I’ve said it quite a few times at this stage, but everyone should be looking into trying out what we are commonly referring to as artificial intelligence. While I don’t believe the name “AI” is true, the power of these tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini (formerly BERT) are unquestionable.
Gemini is Google’s AI assistant, designed to make your life easier through natural, intuitive conversations. As is typical with AI platforms, Gemini offers more than just quick answers. It’s designed to help you learn, create, and stay organised. Today Google has launched a dedicated app for iPhone, making accessing these features easier than ever.
Benefits of Gemini iPhone App
There are a few reasons to download the Gemini app for iPhone.
Gemini Live: Real-Time Conversations, Now on iPhone
One of the standout features of the Gemini app is Gemini Live, now available for the first time on iOS. This conversational AI lets you have free-flowing chats where you can interrupt, switch topics, or dive deep into your questions without missing a beat.
Practice Interviews: Prepare for your next big interview with mock Q&A sessions.
Get Travel Tips: Ask about hidden gems in your next holiday destination.
Brainstorm Ideas: Develop creative concepts for work or personal projects.
You can even choose from 10 unique voices for a more personalised experience. Gemini Live currently supports over 10 languages, with more on the way.
Study Smarter, Not Harder
Gemini is like having a personal tutor in your pocket. You can ask it questions on any subject and get tailored study plans that match your learning style. Need help understanding a complex topic? Attach a diagram and let Gemini break it down into easy-to-understand steps or quiz you to test your knowledge.
Seamless Integration with Google Apps
Somewhat understandable, one of Gemini’s greatest features also causes massive apprehension. If you link Gemini to the likes of Gmail, it has access to your entire life. Years of bookings, purchases and correspondence. You might not like that. But if you do, finding that receipt for a random purchase 3 years ago gets a lot easier. I’ve used this many times myself and find it to be a bit of a life saver. Gemini is a million times better for looking that a standard search bar.
Gemini also connects with YouTube, Google Maps, and Calendar. These extensions let pull up relevant information from these apps directly within your conversation, saving you time and effort.
Gemini Now on iPhone
The Gemini app is now available for free download in the App Store. From helping you craft the perfect email or text to providing personalised study guides, Gemini is designed to simplify everyday tasks. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or someone who just loves exploring creative ideas, Gemini adapts to your needs.Whether you’re an Android veteran or an iPhone enthusiast, you can now experience the power of Gemini’s AI capabilities on the go.
Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, has posted a video in which he appears he may be driving at speeds that seem considerably higher than the speed limit, possibly in a school zone. The video has gathered backlash online for the creator showing considerable disregard for road safety. I’m a big fan of MKBHD and he has built a reputation for high-quality, informative content, which makes this incident particularly surprising.
Since initially writing this article, I waited to hear back from the MKBHD team. He has since confirmed the following on social:
What Did MKBHD Do?
MKBHD recently came under fire for his new high-definition wallpaper app called Panels which has a premium tier at €10.99 per month or €49.99 per year. He faced criticism for the price of the platform but to be honest, he was sharing profits with artists and it’s his product. So I’ve no issue with that if people want to pay it, even if he does often call out overpriced products himself.
However, in a recent video, MKBHD posted, criticism is a lot less subjective. In a DJI sponsored video, Brownlee discusses how his video gear is changing from typically high-end and high-quality production gear and going towards action cameras in 2025. DJI sponsoring the video, I have absolutely no issue with. While some don’t like it, he is fully transparent with all of that.
However, in the video, MKBHD includes a short clip of him driving in a Lamborghini, appearing to be accelerating aggressively from 24mph to 96mph in about 5 seconds. It is worth noting here that given MKBHD is American, I’m assuming the car is configured in MPH and not KMPH. I’m basing this logic on how it appears the car is configured along with it showing temperature in Fahrenheit, not Celsius. This supports that the overall car is set to US Imperial and not EU Metric.
Even if the car were configured in Metric, it would still raise questions about safety and legality. It’s the kind of shot that even the BBC would have edited out of Top Gear all those years ago because it’s clearly driving a car as a toy on a public road.
