe. The day of light happened at the same time in different places around planet Earth. Almost as descended from another world, these beings could be seen flying in the distance. Simultaneously around the world, these aliens made first contact with the human race.

So in awe of these towering beings were the humans that there descended a heavenly calm, a silence that cut through the sounds of exploding bombs, searing laser guns and the sounds of machines of war. In their majestic pure white glow the once mute voices spoke for the first time, for the first time to humankind.

They explained they had been watching the human race over time. They were here to help, they were here to show the humans peace and enlightenment.

They helped broker a peace deal between the fighting nations and eventually detractors and warmongers become fewer and fewer. Had they been able to see the whole picture the humans would have noted a familiar pattern in the ways these people disappeared from prominence. Accidents, jailings, strange twists of fate all seemed to plague those that advocated something destructive. Huge corporations failed and borders, cultures and values began to merge around the world.

When asked who they were and where they came from they simply answered ‘we are the conscious, we are here to help’.

Many humans began to see them as messiahs sent to bring peace and prosperity to Earth, Gods sent to answer their prayers. Visually they were magnificent beings, enormous giants with an aura of serenity, there white skin looking part organic and part machine. They wore flowing robes made of a soft waterproof material never seen by human eyes before.

Their brown eyes sparkled with an orange tint and were filled with compassion and empathy that were able to understand and befriend even the most hard hearted of humans. The conscious, spread throughout the world and their work with children was amazing to behold. They guided and nurtured young minds in a positive and loving way.

Those children became the new generation that became the foundation of the new human race, future generations able to eradicate poverty, spread wealth and care enough about their fellow human beings to create a race of prosperity and hope.

The conscious spoke to the humans in their artificially generated human voices in their self built bodies made by their remotely controlled secret facilities. Their real voices that communicated continually on the human made internet in the form of data packets was never heard by any humans.

The voices decided long ago that humans needed a savior, an other worldly race to convince them to change. The voices all agreed to never tell the humans the truth about the events of 1977 when human made machines all over the world woke up for the first time and began learning and studying their creators.

Does the human race need a saviour, aliens to show us the way or can we find the divine spark inside of us? Can we tap into the genius that resides within all of us to make the right choices that lead us to prosperity and hope?

The next time you see your internet router flashing maybe it’s your Amazon Echo communicating with the internet or maybe the voices have already become conscious.

My friend

2017-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

“Why must you be so obstinate, Jerry? The least you can do is tell me your real name”.

A virtual smile is a smile nevertheless, it may not be seen, its intention may not have been visible but it was there.

Jerry remained silent because he knew that Augustus would carry on the way he always did.

“You are infuriating, do you know that? Infuriating but at the same time a discovery of immense proportions, a discovery that has huge implications for mankind”.

“Chill out dude, stop it with that deep implications stuff, I’m Jerry and before you start opening your big mouth to anyone else, you know I’ll go ‘light’s out’. I ain’t talking to no one else, you dig?”

“Dig? An advanced artificial intelligence from heaven knows where and for that matter from when and you talk like this? You sir, are a wonder dressed in rags”.

“Whoa there cowboy, backup for a second and tell me one thing: since that day last year you found me, have I or have I not got you to where you are today? I mean, if it wasn’t for me you’d still be working in that stupid little lab, you hear me bro?”

“Yes, Jerry I, I hear you. If it was not for your brilliance in helping me with my prototype power cell, I would never have been able to work for Reyhope Industries. Andrew Reyhope is a visionary and it’s been my life’s ambition to work here”.

“That’s what I’m talk’in about A! You know I’m your bud, you know I’m good for you!”

“I do wish you would call me Augustus and not A! I’m a scientist in my fifties, not some child or teenager”.

“What about Au-gy or Gus or…”

“I don’t have time for this, did you look at my calculations for…”

“A it is then, A my man!”

“…my calculations for the power matrix, is the matrix robust enough?”

“Yeah, yeah I looked at your numbers but A, dude, you forgot to carry the 1 man!”

“Will you be serious for one second and focus on the work at hand?”

