Ordering food online has exploded in the past two years. It was already on the up before lockdown but now is bigger than ever. It’s a double-edged sword for restaurants. Sure, they get more business, but services like JustEat and Deliveroo take a bit, non-literal, slice of the pie. Flipdish has been the big alternative, empowering restaurants to have a direct online connection to their customers. Now, Flipdish has launched a new platform called StraightFrom.com, letting you browse all the restaurants in your area that deliver to you direct.
The Online Problem For Irish Restaurants
When you order your favourite takeaway on Deliveroo or JustEat, there are a lot more people that have to be paid. The margins in restaurants are quite tight, so this poses a problem. Deliveroo and JustEat take a cut from your order, the delivery rider needs to be paid and then there are all the usual costs of running a restaurant too. Basically, it all ends up costing the restaurant quite a lot and slashes the profits.
Aggregators like Deliveroo, JustEat and UberEats are incredibly popular. Since the pandemic began alone, these aggregators in Ireland have taken an estimated €1.2bn in revenue. A painful number for Irish restaurants to see is the €270m in total commissions brought in by these aggregators. This is all money that can in some part be clawed back by building direct relationships with customers using services like Flipdish.
When you can, try to buy your dinner treat directly from a restaurant. But how are you supposed to find them? That’s where Straight From comes in.
Finding Local Takeaways Without The Apps
StraightFrom.com is a new non-profit founded by Flipdish. Naturally, it’s a bit self-serving for Flipdish, but that doesn’t take away from how useful it is. Also, it’s really important to note that the platform is open to all restaurants and takeaways free of charge regardless if they’re a Flipdish customer or not. It’s hoped that this will act as an alternative to food marketplaces, which continue to charge high fees to those in the hospitality sector.
Good grub on StraightFrom.com
The StraightFrom.com website lets you find your favourite local restaurants that have snubbed the well-known aggregators. I’ve looked and found some of my absolutely all-time favourite spots in Dublin on there. You can find restaurants that deliver or filter by the ones that will get you a week’s walk and some fresh air too for pick-up. This website somewhat unlocks a world of new cafes and restaurants that other food marketplaces have missed.
This website unlocks a world of new cafes and restaurants
Basically, all I’m saying is give it a go. If you’re going to order on Deliveroo, don’t feel bad and enjoy your meal. I’m a Deliveroo Premium customer so I won’t be giving it up. But I will be checking out StraightFrom.com before my order in future to see if I can order directly from a restaurant, which is usually cheaper with fewer fees, than ordering on Deliveroo.
A few weeks ago I was out for a walk. I spotted a Polestar ad on one of those big street billboard things you see. I was a bit confused because I recognised the car, but didn’t think it was in Ireland. It was the Polestar 2 electric and it turns out it is now available in Ireland. Here’s everything you need to know about this new car brand in Ireland.
What is Polestar?
Polestar is a Swedish car manufacturer. It was founded back in 1996 and is effectively Volvo. Polestar specialises in electric-only cars. The company makes two cars, simply named Polestar 1 and Polestar 2. The latter is the only one now available in Ireland.
Polestar 2 in Ireland
The Polestar 2 launched internationally nack in 2020. It’s proven popular globally with consumers and motoring media alike. It earned Car of the Year titles in Norway and Switzerland, BBC Top Gear magazine’s Best All-Round EV, Red Dot’s Best of the Best for Product Design, and the coveted Golden Steering Wheel in Germany.
So, it’s a serious enough piece of machinery.
The base-model Polestar 2 can do 440km and 0-100kmph in 7.4 seconds. On a good day, with the right conditions, that’s a Dublin to Galway round trip without needing a charge.
At the end of March, the Polestar 2 launched in Ireland. You won’t see them on the road just yet, as the Irish launch was more of an announcement than physically having cars here. The company has said they’re going to start offering test drives with a four-week roadshow in Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork and Galway. That all starts from May 9th.
Polestar 2 Price in Ireland
The Polestar 2 will start at €54,500 in Ireland. That price tag is perfect for the Irish market. It means you can still get the full SEAI grant of €5,000 for the Polestar 2 thanks to it being under €60,000. It’s important to remember that the price tag is a “starts from” price and you’re probably going to add some extras. The good news is that the Polestar 2 was the first car in the world to feature Google built-in. The system includes Google Assistant, Google Maps with support for electric vehicles and the Google Play Store. All as standard so one extra you don’t have to worry about.
It’s an interesting time for Polestar to launch in Ireland. Since the start of 2022, market share new full-electric car sales is up 119%.
