Sitting here in this lively bar, I’ve got my laptop in front of me, a beer to my right, and a cosy buzz of conversation and music in the air. It’s one of my favourite ways to spend an afternoon—writing, reflecting, and soaking up the human energy around me. There’s something wonderful about being surrounded by people, watching the neon lights glow and dance off the bar's bottles, all while tapping away on my keyboard.
It’s hard not to marvel at how far we’ve come. When I started working with computers, they were anchored to office desks—big, boxy towers paired with CRT monitors, a wired keyboard, and a clunky mouse. There was no internet, no sense of mobility. That machine, likely a 286, was plugged firmly into a 13-amp socket, designed solely for crunching numbers on spreadsheets or typing up documents.
Now, here I am. My keyboard and screen are combined into one sleek device that runs on battery power for hours. I’m connected to the world through a hotspot on my phone, and I can work from literally anywhere—be it an office, a coffee shop, or, in this case, a festive bar on a Friday afternoon.
As Christmas draws near, the bar is filling up. People are getting ready for their holiday nights out, their laughter and excitement building as the evening progresses. Every person here is carrying a tiny, powerful computer in their pocket—a smartphone with a camera that captures the memories of the night in vivid, sharable detail. In real-time, these moments are sent off into the ether, to social media platforms or private group chats. A snippet of their night, immortalized in a digital file.
It’s astonishing to think about. Not long ago, documenting a night like this might have required a bulky camcorder or a dedicated camera. Now, it’s as simple as a tap on a screen. And for many, this seamless recording and sharing of life feels utterly normal—so normal that it barely registers as remarkable.
But I can’t help pausing to appreciate the bigger picture. I think about the transformation of human connection—how far we’ve come from those static office computers. The tools we use to connect and communicate have evolved beyond what we could have imagined. Even if you’re not out tonight, you’re likely at home streaming music or watching a movie on your smart TV—another testament to how deeply digital technology has woven itself into our lives.
And here I am, sitting in a bar, enjoying this moment of quiet reflection amidst the buzz, writing about it all. This, too, will become a digital artefact—a blog post shared with the world, contributing to the endless stream of content that connects us.
So as the night unfolds and this place gets busier, I’ll raise my glass to how far we’ve come and to the exciting ways we continue to connect and share our stories.
Cheers to technology, humanity, and the holiday season ahead.