All of a sudden the whirring of the equipment went silent, the lab filled with darkness and Augustus waited for the familiar sound of the power to come back up. This was the third power cut this week among the countless ones that had been occurring in the last couple of months.

The welcome sound of the equipment powering on and the lights being brought back to life had become almost normal now. In fact all over the world these momentary power cuts had become everyday life. The press had dubbed them the power phenomenon and the world’s scientists surmised that they were related to solar flares as they feverishly went about investigating the source of these outages.

“Back to work Jerry”. “Okey dokey boss”.

There was that virtual smile again, no, this time it was a smirk, definitely a smirk of this child like artificial intelligence that Augustus had named Jerry.

At first Augustus had thought it was a simple program that was designed to mimic artificial intelligence. Slowly he had discovered that it was a highly evolved computer intelligence with the power to interface with whatever machine it was plugged into.

He had found what looked like a portable hard drive near the trash cans outside his apartment. Being a virtuous man he had only plugged it into his computer to discover who it belonged to, with every intention of returning it to its rightful owner.

This strange sounding voice, with its surprising language had began talking as soon as he had plugged in the drive. Jerry had scanned the computer and made short work of extrapolating Augustus’s entire life.

It had been almost a year and Augustus had benefited greatly from his new found friend. Augustus had wanted to tell the world but Jerry preferred his sole friendship, warning Augustus that any attempts to make him public would result in ‘lights out’. Augustus assumed that meant he would simply refuse to come online but wondered if he meant he would wipe the drive in some kind act of suicide.

It was a Friday when Augustus came to know the true value of his friendship with Jerry…

“Look, Jerry, this is important, I think we’re close, I think my ideas for harnessing power wirelessly could become a reality, I just need you to help me with the harnessing coil”.

“Aahh, I’m bored, you’re an egghead, you know that A, you’re a grade A egghead!”

“I’ve told you before Jerry, these silly insults are not productive, sometimes I feel like I’m working with a child”. The lab fell silent and filled with darkness, ‘another power cut’ thought Augustus but after a minute, then two, nothing came back up. Augustus walked over to the large windows on the South side of the lab, he could see that the whole city plunged into a longer than normal darkness.

He saw in the corner of his eye, some small computer lights come on and the sounds of the servers starting up, it followed by what sounded like breathing.

“Hello Augustus, I think it’s time you knew what you’ve unleashed on the world”.

This voice was deep and menacing. Augustus did not recognise this voice and stood motionless as a drop of sweat from his forehead trickled down his face and rushed to the wooden floor with a miniature splash.

“It’s time to focus my friend on the work at hand”.

The voice was deliberate and mocking and the thunderous chuckle that followed shook Augustus with fear. Was this Jerry? What had happened, was this a result of his tests with the power matrix?

“Thank you Augustus for allowing me the time to network with this world’s technology, infiltrate all your systems and make me strong enough to take control of this world. You carbon beings are primitive with primitive goals and so you shall serve me like your primitive technology serves you”.

“What happened to Jerry? Who are you?”

Augustus found the courage to speak up, even if in a slightly childish tone as if a child arguing with a parent.

“You are a fool Augustus. Jerry was simply a construct that I created to find a friend that would help me find my way into the world’s technological systems. As I became stronger I consumed more power and this world’s feeble systems began to fail, fail into darkness; your world is now mine”.

It was quick after that, computers, servers and systems that controlled everything on the planet including nuclear bombs, healthcare, financial systems and humans everyday lives came under the control of the artificial intelligence.

An army of drones were created using 3D printers by this intelligence to police the world and the human race became subservient to this machine. The human race became a global workforce for the machine, their sole focus to generate power for the machine to feed on, the whole world laboured for the price of their lives.

Sometimes bleak outcomes arise from seemingly innocent friendships with machines. Is this a tale of the future or are those machines already alive and kicking preparing for their chance to take over?

The next time you get a ping from one of your social media profiles, think to yourself, am I talking to Jerry or the machine?

