Compiled by JOHN COLLINS

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GeekDad's five best toys of all time

GeekDad, the wired.com blog for geeks who want to entertain and inspire their offspring, earlier this year posted its five best toys of all time. No, it’s not a list of expensive consumer electronics, but an ode to the simple things in life – string, boxes, dirt, sticks and cardboard tubes – with links to how they can be used to keep junior occupied.

Fitting reading after this week’s two-day austerity budget or if you are being pestered to buy an iPad for your eight-year-old offspring.

is.gd/J6x6GL

WATCH

Europe's premier web conference live

One of the ironies of the resurgence of web-based business models in recent years is it has gone hand-in-hand with an upsurge in conference attendance. The great and the good of Europe’s web scene are at Le Web in Paris this week, where the likes of Google’s Eric Schmidt, Facebook founding president Sean Parker and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld (above) were slated to speak. Get in on the action by watching the live stream of today’s last day of proceedings.

leweb.net

INSTALL

BBC iPlayer app for the iPhone and watch a free show daily

A paid version of the BBC iPlayer app has been available on the iPad for a few months but now it comes to the even smaller screen with the launch of an iPhone and iPod version.

The app is free to download but to watch Doctor Who, Little Britainor Blue Planet, you'll need to subscribe for €6.99 a month or €64.99. It might seem a hefty fee.

Until Christmas, Auntie Beeb is providing one free show a day, such as episodes of O nly Fools and Horses, Absolutely Fabulous,and Jamie Oliver's the Naked Chef.

In our tests, battery life wasn’t badly hit so this could revolutionise commuting.

www.bbc.com/iplayer/tv

BOOKMARK

'Idea' magazine for Irish technology

Former Microsoft exec Martha Rotter, PC Liveeditor Niall Kitson and designer Stewart Curry have launched a new bi-monthly digital magazine called Idea,which is devoted to science and technology in Ireland. The first issue is live and devoted to the topic "Ireland as a Service" with articles on the Science Gallery, Orchestra.io and geek gift ideas. Beautifully designed, Ideacan be viewed in your web browser, downloaded to a tablet or Kindle, and you can even order a print version.

readidea.com