2024 in review
Another relocation, this time to the UK. I hope it will be the last, at least for several years.
We traveled a lot, and time seemed to crawl by slowly. It feels as if the UAE and Russia were decades ago.
Gadgets
Fujifilm X-T20
The UK is far too beautiful to capture with an iPhone; that’s why I bought a second-hand Fujifilm and spent the second part of the year chasing landscapes and birds.
PlayStation 5
Initial excitement turned into disappointment. The games seem boring, familiar, and predictable. I don’t get the same feelings that I had playing Witcher and Death Stranding on PS4. The biggest regret was Space Marine 2. Killing Tyranids became routine after several hours, and the plot was not engaging. Multiplayer might be more engaging, but I am not willing to pay for a PS Plus subscription for that.
However, there was an exception: It Takes Two. The game is weird in the best way, and Dr. Hakim is magnificent.
Software
I gave up and moved to the Apple ecosystem. Having device synchronization and the ability to use family sharing became more important than being a digital hermit. Obsidian was replaced with Notes and KeePassXC with Passwords.
I still love Obsidian and use it at work, but next year I plan to use simpler tools. I realized that my workflow is quite simple and doesn’t require all the advanced features of Obsidian, like note linking. Maybe someday, but not today.
Video game
This was a year of horde killing roguelikes:
They may look like ordinary time-killers, but after spending way too much time over 100 hours on them, I started
seeing
them as “puzzles with action-like mechanics”.
Board game
Terraforming Mars. After a year of being nomads and playing board games on an iPad, we finally settled and bought a physical copy. Oh boy, what a pleasure it is to hold the cards.
TV Shows
Carol & The End of the World
This is an animated series that tickled my existential crisis. It explores how ordinary people cope with the realisation that the end of the world is near.
Scavengers Reign
A sci-fi series with fascinating world-building that leaves you with plenty of ideas and unanswered questions after watching.
The first few episodes are a bit odd, but then it becomes truly gripping.
Books
The Weirdness of the World
I became tired and frustrated from feeling stupid after reading Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, so I switched to modern philosophy authors. I started this book several times, postponed it throughout the year, but eventually finished and enjoyed it. Philosophy is fun and makes you feel weird about the world.
The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language
Linguistics was a second major subject after philosophy that excited me. However, after giving this book and several others a try, I realised that this is not a topic I want to focus on. Thankfully, it led me to realise that my interest lies specifically in programming languages and using them as a tool to describe systems.
How to Take Smart Notes
I wish I had read it several years ago, when I started my journey with Obsidian. The book is not only about how to make notes, but how to think and work.
In the Dust of This Planet. Horror of Philosophy
As a fan of cosmic horror, I discovered that there is an entire philosophy surrounding it. I began this book as an introduction to the topic.