Lyons the Quality Tea

Daily writing prompt

What brands do you associate with?

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I’m not in any way into fashion. I do remember being quite proud of my wrangler denim jacket when I was 14, but even then, I wasn’t into fashion. But I’ll list the IT-related brands that have been great friends to me in recent years.

Before I do, let me mention McDonald’s. I like seeing the big M wherever I go, I have lots of pleasant McDonald’s memories. I was a bit peeved when the Limerick City Centre branch closed recently. I remember bringing the kids in back in 1995 and getting some Pocahontas figures with Happy Meals 😀.

Anyway, here are my IT-related brands:

• Amazon – not only for the shopping but also Amazon Web Services, which was my introduction to cloud computing. And I do subscribe to Prime Video from time to time. I’m a big fan of Audible too. I list some favourite audiobooks on my Recommended Audio Resources page.
• Google – mainly YouTube. Recently I’ve been playing around with Google Sites. I’m not creating a public site, but I’ve been creating an outline of my life where I list music, personal memories, events etc. I used to do that sort of thing in Word and PowerPoint, but I’m finding Google Sites much more suitable.
• Apple – I’ve purchased various devices over the years, from the iPod Nano, through the iPod Touch, iPad, and MacBook. And I have a little iPhone. I never had an iMac. I purchased many little virtual synths and other instruments which I connect to with my music keyboard.
• Meta – Facebook and my Meta Quest VR headset. I purchased a graphics card for my computer a few years ago and the box had a phrase that said “VR-ready”. So, I investigated VR headsets. My latest is a Meta Quest 3s. Some of the games with much movement are unpleasant, but I found a few fun apps. Here are my 10 favourites:
  • Wander – Google Street View in VR
  • Walkabout Mini Golf
  • Pistol Whip – shooting game
  • Demeo – Dungeon crawler
  • YouTube – has some 3D, 180 and 360 movies, but I often just watch standard YouTube in 3D environments
  • Bigscreen Beta – You can watch YouTube in various cinema and home environments, alone or with friends
  • Premium Bowling
  • ForVR Pool
  • Real VR Fishing
  • Audio Trip – Rhythm/exercise game
  • Smash Drums – Drumming Game
  • Tetris Effect – Tetris, but in delightful environments
    
    I’ve used many other games an apps, but these are the ones I come back to again and again.
• Microsoft – That’s been a great friend over the years. I use it on a daily basis. Even with blog posts, before I post, I copy it into Word online, do a spellcheck, and get Immersive Reader to read it out loud. People are prone to complain about Microsoft in the way they might complain about the United States. Maybe I do to, but I shudder to think what the world would be like without the United States. And Microsoft and all its copycats have proved useful in all sorts of ways over the years.
• Native Instruments – This is where I buy my music production software. I just mess around – I’ve never done much with it 😀.

I can think of lots of other cool brands, but these are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head. And as for Christian brands, most of my books have been published by Banner of Truth and Intervarsity Press (IVP). And I’ve spent a lot of time using resources from 9Marks, Gospel Coalition etc. Again, I’ve listed some of these on my Recommended Audio Resources page.

If you’re wondering where I got my post title, let me end with two TV adverts that I remember from my childhood: