Looking at the whole Messi debacle felt like being in the eye of a storm. With FIFA 22’s release date of October 1st still a while away, only now that Messi’s pen has officially hit above the line on the Paris St Germain contract that I realise this is a disaster for the next installment of FIFA. Even worse news, is that EA Sports has already ruined FIFA 21 Seasons by moving Messi early.
Is Ultimate Team Going To Be The Worst Thing?
I used to love FIFA Ultimate Team, lovingly referred to as FUT. In this game mode, you build a squad from absolutely nothing to take on the world. You match your players with their fellow teammates on a club or national level. The idea is that the better the match, the better the chemistry and the better your chances are to succeed.
It’s tough to find the best players for a couple of reasons. One being that, unless you pay new players are drip-fed out to you in tough to acquire “packs”. Opening these packs is very much like opening the old sticker collections was, hoping you find a “shiny” or a “number 1” Premier League logo sticker. As a result, opening packs has become a tense affair with some creators owing most of their streaming views to the opening of packs alone. Check out this video with over three million views along.
W2SPlays opens packs
But the Messi transfer to PSG brings a new, not exactly life-ending, problem for FUT players. He’s going to be on the same team as Angel di Maria. That’s Angel di Maria, the Argentine right-winger. Just like Messi, the Argentine right-winger. The amount of pack openings that will end in disappointment is going to be colossal. Why? Because in that moment of tense waiting, you’ll see the Argentine flag coming flying. You’ll see that RW flying at your screen. As you start to convulse you’ll see the PSG crest and just as you’ve convinced yourself you’ve bagged a Messi, you get a di Maria.
Anyway. One of the reasons I stopped playing FUT was that it felt like pay to play. It also felt like my teams would get worse unless I constantly added new blood. It just didn’t feel like FIFA. So I got stuck into seasons instead.
Messi To PSG Is A Disaster For Seasons Too
I play seasons online myself and I play with friends. In fact, I play better with a human teammate than I ever do myself. While my performance varies between the two seasons modes, one constant remains. 90% of the games I play are against PSG.
Picking the PSG team in seasons gives you a massive advantage. While the real-world team coughs and splutters outside their domestic league, it’s impossible to deny the team’s individual quality. When to translate the player stats to the world of FIFA seasons they become practically unplayable in the hands of an expert.
Messi’s FIFA card featuring in the February 21 LaLega Player of the Month
PSG is home to the FIFA 22 cover star, Kylian Mbappe. He’s got an overall rating of 90 in FIFA 21, including a whopping 96 pace. Playing alongside him is the Brazilian star Neymar. He’s rated 91 overall with high scores for dribbling and shooting. Should Messi’s deal be signed, sealed and delivered he’ll now round out the front three. With an overall rating of 93 he is second to none and the very best player in the game, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The rest of the PSG team is solid. A weak defense matters little when every game will be an onslaught to see who scores more.
Messi Moves Early In FIFA 21 Seasons
To make matters worse, EA didn’t even wait to ruin the online battles. In a somewhat unprecedented move, Messi has already been transferred for players to make use of in FIFA 21 Seasons. Yup, right now you can pick PSG and play online with Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar in attack. Since this update, I’ve played a ton of games against PSG and they are painfully good. But this still begs the question. Why has EA moved Messi early?
Lukaku remains at Inter. Ronaldo is still at Juventus (or Piermont I should say). EA doesn’t do final window transfer updates prior to the release of a new game. Why would they? FIFA doesn’t get a massive gameplay overhaul every year. Most people are simply paying for the updated teams. So why move Messi?
Perhaps it was to avoid gamers staying on FIFA 21 in protest. Maybe there’s some contractual agreement that Messi has with them. But the thing I find so odd is that whatever triggered such a quick update hasn’t also been triggered for Ronaldo.
Why Is PSG vs PSG Trending On Twitter?
Already, the internet is responding and this is the reason PSG vs PSG is trending on Twitter. Prospective FIFA 21 and even PES players are already committing to shamelessly playing with PSG in the all too likely event of coming up against PSG in online play.
If you choose PSG in FIFA 22, I will choose PSG as well. I don’t have shame, it will be PSG vs PSG.
If you were holding out hope that this was all just theoretical and maybe it wouldn’t happen. The only hope we have is that PSG has to offload someone else from their front three to balance the books. Because Lional Messi to PSG is a done deal.
Apple has announced new Expanded Protections for Children which will roll out to their full estate of iOS, macOS, watchOS and iMessage. The very headline of the announcement would normally put it beyond question that this is a good idea. However, simply scratch the surface and you’ll find a plethora of data protection and privacy issues. A surprise considering Apple now markets itself as privacy first, stating “privacy is a fundamental human right“. So what’s going on?
Apple’s New Child Protections
A while back, Apple confirmed plans to implement new child protection measures across hardware like iPhone and, more importantly, their cloud storage service, iCloud. The details of this system to process child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) have now been confirmed. The American phone maker will release a couple of things but it’s the smart processing of images in iCloud that’s making headlines.
Apple plans to release software into their eco-system that will scan for content relating to the sexual abuse of children. In short, Apple retains a database of know child abuse images. Using this new technology, they will then look for matches in the iCloud Photos storage of users. Should a match be found, Apple will then be able to share information with the police to take the necessary steps to resolve any issues.