Polestar’s Kieran Campbell says, “it’s clear there’s huge appetite for new premium electric cars here in Ireland, so the arrival of Polestar couldn’t be better-timed”.
I’ll be keeping an eye out for a chance to test-drive the Polestar 2. If I get my chance, let me ask your questions. Ask them on our social channels.
Right. I’m so excited I’m going to write another article about Return to Monkey Island. Yes indeed. There’s going to be a proper third instalment to the original Ron Gilbert creation, Monkey Island. Right now, we know very little about the game but we can piece together some clues, right? Just what will Return to Monkey Island be like?
Back in 2015, Gilbert said Monkey Island 3a wouldn’t be the third instalment he would have made back in 1992. Now, I don’t think this is going to be the game he thought he would have made back in 2015.
But first, here’s the teaser in case you haven’t seen it yet.
1. A Mix Of Curse of Monkey Island and Thimbleweed Park
A lot of the clues we have come from the original game creator, Ron Gilbert’s blog. Back in 2013, he penned that post discussing what his hypothetical third Monkey Island would be. His very first point in that post is perhaps the one he’s going to step furthest back on. 2015 Gilbert wanted Return to Monkey Island to be retro, a nod to his first two Guybrush games, describing them as “enhanced low-res”. He goes on to talk about a lot game design principles that technology just didn’t let him do in the early days.
If you’ve been following Gilbert’s more recent work, you might be familiar with Thimbleweed Park. Thimbleweed Park was Monkey Island meets X-Files, and it was sublime. But I don’t think that’s the style approach Return to Monkey Island will take. It was very close to the original style of Monkey Island, which isn’t a bad thing. That design is timeless. But, now that we have Disney involved here, Return to Monkey Island will need mass appeal and likely console ports too.
I see the 2017 Thimbleweed Park as being Gilbert getting some of that want for pure retro out of his system. He also said any new Monkey Island game would ditch the “verbs”; the core control system of the original game. These feature in Thimbleweed Park, perhaps another last hurrah.
No. Instead, I see Return to Monkey Island being closer to Curse of Monkey Island. It’s hard to describe it, but I see it being retro Monkey Island backdrops, Curse of Monkey Island in the middle with a layer of modern animation sitting on top.
Yeah. That makes total sense.
2. Nope. You’re Not Getting Clues
I despite a game that has a sparkling item in the corner telling me to go pick it up. Give me a few minutes and I’ll find it. I didn’t need to clue. While the commercials of reality dictate this new Monkey Island game will have to have mass appeal, I don’t think Gilbert will have any interest at all in providing hints for puzzles. Actually, Gilbert nor Dave Grossman, who’s the co-writer for Return to Monkey Island – I’ve not given him the air time he deserves. He’s kept this as much of a secret as anyone and tweeted just how much of a secret it was today:
The thing I've been waiting for the most is that after school this afternoon I can finally tell my son what I've been working on since he was five. He knows all about Monkey Island so I think it'll blow his mind even though it isn't Minecraft.
But, again, it’s Gilbert’s blog that’s the big giveaway here. Speaking about what a new Monkey Island might look like he says, “No tutorials or hint systems” and “it would be an adventure game for the hardcore. You’re going to get stuck. You’re going to be frustrated”.
Which is good. Because you’re going to get your money’s worth…
Solid, but dated, advice
3. No, It Won’t Cost Twenty Bucks
A famous quote from the original Monkey Island game is “never pay more than twenty bucks for a game”. Immediately, the game’s creators are being slapped with this online. Let me be the first to say, I’ll pay more than that for Return to Monkey Island. Because inflation.
$20 in 1990 is $43.41 in today’s money. While I’d probably pay more than that too, I really hope someone in the marketing team has some swing on the new game’s price tag.
4. It’ll Start In A Carnival
Return to Monkey Island is Monkey Island 3a. Gilbert initially said that after the first two games, the rest of Monkey Island effectively didn’t happen. Again, he’s backtracking here a bit. I guess Disney will do that to you.
Why do I say that? Well, the evidence is in the teaser released today. Murray, the talking skull, first appears in the chronologically third game, Curse of Monkey Island. He appears in the teaser and Gilbert has confirmed on Twitter that he’s in the game “big time”.
Of course, I get what Gilbert is getting at here. He’s possibly had a rough idea in his head about how he would have closed out a trilogy of games. Basically, if something from the Telltale series doesn’t line up with Return to Monkey Island, he doesn’t want to hear about your loopholes.
