Nirvana covered Bowie’s “The Man That Who the World”. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in “The Man Who Fell to Earth”. And on an icy January 8th in 2010, Irish television lore gained one of the greatest mysteries; The Man Who Slipped On The Ice. It’s been 14 years now, yet we still know very little about this mystery.
There are two clips on YouTube, one introduced by Anne Doyle and one introduced by Bryan Dobson, before handing it over to John Kilraine. “Dublin pavements remain very dangerous…” and the rest is history.
The piece would talk about how councils were struggling to keep up with a cold snap, but no one was paying attention. Every last one of us was bent over laughing at this clip, wondering how RTÉ let it get to air. It’s just the highest level of comic timing on a serious new bulletin.
Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the identity of the man remains a complete mystery.
The moment never seems to lose its hilarity and we never tire of talking about it. When the 2010 series of Reeling in the Years kicked off, it included the above clip. In 2020 Coors cashed in by mounting a plaque to commemorate the moment, but again – the identity of the man was not known.
Where Did the Man Slip on Ice
Realising he looks a bit like the guy in the video, Kevin McGahern plays out a hypothetical clumsy man who slipped on the ice. This character is named Brendan Adhere, but alas he’s fictional.
The camera positioning was perfect. The fall was delivered with stuntman-like precision. Combined with the fact RTÉ actually used this clip, leaves a massive question. Was the whole thing faked? Did RTÉ stage this for relevance in the YouTube era? Did they know it would deliver iconic comedy when Reeling in the Years came about. I’m not convinced by the conspiracy theorists, namely because Ireland’s best comedy seems to go abroad because RTÉ drops the ball!
in 2022, a similar event took place at Dublin Airport. This one looked a lot more likely to be faked, and considering the likelihood of the orginal fall being a stuntman is low, I doubt the average joe would have sold that fall so well. While some ask why he would have signed of for his image to be used, realistically permission wasn’t needed. Why?
Well, we’re here, 14 years on and we still don’t know who he is. He can’t be identified.
Will we ever learn the identity of the man? I honestly doubt it at this stage. I doubt anyone would want to lay claim to such a title. After one quick visit to the Late Late Show couch, it’s to the dungeons of C-list viral celebrity. Not something that’s very appealing these days.
The dust has settled on the Darts PDC World Championships. I used to follow the darts quite a bit when living back home, but I haven’t watched it in years. But today, I’ve seen loads of live streams of people playing darts. While the final was great, and Humphries a deserved winner, all the talk was about Luke Littler. Littler a 16-year prodigy dart player who made the final and could have won it. But back to the darts streamers. They are all using a brilliant scorekeeping app. Russ Bray Dart Scorer Pro seems to be the best dart scorekeeping app on Android and iPhone/iPad out there. Here’s why.
Russ Bray
The name Russ Bray is synonymous with darts, perhaps only falling in behind Phil Taylor and Sid Waddell in terms of stature within the game and outside it. Bray is a darts referee, known most for his raspy and loud calling of scores including a bordering on silly but brilliant calling of 180 scores.
Bray retired after last night’s final to become a PDC ambassador for the sport, but his scorekeeping app will live on. By linking up with Bray, the app makers have created a World Championship-style darts experience for the home with some very clever innovations.
One of my favourites is the expansive bank of names Bray has voiced within the game himself.
Game Modes
The app offers a variety of game modes, including 01, Cricket, Practice, and Tournament, catering to both casual players and serious dart enthusiasts. Practice yourself or against a computer scoring their own game with varying difficulty levels to match your ability.
You can even play online against others. The app supports cross-platform play too. This means you can challenge friends to online matches, regardless of their operating system (Android or iOS), thanks to the app’s cross-platform support.
Voice Recognition
This is perhaps the best feature of the app and the one I’ve seen most streamers using. You can toggle voice recognition within this darts scorekeeping app. That means that after you’ve thrown your darts, simply call out what you’ve hit and the app will tot up your scores. Before you throw, Bray himself will call out what you require to finish, if finishing is within reach.
Stats Tracking
Track your performance over time with detailed statistics, including win-loss records, average points per turn, and percentage of triples and doubles. Great to monitor your practice progress or track games against your best friends.
If you have a mate big into their darts but can’t get down the pub, this app on a tablet while you video call on your phone is a great combination for darts fans.
There is a certain amount of functionality free within the app, with premium costing just €6.99 to unlock everything.
Russ Bray Dart Scorer Pro Alternative
I’m awful at maths and this app still requires me to keep track of scores. In a world of smartphone technology, I hoped this problem would have been solved. And it has. Scolia is the mega premium option. This uses cameras to detect your score, tracking it for you in an app. I love the idea, but at €649 – it’s spicy.
