All posts tagged: review

Fiido Air Carbon Fiber Electric Bike Review: A Light, Quiet Ebike

Fiido Air Carbon Fiber Electric Bike Review: A Light, Quiet Ebike

Published by skeptic

It picks up quickly at lights, and acceleration—especially in Sport mode—is reassuringly quick when it’s time to overtake. I’m delighted by how effortless the overall performance is, and how smoothly the torque kicks in. What’s more, moving it, wheeling it through the house, lifting it onto bike racks, and even just doing basic things like locking it up, is just easier in every way. The motor is quiet, too. While not totally silent, it’s not a distraction. Impressively, too, the Air can also be ridden reasonably easily without electric assist. A 30-pound single speed bike won’t set any track records, but if power does fail you—or more likely, you misjudge the battery level and forget to charge overnight like I did—it won’t be too much of a workout to get home. But please don’t confuse this commuter-style electric bike with a powerful mid-drive motor electric bike. With a meagre motor and only one gear (and quite a low one at that) it does not love hills. Steady inclines are easy, but there’s one short, sharp-ish …

New Scientist recommends Steve Brusatte’s brilliant take on the evolution of birds

New Scientist recommends Steve Brusatte’s brilliant take on the evolution of birds

Published by skeptic

An artist’s impression of Archaeopteryx JA CHIRINOS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY The Story of BirdsSteve Brusatte, Picador (UK); Mariner Books (US) Steve Brusatte is three for three. His debut book for general audiences, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, was a big hit, and he followed it with The Rise and Reign of the Mammals, which I enjoyed very much. Now comes his third palaeontological tale, The Story of Birds and, once again, he manages to combine a rigorous account of the science with a readable narrative. Brusatte is a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh, UK, who has worked extensively on the fossils of dinosaurs, birds and mammals. He has excavated on the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland, where the bones and footprints of Jurassic-era animals are beautifully preserved. Alongside this, he has built up a career as a science communicator: partly by acting as palaeontology consultant to the Jurassic World films, and partly through his books. An artist’s impression of Compsognathus Florilegius/Alamy The Story of Birds, subtitled An evolutionary history …

Disclosure Day Review Roundup

Disclosure Day Review Roundup

Published by Daniella Wilson

The master makes movie magic once more! That’s how critics are reacting to Steven Spielberg‘s latest film, the sci-fi thriller Disclosure Day, which sees the legendary filmmaker return to the topic of extraterrestrial beings and the philosophical implications of our place in the universe. Disclosure Day tells the story of a U.S.-government led conspiracy to keep the existence of intelligent alien life a secret, and how those plans are upended by small determined group committed to “disclosing” the truth to a world on the brink of war and annihilation. The film stars Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson and Wyatt Russell. Disclosure Day is written by Spielberg’s frequent collaborator David Koepp and the film’s creative team features Spielberg regulars like cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, editor Sarah Broshar and the great composer John Williams. Reviews for the Universal Pictures started the hitting the internet on June 9, with the film set for a full global theatrical release on June 12. Currently Disclosure Day sits at 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes after 138 reviews. …

Tezeus C8 review: This light & sleek European commuter e-bike gets a lot right

Tezeus C8 review: This light & sleek European commuter e-bike gets a lot right

Published by skeptic

The Tezeus C8 is one of those e-bikes that hides several interesting, higher-end features/components behind an unassuming design, giving you more than you bargained for without attracting too much unwanted attention. And while it’s a pricier model than the usual budget suspects, the added features may be enough to warrant a deeper look. Tezeus’ carbon bikes are popular in Europe, though are also available in the US (where they thankfully get a 20 mph speed limit instead of the more limiting 15 mph or 25 km/h Euro speed limit). I previously tested the Tezeus Swift, a smaller folding carbon fiber e-bike, but this time we’re looking at a larger model. For the Tezeus C8, I enlisted the help of a trusted colleague in Europe who spent time testing the bike and sharing his detailed ride impressions. The result is a chance to take a closer look at a lightweight urban commuter that combines premium and lightweight Euro-styling with some clever technology, though not without a few compromises. As a direct-to-consumer e-bike, the C8 arrives in …

Physical activity improves your mood, largest review of its kind finds

Physical activity improves your mood, largest review of its kind finds

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore We’ve long known that getting exercise can help to improve mood. Consider that line from Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy,” she explains, referring to happy hormones produced during exercise. Still, many Americans don’t get enough exercise and around 100 million suffer from obesity that leaves them at risk of developing chronic disease that can be deadly. Now, a new review – the largest of its kind, including data from 8,000 people and more than 60 studies – has determined getting exercise improves mood and raises energy levels for most people. And having more energy and feeling better also leads to being more active. You don’t need to do two workouts a day to reap the rewards, either, researchers say. Just walking or taking the stairs is enough. A new review of more than …

Disclosure Day review: Moments of classic Spielberg awe elevate a clunky UFO thriller