The Problem With Apple’s New Child Protection Measures
On the surface, how could you ever have a problem with anything that’s designed to stop child abuse? Well, there lies the problem. By releasing this software in an effort to stifle the horrendous proliferation of child abuse online, it’s very hard to question Apple’s motives. Indeed, I don’t think anyone, abusers aside has a problem with efforts to stop child abuse images. Yet, many are up in arms after hearing Apple’s plans because there are massive privacy concerns here.
How Else Could This Tech Be Used?
The concerns of privacy experts, myself and frankly most of Twitter from what I’ve seen is not what this tech will do. It’s what it could do. Take the child abuse out of this. One tweak in the algorithm and this same system could be used for any collection of images.
First of all, not all nations are a free or well-intentioned as the ones we find ourselves in. Sure, you might question that but other nations are outright corrupt. What’s to stop this technology from being used to find images or memes making fun of an unpopular political regime.
I’m no fan of WhatsApp. In fact, for privacy reasons, I quit the communications app completely. But even a WhatsApp head, Will Cathcart is concerned that “Apple built and operated surveillance system that could very easily be used to scan private content for anything they or a government decides it wants to control”.
We shouldn’t forget that Apple and Facebook really don’t like each other and all that, but still. His point is valid.
Apple’s Response To CSAM System Concerns
In response to the concerns around this processing system, Apple released a six-page FAQ. The document seeks to put some fears at ease, answering questions like will Apple scan all photos on an iPhone. The answer is no, this only applies to photos in iCloud Photos.
Apple also confirms that it is taking these steps in an effort to protect children while also protecting privacy, a goal that Apple claims this system helps achieve.
Apple On Security OF CSAM System
The really interesting questions surround security for the CSAM detection system in iCloud Photos and whether or not the system can be used to detect anything other than CSAM. This is one of those times where a simple “no” is the best answer. However, Apple includes a word that will do little too allay the fears of privacy experts; “process”. In answering this question, Apple says their “process is designed to prevent that [the system being used to detect anything other than CSAM] from happening”. This basically means that yes, the system could be tweaked to crosscheck any database of images against iCloud Photos.
Apple On Rogue Governments
So, could a government force Apple to use this system for their own benefit? You’ll have to take Apple’s word for it, but it says it “will refuse any such demands” from governments to add non-CSAM images to the database. Apple says it has “faced demands to build and deploy government-mandated changes that degrade the privacy of users before, and have steadfastly refused those demands. We will continue to refuse them in the future”.
Apple On False Alarms
Here comes that “process” klaxon again. Could Apple’s CSAM system be abused and falsely flag innocent people to law enforcement? Apple says no and that “the system is designed to be very accurate”. Now, that’s cool and all, but you’ll find smartphones were designed to not go on fire. Space shuttles were designed to not fail and explode. While Apple says they have taken steps to avoid false flags, it’s not impossible.
Apple concedes that “the likelihood that the system would incorrectly flag any given account is less than one in one trillion per year”. Accounts that get flagged will be passed to a human for review. Personally, I see this as the weakest part given humans have been known to be terrible error prone.
What About Other Services?
Many other cloud storage services already have systems in place similar to this. The problem with Apple is that it has been a privacy beacon of hope for a long time. This is a significant step back for people who want a privacy-focused phone. You can disable iCloud Photos but the beauty of Apple is the eco-system that works so well.
Although, I’ve had my fair share of tearing out hair because of iCloud.
Will Apple Launch iCloud Photo Scanning In Ireland?
Apple will roll out this use of what it’s calling Neural Hash later this year. It will launch in the United States first and this is an important side note. Apple has also confirmed that any additional markets for roll-out will be subject to local laws and regulations allowing for such a system.
While it remains possible Apple will roll out CSAM scanning in iCloud Photos here in Ireland, GDPR and the whole concept of processing user accounts in the EU from the US will likely delay things.
This is a really difficult topic to get your head around. Stopping child abuse at any cost, for me, is worth a loss of privacy. However, the technology could so easily be tweaked for utter evil that it terrifies me.
Update: This article was updated to include Apple’s response to concerns around their new iCloud Photos CSAM-detection system.
Is it a sequel? Is this Hollywood admitting the first movie was so bad that we should just quietly accept it never happened? There’s a new Suicide Squad movie out. We’ve given it a gander to see if it’s worth watching.
What Is The Suicide Squad Movie About?
In short, The Suicide Squad is the follow-up movie to Suicide Squad, a 2016 movie with only a “the” in the difference. Well, a “the” and the fact this 2021 movie is a million times better. Both centre on the same “anti-hero” premise. A prison full of bad guys and gals are given the opportunity to undertake a mission. Success means a shorter sentence, failure means death.
That’s kind of where the comparisons between the two movies need to stop. The 2016 entry was awful, despite having Will Smith. The 2021 movie is great despite a lack of Will Smith.