5. Music, Voices and More From Curse Of Monkey Island
Michael Land, Clint Bajakian and Peter McConnell will feature as composers of the game’s score. Another massive piece of the puzzle is the confirmation that Dominic Armato returns to voice Guybrush Threepwood again.
The game is also going to be international. Not that that’s a big surprise or anything, but there are loads of translation specialists working on, well, translations.
Let's go full circle and return to Monkey Island! I can't tell you how excited I am to be working on the Spanish translation and to be back with the @thimbleweedpark crew ⚔️ https://t.co/IGfOxe4qc2
And now I can finally say that I’ve been translating Return to Monkey Island to Brazilian Portuguese! I honestly have no words to describe how happy I am to be a part of this! https://t.co/zbDCne394n
I was very excited when writing that first article about Return to Monkey Island. I was firing on all cylinders and not really researching things. I thought the scene looked a bit like where you meet the Men of Low Moral Fibre on Scabb Island. But I was wrong. In some other artwork emerging from the game, you can see that the ship in the teaser video is docked towards the south of Mêlée Island.
The ship from the teaser video is docked at Mêlée Island
Yep, we’re going back to where it all began on Mêlée Island. You can see the lookout spot and all.
You know what, this was going to be longer but I’m going to go start playing the old games again to get back up to speed. I’ll add to this article as I learn more.
I’m trying to keep my typing nice, calm and together. Let me type these words, and then try to keep going. Ron Gilbert is making a new Monkey Island game called Return to Monkey Island. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH. I’ve been waiting years for this. I was reared on Monkey Island. It was the first game I ever got completely hooked on. It’s how I learned how to use a mouse with a computer back in the early nineties. This is massive news and it’s coming in 2022. We’re going to Return to Monkey Island and this is what we know.
What is Monkey Island?
Monkey Island is arguably one of the greatest computer games of all time. I’m not just saying that based on my introduction. It was a defining game of the early era of computer games. You play the role of Guybrush Threepwood, a somewhat nerdy man with the aim of becoming a pirate. It has everything. A love interest, Elaine Marley, where you’re clearly punching, taken by the evil pirate, LeChuck. There’s an incredible balance struck between story, comedy and in-game engine that made Monkey Island iconic.
Monkey Island is a point and click adventure game. Essentially, that means you interact with the game using your mouse. You discover and collect items, combine them to solve puzzles and speak with other characters to learn new elements of the story. All of this is done with such unique humour, right the way through.
The game was so iconic that it sprung a full series of games, made by many different studios. But the first two, The Secret of Monkey Island and LeChuck’s Revenge, were the only two created by Ron Gilbert; the original creator. And that’s where we pick up now.
Return to Monkey Island
Today, Ron Gilbert confirmed we’re finally going back to Monkey Island.
I legit got a bit emotional when that music played. It was the full goosebumps. I’ve dedicated days of my life to playing and replaying this game. More specifically the first three games, the third easily being the best that Gilbert wasn’t involved in.
We know very little about Return to Monkey Island beyond the fact that it’s coming out this year. It’s been a complete secret for two years. I find it remarkable that, even during a global pandemic, Gilbert managed to keep this a complete secret.
Writing on his blog back in 2015, Gilbert didn’t seem confident that he’d make another Monkey Island. He said, “I don’t know if I will ever get to make another Monkey Island. I always envisioned the game as a trilogy and I really hope I do, but I don’t know if it will ever happen. Monkey Island is now owned by Disney and they haven’t shown any desire to sell me the IP. I don’t know if I could make Monkey Island 3a without complete control over what I was making and the only way to do that is to own it. Disney: Call me”.
Yep, Disney. Let’s talk about that.
Disney Owns Lucasfilm Games and Owns Monkey Island
Fans of Monkey Island know one thing. Pirates of the Caribbean looks awfully like the Monkey Island franchise. I’m not going to dive into that whole thing right now. Instead, I’m going to say thank you to Disney. I know they’ll make money here. It better not be more than twenty bucks a game, but they’ll make money.
A still from The Secret of Monkey Island by Ron Gilbert
The first games were originally bankrolled by George Lucas. Back in 2012, Disney bought Lucasfilm and all of the intellectual property that went with it, including Monkey Island. Many fans, myself included, believed that was the end of Monkey Island. Disney, who had already tried to keep the whole Pirates of the Caribbean thing, somewhat suppressed, would hardly let Gilbert or anyone else make another Monkey Island game.