Disclosure Day review: Moments of classic Spielberg awe elevate a clunky UFO thriller

Published by Daniella Wilson

Disclosure Day is in cinemas from Wednesday 10 June. Add it to your watchlist Anyone who knows the slightest thing about cinema knows that the subject of extra-terrestrial life is something that has preoccupied Steven Spielberg for just about the entirety of his storied career. With Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial five years later, the legendary filmmaker crafted arguably the two most seminal works about alien beings visiting Earth – a pair of stories rich with his trademark sense of wide-eyed wonder that redefined pop culture iconography forever (and which remain every bit as compelling and emotionally rewarding to this day.) He dipped his toes back into similar (albeit also rather different) waters in 2005 with his take on HG Wells’s classic sci-fi tale The War of the Worlds, and now – another two decades on – he’s gone back to the well one more time. Disclosure Day marks a welcome return to summer blockbuster fare for the master of that particular art, and finds him once again …

Disclosure Day review – Spielberg’s alien movie is funny and sentimental with action that will leave you breathless

Disclosure Day review – Spielberg’s alien movie is funny and sentimental with action that will leave you breathless

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter At age 79, Steven Spielberg has lost none of his sense of wonder. But it can feel like, in his return to the extraterrestrial after two decades away, he’s talking to himself when a character in Disclosure Day remarks: “I think you lost your faith in people”. Spielberg has dubbed this film his closing instalment of a trilogy begun by Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and ET the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). But it also feels surprisingly affected by the voracious self-reflection he pursued in his last, and semi-autobiographical, movie The Fabelmans (2022), and its conclusion that the camera is the ultimate weapon of truth, even if that truth may be hard for us to swallow. Yes, this is exquisitely woven, capital “E” entertainment, that’s funny and unabashedly sentimental in all the ways we expect Spielberg to be, with a particular …

Disclosure Day review: Spielberg awe elevates clunky sci-fi thriller

Disclosure Day review: Spielberg awe elevates clunky sci-fi thriller

Published by Daniella Wilson

A star rating of 3 out of 5. Anyone who knows the slightest thing about cinema knows that the subject of extra-terrestrial life is something that has preoccupied Steven Spielberg for just about the entirety of his storied career. With Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 and ET: The Extra-Terrestrial five years later, the legendary filmmaker crafted arguably the two most seminal works about alien beings visiting Earth – a pair of stories rich with his trademark sense of wide-eyed wonder that redefined pop culture iconography forever (and which remain every bit as compelling and emotionally rewarding to this day.) He dipped his toes back into similar (albeit also rather different) waters in 2005 with his take on HG Wells’s classic sci-fi tale The War of the Worlds, and now – another two decades on – he’s gone back to the well one more time. Disclosure Day marks a welcome return to summer blockbuster fare for the master of that particular art, and finds him once again asking cinemagoers how we might react …

We Love Green 2026 review: Gorillaz, Addison Rae and the xx lend Paris festival the clout to rival Primavera

We Love Green 2026 review: Gorillaz, Addison Rae and the xx lend Paris festival the clout to rival Primavera

Published by Daniella Wilson

Every summer, all I hear is Primavera this, Primavera that. Yes, the Barcelona music festival always delivers, and my colleague clearly had a great time this year. But there is another, much less talked-about European festival, that gives it a run for its money. Taking place on the same weekend as its Spanish sibling, in the leafy woodland of Bois de Vincennes park in Paris, is We Love Green, a three-day event that attracts many of the same marquee headliners to a much more intimate setting. What this invariably means is that, with a little elbow grease, you can get much closer to your favourite acts. Gorillaz fans certainly take advantage on Friday evening, getting up close and personal with Damon Albarn as he marches along the barricade. In a scarlet beret and army fatigues, he assumes the role of chief-in-charge. His approach is less dictator, more benevolent leader, though, as he welcomes a rolodex of special guests with open arms. Syrian dabke artist Omar Souleyman pops in for their acid house collaboration “Damascus” while …

U.K. Begins Formal Review of Paramount-WBD Megadeal

U.K. Begins Formal Review of Paramount-WBD Megadeal

Published by Daniella Wilson

Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has formally opened a probe into the David Ellison-led Paramount’s proposed $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the merger watchdog said on Tuesday. In a statement, the CMA set an initial deadline of Aug. 7 for a ruling on the Hollywood megadeal that would combine two major studios, two big news operations, streaming services and two portfolios of cable networks. “The initial period of [the investigation will] … commence on the first working day after the date of this notice, ie on 10 June 2026,” the M&A authority said. “The deadline for the CMA to announce its decision whether to refer the merger for a phase 2 investigation is therefore 7 August 2026.” A “phase 2” investigation is a more in-depth review conducted by the CMA if its initial phase 1 probe concludes that a proposed transaction may lead to a “substantial lessening of competition.” The CMA on Tuesday also issued an “invitation to comment” to allow interested parties to submit “any initial views on the impact that …