This new Suicide Squad movie is all about a mission to the fictional island of Corto Maltese. A military coup causes the American Government some problems. Also, there’s a research facility that houses a giant alien starfish found in space. Yeah, sounds wild right? Anyway, the US Government sends in the Suicide Squad to blow the lot up. Havoc and comedy ensue. That’s pretty much the script. Oh, also. There’s copious amounts of violence. It’s at the very least on par with Deadpool.
Sylvester Stallone voices King Shark
The characters are genuinely brilliant. You can tell that the first movie was probably nearly finished by the time Dead Pool blew the anti-hero genre up but this new one forms most of the dialogue with tongue firmly in cheek. I’m not going to spoil anything, but in addition to Margot Robbie returning as Harley Quinn, we also get Sylvester Stallone as a shark and John Cena as Peacemaker. Idris Elba shows why he’s got the power to lead any movie. Honestly, I love them all.
Is The Suicide Squad Worth Watching?
The Suicide Squad takes itself just about seriously enough to be a brilliant watch.
The first movie was forgettable. In fact the only memorable thing about it was that watching it was regrettable. With a run time of over 210 minutes, a lot of people won’t be brave enough to invest time in The Suicide Squad. But remember. This was directed by James Gunn after he was kicked out of Disney/Marvel and before they brought him back.
He’s a great director for this genre. This entire film is a melting pot of Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy style action with a healthy dash of comedy. The entire movie flew by and I found myself laughing a lot. That’s where this kind of movie needs to sit. So if you felt the original Suicide Squad let you down, do give this one a shot. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Where To Watch The Suicide Squad
All of those “proper critics” are focused on how much money this movie is going to make. Naturally, we’re still in a pandemic so that’s going to be impacted. Still, The Suicide Squad is the big movie in cinema right now. Well, that and Jungle Cruise which is also awesome. You can go to the cinema to watch this in Ireland but understandably, that might not seem all that appealing.
The Suicide Squad has also been released on HBO Max but that streaming service isn’t available in Ireland. Sorry. Your choices are cinema or wait for general release. Unless you’re wise to the way of the VPN of course.
The Suicide Squad Trailer
On the fence? Let’s see if that trailer does the business.
Our homes have become like a fortress this past year. We’ve all spent so much time there that investing in a bit of work here and a gadget there made a lot of sense. Security is a constant in our minds too which makes Google’s announcement today really exciting. Nest, one of the many brands under Google and Alphabet, today announced a new suite of cameras for your home. We’re expecting review units to land in a couple of weeks, but in the mean time, here’s the skinny on what’s coming.
New From Google Nest
I’ve set a Eufy system up in the home I grew up in and it runs incredibly well. Eufy is one of the big challenger brands to the big two of Amazon’s Ring eco-system and Google’s Nest eco-system. At the heart of all of these home security these days are HD cameras and today Google announced a suite of Nest cameras.
Google Nest Cam
The big flagship camera is the Nest Cam. This works both indoors and outdoors, the latter being backed up with an IP54 weather-sealed rated. It’s your choice whether you permanently wire the camera up or rely on the built-in battery. Again, this is a similar concept to the system I set up at home. The need to recharge can be a pain and Google says that’ll need to be done every three months, but the flexibility of battery-power is a worthwhile trade-off in my opinion.
Lashing rain but IP54 rated. Important the cameras can withstand that in Ireland.
The Google Nest Cam will shoot 1080p video at 30fps, offering a 130-degree field of view. This all links to your Google Home app for giving your full view of your home where ever you are.
Looking back at events is technically free. You can stream noted events from the past three hours. However, if you want more than that you’ll need to subscribe to Nest Aware or Nest Aware Plus. More on that later.
Google’s Nest Cam will set you back €199.
There is also another version of this camera that includes a floodlight. It’s important to note that you’ll need to wire this one in but even more important to note that it doesn’t appear to be coming to Ireland.
Google Nest Cam Indoor
Slightly more simplified is the Google Nest Cam Indoor. There are countless uses for the Nest Cam Indoor. Personally, I’m not sure why it wouldn’t make a great baby monitor but it certainly makes the grade for keeping an eye on your pets when away. If you’ve got a very smart home setup, you could also use a camera like this for monitoring your hallway when allowing delivery drivers remote access to your property. Considering online-shopping has grown so much and we probably will have to go back to the office sooner or later, this could be really handy.
Isnt’ that really cute
The big difference between the Nest Cam Indoor and Nest Cam is the lack of a battery and IP-rating. Neither all that much needed indoors right?
Despite the drop in spec, I can’t see this camera being any less attractive, particularly once you factor in the price of €139.99.
Google Nest Doorbell
This might be my favourite. Like I said, getting deliveries of online purchases is so common now and people simply aren’t home all the time. How amazing is it that technology now exists where a delivery driver can ring your doorbell when you’re off on holidays and you can answer him and tell him to drop the package into your neighbour. Love it.
This is exactly the scenario the Google Nest Doorbell aims to win at. I’ve got the Eufy doorbell at my home place, and Ring has also had a doorbell for many years. This is the first easy-install wireless doorbell from Nest. Like the camera, you’ll get about three months battery. Less if you live on a street that gets a lot of knick-knack-knockers.
