Author: Brett Venter

Jeff Bezos blasted into space (more or less) last month on a Blue Origin rocket, a move that didn’t impress… well, most parts of the planet that didn’t include Jeff Bezos. So it might not be the perfect time to mention that you can own your very own New Shepard rocket, for the unfortunate sum of $69. Because of how it looks, naturally. Blue Origin for beginners https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_YRr1R1dH8 Perhaps appropriately, the Blue Origin rocket being offered on the Estes Rockets web store is rated for beginners. Jeff Bezos’ company doesn’t have that much experience with putting its hardware up in…

If you’ve lived on the South African coast, you’ll be aware of just how many cargo ships travel up and down our coastlines. They’ve all got engines and they all make… a bit of a mess. That’s about to change. Later this year, a ship called the Yara Birkeland will travel from Herøya to Brevik in Norway. This wouldn’t be a big deal, except that the Yara Birkeland will be completely unmanned. It’ll also be completely electric — its creators bill the Birkeland as an emissions-free vessel. Creepy cargo ship The Yara Birkeland has been in development for some time.…

Everyone’s favourite mentally ill musician, Kanye West (no judgement, it’s just a thing), has a new toy for budding artists to play with. The Donda Stem Player might look like a cross between an Ultimate Ears Roll 2 and a Fleshlight but it’s not a Bluetooth speaker — though we suppose you could use it as one, if you were really boring. What does the Donda Stem Player do? https://twitter.com/yevideo/status/1430543251442999299? West’s new device, part of a partnership with tech company Kano (you’ll see the Yeezy Tech x Kano branding at the official website), is kind of like a Bluetooth speaker,…

South Africa’s recent unrest is still very fresh in everyone’s memory. Riots, looting, politicians being banned from Twitter — it was an exciting time. Samsung isn’t quite finished with the events of July 2021 — the South Korean company has activated a system that will remotely lock “…all Samsung television sets looted from our Cato Ridge distribution centre in KZN since the 11th of July 2021.” Can… can Samsung do that? The ‘feature’ is called Samsung Television Block and it does exactly what it says on the tin. When the TV is connected to the internet — and most of them…

Remember when Donald Trump did the whole Space Force thing? Yeah, turns out there might be a reason for that. A website dedicated to US military developments reports that the United States’ Defense Department is debating whether to declassify “…the existence of a secret space weapon program and providing a real-world demonstration of its capabilities.” Elevating military might Which sounds a lot more awesome than it actually is, at least according to the website Breaking Defense. It doesn’t seem much like rockets or lasers (okay, maybe lasers) or a Mass Relay or anything like that — apparently the US military…

South Africa has a new space services company, AAC Space Africa. Yes, SA actually has a space industry (and our local space agency’s acronym is SANSA, of all things. Very Game of Thrones) and its number has officially increase by one, thanks to a new initiative by Swedish company AAC Clyde Space. The company announced yesterday that it is establishing a new South African subsidiary to “…capitalize on the rapidly growing market for satellites and space services in Africa.” Earth to AAC Space Africa The local company will be based in Cape Town and will “…design, build, and deliver space…

Every once in a while, we come across a completely unexpected piece of tech — something that we didn’t realise could prove to be a useful part of our lives until we saw the blasted thing. The Xiaomi Mi Portable Electric Air Compressor (we won’t be referring to it by its full title throughout, don’t worry) is one of these. This little air compressor isn’t an everyday essential, unless you’re a cyclist or you really go hard on the football field, but it’s something you should consider purchasing and leaving in your car — you know, in case of emergencies.…

No matter how you feel about the WWE, there’s no question that they’re super keen to jump on new tech as it arrives. Spotify and World Wrestling Entertainment are teaming up to supply the world with all of the WWE’s podcasts, a partnership that’s the result of Spotify’s recent acquisition of The Ringer. It’s Spotify, with the announce table! The move should prove quite the shot in the arm for Spotify’s podcast ambitions — WWE fans tend to be a little rabid and the streaming service’s podcast exclusivity in that industry should draw in a fair number of its close-to-a-billion…

In what might be an ‘about time’ moment for the language app, Duolingo has a new update on the way that will finally add a couple of South African languages to the service. Specifically, Xhosa and Zulu are on the cards for those able to brave the fury of the owl instructor who really, really wants you to learn a new language. New Duolingo duo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4bDrMw-OyQ&feature=emb_logo The pending update was announced at DuoCon, an online event detailing what’s coming next from the language-centric app. It’s not just South Africa finally being represented either — Haitian Creole, Tagalog and Maori are…

Imagine being able to get together with your co-workers, share what you’re working on in real time, see and hear each other, without being in the same room or even the same city. That’s called a Zoom meeting. Facebook’s Horizon Workrooms, a newly revealed attempt by the social network to use its Oculus VR division for something other than eNtErTaInMeNt, is very much a similar concept. Only you need a Facebook-made VR headset to play. Horizon Workrooms: Zero Dawn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgj50IxRrKQ&feature=emb_logo Okay, so we’re dumping on this new idea because it’s Facebook and they’re big enough to look after themselves. Horizon…