‘It brings you closer to the natural world’: the rise of the Merlin birdsong identifying app

Merlin has been trained to identify the songs of more than 1,300 bird species around the world

When Natasha Walter first became curious about the birds around her, she recorded their songs on her phone and arduously tried to match each song with online recordings. After a friend recommended Merlin Bird ID, a free app, she tried it in her London garden and was delighted to discover the birds she assumed were female blackbirds – “this is how bad a birder I was” – were actually song thrushes and mistle thrushes.

“I’m obsessed with Merlin – it’s wonderful and it’s been a joy to me,” says Walter, a writer and human rights activist. “This is what AI and machine-learning have been invented for. It’s the one good thing!”

Published: December 27, 2025, 12:00 pm

I ran 1,000km to test the best running watches in the UK – here are my favourites

We ran more than 1,000km to test top-rated GPS fitness watches including Apple, Garmin and the best for beginners

• The best running shoes for men and women

Whether you’re hitting the pavements for the first time, running with a club or racing for personal glory, the ability to track your workouts has become an essential part of any training regime. Not only can it help you improve, but you can also use it to avoid injury and share in the social experience. A running watch isn’t the only way to do this, but it is a pretty effective option.

But with the market flooded with options, offering an array of features, you might find it difficult to answer all the questions that arise. Do you need offline maps? Do you want to listen to music while you run? Which brand is best, and how much do you really need to spend?

Best running watch for beginners:
Garmin Forerunner 55

Best budget running watch:
Suunto Run

Published: December 28, 2025, 7:00 am

From shrimp Jesus to erotic tractors: how viral AI slop took over the internet

Flood of unreality is an endpoint of algorithm-driven internet and product of an economy dependent on a few top tech firms

In the algorithm-driven economy of 2025, one man’s shrimp Jesus is another man’s side hustle.

AI slop – the low-quality, surreal content flooding social media platforms, designed to farm views – is a phenomenon, some would say the phenomenon of the 2024 and 2025 internet. Merriam-Webster’s word of the year this year is “slop”, referring exclusively to the internet variety.

Published: December 27, 2025, 5:00 pm

We combed the internet for the 25 best after-Christmas sales still available

MasterClass, Roku, Apple, Aritzia – we rounded up the best post-holiday sales for tech, fashion and more that you can snag before the end of the year

• Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things

The eggnog’s kicked, the tree is dropping its needles and distant family members have vacated your guest bedroom. Time to recycle your gift wrap, compost your tree and donate to a cause you care about.

Then reward yourself by buying what you really wanted for Christmas.

Best after-Christmas subscriptions sale:
MasterClass

Published: December 27, 2025, 3:00 pm