What’s even more incredible is it appears the primary speedometer was blurred in editing, but this particular model, which appears to be the new Lamborghini Temerario, has a secondary speedometer on the passenger side that was not obscured.
The blurred primary speedometer and visible secondary showing 96mph Screenshot: Marques Brownlee on YouTube
Making things worse for the creator is that MKBHD appears to pass a “slow school” sign and a 35mph speed limit sign.
Reaction to the MKBHD DJI Video
The reaction to MKBHD’s video has been extremely critical. Commenters across YouTube and other online communities have described this as an unusual action for an experienced creator. For me, driving on any public road in a car and treating it like a toy is highly irresponsible. Cars, as fun as they can be, are not toys and can cause real harm.
That is one clear take away from this video. Please drive safely whenever you drive.
However, there’s a second point here which I can’t get out of my mind. This is just such a weird mistake for MKBHD to make. To publish a video, appearing to drive in an unsafe manner before making an apparent attempt to obscure the speedometer reading, which might indicate that there was an awareness of potential concerns regarding road safety, is odd for a creator with the stature of MKBHD.
It leaves a question lingering about MKBHD’s editorial standards. While I have absolutely no issue with transparent sponsored ads, many of the YouTube comments have called out this video as being a 10-minute long ad. Which is somewhat unfair, but given recent criticism of Panels and then to see the content where he appears to be driving in a manner that could be interpreted as unsafe or in violation of the laws, leaves you wondering, why are the editorial standards of one of the Internet’s best known creators slipping considerably.
It’s important to note that these are my observations based on the available footage, and no formal statements regarding legal violations have been issued. I’ve reached out to the MKBHD team for comment on the video and will update this accordingly.
Update: Since initially writing this, MKBHD has made a statement on social media.
Someone at Mattel might find themselves explaining a very awkward oversight after the weekend. A Wicked doll has shipped with an instruction manual which contains a link to an adult website and not the official website of the Wicked movie or Wicked musical.
Wicked Toy Links to Adult Website
Wicked has just completed a run in Dublin from 23rd July to 14th September 2024 and is currently in cinemas worldwide. As is usually the case, this means Universal Studios has commissioned merchandise to capitalise from growing interest in the franchise. On this particular occassion, Universal turned to Mattel. Naturally, Mattel is a highly reputable toy maker and is the company behind Barbie, Hot Wheels and many more family favourites.
Which makes it even funnier, or maybe slightly more worrying, that people who have bought Wicked memorabilia which links to a porn site. The specific toy is the Singing Elphaba Fashion Doll and Accessories, model number HYM40.
In the box of this toy can be found an instruction manual which highlights wicked.com as the official website to go with the toy. Unfortunately for Universal and for Mattel, that is an adult website. The website linked to from this toy has adult content and live webcams for viewers to watch. All of which, as you might imagine, is quite x-rated.
Feeling Sorry For Someone
It’s completely natural at this point to feel sorry for some poor divil in the marketing teams over at Universal or Mattel. Trust me, I know. Goosed has had surprisingly similar issues.
But someone signed this off and just didn’t catch that the most logical website wasn’t the actual website linked to the brand.
If you are a marketing person; learn from this. You should, at the very least, double check all links that you include in print media. But I also strongly recommend that no link ever goes out that you can’t change down the line. There are URL shorteners that let you retain control of links over time and even companies, like Rebrandly, that let you have a branded link you change over time too.
For now, I’d wager that Mattel is going to likely issue a recall and reprint these instruction manuals. But they’re not moving all that quickly. The images I’ve used for this article have been taken from the Mattel website where you can still see the manual and the adult website. It should remain on the WayBack machine too.
Update: The Dublin Christmas lights were turned on on the 15th of November and now the Winter Lights Festival is up and running too.
Looks like this might be a weekly article at this stage lads. Just a week after the fake Halloween Parade gathered thousands of people on O’Connell Street, hundreds have gathered outside the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre. Streamed live on TikTok by Lotfi, the comment section was rife with rumours as to what was the cause of the gathering.
