To name 2023 an eventful 12 months can be a fairly large understatement. Over the previous twelve months, I traveled rather a lot, labored rather a lot, and tried to course of (as all of us did) numerous distressing information from world wide. I additionally lastly caught COVID — like every week in the past on the time of this writing; Merry Christmas to me — so apologies if I am not probably the most eloquent in my reflections on the previous 12 months.
Nonetheless, rather a lot occurred, so let’s dive proper in. Listed below are my High 10 issues from 2023, starting from tech and journey to music and, properly, scotch whisky.
I began utilizing the Pixel 7a
Regardless of my curiosity in sharing offers and providing shopping for recommendation to our readers, I have a tendency to make use of my units till they’re utterly out of date and falling aside. Whereas I will not say that my trusty Google Pixel 6 has reached that time simply but, it has undoubtedly began to decelerate — which led me to lastly check out the Google Pixel 7a.
As my colleague, Nick Sutrich, acknowledged in his Pixel 7a overview, “There’s nearly no purpose to purchase some other cellphone,” and I would should agree. The 7a (which you should buy for fairly low cost, by the best way) takes all the things that I cherished about my Pixel 6 and makes it even higher. There is a noticeable enhance in efficiency, the show and software program work fantastically, and all the Pixel-exclusive digital camera software program makes me really feel like knowledgeable photographer once I’m touring. Talking of which…
I went to Iceland (once more)
This 12 months additionally marked the second time that my associate and I traveled the Ring Highway in Iceland. This route circles your entire nation and, in our case, at the very least, takes about 10 days to finish if you wish to take your time. You cross by countless waterfalls, canyons, black sand seashores, and glaciers, with numerous hikes that allow you to discover the otherworldly countryside alongside the best way.
There’s nothing fairly like traversing historical lava fields behind a meandering flock of Icelandic sheep or strolling subsequent to a glacier within the footsteps of the island’s first Viking settlers. Plus, there’s a great deal of nice seafood and beer, and in case you go in the summertime, there are nearly 24 hours of daylight (extra time for actions!).
The primary time we took the route was in 2019, and we camped your entire time. This time, we stayed in small motels and cabins, and we put aside a while to enterprise into the distant Westfjords for a number of days. It was enjoyable repeating the identical journey and reflecting on how a lot we have modified over the previous 4 years whereas the island itself stays seemingly unmoved (though the current volcanic exercise proves in any other case). A bunch of my favourite locations on earth may be present in Iceland, and I would counsel everybody make the time to go to in the event that they ever get the prospect.
I lastly acquired some wi-fi headphones
I’ve some fairly sturdy opinions about music, which makes it shocking how lengthy it took me to lastly get a pair of wi-fi headphones. Do not get me improper, I’ve every kind of wired headphones, nevertheless it simply by no means appeared essential to stress about un-music-related options like energetic noise cancellation or hands-free calling. That’s till I used to be cooking with headphones on, and a dangling wire despatched a pile of dishes crashing to the ground.
Now I personal a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4, and I am by no means going again. Whether or not I am cooking, studying, or sitting on a aircraft, my headphones include me. The energetic noise cancellation blocks out undesirable noise once I must focus, and the sound high quality completely destroys no matter I favored about my Pixel Buds (the place did I even put these?). My wired Audio-Technica headphones are nonetheless the go-to once I’m listening to music at my desk, however all over the place else, it is all concerning the XM4.
I purchased a Pela case
Telephones simply preserve getting an increasing number of sturdy, so once I determined to purchase a case for my new Google Pixel 7a, I centered extra on model and sustainability than protectiveness alone. I ultimately got here throughout an organization known as Pela Case. Whereas they will not be as rugged as your Spigen and Thinborne sorts, my Pela Case appears to work effective in opposition to the occasional tumble, and extra importantly, it is probably the most sustainable cellphone case I’ve ever used.
Along with being drop-tested for as much as 6 toes, Pela instances are delicate, trendy, and constructed from 100% compostable supplies. The packaging can be completely plastic-free, and the corporate has been licensed as carbon impartial and a B Corp. They could be a bit dearer than a budget plastic stuff you’ll find on Amazon, nevertheless it’s a sturdy cellphone case that I really feel good utilizing, and it is one you must think about in case you’re searching for a Pixel 7a case.