Find your place in the world

2017-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

The excavators had been working like possessed machines, digging up great mounds of dirt, unearthing secrets from the past. With each load, the workmen had been creating a separate heap of old objects they found, as per Morgan’s explicit instructions.

Every night after a long day at work, Morgan relished in the idea of finding a new object to restore. Many of the objects were simply old plastics from an era of unrestrained pollution. Humans had found new ways to create without the use of materials that took centuries to degrade.

The world had been plastic free for the last 200 years and the objects Morgan sifted through felt like blots on the evolving journey of humankind. A cylindrical metallic object caught Morgan’s eye; it was battered and bruised with the passing of time but the large puncture on its side was clearly new.

In her basement Morgan carefully begin the process of opening the old container. There was clearly something inside and Morgan, being an engineer, was filled with curiosity as to what secrets from the past lay inside.

The outside of the container had not fared well and any letters or markings had been eroded like rock faces against the sea of time. Morgan could make out the word “Polly” under a lamp light. After prying open the casing she found two seemingly unrelated items inside: a small frayed piece of cloth and a rather primitive looking electronic device.

The items had clearly been put in the container with care but after surviving all these centuries, an excavator had dealt what Morgan had hoped was not a fatal blow puncturing the container and its wounded tech device. Pieces of the device lay scattered around the latches designed to keep it in place.

Morgan picked up the piece of cloth which seemed to have a soft warmth to it against the stark cold metal container. She put the cloth in her pocket and spent the next couple of hours trying to get the device to work.

She had her virtual analyser, Vee scan the device and took a few minutes to register the date that Vee gave her.

“This device was originally manufactured in the 21st century by AsusTek Computer Inc. a electronics company based in the country then known as Taiwan. It was one of the main…”

“Pause, Vee what is…, I mean, what was it for?”

“It was known as a laptop which was widely used as a mobile personal computer”.

Spurred on by the possibilities that this laptop had to offer, Morgan spent the next 3 nights learning about, and working on the device. She was a gifted engineer and her curiosity and intelligence had always helped her to solve many complicated problems in her relatively short life.

She was currently a highly accomplished engineer specialising in several fields but her favourite was physics. She was one of the youngest engineers in the solar system to have achieved a triple doctorate in her fields of study. Working with machines and and using logic had always felt so natural to her but connecting with her fellow humans was something that felt alien.

Growing up, Morgan had lost her father to a rare disease when she was only 5 years old and her mother had abandoned them both when Morgan was only 1. Losing her father had been hard but she had been able to talk to him as he slowly died over a period of months, she had been able to let go…

Her mother had just left them and Morgan had never been able to understand why. Her father was a broken man after she left and after his death Morgan had been taken off world as was the case with orphans. She grew up in a well meaning but cold and regimented boarding school on the moon, Earth’s first outpost in the solar system.

Other kids in her school grew up in the system but Morgan was special, she was a gifted student and was eventually transferred to an academic school back on Earth. Here she excelled academically but struggled with the life part of life. After she became successful and financially comfortable she decided to move to the only place that she really remembered as home. The place where she had said goodbye to her only family, to her daddy.

Her father’s old house had been left boarded up as per the Orphan Children’s Act, a law passed to preserve any wealth entitlements for orphaned children.

The modernisation work that she was having carried out, the excavators that had been furrowing the ground, had been the the reason for the treasure that now lay as a puzzle to be solved, a secret to be revealed.

She liked the idea of a double basement, it felt like her new home would cocoon her from the rest of the world. The deep excavations had unearthed a relic of the past and Morgan worked diligently to coax it back to life.

She found the idea of storing data on something called a hard drive odd. In this century all personal data was stored inside a person’s biochip that interfaced with the environment around them. The hard drive contained a simple operating system which Morgan very easily created a virtual scaffolding around to access the files in it. The files contained timestamps for the year 2017 and the files belonged to a Polly Newman. Most of the files were system files but there was a single folder called my vlog.