What appears to be the most likely explanation is that there was a relatively small gathering which grew exponentially rather quickly. Unfortunately, as we saw last week, learning nothing, Swathes of comments began to talk about various potential events.
A dominant rumour was the Dublin Christmas lights turning on at 10pm, but as the time came and passed, there were no lights being turned on. A quick check of last year would tell you we’re nearly two weeks away from when they were turned on last year. Others believed it was a protest, some said a fund raised for Valencia while others believed there was a music group coming to busk.
To my knowledge, none of these are true and it’s just another example of a frightful herd mentality kicking in, two weeks in a row – because of social media.
I’m still looking into this across social media to see if someone can explain it, but if you’re still out – I’m afraid to my knowledge there’s nothing exciting going on tonight. Get in out of the cold.
When Will Dublin Christmas Lights Be Turned On?
Dublin Town, the business group responsible for the lights, typically don’t give much notice of the lights being switched on. This is to avoid large crowds gathering, much like we randomly saw last night (8/11/24). Last year, the lights were switched on on 16th November 2023, but it’s been difficult to predict over the years with the announcement usually coming the same day.
If you want to plan a magical trip to Dublin City for a Christmas trip, Dublin Winter Lights tickets are already on sale for just €2 per person which includes admission for two kids.
Usually, I dislike subscriptions. Everything has become a subscription these days and it’s a bit of death by a thousand cuts. However, there are some alternatives which are subscription based. GeForce Now is one of them. This is my first time talking about GeForce Now, so I’m going to give a little background to what it is and what changes they just announced.
What is GeForce Now?
GeForce Now is a subscription service that gives you remote access to a gaming PC. With the cost of building a capable gaming computer generally fairly expensive, GeForce Now gives you virtual access to the best specs in exchange for a monthly fee. It’s a great idea which ensures you always have an up-to-date system for gaming without any of the cost or maintenance.
You do, however, need to have a very good internet connection. Through my experience with GeForce Now, FSP games like Modern Warfare are practically unplayable. But as a MacBook user, I used GeForce Now to play Cities Skylines 2 while on the go (as it’s not supported on Mac).
There are some really important caveats you need to know about GeForce Now before you consider it a perfect solution.
BYOG: Bring Your Own Games
I’ll talk about the pricing in a bit, and while there’s a free tier, GeForce Now isn’t cheap. That GeForce Now membership only covers the gaming rig you’re accessing remotely. It doesn’t include any other games. You’ll have to sign in with Steam or Microsoft Gamepass or similar and install your games on the virtual machine.
The way this is setup, can cause some issues for how modern gamers game. I wanted to install mods and edit local files, but GeForce Now wasn’t really set up for that. Nvidia has to make sure my game installs and save files are safe but also ensure its own systems aren’t affected by someone installing manual mod files and the likes.
The Free tier is, rather unsurprisingly, free. But by not paying for the platform, you will have to queue to get access to a gaming rig and also be limited to 1 hours of gaming. There are also ads, but it’s free. If you’re not paying, you are the product. You can’t really complain about this tier a whole lot.
Some other limits to the Free tier include only being able to game up to 1080p, no support for ultrawide monitors and just stereo audio.
Performance
Next up is the Performance tier which costs €10.99 per month. You will still have to queue, but for shorter periods of time. Your sessions will also be limited to 6-hour runs.
This subscription will let you game on a 1440p QHD level of quality on a virtual machine running reasonably good specs from the Nvidia RTX range. It’s also the first of the plans which hit monthly limits. Yes, even though you pay for access to GeForce Now, there are limits. For everyone. No matter how you pay. More on that later.
Like the Free tier, the Performance tier also lets you game at 60fps, but unlike the Free tier you get higher streaming resolution, support for ultrawide monitors, surround 5.1 audio but no HDR.
