It’s a remote-control helicopter with a twist. Instead of having a dedicated remote control, it has an infra-red emitter that plugs into your phone. And you control it using an application you can download from your phone’s marketplace. And it doesn’t just work on the iPhone, there are also a number of Android phones that it supports. It was nice to find out it supports the phone I have, the Samsung Galaxy S II, so all I had to do was download the app and give it a try.

The helicopter handles well. It has an in-built gyroscope which makes it quite easy to control. I haven’t played with it much so far, as I tried it out in the sitting room and kept worrying that I would crash it into the TV. I’ll try it outdoors one of these days. In fact, the application has a “Demo” button in it, but I wasn’t ready to just let it go berserk in the living room. The app even has a mode where can control the helicopter just by tilting the phone in the direction you want the helicopter to go. Here’s a short video where you can see the chopper in action:

Very much recommended, and you get get one for yourself down at Paramount Zone, where you can find it in their Christmas Gifts section. I think my kids are too young for it just yet. Which means I get to play it all by myself. Muhahaha!

Just seeing how the app posts photos

At the end of the day, having a good chair is the cornerstone of being able to do some decent work. If you’re not comfortable then you can’t relax and your brain is going to be focusing on your discomfort. So investing in the best office furniture you can afford is usually a good idea, as it can generate benefits in the long run.

What do *you* sit on?

Here’s what my award looks like:

So, I wanted to send a great box THANK YOU to the entire team of Izea, particularly their illustrious leader, Ted. It’s been great working with you for all these years and I’m looking forward to see what new innovations you bring to the sponsored blogging and sponsored tweeting markets.

It’s that time of year again, when fireworks light up the sky and kids sit around street corners collecting money for fireworks. I’m not actively taking part in Kempton Fireworks this year, but I’ve helped them put their website up and tickets are now available for sale. It’s on the 7th of November and promises to be one of the most spectacular fireworks displays around London. One day, I’ll get someone to deploy one of those live video casting solutions so I can watch them from all the way from the Isle of Man.

I don’t think we’ll be going to any public displays this year. Navigating around with 2 newborns is a bit tricky and we may just opt for an evening with friends. After all, lighting your own fireworks is more fun than watching someone else doing it for you; I’m sure Arthur will love the experience.

Twins and mum are all doing fine; and Arthur and I are over the moon. I’m not going to say they’re not hard work (my lack of online time will probably attest to that); but we’re enjoying each sleep-deprived minute and are looking forward to what the future has in store.

Just wanted to drop a line to everyone who sent us best wishes whether it was via blog comment, email, Twitter or Facebook. I’d love to reply to each and every of the hundreds of messages individually, but I can’t promise I’ll have the bandwidth to do it. Just keep watching the usual channels and I’ll keep you posted with any developments.

I don’t know if you’re anything like me but I feel that a personal touch can make all the difference. You know, instead of receiving email or mail from a faceless organisation, it’s nice to receive personal correspondence from someone who’s trying to get a message across to you. It’s also the case when you’re speaking to someone on the phone. Some companies have a policy whereby the person you’re dealing with introduces themselves first, and I find it makes all the difference.

You can try being more personal too. For example, when you’re sending an email, it’s nice to try and be as personal as possible. And the same also applies when you send a letter to someone. You can have your own custom stationary and you can also get yourself personalised return address labels, just like the ones down at 123 Print.com. They have a huge range of templates to choose from and you can even add your own artwork. Prices start at $4.95 for 150 labels, so they’re not even expensive; and it helps give your correspondence a personal touch. Check them out.

I got back to the Isle of Man this morning after a few days in London. It was our wedding anniversary so we spent some time in London, got dinner at Fire and Stone and watched Chicago. We got a pretty good deal from Lastminute.com which is nice. I don’t know if you’ve ever used the site, but it’s not as slick as you’d expect, we did get quite a few errors while placing the order, but did get a great deal at the end of it.

It was pretty warm actually, with temperatures hitting around 29 degrees. Not as hot as Malta, but at least in Malta we had an air conditioner (that brings back memories of playing with an a/c compressor and lots of missing bits). It’s nice to get back to the Isle of Man which is a few degrees cooler and where there’s always a breeze.

Where do you book your holidays?

• AskOwen: Do I lose quality when I move a file from one place to another?
• MBAGeek: Because FUD is cheap
• AskOwen: Can I make money from hosting?
• WordPressGuru: WordPress 2.6 almost here
• TheJokeShop: Courage (love this joke)

It’s not much to read, so you can catch up quickly

Where are you going ton holiday this year?