2018 year in review
Reading time: 6 minutes
The big thing I've been talking about this past year is my switch from eating meat and dairy. I even put together a guide for eating plant-based that includes other healthier living tips. It might be worth checking out for ways to start off the new year! And while you're at it, here's an approach to take when starting new goals or projects.
The blog is now categorized into four themes: Art & Design, Marketing & Promotion, Tech & Culture, Growth & Craft. And there are featured posts at the top of each category.
Blocks Edit celebrated its one-year anniversary last month. I've been blogging on its Content + Code blog this past year as well, with posts mainly focusing on better email design. I've also blogged on the things I've been learning about marketing and sales while doing research to promote Blocks Edit.
I posted up my second short story this year. It's called New Sight and it's about an engineer on his way back from a trip to Japan, about to land back home in San Francisco - 20 years into the future. Along with the story, there are MP3 links to four songs that serve as a soundtrack while reading the story. The songs are all by Mick Rippon, who's music is hard to find and which you probably won't find anywhere else on the web! His music originally inspired the subject of my first short story, Impulse Tracker, which I've also added a soundtrack of his songs for.
And, did you know that this year marks 25 years since the release of both Myst and Doom? 50 years since 2001: A Space Odyssey. 10 years since Breaking Bad first aired. And, 30 years since the holiday classic, Die Hard, came out.
Recommendations and stuff
If you subscribe to my monthly email list, you'll know that at the end I highlight the good stuff of the books I've been reading, along with comics, what movies and shows I've enjoyed, along with videogames, and even music. Here are my favorites of the year.
Books
- On marketing, Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday has all the essentials of marketing that stand the test of time. And on sales, To Sell is Human by Daniel H. Pink will teach you about why sales is misunderstood and its importance on how we make decisions.
- On design, a couple of great reads: The Shape of Design by Frank Chimero, available online in its entirety for free; and Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda, a former Apple engineer who worked on the original iPhone and gives a nuanced overview of how design is more than just the way something looks.
- On art, This is for Readers: The Wax and the Wane of Charles Bobuck by Hardy Fox. The free ebook is about art and life, and the art and life of Hardy Fox, one of The Residents band members who died this year.
- For the actual way to live longer and feel better, The Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition: Second Edition by Julieanna Hever and Ray Cronise will show you why eating plant-based is the healthiest diet along with practical ways to go about doing it for people of all ages, body types, and health conditions.
- For introverts out there, or those who think they may have some introvert in them, Quiet by Susan Cain is an essential read that not only taught me just how introverted I am, but what it really means to be introverted! And a related book, The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga is a deep philosophical look at the world based entirely on how we interact with each other.
Comics
- Moby Dick by Herman Melville, retold in comic book form by Chaboute; a more digestible version of the classic book!
- Casino Royale, another adaptation, based on the first James Bond book, though the original book is also worth reading!
- The DC Universe by Neil Gaiman which includes a rare and unique Superman and Green Lantern story, and the infamous Batman story, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?
Movies
- Nuts! — the true story of an eccentric genius who built an empire with his goat-testicle impotence cure, and Our Nixon — made of never-before seen Super 8 home movies filmed by Nixon's aides, two documentaries by Penny Lane that will change how you look at history!
- Ant-Man, my favorite super-hero movie of the year, which I was reluctant to see when it came out originally and completely regret doing so! Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther were also good.
- Roman J. Israel, Esq., The Promotion, and Marshall are movies you may not have heard of that are definitely worth checking out.
- Jim & Andy, about the crazy way Jim Carey filmed Man on the Moon. (You don't need to have seen the movie to enjoy it.) And somewhat related, Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise about another kind of crazy way an artist does his job.
- Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, from excitement about hearing that there is a sequel in the works (another one)!
TV shows
- Patriot, seasons 1 and 2 on Amazon Prime; one of my new favorite shows of all time!
- Gravity Falls, a cartoon for kids that's not just for kids is a lot of fun. It's only two seasons and goes by quicker than you'll want it to. It's all on Hulu. Be sure to watch the additional shorts available on YouTube after season 1.
- Breaking Bad, which I rewatched as part of its 10-year anniversary (it's on Netflix).
- And of course, the latest seasons of Better Call Saul, Black Mirror and South Park.
Videogames
- Red Dead Redemption 2 which is as good as everyone says it is. It can even be watched as a good TV series, which is how I enjoyed it via YouTube play-throughs.
- A couple of fun, short games I enjoyed on my iPhone: Plug & Play and Florence.
Misc
- A couple of newer podcasts I've been listening some episodes of that I might listen to more of: The Voluntary Life, and Time Off.
- And the podcasts I listen to regularly: Penn's Sunday School, and Rework.
- I've been reading the Farnam Street blog recently, with some good insights on thinking and learning.
- For music, I've started a couple of playlists of songs for Patriot and Breaking Bad of my favorites while watching each show. And I've added my top five favorite Electric Six songs to my Faves playlist.
- moonsix nylon belt — the most comfortable, convenient belt ever!
The complete list can be found in my Faves section of the site. And be sure to subscribe to the newsletter for more each month.
I hope you've had a great year and here's to an even better 2019!