Ultimate
GeForce Now’s top plan is €21.99 per month. There is still a queuing system for this plan, but it promises to be the shortest wait. In my experience, I’ve never been made wait on this tier, but it’s there for a reason and you will surely see it eventually. Most importantly, this premium tier gets you premium hardware access. You’ll be gaming on a GrForce RTX 4080 with 16 vCPUs. You’ll be able to game on ultrawides, up to 240fps with 4K HDR and either 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound support.
But rather surprisingly even paying a premium and being made to wait in a queue, you are subjected to the same monthly limits as Performance members. Sure, your single sessions can run for 8 hours at a time, but your total time per month is capped at 100 hours.
So let’s talk about this.
Nvidia GeForce Now Introduces Monthly Limits
On 7th November, Nvidia emailed customers to say there would now be monthly limits applied to GeForce Now subscribers. The email states, “starting on January 1, 2025, new Ultimate and Performance memberships will have a high monthly max playtime of 100 hours”. Nvidia claims this will affect fewer than 6% of their subscriber base and it should ensure “you continue to receive low to no queue times and a high-quality experience every session”.
The Good News
The good news is that this change is being implemented to try deliver a better experience, reducing queuing times and ensuring everyone can access the service equally.
There’s also a rollover function. This means 15 hours of unused gaming time can be used in the following month. If you hit the 100 hour limit and get through any rollover hours, you have to continue as a Free tier user.
Also, existing customers or customer joining before 31st December 2024 can continue to use GeForce Now without limits throughout 2025.
The Bad News
The bad news is, well there’s a limit being applied to an extremely expensive Premium tier plan. I couldn’t imagine paying €21.99 for Netflix and after binging a series being told I have to wait until next month.
This comparison isn’t all that unfair either. While the hardware needed for gaming is high end, the sheer quantity of people streaming video is far more demanding for a company like Netflix; yet there are no limits like this.
I don’t think I’d ever hit 100 hours of gaming in a month. I’d be surprised if I even hit 8 hours straight for a single session if I’m honest. But it just doesn’t sit right with me that the customer is being hit with this limit instead of Nvidia beefing up their infrastructure to handle more customers.
GeForce Now is a mixed bag of pros and cons in a space that’s relatively new and a challenge to make work for customers while making money for a company. Nvidia are going to have to try and work out what works and what doesn’t work for customers. While I don’t personally like this approach to limits, I know myself I’ll almost certainly use this again over Christmas when I just have my MacBook and iPad with me.
Owing largely to the rise in social media, and arguably live streaming functionality across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, “citizen journalism” is on the rise in Ireland. The title itself should be somewhat harmless, referring to individuals taking to the internet to share their perspectives and report on current events. But what exactly is citizen journalism, and does it carry any risks?
What is Citizen Journalism?
Citizen journalism, also known as participatory journalism, refers to members of the public covering events around the country. Traditional media, such as television or print media, is typically contributed to by journalists. These journalists have been through various rights of passage to get to where they are, whether it be college courses or through some sort of apprenticeship or placement before working their way up the ranks.
However, with the advent of social media, particularly live streaming, members of the public can now reach large numbers of people in a short period of time. While news of an event would have waited for 12pm, 6pm or 9pm news in Ireland, it’s now streamed by smart phone from the event, live by members of the public who may or may not refer to themselves as “citizen journalists”. Some will add commentary, others opinion and some will just stream events.
Real-Life Examples of Citizen Journalism
A recent example of this in action was the fake Halloween parade in Dublin. Here, a TikToker by the name of Bertie Brosnan, live streamed the streets of Dublin to thousands of people. It was hours before any traditional media outlets picked up on what was happening, but through TikTok the news of the event was spreading quickly.
This was a harmless example of “citizen journalism”. Many looked up the events of that night as a lighthearted mistake by the masses, even if there are many lessons we should pay heed to.
“Citizen journalism” is by it’s nature dedicated to being in the right place at the right time. In 2020 a member of the public filmed the tragic death of George Floyd on a smartphone, which quickly went viral on social media. The video sparked global protests against police brutality and systemic racism, leading to policy discussions and calls for reform in many countries.
