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Humour in Headphones

by George Lovell | | 0 comments

🕵️‍♂️The never-ending saga of headphone entanglement: a modern-day mystery worthy of Sherlock Holmes' attention.

🤦‍♂️ You set them down for just a moment, turn around, and voilà! You've got a Gordian knot that Henry Houdini would struggle to unravel. Who knew such innocent-looking wires could transform into a chaotic mess faster than Greggs' payment system?

🧵 It's like Toy Story for audio equipment. They must be having secret meetings where they conspire to tie themselves into intricate knots to get you back for plunging them into your sweaty, waxy ear holes. "Let's see how long it takes you to figure THIS one out Timmy!"

🤷‍♀️ Perhaps there's a hidden art to avoiding this madness - a secret technique passed down through generations that we lost in the last Ice Age and are yet to rediscover. Or maybe it's just the universe's way of reminding us not to take life too seriously.

💡So next time you find yourself in a battle with your headphones, take a moment to appreciate the absurdity of it all. Embrace the chaos, laugh in the face of entanglement, and maybe invest in some wireless earbuds. After all, life's too short to spend it wrestling with rogue wires.

💸But rent's due and you've been surviving on Pot Noodles all week. Ain't no one about to drop 2-hundo on a pair of AirPods when they can't even afford a haircut.

👂Fear not! You can drown out your growling stomach with our JoyRoom AirPods. They're so cheap, you'll put them through the washing machine or leave them on the bus just to have a funny story to fall back on when your dinner date falls flat.  

🕰️But what if you had a set in 2017 - before they were cool - and are still traumatised by the funny looks in public and degrading remarks made by your dear family? 

🎧We've got you covered; not tangled: Genuine Samsung AKG USB-C Headphones & Genuine Apple Wired Headphones are in stock.

😂You don't get this kind of humour at Argos, so support your local Talkback Comms! We need a decent meal and a haircut!😅



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How to keep your device clean

by George Lovell | | 0 comments

Stop installing apps that "clean" your phone.

Don't get it dirty in the first place, and don't trust the app with a little blue rocket or broom icon that promises to remove junk and speed up your system for free - as if they've figured out how to optimise your operating system better than the people who developed it.


That's not to say that all third-party antivirus and optimisation programs and extensions are useless - just that we see them creating a lot more problems than solutions for our customers.

Here's what to do instead:
> Keep your device updated to the latest software version to keep it running smoothly and protected against malware.
> Keep your built-in protection (e.g Windows Defender) turned on.
> Use two-factor authentication and an encrypted password manager.
> Use common sense: Don't click on dodgy links or grant permissions to sites you don't trust.
> Be very cautious and selective with who and what you're paying for online.
> If your device gets compromised, don't rely on SpeedyCleanPro to fix all of your problems. Change your passwords, run a virus scan, contact your bank, light a candle and pray.
> If your device is slow, it's probably because the hard drive or battery has degraded, the storage is 99% full, or it's simply too old for the job.
> It's your device with your data on it. It's your responsibility to manage the storage and delete anything you don't need or want.

Technology is complex, the internet is vast, and hackers are smart. If you use a phone or computer, you are exposed to some degree, and they'll get you eventually. But if you wash your hands, eat healthy, and avoid kissing sick people, you won't get too ill too often.

Modern devices are pretty good at looking after themselves. You must be cautious and deliberate when doing anything which alters your default settings. If you don't understand what you're doing, stop.

If all of this is over your head or you've gotten yourself in a bit of a pickle, just pop down and see us. Unlike the stupid cleaning apps, we can't supercharge your device's performance by 9000%, and we're not free (with ads), but we know what we're doing and we just want to help.


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The Moon

by George Lovell | | 0 comments

There's light at the end of the month. The Spring Equinox is two weeks today. The clocks go forward 11 days later, on the 31st. Boys of today will never know the embarrassment of missing morning kick-off because their phone alarms adjust automatically.

To get us in the mood for our favourite celestial event, we're talking 'bout moons.

The technology used in the Apollo moon landing in 1969 was cutting-edge for its time but relatively basic compared to today's standards. The Apollo Guidance Computer weighed 30 kilograms, and had 36 kilobytes of RAM, 32 kilobytes of storage and operated at a processing speed of 0.043 megahertz.

In contrast, modern mobile phones weigh 170 grams, have 12 GB of RAM (349,525 times greater), 1 Terabyte of storage (33,554,432 times larger), and a processing speed of 3300 megahertz (
76744 times faster).

But are they as capable as they claim to be?

You see some pretty cool shots of the night sky from Google's Night Sight and Samsung's Space Zoom camera modes (pictured). Turns out Samsung's moon shots, used to advertise their phones, are about as controversial as the Apollo moon landing.


A Reddit user exposed the authenticity of Samsung's moon photos. While acknowledging that the images are not outright fabrications, the author contends that they are not entirely genuine either. To support their argument, the author conducted an experiment using a downsized and digitally blurred moon image, demonstrating that Samsung's AI model adds craters and details where there was intentionally no detail to begin with; essentially photoshopping the image to make it look cooler. This finding has been backed up by other photographers.