Instead, I’m really interested in this Reddit user’s app that’s currently in iOS Beta. Simply pop your smartphone on a stand, point it at your board, open the app and watch it track. It’s really impressive and I gotta say a combination of this and Russ Bray’s existing functionality would be about as good as you could hope to see these apps getting.
One TV setting has reached meme-levels over the Christmas period; motion smoothing. What is this and should you listen to the calls from social media comment sections saying it needs to be turned off?
What is Motion Smoothing?
We know how film works right? It’s all about frames per second. When you’re watching a movie, every second a number of still images flash by your eyes to simulate motion or action. This used to be a fairly standard number of frames per second (FPS) too. Nearly all movies were, and still are, 24 frames per second.
But modern film-making techniques and TV technology advancements have brought about movies with higher FPS, from 48 to 60 and even 120 (excluding special effect scenes that could be up to 1000 FPS).
As a result, our eyes have come to expect different things from our home entertainment experience. TV makers believed motion smoothing was essential for a great day on the couch watching movies.
Imagine you’re watching a movie on a TV with lots of action, and it’s a little choppy or jerky. That’s because the movie is being displayed at 24 FPS while the TV is capable of much more. Motion smoothing can help to reduce this choppiness by inserting new frames between the existing ones. This is done using a process called interpolation, which estimates the motion of objects in the video and then creates new frames that fill in the gaps.
The Problem With Motion Smoothing
The first and most obvious problem with motion smoothing is that movie-making is an art. Regardless of FPS, someone has created and edited this piece of art to be appreciated. Motion smoothing adds a weird layer of artificially created frames into this art. With motion smoothing on, 50% of what you’re seeing, everything in between those original frames, is just made up.
Ultimately, you are not watching a film the way the creator intended for it to be watched.
As a viewer, some people find that it makes the video look unnatural or artificial. This is because the inserted frames can sometimes create a “soap opera effect” where the video appears to have been filmed with a much higher frame rate than it was.
Motion smooth has been heavily criticised by moviemakers, so much so Tom Cruise filmed a PSA on it:
Should You Turn Off Motion Smoothing?
It’s entirely up to you whether or not you disable motion smoothing. Maybe you actually like that smooth viewing experience and aren’t all that bothered by the “soap opera effect”. Ignore the pile on in comment sections and do what you like; it’s your TV and movie time. I did enjoy one comment that said he convinced his dad to disable the setting because it wears the TV out quicker.
But, there is no scientific consensus on whether motion smoothing wears out a TV quicker. Some people believe that it does, as the process of inserting new frames can put more strain on the TV’s processor. Others believe that the difference is negligible and that motion smoothing is unlikely to have a significant impact on the lifespan of a TV.
How to Turn Off Motion Smoothing
Now for the tricky part. You’ve read all this and decided to disable motion smoothing. This can be difficult because this feature is often under a brand name – so finding the setting is tough. What I’ve been calling “motion smoothing”, Samsung calls “Auto Motion Plus” and Sony calls it “MotionFlow”. As Tom’s video says, a quick Google with your TV’s brand name is the fastest way forward, but I’ll include a few examples of how to disable this setting below.
Samsung – Disable Auto Motion Plus
Navigate to the Settings menu on your Samsung TV
Locate the Picture options and scroll down to Expert settings
Select Expert settings and scroll down to the Auto Motion Plus section
Choose Auto Motion Plus and set it to Off
Sony – Disable MotionFlow
Access the Picture settings menu on your Sony TV
Delve into the Advanced Settings section
Scroll down the options until you locate MotionFlow
Enter the MotionFlow settings and switch the setting to Off
LG – Disable TrueMotion
Press the Settings button on your LG TV remote control
Select Picture from the Settings menu
Under Picture mode settings, select Picture options
Locate TrueMotion and switch it to Off
Philps – Disable Natural Motion
Philips (my own TV choice) offers several different settings. Movie Mode tends to have the least aggressive levels of motion smoothing.
Open Settings
Navigate to All Settings
Click Picture
Then go to Expert Settings
Finally open Motion Styles.
Set to off or Movie if you prefer
TCL – Disable Motion Smoothing
TCL can be a little more tricky as it often has these virtual settings based on different outputs, but you will likely need to do it for several types of content (streaming, watching TV live, gaming).
The Winter months. It’s wet, it’s miserable and you might be having a few drinks with friends, family or colleagues. It also means you’ll find yourself getting taxis more regularly. It’s also why I’ve been seeing quite a few people online giving out about FreeNow (formerly Hailo, formerly MyTaxi). The problem is FreeNow has added a “technology fee” for their services. The good news is that FreeNow doesn’t have a monopoly on the taxi market. Here are your options. Spoiler alert – Bolt is the best FreeNow alternative if that’s all you want to know.