One of the main benefits is that it allows individuals to share their perspectives and experiences, providing a more diverse range of voices and viewpoints. Citizen journalism also allows for more flexibility and creativity in terms of format and style, which can make it more engaging and accessible to audiences.
But because of the “right place right time” nature of “citizen journalism” there are also many downsides to it.
Dangers of Citizen Journalism
While the notion of democratising the news sounds appealing, it brings massive risks, not least of which is down to the sheer pace of information today.
In 2021, leading up to and during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, citizen journalists and social media users shared unverified claims of election fraud and live-streamed the riots. These streams not only fueled further violence but also provided real-time intelligence to rioters. The incident showcased how misinformation and live content could escalate a situation, undermining democratic processes.
While the term “citizen journalist” is not inherently negative, from my observation of live streams here in Ireland they do tend to peddle negative ideologies. There are regular anti-immigration protests taking place around the country, thinly veiled protests of concern promoting hateful ideologies of minority groups. These events are usually attended by “concerned citizens” or “citizen journalists”.
One particularly well known event was the Coolock Crown Paints protests earlier this year. 15 people were arrested at these events, amongst them Philip Dwyer, who claims to be a “citizen journalist as a hobby” and often “reports on gatherings”.
Speaking during Dáil leaders’ questions on 8th February 2024, Paul Murphy called out the issues that “citizen journalism” can cause, highlighting the “26 arson attacks in the past five years against premises rumoured to be used for asylum seekers” before connecting these attacks to “citizen journalists” like Philip Dwyer, stating “the pattern is very clear. A rumour starts, true or false, suggesting a property is going to be used. Far-right activists, people like Philip Dwyer, Gavin Pepper and Fergus Power, are quick to the scene. A few days later it is burned down”.
Challenging and Changing Access to News
As more traditional media companies, particularly print media, scrambled to protect profits and margins, more content goes behind a paywall. Just a few months ago, The Irish Times removed free student access to its online publications.
With the exception of RTÉ and access offered by libraries both nationwide and online via services such as Borrowbox, high quality journalism is only available to those who can,and will, pay for it. Even younger generations are increasingly disconnected from traditional journalism, instead often avoiding known news brands and happening upon news via social media, where the quality is varying and questionable.
I mentioned Borrowbox, but even there publications come and go as Libraries Ireland and publishers struggle to reach agreements of licensing.
What we’re left with is sensational news published and broadcast by “citizen journalists”, largely not fact checked or shared with source material, spreading faster than researched facts. I’ve seen countless videos of interviews with people at this anti-immigrant protests where people cite websites or “citizen journalists” who’ve since been debunked as spreading misinformation. But once the horse bolts on these kind of untrue stories, it’s very difficult to get the horse back into the stable.
What Do We Do About Citizen Journalism?
I’m very aware this article may come across as elitist and someone could claim that I’m promoting an idea that only university educated individuals should be writing the news. That’s not what I believe at all. In fact, that brings with it massive issues of unconscious bias and media blind spots. It’s critical that we have news from diverse sources to ensure we get a full picture.
However, information is traveling faster than it is right and that is bringing massive dangers, largely going unchecked. The media landscape has dramatically changed in the past ten or even five years. We, the public, have a responsibility to consumer news but also to assess it critically.
In traditional media, platforms such as Ground News can help you identify bias in traditional media and information on ownership of that publication.
However, for “citizen journalism” it’s more on you. You will have to identify when “citizen journalists” are displaying signs of a ulterior agenda, bias and, most importantly, speaking without sources and spreading misinformation.
I’m not going to make it out that this is difficult. It’s as simple as a Google search or seeking out public commentary on known communities such as Reddit. In a matter of minutes, you’ll be able to tell if someone is genuinely trying to spread an important story, or misinformation.
Finally, check your own biases. Social media algorithms have become adept at showing you content that already supports what you know or are interested in. You should be challenging what you know. I dropped out of college the first time I tried but I learned one thing about coding. When you build an application, get someone else to look for bugs because you won’t want to find them. This is the same way you should approach the news.
Revolut is currently rolling out new functionality to all customers which will allow you to limit a card to a Pocket. I’ve wondered for years why this wasn’t a thing and think it’s going to be a very popular feature. Here’s why.
