Life Archives | Disposable Media

Qazi’s Disposable 2018 – highlights from the year

30th December 2018 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from the past twelve months in terms of new entertainment releases. Let’s not forget that 2017 delivered the sequel to my favourite JRPG with Persona 5, gave me a new Nier game, brought me new material from The Upbeats, Major Lazer and Shobaleader One… heck, we even got a decent Sonic game in Mania. With all of this in mind I kind of expected the shortlist titled “Qazi’s Disposable 2018” to provide evidence of a “filler” year – one with plenty of content to enjoy but nothing on the same scale as 2017’s output. This is why I was so pleasantly surprised with the things that I’ve been enjoying in 2018.

Qazi’s Disposable 2018 – music

If the Qazi’s Disposable 2018 shortlist was in physical form it would be full of hasty scribbles and Tipp-Ex as new things regularly edged into old lists, and nowhere was this more apparent than when I was checking out new music. There are a few albums I simply couldn’t cover on this site because I was spending too much time listening to things and not enough time talking about them, but notables outside of the website include The Pack EP by the Upbeats/Truth, Deep News by Halogenix, Collapse EP by Aphex Twin and where’s the drop? by deadmau5. Whether you like layered melodies, big beats or atmospheric wobbles, there was a lot to enjoy – however, I think the best thing I ended up reviewing was No Tourists. It marked a maturing of The Prodigy and showed that they were willing to embrace their older electronic roots when Fat of the Land came so close to discarding them. Elsewhere, The Pack EP was probably the best thing that missed a review: four compact but punchy experiences that all have their own identity and are all worth listening to.

Qazi’s Disposable 2018 – gaming

As mentioned in my intro, I didn’t think there would be a whole lot of noteworthy titles in the gaming segment when shortlisting names for Qazi’s Disposable 2018. I couldn’t be more wrong. Dragonball FighterZ started the year with a bang, boasting some of the prettiest visuals of any game I played this year and maintaining an enjoyable balance of accessibility and depth. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition finally finished the game’s transformation from a rushed-out mess to a fully-formed fighter. PSVR continued to remind people that the right combination of game and hardware can create an experience as intoxicating as Tetris Effect or the Wipeout Omega Collection update. Oh, and Celeste propelled itself from “that thing I bought with spare PSN change” to the top of my game of the year list because the difficulty is pitched so well and it’s wrapped up in some great presentation. (In hindsight, however, I think it runs the risk of beating you over the head with its theming… and although the writing gets praised for acknowledging a minority, there are a lot of smaller narrative elements that speak to other audiences. I’d argue that the broader themes of crushing self-doubt and glimmers of self-belief – things that everyone can relate to – are every bit as valid as the examination of anxiety and the exploration of mental health.)

Qazi’s Disposable 2018 – miscellany

As for other stuff? I ended up catching up with a slowly building backlog of Blu-Rays, returned to some old favourites via Amazon Prime and the like… and I sadly had no time to watch Die Hard on Christmas Eve (however, during the holiday I somehow ended up randomly discovering old episodes of Batman: The Animated Series on Amazon Prime, which was as entertaining as it sounds.) A special mention to Rampage – the Dwayne Johnson film based on the Midway arcade game – I ended up renting this digitally before it came out on Blu-Ray, and it’s the perfect celebration of Hollywood excess and dumb videogame setups.

Tips for 2019

So what have we got to look forward to? The third season of The Grand Tour will be released, so hopefully that will maintain the stronger format of the second series… In music, Major Lazer will release the Essentials collection in physical form (and – despite there being no indication of it – I’ll personally be crossing my fingers for The Prodigy to announce “No Tourists: The Remixes” or something similar…) With regards to gaming, Sekiro will be released and everyone will pigeonhole it into pigeonholes instead of praising the game for its own ideas, we’ll finally find out what Babylon’s Fall is about (because they’ll reveal more information and it won’t just vanish into obscurity, right? Right?) Oh and maybe I’ll follow up my Persona 1 rambling with a look at P2: Innocent Sin. Don’t hold me to that though.

Thanks to anyone who’s taken the time to read our content during 2018 – leave a comment if you’d like to let us know what your highlights of 2018 were, or if there’s anything you’re looking forward to next year.

New Halo Vapour Co. Shortfill Vape Liquid Reviews

22nd October 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

I’m always on the hunt for new vaping liquids. Even when you have a favourite eliquid or two, it’s fun to discover a different vape juice. Plus it stops things from getting dull over time, and fires your taste buds up again. So I’ve enjoyed doing these new Halo Vapour Co. shortfill vape liquid reviews, as I already knew the UK-made brand from their very nice Pineapple Juice liquid.

