Thomil's Random Ramblings

So, I’ve been an Apple user for over a decade, and an iPhone user since 2014. I switched over to iOS as a consequence of me being hired by Apple back in 2012, when they also paid for my move over here to Ireland. And while I stopped working for them in early 2016, under some rather fractious circumstances, I was firmly ensconced in their ecosystem, with iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, Apple TV and a MacBook being mine. Employee discounts and knowledge of the company’s internal support processes can be a powerful motivation for brand loyalty. However, I haven’t set foot in the Apple Campus up in Hollyhill for years now, and my enthusiasm for the Church of the Disciples of St. Jobs has waned considerably in the intervening years. While the company still builds excellent products, I’m typing this very blog post on a MacBook, the iPhone line has become stale, if still well-built, effectively the Toyota Corolla of smartphones. So, when my mobile phone contract came up for renewal in early Octo...

Day 6 – October 3rd, 2023 Waiting for my train at Graz Main Station. All good things come to an end. That is certainly the case for this trip, and after breakfast, it’s time to stuff my trolley with several kilograms of newly bought sweets, drinks and other assorted purchases. That done, it’s just a quick tram ride to Graz Main Station, followed by a quick S-Bahn ride out to the airport. I get quite the welcome at the airport as well as, right after the train has pulled out of the station, two Eurofighter Typhoons of the Austrian Air Force thunder over the airport with full afterburners, and predictably loud results. I try to catch them with my phone camera, but they’re just too fast, and a repeat performance is not forthcoming, not least since the military part of Graz Airport was shut down a long time ago. Sorry I couldn't get a better shot, but the Eurofighter Typhoon (dot in the centre) isn't really a slow machine. There's no doubt about where to walk to get to the airp...