But here we are. Gilbert was locked away for two years and, with Disney’s blessing, has created a new Monkey Island game. The game will be a combined effort of Gilbert’s Terrible Toybox game studio, Devolver Digital game studio and Lucasfilm Games.
What’s the Plot Of Monkey Island 3a: Return to Monkey Island?
We know very little right now. Actually, all we know is what you can see in that video and that Disney has given their blessing. I guess we also know that this is the true third, and likely, final Monkey Island game. Despite Curse of Monkey Island being an incredible game, it wasn’t created by Ron Gilbert. So if it was to be concluded in a third, Gilbert never got his chance; until now.
The Teaser
But we do learn a few things from the game’s teaser – that’s the video I shared earlier. Well, a ghost pirate plays the violin. The theme song of Monkey Island is the tune. A monkey shrieks as someone walks across the deck of the ship in the background. Could it be the swashbuckling Guybrush Threepwood? They reappear a few times, carrying boxes on deck and it doesn’t look too like Guybrush. Maybe it’s just another ghost pirate.
The ship somewhat resembles where you meet the Men of Low Moral Fibre in the second instalment of Monkey Island. Is that significant, or even correct? Who knows.
Another ghost pirate brings in three crates. Each crate represents one of the big three involved in this new Monkey Island venture; Lucasfilm Games, Devolver Digital and, perhaps fittingly on top, Ron Gilbert’s Terrible Toybox.
Murray – The Talking Skull
I’m giving Murray his own section because he’s significant. The style of Gilbert’s third Monkey Island is an obvious departure from his first two. It has been 31 years since he created the second instalment. But, if the teaser is anything to go by, it’s also a significant departure from another project he completed not so long ago; Thimbleweed Park. This was a game made very much in the guise of the original Monkey Island. But Return to Monkey Island looks closer to Curse of Monkey Island with an even more modern twist.
And, that seems to make sense. Despite this new game preceding Curse of Monkey Island, Murray, a talking skill from that game, will feature. Or at least he does in the teaser. Who doesn’t love this disembodied skull with a rotten attitude?
Dominic Armato Returns as Guybrush
The last thing I’m going to say, considering I’ve already probably tried to say more than what is possible from one short little video, is they got the real Guybrush on board. If Ron Gilbert was the most important part of a true third Monkey Island game, Dominic Armato voicing Guybrush was the second most important part. How fitting given he first arrived in the third Monkey Island.
Beyond my sentimental connection to Murray and the voice of Armato, it also means life after Gilbert’s first two Monkey Island games isn’t going to be ignored in this true third instalment of the Monkey Island Trilogy.
I’m going to give this movie one of the most damning assessments. In fact, I feel bad saying it given how tough the past two years have been for cinemas. But Moonfall is the kind of film that leaves you wondering why you were looking forward to cinemas reopening. A gigantic ad for several companies with a poor plot in the middle. Some great actors turned up, physically at least, but that’s about it.
What Is Moonfall About?
After a strange attack in space, a team of astronauts returns to earth, disgraced because of their failed mission. Noone believes what happened to them in space and what astronaut Brian Harper claims to have seen. Ten years later, a conspiracy theorist notices that the moon is doing some weird stuff. No one believes him at first, but at the same time, NASA is discovering the same data. It transpires that now, it’s just a few weeks before the moon falls to earth, destroying humanity.
Yeah, screw the moon.
The movie surrounds the efforts of that disgraced astronaut team and the conspiracy theorist attempting to save the world.
Is Moonfall Worth Watching?
No. The story is awful. It’s largely a metaphor for the potential evil potential within artificial intelligence wrapped up as a gigantic ad for several companies. I can only assume product placement largely paid for the somewhat impressive lineup of actors.
I didn’t expect much from this movie, but I also didn’t expect an actress like Halle Berry to end up in a movie as bad as 2012 Doomsday. I mentioned product placement. Kaspersky and Lexus are the biggest culprits here. In one chase scene, a character, who is also the owner of a Lexus dealership, says “Let me put this baby into warp speed” while in a Lexus NX. It’s just the tackiest moment of film I’ve seen in a long time and cinemagoers deserve better. Today, we are effectively paying a small fortune to see movies that are ads.
Kaspersky is even worse. A huge billboard inexplicably features in one part of the movie while a spacecraft’s critical systems are apparently running Kaspersky software too. A ridiculous idea. Also, a fairly poorly timed placement given Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
I can even look past all the product placement. But I can’t look beyond the horrible storyline. I’m getting annoyed even writing this review so I’m going to stop. If you want to watch it, on your head may it be. This film is awful.
