REVIEWS
Astraphobe Lightning Protection system
With summer on its way, so too are the
Highveld’s famed lightning storms, which
makes a lightning surge protection system
that much more worth investing in.
T
he South African made Astraphobe DSL
lightning protection system’s purpose, like its
design, is simple – to protect your valuable
internet and telephone connected hardware from
lightning surges. These the company pointed out,
and our own bitter experience has born out, can
quite easily and quite literally in a flash, devastate ill
prepared hardware that is connected to an ADSL line
struck by lightning.
Shelter from the storm
The actual device itself reminded us of a Wii –
essentially a thick white box (but not overly large) with
just two connections – one to receive the phone line
and the second for your Ethernet connection. Thus,
setting it up could not be simpler, as it is simply a
matter of plugging the device into a wall socket and
then inserting the telephone and Ethernet cables.
The Astraphobe essentially sits between a user’s
phoneline and their internet connected devices, which
could include the likes of routers, PCs, consoles,
TVs and storage devices connected to the network.
Its added extra is that the unit is not simply a surge
protector though; it also houses a storm detection
system, and thus when an approaching storm
is detected (up to 40 km away), it automatically
disconnects the ADSL line if need be and
reconnects it when the storm has passed. The unit
displays whether the conditions are clear, whether
a storm is detected and how far away it is, and,
should the line need to be disconnected, how long
before it will automatically reconnect.
One strike, you’re out
Thankfully we were not graced with a sudden
lightning storm while reviewing the unit, nor
could we coordinate a lightning strike to fully test
Jacstech’s assertions. Nonetheless, considering
that we are quite used to unplugging our DSL
router and phone line entirely when storms roll in,
we could easily see how this would offer a more
convenient alternative, particularly when away from
our office while a lightning storm decided to make
a sudden appearance.
It also should be noted that it will likely be more
applicable to those in particularly lightning prone
areas. It has a RRP of R1 400 and is available from
www.kalahari.net. [RN]
THE ASTRAPHOBE DSL IS NOT SIMPLY
A SURGE PROTECTOR THOUGH; IT ALSO
HOUSES A STORM DETECTION SYSTEM.
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!
STUART PONTON - TechSmart Design Magician
STEPHEN “SPLING” ASPELING
PIPPA TSHABALALA Geek GirnlgExtraorditnaire
- Gami Columnis and
I recently got a
new iPhone so I
immediately started
downloading a
bunch games. So far
one has stood out,
Two Dots. Highly
addictive, beautifully
designed, a lot of
fun and the game
map is mesmerizing.
Scrolling up you can view your journey ahead.
The quirky animations sync to the Jazz line
and change to suit the environment. The
game is a Candy Crush styled puzzle and
can be downloaded from the App Store.
The Game of Thrones
2nd Edition board
game (R900) will
appeal to both fans
of the TV series
and strategy board
game enthusiasts,
immersing you in
George R. R. Martin’s
medieval world. The
map of Westeros
board, the attack cards, the playing pieces
and tokens have been beautifully designed
and crafted, swathing the game in a dark
and epic majesty.
John Butler has been blowing my mind ever
since I first heard of him. This man does things
on a guitar that Robert Johnson would be
proud of. He is an American-born Australian
singer, songwriter, record label owner,
producer and multi-instrumentalist musician.
Get his latest album Tin Shed Tales on iTunes
for R90.
Each player governs one of the six noble
Houses, using diplomacy, strategy and a
little luck to control enough strongholds to
win the game. However, you’ll need to keep
your wits - accumulating power, bidding on
influence tracks, mustering troops, defending
the kingdom against the
Wildlings, using the Iron
Throne to control politics,
having foresight with
the Messenger Raven
and deciding the fate of
battles when you control
the Valyrian Steel Blade.
It sounds completely
weird, but Zombie
Pin-up is actually
a thing. It’s exactly
what it sounds like
- pretty 50s style pinup girls, but they’re
zombies. You’ll see
a bit of decay, some
blood, perhaps some
brains, but it’s oddly
appealing, and get the sense
that if a girl looking like that
wanted to eat your brains, well
it couldn’t be all bad. [ghastly
zombie pin up girl - Rob
Sacchetto, bit.ly/1wYQNdl]
October 2014 | TechSmart
Movie Fundi and All-Round Good Guy
I love Lauren Beukes’ writing
- from her science fiction to
her graphic novel work, and
the fact that she’s a local
writer just makes her all the
more appealing. In fact she’s
released a new title called
Broken Monsters, which
even horror guru Stephen
King calls “scary as hell and
hypnotic”. I think that’s a win
all round!
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