The doorbell does what you’d expect and links into the Google Home eco-system. The built-in camera shoots 960 x 1280 video again at 30fps. Important too is the inclusion of night-vision and HDR. Storage remains the same as the Nest Cam. Three hours of event history for free but you’ll need to pay for more.
It felt wrong being excited with that headline. “Crack” and “screen” rarely means anything good. But this is good, very good indeed! Our mobile phones are evolving. Once upon a time, removing the headphone jack would have been sacrilege. Pin-hole selfie cameras were unheard of. Well, selfies themselves were unheard of. Folding touchscreens are becoming practically mainstream. The next big thing is likely to be the in-screen camera. Back in 2019, OPPO revealed their first take on this concept and today they confirmed the next generation is ready.
OPPO’s In-Screen Camera Technology
So this is OPPO’s second take on in-screen camera technology. Their first shot at it was impressive, but it dead result in reduced pixel density around the area where the camera sits under the screen. OPPO’s new solution doesn’t do this and now the phone maker claims users will notice “almost no visual difference between the area [where the camera sits] and the rest of the screen during everyday use”.
To show what this might look like, OPPO released this image of a prototype, though I’ll reserve opinion until a real-world model is seen.
An OPPO phone with an in-screen camera
OPPO has likely gone with this e-reader style demo of the screen given how difficult this would be to pull off convincingly. Again, I’m acutely aware this could just be a render and non-indicative of a real-life shot. However, if OPPO can live up to this expectation, it could finally be the end of the notch.
Shots From Within The Screen
It’s mind-boggling really. If you look through coloured foil, your world becomes that colour. Yet, OPPO has worked out how to take a shot through a screen of colour. OPPO’s next-generation under-screen camera uses AI algorithms to sidestep issues such as blur and image glare. This means the phone does all the work while users can capture clearer, more natural images.
Check out these selfies which OPPO has provided
Do We Need Under-screen Cameras?
As I said at the outset, there was a time we thought we needed headphone jacks. A time we didn’t think we needed selfies cameras at all or maybe even smartphone cameras full stop. I’ve personally moved to the smaller iPhone 12 because I like the smaller form. In-screen camera technology means I can get more from my small screen. But the benefits are also for those of you who like big phones, folding phones and really any phone at all.
Design is about overcoming compromise and the likes of “the notch” is an imperfect design solution. Technology offers a way to circumnavigate that, and that technology is under-screen camera technology.
Whether or not we see this technology in OPPO’s next flagship or not, remains to be seen.
In fairness, you probably can’t even call this a leak anymore. Today on Twitter, Google released the latest info on their upcoming flagship smartphones which will replace the Pixel 5 series. Here’s what we’ve learned from Google’s inability or desire to keep a secret.
Google Will Launch Two Smartphones This Year
It’s now absolutely confirmed that Google will launch two phones this year. A double confirmation for phones this year and that the launch will feature two flagship smartphones. We’ll be getting the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro.
Both models will come in three colour combinations. Here you can see both models and all colour options. The phone with the bigger space above the camera bar is the Google Pixel 6 Pro.
The full suite of Pixel 6 phones. The Pro has a bigger space above the camera bar.
Camera Will Be The Big Pro Difference
One of the standout design features on the Google Pixel 6 is the camera bar across the back. The camera will also be the big difference between Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Naturally, that’ll likely be alongside screen size and battery capacity.
The Pixel 6 will feature two primary cameras and a selfie camera. The Pixel 6 Pro features three primary cameras and a selfie camera. It’s a telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom that sets the Pixel 6 Pro aside from the Pixel 6.
Google Tensor: Google Developed Their Own Chip
As is a new trend in a world where the supply of silicon is damn hard, Google has developed its own chip. This System on a Chip or SOC is called Tensor and Google has been working on it for about five years. It’s the first chip designed by Google specifically for Pixel phones. Moving to Tensor is a departure from using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips and Google plan to enable new AI-powered experiences previously not possible with Qualcomm.
Promotional Tensor image from Google
Google also promises a “transformed experience” for the camera and speech recognition. The obvious area open for improvement here is Google Assistant, but Google Translate could be the sneaky winner of developments. At least I hope that’s the case, speaking as a man whose German has let him down on more than one occasion!
Finally, Tensor will also make phones more accessible. I spotted constant captioning as an option on my Pixel 5 and that’s going to be built upon too.
Material Design Becomes Material You
For years, Google has had a design philosophy at their core called Material Design. This is the reason everyone from Google looks the way it does, including apps developed more broadly for Android. It draws upon a wide range of features and design cues but is heavily user-experience focused and draws upon natural motions and mimics real-world objects to help users adopt hardware more naturally.
Now, Google wants to include you – the phone user – in the formula of how your phone works. Hence the name Material You. From Google’s own demos it looks like Material You will adapt your phone theme colours to the photos you take and the colours you pick. I’ll need to see this working in real-time to gauge how good it is. It’s definitely one of the fluffier inclusions from the leak today.
Pixel 6 Is Launching In The Autumn
If you were hoping for an exact launch date, I have to disappoint you. Google said their new phones would launch in the Fall. That’s Autumn for you and me. You can read through the full Pixel 6 leak thread from Google below.
