Dork Adore » Featured

Are eco-friendly cars any fun? Ford Fiesta Econetic

Emma Cossey — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:00:08 +0000

I don’t review cars often. I have a little Peugeot 206 that I drive like a go-kart and it gets me from A to B. It’s nice but…well, lacking in gadgets and not exactly eco-friendly.

While I’m quite content with my little run-around, I’m still keen to keep an eye out for something a little better.

And if it can be eco-friendly as well, all the better!

So with rather excellent timing, the PR people at Ford got in touch with a new car they wanted Dork Adore to try out. In fact, they wanted us to drive it all the way down to eco hotel The Scarlet in Cornwall.

The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic is part of Ford’s eco-friendly range of cars that have “ULTRA LOW CO2 output without sacrificing power and performance.”

So, does eco-friendly mean you scrimp on the fun?

In a word, no.

The Ford Fiesta Econetic is packed full of those gadgets I hanker for, including an eco-mode to help drivers achieve better fuel economy and Auto-Start-Stop which turns off the vehicle when it’s idle (say, at traffic lights).

Sadly our car didn’t have the rear camera that some of the other tester cars had, but the general consensus was that it was a handy tool (especially if you’re a nervous reverse parker).

We did have the Gear Shift Indicator, which lets you know when you need to change up a gear. This works with the ECOnetic system to get the most out of your car: you produce more power, but with less fuel.

There are all sorts of other eco-friendly tools too, but most of them work away with very little input from me.

Final thoughts

If you’ve driven a Ford Fiesta before, the actual driving experience won’t be hugely different. It’s just as good to drive on the country roads as it is to speed up the motorway (and it really can speed). But the gadgets enhance the driving experience, and it would be foolish to not consider an eco-friendly car when your transport needs an upgrade.

Prices start at £15,845.00 on the road for a 3-door Ford Fiesta Titanium Econetic.

PS. What about The Scarlet eco hotel?

Visiting The Scarlet eco-friendly hotel in Cornwall was definitely an added bonus to trying out the Ford Fiesta Econetic. The building itself is beautiful, with outside pools, balconies in all the rooms and scented fires that help you relax straight away.

The bedrooms are slightly odd….I think I’m a little too reserved for a bath tub in the middle of a shared room and a wet room shower that leaves the toilet soaking. That said, the rest of the room was luxurious, proving that being conscientious needn’t mean going basic.

A word of warning though, you’ll get very little wi-fi signal here. You can use the hotel’s, but I think they like to encourage you to disconnect. It goes in with the whole ‘retreat’ atmosphere I guess!

Ford Fiesta ECOnetic official website.

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Wear Sherlock’s coat, Irene Adler’s shoes and Moriarty’s tie

Nuttycow — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:26:42 +0000

It’s Sunday night and every self-respecting geek is settled into his or her wingback chair (or sofa, if you don’t happen to live in the 1800s) ready for the onslaught of the brains and beauty that is Sherlock on BBC1.

However, if watching (and dissecting on Twitter) isn’t enough for you, help is at hand in the form of a new Tumblr: Wear Sherlock.

In the interests of research (and not because I’m totally obsessed of course) I trawled the site to find the best and most brilliant looks to suit any aspiring Moriarty, Irene or Mycroft.

Be warned, these particular inhabitants of London dress to impress and pay for the privilege.

The Ladies

1) Sherlock’s not big on strong female characters but – boy! – when they arrive, you know it.

Irene Adler not only has the most divine Christian Louboutin heels I’ve seen in a long time, but she rocks a classic French chic through the stunning dresses she wears and her understated yet striking make up (MAC and, surprisingly, Barry M will give you the same look).

The Gentleman

2) Despite his homicidal tendencies, there’s something infinitely cool about Moriarty. It might be his sunglasses or it might just be the way he wears his suit.

If the suited and booted look doesn’t suit you, you can always go for John Watson’s wardrobe?

The Abode

3) Even if you can’t fill your house with vintage 70s furnishings, you can still get the look with a variety of contemporary pieces that still capture the shabby-chic of 221b Baker Street.

If you need a cup of tea while pondering your latest quandary you might as well do it right with his china tea cup.
I’d invite as many people round as I could if I had this adorning my front door.
Mrs Hudson might not be everyone’s fashion icon but I just love this wallpaper.