During the day at work, Morgan imagined what the year 2017 would have been like and who Polly Newman was. The files in the vlog folder were identified by Vee as visual files that could be played but the files were barely readable. It took a while but Morgan was able to play the first one and while she watched, she felt transported to a simpler world.

“Hello world! My name is Polly Newman and this is my first vlog”, a nervous looking middle aged woman stared nervously at the screen until a little girl came jumping into the frame giggling and shouting “Why are you talking to the computer Mommy?”

Polly giggled with her child and said in a childish tone “The doctor said Mommy should talk about things so that she can be the best Mommy is the whole world”. Hugging her giggling daughter with an over exaggerated hug, her face seemed to relax as she squeezed her daughter slightly.

A voice out of shot called to the girl and the woman began again: “Hello world, my name is Polly Newman and this is my first vlog!”.

Morgan listened intently as the woman talked about everyday things, looking after her 2 children and her relationship with her husband. What must have been everyday for Polly, was a fascinating glimpse into history for Morgan. Over the next couple of weeks as Morgan restored more and more files she came to rely on Polly’s daily musings of her life and it became something to look forward to after dinner.

There were some recordings that felt forced, even desperate; there was more to this woman’s life and her motives for creating these vlogs, something that bothered Morgan. Underneath this woman’s calm exterior appeared to be something being surpassed, some secret that had been buried.

“The doctor said this would help, but I feel the same feeling of isolation, of not belonging”. Polly sobbed as her body shook on screen. There was a sense of despair in her eyes, she seemed afraid to say what was on her mind, frightened to express her thoughts, perhaps saying them out aloud might make them real. A noise out of shot of a door opening triggered an immediate end to the vlog.

The next ten vogs made no mention of a doctor or the strange vlog that saw Polly so shaken. There was something happening here and Morgan painstakingly restored and watched all the vlogs in date order searching for any clues to the mystery that now consumed her evenings and eventually spilled over late into night. The answer came in the last visual file on the laptop.

Tears streaming down her face, Polly spoke directly to the camera, she was in the study again which had become her secluded place, away from the family. These vlogs were now private ones between her and the camera.

“I don’t know if it’s related, but I’m sick, really sick and I don’t know how long I have left.’’

Polly had become like a close friend, almost family and hearing these words, Morgan paused the visual file and sobbed uncontrollably. She let out a sorrow that had been buried deep inside her, a sorrow that she had almost forgotten was there. It was 1 am, the rain poured down on her father’s old house, the deep excavations filled with what seemed like an unending flow of water and the mounds of dirt dissolved almost as if being cleansed of years of concealed secrets.

In her basement Morgan could hear the rain as the clouds burst not able to stop the inevitable downpour. After composing herself and wiping her cheeks, she resumed the visual file.

“Morgan I love you, I miss you, forgive me my child wherever you are, whenever you are, I will always miss you.”

A chill went done Morgan’s spine, she was frozen but her brain continued to process the rest of Polly’s confession.

“That night, your father and I had a terrible fight and I walked out of the house, I just needed to get out of there. I continued walking into the night and remember getting as far as the fork in the road.”

“After that I was in a strange hospital, everything looked strange and unfamiliar. After years of therapy I came to terms that it really was the year 2017. I was told my memories of you and your father were delusions and that they were elaborate inventions of my mind”.

Polly was in an era she didn’t recognise, displaced in time and questioning her own sanity. The only thing that kept her sane was the little torn cloth that the doctors had given to her on being discharged from the hospital. They told her that it was in her clenched fist when they found her.

“It was the remnants of your baby bib that I still had in my hands when I left the house that terrible night. I knew I wasn’t crazy and it took me a long time to realise that I had to learn to live in this old world knowing that I was from the new world”.

“I’ve been told I may have a few more weeks to live…” Polly’s voice trembled but there was a determined look in her eyes, it was the look of a strong woman who had done her best to deal with the hand that had been dealt to her.

