I’m writing this article on the plane to Lisbon for Web Summit 2024.

I had hoped to make this article a review of my Logitech Keys-To-Go 2 – a bluetooth keyboard I bought with events like Web Summit in mind, so I could write articles directly on my phone.

It’s easier to write on the go if you don’t need to carry or risk a heavy expensive notebook. The Keys-To-Go 2 costs around £80 new and weighs less than the lightest notebooks.

“I’m writing this article on my Keys-To-Go 2 and it’s a smooth typing experience.” That was the plan.

Unfortunately I can’t use it for this article because my phone is in airplane mode for the flight, which disables bluetooth. Oops.

At least I’ve tested a use-case that i suspect many Keys-To-Go 2 purchasers care about.

Generally, I can report that the Keys-To-Go 2 is pretty good. A little flimsy, perhaps, but Logitech honoured my warranty-claim with no fuss and minimal questioning.

Did I drop it? Well no. But I did aggressively stuff into a tiny bag, which I then left in the cloakroom at one of London’s grottiest rave venues.

My theory is it got lightly bent.

I did Web Summit in 2023 which, by all accounts, was a weird year. Paddy Cosgrove was forced to step down from his role as CEO right before the start of the conference, after several major corporatations pulled out of the event over Cosgrove’s reference to Israeli “war crimes” in Gaza.

A year later, Palestine solidarity marches still continue in cities across the globe but Paddy appears to be back as Web Summit’s CEO. I assume his centre-stage Welcome to Web Summit speech will include another apology to placate the corporate giants. In any case, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and others are back and the machine rumbles along.

What else is there to say? It’s a little hard to talk in any detail when I’m typing on my phone keyboard without internet access and unable to fact-check myself.

Last year I managed to look mildly foolish in front of Chelsea Manning.

That was a fun story to tell people afterwards. Right up there with Tom Scott showing up at my monthly board games night and screwing up his pizza order.

He accidentally ordered a pizza with chicken and cheese and no sauce, if you’re interested. I didn’t try it (I’m vegan) but it looked bland.

That’s a big selling-point for Web Summit – you’re rubbing shoulders with people you might have heard of. This year you could run into Pharrell Williams! You probably won’t, but you could!

Has he done much recently? I liked his feature on RTJ4 but that was a few years ago. I’ll check out his talk and report back, if it doesn’t clash with anything that looks more interesting.

It feels weird returning to Lisbon. Last time around marked the moment I finally and painfully got over a seven year relationship.

I’m curious how the seaside plaza at Baixa-Chiado will feel, where I received the message telling me my ex had moved on. I wonder how departures at Lisbon Aeropuerto, where I silently sutured a broken heart over hours of delays, will feel on the return trip.

I’ve come a long way since then. I’ve rebuilt myself and my life. I’ve fallen in love. I’m barely recognisable now, and not just physically.

It still feels significant though. How could it not?