The team at ecigarettedirect.co.uk kindly sent over samples of the new Menthol Blend and Forest Berry liquids for my honest opinions. Both come in a 70-30 VG:PG ratio, which means they’ll work with a good range of mainly DTL vaping kits. To give reasonable opinions, I used my Aspire NX75/Atlantis Evo tank for direct-to-lung, and also tried both liquids in my Aspire Zelos/Nautilus 2 tank to see how they work for mouth-to-lung out of curiosity. In both cases fresh coils were installed prior to testing, and the tanks were given a good clean!

Obviously a lot of vapers prefer shortfills due to the cost saving by getting 50ml of liquid rather than 10ml bottles. For me, it’s actually now as much about the packaging and environment, as I don’t mind paying for liquid I’ll really enjoy, but I do feel bad throwing out so much plastic.

Halo Vapour Co. Menthol Blend Vape Liquid:

Testing a pure menthol flavour was definitely interesting for me. As a former smoker, I hated menthol cigarettes. The cold flavour of them seemed really harsh and nasty, and I avoided them as much as possible for years. And yet since quitting smoking, I’ve found I really enjoy vape liquids with fruit and menthol mixes.

So could I ever enjoy a pure menthol eliquid?

In any case, the Halo Menthol Blend liquid comes in the standard 50ml size with the normal gap in the bottle for your nicotine shot, in a 70:30VG:PG ration. It’s been created to be slightly lighter and sweeter than the current Halo Menthol Blast, so would it work for me?

I do like the packaging for the Halo Vapour Co. brand. It’s a nice clear design which looks fairly stylish. And there’s no issues with adding the nicotine, shaking it up, and letting it steep a little. I know everyone debates how to prepare their liquids, but I managed an impatient 24 hours or so before letting rip.

And it’s really good. There was definitely an initial Menthol shock from the first few puffs as I kicked off with the N75 and DTL. If you regularly vape menthol flavours already, I suspect it’d be much smoother, but it took a minute or two for me to get used to pure flavour. And it certainly has the coolness you would expect. But the lighter, sweeter finish meant that it wasn’t unpleasant for me. And I got used to it very quickly.

Over the coming days, I really started enjoying the Menthol Blend flavour. It works brilliantly as a light, regular, all-day vape. And it’s really refreshing as a break from something sweeter and more powerful. It’s not the strong, overpowering menthol I’d feared, so it works well as a ‘palate cleanser’. But it’s also got enough flavour to be enjoyed on its own merits, and definitely has a nice coolness. It’s great if you’re somewhere hot and need to chill with your vaping.

I also gave it a quick go in my mouth-to-lung set up. I wouldn’t recommend a 70:30 liquid for most MTL vape kits, but some will handle those ratios. And sometimes you need an emergency solution. As a lighter liquid, it’s actually worked pretty well with my Zelos and Nautilus 2. Obviously coils do tend to struggle and need replacing more quickly, but they’ve still tended to last a few days. Whereas sweeter, thicker 70:30 liquids can sometimes kill them in 24 hours or less.

So for me, the Halo Vapour Co. Menthol Blend is pretty much spot on. It’s £14.99 from ecigarette direct, which is a fair price. And it’s a great all-day vaping choice which goes well for DTL vaping. Plus it’ll work for MTL if you need it to. I don’t think I’d have wanted anything with a stronger menthol taste, but I can go through two or three tanks in a stressful day and really enjoy it.

And it also works well if you have a couple of kits running. Just alternate it as a break from whatever bizarre flavour you have in your other vaping set-up. Full-on menthol addicts might want to stick with the Menthol Blast in the 10ml bottles. But I’d say it’s definitely worth trying to see how you get on. And you definitely save money with the larger shortfill bottles.

Halo Vapour Co. Forest Berry Vape Liquid

I’m a huge fan of fruit flavours for vape liquid. And apparently, I’m not alone. So I was happy to get the Forest Berry shortfill sent for review. The Cream Custard sounded intriguing, but personally I tend to stay away from cigarette flavours like the Tobacco Gold.

There’s no equivalent 10ml, although Halo Vapour Co do have a range of fruit flavours, and the Blueberry Burst is probably the closest. Like the Menthol Blend, the aim is a light flavour suitable for using all day, every day. And that’s something which can become an issue with sweeter, more sickly fruit flavours. Even some of my favourites can become overpowering after more than a few days, so if you’re going to be working through 50ml, something more subtle is definitely a good choice.

And it’s definitely a more subtle, nuanced flavour than most. It reminds me of a diluted summer fruit cordial rather than a neon-coloured fruit squash.

And it definitely seems like a mix of mainly blackcurrant and blueberry, with some bilberry in there as well. It smells and vapes like a very ‘natural’ e-liquid. Some fruit flavours feel very synthetic. But the Halo Vapour Co. range always seem closer to an actual fruit juice in my experience. Which means you don’t get any nasty synthetic taste or a bad aftertaste.

