On 2011 resolutions

Evaluation of public and private resolutions

1. Make someone laugh every day: I recorded 4 days where I did not induce laughter. Better than last year. Almost-pass

2. Become a white-card Scrabble Player: Oddly enough, I actually quit playing this year. I felt kind of burned out around the summertime and am taking a break. Fail.

3. Cycle n * 100 miles in n days, where n >= 2: I barely rode this year. Don't think I went more than 20 miles. Fail.

4. Create a crossword puzzle: Nope. Fail.

5. Write some app for the Kindle: Turns out, my job isn't super friendly for that. But my current team actually has me working on a Kindle app. Semi-pass

6. Get in a legal fight and win: I stayed out of trouble, but I won a good number of legal arguments with people. Pass.

7. Spend one day outside of my apartment without seeing another person. Came close on some isolated hiking, but not close enough. Fail.

8. Interview for a job that isn't for a tech company. Pass.

9. Start figure skating again. Not even close. Fail

10. One one-arm pullup. Pass. Although I am suspicious that I didn't use proper technique...

11. Travel. Abject Failure. Didn't really make plans this year, alas.

12. Deliver a truly excellent toast. Pass

13. Go one month without using one of the Seven Words. Pass.

14. Learn how to make at least one cocktail. Semi-pass, it's a pathetically easy drink

15. Reorganize my library with some decent bookshelves. Fail.

16. Talk in front of 1,000 people. Close, but not quite. I spoke at Ignite again, but the crowd doesn't quite breach 1,000.

17. Solve one problem with a technological solution. Incomplete. Work in progress.

18. Read "A History of the World." In Progress. 300 pages out of 900 down.

19. Have a nice, stimulating scientific discussion with an attractive woman at a party that does not have anything to do with the Drake Equation, airplanes on treadmills, bears, or dopamine. Pass. Supernovae, deserts, and mitochondrial eve were discussed this year, among other things.

20. Get obsessed with things. Pass. I threw away much of my work/life balance this year to try and do better at work, and I'm actually pretty glad for it. I've also focused on becoming a good photographer again and am making steady progress. Being well-rounded is nice, but maybe it isn't really for me.