Best of 2012

Best of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and now 2012!

Another year and another change to the categories of “best of”, which shows the pace of change mostly in technology. Album of the year is now gone as buying albums is a thing of the past and has been replaced with Mobile App of the Year.

Mobile App of the Year – Spotify

Having Spotify on the iPhone and the computer has opened a whole new world of music, as well as a new way to listen to it. At home I can listen to friends’ playlists, see what they’re currently listening to, or use the playlist radio feature to generate recommendations. This means I’m constantly exposed to new music, which is fantastic.

Cinema Trip of the Year – Argo

This year didn’t have as many cinema trips as other years, I think because Apple TV and QuickFlix mean we already get more movies than we could possibly want. The other movies I did see weren’t as good as I was hoping — Dark Knight Rises and Prometheus especially. Argo is a fictional (but reality-based) story of getting US embassy workers out of Tehran. It’s a really interesting story and highly recommended.

TV Show of the Year – 30 Rock

It’s awesome when you find a TV show that has been running for a few years but you never watched — it means you have hundreds of episodes ready to go. 30 Rock stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin and is based on running a TV show at NBC’s New York offices in Rockefeller Plaza. It’s extremely funny and I’m sad the final season is currently being filmed. A close second this year was Homeland, along with the continuation of last year’s top show, Boardwalk Empire.

Game of the Year – Ski Safari

This mobile game lets you control a little guy skiing down a mountain, jumping on the backs of yetis and performing loops in the air. All of this earns various rewards. It’s super addictive and great fun. Its lack of “buy credits” mechanics makes it feel refreshingly honest, which is why it became so popular and reached the top 20 apps on the App Store this year.

Website of the Year – Gmail

I’ve never featured Gmail as Website of the Year because I never really thought of it as a website. However, it’s the tab I have open for the majority of the time, so it deserves the accolade at least once.

Purchase of the Year – Focus Bike

I only got this at the end of the year, but this bike is awesome. It has hub gears and disc brakes and is great for rides around Manly. The lack of a traditional metal chain should also help it survive the ocean air without rusting too quickly.

Restaurant of the Year – Margan

Margan was the venue where Amy and I got married last year, and we were really happy with it. We recently went back to the Hunter Valley for a weekend and had lunch there again. I had pork belly for the main and an excellent dessert. The food is incredible for a restaurant that’s practically in the middle of nowhere. We also went to Aria this year, which is meant to be one of Australia’s top restaurants, but I found it pretty disappointing — a sentiment echoed in many online reviews.

Trip of the Year – Kyoto

Amy went to Japan for work and I went along with her. We had a bit of time away from work and took the bullet train down to Kyoto. I love Japan in general, but Kyoto was a real highlight of the trip. I definitely hope we can make it back there again soon. We also took some other great trips this year — Bali, Fiji, Uluru, and Paperbark Camp to name a few.

2013 has a very high chance of being totally different from the previous few years — watch this space.