What is a Technology Fee?
Just a few lines explaining the problem and then I’ll get to the alternatives. FreeNow describes the technology fee as a fee “implemented to allow FREE NOW to invest in technology improvements that will allow us to extend our product offering for passengers”. I have to admit, that’s a lovely way of wording, “our business model was a bit awful and now we’re scrambling to harvest more cash from our customers”.
The problem here is disruption. Disruption is a good thing overall, but FreeNow is hitting the same issues Spotify did. How do you keep the service suppliers (musicians and taxi drivers) paid a fair rate, at a customer-friendly price while also taking a cut for your own business (Spotify and FreeNow).
Well, you can’t. Spotify doesn’t pay artists enough and FreeNow has added a technology fee. They know gouging any more money from taxi drivers is the fastest route to failure.
So FreeNow has turned to you, the customer. It’s now your job to pay more money because FreeNow had a terrible business model. Unfortunately for FreeNow, this seems to be the scenic route towards failure. People are not happy and understandably so. While it’s not a massive sum of money, it is one more straw to break the camel’s back. And that’s all people need to seek out FreeNow alternatives.
Let’s get into it.
Get to Know Your Taxi Driver
Honestly, this is the best alternative to any taxi app. If you get a taxi driver that you really like, take their card or save their details. Use them every time you need to get a taxi. If you’re in rural Ireland, this will work even better. Loyalty pays. No technology fee for you and no commission for the taxi apps.
Now, what to look for in loyalty? Well, it takes a lot of work to find a great taxi driver you can trust. I recommend asking around to see if anyone else knows a great taxi service you can adopt. Personally, card machine is a must. If they ever deny this, by the way, remind them it’s a legal requirement to take card. If they try to insist or bring you to an ATM, tell them it’s card or no money – and be ready to call the Gardaí.
That’s the ugly side of stepping away from the apps, but while this does happen quite a bit, remember the majority of taxi drivers are sound out. But if you do want the comfort and security of an intermediary app…
Bolt
Right now, Bolt is the best FreeNow alternative in Ireland. Bolt is an Estonian mobility company that dabbles in lots of other transport services too. In Ireland, taxis are their big focus. They operate in Bray, Cork, Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, Kilkenny, Sligo and Wexford. Bolt has proven popular with both passengers and drivers. For passengers, there’s no technology fee and there’s an increasing number of drivers moving from FreeNow to Bolt.
This is down to the commission Bolt charges. They ask for a smaller slice of the pie from drivers, taking 13% from the total fare versus FreeNow’s 15%.
Whether you’ve been left stranded with an empty FreeNow map screen or felt overcharged for a trip to the airport, Bolt is the best taxi app to download and give a go of.
One important note though. I’ve used Bolt in other countries too, like Portugal. Getting from Lisbon Airport to the city centre was so cheap – it cost less than €10. But in other European countries, Bolt operates as ride-sharing where you’re not getting an actual taxi. In Ireland, you can only get an actual taxi via the Bolt app.
Uber
Again, when you look at Uber, you have to remember it’s very different to other countries. You cannot ride-share with Uber in Ireland. You can only book a trip with registered taxi drivers. The Uber app handles the booking and the payments.
Uber is a lot more secretive about their commissions. I did some digging and struggled to find anything in terms of detail on the fees charged to drivers.
Personally, while I’d be using Bolt before any other app, for the time being at least, I’d have Uber downloaded and ready to go just in case. Whenever I do use Uber, I tend to double-check even FreeNow to make sure I’m getting the best rate.
Various Local Taxi Apps
Other taxi apps are emerging into the Irish market too. For example, if you’re in Dubin try out Lynk. In Cork, go for Satellite Taxis. A quick Google or asking other people in the locality will let you know of a general booking service or a private taxi driver with a really good app. Back home in Kilkenny, I’ve used Martin Butler’s Kilkenny Taxis app a few times and it worked a treat.
The most important thing for your immediate future is to just spend a few minutes thinking about which taxi app you want to use. If you’ve found yourself waiting for 20 minutes just to find a driver on FreeNow, it could be because they’re all on Bolt.
This week saw Meta Threads come to Ireland, and the wider EU after 6 months of a somewhat limited launch. Irish Threads seems popular with people flocking away from Twitter (or X) seeking a better social experience. Indeed that seems to be happening. So much so even I’m on there and talking about it. Let’s not forget, I’m not a big fan of Meta and have even stopped using WhatsApp. But with Elon Musk doing so much harm that he’s even made Mark Zuckerberg look like the good guy, people are now wondering how do they get started on Threads. Well, here’s the guide you’re after!