After years of reviewing smartphones, I like to think I can spot a gimmick when I see one. When Dyson revealed their new laser-powered “Detect” technology in a media briefing a few months back, I was sceptical. Now, after put the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute through its paces I’m rather surprised to say the technology is fantastic. I shouldn’t be surprised anymore really.
Meet The Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute
In my review of the Dyson Omni Glide, I concluded that while I loved the vacuum, it just wasn’t perfect if you have any sort of rug or carpets. That left me asking what the perfect vacuum for my small apartment is and the answer is the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute.
Dyson is obsessed with adding bits and pieces to your home cleaning experience with this new vacuum leaning heavily on the cool tech side of things. Given that’s what we do around here, let’s start there.
Dyson’s Laser Head Fluffy
The idea of slapping a laser on a vacuum didn’t fill me with confidence, but I guess I should remember that Dyson engineers don’t just slap things together. One of the many different accoutrements in the box of my Dyson V12 is the Laser Slim Fluffy head. As I’ve alluded to already, I really didn’t expect this to impress. I was wrong.
As I roll the V12 across timber floors, I can see dust appearing before my eyes under a bright green light. I’m naturally compelled to drive the Dyson over it and roll back just to see it’s all vanished. I felt the urge to run the vacuum in a dark room to see it in operation, but in practice, the laser head really does make dirt on the ground more apparent – regardless of the lighting.
Here. See for yourself. First you see the dust, then you don’t.
You might need to jack up the resolution a bit.
Have you ever read someone writing so dramatically about vacuuming? I never thought I’d write like this myself about a cleaning product, but when there’s this much tech packed in, it’s hard to resist lifting the Dyson from its holster on the wall and giving the kitchen or living room a quick run. I love seeing an auld spill that needs attention.
As impressive as the laser head is, it’s not going to be able to show you the tiniest of particles. The naked eye still has limitations. But the vacuum itself has another trick up its sleeve.
The Particles Went In Two By Two
Right, so popping a laser onto a vacuum is a surefire way to get me cleaning the house. I’m a little divided between two features of the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute in terms of taking home the “coolest feature” award. The challenger is the piezo sensor. Here’s what it does.
When reviewing the Dyson Air Purifier recently, I pointed out how odd it is that we all breathe air every second of every day but pay very little attention to its quality. But when you get something like the Dyson Air Purifier that relays the air quality of your living space to you in real-time, you really do make changes. Opening the apartment door during rush hour is a big no-no and cooking is a massive polluter in my small apartment. So much so, that frying up sausages will drive the air purifier wild.
Why am I bringing all this up? Well, information drives decision making. When you have some new information, it’s much easier for you to change how you do things. The Dyson V12 Detect’s piezo sensor gives you that vacuuming data. Basically, this sensor can detect the size of dust particles you are sucking up. This information is then displayed on the vacuum’s screen, broken down into particle size. It’s worth sitting down to get a grasp of what the numbers mean because they won’t make sense at first.
A quick guide to better understand what your Dyson Detect screen is telling you
Without bothering with that, the piezo sensor still delivers a performance boost when the V12 Detect is in Auto mode. Once the vacuum detects a particularly dusty patch full of larger particles, suction power is automatically increased. Once the big stuff is gone, power will automatically dial back down to save on power.
What strikes me about these two big features on the Dyson V12 Detect is how true to life the performance is compared to how Dyson sell the product themselves. This vacuum does not disappoint, and there’s plenty left to mention too.
Dyson Fittings Galore
Along with the fluffy laser head, comes a full toolkit of additional heads. Personally, the most important one is the direct-drive cleaner head. While this works on hard floors, I switch over to this one for taking on that big rug in the living room. It still feels like we’ve had dust in that rug until this vacuum landed in to review, pulling out dirt even the Omni Glide couldn’t get.
Another winner, particularly if you’ve got long hair or a long-haired pet, is the hair screw tool. Vacuums, particularly those with motorised heads and even my beloved robovac, love getting hair tangled up in them. The solution is this cone-shaped conical brush that guides hair up into the vacuum and away from getting tangled in the head itself.
Finally, you’ll also find the standard multi-head tool for quick countertop cleans and the narrow nozzle for getting into hard to reach spaces.
One thing that did surprise me with these fittings was how suitable the V12 Detect is as a handheld portable vacuum. Still great for those Monday morning coffee spills or giving the car a quick clear out.
All of these bits and pieces are “take apartable” so you can give it all a thorough cleaning from time to time. Clean tools, clean home.
Running Time
Dyson advertises that the V12 Detect will run for up to 60 minutes. There’s an important caveat here. That’s 60 minutes with the vacuum set to ECO mode and without a motorised head. I never found a realistic scenario where I’d be running the vacuum like that. You’re far more likely to be looking at 30 minute run times. Not an issue in the slightest in my apartment, but if you do have a bigger home a second battery might be a good investment.
Additional Features
There really is a wild amount of stuff going on with the Dyson V12 Detect. Some features are tough to categorise so I’m going to round them up here.
Cleaner Air
Along with the piezo sensor letting you know what kind of dust particles you’re removing from your home, the Dyson also features a fully-sealed trap system that releases much cleaner air into your home. Obviously quite tough to validate, but Dyson has previously shown that they go above and beyond standardised testing to create their own, even higher, expectations.
