Thomil's Random Ramblings

One of the highlights of the past year in tech for me has definitely been the announcement of Windows 11. It may seem a strange thing to write for a formerly committed Apple head like me, but in a year where the latest MacOS release doesn’t really seem to qualify for a major version number given the insignificant nature of the changes, having an industry behemoth announce such a number of sweeping changes to their flagship product is really something else. Even if there was originally a bit of confusion regarding which of Microsoft’s in-house devices would get the new OS, it soon became clear that my own Surface Go 2 would be eligible for Windows 11 once it was released. A month or so after the announcement, I finally caved in and decided to register as a Windows Insider to get access to one of the beta release channels. As you can probably tell from the fact that you’re reading this blog post, the installation worked like a charm. Whether it's in light... ... or in dark mode, Win...

When you’ve lived in a place for a certain time, you tend to get caught up in the mundane everyday trappings of life and lose focus of some of the more extraordinary stories that may have taken place just outside your door. Even events that changed history may pass you buy unnoticed as you race past a small unassuming plaque on a house on your way back from a lunch break that has once again taken far too long. Here in the Cork area, these tie-ins are legion. From the house of one of the most ground-breaking mathematicians of all times to the streets walked by an anti-slavery activist, to a journey that caused the western world to shrink dramatically, many of these places, steeped in history, may elicit nothing more than a sideward glance. The small Maritime Museum housed in a single-story building in Passage West is one of the only links to the town's maritime past. Today, the town is little more than a suburb and dormitory town for Cork. One of these places is Passage West, on the...

Sometimes, you really have to wonder just what some decision makers are smoking, especially here in Cork. Between road closures that aren’t enforced, pedestrian areas that aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on, unopposed GAA land grabs and infrastructure that is introduced with great fanfare only to be left to crumble, the only conclusion I can make is that the people in city hall have access to some really potent stuff! The latest outgrowth of this presumed consumption habit is taking place on Patrick Street this week. Three large contraptions that look suspiciously like the result of a one-night stand between a Dalek and an IKEA shelf have just been installed outside the Ulster Bank building there, while two more are slated for installation on Grand Parade. But while these things are most definitely not the result of alien interference, they’re probably about as much use as an umbrella in a hurricane. The objects in question are called “CityTrees” and are designed and built by Gr...

So, it’s working from home again. Is anyone else getting a distinct sense of déjà moo here? Seriously, we’re now well into the second year of the pandemic here in Ireland and while society may not be as locked down as it once was, a return to the office is likely still months away at the very least. Also, since publishing my first post on this topic back in February 2021, I have a few months of working from home experience under my belt. So, why not turn those lessons into a blog post to feed the content machine? Here are five more lessons I learned while working from home. Write a To-Do List for the Day Using a Task Manager such as Todoist to write out a daily to do list can really make your day easier for you. This goes back to the issue of structuring your day I mentioned back in February of this year. Having a clear outline of the tasks you need to get done that day really helps you feel on top of things. And of course, there’s more than just a little satisfaction in scratching a...