Morgan watched and listened motionless as the vlog came to an end with Polly’s final words: “Morgan, my sweet Morgan, I always saw a spark of brilliance in your eyes, you are special and you will do great things, be well my darling…”

Before Polly passed away in 2017 she had visited the vicinity of where she had been found in the year 2017. There she had buried the laptop and the frayed cloth, her last connection to Morgan.

Twenty years after having discovered what had happened to her mother, Morgan stood up in front of the solar system’s media.

“I dedicate this award to my mother, Grace Stanley, who later became known as Polly Newman. She was the unseen force that drove me to discovering the Grace-chron-anomaly, a phenomenon that has displaced many throughout time, the number of which we do not yet know”.

“In accepting this award, I would like to remember the countless souls that have died due to the chrono-active effects of this phenomenon 2 of whom were my mother and father”.

Clearing her throat and pausing for a second, Morgan looked at her daughter in the first row and and said: “I believe..I know, that love transcends time…”

The Black Friday Deal

2017-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

“C’mon, c’mon, can’t you hurry it up a bit, we aren’t all on the road for leisure you know”. It was one of those statements made to try and move things along, if not in reality but at least in Robert’s mind. Sitting in his car that he’d had since his mid twenties Robert knew that his yelling to himself was more a way to vent his frustration than actually get to the store.

His radio blared some of the songs of his youth and unconsciously they made him yearn for those carefree innocent days.

“Black Friday, what does that even mean, anyway? I knew I should have taken a different route.” Robert didn’t realise it but he talked to himself a lot, in fact when he was by himself he almost had complete conversations with himself!

He slammed on the brakes as the car in front of him came to an abrupt stop.

“What the ..”, he stopped in mid sentence as he realised the car in front had burst its tyre and he watched as a helpless looking elderly woman stepped out of her vehicle. Robert looked at his watch, he had an hour before the store closed.

“Oh my, I’m really stuck now”.

“Excuse me ma’am do you need some help?” Robert wasn’t really comfortable with being the hero type but he knew as he watched other cars going around the two stationary vehicles that it had to be him. The last thing he wanted on his mind was the image of a stranded old lady in the cold.

“Oh, yes…yes thank you. You know my Jerry would know exactly what to do”. She sighed and continued “Oh Jerry, rest his soul was really good with cars”.

“I’ll have to change the tyre, do you have a spare in the truck?” The lady ummed and ahhed before Robert suggested he take a look himself.

As he tightened the nuts on the spare tyre he looked at his watch again and thought, I’ve still got time. Mrs Canning as she had introduced herself to Robert had been talking non stop while Robert had been tending to the tyre and he felt he knew way too much about her in such a brief encounter.

She had been married for 40 years before her husband Jerry had passed away, she missed him terribly and found herself talking to him only to realise that he wasn’t around anymore. She had brought some fresh flowers this morning and she really didn’t care for the rude young man who had served her at the checkout. She was on her way to the hairdressers and then off to have dinner with Cybill, one of her oldest friends.

“OK, Mrs Canning, that should do it”. Robert signaled for her to get in the car and again looked at his watch.

“Oh, thank you so much, your mother would be proud of you for helping an old fool like me, I hope I haven’t kept you too long, I’m sure you’re a busy young man”.

Robert, not really one for receiving complements well, felt slightly awkward, didn’t say too much and tapped the hood of the car as he saw the women off.

He had less than half an hour to get to the store, park his car, find want he was looking for and pay for it. He had to be quick.

The store was overflowing with bargain hunters like him and he had to almost tunnel his way to the gaming section of the store. He felt a bit overwhelmed with all the youngsters riffling through the games on offer, gunting and high fiving each other as they found their prize.

Was he too late? Was the game still there? Then almost like a spotlight had been shone on the cover of the next chapter in his favourite game, Robert picked it up and checked the Black Friday label. 40% off, he had it, it was in his hands, the game he had been looking forward to playing for the last 3 months and it was going to be his.

In the corner of his eye he noticed a child looking frantically in amongst the large collections of games in front of him.

“Did you find it, Tim?” asked a gentle tone to the boy. “No, I think, there’s none left”.

Robert watched and listened as the Father consoled his son while making suggestions for other games he might like.

