Speed Up Your Internet In 30 Seconds with Cloudflare 1.1.1.1

Last Updated: June 25, 2019

Cloudflare recently released 1.1.1.1, their public DNS service, designed to speed up your internet connection. Whilst OpenDNS and Google DNS do exist, Cloudflare place an emphasis on privacy, promising to wipe all DNS query logs in 24 hours. So, what is a DNS? In a nutshell, a DNS exists to point a URL, like thenerdystudent.com, towards an IP where the website exists. However, DNS’ that are provided by ISPs are often unreliable, and that is where Cloudflare comes in. It offers better performance than your ISPs DNS server, and better security and privacy.

Cloudflare allow you to use their 1.1.1.1 public DNS services on your desktop, and on your mobile phone with free apps. These then install a profile which routes your traffic through the DNS, allowing you to get faster searches and site loads.

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KeySmart Review – A Key Organiser

Last Updated: March 9, 2019

Everyone has keys, and usually you have them on you at all times. People often get holes in their pockets carrying keys, or have them digging into their side. However, the KeySmart aims to solve that, using a Swiss Army knife approach to keys, allowing you to fold them into a metal structure, and fold them out for use.

There are five options of KeySmarts, the original, one in leather, the rugged, one with a torch, and finally the KeySmart Pro which features an inbuilt Tile bluetooth tracker. I’ll be taking a look at the KeySmart Rugged in this review, but I’ll also cover the other KeySmart models and take a look at the Pro.

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Chipolo Card – A Slim Bluetooth Tracker to Help You Find Your Wallet

Last Updated: June 21, 2019

After changing from a store-bought wallet to the Saddleback Leather Wallet, the normal Chipolo Classic would not fit in the wallet. Luckily, I received a Chipolo Card that can easily fit in the wallet, being a small and slim card shaped item that I could slip behind the card pockets. With a battery life of 12 months, the Chipolo Card is a good choice if you want to keep track of your wallet.

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Saddleback Leather Bifold Wallet – A Review

Last Updated: May 20, 2019

On the hunt for a new, durable wallet, I came across the Saddleback brand on Reddit. Despite the high prices, they clearly lasted for a long time, and the 100 year guarantee that comes with the wallet makes it even more of an investment. The wallet is made out of full grain cow leather, which means that it hasn’t been sanded or buffed, and as a result of not being over treated, it is a lot stronger. The wallet feels sturdy and well made – it uses marine grade thread, so the stitching, which is often the failure point for wallets, is incredibly tough.

For those looking for a wallet that will last them for the rest of their life, the Saddleback wallet is a great choice. It’s well made, and has a guarantee that covers issues with manufacturing that will keep you covered.

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Using the Pomodoro Technique with Habitica

Last Updated: June 17, 2019

I rediscovered Habitica at the start of this year, 2019, and fell in love with it. Despite reviewing it in 2017, and using it for some time, my use of Habitica eventually tapered off as the year wore on. However, I’ve started using it again, specifically with the Pomodoro technique. If you want to find more about either Habitica, or the Pomodoro technique, I have posts on both of them.

At the start of this year I started using both the Pomodoro technique, and Habitica again, and I wanted to go over how I use the two together. There are different ways you can do this, including integrations with third-party apps and tools, however I do it manually. I find this is a lot more efficient, and takes out the hassle of automating it for not much gain.

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A Look At GitKraken – My Favourite GUI for Git

Last Updated: October 3, 2023

I’ve been using Git since I started programming in 2014. I usually used the Git command line, as it was powerful and relatively easy to use. However, when I discovered GitKraken, that changed, and I’ve rarely had to open up the command line to fix conflicts and fast forward to the remote branches.

GitKraken is elegant and easy to use – it’s easy to fast forward various branches, checkout branches, submit pull requests and commit. I’m really impressed with the ease of use, yet power, that GitKraken offers in a graphical interface for Git.

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Must Have Apps of 2018

Last Updated: June 17, 2019

It’s been another big year for iOS, with the release of iOS 12 which added great new features, but more importantly focused on fixing the bugs and issues that were in iOS 11. Apple also opened up iOS to third party developers, meaning that more apps could integrate with Siri and make it a more powerful experience.

I’ve mostly used third party apps over first party ones from Apple, and this is usually because third party ones are simply much more powerful. It’s been interesting to see how many apps have shifted to subscription based pricing over the year, despite it being introduced two years ago. Developers also seem to be testing different approaches, such as subscriptions that are optional, and different was to unlock features. Personally, I’m not a fan of subscriptions, so I prefer to do a slightly more expensive one time purchase.

Apps that are frequently updated are also apps that I am more likely to use – I like it when apps adapt to take in the latest changes in iOS, such as Siri integration, and when bugs are fixed and the developers update their apps.

This is my fourth year using my iPad Air 2 as my primary device, and whilst I’ve used many of the apps that I covered in last years review, I’ve also discovered many new apps that I have been using on a daily basis.

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A Look at Monzo – The Bank of the Future

Last Updated: September 19, 2019

I recently opened an account with Monzo – the idea of an account with a bank that had no physical branches intrigued me, and I also was attracted by the app that is a major selling point of opening an account with them. Two days after signing up, I received the hot coral card from Monzo, and was excited to go out and use it.

What’s so different about Monzo? Well, it’s a smartphone only bank, challenging the ‘legacy’ banks such as Lloyds and Barclays. Being completely free, anyone can sign up and start a current account with no fees. Monzo has all the benefits of a normal bank – protected money by the FSCS, so your money is safe, interest of 1% on amounts of £1,000, and a few more interesting features that I will detail later in this post.

One thing that surprised me about Monzo was how enthusiastic people are about it – so much so to invest £20 million into it in only an hour, and it’s hard to tell where this enthusiasm comes from. Perhaps it’s the openness of the bank, or the community behind it.

Monzo is a great choice for those looking for a easier, and better, banking experience.

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Watcht – Trakt.tv On iOS

Last Updated: June 23, 2019

Recently I began to use Trakt.tv to track how many shows I watched, and to keep track of oncoming shows. Trakt.tv don’t offer an official iOS app, however they do have API, and Watcht is the best unofficial app for trakt.tv on the App Store. Coming with many features that make watching your shows easier, Watcht is a powerful app for those who enjoy TV shows and movies.

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TWSBI Eco Review

Last Updated: December 8, 2018

The TWSBI Eco is a low cost, but high quality demonstrator pen. For those looking for a high capacity pen, but one that doesn’t close a small fortune, the TWSBI Eco is a great choice. Coming in a variety of nibs from EF to a 1.1 Stub nib, the TWSBI Eco is a good choice for those looking for a fountain pen.

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