What are you waiting for? Go have a look. What are your favourites?

P.S Fans of Sherlock’s style might want to check out our other post on Sherlock’s Belstaff Milford Coat.

P.P.S Have you visited Watson’s blog yet? Look’s like he’s been hacked….

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Sheldon Tees: Dress like Dr Sheldon Cooper

Tamsin Worrad — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:00:20 +0000

I’m going to go out on a limb and state that I have yet to find a self-confessed dork who doesn’t love The Big Bang Theory.

The geek-culture references peppered through the show have been meticulously researched, right down to the clothes the characters wear.

Although Dr Sheldon Cooper PhD might not be quite enough of a style icon to make it into our Dork Fashion Icon series, his wide range of ultra nerdy T-shirts have inspired quite a lot of envy in me.

Step in Sheldon Tees, a website that makes it possible to recreate that physics geek look in your own wardrobe.

Rather than being a retail site, Sheldon Tees catalogues the shirts with links leading to the appropriate site to purchase them.

It has a wide selection of T-shirts worn by Sheldon in the show, as well as a few inspired by the character and series (and some choice belt buckles as modelled by dubious style icon Howard Wolowitz).

I’d definitely recommend going and checking out the range yourself, but until then I’ve put together a selection of my favorites after the jump.

1. Where would Sheldon be without his Flash t-shirt? Available from 80s Tees for $24. 2. Evolution is a fact, and that’s my opinion. Evolution of Robots tee $17.99 from TV store online. 3. I think I like this Kablam t-shirt just because I wish it would happen to my computer sometimes $26 from Blank Generation Shirts 4. Shhhh….I’m Batman! $28 from TV Store Online 5. Rock Em Sock Em Robots, $19.98 from Stylin Online 6. Argh, monsters! $25 from Super7 Store

The stores are mostly based in the US, but rest assured, they ship internationally.

Nothing if not fully comprehensive, the site also lets you know which episodes the shirts were worn in should anybody question your fan credentials. You might not get any fashion points for wearing one, but the nerd respect gained surely outweighs that?

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Kobo eReader Touch review

Katie — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:00:14 +0000

Still in need of a last-minute panic purchase present for your mother-in-law?

Pop to WH Smiths and buy a lavender Kobo eReader Touch. That’s my tip, anyway.

If you want a review that gets into the ins and outs of which is better – Kindle or Kobo – you’ve probably come to the wrong place. Unless you’re a supreme tech-head, the choice between the two is likely to come down to which one you like the look of, how wedded you are to the idea of buying your books on Amazon (or NOT buying them on Amazon) and whether you’re willing to fork out the extra fee for a touchscreen.

Personally, I love the Kobo. I love its slightly old-ladyish quilted back (which made my own mother-in-law emit a little “ooh!” of excitement – possibly her first ever emotion towards an item of technology) and I love the fact that I just tap the screen to turn the page (after enlarging the font size to MASSIVE so I can read lying down and hold the eReader miles off).

The set up is easy to master – although having to prod at different sectors of the screen to get the menu up or turn pages may momentarily flummox my in-laws – and buying new books through the online store (accessed via wifi) is simple, if slow.

For many, this will simply be an also-ran that gets referred to as a Kindle, just as all personal organisers used to be called Palm Pilots (oh those silly people who couldn’t tell a Palm from an iPAQ). Then again, no one uses Palms now, so who knows what could happen?

I hope that this “also-ran” sticks around for a good while yet. Without a little bit of diversity, where are we? We’re in an Apple, Amazon, Google love triangle, that’s where. And not everyone wants to be trapped in that relationship.

For a more exhaustive Kindle Vs Kobo comparison, check out ZDNet.

Kobo eReader Touch from WH Smiths

Kobo eReader Touch from Asda

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The best children’s story iPad apps

Alex Milway — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:39:43 +0000

With 2012 about to sit squarely on top of 2011 and flatten it to memory, we can be comfortable in the knowledge that children’s book apps are now coming into their own.

The industry that started out with a nice (if limited) Alice in Wonderland, has evolved into a beautiful medium, rich with invention. Stories are no longer there just to be read. They are to be lived!

So which ones are the best?

Kid’s stories on the iPad: A roundup

The team at Nosy Crow are going great guns, pushing lovely illustration into the interactive digital world.