The film’s only saving grace is that it should make for a great episode of How Did This Get Made in the near future. In a week where I watched VelociPastor, I can’t believe I’m saying something else was the worst thing I’ve watched.
Regular readers will know of my recent enough transition to the world of the Apple ecosystem. What started out with a MacBook grew into an iPad and now iPhone. While AirPods and Apple Watch still don’t take my fancy, Apple AirTags did catch my eye. Stick them on anything you own and it becomes a lot harder to lose. The most logical use is your keys and your wallet, but the latter just isn’t a straightforward solution. Or at least it wasn’t until Chipolo entered the game with the Chipolo Card Spot.
The Chipolo Card Spot: A Card Shaped AirTag
The Chipolo Card Spot is a credit card sized piece of tech that slots into your wallet. You can then connect it to Apple’s Find My app and make full use of the Find My network. That means if you lose your wallet finding it becomes a lot easier. Say you lose it in town. If someone with an iPhone walks past your wallet, their phone notifies the Find My network which then tells you where your wallet was last seen. It’s a very clever system that works really well.
I’ve used Chipolo gadgets in the past, just like I’ve used Tile tech. The problem with these platforms until now is that they depend on people using the Chipolo and Tile apps. Chipolo getting into the Apple Find My network is a real coup for the Slovenian company.
Benefits of the Chipolo Card Spot
There are a lot of reasons I like the Chipolo Card Spot, so here are the best bits.
Fits In Traditional Minimalist Wallets
I love my Secrid RFID wallet. This real leather wallet is arguably one of my longest-serving gadgets. It was also a gift from my other half. This meant I had no interest in buying a new AirTag RFID wallet or any wallet with an AirTag slot. My first solution was just jamming an AirTag into the wallet. It stretched the leather and just left an unsightly bump. It worked, but it wasn’t an elegant solution.
My Secrid Wallet with an Apple AirTag jammed in
The Chipolo Spot just takes up a card slot in my wallet like another card and makes my traditional wallet smart, and it appears in the Find My app. Thankfully, because it’s a genuine leather wallet, it’s returned to being nice and smooth without a trace of that AirTag bump.
My wallet after a few months with the Chipolo. Good as new.
Now, thanks to the Chipolo Spot, I have all the benefits of finding my wallet with Find My but the RFID protection of my Secrid wallet.
It’s Loud
On top of giving you the location of your wallet, the Chipolo Card Spot also makes noise. From the Find My app you can trigger the gadget to “Play Sound”. One criticism I’d have of Apple AirTags is that they’re not the loudest things in the world. The Chipolo Card Spot on the other hand is good and loud. This is good news because there’s one Apple AirTag feature missing that this loudness makes up for.
One AirTag Feature Is Missing
I mentioned on Twitter that I was testing this out and was posed a great question.
Apple AirTags feature a U1 chip which allows for Precision Location for even easier finding. When close enough, within one meter or so, the Find My app will point towards where your AirTag actually is. Here’s the tech working with the AirTag on my keys.
AirTag Precision Location doesn’t feature on the Chipolo trackers
The Chipolo Card Spot doesn’t have this U1 Chip and so it doesn’t have the same Precision Location features.
When looking for your wallet in the Find My app, you’ll just be able to see a map with the last known location, even when sitting beside your wallet with it stuck between the sofa cushions. Thankfully, as I’ve mentioned, the Chipolo being extra loud makes up for this.
In that video, it might be hard to make out that the Chipolo, which plays second, is significantly louder, even inside a wallet. AirTag makes about 60dB of noise while the Chipolo weighs in with a whopping 105dB.
Battery Life
There’s one other thing that’s important to mention. AirTags are easy to open and use a generic CR2032 coin-sized battery. When the battery dies, it’s easy to swap it out. Chipolo doesn’t give you such a luxury. When your Chipolo Card Spot finally dies, you’ll need to buy a new one. Far from ideal in terms of cost efficiency or sustainability.
The good news is that Chipolo runs a return scheme. Register your Card Spot online and in two years, when the battery is low, you’ll receive a 50% discount. You can also send Chipolo your old tracker and they’ll recycle it.
Despite that being a decent workaround, it’s not ideal.
Chipolo Card Spot: The Verdict
I’m very conscious that speaking about the battery last might well sour your opinion of the Chipolo Card Spot. Let me fix that. Despite this one little hiccup, I absolutely love this piece of kit. Being honest, I don’t tend to lose stuff out and about. I lose it at home. The amount of times we’re heading out and I can’t find my wallet is ridiculous.