There’s no menthol in the Forest Berry, which I appreciated. A lot of berry flavours come with a heavy menthol hit, and that can be another reason why they can be a bit much by the end of the day. And obviously if you do want to add menthol to it, you can add an appropriate nicotine shot.

As with the Menthol Blend, it produced a smooth vaping experience and some decent-sized clouds if that’s your thing. Certainly I didn’t have to play around too much with the wattage settings, and it worked well at the lower end of the coil ratings on every device I used.

It’s definitely a flavour to live with rather than try for just one or two puffs on a tester kit. If you came to it from a strong blackcurrant, it might seem a little weak. But by the end of the first tank you’ll be appreciating it more as something you can enjoy for long periods without becoming too much to enjoy. And it also means it doesn’t interfere with your taste buds if you’re eating or drinking something straight after.

The other benefit to the lighter, all-day flavours is that any secondary vapour won’t be strong enough to cause any offence to people around you. Which is always a nice bonus if you’re vaping in company. In the Aspire NX75, the Forest Berry worked really well, and even in my MTL kits the coils lasted a reasonable amount of time.

Overall, I really enjoyed both the Halo Vapour Co. Menthol Blend and Forest Berry. The flavours work as liquids for using all day, every day. They taste great in an appropriate vape kit for 70/30 liquid, and will still work even if you bung them in something else as a stopgap. And in the right kit, they won’t put a strain on the coils or the wattage, meaning you’ll definitely get your moneys’ worth. The Halo Vapour Co. Menthol Blend and Forest Berry cost £14.99 each for 50ml at 0mg, and obviously you can order your choice of nicotine shot at the same time.

Free Family Fun At Peterborough STEM Festival 2018

12th October 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

For the third year in a row children from 5-16 and their families will be able to enjoy a free day of fun. And learn about science, technology, maths and engineering at the same time. Peterborough STEM Festival 2018 is the biggest event yet, with more than 3,000 people expected to attend the KingsGate Conference Centre on Saturday 13th October.

There are loads of reasons to attend. The speakers include TV presenter Maddie Moate and Horrible Science author Nick Arnold with interactive shows. Along with mathematician Katie Steckles, futuristic fashion from KonichiwaKitty, and Tom Rocks Maths.

And there are loads more exhibitors with things for everyone to enjoy. Main sponsors Anglian Water and BGL Group have interactive engineering and tech-based escape rooms. There’s a Sahara Force India F1 car and simulator provided by Codem, forensic science with University Centre Peterborough, a Mad Science show in collaboration with Anglian Water, the RS Components Titan II truck full of the latest technology, and more.

There’s retro gaming, 3D fantasy worlds, building the best paper plane, an introduction to coding, making your own musical glove instrument, hands-on science experiments cartography and map-making, building bridges and learning about amphibians and reptiles with a VR experience. And probably other activities that aren’t listed above.

Check out the videos below for some of the highlights from previous years:

Peterborough STEM Festival 2017:

Peterborough STEM Festival 2016:

Peterborough STEM Festival is involved with Ada Lovelace Day. Which is a global celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. It’s founded and organised by the team at Digital People in Peterborough, a non-profit group originally set up to run a monthly tech meetup in the city. And it’s supported by some great sponsors, including Anglia Water and BGL Group. Not to mention a tremendous bunch of volunteers who give up days, weeks and months of their time to enable the Peterborough STEM Festival to happen.

There’s also a growing calendar of related fringe events, including a Schools Challenge Day, First LEGO League and STEM Roadshow.

To find out more about attending, sponsoring, exhibiting or volunteering now or for future events, check out the Peterborough STEM Festival website.

And to find out about attending, sponsoring, presenting or volunteering with Digital People in Peterborough, then go to the DPiP website.

Arc Vector Delivering Sci-Fi Motorcycling To Reality?

10th October 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Motorcycles have always been cool vehicles for rebels and outsiders. So they tend to crop up in science fiction quite a bit. Whether it’s Kaneda leading a bike gang in Akira, Kevin Flynn on a light cycle in Tron or the Terminator using a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. Or the tech of Hiro Protagonist’s bike in Neal Stephenson’s classic novel Snow Crash, which is what the new Arc Vector most reminds me of.

It’s a new electric motorcycle due to be unveiled at a big industry show in Italy in November, 2018. Moving away from petrol isn’t unusual now, as cars and motorcycles both strive to be more environmentally friendly. But it’s the other technology included in the Arc Vector that inspires the science fiction comparisons.

Various firms have worked on linking up riders and technology for safety and performance. That includes the big bike manufacturers and smaller start-ups. But Arc claim to have developed the first motorcycle with an integrated multi-sensory Human Machine Interface (HMI).

What that means is a motorcycle helmet with a heads-up display. And a tactile riding suit which presumably uses haptic technology. The team behind Arc are led by the former head of Jaguar Land Rover’s skunkworks department, along with a MotoGP chief racing engineer and computer modelling experts.