What is Threads?
Meta Threads is a relatively new social media app developed by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. It’s often described as a more casual and personalized version of Twitter/X, focused on sharing short, bite-sized updates with your close friends and followers.
Imagine it like a more intimate and interactive version of your Instagram Stories, where you can share thoughts, photos, videos, and links without the pressure of a complex algorithm or worrying about reaching a wide audience. The focus is on connecting with your close circle and fostering more meaningful conversations.
Threads is growing in popularity as people seek out a liferaft from Twitter. Twitter today is full of far-right bile and people have frankly had enough.
Getting Started on Threads
First things first. The easiest way to get started on Threads is by signing in with your Instagram account. You don’t have to, but this will help you find people in your follower list that area already using the platform.
When signing up, be sure to pay attention to the automatic follower settings. This is where you’ll be able to choose who to follow or not follow from your existing base.
Ok, you’re in. Time to post. You can post Threads with up to 500 characters. Choose from text, polls images, GIFs and even voice notes. The voice notes are automatically transcribed too. My gut tells me this is going to be a popular feature.
When posting, you can tag other accounts and, of course, choose a hashtag. The catch is you need to focus. Just one “Thread” or hashtag can be used per post.
Editing
Yes! Threads supports editing posts. 5-minutes after you’ve posted, you can edit to fix your mistakes. The time limit stops you from creating a popular post with lots of reach and just changing it – it’s responsible and a nice middle ground for composing posts.
Following and Feed
As per usual, you can follow whoever you like on Threads. You can even tag people from Instagram who’ve not made the leap across yet. Who you follow makes an impact on the “For You” feed. Not many modern social platforms have nailed the feed approach in a while, so here’s hoping Threads does. It’s algorithmic-based so fingers crossed that black box makes sense of my likes!
Muting and Blocking
Along with following accounts you like, you can mute and block those you don’t. Social media has kind of taken over our lives these days. Threads is a chance for a fresh start and that’s really coming across in the platform’s “vibe”. Do take your time, choose who you follow carefully and make Threads the Twitter we all lost.
Federation
Federation is a relatively new idea with social networks. Mastodon is a big example of a platform doing this, though the Irish instance has blocked Threads federation for now. One great feature of this would be the ability to close your Threads profile but carry your activity over to another platform. This is big-picture stuff, and one for the future.
With lots of couch time ahead in the coming weeks, if you’ve been seeking out a new social media experience, Threads might be the perfect one. While Meta is far from perfect, I’ve had lots of time on Twitter and TikTok recently and come to the conclusion that Meta might not be the worst. As scary a thought as that is, it’s an important point that I’ll be keeping a close eye on in the coming months.
Before I was a tech reviewer, I was studying history in college. I guess I still have a thing for it. Old Ireland in Colour is run by John Breslin. He takes beautiful old photos and some videos from Irish history and gives them some modern flair. I just can’t say no to having a few of these sprinkled into my news feed. Bonus points if you go pick up the page’s book. It’s not an ad or anything, I just think it’s cool.
Tara Povey
I’ve followed Tara’s social accounts in some way, shape or form for the past few years. On the surface, she’s a travel blogger known as Where Is Tara, but I’ve found myself agreeing with her food recommendations, odd rant or joke for as long as I can remember. When her profile popped up on Threads Ireland, I didn’t even hesitate. Done deal, moved on.
Like so many Irish creators, I’m looking forward to seeing what different spin on her creator profile Threads brings out.
Ah sure we all know Rick. Rick is an RTÉ DJ. What has stood out to me with his Threads posts to date is that he really gets to vibe we all have on there. We all want something that isn’t Twitter. Or as someone described it – we want Twitter from 10 years ago back. He’s already recommending muting some news accounts instead keeping Threads for good vibes, not current affairs.
Naturally, do with Threads what you like, but early indicators are that people are here for a good time, not a heavy time.
I’m cautious about recommending journalists (sorry Donnie, you nearly made the cut), but Adrian is a must-follow. First of all, Adrian is a brilliant technology journalist, but he’s also a stunning photographer. From the Dublin riots to candid moments around Dublin, it’s rare a post from Adrian doesn’t grab my eye.
Speaking of excellent photography and at the risk of over-indexing pretty pictures – Fred, AKA Raw Dublin, is one of the most incredible shooters on Instagram and now Threads. That’s it. That’s the recommendation. Just go look at his profile.
I’m allowing myself one beer-related recommendation and going with Ballykilcavan. This Laois-based brewery excels at making cracking beer, but also being sustainable and generally sound. Their account is full of updates from the farm they grow their ingredients on and, of course, new beers they’re launching. Everything I need to be honest.
