2015

It’s the last day of 2015, and it’s time to take a look at what crazy adventures (none were crazy) the year had to offer. 2015 was the year that…

  • I declared my love for the FIA Formula E championship, but didn’t really take the time to watch any of the races. Formula One is still closer to my heart, but the 2015 season was the most boring one in years. So boring, in fact, I only bothered to write a single F1 entry this year - and that was before the season had even started. Maybe 2016 will be my year of Formula E instead?
  • I spent 14 weeks at home with our daughter Vilde during my parental leave. I had a great time, and I’m pretty sure it was very healthy for Vilde as well to get a bit more attached to me. Since I’m her father and all. I also wrote her an open letter for her first birthday.
  • I wrote a lot of reviews, 14 in total. I reviewed movies, computer games, and… energy drinks. I’ve got a tired and exhausted teenager’s love for energy drinks, so I got this great idea that I should review every single one I drank. The whole project sort of fell apart over time as I began to realize that most energy drinks that don’t come from the big brands taste pretty much the same.
  • Reviews accounted for 18% of the total 78 entries I published this year. 78 is not bad at all, it’s 32 more than last year and 20 more than in 2013. I had more spare time than usual during my parental leave, and while you can easily argue that I should have used that extra spare time for something more productive than writing, I enjoyed being able to sit down and relax with the keyboard. One of the entries I wrote was about wasting time. Or rather that you’re not when you’re doing something you love - perhaps my most important realization this year.
  • The one-liners collection was expanded with even more carefully selected, high quality one-liners; now more than 1,300 in total.
  • Anniken and I sat down to play a video game together. We had a great time playing The Wolf Among Us. Our computer game adventure ended when we solved the mystery and finished the game, though, but Telltale Games has since released more games like it, so maybe we’ll give it another go in 2016?
  • I built myself a brand new home server, VBOX4. Tinkering with hardware still gives me great pleasure. No phallus jokes, please.
  • Podcasts entertained me during my daily commute, and of course I told you what I’m listening to.
  • Someone did their best to organize a primary school reunion, and I was planning to go. But it was cancelled due to the lack of interest from my former class mates, something we probably should have been able to predict.
  • The site got another one of its many redesigns. Although I enjoy the current Editör design, I’m occasionally scouting the web for new designs. Gotta stay fresh!
  • I wrote an Ode to South Park, which is one of my favorite entries of the year - partly because I did a lot of research and partly because I honestly think it’s a piece of interesting and entertaining writing.
  • In May, I sat down with poor Anniken and rated and commented on every single song in the two semi finals and the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Not sure if I’m going through all that trouble next year. Oh, who am I kidding - of course I will!
  • My WordPress plugin, wp-days-ago, saw further releases with enhancements, new translations and bug fixes. I also wrote a piece on how to secure a self-hosted WordPress installation.
  • I tried to find a way to commute a bit faster, and even though a motorized skate board did sound like a lot of fun a death trap, I settled on a old-fashioned kick scooter.
  • Encrypted and private e-mail became a serious thing, and I spent an unhealthy amount of time researching the current state of the market. With a few views shy of 1K views, I’m not sure if it was worth the effort, but at least I got some insight into what is happening with encrypted and private e-mail. Fun fact: I haven’t managed to decide on which provider to use yet, and I’m still stuck with Gmail.
  • Ad blockers started to become a real issue for publishers. I decided to swim against the current and turned off the ad blocker I was using.
  • Volkswagen was busted for cheating during emission testing of some of their diesel engines. We owned a Škoda Superb with one of VW’s fraudulent engines, and in November we decided to vote with our wallets and sold the car. The Škoda was great, but how can you possibly defend doing business with scammers? I, for one, can’t. So here’s a big, fat middle finger to you, Volkswagen.
  • I replaced my Nexus 5 with an LG G4. I did it for the G4’s camera, and it’s great, but it pains me that I have to use LG’s mangled Android mess to get the most out of the camera.
  • With the G4, I continued to take a picture every day, something I plan to do until the day I bite the dust.
  • It was amazing to see how much Vilde grew up during the year. She’s now understanding much of what we’re saying to her - or at least the parts she decides to understand - is able to talk to us to some degree, walks around fairly effortlessly by herself and is starting to develop her own sense of humor. In general, she’s a happy little camper. She loves going to kindergarten, but, as most parents with kids attending a Germ Factory, we do hope she gets less ill in the not-so-distant future.
  • I changed projects at work. As an consultant, I can move from one client to another without actually having to get a new job, which is great. I’m now with the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration, which is the most hated public agency in Norway.
  • Vilde gave me pink eye.
  • Anniken and I got engaged. Good times.

All told, 2015 was a great year. Here’s to 2016, hoping that it will be just as good. Happy new year, dear reader.

Here are summaries from previous years: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004.


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