Will

I did consider those too, functionally I reckon those are the right mix of stuff you’d use with a pretty decent form factor. There were a few things that put me off them, I don’t think the style is that great, they’re a bit google glass in that other people can see the screens and you looking at them and then the biggest one was the cost. I do think something like those will be what I end up upgrading to in the future though.

They do look great but I would only use them occasionally I think. I decided to get the Ray-bans. Went in to the store and had a go on them and was impressed, I can actually see myself using them quite a bit for their AI and headphone bits and the cameras will be great for chasing kids around. Unfortunately I don't, but I think these would be a great way of avoiding any interaction with it while there.

I’d be super interested to see how you get on with them over the next few weeks @Happenstance. I've been toying with getting myself a pair of the Rayban Meta glasses for Christmas but not sure whether to just go all in on something like this. Like you say I think those are a bit too much for using around town but I feel like I may find the Raybans a bit lacking.

I love these keyboards. I've had the K7 for a few years and hate using anything else now.

Scarily close, right? I can totally see Trump winning this.

So I’m once again having my thoughts on building a PC, and actually might follow through with it this time. Basically I have two targets: Be able to play retro games including Tekno Parrot Be my main gaming machine instead of a PS6 Point one is a now thing and two is something for the future. I’m basically thinking to build something cheap now with a Ryzen 5000 integrated graphics chip and then fully upgrade it in a few years time to cover the more modern games. Is this a sensible thing to do? Will I get much mileage from more recent stuff with something like that or will I be stuck on retro only (which is fine) until I do the big upgrade? Is there anything else I should think about before I go ahead with this?

The store looks like the best thing about this - I'm sure I'll spend a fortune when we go. I can get stuff for people. Finally I can put the kids to good use!

That 30th anniversary hardware looks so good. I really wanted the PS4 they did but couldn’t get one and even though none of this stuff would be on my to-buy list I really want all of it. I’ll probably log in when it all goes available and just see if I can get something then.

Yeah that’s definitely what I’ve noticed too, it would be great if they did a specific holiday course - I think I’d pay money for that. Nice streak! I'd totally forgotten about Memrise - another one I've not used in years. Will give it another go and see how I get on with it.

My wife has been joking about how bad my Japanese has gotten recently so I decided I needed to do something about it. I’ve started Duolingo for the first time in years and have to say it’s come on loads since I last used it. I don’t know if I could use it to learn in the first place but it’s definitely a good way of keeping things fresh. I skipped level 1 and then it quickly put me up to level 3 but it clearly needs to bump me up a load of levels as everything at the moment is way too basic. It’s enjoyable though and I can see myself keeping at it. Anyone else still keeping up with it for something?

For reasons I can’t go into I left my last job in the middle of July. I absolutely hated it so when I got the offer to part ways I jumped at the chance. I was a little worried with how things are in the industry right now but figured it was worth the risk to try and find something better. I decided to take the summer off and just enjoy things then September would be the time to start looking for something. One of the guys who used to work with me introduced me to a team looking for someone to help them out and I had a few chats with them over the summer before going down to see them last week. Loved the team, great project and all the right things to go with it. Had a call earlier today saying I’ll have the formal offer in the next few days!

That’s what Mummy’s phone is for.

Not a huge issue nowadays, most of the time I only carry a phone and keys with me.

I’ve never used one enough to know how they are - would you say the flexible screens are a lot more incident prone than regular ones? I’ve always been pretty good with keeping my phones in good condition so it’s not really something I think to be concerned about.

400 seems way too high to me - it’s too close to base level PS5 type pricing. If I was Nintendo I’d be aiming for the base model to be as close as possible to 300 and retiring the OLED Switch. Personally I'd get rid of the Lite too but I could see them keeping it around until they launch a Switch 2 Lite later on. For me it really depends on the games. I think I'd go up to 400 if there is a launch day Mario Kart + Mario OR Zelda. Otherwise I'll probably just wait until those come out. I might go as high as 500 but there would have to be some really seriously good games for that.

I feel like I wouldn’t worry too much about that exposed screen, is it any different to the exposed screen on the front really? I’d see it as a great opportunity for some additional functionality to be honest.

I really like that Huawei, seems like the right design for a foldable to me. When Apple invent that in a few years time I’ll probably get one.

On the PC side of things its not about it being directly comparable in one go as @Nicktendo has said. It’s that the price and overall lifetime cost is pushing things into a bracket where a PC becomes a viable alternative. If I want cutting edge PlayStation gaming I’m paying 300(?) quid for the original PS5 then 600 a few years later for the Pro, paying a lot more for games and then having to start again when the next generation rolls around. If I go to PC I’m paying a bit more per upgrade but they probably last me longer and don’t lock me out at any point. It will certainly be a far bigger consideration for me in the future than it ever has been in the past.

Don’t think I’ve ever been less enthused by a console update. What this thing does is great and all, it’s just not enough to warrant any sort of purchase. I can see why some people would want it but ultimately I agree that market will be very small. The PC point is an interesting one, if the next gen of consoles are anywhere near this sort of pricing it will certainly push me to move towards PC.

Yeah it will be odd. The whole point of these things is Fortnite meets SEGA IP but I doubt they will put the effort into making them as balanced as they need to be. I assume these things will be total chaos when (if) they make it out. I thought the leaked video looked rubbish, if it's free I'd definitely give it a try but I can't see it being worth paying money for.

I think this is probably the key point really, the whole lot of them are awful. I don't disagree but the outrage here seems to be on poor old pensioners having things taken off them when in reality it's the pensioners with a lot of money having a few benefits taken away and their fat private pensions taxed more in line with working people. I'm sure it's not been thought through properly as usual and there will be people in the middle squeezed from both ends. As with anything like this the best thing they could do is simplify the system to remove loopholes and ensure everyone actually understands what the hell is going on. I feel like this is another unwarranted outrage from people trying to turn everyone against each other. The tax breaks on EVs were always due to end. Taxing based on mileage is essentially what we currently have as the further you drive the more petrol you need and so... the more tax you are paying. The road network still needs to be maintained and I'm not sure how anybody expects that to happen if there is not some sort of tax coming in to fund it.

The country is just a total mess right now. I do like the approach he's taking with being quite open about things but it really does put in perspective just how bad things are. The Conservatives have done a great job of pitting the poor against each other while the rich get away with murder. It's really no wonder we are where we are. Tax raises will fill some of the holes we have but it doesn't change that much with the situation we are in. I think they need to go further and fundamentally change the way a lot of things work if we're actually going to succeed long term. Certainly will be interesting to see what happens. We're at a point where we may stay here or may go elsewhere and what happens in the next few months will play a big part in what we decide to do.

I’ll swap!

Sounds like Star Wars under Disney to me. I really enjoyed The Acolyte for what it was, but there just didn’t seem to be any point to it. Keep in mind that I’m definitely more on the casual side of the Star Wars fan base but it just seemed to me like a story going nowhere and with none of it really set up for me to actually care about getting more of it. It didn’t really expand on anything I’ve seen before or give a new angle to things, the characters are kind of cool but also don’t seem to play into anything. Ultimately it just felt like there was really no reason for this story to be told.

It looks kind of fun but I wouldn’t say there was much they showed that would make this an essential visit for me. I’m hoping that the stuff they didn’t show will be the more exciting stuff and once we see reports from people who have visited there will be a bigger reason to go.