Comfort

My earliest reading memoryWhen I was about eight I was asked to read a book to a class of younger children to keep them quiet, but I couldn’t read, so I held up a book and made up a story. When we moved to Paris I began to think I might never be able to read. Then I remember driving through London at night when we came home for a visit. My big sister and I kept shouting out the names of the shops because they were in English, and I could finally read them.My favourite book growing upTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I…

As part of Uber's efforts to become a zero-emissions mobility platform by 2040, the company launched Uber Comfort Electric four months ago. However, the option to ride an electric vehicle (EV) was limited to Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Dubai. Today, Uber announced its expansion of Comfort Electric to 24 cities nationally. Riders will have the option to request a ride in a premium EV like a Tesla, Polestar, or Ford Mustang Mach-E when ordering their ride. To avoid confusion on how to open a Tesla car…

The Spectre-ST is yet another step forward for the once small e-bike company EUNORAU. Somehow, they managed to make a very stable step-through electric mountain bike with a great deal of equipment weight while keeping the price reasonable. I do have one qualm with the bike (and regular readers may know already), but overall, it’s very impressive to see the steady improvements continue in the EUNORAU brand. The Spectre-ST is a far cry from the “heavily inspired by another bike” offerings we’ve seen in the past.…

Pros Rotating handlebars for slim stowage Rack and fenders included High-quality build and clean aesthetic Throttle for boost and cruise Big tires for comfort Cons Monochrome display is too small 55 pound weight is light for some, but not all For the past few weeks, I've been cruising around on the Charge Comfort 2 step-through bike. It has big tires for comfort on and off the road, plenty of power to get off the stop line, a rear rack and fenders for commuters, and handlebars that are comfortable for resting…

The theory and practice of marginal gains is to find and fix hundreds of small things that, in aggregate, add up to something vast. Asics believes that there are gains to be made in what runners wear when they’re at home as much as what they’re wearing on the track. That’s the pitch for the Actibreeze 3D, a pair of 3D-printed sandals with a lattice structure designed to improve cooling and breathability. The idea is to stop your extremities from getting too sweaty and tense after a run, so you’re that much more prepared…

Anyone who's used Joy-Cons for extended periods knows that they aren't the most comfortable gamepads out there. With no grip and a unique design that flouts traditional controller designs, they are prone to causing finger strain. Thankfully, there are more traditional controllers out there to use, including some made by third parties. Now, third-party Nintendo Switch controllers are a dime a dozen online, so it can be hard to know which ones are actually worth using. This is why I'm always eager to check new ones out.…

Emily Sprague’s earliest songwriting was born of loss. The cult US songwriter was severely injured in a hit-and-run accident on her bike in 2014; a few years later, her mother passed away. Her first two albums braided these experiences into exquisite, diaristic indie-folk, mostly backed by a three-piece band, which reckoned with existential questions: a beautiful contrast of light and dark.Florist: Florist album coverAfter Florist reverted to Sprague’s solo project for the 2019 album Emily Alone, the band reunited for…

My earliest reading memoryUndoubtedly the Qur’an. Growing up in Zanzibar I started in chuoni, which is what we called Qur’an school, at the age of five and did not start government school until a year later, by which time I was certain to have been reading the short suras. Quite early on in government school, one of our class texts was a Kiswahili translation of Aesop’s Fables, with illustrations of the fox making a futile leap at the grapes and the hare lounging by the roadside as the tortoise came trundling by. I can…

Here’s an odd-couple comedy drama about a grumpy, cantankerous old movie star called Georges (Gérard Depardieu), who is assigned a tough “minder” called Aïssa (Déborah Lukumuena) to look after him. Why does he need a security guard? Apparently, there’s a stalker issue (a pretty harmless-looking woman camps outside his apartment building) and he also seems to be the target of environmental activists.Frankly, the premise for Aïssa’s presence in Georges’ life is a bit thin, and this looks as if it’s going to be a sentimental…

My earliest reading memoryI was around seven when I discovered the Nancy Drew mystery series, about a plucky 18-year-old amateur detective. I think clever, independent Nancy made a wonderful role model.My favourite book growing upThe Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. It showed me how words can immerse readers into worlds that don’t exist, and make us long for them to be real.The book that changed me as a teenagerLegend of the Seventh Virgin by Victoria Holt. I was about 13 when I read it, and it introduced me to gothic suspense, and…