Grapevine Magazine 2014

Fibre-optic broadband has been available to many Sheffielders for about three years, though not everyone makes use of it. Many Grapevine readers are using the same broadband supplier they originally signed up with, but it is worth a look at changing supplier to save money – and increase the connection speed.

When you take a PC or tablet into the garden, your wireless signal disappears. I receive many calls from customers with this complaint, who also say that areas of their homes are internet blind spots. The solution is usually a ‘homeplug.’

Meet Bob! He is the three-month-old border terrier that recently became part of my household, writes Adrian Arksey. If you are on Facebook or Instagram, you will have noticed that users often post pictures and videos of their pets. It is now possible to use smartphones and computers to keep an eye on Fido and Felix.

Have you used a website that had a little padlock on it when you were asked to log-in or enter personal information?

If so, you may be affected by the ‘Heartbleed Bug’. It takes advantage of a major security flaw at the heart of the internet – and during the past two years might have been exposing users’ personal information and passwords to hackers.

I’ve been giving technical support to Sheffield computer users for nearly ten years.There are some questions I seem to be asked time and time again. Here are a few answers you might find useful.

Computer ‘Easter Eggs’ are fascinating secrets built into the PC software we use every day. Here are a few of my favourites, which I feel sure you will be interested in.