Samsung's marketing is deceptive, as the moon pictures are enhanced by AI rather than the optics themselves. Does it change how you feel about the photo, or how you perceive the technology? For us, it's a tad discouraging.

You can't get away with a fake photo in 2024, yet people are still working to disprove an entire space mission from 1969.

But why take a photo when you can just go?

In a 2019 survey, Britons were asked if they'd embark on an all-expenses paid trip to the moon with a guaranteed safe return. The responses revealed a divided sentiment, as 43% expressed interest in undertaking the trip, while 48% said they would straight-up decline the opportunity.

But how many of them are riding to the moon on crypto?

Digital currencies, such as Bitcoin, are having a resurgence after a 2-year slump.
As of 2024, 11% of Brits (approximately 5.6 million people) have invested in cryptocurrency. 71% say they have no intention of ever buying cryptocurrency. Two-thirds of investors are men, which aligns with males' increased tendency to make risky investments.

But you're gonna need more than your little Coinbase account to get off this planet.

A 90-minute trip via Branson's Virgin Galactic or Bezos' Blue Origin will set you back $250,000 (£197,000). Alternatively, you can fly in style to the International Space Station via Musk's Space X, for a very reasonable $60 million, where you can stay for up to 30 days at $35,000 per night. A penthouse suite in Las Vegas is only a modest flex these days.
 
We only have a limited number of spins on this planet left. Most of us don't know exactly how many, but it's probably less than we'd like. One day we'll pick a daffodil; get lost in a birdsong; crunch on a mini egg for the last time. Whatever you're going after this Spring; this year; this life... Shoot for the stars. You might just hit the moon.


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Disconnect to Reconnect: Airbnb Bookings Without WiFi for Nature's Sake

by George Lovell | | 0 comments

In an era dominated by constant connectivity, a surprising trend emerges – people intentionally booking Airbnbs without WiFi to counteract Nature Deficit Disorder. Choosing accommodations in remote, nature-rich locations allows individuals to unplug from the virtual world and immerse themselves in the tranquillity of nature.

Going off-grid is usually associated with meditation retreats; not holidays. The intentional disconnection serves as a remedy for stress, anxiety, and the detachment from nature prevalent in daily life. Airbnb hosts in remote locations are recognising this need and are promoting their properties as digital detox havens, offering guests a chance to rediscover the therapeutic benefits of taking a break from tech and immersing in nature.


It wasn't long ago that WiFi was a luxury; a fancy extra; an expensive add-on. Nowadays, you expect to have free WiFi everywhere you go. You feel a little disgusted; slightly offended even, if your accommodation, cafe or gym doesn't have WiFi. Seeing people push back on this trend is interesting. Perhaps we like to think we could cut back if we needed or wanted to. For some, it takes going to digital rehab for a bit - where "using" isn't an option. When we mastered transportation, we had to build gyms to satiate our need for physical struggle. As we master communication/connectivity, we must build designated spots to satiate our need for rest, solitude and nature.

For those who like the idea of camping, but are partial to running water, basic hygiene, climate and humidity control, non-tinned food, and a good night's sleep on a supportive mattress, then Airbnb Rural could be a viable option for your next getaway.

I won't be actively seeking out accommodation without WiFi, but I get the sentiment. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to unplug the router every once in a while. It is kind of hard to enjoy the view while reading emails and Reddit threads. The view gets kind of boring fast though.  

"No WiFi" is a luxury now. What's next?

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Tales from the leaflet boy

by George Lovell | | 0 comments

Just some observations, having done a few leaflet campaigns, several years apart, in Portishead and surrounding areas.

  • I wasn't surprised to see a lot of Teslas on driveways because the roads are jam-packed with them every morning. I was surprised by how many people have charging stations. Just a few years ago, no one had a charging station installed in their home. There are a ton of electric vehicles that don't look like they're electric. I don't see many people charging their cars in public stations in Portishead compared to Bristol - perhaps because renters in the City can't have one installed at home.

  • A well-kept lawn is beautiful in the summertime, but many people have recently seen the advantage of artificial grass. Some look considerably better than others though.

  • Speaking of outdoing your neighbours, the fancy front doors with luxury hardwood and stainless steel handles are the new way to stand out on the homogenous housing estate. The rather outdated and unaesthetic letterbox has been relegated to the bottom of the door or relocated to a separate box on the side. The latter is certainly preferable for the spinally-fatigued mailman.

  • I wish I'd invented the Ring Doorbell, and I can see why Amazon paid $1 billion to acquire them in 2018.  

  • Everyone in Portishead used to have a dog. Everyone in Portishead still has a dog. Or two.

  • The new developments are deeper and more dense than you think.

  • The High Street might be dead but everyone has a stack of Amazon Prime parcels waiting for them when they get home. This was the case before, but the stacks are getting larger.

I wonder if 2027 will be any different...
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