So it’s a British electric motorcycle from a firm based in Coventry. And funded by companies including InMotion Ventures, which is the Jaguar Land Rover investment fund. It looks pretty cool, has a HUD helmet and a tactile riding suit. And with electric power it’ll be quiet and have masses of torque for pulling away quickly from the lights.

There’s no word on how much the Arc Vector might cost when it becomes available to the public. But looking at it, and reading the limited information on the Human Machine Interface, it seems like all it needs is a light trail out the back for all our sci-fi motorcycle dreams to become reality. You can read more about the details of the Arc Vector electric motorcycle at Rescog.com, and if that doesn’t take your fancy, how about either a Yamaha controlled by artificial intelligence, or by a motorcycle-riding robot?

Disposable Media attends EGX 2018

22nd September 2018 By Qazimod Leave a Comment

As I write this, EGX 2018 has come and gone for me. Since attending the show with company last year, word of mouth got around and I was asked to pick up more tickets for more peeps who were keen on attending this year’s show with me. As usual, I had done my research beforehand and looked at the available games that would be playable on the show floor, and since I wasn’t desperate to play any one thing I kind of let others lead as I followed.The only things that piqued my curiosity from the list were maybe Tetris Effect – which I quickly crossed off my list when I realised that the demo was PSVR-based and you needed to book a session; not something I could be bothered doing when I just want to dip in and out of playable games with others – and Jump Force – which I saw being played and then decided that I wasn’t too desperate to get involved in after all. I know what everyone is thinking; truly, this is the investigative reporting that Disposable Media readers deserve – or maybe I’d just prefer to experience such games with the luxury of spare time and fewer distractions.

EGX 2018 – peripheral vision

One thing that did affect my usual schedule in EGX 2018 was that there were a lot more Nintendo fans in our group this year (I think Nintendo make great games but I’m too busy with the libraries of the systems I have to justify more consoles) – for starters, we managed to get our hands on Nintendo’s Labo hardware. Labo shouldn’t need much introduction – these DIY kits transform a joycon into one of several cardboard peripherals… and even though a cynic may scoff at the depth of the games on offer, the youngest member of our group thoroughly enjoyed the immediacy and ease of use that the peripherals offered. At the other end of the peripheral spectrum, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown offered a flight stick, throttle and other knobs and sliders that I was too scared to investigate… however, the youngest in the group enjoyed climbing, diving and swooping. I imagine I’ll take a closer look at the game upon release (especially after seeing the recent PSVR trailers shown on YouTube.)

EGX 2018 – game of the show

As ever, the “Replay” area and its retro offerings were a reliable source of quick entertainment without long waiting times or busy crowds, and we played everything from early FPS games to Puyo Puyo-style puzzle games and classics from the Super Mario series. (And yes, I was That Guy and hopped on to Super Mario Bros. 3 long enough to get the warp to world 8 and then walk away from the NES. Sorry.) As for my Game of the Show… well, in my last write-up I said that Space Invaders and Super Mario Kart were probably the most entertaining things I played. For EGX 2018, there was one clear winner. Walking past a Whack-A-Mole style cabinet and seeing art of Ryu, Chun-Li and “Dictator” around the screen, I made an audible squeak to the group and pointed excitedly at the Ken Sei Mogura: Street Fighter II cabinet. Released in 1994, this is essentially a Whack-A-Mole game where players hit the rising and falling “Dictator” heads with a mallet, and successful hits result in attacks playing out onscreen. It’s the kind of arcade game I would never, ever expect to see – even back when we still had arcades in the 80s – so playing this ended up being a lot of silly fun, and much easier to get to grips with than your conventional Street Fighter games.

EGX 2018 – wrapping up

These little flashes of random entertainment make up for any pre-show stress about “making time to see new games before crowds make things impossible for everyone”. If you’re looking for a fun day out with likeminded gamer friends, shows such as EGX 2018 are well worth a visit. Outside of the playable games, I even managed to get hold of a natty Persona 5 tee – I already have a couple of shirts based on P4 (indeed, I was wearing one to the show today) but hadn’t got around to picking up P5 shirts before now, so I’m satisfied with my goods. Oh, and there was no sign of Tornado stands either, so I managed to avoid that nightmarish mix of show floor fatigue and energy drink buzz. With another show visit wrapped up, all that’s left is to organise these photos offline and publish these words online. As always, leave a comment below if you’d like to share your own anecdotes of EGX 2018.

New HG Gaming Monitors From Hannspree

17th September 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Taiwanese company Hannspree has been producing televisions, tablets and monitors for a while now. And with the new HG Gaming monitors from Hannspree, they’re aiming to make an impact in the casual and more serious videogame market.

