As a temporary measure, to take advantage of a too-good-to-miss “switching incentive” offer, I’m moving my current account to a legacy high street bank.

Coming from one of the new wave of “mobile first” banks, it’s been a fairly frustratingly non-optimal experience: sign up for internet/mobile banking requires first setting up telephone banking, which requires twenty-plus minutes on the phone setting up a secure banking number (basically a long PIN). Then, after registering for online/mobile banking – which involves the full set of username, “password” (actually a memorable word), and multiple security questions – you have to setup a “digital key,” with its own set of questions and passwords… which is how you actually login to the system.

It’s too many passwords/pins/questions, and it feels like security theatre. At least at the end it gives the option of Touch ID on mobile.

I’ve noted as much of it as I could into my password manager, but due to the way everything is implemented, I can’t actually use the manager… just read from it.

Oh, and of course you have to phone them if you want to add your card to Apple Pay.

With the newer bank, I was signed up with a new account, logged in, and able to use Apple Pay within ten minutes of downloading the app, before they even sent out a card. I could even set the card PIN in the app. With the high street bank, I’ve spent two hours of my weekend trying to get to the same point. I’m still waiting on the card PIN before I can actually use the account. I have a feeling I’ll be switching away again as soon as possible.

I’ve fallen into a regular routine with my ongoing weight loss attempts, which basically gives me a two week cycle that ends in a roughly two kilo loss. I like routines, it makes it easier to stick to a task and achieve a goal; I’m just bad at getting in or falling out of them. This week’s loss leaves me with fourteen more kilos to go before I reach my target.

Without a doubt, the customer service of the distributor behind Warhammer 40,000: Conquest magazine is the worst I’ve encountered in a long time. It took them two months to answer my cancellation request email(s), and they have yet to answer emails about an “outstanding balance” they claim I have, even though I was fully paid up. I think it’s related to a delivery I received after they cancelled my subscription, so I’ve sent those issues back to them – at cost to myself. Fingers crossed that resolves it, because getting hold of anyone seems near to impossible.

I think my first generation, bought at release, AirPods are finally losing their battery capacity. I’m getting about an hour and three quarters of listening time before I hear the low charge alert tone. One ear seems to be worse than the other.

They’ve had a good run; I use them almost daily, for three to four hours a day, on average. They’re honestly one of my favourite bits of tech from the last few years.

I don’t know if I’ll “upgrade” to the Pro’s – price aside, I have yet to find a pair of in-ear headphones I can wear for more than a handful of minutes without discomfort.