Benefits of Limiting a Card to a Revolut Pocket
There are quite a few reasons I really like this feature which is appearing in some Revolut markets already.
Security
The single biggest benefit this brings for Revolut customers is security. And security in a couple of different ways.
First of all, I’ve been using my Revolut account in a very illogical way. But it’s how most people use it. I keep my money in Pockets and take out what I need when I need it.
You’d expect this to be the other way around. I should have various Pockets for my different monthly spending and be able to use different virtual cards or even physical cards to pay. Even better, paying online should be directly linked to a Pocket of my budgeted money so I have greater control over my spending.
That hasn’t been the case until now.
The second reason this is good news for security is much simpler. Disposable cards are absolutely brilliant, but many retailers use the card number to identify these card types. Because they are likely causing higher instances of fraud, or at least perceived to be, retailers refuse to accept them online.
This means the most secure Revolut cards are basically becoming useless with a higher risk of being rejected after you type in that long number than ever before.
Now, you can pop just enough for a transaction into a Pocket, link a non-disposable virtual card, and proceed to complete your transaction. This approach means you are a lot less likely to get a transaction rejected while also limiting how much money that card has access to.
Spending Management
The other obvious benefit to being able to link a Revolut card directly to a Pocket is just general spending management. You can create a card for groceries and add your weekly budget to a Pocket, before linking these two elements. Now, you have a card that can only dip into your grocery fund.
This is something I wanted years ago before joint accounts came along. But there are a plethora of useful ways to use this functionality for better financial organisation.
Revolut’s new functionality allowing you to link cards to Pockets is still rolling out and is popping up in countries all over Europe. Let us know why you’d use this functionality on social.
Perplexity is an AI-powered search assistant. It uses large language models, often referred to as AI, to understand and generate human-like conversational responses, making it easier for users to get relevant information quickly.
By using these conversational methods, Perplexity can simplify complex topics and provide clear explanations, making it useful for research, problem-solving, and general inquiries.
Is Perplexity Better than Chat GPT?
Perplexity is, in essence, no better or worse than Chat-GPT because it uses various models, including Chat-GPT to operate. One of the big benefits of opting for Perplexity is that it’s also a search engine. The benefit of this is that you get more up to date information for real time search usage.
Basically, this means if you are researching a topic in-depth, you’re better of with Chat GPT. But if you are researching something happening today, Perplexity may have the edge. This is why Perplexity’s homepage is dedicated to trending topics.
However, if you could only pick one platform, Perplexity is an extremely tempting offer. All of the AI platforms out there charge in or around the same price. By opting for Perplexity, you get access to multiple platforms. I have my own personal paid GPT account, but I could very well ditch that and move all my AI-needs to Perplexity. Time will tell.
What Are the Benefits of Perplexity Pro?
Perplexity offers a free version of their service and also a premium version. Revolut Metal customers now get this premium access for free.
Here’s a full comparison between both tiers.
Feature
Free Version
Perplexity Pro (€22/month or €229/year)
Quick Searches
Unlimited
Unlimited
Pro Searches
5 per day
300 per day
AI Models
Standard model
Advanced models (GPT-4, Claude 3, etc.)
File Uploads
Limited
Unlimited (PDFs, CSVs, images)
Image Generation
Not available
Available (DALL-E 3, Stable Diffusion)
API Credits
Not included
€5/month
By getting premium access you have more searches per day, but even more importantly, you get access to more advanced language models. These include GPT-4 which I’ve been using a lot lately and have found incredible to work with.
For creators or people working with social media, access to AI-image generation is a really handy tool. I’m also excited to have some API access included. This won’t be of interest to many, but if you’re a developer with access to Perplexity Premium, that’s good news.
One benefit that flies under the radar is access to the Perplexity Pro Discord. Given out new all of this tech is, talking to other people using the platform is a great way to see what you can do with AI.
Is Perplexity Worth Subscribing to?