Ok Bin Emptying
Like the Omni Glide, there’s also a “no-touch” bin emptying functionality. The idea here is that you slide the bin at the pull of a level and empty all the waste into a bin while keeping your hands clean. My experience so far has been that I have to fully remove the bin to get everything and inevitably, some dirt ends up on the floor. This means I get to vacuum that up and I find that oddly satisfying anyway.
The Wall Dock
Over a couple of my reviews lately, I’ve mentioned this idea of applying UX principles to my everyday life. My idea is that we often design things in shops and online for customers to help them behave in certain ways and to find things easier. By bringing some of these ideas into the home, I’ve found that I can change my own behaviour too.
The Dyson comes with a wall dock and I’m finding this awesome. First of all, the vacuum is always charged. More importantly, the Dyson is easy to grab and give somewhere a quick clean. You know, like when I’m constantly spilling coffee over the kitchen floor in a sleepy stooper.
One clever additional feature not enjoyed on the Omni Glide is two extra slots on the wall dock to hold some of your extra heads. You can even slot the longer shaft into the dock if you’re doing some handheld cleaning. For the smaller non-motorised tools, there’s also an on-shaft holding tool. I’m going to stop talking about all of these things now before I make an immature joke.
Cordless
This might be obvious, but I loved the Omni Glide because it doubled as a handheld vacuum. The detect does this just as well. Lots of fittings and an even bigger battery means this is a remarkably versatile home cleaning tool that you can give the boot of your car a quick run with too.
Verdict: Is The Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute Worth Buying?
Ok, we’ve arrived at the part where I mention Dyson gear doesn’t come cheap. But after reviewing a few Dyson products now and speaking with people considering a purchase, that’s very well known knowledge. My understanding so far is that people know Dyson products will set them back, but they deliver on such high levels of performance that it’s money well spent.
After being so impressed by the Omni Glide, I’m fairly surprised that the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute still impressed me as the most impressive piece of home cleaning tech I’ve got to test out. Impressive because that’s how I felt when I tested the Omni Glide.
What really knocked me for six is the impact of that green laser when cleaning up. I genuinely thought it was going to be a gimmick, but instead, I’ve found myself compelled to vacuum more often than ever before because there’s nearly always dirt to be found. I see some of that with the laser and even more of it on the vacuums screen, breaking down particle sizes for me in real-time.
There have been two major stages in my life when it comes to vacuums. The first was from very young until very recently where I despised the idea of spending 10 minutes cleaning. The Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute ushers in my most recent phase where I’ve become a bit of a neat freak. Much like the air purifier led to me obsessing about my air, this new vacuum has me obsessing over my floors.
Travelling is back! With a PCR-test in my back pocket and my Apple AirTag linked to my luggage, I set off to Germany last week. While lots of paperwork is just part of travel now, the looming fear of Ryanair or Aer Lingus cancelling your flights for sport is also everpresent. Sure enough that happened to me. So I jumped onto a Lufthansa flight instead and bought myself some WiFi to test out. Is it worth buying in-flight WiFi? Well, let’s find out.
FlyNet: Lufthansa In-Flight WiFi
Lufthansa is one of Europe’s more premium airlines. Much like buying Apple products purely because of the fruit logo, this doesn’t mean a whole lot anymore. Sure, you get a little more leg room and a free bottle of water with a chocolate, but it’s hardly Catch Me If You Can levels of air luxury.
Lufthansa does offer an ever increasing number of flights with in-flight WiFi. This service is called FlyNet. Not too long ago, such services were reserved for long-haul flights, but Lufthansa is rolling this out to more and more short-haul flights too. I had a flight from Frankfurt to Dublin which was about 1.5 hours long. Hardly long enough to typically justify paying for WiFi, but long enough for me to test drive the service.
So, let’s get stuck in.
Is Lufthansa’s In-Flight WiFi Worth Buying?
Let’s start the the review with what you’re really here for. The answer is that it depends. I bought the FlyNet Stream plan for €10. I was surprised at some of the great speeds I was getting. Running various tests during the flight, my speeds ranged from a plan-busting 16 Mbps to a snail’s pace 640 Kbps. Also, I got every speed in between. You have to remember that you’re aboard a plane moving at anywhere up to 800kmph. Satelittes will change regularly and struggle to keep you in their sights. But still, this is the service you’re paying for and it has to work.
At best, I would say the service was intermittent. I streamed a full 15-minute highlight package of Formula E without any lag or issue. The same can be said for streaming music or Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Netflix. RTÉ Player just wouldn’t work, but this could be more RTÉ’s problem than a Lufthansa issue to be fair.
Streaming Formula E on YouTube with Lufthansa WiFi
While it worked well when it worked, there was a sizeable chunk of time on my relatively short flight spent trying to access the portal and get the WiFi connected to my iPad. You’re supposed to be able to transition from one device to another, but this didn’t work either.
I thought FlyNet would be terrible, but it delivered a better experience than expected. I feel I need to managed your expectations though because, while ok, it’s far from connecting to your home WiFi.
FlyNet: Lufthansa’s Available In-Flight WiFi Plans
The offering is pretty simple when in comes to picking a plan as there are only two on offer.
