Plain-English tech guides for curious Brits
Your smart TV is more than a screen: it logs viewing habits, recognises what is on, and shares some of that data with advertisers and analytics firms. Here is a plain-English guide to quietening it down without turning the living room into a blackspot.
More UK apps and sites now ask for proof of age before you can watch, buy or post. Here’s what the main checks actually do, where your ID or face scan goes, and how to tell a proper age gate from a data grab.
Landed on The Wikiman's blog and not sure where to begin? Here's a plain-English tour of what we publish, how we write it, and which corners are worth bookmarking first — no jargon, no upselling, no nonsense.
Smart speakers are genuinely useful, but they also build a searchable trail of requests, transcripts and settings in your account. This plain-English UK guide explains what Amazon, Google and Apple devices tend to keep, how to review and delete it, and how to set sensible household rules without turning your kitchen into a surveillance debate.
Passkeys are being sold as the final nail in the password’s coffin, but the practical details matter more than the hype. Here is a calm UK guide to what a passkey really is, what happens when your phone dies, and why a backup login is still worth keeping.
You know the dance: big green 'Accept all', tiny grey 'Reject all' hiding behind a gear icon. Here's why UK cookie banners still pull this trick in 2026, what the rules actually say, and the browser settings and extensions that do the clicking for you.
That toolbar icon you installed for one awkward job is probably still there, quietly watching. Here's how to see what's actually running in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, work out what each add-on can reach, and decide what stays.
Your email, photos and subscriptions can outlast you — and UK law does not hand your executor a master key. Here is how to leave clear instructions, use the legacy tools that already exist, and build a digital legacy drawer your family can actually use.
Fake QR stickers are turning up on parking meters, EV chargers and council signs across the UK. Here is how to spot a dodgy payment link, pay more safely, and report suspected quishing to Action Fraud and your local council.
There is probably a phone in your drawer that still works, mostly. Before it goes to a teenager, a charity shop or a buyer, here is the order of operations that stops your bank, your two-factor codes and your eSIM going with it — plus how to tell a proper recycler from a bloke with a van.
That blinking display in the kitchen records far less than the paranoid think and rather more than most people realise. A plain-English look at what smart meters log, who gets to see half-hourly readings, and how to weigh a cheap overnight tariff against handing over a very detailed picture of your evenings.
The UK passport photo checker rejects thousands of DIY pictures for shadows, smiles and phone-camera filters. Here is what the system wants, how to take a compliant photo at home, and what to do when the upload keeps failing.
A slow bedroom and a fast hallway are usually a sign of physics, not a broken broadband line. This guide walks through router placement, thick walls, channel clutter, mesh kits and powerline adapters for UK homes.
The old analogue phone network is being retired and calls are moving onto broadband. For most households it's a simple swap — but care alarms, burglar alarms and patchy rural connections need a bit of forward planning. Here's the calm, jargon-free version, plus the questions worth asking your provider.
Synthetic product photos and machine-written listings are turning up on Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Vinted with increasing confidence. The tells are still there if you know where to look — and the payment step is where most scams are actually won or lost.
Most of us are sitting on a quiet pile of dormant logins, old providers and duplicate government identities. This is a practical, plain-English clear-out guide — not a security panic. Start with a map, work from low stakes to high stakes, and know what UK GDPR actually lets you ask for.
Digital by default was meant to be a convenience, not a locked door. Across councils, banks, GPs and car parks, the human route is quietly disappearing — but the rights and workarounds have not. Here is how to push back firmly and fairly when a service forgets not everyone is holding a smartphone.