I’ve become a massive advocate for using platforms like Chat-GPT to make life easier. As a content creator, I will never let AI just create the content, but it can absolutely help with research and outlines along with some other elements of day to day life. I’ve even been doing some things that usually need lots of developer knowledge that I just don’t have.
If you are a Revolut Metal customer, signing up to Perplexity is now free. It’s a no-brainer to go and give it a try.
If you’re not a Metal customer but interested in AI, joining Revolut Metal is arguably the best value way to do it. Along with the perks of a Metal membership, you’ll get access to Perplexity included along with several other premium subscriptions to totalling an annual value of €1200.
Revolut has been juggling terms and benefits quite a bit lately. The neo-bank is often making these changes to try balance their profit making endeavours with offering customers a great banking experience. This latest change is a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion, so let’s get into it.
Changes to Revolut Travel Insurance
From 5 December 2024, Revolut will implement some updates to the travel insurance coverage included with Metal. These changes will apply to any new trips booked after this date:
• Only trips purchased with your Revolut account will be covered.
• Coverage for trip duration will change from a maximum of 90 days to 30 days.
• Coverage for trip and baggage delays will now apply after an 8-hour delay instead of the previous 4-hour threshold.
It’s important to note that if you book a trip before 5 December 2024, you’ll still be covered under the previous terms, even if the trip wasn’t purchased with your Revolut account. Revolut’s travel insurance partner has also updated some policy wording, and you can check the FAQs for more detailed information.
If these updates don’t suit your needs, Revolut is offering a free downgrade option for Metal subscribers until 4 December 2024. To downgrade, head to your account settings in the app, select “Your plan” and follow the prompts to downgrade under “Unhappy with plan changes.”
Is This a Big Deal?
Some of this is pretty poor for people who depended on Revolut’s travel insurance and saw it as a big selling point of Metal. But it is one of those changes that will affect a certain cohort while others won’t feel it at all.
You’re generally best off to assume any benefits like insurance or guarantees with Revolut require them to be paid with a Revolut card. The delay coverage never really benefitted me in the past. 8 hours is a whopper delay to be waiting on and I’d imagine considerably rarer than 4-hours.
Overall, it’s a shame to see customers losing any protections in the current climate, but this is becoming par for the course.
Enhanced Purchase Protection
There is some good news for people who like Revolut’s Purchase Protection. The €50 excess on claims for items purchased through your Revolut account, like phones, laptops, tablets, and other electronics, has been removed. Additionally, jewelry and watches are now covered.
In total, users will be able to claim up to €10,000 per year if eligible items are damaged or stolen within 12 months of purchase, subject to policy wording. Please do always read the fine print which excludes protection if you opt to spread payments with Pay Later.
Perplexity Pro Added to Your Subscription Lineup
I’ll put my hand up and say I’m excited about this one. Revolut Metal subscribers now have access to Perplexity Pro at no additional cost.
Perplexity Pro is a premium subscription designed to enhance the search experience with advanced features. Subscribers get up to 300 Pro searches daily, access to powerful AI models (like GPT-4 Omni and Claude 3 Sonnet/Opus), and the ability to upload and analyze files, including PDFs and CSVs.
Pro users also receive $5 monthly for API credits to embed AI-powered search into their projects. Additional perks include access to a dedicated Discord channel and priority support. Members can switch between AI models and manage their subscriptions directly from their settings.
With this addition, Metal now includes a total of 14 brand subscriptions, valued at approximately €2,600 per year.
While some Metal customers will certainly be unhappy with the changing terms, I personally feel like these are net gains for overall customer value.
Another spin in a taxi to an appointment. Another taxi driver giving out about Eamon Ryan. It’s a very familiar trend I’ve gotten used to as Ryan has become a bit of a punchbag for political commentary. So much so I really try to avoid bringing anything up about the Nissan Leaf I’m sitting in.
While he’s stepped aside in his leadership of the Green Party, he is the driver behind the introduction of a “green flash” on the license plate of zero-emission vehicles. Is it enough to buy the Greens some credibility or just another bit of green tokenism?
What Are Green ‘Flash’ Plates?
