npSoftware

Move To GitHub Actions

Tue, 28 May 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Travis-CI No Longer Free

Today I discovered that using Travis-CI is no longer free for OSS. So I just moved deployment to GitHub Actions, which is actually a lot better.

Now to secure with SSL as apparently you can’t even create a website without being penalised by a browser unless it has a certificate. Oh well!

Creating this post to test it’s working as expected.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 19:11:00 +0000

After being suitably impressed with the S8, and there still being no movement on a decent Microsoft alternative since the death of the Lumia 950, or the HP Elite X3 if you were that way inclined, I decided to give the Note 9 a shot to see if it could improve on an already great design.

The Unboxing

As usual, I’m not going to do an unboxing video myself, for a number of reasons, so you will have to settle with one from a YouTuber…

Personally, I enjoyed...

Virtual Reality, here at last?

Sun, 17 Jun 2018 10:00:00 +0000

I recall getting super excited about VR as a child, namely the monstrosity of a headset created by Sega that turned out to be a complete pile of shit, and various shows on television that had a computer generated aspect, or actual VR as it stood then. It was all very disappointing, but what about now? 25 years or so later.

Failed attempts of the past

Firstly I should briefly apologise for not posting for so long, not that I expect anyone to actually care, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. Life happens and other stuff takes priority....

Samsung Galaxy S8

Sun, 21 May 2017 13:00:00 +0000

After waiting for what seems like an eternity for Microsoft to pull their fingers out and give me a reason to commit the next 2 years to their mobile platform, I gave up and decided to join team Android, for now at least. So I had to decide whether to go for a mid-range interim device, still clinging onto hope that a Surface Phone will arrive, or dive right in with a flagship device, here’s why I made my choice and what I think of it so far.

Why Android and not Apple?

Before I go into more detail...

FitBit Blaze or Microsoft Band 2 - A Year On

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 19:00:00 +0000

Well it’s been just over a year since my acquisition and review of the Microsoft Band 2 fitness wearable. Although I loved the device, various issues with it and business choices by Microsoft have swayed me to step away from it and invest in a FitBit Blaze instead. Here’s my reasons why I have made that move as well as my first impressions of the FitBit Blaze.

Just for reference, you can read my original review here.

Self Destructing Strap

One thing I will start by pointing out, is that I have looked after my Band 2 for...

Ubuntu On Windows

Thu, 15 Sep 2016 19:00:00 +0000

One lesser known feature of the new Anniversary Update for Windows 10 is ‘Ubuntu on Windows’. This should be shouted about way more than it currently is, it’s an amazing feat of Engineering and enables Windows developers to stay in their cozy Windows environment whilst performing duties in Linux, without even creating a Virtual Machine or copying files from one environment to another. I’m going to run through something I’ve just done to test this feature and why I think it’s so cool.

No More Ballache Virtual Machines

Take this site as an example, it’s compiled in Linux, using...

Continuum

Sat, 20 Feb 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Just recently I purchased a Microsoft Display Dock for my Lumia 950 from Amazon. After a pain in the arse getting the item delivered, along with a cheap Samsung TV to go with it, I’ve had a few uses of it and thought I’d give my opinions on it in a blog post, seeing as I’ve already reviewed the 950 here. If you haven’t seen my review of the phone you might want to do so before continuing.

Ideal Setup

first thing to bear in mind is that you can’t just go and get a Lumia 950 and...

Creativity

Wed, 17 Feb 2016 21:30:00 +0000

This isn’t the topic that I had originally planned for my next blog post but after reading a few articles lately on Spotify getting bitched at by artists and labels alike for not paying out enough money, I though I would throw in my 2 pence worth, as a creative person myself trying to make my way in this world.

Spotify Free-Tier

So one side of the argument centres around the Free-Tier of Spotify. It’s not the only part of Spotify to get flak, but one of the most common. So what is their Free-Tier, and how does it...

Introducing Siren Sessions 8

Wed, 10 Feb 2016 21:30:00 +0000

Just a quick update from me before a proper post during the upcoming weekend. I’ve been a Spotify user for quite some time now, and have been building up a collection of playlists. As I don’t really have many avenues for sharing this kind of content, I thought I’d share it on here.

Siren Sessions 8

So here we are, introducing Siren Sessions. This is episode 8, so I’ve already done 7 (obviously) so far. The premise of the series is to gather a collection (roughly 20 tracks) of female vocal music that I like. It’s as simple as...

Floating

Sat, 09 Jan 2016 21:30:00 +0000

Recently I decided to do something that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time now, and that’s go and strip naked, stick some earplugs in my ears (obviously), and then go and lie in warm salty water in complete darkness for an hour… no really.

The Hype

So I had read a lot about floatation tanks, float-tanks, sensory deprivation tanks, or whatever you want to call them. I had also watched a lot of YouTube videos on the subject. Stories had ranged from awesome total relaxation, to all out psychedelic experiences, although I’m curious about someone’s state...