Oliver Haslam
@oliverhaslam.com
I write words. Recently AppleInsider, CNET, iMore, TechRader, Pocket-lint, and more – Business: oliver at http://monkeymanmedia.com
Pixel Fun, a weekly newsletter about tech, gaming, and anything with a screen. newsletter.pixelfun.tech
Pixel Fun, a weekly newsletter about tech, gaming, and anything with a screen. newsletter.pixelfun.tech
Seeing @dannyodwyer.bsky.social and his awesome Xbox birthday cake reminded me of our Xbox 360 wedding cake from back in the day. Everyone thought we were crazy 😆
January 16, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Seeing @dannyodwyer.bsky.social and his awesome Xbox birthday cake reminded me of our Xbox 360 wedding cake from back in the day. Everyone thought we were crazy 😆
Hold the phone. Am I the only one who didn't know (or likely forgot) that you can press opt+shift when pressing the volume keys on a Mac to switch to 1/4 increments?
Life. Changed.
Life. Changed.
January 15, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Hold the phone. Am I the only one who didn't know (or likely forgot) that you can press opt+shift when pressing the volume keys on a Mac to switch to 1/4 increments?
Life. Changed.
Life. Changed.
Noah Wiley poking fun at Trump and the Kennedy we all like to forget is the best thing you’ll see on the internet this week. Maybe month.
www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/kim...
www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/kim...
TV’s Greatest Doctor and Star of ‘The Pitt’ Roasts Trump and RFK Jr.
Noah Wyle’s skit mocked the Trump administration and its dangerous healthcare claims.
www.thedailybeast.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Noah Wiley poking fun at Trump and the Kennedy we all like to forget is the best thing you’ll see on the internet this week. Maybe month.
www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/kim...
www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/kim...
How long before someone gets banged up because a glorified customer service chatbot thinks they should be?
UK police have blamed Microsoft Copilot for an intelligence mistake. Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant made up a non-existent football match and British police included the mistake in an intelligence report. Yikes. Details on the Copilot mistake here👇 www.theverge.com/news/861668/...
UK police blame Microsoft Copilot for intelligence mistake
Copilot invented a football match that never happened
www.theverge.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:24 PM
How long before someone gets banged up because a glorified customer service chatbot thinks they should be?
I know I’m late to the game but can we talk about having to buy individual licenses to use Dolby Atmos or DTS:X with your headphones on the Xbox?
What a time to be alive.
What a time to be alive.
January 11, 2026 at 12:06 PM
I know I’m late to the game but can we talk about having to buy individual licenses to use Dolby Atmos or DTS:X with your headphones on the Xbox?
What a time to be alive.
What a time to be alive.
I might be in the minority, but I think this Mario Tennis Switch 2 trailer looks brilliant.
Sign. Me. Up.
youtu.be/RSyoMsWRL9I
Sign. Me. Up.
youtu.be/RSyoMsWRL9I
Mario Tennis Fever – Overview Trailer – Nintendo Switch 2
YouTube video by Nintendo of America
youtu.be
January 8, 2026 at 3:45 PM
I might be in the minority, but I think this Mario Tennis Switch 2 trailer looks brilliant.
Sign. Me. Up.
youtu.be/RSyoMsWRL9I
Sign. Me. Up.
youtu.be/RSyoMsWRL9I
I'm looking for recommendations for something that seems a bit of a unicorn. I need a wireless gaming headset that's good, although not necessarily the best. But... it needs to work with everything.
That means PC, Xbox Series X, PS5, and Switch 2.
Looking for personal recs if you have them pls.
That means PC, Xbox Series X, PS5, and Switch 2.
Looking for personal recs if you have them pls.
January 6, 2026 at 4:18 PM
I'm looking for recommendations for something that seems a bit of a unicorn. I need a wireless gaming headset that's good, although not necessarily the best. But... it needs to work with everything.
That means PC, Xbox Series X, PS5, and Switch 2.
Looking for personal recs if you have them pls.
That means PC, Xbox Series X, PS5, and Switch 2.
Looking for personal recs if you have them pls.