This is a whole thing I’m working on separately. Dungeons and Dragons never really declined in popularity but it’s certainly enjoying a recent increase in interest – possibly down to the movie that came out. Hearthfire Tales is an Irish TTRPG Podcast (that’s a table-top role-playing game podcast) from Ireland that marries the niche with metal. Hell yes.
The guys regularly post across different platforms, including TikTok where you’ll arguably get the best experience with them.
By following on Threads, you’ll be following Ireland’s leading TTRPG podcast and be reminded when the lads are going live. Watch this space because I plan to do a bigger piece on this in the coming weeks!
Have I ever scrolled past a Paul Olima post? No, I have not. Have I ever resisted busting out laughing at his posts? No, I have not.
I probably feel more comfortable calling him Omega, but his posts have a particular trademark style. The move is simple. Take a viral video, and provide a different angle to what’s happening. He. Never. Misses. Just check out his “behind the scenes” shot of the now infamous BBC presenter count down above.
He’s always got something new going on too, so his account is a worthy follow.
It doesn’t really matter where you follow Garron, but just make sure you’re following him. He’s been blowing up the past 6 months. Chicken fillet roll reviews? He’s got it. Singing at F1 events – yep, he’s got that too.
What I’m excited to see with Garron’s account is:
What collabs he pulls in. He’s a master collaborator and tends to find other accounts outside his niche, and nail working with them.
What his daily quote ends up being. We’re on day one, so I’m hopeful he makes the most of this new functionality Threads brings to the table.
That’s my favourite accounts to date on Threads Ireland, but it’s only been a week; less even! Missed someone you simply must follow? Well then, go give me or the Goosed Threads page a follow and let me know. We’re retiring the Twitter page at long last in the coming weeks so that’ll be a big new outlet for us. I plan to update this article with more great accounts as I find them.
A few years back, I had a choice to make. I had been sent a few smart speakers from Amazon and Google. While Amazon’s Alexa was good, Google Assistant was nailing conversational smart home control and so my mind was made up. It’s gotten pretty rocky since. So bad, in fact, I considered turning back. But with Google Bard growing in popularity, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has one final ace up its sleeve. Integrating Bard with Google Assistant.
The Problem With Google Assistant
You’d be forgiven for thinking Alphabet (which I’m just calling Google from here on out) and Google was a success story. But over the past few years, fairly hefty projects have been closed. While Google Plus wasn’t a surprise entry to that list, Google Stadia did die out at a shocking pace, just over 3 years after it was started.
Google does fail, and Google does introduce things that it grows bored of. And that’s what I genuinely thought Google Assistant was becoming.
I have two Google Nest Hubs, the ones with the screens and a few other speakers dotted around my home. I use them for timers, smart home controls, playing music and watching Netflix or YouTube while I cook. But more and more, Google Assistant has no idea what I’m asking it to do. Anything beyond the simplest of commands seems to confuse the system.
While that alone isn’t an issue, it worries me that this system should be getting better over time – not worse. That points to one simple assumption. Google isn’t really investing in this or giving it the time it deserves.
Now, Google could be preparing Assistant for the scrap heap, but it isn’t. And that’s solely down to the potential of Bard.
What is Bard?
Let’s ask Bard itself to explain it.
Imagine you have a personal assistant that can answer your questions, generate creative text formats, translate languages, and help you brainstorm ideas. That’s basically what Bard is, an amazing AI tool from Google that’s still under development but has already learned to perform many kinds of tasks.
Bard is powered by Google’s powerful artificial intelligence called LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications). It’s like having a giant encyclopedia and a creative writing expert in your pocket, all rolled into one.
Basically, that’s it. For the average Joe, Bard is a website where you can type in queries and prompts before getting responses and suggestions. But Bard is also a sign of how Google was kind of caught napping.
To show just how lax Google has become in recent years, ask someone about AI. “AI” has had a breakthrough year in 2023 and that’s down to Microsoft’s Chat-GPT. This year, 1 in 10 employees in Ireland have said they’ve used AI in work. That’s an emerging technology becoming a household name in the space of a few months and it was led by OPEN AI and Microsoft. Google was nowhere to be seen until very late in 2023.
That’s what Bard is. Bard is Google’s AI-powered platform. The funny thing is, that while it was second to market, at least in terms of perception, I personally believe it to be much more powerful than Chat-GPT.
Why does this matter for Google Assistant?
Bard and Google Assistant
Google Assistant today, is relatively rudimentary. A microphone recognises your voice and the words you’re saying. It looks up those words against an index of commands and tries to understand what best to do. This could be “Hey Google…turn on the lights” or “Hey Google…set a timer for 5 minutes”.