I listened to numerous vinyl data
Though I work for a tech information web site and love my devices, I am a little bit of a Luddite on the subject of some issues. Living proof: my emotions about music. I deeply treasure the full-length album as a standalone artwork type, and whereas I do not thoughts the occasional mixtape, I am not too completely happy concerning the music trade’s shift in the direction of algorithm-based playlisting and vibe-based background music (not to mention the fractions of a cent given out to artists in alternate for his or her life’s work). Sorry, tangent over.
My level is that I like the expertise of sitting down and listening to a full album back and front, which suggests I additionally love listening to vinyl data. My Audio-Technica ATLP120XBT turntable is one in every of my most prized possessions, and in 2023, I dug via numerous bins at document shops and storage gross sales and located numerous nice data.
I additionally noticed numerous reside music
As you may need observed, just about each musical act has been touring over the previous few years, presumably to make up for the lack of earnings in the course of the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic. This implies I’ve had loads of alternatives to see a few of my favourite bands reside, from Sigur Rós on the Greek Theatre in Berkeley to Heilung at Crimson Rocks. It is an costly pastime, however you solely reside as soon as, so I plan to see many extra reside reveals in 2024.
I spent numerous time with my cat
That is Juniper.
She’s 7 years outdated, polydactyl (so she’s acquired some further toes), and fairly shy to everybody however my associate and me.
Evidently, she’s one in every of my high issues of the 12 months (and yearly, in fact).
I acquired kinda into Scotch
In terms of imbibing, I by no means discovered myself having fun with greater than the occasional craft beer or glass of purple wine with dinner. I by no means acquired into bourbon like numerous of us I do know, and making fancy cocktails at residence all the time felt like a problem. That being stated, sooner or later this 12 months, I ordered a dram of Laphroaig 10 at a bar right here on the town, and it blew my thoughts extensive open.
Since then, I have been completely nerd-ing out over Scotch whisky, making an attempt the malts from varied areas, studying concerning the distillation course of, and all that sort of stuff. My associate and I are even speaking about taking a visit to Scotland in 2024. A pleasant pour of the suitable whisky feels wealthy, smoky, and stuffed with historical past, like smelling a very good outdated e book.
My favourite whisky in 2023: Oban 14. Oban, ship me free stuff, and I am going to attempt to flip this web site into Whisky & Android Central.
I learn some good books
Talking of fine outdated books, I lastly discovered extra time to learn this 12 months. As you in all probability did not know, earlier than I began freelancing full-time and ultimately writing about tech at Android Central, I spent the higher a part of a decade working in and managing unbiased bookstores.
In that trade, you get numerous time to suppose, speak, and write about books, to not point out limitless entry to advance reader copies earlier than the titles hit retailer cabinets. As I drifted away from that enterprise, nonetheless, I discovered that I had a lot much less time to learn.
Fortuitously, whereas I am nonetheless not studying as a lot as I used to, I used to be capable of treatment {that a} bit in 2023. Listed below are some books I cherished this 12 months.
-“The Books of Jacob” by Olga Tokarczuk
-“Ka“ by John Crowley
-“Matrix” by Lauren Groff
-“On Earth We’re Briefly Beautiful” by Ocean Vuong
-“Belief” by Hernan Diaz
-“Hild” by Nicola Griffith
-“HHhH” by Laurent Binet
-“The Hour of the Star” by Clarice Lispector
-“The Lord of the Rings trilogy” (For the primary time! Lastly!)
I lastly acquired COVID
And yep, as I discussed within the intro, I lastly acquired COVID. I made it nearly 4 years!
It’s kind of of a bummer that I am going to doubtless be spending the ultimate weeks of the 12 months caught inside with a sore throat, however that is simply the way it goes generally. It was nonetheless an eventful 12 months with loads of nice moments, and regardless of my unease concerning the upcoming election cycle and the countless stream of troubling information coming from each path, I am feeling optimistic about 2024. On the very least, it must be one other fascinating 12 months.