Bizzy Bear, The Three Little Pigs and Cinderella, all combine great visuals and an engaging level of interactive design.

Firmly rooted in storytelling, they complement Nosy Crow’s printed output perfectly. My young, two-year-old tester approves, as do I. These apps really are very good.

Another treat is Hugless Douglas, a great example of a picture book transformed into an app.

Best described as a super-enhanced audio book, with Alan Davies providing the wonderful narration, it turns David Melling’s book into an app worth having.

Peppa Pig’s a winner

Other apps out there, pushing picture books into the future are Hide Run Growl, narrated by a CBeebies presenter.

I found it a bit simplistic compared to Hugless Douglas. My iPad-loving toddler enjoyed all the growling, but was soon disappointed that it didn’t do more, especially after playing with more interactive appery. So young to be so jaded.

Representing children’s TV, you’ve got Peppa Pig’s Party Time (a real hit with my young tester, particularly in the section where you mix the birthday cake. Highly recommended), Postman Pat, and – just like the show itself – a quirky, slightly clunky, charming Ivor the Engine app.

Who wouldn’t want to be Jones Steam?!

Pixar and co

It’s no surprise that an ex-Pixar designer is behind the much talked about The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore – it looks beautiful. But while it’s a nice (if bitty) diversion, the short film does it much better.

Perhaps my two-year-old is a bit young to appreciate the more interactive elements, but some magic was missing for me too.

Another option is the free read-along Toy Story app from Pixar, which is simple but good fun.

And there’s also the lovely Nursery Rhymes app (Nursery Rhymes with StoryTime review on Dork Adore), worth getting for the chance to chop the tails off the Three Blind Nice (and reattach them) over and again – though my daughter would love it even more if it sang instead of said the songs.

Children’s apps have really matured over 2011. Next year’s going to be great.

Let us know which children’s apps your kids are loving at the moment – we’d love to try them!

Alex Milway is a children’s author and illustrator. His latest book, The Magma Conspiracy is out now with Walker Books. For more news, pictures and random gubbins read Alex Milway’s blog .

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Doctor Who Christmas Tree Decorations

Tamsin Worrad — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:13:34 +0000

The organised ones among you will already have your tree up and raring to go for Christmas. But if you’re more lax in your festive arrangements, you might like to cast your eyes over these trinkets.

These Doctor Who tree decorations are available from the BBC Shop. You can choose from a Tardis or a Dalek and they’re priced at £13.99 each or £27 for both.

This may seem on the expensive side for a tree decoration, but they’re made from mouth-blown glass and are hand painted. You can justify the investment since they’re a collector’s item rather than just an annual novelty item (that’s the story we’re telling ourselves, anyway).

You can also get them in various sets with DVDs and t-shirts, which would make the ideal present for the Whovian in your life.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that putting a Tardis on your tree will result in an ability to time travel or a Matt Smith in your stocking, but a girl can dream.

Christmas is magical, after all.

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Money is Time: contactless payment watches

Tamsin Worrad — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:17:32 +0000

It seems only recently that “contactless” payment technology has received airtime, so I was surprised to discover it has been going for several years. It’s just that retailers are only now getting into it.

The premise is simple, you get a card which you can top up online (it’s not linked to a bank account so you can feel secure there) and you can then use that card to pay where you see the contactless payment symbol. All you have to do is tap it on the reader.

My main worry with it was the ease of which I lose cards. Without a pin number I’d feel insecure about someone else getting hold of it and spending my hard earned cash, although spending limits do apply to avoid any disasters.

So I was excited when Dork Adore was offered the chance to try out the brand new contactless payment watches from watch 2 pay. It’s a lot harder to lose something that’s attached to your wrist and, like any self respecting geek, I love a good multifunctional gadget.

But how did I get on with this bit of hi-tech?

Fashionable contactless watches

The watch is a collaboration between Mastercard and watch manufacturer LAKS. It comes along with a prepaid card to use as well.

On a superficial level the watch looks great and not at all ‘gimmicky’, which was a worry for me (I am the fashion dork, after all). Even without the payment function I’d be more than happy to wear it on a daily basis and have had quite a few compliments on the style; fairly important is you’re going to invest in one and use it.

Setting up the watch is very simple and it comes with easy to follow instructions; just pop the sim card into the side of the watch, register your card online in a few steps and you’re off!