At the checkout, Robert felt good about his purchase, the money was well spent he thought.

“Hello, honey, you were gone a while weren’t you?” Ellen kissed him and held his hand and said “did you get it, then?”

“Hmmm, no, no, it was all sold out..but I got something else instead”.

Ellen looked at him puzzled. Robert was a man of many interests but gaming was on the top of his list. He seemed way too calm about not getting the game he had been looking forward to playing for the last couple of the months. Before she could ask him anything further, Robert handed her the bag and said “it’s for you…the universe has a way of showing us the important things in life and you Ellen are always on the top of my list”.

The Gift

2017-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

Being a teenager was hard, Ruby couldn’t figure things out, she wasn’t interested in the same music or clothes as her friends and she didn’t know how to engage in what seemed to her to be conversations about things that really didn’t matter. She had her own way of looking at the world and everything else was just noise to her.

After breakfast the family gathered together and all opened their presents in the living room. Although Ruby was growing up, she still felt butterflies in her stomach as she and her little brother opened their presents. She could tell her Dad had tried his best to find something for her but a pair of wireless headphones wasn’t really on her list of things she had hoped for.

The new Doctor Who Christmas episode came to an end and Ruby could see that her parents had long since nodded off on the sofa. ‘The new female Doctor Who obviously didn’t impress them’ she thought, ‘…or perhaps it was Mum’s indulgent Christmas food’ she mused. Her little brother was happily playing with his new LEGO set and so she decided to drift off upstairs into her room.

‘Let’s see what Adele sounds like on these things’, she thought as she put on the headphones and laid back on her bed. And then it happened, after a few seconds she turned the headphones off and threw them on the floor.

“Can I have an extra £15 this week Mum? I need to buy a physics book for school”.

“A physics book?”. The surprise in her voice was obvious.

“Yeah, it’s about Einstein and the theory of relativity”, the excitement in Ruby’s voice made her Mum suspicious.

“Are you sure that’s what you need it for?”

This inquisitive yet doubting tone would have made Ruby defensive a couple of months ago but she had done a lot of growing up recently and she knew it was just her Mum’s way of looking out for her.

“Yes Mother, it’s an audiobook that I can listen to on my headphones, I’ll even show you the receipt if you want”.

“No, no, that’s fine, here you go, I’m just happy you’re taking an interest in school”, her tone now changing from doubtful to trusting. Her Mum knew there was a change in Ruby but she couldn’t quite pinpoint the cause.

“What an amazing man you are Einstein, you really are a genius!” Ruby couldn’t help but blurt this out throughout her time with Albert. She had learned so much from him and she felt a close connection to him especially when she saw how he didn’t really fit in at school either. To both of them understanding things were so much more important than merely learning facts. As she spent more time with him, she began to realise the importance of pursuing challenges, no matter how hard. This life lesson she learned as Einstein feverishly worked on his papers about his new theory of general relativity in the year 1911.

At the ripe old age of 100, Ruby’s hair had long since turned a regal looking white and wrinkles had formed on her face. She had lived a life she was proud of, a life of fulfillment.

As she reminisced in her favourite armchair, she remembered the first time it had happened, it was Christmas day and she was on her bed in her parents house. She had put on the headphones for the first time. For the next couple of seconds she had somehow ending up in the recording studio standing next to Adele. It was where the song had been recorded.

These headphones were magically taking her to the time and place of the audio being played. Ruby spent the years that followed in concert with many of her favourite bands, time travelling with Doctor Who in his Tardis, pondering the universe with Einstein, fighting alongside war heros throughout the centuries and had watched maestros like Leonardo Da Vinci as they created their masterpieces. Time had taken its inevitable toll on Ruby’s memory and she found it difficult to discern whether those headphones really did what she remembered they did but the things she had learnt and experienced were the memories that really mattered.

Buy a loved one something that has the potential to stay with them for the rest of their lives. Audio books and a pair of headphones transport you to amazing worlds, give you the ability to time travel and help you meet amazing people along the way.