Multizone | All our technotes
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Introduction – The X / Twitter landscape has changed
You know when you think a baby has finally exhausted their ability to tantrum by throwing their rattle our of their pram. And at that point they become more even more destructive including of themselves and end up uncontrollably screaming. Well, thats where we are with X, the site formerly known as Twitter and I've had it. I'm out.
There is no tinge of sadness really because the site I've known since 2009 and the development community there that I loved and helped to nurture has been eviscerated. Theres nobody left there of the old place. The new place is a strange new land where I don't want to participate anymore.
So with that, I'm deleting all my X / Twitter accounts except for my original one, which is going to be left to auto tweet this blog and that's it. No more DM's, no more interaction. Just pushing content out for clicks. Their loss.
TL:DR – "I believe X / Twitter is finished. Its MySpace, Bebo, Friends Reunited, Geocities, msn, Aim, and Icq moment has come. I've had it. I'm out."
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Read more: How to download tweets & delete your twitter account
Chromebooks have evolved considerably, and so has the landscape around them. In 2026, Google has announced an entirely new category of premium Android-based laptops called Googlebooks, leaving the Pixelbook line firmly in the past. The Pixelbook range is now fully discontinued and end-of-life, but second-hand units remain genuinely capable development machines — if you know which ones to buy. This article, originally written when these devices were current, has been refreshed to reflect where things stand today.
TL:DR – The original Pixelbook and Pixelbook Go remain the best Chromebooks ever made for developers. Cheap Chromebooks are still awful. These are not. But go in with open eyes: both are out of active support, and the broader ChromeOS story is shifting in a significant direction. Read on for the full picture.
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Kali Linux – The most advanced penetration testing distribution, running on Windows 11 via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
In 2026, running Kali Linux on Windows 11 is genuinely seamless. WSL 2 has matured into a robust, production-quality Linux environment, and Kali's integration with it has kept pace — offering everything from a full graphical desktop to a curated suite of pre-installed security tools. If you already have Windows 11 and the appropriate permissions in your environment, this is one of the fastest ways to get a professional penetration testing setup running without touching your boot configuration.
TL;DR – On Windows 11 with WSL 2, it just works. The tooling has only improved since WSL first launched, and Kali's Windows integration is now a first-class deployment option rather than a curiosity.
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Limited time deal – 48% for prime day - starts at £129.99, down from £249.99
The new Amazon Fire Max 11 (May 2023) is a formidable contender for the best budget tablet available. It represents the 13th generation of innovation from Amazon with Fire OS which underneath the Amazon launcher is based on Android 11 with API level 30. Fire Max 11 promises to redefine your digital media consumption experience and it delivers. You can also turn it into a pro level editing and communication tablet if you want to add android apps to make it better at everything but there's a catch, and that is that you must take some time to learn just enough about Android tools, side loading and the free and open source app stores and their apps to make it into your perfect tablet. This is not difficult, does not require any firmware hacks or rooting the device and it is well worth the effort.
I bought an Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet (newest gen), our most powerful tablet yet, vivid 11" display, octa-core processor, 4 GB RAM, 14-hr battery life, 128 GB, Grey, without Ads on Prime day (for £189.99 - it went back to regular pricing of £299 after. As of May 2026 it has a regular price starting at £249 with ads but is often on offer at Amazon UK. I have been using it for almost three years now, so this article is based on my real world lived experience of this device not a freebie for a reviewer. I have used it far more than my iPad Pro 11 (4th Gen) which was around 5-6 times the price and far too heavy. I have now sold the iPad and kept the Fire Max.
I didn't buy the Amazon case, keyboard or stylus. Instead i opted for an SanDisk 1TB Ultra micro SD card + SD adapter (For Android Smartphones and Tablets (£73 from Amazon), a Shockproof Soft Silicone Scratch-Resistant Flex TPU Bumper Tablet Case Transparent Protective Case (Clear) (£10 from Amazon) and a Matte anti glare screen protector (£7.95 for two from Amazon). The total cost of the tablet and all these accessories was £271.91. At under £20 to protect your tablet from scratches, I'll never understand why people don't bother with cases and screen protectors!
Anyway, lets transform this tablet from being for Amazon media consumption only to wow it can do everything I need. Read on.
TL:DR — It's a keeper. I've had it since July 2023 now and experienced no issues. It is light, far lighter than an iPad, which matters when you're holding it to watch a movie or sports and this plus the vivid display and excellent construction makes it an excellent content consumption device and more!
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Read more: Amazon Fire Max 11 - best value for the money tablet
mdls – lists the metadata attributes for the specified file
This command has been around for twenty years and Im slightly surprised I haven't come across it before. Every day is a learning point.
Using mdls to find lat long data in an image file
- Metadata List –
% mdls filenameand look at the man pages% man mdlsto find out more.
Seems like it would be very handy in a script. I cant find any more information about it or its origins. Drop me a note if you know more about where this command originated.
Leakage of your personal information via metadata
The trouble with images, is that they can contain a lot of personally identifiable data. You shoud be very careful indeed about where you share images without sanitising or removing the metatada.
Image file can contain the precise location of the picture, and the name and even the email address of the recipient, as well as the date and time and direction that the picture was taken in. These are potentially very personal items of data that you might not wish to share. Most social media photo uploads strip meta data but you cannot be absolutely sure and should be very careful about exposing this data randomly on the Internet!
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This article is about Getting started with the Power Platform / PowerApps command line interface (CLI). You might be wondering why no code or low code tools need a CLI but worry not because theres a completely clear explanation: "The Power Platform CLI (PowerApps CLI) works for both inner loop development and outer loop development. The inner loop is for when a developer wants to work on a project and build a new feature for instance. The outer loop is to make sure that what has been built, also can be deployed to other environments." I prefer to think of this as software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) and application lifecycle management (ALM). To me theres no separation of loop. I guess it might make sense for citizen developers / makers to be considered inner loop and pro developers to be outer loop but it seems a bit artificial.
Wait, what is the Power Platform CLI (PowerApps CLI)?
Seriously though, the Power Platform CLI is a vital set of utilities designed for developers with an emphasis on both single use and scriptability.
- Power Platform CLI is a single low level integration point for VSCodium (or VS Code), for GitHub Actions and for any other services that might benefit from scripting.
- Power Platform CLI provides a proper GitHub first developer experience for the wider power platform including pages, components, connectors, solutions, packages, installers and more
- Power Platform CLI uses the command line tool PAC with a wealth of administrative capabilities previously only accessible from the Power Apps Admin web console.
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Read more: Getting started with Power Platform PowerApps CLI
You do not have to abandon Windows just to enjoy the precision, build quality, and touch-surface elegance of the Apple Magic Mouse. I run a dedicated Windows 11 machine for client work and I like my desk accessories to be consistent across every setup, so I set about making the Magic Mouse work properly on Windows. In this guide I will walk you through connecting and fully enabling the Magic Mouse on your Windows 11 PC — including scrolling. Pick up an Apple Magic Mouse in Black or White from Amazon UK and let's get into it.
TL:DR – I resisted the Magic Mouse for years, then got one with a Mac and slowly came round to the feel and the freedom. Now I have that same experience on Windows too.
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