A lot of retailers are utilising contactless payment in their stores now. I decided to go to Pret-a-Manger to try out the watch by buying some lunch. In all honestly I felt very self-conscious as I waited for the cashier to add up my total, realising that asking to pay by using my watch was going to make me look a bit mad.

I needn’t have worried.

Scanning the watch took a manner of seconds but the difficult part was trying to get out of the shop after the cashiers realised what I’d done. ‘Are you going to fly off in your spaceship now?’ one asked.

It really did feel like I was in the future, and I had to show it off to various staff and customers before I could leave the shop. Disregarding the delay this caused, with a queue of hungry workers behind me and a limited lunch break the benefits of paying in such a short amount of time are pretty obvious, and it was the same when I tried a different store a few days later. I’d guess that the total time for me to pay was a couple of seconds, with no scrabbling to find my purse or waiting for the card machine.

Watch the pennies

In short, this piece of technology is highly impressive and actually genuinely useful, something a lot of gadgets can’t really claim. Not being linked to a bank account provides security, but it also allows you budget effectively since you can load it with only what you’re allowed to spend.

For example, you could pop your lunch money for the week on there and avoid the pitfalls of getting a tenner a day out and somehow frittering away the rest!

The watch is available in eight colours £99 from watch2pay.co.uk.

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Merlin: A Herald Of The New Age – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:13:37 +0000

This week in Merlin, a rare jaunt into the sparkling fields of hate crime and the burden of responsibility, as the messy aspects of the kingdom’s long-running extreme persecution against magic are finally explored on screen.

And, as ever, they can see no better way than through brainwashing a regular character.

The Ballad Of Elyan

This week’s hapless puppet is Elyan, a knight who has particularly suffered from the massive increase in cast members of late. He’s basically been nothing but fodder for fight scenes all year. In fact, has the fact he’s Gwen’s brother been mentioned since the start of this series? There might have been a namecheck, but I missed it.

With the banishment of Gwen last episode (which featured Lancelot as hapless puppet), this is definitely the best time to bring it up again, but I’m not sure they ever dig into how Elyan feels about her exile, since he is possessed before getting a chance to emote. We do at least get shown that Arthur is grumpy, which is fair enough.

In fact, Merlin was a bit insensitive about that. Considering their long-running man-love, you’d think he’d be nicer.

Questionable Genocide Sausages

So Elyan doesn’t get much to do in his big episode, being possessed the whole time, but the exploration of how Arthur feels about his father’s questionable genocide habit is interesting. His revelation and mournful speech in the final scene came suddenly, but Bradley James sold them well.

But until said final scene, the episode was fairly standard. They made the spirit scenes good and spooky, but we’ve seen this basic plot regularly. And how many times has Merlin snuck past those guards to free someone from the cells? They must be beyond incompetent.

Also, another sausagefest on Merlin this week, as both Morgana and Gwen are on leave. Obviously, Gwen has a good reason this time, and it’s wise not to crowbar Morgana into every episode, otherwise she’ll become a Power Rangers villain. Still, a new major female character might offset all this growling.

Based on the trailer, both Morgana and Gwen return next week, and… is that Arthur as hapless puppet? Again? He should start being more careful. Check the episode out on iPlayer and let us know if you were impressed.

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The Walking Dead: Cherokee Rose – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:02:11 +0000

This week’s Walking Dead is the closest we’ve had so far to a day in the life of a bunch of zombie survivors. They ran errands, took stock of their position and, yes, there was even a few romantic moments or two. Well, in a way. It’s hard to tell.

Of course, this sort of thing could be boring, like Big Brother with zombies. Was it that bad?

OKZombie.Com

I rather enjoyed it, actually. After the relentless misery of the previous episode, I was in the mood for a reminder that these people have lighter moments, and there was plenty of that here. I particularly enjoyed the team’s cack-handed efforts to clean a well, even if it contained a massive logical flaw (would you really want to drink that water anyway?) as well as Glenn’s awkward seduction.

But there was a lot of other hinting too. Are they suggesting something might happen between Daryl and Carol after his single-minded devotion to finding her daughter? I suppose their names rhyme, which is a good start. And there was the ghost of an Andrea/Shane connection too, as the big crazy man came worryingly close to confessing his sins.