FlyNet Mail and Surf
FlyNet Stream
As you might guess, the first is aimed at those planning to answer emails which the latter targets the people who forgot to download the latest Netflix series to binge.
Cleverly, the price of each service varies based on your flight duration. I say cleverly because this means as a passenger, you don’t need to worry about working out limits or only watching a few shows. You’ll pay for your time and you can do what you like during that time.
Here’s a full breakdown of how Lufthansa charges for their in-air WiFi service. I’ve included the reward miles price too. After you book your outbound flight, you’ll likely have enough miles on your return flight to get something!
FlyNet Short And Medium-Haul Pricing
Flight Time
FlyNet Mail and Surf (Euro)
FlyNet Mail and Surf (Miles)
FlyNet Stream (Euro)
FlyNet Stream (Miles)
Less than 1 hour
€3
1000
€7
2300
1-2 hours
€5
1700
€10
3400
Over 2 hours
€7
2300
€12
3400
Max Speed
Up to 600 Kbps
Up to 600 Kbps
Up to 15 Mbps
Up to 15 Mbps
Data Limit
None
None
None
None
FlyNet Long Haul Pricing
While I was testing short-haul, the technology is the same on long-haul, more or less. Here’s the pricing breakdown.
Plan
FlyNet Chat
FlyNet Mail and Surf
FlyNet Mail and Surf Plus
Price (Euro)
€7
€17
€29
Price (Miles)
2300
5500
9500
Max Speed
Up to 64 Kbps
Up to 400 Kbps
None
Data Limit
None
500 MB
1 GB
What Speeds Do You Get With Lufthansa FlyNet
I was pleasantly surprised by the speeds I was getting. The connection was choppy, but when it worked I was usually getting between 6 Mbps and 12 Mbps. I’d be happy enough with that in my Mam’s gaff in rural Ireland. But I can’t ignore that it wasn’t plain sailing. Any time I changed what I was doing, the problems came.
One of the impressive in-flight FlyNet speed tests
Switching between apps meant long waits to get going again, but if you settle in with a movie for a two-hour flight, you should be golden.
How To Connect To FlyNet
I had done some prep work prior to my flight, but it’s not necessary. When you board the plane, you’ll have to wait for take-off. Then, with your phone in Flight Mode tap the WiFi to turn it on. You’ll see the FlyNet WiFi appear if it’s available on your flight. Connect to this and then try navigating to any website in your browser. You’ll be redirected to the FlyNet portal where you can either enter your pre-purchased voucher code or buy one for your flight.
Extra FlyNet Perks
If youre on long-haul, you’ll get some additional perks including the ability to stream live TV channels and German Sports TV. All customers can use the WiFi to browse the Lufthansa website for online shopping and learn more about your destination.
Lufthansa In-Flight WiFi: The Verdict
If you’re mad for the streaming, then give it a go. Personally, I don’t think €10 is a massive barrier to entry here for what is still fairly young tech. I’m struggling to see why I’d ever buy this again. Maybe if you were going to be in the air for a Hurling match and had some miracle way of getting RTÉ Player to work, it could be justified. I did enjoy monitoring my flight live on Flight Radar and messaging my Mam from 35k feet.
But, at the end of the day, the question really is why not just download your shows and music before you go?
It was either an unsure and rocky decision to get here or a bit of a PR stunt, but Prime Video original, Clarkson’s Farm, is coming back for a second season!
Clarkson’s Farm Confirmed For Season Two
I’ll do a catch-up in a minute, but I’m trying to avoid those “recipe-style” articles that give you the history of a story before the real reason you’re actually here reading this! On Twitter today, Jeremy Clarkson confirmed in a video that his farming show, Clarkson’s Farm, will be returning for a second run.
Standing in front of his infamously large Lamborghini tractor, Clarkson confirms “there will be a second series of Clarkson’s Farm”. The camera then flips to “star in a reasonably priced tractor” Kaleb, who jokes the show is called “Kaleb’s Farm”. Clarkson then continues to confirm that all the help returns, with “Chip, Charlie, Lisa, Gerald and the fetus in a tractor”, referring to Kaleb.
What Is Clarkson’s Farm About?
After years of streaming TV specials which had grown quite a bit stale, Jeremy Clarkson teamed up with Amazon to create Clarkson’s Farm. I was caught totally off guard by this show and loved it. No longer is Clarkson leaning on years of tired jokes with the Top Gear team. Instead, his buffoonery is complemented by a new team of farm hands where everything feels far more natural and unscripted. The star of the show, today referred to by Clarkson as a “fetus in a tractor” is Kaleb. He runs his own contracting service and is more or less the expert of all things “hands-on” on the farm.
Give the original review a read to get a better understanding of the show. This is more about the great news that season two is coming.
Rocky Road To Season Two Of Clarkson’s Farm
Despite the success of the opening season, all signs were pointing towards no return to Clarkson’s Farm. On Twitter, Clarkson himself, in response to speculation about cameras on the farm, said “dear everyone, there has been some speculation that a second series of our farming programme has been commissioned. It hasn’t but we are hopeful”.
Dear everyone. There has been some speculation that a second series of our farming programme has been commissioned. It hasn’t but we are hopeful.
