Author: Brett Venter

You may not be aware that South Africa offers a Free Basic Electricity allocation to a portion of its population. If so, you’re either too busy trying to keep your family fed, or you don’t have to worry about FBE. Even if the latter is the case, it’s entirely possible that you know someone who could benefit from the government program but doesn’t. Be a good chap (or lass) and pass it on, will you? What is Free Basic Electricity? Free Basic Electricity is a program that gives some South African households between 50kWh and 60kWh of free electricity a…

If you’re a South African, you know that the cost of visiting the petrol pump has you considering buying a horse. There’s another petrol price increase due in a matter of days. Before that happens, the South African government has a little respite in store for the country. From 6 April — so next Wednesday, when the petrol price is likely to go up — South Africa’s fuel levy will be dropped by 40%. This tax break will remain in effect until the end of May. SA’s finance minister Enoch Godongwana made the announcement while addressing parliament on 31 March.…

So you want in on Samsung’s newest crop but don’t have R28,000 to splash out on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Maybe you’re on a budget, or maybe you’re just ambivalent about camera performance. In that case, the S22+ is also off the list. Time to examine the stock Galaxy S22, the only phone in the lineup that costs less than R20k. As is usual with the only flagship lineups that matter, most of the specs are common throughout the range. If you’re looking for powerful, you’ve found it. There are a few concessions — the jump forward between generations isn’t…

If things were any more magical, we’d be Disney princesses. Disney+, the streaming service for people with a love for traumatising animation (and Marvel movies), lands in South Africa soon. In just over six weeks, give or take an eternity, it’ll be possible to subscribe to the mighty mouse’s video content. It’s the most exciting launch since Netflix first launched in South Africa. But, unlike the Netflix launch, there are far more options on the market to distract you. Showmax has secured access to some of Disney’s content (for a while). Netflix has a mobile-only plan available. Disney+, believe it…

Nobody ever reads the terms and conditions. Nobody EVER reads the terms and conditions. Stuff constantly has fun with the fact during its giveaways. But perhaps, if you’re planning on sticking your life savings into crypto or NFTs, you should have some idea of the risks involved. Which, if you’re not suckered by the Discord positivity, is quite clearly laid out in the terms and conditions. That you didn’t bother to read. Cryptocurrency proponents — the ones that make a serious living from it — are all well aware of the risks. So are the companies funding it. It’s time…

So you want to be a streamer, do you? Then your budget should probably include tickets to this year’s in-person Comic Con Africa. Why? StreamerCon, apparently. There’s now one more reason to attend the in-person geek festival in September this year. What is a StreamerCon? StreamerCon is not, as the name suggests, a parole program where former convicts get jobs on Twitch. No, it’s a “…hub for creators to expand their reach, collaborations to spark, and for aspiring content creators to be guided by industry veterans.” It sounds like it’ll be the most live-streamed part of Comic Con Africa. Which…

Apple is looking at cutting production of its iPhone SE and AirPods, according to reports out of Asia. Plans are to trim back the number of SE handsets produced by 20%, say multiple sources that spoke to Nikkei Asia. This is a bit of a blow for the newly-announced handset, which has only just turned up in South Africa. But, given the current situation overseas, it’s not exactly unexpected. No iPhone SE for Russia The most obvious reason for the cutback is that Apple has suspended sales in Russia. All of its sales. And since the company is the third-most-popular…

There’s a new Halo TV series currently airing, which means it’s the perfect time for a product crossover. The Microsoft property helmed by Master Chief gets the chance to put the boot in a day or so. That’s not a punk rock reference. There’s some new footwear dropping in from low orbit, a collaboration called the Wolverine x Halo: The Master Chief. It’s not a Marvel crossover, either. Wolverine is a footwear brand from the States, and the themed footwear is based on its Hellcat lineup. What Master Chief does for kicks With a few tweaks, of course. Halo creators…

DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) frequently does all sorts of impressive — and terrifying — military things. But not every project is a winner. Or talked about. There were several technologies envisaged by the American government in the early 2000s. DARPA was supposed to work on the feasibility of these, as part of something called the Information Awareness Office (IAO). The objective for these projects, given it was George Bush, Jr’s fledgling War on Oil-Containing Countries Terror™, was largely surveillance. And while the Information Awareness Office was officially canned after a year of existence, many of the technologies…

PUBG developer Krafton has signed a long-term deal with Solana Labs that will cause the dev creating “blockchain- and NFT-based games and services”. Imagine how much your battle royale experience would be improved by the addition of NFTs. Or blockchain-based equipment purchases. That sounds like a fantastic idea, right? Guys? Where’s everyone going? This isn’t Krafton’s first foray into the world of blockchain-based games. Earlier this year, the company said it was teaming up with Naver Z to build “…an NFT metaverse platform”. But, as with the Solana Labs announcement, there wasn’t much detail to go on. They’re just going…