Ireland is taking another step in its journey toward sustainable transport. Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, recently announced the introduction of green “flash” registration plates for zero-emission vehicles, which are set to roll out next year. This development mirrors efforts in countries like Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom, where similar plates help identify eco-friendly vehicles. But what does this mean for Irish drivers and the future of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country? Here, we take a look at the potential impacts, benefits, and challenges of this new initiative.
The green flash plates will look like existing vehicle registration plates but will feature a green stripe on the right side, denoting a zero-emission status. Vehicles eligible for this plate include battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and, in the future, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Current owners of zero-emission vehicles can opt-in to retrofit their cars with the new plates, while new models can come equipped with them by choice.
The Benefits of Green ‘Flash’ Plates
Visibility and Awareness
One of the primary goals of the green flash is to make zero-emission vehicles easily recognizable. This helps normalize the presence of EVs on the road, potentially inspiring more drivers to consider making the switch.
A Symbol of Commitment
By joining other European countries in adopting similar practices, Ireland emphasizes its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and embracing sustainable transport solutions.
Is It Just Lip Service?
While the announcement is a positive step, there are legitimate concerns about whether it will lead to meaningful change:
Infrastructure Gaps
While the plates make EVs more visible, they don’t solve the core issues many potential EV buyers face: the availability and accessibility of charging stations. Without a significant push to expand the charging network, the green flash could be seen as more symbolic than functional.
In the UK, these green flashes on plates show that an EV can venture into restricted areas due to the production of zero emissions. In Canada, a similar system gives right of way in carpool lanes, similar to bus lanes. Yet, none of this has been true for EVs in Ireland. At least not yet.
Flashes are Optional
The fact that the new plates are not mandatory may limit their adoption. If uptake is inconsistent, the initiative may fall short of its goal to make zero-emission vehicles stand out.
Retrofitting Costs
For current EV owners, retrofitting their vehicles with the new plates might come with costs or logistical challenges. This could deter drivers from participating, reducing the visibility that the initiative aims to promote.
The Reality Check: Actionable Policies vs. Symbolic Moves
While the introduction of the green flash is a positive signal, it needs to be supported by broader and more impactful measures. For many EV advocates, this move could feel like a low-effort way to project progress without addressing the deeper, more complex needs of EV infrastructure and support.
Minister Ryan pointed out that this year alone, the government allocated over €115 million for EVs and charging infrastructure. The latest budget also introduced tax incentives to further support the transition. These are essential steps, but to ensure the green flash isn’t merely a token gesture, consistent investment and strategic expansion of charging facilities must continue.
I myself would love an EV. But I live in an apartment. There is no way for me to own an electric vehicle because I have nowhere to charge it. Yet issues like this are not being tackled.
What It Means for Consumers
For drivers in Ireland, the green flash could become a symbol of pride and a visible statement of their commitment to sustainability. It offers dealerships an added selling point for new EVs and may even foster a sense of community among eco-conscious drivers.
However, the optional nature of the initiative means that not every zero-emission vehicle will bear the new plate, which dramatically limits the meaninfulness of this initiative’s reach and effectiveness.
Ultimately, while this is a nice token that is all it is. While the introduction of green “flash” registration plates is a step forward in promoting zero-emission vehicles, it comes at a time when other supportive measures are being scaled back. There was some hope that ZEV drivers would enjoy toll discounts, a reduction in grants and ongoing grants to make EVs and home chargers more affordable, but these have now fallen by the wayside.
Final Thoughts
The introduction of green “flash” plates in Ireland is a move worth applauding for its symbolism and potential to raise awareness about zero-emission vehicles. However, it needs to be more than a gesture. To truly make a difference, this step must be part of a comprehensive approach that includes enhancing charging infrastructure, creating better incentives, and ensuring widespread accessibility. Only then will Ireland’s roads see a substantial shift toward sustainability.
While I understand this is nearly more about the psychology of seeing the green tag to spot EVs, really without meaningful policy of financial supports, I can’t see Ireland turning into the next Norway any time soon.