Are any of my followers Arc Raiders players? Tempted to pick it up while it’s on sale but I’ve heard mixed reports about the PvP element.
January 5, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Are any of my followers Arc Raiders players? Tempted to pick it up while it’s on sale but I’ve heard mixed reports about the PvP element.
I'm not one for gate keeping, but I'm also not entirely sure I'm all that interested in what Top Gear thinks are the best games of 2025.
January 4, 2026 at 12:04 PM
I'm not one for gate keeping, but I'm also not entirely sure I'm all that interested in what Top Gear thinks are the best games of 2025.
How long will it be before the rest of the planet decides it’s time to pop on over to the White House and kidnap Trump before he does any more damage?
I mean, that’s how things are done now, right?
I mean, that’s how things are done now, right?
January 3, 2026 at 4:58 PM
How long will it be before the rest of the planet decides it’s time to pop on over to the White House and kidnap Trump before he does any more damage?
I mean, that’s how things are done now, right?
I mean, that’s how things are done now, right?
Probably a surprise to nobody that the iPhone Air took a spot on the list of my five favourite bits of tech from 2025.
As 2025 draws to a close, attention is turning to all the tech to come, but before that, it's time to look back at some of the best tech Oliver Haslam has used throughout this year.
Oliver's best tech in 2025: iPhone Air, earbuds, and an iPhone Fold teaser
As 2025 draws to a close, attention is turning to all the tech to come, but before that, it's time to look back at some of the best tech Oliver Haslam has used throughout this year.
appleinsider.com
January 2, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Probably a surprise to nobody that the iPhone Air took a spot on the list of my five favourite bits of tech from 2025.
Are you, or does anyone have, a good media contact for Amazon’s Kindle PR team?
I’m working on a thing…
I’m working on a thing…
January 2, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Are you, or does anyone have, a good media contact for Amazon’s Kindle PR team?
I’m working on a thing…
I’m working on a thing…
Listening to LinkedIn and Figma ads for AI features on The Vergecast when @davidpierce.xyz and co. so regularly put AI in its place suggests whatever ad tech is being used doesn’t work very well 😆
Or worse, someone is placing them and has no idea what they’re doing.
Or worse, someone is placing them and has no idea what they’re doing.
December 30, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Listening to LinkedIn and Figma ads for AI features on The Vergecast when @davidpierce.xyz and co. so regularly put AI in its place suggests whatever ad tech is being used doesn’t work very well 😆
Or worse, someone is placing them and has no idea what they’re doing.
Or worse, someone is placing them and has no idea what they’re doing.
If you look veeeerry closely, you’ll see Putin’s arm up Trump’s arse.
Trump: "Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed. It sounds a little strange but President Putin was very generous in his feeling toward Ukraine succeeding, including supplying energy, electricity and other things at very low prices."
December 29, 2025 at 7:04 PM
If you look veeeerry closely, you’ll see Putin’s arm up Trump’s arse.
I can't recommend running your own Pi-hole DNS server enough. 66% of the house's requests are served by a local cache, and 8% are served by a local DNS forwarder which has its own cache on top of that.
The remainder are just blocked. Lovely stuff.
The remainder are just blocked. Lovely stuff.
December 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
I can't recommend running your own Pi-hole DNS server enough. 66% of the house's requests are served by a local cache, and 8% are served by a local DNS forwarder which has its own cache on top of that.
The remainder are just blocked. Lovely stuff.
The remainder are just blocked. Lovely stuff.
On the other hand, I think the iPhone Air is the best iPhone for most people right now. And it did something I didn’t expect - made iPhones interesting again.
Roll on the iPhone Fold.
Roll on the iPhone Fold.
The iPhone Air remains controversial even three months after its release, but after a quarter of a year with one in my pocket, I'm in no rush to go back to a Pro Max.
iPhone Air review three months later: Compromise is good
The iPhone Air remains controversial even three months after its release, but after a quarter of a year with one in my pocket, I'm in no rush to go back to a Pro Max.
appleinsider.com
December 29, 2025 at 11:00 AM
On the other hand, I think the iPhone Air is the best iPhone for most people right now. And it did something I didn’t expect - made iPhones interesting again.