The HG Gaming range currently includes two choices, depending on the screen size you want. And the price you wish to pay. But that’s enough to give a standard screen for most people, and a curved, 2K display for more serious gaming and graphic design.

The Hanspree HG Gaming HG244PJB – £199

The more cost-effective of the two new HG Gaming monitors from Hannspree is the HG244PJB. As you’d probably guess, it’s a 24 inch monitor. But for casual gamers or those starting out in streaming, pro-gaming etc, it does have some decent features.

So you get a fast 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and Adaptive-Sync technology. If you’re not up with display technology, Adaptive Sync means your monitor and graphics card match their refresh rates. So you don’t end up getting half of the old and new frames if your graphics card is running faster than your monitor. The Flicker-Free tech also reduces on-screen flicker.

The Hannspree HG Gaming HG244PJB also boasts 2 HDMI inputs and 1 DisplayPort. Along with built-in stereo speakers just in case your external speakers or headphones are playing up. So a pretty respectable set of specifications.

And like many modern monitors, the new HG Gaming Monitors from Hannspree all have 4-in-1 ergonomic stands. So you can swivel, tilt, pivot and adjust the height to get the perfect angle and set-up you want.

The Hanspree HG Gaming HG324QJB – £399

If you want to invest a bit more money in your gaming or graphic design set-up, then the HG324QJB may be more appropriate. For the extra cash, you get a 32 inch curved 2K display with a 3000:1 high contrast. The 1800R curved panel is apparently the most comfortable for the human eye, as well as given a 178 degree viewing angle. And to also reduce eye strain and headaches, the HG324QJB includes Ultra-Low Blue Light Filters.

In addition to the curved screen and 4-in-1 stand, the Hannspree HG Gaming HG324QJB also has an ultra-thin bezel. Having almost nothing surrounding the screen makes it between for a multi-display set-up.

Like the smaller brother, the HG324QJB comes with 2 HDMI and 1 DisplayPort. But it also gets a mini DP for WQHD. Which stands for Wide Quad High Definition, and basically means a wide-screen format at four times the definition of standard HD. It’s got a fast 2ms display time, 144Hz refresh rate and the same Adaptive-Sync to avoid your graphics card trying to run faster than your screen. And again, there are internal speakers in case it’s useful, for your £399.

So whether you need a single monitor for £199, or a three screen set-up costing around £1,000, the new HG Gaming monitors from Hannspree are worth including in your list to check out.

Limited Edition Blizzard Shirt Range at Uniqlo

26th June 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Who doesn’t like some nice videogame T-shirts to share your gaming obsession proudly? And while there are plenty of options for shirts and places to buy them, it’s worth checking out the new limited edition Blizzard shirt range at Uniqlo. Mainly because there are a total of 15 different shirts to choose from, at a pretty decent price of £12.90 each.

The games covered by the T-shirts are Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm and StarCraft. And it’s a slightly odd selection, with only two of the 27 Overwatch characters represented, for example. So Lucio appears on one shirt, D.Va appears on two, and the rest of the roster don’t get any clothing.

Still, that’s life. What’s worse is that the Blizzard range is for Men only. There are no Kids or Women’s versions available. I’m not sure whether that’s intentional or not, but it’s missing out two massive parts of the market for Blizzard games, and well as two large segments of the global population.

On the plus side, there are some quite nice designs, including for Heroes of the Storm and Star Craft. Although as an Overwatch fan and D.Va main, I’m a little biased towards one shirt in particular.

So if you’re a bloke, or can get away with a male cut to your T-shirts, and you like any Blizzard title, then it’s worth taking a look at the range. They’re not revolutionary, but Uniqlo shirts are generally fairly decent quality, and at £12.90 they’re cheaper than a lot of licensed video merchandise. You may be able to find them instore at the few retail locations Uniqlo have in the UK, mainly in London or at Bluewater in Kent, but ordering online is probably easiest. And the T-shirts are 100% cotton, should you need washing info, so just stick it on a cold, gentle cycle. As you should to take care of all your gaming clothing, obviously…

Innokin Pocketbox Review

31st May 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

I’ve been vaping for quite a while now, and largely I’ve been happy with my existing kit, like my Aspire Zelos. But there are new vape kits coming to the market all the time. So when the nice people at e-cigarette Direct got in touch to offer me a review product, I jumped at the chance. And that’s why you’re now reading this Innokin Pocketbox review.

The Innokin intrigued me for a few reasons. It’s an all-in-one (AIO) device which are becoming increasingly popular. But coming from a well-established brand, it offers more power than most of the similarly small kits. And it also comes ready to use as a Direct-to-Lung (DTL) device. Until now, I’ve mainly stuck with Mouth-to-Lung setups, which are the most similar to the technique you would use to smoke a normal cigarette. Whereas DTL is a quick inhale and exhale, producing bigger clouds and potentially releasing more flavour.

