So long, 2007
The year that was 2007. It’s pretty much the first year in about 14 or so that I’ve not traveled anywhere significant. The Land of Sand doesn’t really count, though there were a couple of very brief visits there. There was a distinct lack of conferences and other events. Not that that is such a loss. Nowadays, it’s difficult to find an organized event from which a lot of value may be gained. Other than that, more of the same. I’ve been unable to find a proper solution that enables synchronization of my various calendars. Most of the issues have nothing to do with the lack of software or its sophistication. Rather, crappy firewalls and ridiculous security policies are at the heart of the matter.
The work on the house continues, but we are making good progress. Slowly the focus is shifting to get the garden under control. Some day I’ll sit back and wonder what on earth to do with my spare time. For now, there is none. Alexander’s interest in Lego has allowed me some time to rediscover a favourite toy. It’s still not really the right time to break the MindStorms kit out of the box, though.
From a blogging point of view, this year has seen the shift to a new hosting provider. I’ve tried to maintain my post-a-day concept, with a few missed entries here and there. Though it’s never been a focus, I was flabbergasted to see a number 1 position on Blog Top Sites. Strangely, that web site ceased to operate about a day later. I’m not into conspiracy theories, but spent some time pondering the reason for that. I grabbed a screenshot of the badge, just for my own edification 
On SATopSites, I’ve noticed a general shift into the top 50. Again something I don’t focus my attention on, but it is a barometer. Maybe some of the more popular blogs have switched to a rating system I’m not aware of? Best position so far:
2007 was filled with some interesting and useful gadgets. My favourite tool is the Bosch IXO cordless drill. The newly acquired Dremel 300 is in use occasionally and is so far adorned with more accessories than I’ll probably need (more to come). Top gadget of the year is the Nokia E90, a replacement for the N95. The N95 was a disappointment. Not as a device, but as a device that could perform all the functions I require. Happily, it’s found a new home. Katana is an excellent home PC, running 24/7 or as much of that time as Eskom allows. The APC UPS helps keep shutdowns clean, should the need arise. A second hard drive and another 2GB of RAM will make the system ready to run as a Netweaver system.
I changed from Ubuntu to Fedora as my primary desktop operating system and started experimenting afresh with the possibility of moving all my computing to that platform. It is more and more possible to co-exist in a Microsoft world using Linux – that’s my goal for 2008. It’ll be a challenge in certain ways, but an absolute pleasure in others. My apt is as good as my yum and I have no issue with either of those packaging methods, nor with those in use by other distributions. My leaning towards Fedora is simply due to a long history of using Red Hat.
The biggest gadget conundrum I have ever faced continued from 2006 all the way through 2007 and will surely continue well into 2008. Console wars. I have never had such difficulty in selecting a platform. If this were the USA, it’s likely I’d already have 2 out of the 3 available (Wii, PS3 and XBox 360). Though prices have fallen, it is still not an easy decision: PS3 can run Linux, has a lot of technical advantages but a distinct lack of games. Except Ridge Racer is available. And I like it. XBox 360 has great games, but is locked down from a hardware point of view. The Wii is plain fun for the entire family. But I’m only interested in some of the sport games. It’s a difficult choice…
That’s about all for 2007, then!
I wish you all a prosperous new year!