Google Assistant can do some fairly cool stuff too, including looking up the wider internet for recipes and bringing you through cooking it step by step. But Google Assistant is, pretty simple. If anything out of left field is thrown at Assistant, it tends to break down.
As I’ve said, in recent years Google Assistant is breaking down nearly as much as it completes a request. But with Bard integration, Google Assistant should be better able to comprehend user inputs. Google stops shy of saying Bard should “think” better about what it’s doing.
In October 2023, Google confirmed that it would be integrating Bard with Google Assistant; an AI-powered assistant. The reality of jus “how good” this combination is remains a mystery. On paper, it should be a massive step forward. I used to daily drive a Google Pixel 6 Pro and was impressed with features like being able to screen calls. Bard Assistant should be the savior of Google Assistant. Google has stated that Assistant lives on 1 billion devices. A colourful way of dressing up that stat and hiding what seems to be a lack of daily active users. But should Bard Assistant develop anywhere near the hype that Chat GPT did, 2024 could be a very exciting year for Google Assistant-powered devices.
I am a home brewer. Despite brewing for just under two years, I even had some credentials after winning an All-Ireland Gold Medal this year for a Black IPA I made. I don’t put my success down to being a naturally gifted beer recipe crafter. Instead, I believe it’s the fact I invested in good kit and adopted some brewing technology from day one.
I love a bit of smart brewing kit. My Tilt Hydrometer has become an essential part of my beer-making kit. From the very start, I opted for a refractometer over a hydrometer to measure my gravity readings. Why? Well, I didn’t see the point in wasting so much beer every time I wanted to take a reading or having to wait for a sample to cool. So I used a standard refractometer instead along with some necessary calculations. Naturally, I was excited to learn of Anton Paar’s SmartRef – a smart refractometer.
If you want one yourself, you can save 10% using the link and promo code at the bottom of this article.
So I got out my brewing kit, and brewed up a Czech Pilsner with Kveik yeast, purely in the name of science.
What is a Smart Refractometer?
A refractometer is a handheld tool that uses light to measure the concentration of substances in liquids, solids, and translucent materials. It’s like a tiny magnifying glass that tells you how much sugar is in your lemonade or how strong your saltwater solution is.
Here’s photo, badly taken, through the lens of a standard refractometer:
A smart refractometer, like the Anton Paar SmartRef, works on the same principle as a traditional refractometer, but with the addition of digital technology and connectivity features.
Now for the slightly sciencey bit.
A small sample of the liquid or solid to be measured is placed on the refractometer’s prism. Light from an LED source passes through the prism and into the sample. The refractometer measures the angle of refraction of light as it enters and exits the sample and converts it into the supported measurement of your choice. I opted for Specific Gravity, but the unit also supports Brix and Plato along with some other measurements across a few different apps.
Ultimately all this information is combined to know when the beer is ready and to calculate the alcohol content of a beer.
Benefits of the Anton Paar SmartRef
So, that’s the general concept of how a smart refractometer works. Why is the Anton Paar SmartRef worth looking at?
Automatic Temperature Correction and Calculations
The beauty of using the SmartRef is that you can tune in your brewing setup along with getting more data from your sample. For example, when using a manual refractometer, you need to factor in temperature corrections. The Anton Paar SmartRef can do all that automatically for you when you take your reading.
Adding Science to Homebrewing
The SmartRef is also incredibly accurate. If you don’t know them, Anton Paar is a company that makes incredibly accurate measuring tools for scientists and food specialists. They make refractometers, polarimeters, viscometers, rheometers, density meters, and more for preparing and mixing samples. Their tools are used to test food, drinks, drugs, cosmetics, and beyond. By adopting a SmartRef into your setup, you’re adopting real scientific measurement standards.
Quick and Easy
Quick and easy rarely get mentions in homebrewing, so let’s take our chance. The SmartRef offers a wide and accurate range of measuring across many metrics based on your preferences. Not only does it do it accurately, it does it quickly. No more squinting into a refractometer or trying to see across a 100ml sample of wort with a hydrometer to roughly see a measurement. With SmartRef you get an exact measurement immediately in seconds from just a few drops of your hard work – 0.4ml to be exact.
Brew Meister App and More
I’m sure there’s a good reason for the approach, but Anton Paar has several apps for different jobs. For example, I use Brew Meister because I’m making beer. But they also have an app for winemaking, general lab measurements and even aquarium management. All of these apps have a free tier, but you can pay for premium access too. All of my testing was done on the free tier of the Brew Meister app. All except one test.
I also but a sample of a friend’s homemade honey against a large retailer’s own brand honey. Just for the craic. This was done using the Lab Meister app. With this you can spot if your honey has too much moisture which indicates poor seals on your beehives. Being a tech reviewer sure does make you learn wild things.
