Author: Toby Shapshak

Who watches the watchers? It’s the central theme in the epic graphic novel Watchmen, but it has been expanded on by the TV series which spans a period of pushback against superheroes and their vigilantism. Zack Snyder’s 2009 film was a faithful reproduction of the graphic novel, including the gigantic metamorphised Doctor Manhattan, and followed the comic’s narrative. The 2019 TV series is a reimagining of the Watchmen universe and the underlying principles of anonymous superheroes who are essentially do-gooders. But this is an age where superheroes have run into what some financial markets would call headwinds. Public sentiments have…

And then the AI bubble burst. Or, as one meme put it: “ChatGPT just lost its job to AI.” Instead of obsessing over TikTok’s 24-hour banning in the United States, the world is in thrall of another Chinese app, DeepSeek. This artificial intelligence (AI) startup recently released its latest chatbot model with many capabilities that match OpenAI’s ChatGPT – except developed at a fraction of the cost. Instead of the hundreds of millions of dollars that US firms have invested in training advanced AI models, DeepSeek says it only spent $5.6 million developing its R1 model. This is estimated at…

So now that he’s got himself a new iPhone 16, a friend asked me earlier this week which USB-C chargers and accessories to get. Let’s call him Evan. “Funny you should mention it,” I told him. “I just went through this process myself in November. These are the things I bought myself,” I said, before sending over a thorough list of my go-to accessories. I am delighted that I have put Apple’s Lightning in my rear-view window. My cable pouch literally halved in size. I now use a comparatively small pouch sold by Thule, called Subterra 2 Power Shuttle Small…

Who doesn’t want a Bluetooth speaker that floats? It’s not the key metric I first think of, but it can’t hurt, can it? I’m always looking for good sound in a compact speaker – and I’ve tended toward size and weight as my main metric. The Anker Soundcore Select 4 Go Bluetooth Speaker weighs a delightful 265g and is only 121mm by 82mm. If anyone remembers them, that’s a little larger than a pack of cigarettes. Just a touch thicker and a little longer. I never smoked, so I have a poor grasp of the memory. Sorry about that. I…

To say The Sopranos was a groundbreaking TV series is, well, obvious. What other mafia show starts with its principal character going to see a psychologist?  In fact, the first episode hinges on the mental health of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), as he wrestles with his own demons. The arrival of a flock of geese that live in his swimming pool causes the Mafia don to feel real feelings. It’s an awkward prop for the narrative but it works well visually. Tony’s panic attacks finally get him to see a shrink (Lorraine Bracco), who finally gets him to open up…

It is indeed a heist, as the title of the documentary rightly said. Steinheist is a fascinating account of the biggest fraud in South Africa, which wiped R200 billion off the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), a never-seen-before destruction of shareholder value that impacted almost everyone in South Africa. As such a seemingly successful business, Steinhoff was a must-have stock for all investment institutions, including the big government retirement funds and many, many private investors. When it was revealed to be a giant scam in December 2017, the house of cards that Marcus Jooste had built came crashing down. And with…

Given that I go to sleep every night listening to Audible, the Anker soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds seem made for me. There’s nothing wrong with my AirPods 4, which I am generally delighted with. But they are designed for everything but sleeping. They sit comfortably in your ear when you walk or run, they’re great for most things you do upright. But they still stick out of your ear. That’s why I generally go to sleep with only one in. Another issue is that they have about four hours of battery life, so I have to invariably charge them if…

Sonos released the Arc, its first flagship standalone soundbar, in 2020. It was well-received at the time and praised for its audio fidelity and smart feature set. Towards the end of 2024, the company unveiled the Sonos Arc Ultra, its next flagship soundbar which it says is the “most powerful soundbar [it] has ever created.” Of course it would say that, but is it any good? Sitting down to business If you can’t hear the dialogue on the TV show, you’re not alone. As action scenes have taken priority in movies in general, the filmmakers tend to increase the volume…

Christmas in Joburg isn’t what it is in the movies – especially in the northern hemisphere where it really does snow. I was thinking of this mismatch between the top half of the planet’s way of celebrating (what’s for them) a winter wonderland while watching that excellent film Arthur Christmas by the geniuses from Aardman Animation, the makers of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. Some like it hot There we were, in 30-degree heat on a late Saturday afternoon, watching snow-capped (animated) splendour whizzing below Santa’s sleigh. Just in front of the TV – ironically – was a…

Imagine going on a holiday where you could dress up as a cowboy and live out your fantasies of being, well, a cowboy. That’s the premise of the blockbuster science fiction series Westworld. The wild, wild west is not so wild anymore, but more of a tame and futuristic theme park for rich tourists to live out their cowboy fantasies. Some of these are pretty dark and show a disdain for humanity or our closest Android cousins. In that sense, the wild is on the edge of morality. Who really fantasises about being a ruthless killer or an outlaw who…