Author: Trent Meikle

In the week or so that’s elapsed since we last took a look at the expected petrol price adjustments for August, things appear to have taken a nasty turn. Not that nasty — we’re still on for a price decrease compared to July — but the numbers aren’t as exciting as we’d like. Still, not many drivers would say no to a R1.50/l price cut. We’re all working from home this August, right? That’s assuming it’s still R1.50/l by the time August rolls around. See, the figures below are generated by the Central Energy Fund (CEF) and are merely predictions for…

Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and Waze is no exception. The Google-owned maps app officially introduced what it called ‘Conversational Reporting’ in 2025, which is a rather handy AI feature. Google, seeing the lack of angry mobs at their gates, took that as a sign to cram in as much artificial intelligence as it could. Today, the maps app announced five new updates, all of which are landing at once. More annoying, they actually appear just as helpful as the first. One of those is an expansion to Conversational Reporting — now allowing drivers to suggest map updates using conversational language.…

Back to your regularly scheduled AI slop Well, that didn’t last long. Only last week, Meta debuted a controversial AI feature that allowed users to generate images inspired by public Instagram accounts by simply mentioning their username. What’s worse is that all public Instagram accounts were automatically opted in, resulting in countless unwelcome generations. “Earlier this week, we announced that one way for people to generate images in Meta AI is by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts that they want to reference. Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content…

Lego has officially revealed the Hubble Space Telescope set, and… we want it. But wanting and affording Lego are two very different things. We want the Sagrada Família set, but the roughly R13,000 price means that’s as far as we’ll get. Lego’s little Hubble set manages to actually be relatively affordable, landing for approximately R2,300 ($140). Not a waste of space It does, of course, ship with far fewer pieces — 1,252 — meaning you’re essentially paying a little under R2 per brick. But for space nerds, it’s well worth the price of entry to see the Hubble Telescope represented in…

Xiaomi’s mid-range Redmi Note phones have always done well at Stuff. Some are better than others, but generally they’re an easy recommendation to budget buyers. If the upcoming Redmi Note 17 series — Xiaomi is reportedly skipping the ’16’ — is anything like its brethren, we may have another winner on our hands. Of course, it’s got to get out of China before we can decide that. As always, Xiaomi’s home country will get a turn to play first before it lands in South Africa. Earlier this month, Xiaomi confirmed that the Redmi Note 17 and Note 17 Pro would debut…

Listen up, Disney+ subscribers. Starting 9 September, you’ll have to redownload the Disney+ app in South Africa. The streamer has announced that it’ll relaunch the service in SA, bringing with it improved functionality for all. Fear not, for your monthly bill will be left well alone in the meantime. Hell, you may even get an upgrade. “On 9 September, we’ll be launching a brand-new Disney+ app that will replace your current app. Your subscription isn’t changing. Enjoy the same great content but with new and improved features,” the streamer wrote in an email to existing Disney+ subscribers on Friday, 10…

Remember when your choice for what you wanted to watch, when you wanted to watch it, was Netflix’s whole schtick? We do. But Netflix is struggling to keep its users engaged these days, prompting the world’s largest streamer to throw some new ideas at the wall. One that just might stick, it seems, is always-on channels. You know, the model that Netflix essentially killed so that it could add your email and credit card details to its database. That’s according to people familiar with the matter, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Each channel, it’s said, would be dedicated…

Petrol prices are finally settling back to what you might call ‘normal’ for 2026. The CEF predicts that, once again, motorists will see a sizeable reduction in the price of petrol and diesel when August rolls ’round. But if you’re loyal to TotalEnergies, the company will reward you with 45c cashback for every litre you buy, starting 1 July. There is a catch or two, because there’s always a catch or two. Nothing overtly onerous, though. The first step is the easiest. Simply sign up to become a TotalEnergies Club member. Members are already entitled to earn 15c/l cashback for…

Data centres are all the rage for the time being. But instead of asking if the world really needs another data centre, Samsung is asking where to put them. It’s got to be far enough away from people, or else you risk drawing their ire, but also close enough that it’s relatively accessible. Samsung’s got a rather novel idea: stick one in the ocean. Samsung sticks its toes in the deep end It makes more sense than plonking a data centre in space, anyway. According to TradeWinds (via Seoul Economic Daily), Samsung Heavy Industries already has a plan to get its floating…

There’s no denying that Netflix is a dominant figure in South Africa’s streaming landscape, but it falls short when it comes to quality soapy content. Viewers still turn their attention to eMedia’s free-to-air broadcaster, e.tv, to satiate that thirst. That’s about to change. eMedia has announced a content licensing partnership that’ll see its original content deployed across Netflix’s African library. “Working with Netflix allows us to take our content further, while continuing to deliver strong local entertainment to the free-to-air audiences at the centre of what we do,” said eMedia chief content officer Marlon Davids. e.tv goes continental The partnership…