Having something like the Chipolo Card Spot in my Secrid wallet saves me so many times and also saves me from the “I told you to leave your wallet somewhere easy to find” arguments with my other half! You too can save yourself from these arguments for the low low price of just €35.
It turns out I love coffee. It’s funny because I only started drinking it a few years ago. Today, I drink quite a lot and might even be falling into the category of “coffee nerd”. I get the perfect beans from a roastery called Imbibe near my home in Dublin 8. Hardly all that surprising given Dublin 8 is one of the coolest places in the world now. But the perfect beans alone are worth nothing. You need a great coffee machine too. The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine Review is the ultimate all-in-one machine for people who love a good cup of coffee.
Design
The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine (model number EC9155.MB) might first appear to be a little bit intimidating. It’s a big enough machine with enough knobs and dials to make you feel like it might just bring you to space. But after you’ve made your first cup or two, you realise that the machine is intuitively designed. While it looks big, it actually takes up less space on the counter than my Sage Bambino set-up did. That’s because I needed a separate grinder and espresso machine.
It looks big, but takes up less space than separate machines
For this De’Longhi, everything is combined into one neat machine. In fact, I could even chuck out the kettle if I wanted to. This is because the machine can make a nice hot cup of water too, whether it be for an americano or just tea.
The drip tray is very generously sized. Handy if you forget to empty it for a few days. You’re not punished with old coffee water and spoiled milk pouring onto your counter. There’s also a nice little cubby hole in the top of the machine for your accessories and bits and bobs. One additional feature that I liked was an espresso shelf. This lets you sit your espresso cups closer to the spout of your portafilter (that’s the thing with the handle on one end and where the coffee comes out on the other).
Generously sized features continue when it comes to the onboard water tank. One thing worth noting here is that the water tank doesn’t include a built-in filter. Instead, De’Longhi opted for a filtering bag which they include in the box.
Features
The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine is a so-called bean-to-cup coffee machine. That means the one machine does it alll As a result, the machine can be split up into a few areas. The grinder on top has eight different grind settings. This is important given different types of coffee require different coffee grounds. Espresso is typically finer while coarser grinds are better for filter coffee. You can also set the height of your grind based on whether you want stronger or weaker shots of espresso. I’m a double shot guy and barely function on just a single shot. Thankfully there’s a button there that makes that double happen for me too.Next up is where the grinds come out. An unusual feature of the machine is a collar that fits onto your portafilter. This slides into a shelf. One firm press in and the machine starts grinding your coffee beans. The height of your grind along with whether you’ve picked a single or double decides how long the machine grinds for.
Once you’ve tamped your coffee (more on that later) you remove the collar and lock it into the machine. Choose between americano, espresso or just hot water based on what you want to make. If you need to froth some milk, the machine has a frother there too. It truly is everything you could need to make the perfect cup of coffee in the morning.
Using The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine
Design is one thing. How that design works in day-to-day usage is quite another. I’ve been using the machine for a few months and love it. There are a few quirks, but the vast majority of the features on this machine are brilliant.
My favourite element is the three in one output. This machine can make americano, espresso or just hot water. Replacing the kettle is something I’ve sought for some time and this is just so practical. If you choose americano, placing your cup carefully under the portafilter and hot water spout means one button press gets the job done with no further action. It’s genius.
The gauge lets you know when you’re in the sweet spot
The pressure gauge is something that coffee nerds will like. There’s a pressure sweet spot that means you’ve got your grind size and tamping done perfectly. Tamping is the pressing down of the coffee grinds and De’Longhi has one more nice inclusion here for you. A rubber stand, perfectly designed for your portafilter. This means you can sit your portafilter, spout and all, into the stand and press down with the included tamper without fear of breaking something.
The collar works, but I still don’t get why this was the route they went down
I do have to say the collar design is odd. I really don’t get what the idea was behind that. It doesn’t hinder the coffee making much, but it feels like another thing that could break or get lost. Also, the milk frother is incredibly loud. I do like the more automatic approach of the Sage Bambino, but not something that would make me recommend one machine over the other.
De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine Review Verdict
Is the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine worth buying? It might sound obvious, but a coffee machine like this is only worth buying if you’re going to use it. That means you quite like coffee and are ready to nerd out a bit. If that sounds like you, this is a fantastic machine to offer an all-in-one coffee-making experience. You’re given a fair bit of control but not so much that there’s a steep learning curve to make a great cup of wake up juice.