Even though there are a few different apps to use, you can use the SmartRef with all of these apps. Anton Paar does have another device though, so just double check you’re getting the best one for you use case you have in mind.
The beauty of these apps is that you can log lots of different data. I’m already using a few apps like Brew Father for general recipe tracking and Tilt for fermentation tracking. Brew Meister gives me highly detailed information on very small samples of wort. It means I can check my beer much quicker and much more accurately than I can with the likes of my Tilt (but that remains a critical part of my setup regardless).
As I’ve already mentioned, the best part of the apps is that they do a lot of the calculations for you already making brew day pass that little bit quicker.
Anton Paars SmartRef: The Verdict
The Anton Paars SmartRef is a useful addition to your homebrewing tool kit. It gives a reliable reading of your wort and beer during critical stages of the brewing process. It removes the need to wait for samples to cool down or for you to be squinting through a hard-to-see lens. For me, using a hydrometer or a standard refractometer was never all that accurate because they are hard to read. Now, the Brew Meister app takes a reading for me in a more accurate fashion than my Tilt Hydrometer.
I’ll still be using the Tilt, but this may very well replace the standard refractometer in my kit completely, with that being kept for emergencies only.
Now, I can’t ignore the fact this is a luxury device for homebrewers. My Dad was a homebrewer. He brewed off kits. He never had this kind of thing, but then he also wasn’t sure how strong what he was making was. He was happy enough with what he made, but I like the meticulous nature of building a recipe and brewing all grain. I like accuracy. And for that reason, I love the SmartRef.
Now, there is a downside to bringing all that science into your setup. While hydrometers and standard refractometers are relatively inexpensive, this is a pricey piece of kit at €299 direct from Anton Paar.
With that said, if you really want to get the best piece of kit for measuring your beer throughout the process, this is the winner right here.
Kids today are growing up in a completely different world to previous generations, including my own. There’s an expectation that smartphones, tablets and computers will play an increased role in children’s lives these days. This doesn’t come without risk though. I’ve looked after kids myself and fully understand the temptation to hand over a phone to stem a meltdown or buy 5 minutes peace, but I also understand that unlimited screen time brings problems too. So when I spotted StoryPhones I quickly realised there was a new experience for children.
What are StoryPhones?
StoryPhones are an entertainment system designed for children aged 3 to 8. They combine the functionality of traditional headphones with the capabilities of a portable audio player. Naturally, there is some hearing protection built-in with level limits you can set yourself. If you are familiar with Tonies and Toniebox, StoryPhones offer a similar concept but with the focus being headphones instead of a speaker.
The key concept of StoryPhones is the interchangeable StoryShields. These are magnetic discs that attach one side of the headphones. The discs contain pre-loaded stories, music, and educational content which are all sold separately. Children can easily swap out StoryShields to access a variety of content, ensuring endless hours of enjoyment.
What Stories are Available on StoryPhones StoryShields?
The creators of StoryPhones realised early on that content is key when it comes to making a product like this successful. The great news for parents is that StoryPhones secured a license from Disney. Classic family favourites like Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid are available to purchase for about €10 per disc.
Marty in a fetching pair of StoryPhones
Thanks to a partnership with Pinna, you can also buy educational StoryShields covering things like maths and reading development.
One particularly charming element of StoryShields is the ability to record your own discs. This means you can have granny or grandad read a story to your children even when they can’t be there to do it in person.
The StoryShields contain several chapters per story which are skippable by twisting the disc on your childrens’ headphones. Included with my StoryPhones was Disney’s Minney Magical Tales which contains 7 chapters and is just shy of 36 minutes long.
One final StoryShield story disc worth mentioning is ZenShield. This special disc contains some chapters to help your children wind down with white noise, rainfall, piano and more relaxing tunes.
Kid’s Whistle Stop Review of StoryPhones
I gave the StoryPhones a test myself before handing them over to my 3-year-old niece for the real test. I do have to admit, the setting up was a little tricky. While the StoryPhones are a normal pair of both wired and Bluetooth headphones, they also connect to a StoryPhones app. The app I found to be a little difficult to get set up. I think the trick is to connect the headphones as a normal pair of Bluetooth headphones before trying to find them with the app.
After my bit of testing, it was over to my niece.
First of all, she loved the look and feel. They’re sturdy and built to last, immediately getting tested with a strong grab, bit of twisting and a few drops too. But once she put them on, there was no taking them away from her. They are super comfy too, according to her of course.
She immediately got the concept of StoryShield, likely because her and her brother have a TonieBox. The lack of a screen was absolutely no problem. She gladly jumped up onto the couch and just listened to Disney’s Minnie Magical Tales that came with the pack.
