Greater Manchester Police recently discovered a useful piece of evidence that they’ve been using to raise awareness of the vulnerability of local residents’ homes to burglars. A note, entitled ‘Lined-up Grafts’ (criminal slang for ‘planned robberies’) was dropped by a local break-in thief, detailing how he planned to gain illegal entry into particular houses to rob them. Over the festive period, the force, along with a reformed burglar, toured Oldham knocking on doors and alerting locals as to how to secure their properties. You’ll be pleased to hear that the author of the note – Read more…

Technology is like a shark – it’s always moving forward. And like a swimming race with a shark, it can be difficult to keep up (mind you, technology’s less likely to bite your leg off…). So what do we need to keep up to date with? What can we afford to ignore? While it might not be that essential to keep up with developments at CERN concerning the complicated machine they’re using to track down the Higgs Boson particle (whatever that means), you should probably know that all TV’s switching to digital quite soon. But Read more…

New Year’s Eve’s round the corner. Fireworks, paying to get into pubs, streets full of amateur drinkers. Jools ruddy Holland… Still, it’s not all bad. The new year brings new hope. New horizons. New year’s resolutions. Is there something you’ve been meaning to do? Fancy a spot of self-improvement? Not sure what to tackle? Here are some of the most popular resolutions:   Losing weight. Gone up a jean size? It’s probably that extra turkey you ate at Christmas, eh? It’s nothing to do with all those Jaffa Cakes you used to eat every single Read more…

Packing your bags before you head off on your holiday is always a bit of a slog, isn’t it? What do you take? What do you leave behind? What’s the flight company’s weight limit? Will it all fit in the case? Oof. How annoying. We’re getting irritable just thinking about it. Still, when you’re trying to flatten a dozen t-shirts down into your case to make more room, you need to consider what are the essentials and what you can afford to leave behind. So, yet again, we’re here to help! Here’s our list of Read more…

Christmas probably hasn’t done your bank account many favours, has it? Unless you’ve been the lucky recipient of a massive festive admin error at your bank, your balance is probably a slightly disappointing figure right now. Still, never fear, Car Rentals is here. You needn’t take a second job or sell another kidney, just take a few tips from your tight-fisted pals here at Britain’s best car rental comparison site. Here are our top ten tips:   Download free anti-virus protection for your PC or laptop. Your yearly licence might be running out soon. Don’t Read more…

Boxing Day. A day for boxing? Well, perhaps – if you’re a boxer. But assuming most of you reading this aren’t boxers, let’s discuss non-boxing Boxing Days… What is Boxing Day? Well, it’s the day after Christmas Day. But you knew that. It’s a bank holiday in Britain and most of the commonwealth and is entirely secular, so non-Christians can have just as  much fun as their Bible-loving brothers. Why is it called ‘Boxing Day’? It’s thought that posh houses back in the day used to give their servants the 26th December off every year Read more…

The Honda Civic GX has been voted the world’s greenest car. Again. For the ninth year running, the Civic GX (which is being renamed ‘Natural Gas’ for 2012) bagged the award from the ‘American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’. It keeps picking up the plaudits from various motoring organisations because it’s the most efficient and well-built factory-built car commercially available that’s designed to run exclusively on compressed natural gas (CNG).   The GX is basically a hippie version of the normal Honda Civic. They’re not widely available in Europe, but as of this year, Read more…

So you fancy a little bit of travelling, do you? Traipsing around the world with nothing but your wits and the contents of your rucksack to get you by… Well, we can’t help you out with your wits, but we can certainly try and help you with your rucksack. What to pack – and what not to pack – can be extremely important. Especially if you’re planning a long trip and don’t have a massive budget once you out on your travels. Here’s our handy guide on what you need strapped to your back… Your Read more…