The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine is available from outlets in Ireland including DID Electrical, Harvey Norman and Currys for around €500.
Remember those two years when we couldn’t go to the cinema? They were a game-changer for home entertainment. Streaming services like Disney+ suddenly had the movies that were originally planned for the cinema. The home cinema took on a whole new meaning. It also meant that plenty of people started to look at investing in their home entertainment setup. Gadgets like soundbars have become much more commonplace. If you find yourself shopping around for one, the Sharp Soundbar 2.1 gives you an excellent value option and includes a subwoofer. Here’s everything you need to know.
Features of the Sharp HT-SBW202
I recently tested out the JBL 5.0 Multibeam soundbar. A fantastic soundbar that packs loads of punch. This soundbar offered five channels all neatly packed into a single unit. This Sharp Soundbar that I’ve been testing out takes a different approach.
Sound
In the long speaker that sits in front of your screen, you’re given two channels. Sharp then opted to include a separate subwoofer. That’s another speaker in a box that sits to the side. This speaker isn’t about sound quality, it’s all about the impact of the sound. When you hear an explosion in the movie, you feel it because of the subwoofer. There’s no messing around with cables either. The subwoofer syncs up wirelessly and is simple to set up and link to the main soundbar.
The Sharp HT-SBW202 wireless subwoofer reduces the mess of cables around your TV
The result of Sharp’s approach to their soundbar is a cinematic experience at home. I couldn’t fault the sound quality at all between watching movies and live sports. Most importantly, the subwoofer does make a massive difference. That dedicated box means you feel the big moments in big movies. Perhaps the beauty of the Sharp HT-SBW202 is its simplicity. I once tested a soundbar that was so complex, it constantly cut out and created visible lag between the video and audio.
This Sharp soundbar is beautiful in its simplicity, which also keeps the price down.
Connectivity
Sticking with the theme of simplicity, let’s talk about how you connect the Sharp 2.1 Soundbar to your TV. I opted to connect mine through an optical cable. If I recall correctly, that’s not included in the box. You do have other options too. Move modern TVs support ARC connectivity which lets you control the soundbar with your TV remote.
Bluetooth is also an option if you want to stream music from your phone using something like Spotify. Now, I do like it when speakers feature AirPlay, Chromecast Audio or better still are fully Google Home compatible. With this feature, you can create speaker groups in your home. But not everyone wants this, and that’s what Sharp is banking on. This is for people who want a nice and simple soundbar for watching movies without the expensive bells and whistles.
You do have a few more options when it comes to playback, including 3.5mm aux in and even USB support if you have a stick full of tunes.
Remote
I have to pull Sharp up on one weird thing about the soundbar, and it’s not even the soundbar itself. It’s the remote. On the remote, you’ll find all the essentials including equaliser settings with 3-presets. You can mute, change source and adjust bass and treble too. But the remote is absolutely tiny.
The remote is just so tiny.
Maybe I’m being totally unfair zoning in on this fact, but I genuinely laughed when I took the remote out. Functionally, it doesn’t have a massive impact. Though it is sometimes hard to find the right buttons. The equaliser rockers are easily mistaken for volume, but you get used to it.
It’s not a reason against or in favour of recommending the soundbar. I just felt I had to call it out.
Sharp 2.1 Soundbar: The Verdict
The Sharp HT-SBW202 is simple but effective. It’s not going to set the world alight, but it’s also not going to break the bank. It’s a nice neat and tidy soundbar that’ll sit nicely in front of nearly any home cinema setup. I’d strongly recommend it if you’ve never had a soundbar and are just looking for a little more oomph.
There are a few cult classics I’ve watched over the years. A lot of them are interesting, to say the least, but still garner sizeable budgets. Take The Room for example. That movie is rumoured to have cost $6 million but reached cult status after initially flopping. Then there are movies like Sharknado and the likes. They’re all so bad, they’re good, but they still cost a small fortune. And this is why I adored a little film I stumbled upon on TikTok called VelociPastor.
What Is VelociPastor?
Where do I begin? VelociPastor is a horror comedy that cost just €36,000 to make. The movie is all about a priest who sets off travelling after the deaths of his parents. On his travels, he ventures to China, though I’d guess the film crew didn’t leave the United States. While in “China” he is infected by an ancient artefact. Basically, when angry the priest, or pastor, turns into a dinosaur. Yep, he’s a VelociPastor.