I’m looking forward to seeing what she makes of them in the coming months. Here’s what I hope to see.
Benefits of StoryPhones
Beyond the testing myself and my niece did the other day, StoryPhones offer plenty of other features that you might find helpful.
Bluetooth and Wired Headphone Options
While the StoryShields story pucks are a great idea, StoryPhones are also simply a pair of headphones for your kid to enjoy like any other pair when needed. This means if you’re heading away on a long journey, they can be connected to a tablet for movie time. I’ve mentioned TonieBox and Tonies a few times, and I should point out these are two totally different companies.
However, thanks to StoryPhones including a 3.5mm headphone cable and TonieBox having a headphone jack built-in, you can even let your kids listen to TonieBox stories privately. This is good for them to have some alone time and chill out and good for you if you’re really tired of some stories!
I want to repeat one point from earlier too. The StoryPhone app lets you be able to set a volume level limit for your kids’ headphones to protect their hearing. You can adjust these as they grow too.
Reduce Kids’ Screen Time
While I mentioned using the StoryPhones as regular headphones with a tablet, the real beauty of these headphones is that they enable you to offer your child some screen-free entertainment. It’s getting harder to keep kids’ screen time under wraps but that’s just what StoryPhones empower you to do.
Audiobooks can greatly benefit childrens’ development and offer you another weapon in your arsenal to keep your kids’ entertained without damaging their attention span. StoryPhones encourages children to use their imagination as they listen to engaging stories. By immersing themselves in the world of audio storytelling, children develop their listening skills, attention spans, and ability to follow complex narratives.
StoryPhones: The Verdict
I struggle to find a flaw with StoryPhones. At €99, perhaps the initial outlay for these headphones is a little on the steep side. That does make them €10 more expensive than a TonieBox. However, I see these as two totally different types of solutions for entertaining your children. I also imagine your kids will use StoryPhones a lot more making that investment worthwhile.
Once you have the headphones, the StoryShields are very fairly priced on average at €10 a pop.
Personally, I love the idea of anything that reduces screen time for young children. While tech-free time and physical activity outdoors remain crucial, there’s a time and a place for screens. But having an alternative might just encourage you and your kids to explore something that pushes their imagination a bit more.
StoryPhones are incredibly flexible in terms of functionality but durable in terms of build. For these reasons I expect these to be the goto kids Bluetooth headphones in your house for years making them a great purchase. If you’re specifically looking for TonieBox headphones, any wired headphones will work. If you buy these, they’ll work too and offer you similar screen-less entertainment on the go for your kids.
Bittersweet. We finally have the trailer we wanted from Rockstar Games for GTA 6. Sweet, is that it’s finally happening. Bitter, that we have to wait until 2025.
Rockstar’s path to this point hasn’t been straight. Leaks galore including one just last week have, for them perhaps, taking the shine of this launch. For the public, it couldn’t be more of a different feeling. Utter excitement has spread across the internet as Rockstar hit play on the GTA 6 Trailer on YouTube.
GTA 6 Trailer
For GTA 6, we’ve returned to Vice City, home to one of the best Grand Theft Auto games to date and definitely the best soundtrack – bring back Wang Chung please!
The trailer opens with Lucia, a prisoner soon to be one of our main charachters. Next we pan to a very Venice Beach-looking opening shot as a banner-toting plane flies by stating “Why 69 when you can Nine1Nine” – likely a nod to a company you’ll be involved with in the GTA 6 campaign. Some more shots of the city fly by before we see an awesome airboat, likely to be playable. The cast of NPC characters seem to be extremely diverse both in ethnicity and body shape, all of which look graphically stunning. Sidenote – there’s a lot of twerking in this trailer. Like an unusual amount.
It looks like the game is going to be set in the modern day, made clear by the fact that there are phones and social media. In fact quite a bit of the trailer is made of “social media” posts. If these are in-game shots, the graphics are stunning too. Take some time to appreciate the Thrill Billy Mud Club. I’d love to say I think these are in-game but they are likely shot for the trailer.
Look, I’m not going to break down the entire trailer – even though I have most of it. Go enjoy it for yourself. GTA 6 is undoubtedly the most hotly anticipated game in history. And it’s coming to Ireland in 2025.
GTA 6 Launch Date
Rockstar has only committed to 2025. A pretty large launch window to be aiming for. But history gives us a fairly good idea when to expect GTA 6 dropping. While Rockstar hasn’t given an actual date, all previous Grand Theft Auto games have launched in the second half of the year. Most launch around September or October. So my money is on Grand Theft Auto 6 launching in October 2025.
