Andrew McDonald

I got an email a few weeks ago asking if I wanted to check out a tool called TOMMY sense, a way to turn ESP32s (that you might already be using!) into motion and presence sensors. That’s amazing! This is a tool that works flawlessly with Home Assistant, costs you next to nothing, and lets you use hardware you might already own and use for a whole new purpose – no special sensors required. That sure sounds incredible, so let’s take a look.

THIS EMAIL … AND IT'S LIVE! Your Playbook author and his other sleep-deprived colleagues will swap frenzied WhatsApping and phone calls for the

Good Wednesday morning . This is Andrew McDonald. DRIVING THE DAY NIGEL'S GAMBIT: For the second summer in a row , Nigel Farage is trying to wrest control of the news agenda.

Good Monday morning . This is Andrew McDonald. DRIVING THE DAY

I just had a full dual head mini-split air conditioning system installed, and last week I posted a video explaining what I’ve learned from having it for a couple months. I got a whole bunch of questions about the process, the units and lots more, so I figured I’d make a bit of an FAQ’s video answering your questions. I’m sure I’ll miss some, so if I do please do leave them in the comments! Right, let’s dive straight in with the most asked question, “Who did I use”?

I didn’t get a press sample of the Steam Machine – I don’t know if Valve even has a UK PR presence anyway – and I didn’t win the postcode lottery to even be able to buy one. So I figured since Valve has opened up SteamOS to run on any PC you want, I’d use some of the parts I have already and build my own Steam Machine. Now I’m sure Steam Machine fans will be quick to point out a couple of things, namely that my PC won’t be as small, quiet or efficient, and they would be absolutely spot on. But as with all PC gaming, everything is a tradeoff. Valve opted to sacrifice performance for size and efficiency, whereas I’ve opted to take up slightly more space and power in order to have a better overall experience. Oh, and let’s also address the elephant in the room, price. As I have it built here, with 32GB of DDR5 and a 2TB SSD, you’d be looking at £1500 out of pocket. That’s £350 more than the 2TB Steam Machine, although we’ll come back to why that price difference might not be so big a deal. Also for context this build would have set you back more like £1200 a year ago before the RAMpocalypse. Ouch.

Good Tuesday morning . This is Andrew McDonald. DRIVING THE DAY LABOUR, TOGETHER?

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Sony is no stranger to making impressive headphones and headsets. The H9 II I’ve been using for months now is clear evidence of that, it’s lightweight, sounds amazing, the mic is fantastic, and even has active noise cancellation. So, if this H6 Air is even close to the H9 II, this would be one hell of a headset. Let’s find out if that’s the case, or if the hefty price tag is too offputting.

WHILE I WAS WRITING PLAYBOOK: Keir Starmer was given a leaving gift by the left boot of Spain's Ferran Torres, who ensured Argentina failed to retain the World Cup with a half-volley in extra time.