Everything seemed quite uncertain. This was a but of a shock given feedback of the opening series had been quite popular. Arguably, Clarkson’s Farm was one of the most far reaching successes of Amazon to date. I’m basing that on the fact that people were generally mentioning it in group chats and work!
When Will Clarkson’s Farm Season 2 Start Streaming?
This is still far from confirmed. It’s likely to be 2022 at the earliest. Don’t forget that in order for the series to work, you need to grow crops. They can’t be rushed. There are other things that we might see like cattle perhaps, but for now we’ll just all have to sit tight and wait for more iron-clad details to emerge.
The good news is, at least there will be a new season. It was really starting to look like Amazon was going to make a mistake here and completely miss out on renewing a great success story. But then again, maybe it was never in doubt and the truth is this was all just some great PR.
Ireland’s first electric scooter trial has kicked off in Dublin today. While the progress is welcome it’s a long way short of where we should be and at the launch, some completely oblivious comments from Minister Hildegarde Naughton just show how out of the loop the Irish government is.
Ireland’s First E-Scooter Trial
Ireland’s first e-scooter trial will take place across the five campuses of Dubin City University. The trial sees scooter service operator TIER teaming up with technology partner LUNA and the Insight research team. For the trial, TIER has made a fleet of 30 electric scooters available. The cool thing is that these scooters will be fitted with advanced computer vision technology, allowing Insight researchers to explore a rich new source of smart-city data.
In an effort to allay fears over Irish city streets becoming littered with scooters, Luna technology installed on TIER e-scooters means the scooters are capable of running pedestrian detection and lane segmentation algorithms, allowing the vehicles to understand how many people are in their path, as well as preventing vehicles from being used on footpaths.
The pilot project, which launched today and will run until early 2022, will also explore other insights, particularly around user behaviours and attitudes, which can feed into any commercial shared e-scooter schemes that may be launched in Dublin and elsewhere across Ireland in the future.
TIER’s Fred Jones says he hopes “to apply all project learnings to future TIER operations in Ireland”.
The trial has lots of positives, not least of which will be massive safety benefits and benefits for vulnerable pedestrians. But at the same time, the outright legalisation of electric scooters in Ireland is taking an inordinate amount of time. Whether it’s a shared scooter lobby delaying private ownership or a nanny state gone wild, is impossible to know but at the heart is government mismanagement.
Oblivious Government Continues To Drag Heels
At the launch, Minister Hildegarde Naughton commented on the trial but seems completely out of the loop when it comes to how incredibly long it’s taking to legalise electric scooters in Ireland.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister said, “Ireland is truly leading the way in the space of the use of e-scooters and I very much look forward to seeing this pilot get moving across DCU campuses. This is an interesting and exciting time in transport – the innovation and momentum is palpable here today. It is my job now and the job of Government to play our part and progress the necessary legislation required for the safe use of e-scooters in Ireland. I look forward to seeing this pilot progress across campus and I am particularly interested in learning of its outcomes and insights which I am certain will inform us in further progressing legislation in this space”.
I try to focus on reporting the news instead of providing opinions but I can’t resist here. Since the days of Shane Ross, the government has been an opponent, not a supporter, of electric scooters. Despite calls since 2018 for the legalisation of electric scooters, riders have been treated as criminals in Ireland.
Ireland is a complete laggard when it comes to electric scooter usage. Most major European cities have implement scooter share systems and in recent times up to 93% of first-time users, become regular users. This is because, during a pandemic, people don’t want to be crammed into buses. Scooters provide a great alternative to public transport.
Destination Court: Electric Scooters In Ireland
If you live in Dublin, you’ll see that the streets are full of electric scooter riders even though they could be stopped by Gardai at any moment. This is due to electric scooters technically being considered mechanically propelled vehicles, requiring tax, insurance and a license to operate. This is despite tax and insurance being impossible to acquire for these devices.
I’ve spoken with several riders who have been stopped by Gardai and have actually been stopped myself before I ceased using mine. Some scooters have been seized, while others have ended up in court and even risked getting penalty points, fines or losing their license. Earlier this year at Ennis District Court, Judge Sandra Murphy convicted Michal Blwlus for not having insurance when riding his e-scooter on a footpath in Ennis during the first lockdown in 2020. Sure, he shouldn’t have been on the footpath, I agree with that. But the conviction for not having insurance along with his scooter actually being destroyed is excessive but somewhat typical of these cases.
So, yes. The Irish scooter technology industry is booming, but we’re exporting the benefits. There have been far more ambitious trials in the UK, taking place in public spaces where Irish operators have been able to properly test and learn.
This trial is positive. The technology is impressive. But considering we have a Green Minister for Transport celebrating a Ryanair Boeing 737 connecting Dublin and Kerry as a win, promising electric scooters for months on end as part of the Programme for Government but offering no progress during a pandemic where they were sorely needed and now these comments from Minister Naughton, please forgive me for ranting just a little bit.
The reality is that thousands of electric scooter riders are at risk of losing their modes of transport while facing fines every day. Anyone in Government who celebrates the reality that Ireland is a complete laggard in this space doesn’t get congratulations from me.
