The Roost
Early petrol price predictions for November are here – with another drop on the way
After what was certainly a shaky start where the country’s petrol and diesel prices are concerned at the beginning of 2024, things have taken a turn for the better. Since June of this year, South African motorists have experienced a flurry of fuel price drops, with October’s drop bringing about the fifth consecutive price cut
Samsung’s budget Galaxy A16 set to drop with six years of OS updates
Samsung’s not done yet. After a busy year that’s seen Samsung sticking Galaxy AI into anything and everything it can reach, the company is taking a break and heading back to its budget roots with the launch of the Galaxy A16 5G. At least, it will. Samsung has yet to officially announce the thing, which
How to remove Copilot on Windows 11 PCs
Like it or not, the current wave of generative artificial intelligence is here to stay. Case in point, Microsoft Copilot. It started out as the web-based Bing Chat but has evolved into a deeply integrated part of Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. If you’d rather not have
NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s − a crewed mission could unlock some of the red planet’s geologic mysteries
NASA plans to send humans on a scientific round trip to Mars potentially as early as 2035. The trip will take about six to seven months each way and will cover up to 250 million miles (402 million kilometres) each way. The astronauts may spend as many as 500 days on the planet’s surface before returning
The BYD Seal hits South Africa with a seven-figure price tag
It wasn’t all that long ago that BYD Auto launched ‘the most affordable EV‘ in South Africa, and the company is ready to do it all over again. Except this time, it’s given up on all that goodwill and launching the BYD Seal, the company’s latest EV. That’ll set you back R1 million when all
GoMetro hails eKamva, South Africa’s first e-taxi
Fleet management software developer GoMetro, in conjunction with other companies, has launched South Africa’s first electric-powered minibus taxi. eKamva (kamva means ‘future’ in Xhosa) is undergoing certification for compliance with local safety and vehicle standards. GoMetro hopes the project’s harnessing of green energy can improve the environment while delivering savings to the everyday taxi commuter.
Light Start: Apple’s Mac fix, Google’s blue ticks, Technica’s got tricks, and Halo’s UE5 flicks
Remember, remember, the first of November Surprise! Apple is coming out of the woodwork for yet another product launch, despite a busy iPhone-filled September. That’s not unusual, not by a long stretch. If you’re familiar with the Big Fruit’s strategy, a slew of new Mac-related products are coming our way soon; including two new MacBook
Meta previews Movie Gen, its new prompt-based video and image generation platform
Meta has announced Movie Gen, its new prompt-based video and image generation platform, in the most Q3 2024 manner possible — with a cute animation of a baby hippo bumbling around. However, you don’t need to know who Moo Deng is to peer over Meta’s fence at their shiny new toy. Peering, at least for
NASA is launching a major mission to look for habitable spots on Jupiter’s moon Europa
On October 10, NASA is launching a hotly anticipated new mission to Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon, Europa. Called Europa Clipper, the spacecraft will conduct a detailed study of the moon, looking for potential places where Europa might host alien life. It’s the largest planetary exploration spacecraft NASA has ever made: as wide as a basketball court when
Ancient human DNA from a South African rock shelter sheds light on 10,000 years of history
Oakhurst rock shelter is an archaeological site near the town of George on the southern coast of South Africa. It is set into a sandstone cliff above a stream in a valley forested by towering old yellowwood trees. Archaeologists first started excavating Oakhurst in the 1930s. What makes the site special is the record of human occupation there,