And finally it’s also an incredibly cost-effective option, so it makes vaping, and particularly DTL vaping, that bit more accessible.

The Innokin Pocketbox Review

The Innokin Pocketbox comes in at just £25.99, and has a weight of around 150 grammes. But it’s no lightweight when it comes to the vaping experience. The packaging is nicely put together and comes with everything you need aside from e-liquid. And it’s easy to get everything unpacked and skim through the quick start guide. As an all-in-one device with a coil on the bottom of the tank, it’s very easy to get started.

The build quality is great and feels nice and solid. The carbon fibre effect stickers are covered by the shell of the Innokin Pocketbox, so they shouldn’t fold up and peel off with use. Unscrewing the tank is nice and easy, and the threads feel solid enough to put up with plenty of use. And there’s a rubber coated fire button on the top of the device which feels reliable and fairly satisfying to use. So it’s an attractive unit, which is important when it’s about simplicity and ease-of-use rather than looking like a home-made Steampunk creation.

The biggest shock is realising exactly how tiny the Innokin Pocketbox is.

Innokin Pocketbox Kit Contents:

Inside the box, you’ll find everything neatly packed away:

1 Innokin Pocketbox
1 DTL Coil 0.35 ohm
1 Micro USB Charge Cable
1 Quick Start Guide
And some spare rubber which isn’t listed but always handy to have.

The quick start is easy:

Unscrew the top/cap and remove
Screw coil into the housing
No need to prime the coil
Fill e-liquid to max fill line
Replace top cap finger tight
Leave it to sit for 5-10 minutes to soak the coil
X3 clicks of the fire button to turn on and off
Hit fire button to vape
Battery level LED: Green, Yellow, Red when the battery is getting low.

Using the Innokin Pocketbox:

The Innokin Pocketbox itself is roughly 4.8cm long, 5cm high excluding the tank, and around 2.5cm wide, according to my slightly wonky tape measuring. Including the tank only takes it up to 7.5cm high. That compares with about 13-14 cm for the likes of the Aspire Nautilus, ELeaf iStick and other similarly taller designs, which makes it a lot easier to slip into a coat pocket, or hide in the palm of your hand.

What this does mean is that the fire button takes a slightly different technique. I’ve got relatively small hands, but even I found it hard to comfortable vape using my thumb on the fire button. Instead, using my thumb and second finger to hold the device allows me to comfortably use my first finger to trigger it.

Is it worth adapting? I’d definitely say yes, based on my experience. It’s a little strange that an AIO device at a low price point comes with only a Direct-to-Lung 0.35 ohm coil as standard (rated for 20-40W). But it works incredibly well for creating surprisingly large clouds from such a small device. I’ve tried a few different DTL devices borrowed from friends and in local shops, and in terms of vapour output, it definitely outperforms for the size of it.

Using 50/50 VG/PG juices I’m familiar with, like IVGs Pineappple Blast and Blackberg, it delivered a decent amount of flavour. Certainly for the type of device it is, the Pocketbox definitely worked well. The dual airflow holes are easily turned to reduce the amount of air and increase the flavour a bit if you like, but honestly I didn’t feel the need as I like things pretty airy anyway. Switching to 70/30 or 80/20 would have been more appropriate for DTL vaping, but I wanted to mainly compare to the MTL experience I’m used to. But I did also check the Pocketbox will handle the thicker 70/30 without issues.

Not necessarily the most subtle!

Charging is easy enough via your computer with the supplied USB cable for 1-2 hours. And it supports pass-through so you can vape at the same time. The internal battery is a 1200mAH for those interested. That generally lasts around 1.5-2 tanks of juice, with a bit of a drop in performance as the battery indicator turns to yellow and red. But you can’t really expect all day performance from something so small and discrete to carry around.

So far so good. Being a DTL kit, you will get through a tank of liquid relatively quickly. And refilling is simple, by just unscrewing the top, dropping your liquid in to the Max Fill line and doing the top back up.

Refilling is probably the biggest Achilles heel for the Innokin Pocketbox. It’s simple enough to do, but having a black max fill line on a dark background means it’s really easy to go over. And there’s not a lot of leeway before reinserting the coil inevitably causes liquid to leak around the top of the tank. Obviously if you go a lot over, that’s a lot of potentially wasted juice down the sides of the Pocketbox.

You get used to it over time, and learn to keep some tissue handy. But It’s much easier to keep overfilling than with other tank designs, and has happened to me far more than with other kits.

Sadly the Pocketbox only comes with the one DTL coil. So I can’t compare it to my MTL kits, beside a few puffs with the airholes almost closed. And it’s just about usable in that way, but it would have been good to have an MTL coil included, particularly as that’s often the style chosen by beginner vapers who smoked before switching. Which is exactly the sort of market the Innokin Pocketbox seems ideal for.

