In case you haven’t noticed their "Protect Your Bits" poster in the background of the IT Crowd, let me introduce the Open Rights Group. The work they’re doing on digital civil rights is crucial to everyone who values freedom or privacy on the interwebs. Not just activi …

You may be thinking that labelling a cider Premier Cru is, well, a bit wanky. And I’d have to agree with you. However, Aspall Premier Cru Suffolk Cyder made me reconsider. A bone dry feast of light appley loveliness in a distinctive cone shaped bottle, it positively leapt down my neck. Hone …

Chiddigstone Bone Dry is brewed by the Castle Cider company in Sevenoaks, Kent. Served at the Spotted Dog in Penshurst and to my knowledge, no other pub in the area, this 7.5%er certainly packs a powerful punch. It has a crisp, light appearance and certainly does not taste like a strong cider. It h …

I had high hopes for Addlestones, being, as I was, somewhat hungover from a night at the local. The occasion was the opening of my pal Meredy's official birthday season. It was lunchtime and I was on the other side of Magdalen bridge. To East Oxfordians the other side of the bridge is a place of …

I think that Sam Smith's, the Tadcaster based independent brewery, are a fantastic organisation. Everything they brew is vegan and a high percentage is organic. They run some of the cheapest and most pleasant pubs about; their pubs feel like proper pubs, rather than soulless McPub beer malls. By W …

Cider is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting apples. I’m particularly fond of good proper cider (i.e. not the sacchirine-infused Strongbow type). I often go by the name ciderpunx online (I like punk rock too). I went through a phase a couple of years back of publishing cider reviews and hav …

My local pub started selling Westons Organic cider a few months ago. I’m feeling pretty lucky about it I can tell you. Though mass produced, it's a real cider, made from fruit rather than concentrate. It has a nice balance between bitttersweet apple and booze. Its fairly heavy; more a cider f …

Windows Vista will profoundly downgrade your ability to use your computer as you see fit, rather than as Microsoft and the corporate media see fit. It will operate inefficiently, forcing users to upgrade to expensive and power hungry new hardware which will be bad for the environment, especially …