Made all the more dramatic by Shane’s involvement in the Big Triangle with Rick and Lori. After this episode’s cliffhanger, it looks like we’re headed for a “Whose baby is it anyway?” storyline, and who could blame them? Of course, if the kid is Shane’s, it’ll probably hack its way out through Lori’s stomach whenever it feels ready. Just to avoid the risk of birth complications.

The Coming Of The Zombie Queen

I alluded to it above, but elsewhere, the missing girl storyline is still humming onwards. I can’t help but wonder where they’re going with this. Is Sophia going to be the Merle Dixon of season 2? She disappears, they eventually give up looking for her, and she reappears as some kind of Zombie Queen? Maybe with Merle as her King?

Who knows? But after all these weeks, the ending ought to be something beyond “oh look there she is”. Aside from that, though, I thought this was a good, well-pitched episode to keep the engine ticking along.

Good to see some lightness in tone, even better to see characters outside the Big Triangle get storylines, now we have to wait and see what happens next week. Because after a quiet episode of The Walking Dead, you just know the following one’s going to be horrific.

More The Walking Dead on Dork Adore | The Walking Dead: Bloodletting – Dork Review

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Sky’s new comedy Spy and Strictly Come Dancing: What We’ve Been Watching

Anna Lowman — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:40:42 +0000

I’ve been burnt many times before, so when a new comedy comes along that looks promising, I’ve learned not to get too excited. Perhaps it was that trepidation, then, that ultimately enhanced my enjoyment of a new sitcom featuring Green Wing alumnus Darren Boyd and a My Family-free Robert Lindsay…

With my little eye…

Sky hasn’t been known for its homegrown comedy, but it has put a surprising amount of time and energy into changing that recently. Mount Pleasant and Trollied have already aired, and Craig Cash’s very-good-looking-indeed The Cafe starts soon; for now though we’ve got Spy, starring Darren Boyd, with Robert Lindsay making the odd cameo.

And you know what? I really loved it. I know, a Sky One comedy! (It’s fine, we’re all telly snobs here.) Darren Boyd has been around for years – you’ll know his face, if not the name, from Green Wing and Whites – but I have to say I’ve never taken much notice of him before. But I’m happy to say that he’s genuinely brilliant here as under-achieving divorcee dad Tim who stumbles into a job with MI5. His pious, genius son is a great character, and Horrible Histories‘ Matthew Baynton is really funny and very well cast as Tim’s weird best friend.

It has to be said that elements of this felt familiar – I suspect writer/creator Simeon Goulden is a big Spaced fan, and the scene in which Tim disrupts the entrance exam is pure Men In Black. But none of that lessened my enjoyment – Goulden is borrowing from the best there, after all – and I was chuckling throughout. Give it a go.

Razzle Dazzle ‘em

It’s been in the papers over the last couple of days that Strictly Come Dancing is really holding its own against The X Factor juggernaut in the ratings this year. Maybe that’s because there’s actually more talent on show over on BBC One – it’s a seriously strong year. Jason Donovan‘s camp tango ruled this weekend, and I love watching Chelsee dance, even if she is generally under-marked. Saturday nights are sofa nights…

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Dork Adore » Featured

Are eco-friendly cars any fun? Ford Fiesta Econetic

Final thoughts

PS. What about The Scarlet eco hotel?

More stories like this

Wear Sherlock’s coat, Irene Adler’s shoes and Moriarty’s tie

More stories like this

Sheldon Tees: Dress like Dr Sheldon Cooper

More stories like this

Kobo eReader Touch review

More stories like this

The best children’s story iPad apps

Kid’s stories on the iPad: A roundup

Peppa Pig’s a winner

Pixar and co

More stories like this

Doctor Who Christmas Tree Decorations

More stories like this

Money is Time: contactless payment watches

Fashionable contactless watches

Watch the pennies

More stories like this

Merlin: A Herald Of The New Age – Dork Review

The Ballad Of Elyan

Questionable Genocide Sausages

More stories like this

The Walking Dead: Cherokee Rose – Dork Review

OKZombie.Com

The Coming Of The Zombie Queen

More stories like this

Sky’s new comedy Spy and Strictly Come Dancing: What We’ve Been Watching

With my little eye…

Razzle Dazzle ‘em

More stories like this