by John Macdonald | Mar 19, 2023 | The250
Apple builds consumer trinkets like it’s a matter of national security — all to feed the hype machine. Marketing brilliance. If you’re familiar with the Steve Jobs era, you know that their “one more thing” product announcements were... by John Macdonald | Mar 18, 2023 | The250
My team single-handedly destroyed a $2B company, and then I got fired. This is less of a personal regret than a regret by association, and reliving it boils my blood, even today. It’s 2003, and I’m working at a semiconductor company... by John Macdonald | Mar 17, 2023 | The250
After two announced delays, we finally boarded. I’m fake smiling at people as I snake through the aisle full of lucky bastards up front. I hate them with all of my being. All the while straining my neck to catch a glimpse of seat 23D. For sure, I was... by John Macdonald | Mar 16, 2023 | The250
I was that guy. You know the one. The one you hate. The one you and your people shake their heads at. You see him at the restaurant, sometimes at the doctor’s office, and always at the DMV. And today, my fellow humans saw him at the airport in Doha. ... by John Macdonald | Mar 15, 2023 | The250
Through the haze, I heard the agent mutter something about a seat reassignment. He quickly confiscated my boarding pass and handed me a new one. At first, the obscene markings on the new boarding pass didn’t even register, but then I focused my eyes and... by John Macdonald | Mar 14, 2023 | The250
We land in Doha at 4:30 am local time, but the airport looks like 9 pm on a Saturday night in Times Square. People and overly brilliant lights everywhere. No escape. I’m as introverted as they come. I enjoy less people so much more than more people....