The film surrounds the VelociPastor cleaning up his hometown and eventually avenging his parents.
It’s really interesting to see VelociPastor getting a second wind in the public eye. It’s happening mainly because of TikTok. Here, actors from the film are engaging with the movie’s cult following, the pastor usually doing so in character.
Where Can You Watch VelociPastor?
The movie has been officially picked up by Amazon Prime US. Well, I say picked up but anyone can upload movies to Prime – it’s fairly easy. So it’s not really clear if the creators of VelociPastor are making money. I have watched the full movie on YouTube and I’m somewhat sure it’s a legitimate distribution of the movie.
You can watch it right here!
Watch The Full VelociPastor Movie
Best Scenes From VelociPastor
I have two scenes I absolutely loved. You don’t have to wait long for the first one.
Opening Explosion VFX Scene
This is just my type of comedy. Low budget movies often leave the heavier lifting of some video effects until the very end. They even test the movie with some audiences before the finishing touches are added. During one test, the audience laughed so hard at the “VFX Car on fire” that they decided to keep it in. It was the first laugh the movie got and boy does it set the tone.
The creators sent the movie to one film festival. They called them back asking for the final version, thinking this was all a mistake. Really, it was just brilliance.
The Laughing Scene
This is brilliant because I’m not sure how much of it is acting, utter stupidity and genuine actors just losing their composure on camera. There are at least two moments I feel like I can see both actors genuinely break and smirk or give a full belly laugh. But it also looks like they don’t. The result is weird laughing leading to what might be the best laugh acting you’ve ever seen.
From here on out, I can’t do the movie real justice. The final fight scene deserves a massive mention, but there are so many excellent parts to it I can’t break it down. Go watch it. It’ll pass over an hour for you.
VelociPastor FAQs
When was VelociPastor made?
VelociPastor was filmed in 2017.
Where was VelociPastor filmed?
VelociPastor was filmed in North America. Despite a scene taking place in China, it’s not believed that production left the United States.
How Did VelociPastor Get Made?
VelociPastor started out as a college project. After two failed crowdfunding attempts, the movie was made with the backing of a private investor.
How long is VelociPastor?
Velociraptors were about 2 meters long. This movie is about 75 minutes long.
Can I watch VelociPastor in Ireland?
VelociPastor isn’t on any of the Irish streaming services, with Amazon US holding onto it right now. There’s a copy of it on YouTube that seems fairly full length.
Will there be a VelociPastor 2?
Yes. It’s rumoured there’s going to be a sequel. Thank Christ.
It’s not that long ago I first downloaded TikTok in a bored lockdown stooper. Today, it takes up more of my time than I care to admit. I’ve noticed a lot more crud on the platform too. Stupid trends and simply harmful comments infecting the platform as seems to be par for the course with social media. However, there are also moments of delight and hope that emerge too. One such moment is the story of Iran Ferreira and the football club, Vasco da Gama.
Who Is Iran Ferreira?
Iran Ferreira is a football fan with a keen eye for finishing and capturing those moments on social media. Ferreira is perhaps better known by his TikTok handle “luvdepedreiro“. That basically means the “guy wearing the mason glove”. Ferreira blew up on TikTok for scoring goals, mastering various juggling tricks with his own unique trademark added in. When he scores, he speaks at a frantic pace to the camera, celebrating his achievement. What’s also a fairly unique feature of his videos (at least to Irish people watching) is the dirt pitch he’s playing on.
His social media content caught plenty of attention. For a start, his TikTok has over ten million followers and his Instagram over seven million followers. But it’s not just couch jockeys like me that are watching. Professional football teams have been wowed by his first touch and ability to finish, particularly into the top right corner.
And that’s where Vasco da Gama comes into Ferreira’s story.
Vasco da Gama Brings In TikTok Viral Football Star
Vasco da Gama is one of Brazil’s oldest sporting clubs, known best for football. It’s also the club that Ferreira has loved and supported for his whole life. Vasco da Gama brought Ferreira to the club to honour him for his sporting and social media achievement. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been signed by the club on a contract thought.
As a guest of the club, he spent three days meeting with players and even shooting trademark shots on the Vasco da Gama home pitch. He’s also caused quite a stir around the club too.
Someone watching Iran Ferreira on Instagram
It’s a win-win situation for everyone really. Ferreira gets to grow his social media profiles while the club gets some extra exposure. What it shows us is the power of the individual over organisations on social media now.
Who knows? Maybe another team will come along and get him into the reserves just in case he is the next big thing.
