Category Archives: gadgets

press home to open

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by in gadgets, iphone

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home

Frustrated with the latest iOS update, which has taken away the “swipe screen to open” option, so now I have to click on the home button. Conspiracy theories abound on Twitter, mostly about how wearing out the home button will make us all have to buy new iPhones. Then a Twitter pal posted this seemingly easy solution…

Settings>General>Accessibility>Home Button>Rest Finger to Open

However that only appears to work if you are using the Touch ID option, which I can’t do because I have no fingerprints. So now what?

 

want…this…

30 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in gadgets, hair, retail therapy

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dyson-dryerI read a consumer review on the new Dyson “supersonic” hairdryer last week (don’t ask, it popped up on Twitter during the night when I should have been sleeping). I thought it sounded amazing, but was sure it wouldn’t make it to Spain for awhile. So imagine my surprise when I saw one on display at the Corte Inglés today! The assistant there gave me a demo, I got to hold it in my hands, I fell in love.

But just like the Dyson bladeless fans that I adore, I’m afraid I will just have to occasionally visit this baby at the store. One day I might be able to justify buying a fan/heater with a crazy pricetag, but 390€ for a hair dryer?? I don’t think so… or could I?

adiós netflix

27 Friday May 2016

Posted by in cats, gadgets, home, internet, television

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movistar

I was so excited when I first got Netflix, thinking it was going to open up a whole world of digital viewing possibilities. But the selection – at least in Spain – is so dire that I gave it up after my six-month free trial was over (this week). And so now I’ve gone back to Movistar, which I ran screaming from over five years ago after I moved house and they royally screwed me over. But hey, times change. And Movistar seems to have a good deal going on, especially since they merged with Canal+. So I’ll try it out and see how it goes. I already like the interface better, much more intuitive. Also got Yomvi set up so I can watch my channels on the iPad when I’m away. Yeah, I know. But it’s fun news for me. Still have the same cord-chewing issues going on though…

subversive spiralising

30 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by in food & drink, gadgets, home, homecooking

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spiralizing

Remember (of course you do!) when I bought my first spiraliser earlier this year? Well, I have actually been using it a fair bit. It’s great for courgetti, and also for lovely thin carrot strips to put in salads and slaws. But then a couple of weeks ago I put a courgette through the spiraliser to use in a curry I was making and, just before I tossed it in the sauce, it occurred to me that it would also be nice as a crisp veggie topping. So I dredged it in flour and, after shaking off almost all the flour, fried it in olive oil. And… wow! I realise this takes us out of the super-healthy concept of what spiralisers are supposed to be about, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

courgetti

21 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in cooking, food & drink, gadgets, home

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courgettiniEver since I first tried the fabulous courgette “spaghetti” at No Kitchen, I’ve been keen on replicating this at home. And so after finding a veggie spiralizer at my favourite kitchen shop Bazar Victoria the other day, I was ready to go (as was my assistant Morcilla). This particular spiralizer is a bit like a pencil sharpener, with two sizes (for courgettes and carrots) and in no time I had a plate full of lovely veggie “noodles”. But what to do with them? I thought they should just be blanched and then have some sauce plopped on them, but most of the recipes I found online said they should be sautéed in olive oil, and then further cooked with a bit of added water. THEN I decided to try a garlicky bacony carbonara – and it was wonderful. The great thing was that all the lovely garlicky bacony flavour was there, but I didn’t end up feeling STUFFED afterwards. This is WAY BETTER than cauliflower “rice”. Recipe coming soon!