Why does it always seem to be the case that when the rare rays of sunshine appear and I want to use the laptop in the spacious office that is my garden, my WiFi signal is never quite strong enough in the areas of the garden that actually have sun on them? Luckily, Mr Internet has come up trumps once again and provided me with a cost-effective, simple solution.

Whilst scouring the content of DL.TV (for tech fans by tech fans, I highly recommend it), I came across an unexpected, rather Blue Peter-like feature entitled ‘How to make a WiFi extender’. Following a few simple steps, I took my paper, tinfoil, sticky tape and glue and created the most fashionable trinket my router has ever seen. Quite a strange way to spend an evening I agree but even more strangely, it actually worked! It fills me with a certain sense of nostalgia to know that arts and crafts skills from days gone by can still help out every now and again in the technologically advanced world we live in.

So now I can enjoy writing my Berkeley Blog in the scalding heat of an English summer evening! All I have to do is wait for the weather to improve…

James Marples