It’s also slightly harder to find replacement coils for the Pocketbox than for more establish tank set-ups. So you’ll probably need to order replacements online from somewhere like e-cigarette Direct, with a five pack costing you £9.99 – comparable to other vaping kits and coils.

Innokin Pocketbox Review – The Conclusion:

I’ve been really impressed by the Innokin Pocketbox, as this review probably shows. Having been tempted to switch to more Direct-to-Lung vaping, I wanted to be able to try it without investing lots of money. And it does that job perfectly. It’s simple, easy-to-use, and immediately went into daily rotation at home alongside my Aspire and Eleaf kits.

The build quality is also great for the price and I’ve had no problems with it besides overfilling. And that’s really the only flaw. You’re going to get through liquid pretty quickly, especially if you’re out and about. And refilling pretty much guarantees some spillage if you’re not in good light and very careful. So while it’s great to fit into a pocket, purse or handbag for a night out, you’re probably also going to need to pack a fair bit of kitchen roll. And you might not make it all the way through the night before needing a recharge.

Would I recommend the Innokin Pocketbox? Definitely if you’re mainly vaping at home, and you’re either looking to try Direct to Lung vaping as a new vaper or after using MTL for a while. And also as a back-up, spare or alternative to have when your main kit is out of action or with an alternate flavour. I’ve always run two kits with different flavours at the same time, which really helps minimise getting bored or having issues if there’s a problem with one of my kits. And for £25.99, the Innokin Pocketbox is great to have around to play with some DTL flavours.

Disclosure: The Innokin Pocketbox and 3 eliquid samples were supplied for review by e-cigarettes Direct. No payment or editorial input was supplied and our review is based entirely on our honest opinions of the product.

House of Feasts Restaurant Review

30th May 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

When you think of gastronomic destinations, Peterborough might not be the first place that springs to mind. For a city of around 200,000 people, the choices have always been a little limited. But that’s changed over recent years with a number of new restaurants opening. One of the most notable has been House of Feasts, which began offering European and Polish rustic fine dining in June, 2017.

It’s actually located in Eye Green, which is a short 10 minute drive from the city centre. And noted chef Damian Wawrzyniak recently invited a group of bloggers and journalists to sample a new 12 course tasting menu to demonstrate why it’s definitely worth the journey.

House of Feasts Smalec & Sourdough Bread & Pickles

Damian has a comprehensive pedigree as a chef. He’s been voted a UK Top 10 Food Pioneer by BBC Good Food, appeared on the BBC Mary Berry Easter Feast programme, gained experience at the world-renowned NOMA, and was a Head Chef at the London 2012 Olympics. And he’s also recently become the first chef to be awarded the Polish Knights Cross, a prestigious award equivalent to an OBE in the UK. He also cooked for Prince William and Kate Middleton during a Royal visit to Poland, including the traditional Polish Smalec pictured above.

But despite his accolades, House of Feasts mixes tasting menus including the ‘Feast 5’ and ‘Feast 7’ with more affordable set menus and roasts from £18 per person for two courses, and outdoor events including hog roasts and barbecues. And the vast majority of ingredients come from nearby East Anglian suppliers, including Damian’s own garden on some occasions.

The House Of Feasts: ‘Feasts 12’

The menu for my visit actually consisted of 13 courses. And that certainly wasn’t unlucky as it allowed the dishes to cover a wide range of British and Polish influences. Obviously it was a considered selection, which encompassed a variety of meat, fish and vegetable delicacies in a way which allowed the meal to flow from one combination to the next.

And it started strong, with an Aged Beef Tartare, accompanied by a cured egg yolk and pickles. If House of Feasts occupies a light, airy and pleasant former pub location, the food delivered the impact you might be needing. The beef was perfect, and the dish was lifted by the sharpness of the pickles to be the perfect starter for me. In fact, I could have quite happily eaten 12 more portions and not tired of it.

House of Feasts Aged Beef Tartare

The tartare was followed by the Smalec, which is a traditional Polish pork lard spread. The House of Feasts interpretation is made from three cuts of British Pork with apple, herbs and in-house made pancetta. Plus a choice of Sourdough bread, charcoal bread, and pickles.

Charcoal then reappeared as a Tuile de Pan, alongside a beetroot puree and lemon pear to accompany another of the highlights of the Feast menu, which was a Cured Herring. I’ve tried various cured and pickled herring dishes in various trips to Europe, and this was certainly one of the best. Delicately balanced, moreish, and just delicious.

House of Feasts Cured Herring

Next up was the visually impressive Leek Tree in tempura, with a light cream and smoked cheese. Served on hot coals, it provided a break before the double act of Beetroot Cured Salmon, followed by a particularly nice Sea Bass with fermented asparagus and lovage leaves. If the salmon was another delicate fish dish with leek ash and star anise cured beetroot, the sea bass was perhaps even better.

