Here are a couple of ideas or trends that I felt changed in my life and society over the past year.
Data Plan Dependence
This year, I went from having a data plan, to not having a data plan, to having a data plan again. What that has changed is that now it feels like it is a necessity to have data access everywhere and all the time. Once you have connectivity, you can’t take it away. It’s like trying to go from DSL/Cable back to dial-up.
Foursquare
With data plans come access to mobile apps, and geolocation is the big thing in mobile apps. Foursquare was my main obsession this year.
The Disappointment of Obama
All the hope from 2008 has dried up. The sweeping change that was expected of Obama hasn’t occurred. Where do we go from here? Will he even be re-elected?
Moving
In terms of life events, the big one this year was buying and then moving into our own home. There is a lot more to manage in a house than there was in a condo.
Old Hobbies
This year I didn’t really seek out new music. Music is still something I enjoy, but I am continually scaling back the time commitment I give to it. Before I use to listen to the radio, or at least figure out the new Top 40. In the last half of the year, I just didn’t care! I guess one year I will have to pick things up since I will only have old tired songs to listen to. I’ve also slowed down a lot in taking photos (I’m lazy to carry my SLR out with me) and no longer read comics (although may start up again).
No More Warcraft
I stopped playing Warcraft, and did not start playing Starcraft. I guess this is an Old Hobby but this has previously taken so much time that I think it is worthy of its own point.
Changing Domains
My preference has been slowly shifting to using my name domain instead of orangefever.net. In the past, anonymity was more important on the web, but with Facebook and Google accounts, a person’s true identity is now much easier to find; so there’s not as much use to hide behind a pseudonym or domain name. At least I have felt that it is more important now to build my portfolio and repertoire both on my name domain and on LinkedIn.
To The Cloud!
To borrow Dell’s commercial hook, I’ve been evolving my habits to be less tied to a specific computer. Although I still have a desktop, I use it more as a terminal – for writing code, organizing pictures, etc. In fact, my computing devices have all become terminals, and are ever present, whether they are cell phones, netbooks, or real computers. Although I’ve always had email through GMail “on the cloud”, I think new and different hardware devices have really pushed this paradigm shift now.
Where Does Blogging Fit?
I still blog, and at a fairly consistent rate, but I know that I don’t have as much enthusiasm for blogging as had before (similar to other Old Hobbies). I’ve spent less time on this year’s recap in terms of stats and whatnot as well. I think I will continue blogging, but I have to understand where that priority lies in my life now, and that will affect how much time I put into it.
European vs American mentality
In the latter half of this year, I think I have adopted more of an European mentality when it comes to goods, rather than an American one. I define an American mentality as one that is focused on cheap and excess, whereas an European puts an emphasis on quality – I’d rather have fewer but better quality goods, like better performing tools. Although, that’s only for some products – I’m still happy splurging on Dollarama.
Hi! and welcome to the eclectic personal blog of Kevin Quan. Come in, stay awhile, peek into the nooks & crannies, and learn a bit about me and my interests.