Roll on the iPhone Fold.
Roll on the iPhone Fold.
It might not read like it, but I’m really impressed with the Apple Vision Pro. But it’s the epitome of a novelty. And the friction is just too high for it to find a place in most homes.
But it’s what comes next that matters most.
But it’s what comes next that matters most.
Three-month review The M5 refresh makes the new Apple Vision Pro faster and improves some features, but it doesn't change the fact that the headset still doesn't have a long-term place in most people's homes.
Apple Vision Pro (M5) review three-months later: A flawed wonder
The M5 refresh makes the new Apple Vision Pro faster and improves some features, but it doesn't change the fact that the headset still doesn't have a long-term place in most people's homes.
appleinsider.com
December 29, 2025 at 10:42 AM
It might not read like it, but I’m really impressed with the Apple Vision Pro. But it’s the epitome of a novelty. And the friction is just too high for it to find a place in most homes.
But it’s what comes next that matters most.
But it’s what comes next that matters most.
Well, largely by being horrible to the natives.
December 27, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Well, largely by being horrible to the natives.
Reposted by Oliver Haslam
I find this kind of comment frustrating and unbecoming. Different models work for different scenarios. “Support and donate” is the way for coverage that has a narrower, specialized audience for whom payment is a form of Doing Something. It’s a great model. It’s not feasible for most outlets.
I hate how much of the media business model these days has become "annoy readers until they pay." Paywalls, registration walls, see half the article before you need to subscribe, pop up reminders, etc.
I'm hoping @techdirt.com can prove there's a better way.
But it needs your support to prove it.
I'm hoping @techdirt.com can prove there's a better way.
But it needs your support to prove it.
Techdirt Doesn’t Annoy You Into Paying, And That’s Worth Paying For
We're a few weeks into our end of year crowdfunding campaign—donate $100 or more (check out that $230 option!) and we'll send you our first commemorative challenge coin celebrating 30 years of Section 230. I've already laid out…
We're a few weeks into our end of year crowdfunding campaign—donate $100 or more (check out that $230 option!) and we'll send you our first commemorative challenge coin celebrating 30 years of Section 230. I've already laid out…
December 27, 2025 at 4:13 PM
I find this kind of comment frustrating and unbecoming. Different models work for different scenarios. “Support and donate” is the way for coverage that has a narrower, specialized audience for whom payment is a form of Doing Something. It’s a great model. It’s not feasible for most outlets.
I just bought a Tetris game in almost the year 2026 and now nothing else matters. AMA.
December 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM
I just bought a Tetris game in almost the year 2026 and now nothing else matters. AMA.
us.gamesplanet.com/games/offe...
Some decent games in this sale. Death's Door is a personal favourite.
Some decent games in this sale. Death's Door is a personal favourite.
Devolver XMAS Deals - Gamesplanet.com
us.gamesplanet.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:10 AM
us.gamesplanet.com/games/offe...
Some decent games in this sale. Death's Door is a personal favourite.
Some decent games in this sale. Death's Door is a personal favourite.
Spot the guy that writes about games sometimes.
December 17, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Spot the guy that writes about games sometimes.
Ok, I'm putting this out into the world. I *hate* this new, bouncy effect iOS 26.2 added to menus. It's altogether too much. Make it go away.
December 17, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Ok, I'm putting this out into the world. I *hate* this new, bouncy effect iOS 26.2 added to menus. It's altogether too much. Make it go away.
We're using a Netgear Orbi 970-series mesh system that's been great for almost a year. But for the last couple of months, it's done nothing but have strange throughput problems, but ONLY for devices connected to the 6GHz band. Which is fun, especially considering that's how the satellites connect.
December 17, 2025 at 2:50 PM
We're using a Netgear Orbi 970-series mesh system that's been great for almost a year. But for the last couple of months, it's done nothing but have strange throughput problems, but ONLY for devices connected to the 6GHz band. Which is fun, especially considering that's how the satellites connect.