It was time to move towards the meatier end of the menu, via a Potato Cottage Cheese and Ash dish with spinach and potato ash to lift what might have otherwise been a little too plain, even as a palate cleanser and respite. And with hindsight, it was a good break in the menu before we were served a deliver Short Rib of Beef with preserved elderberries and cured carrot, a wonderful Lamb with preserved nettles from Damian’s own garden and a lamb jus, and a Brined and Slow Cooked Pork Belly with Pickled Tindora. In the midst of this meat trio, there was an unusual vegetable dish with ‘All about Parsnip’ involving lemon preserved, honey cured, and pickled examples of a generally overlooked vegetable.

House of Feasts Short Rib of Beef

Just about the only criticisms of the entire meal came with a perhaps slightly underdone example in my trio of parsnips, and a pork belly which was perhaps a tiny bit over. Which meant both dishes were only good, rather than amazing. But when it’s up against the sublime Beef Tartare, Cured Herring, Sea Bass and the extremely tender and tasty Lamb, it’s hard to keep perspective about any dish which is good but not great.

Finally came the desserts and two more highs. First was a Faworki Mille Fuille. The combination of the French pastry slice with deep-fried Polish pastry worked brilliantly. It’s possible to order home-made sourdough bread for collection from the House of Feasts online shop, but I could quite happily order a box of the Faworki Mille Fuille and finished them before I finished the 10-minute drive home.

House of Feasts Faworki Mille Fuille

The final of the 13 courses was an aerated chocolate mousse which rounded everything off nicely. And it’s fair to say that after so many delicious plates of food, it was almost a struggle to finish the final spoonful. Although I probably could have been tempted by just one more plate of tartare or another mille fuille.

The House of Feasts Tasting Menus are available on selected dates, and start from £48 for a five dish selection accompanied with Amuse Bouche. Normally, you can choose from the A’La Carte Menu from Wednesday to Saturday, and the Sunday Roast, along with the special events offering a more set menu at a lower price. It’s certainly something I’d recommend as a treat for anyone with an interest in amazing food and casual fine dining. Damian has also opened a similarly modern Polish-influenced restaurant named Jan in Clapham, London, so it’s proof that you don’t need to travel to the capital from Peterborough any more to experience extremely high quality food from an accomplished and renowned chef. You don’t even need to drive down to Cambridge. Instead you just need to take a trip out to Eye Green. And if you’re not from the area, it’s more than worth making a detour and a stop-over for.

House of Feasts is located at 41 Crowland Road, Eye Green, Peterborough, PE6 7TP. Find out more and make a reservation, book a wedding or BBQ, or purchase from the shop on the House of Feasts website.

Disclosure: The above meal and drinks were provided to us for the purposes of unbiased and independent coverage.

New Sonic Trainers From Puma And Sega Miss The Mark

22nd May 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Remember a time before gaming became cool? When merchandise and tie-ins generally resulted in products that were a little bit naff at best? We hate to be unkind, but these new Sonic trainers from Puma and Sega have taken us back to the 1990s. But not in a good way.

There are two designs available globally from June 5th, 2018, based around the iconic duo of Sonic the Hedgehog and his nemesis Dr Eggman. The PUMA x SEGA RS-0 Sonics are inspired by the Green Hill Zone with the green and yellow accents. You also get details like the familiar gold rings. But the main blue suede is textured to resemble fur.

What sounds like a cool idea ends up looking like your mum threw your new sneakers in the washing machine. And you couldn’t find a lint roller afterwards. I don’t blame anyone for thinking it might be a cool idea to try, but surely there must have been a pre-production model that demonstrated it just doesn’t work? It looks like someone took a promo pair of trainers from 1991 and stuffed them in a dusty attic for 27 years.

The only explanation is that Sonic runs so fast and generates so much static that he attracts dust and fluff wherever he goes?

The details inside the new Sonic trainers from Puma and Sega are about the only redeeming feature. Why have gold rings in the inner sides of the shoes, but not use them for actual lace holes, for example? And I’m still struggling to get past the fur effect.

But there’s more.

Now we have the PUMA x SEGA RS-0 Dr. Eggmans. And at least they’re not furry. But if you watched gaming TV shows or read videogames magazines back in the day, you might remember when clueless celebrities would be wheeled in to try and play a game whilst promoting their latest products. These shoes just make me think of Ginger Spice or a similar pop star making a hamfisted attempt at a Sonic speedrun.

Again, the character image and insole look OK. But the yellow and black striped accents on red? I’m not a designer, but why? They could have gone with red and black, and a giant bushy moustache instead.

I can’t image why anyone might want the new Sonic trainers from Puma and Sega. But if you do, they’ll be on sale from June 5th, 2018, and will cost you $130. And your dignity, obviously.