This year I've got a few more gadgets to talk about compared to last year which is nice.

To re-establish the ground rules a gadget is defined as:

a small mechanical or electronic device or tool, especially an ingenious or novel one.

To me a gadget is just an "electronic device or tool" but it can extend to anything thats helps me get things done. Similar to the entertainment post it doesn't necessarily have to be released this year it just has to of had an impact on me this year.

Here are my favourite gadgets that I've used or discovered in the past year:

• Apple iPhone 15 Pro
• Belkin 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad
• Sunbeam Iced Coffee Machine
• Bridgestone golf balls
• ChatGPT
• OpenEmu
• lazygit

The iPhone is an obvious choice but I can't not include it here. I got the new phone in June and have obviously used it a lot throughout the year. The better battery and camera have been great. Apps run smoothly without any lag. It performs so reliably and does exactly what I need a phone to do.

The 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad was actually I present I got for Christmas from Emma but I already love it. It ensures my AirPods and iPhone are fully charged and ready to go everyday.

The coffee machine has been around for a while (I think we bought it in November last year) but it has fully become part of my routine every morning this year. I love the simplicity of it and it makes a nice cool glass of coffee.

I get all my golf balls from lostgolfballs. I get the hundred pack. It's assorted brands but many of them are Bridgestone. There's something about the feeling of hitting a Bridgestone ball that I really like. Maybe getting a pack of Tour B balls might be a good idea. I do also like the Callaway Chrome Soft balls too.

In tech, 2023 was the year of AI. It took over everything from a marketing perspective and every company now seemingly has some kind of chat bot. For me, 2024 was the year where I really started using ChatGPT to it's full potential. For work, for ideas even now it's become a way to search the web. It's a Google killer. ChatGPT is now one of my most used pieces of software.

I've used OpenEmu for years but this year I played The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in it. OpenEmu makes playing these kind of difficult retro games tolerable with save states. The whole app feels very Mac-like which I love.

lazygit was an awesome upgrade for my usage of git especially at work. It's such a simple but powerful tool and makes all of my source control so much easier to reason with.

People are really interested in death I guess.

I was there yesterday. Was fantastic weather and an awesome day of cricket.

Old mate saved the day here. What a story. That growl from the koala shows that you don't want to mess with them. They look cuddly but they can be vicious with those claws.

This was me. I cringe watching this.

This was an interesting one for me to write this year. On reflection, I played way more games than I ever have this year. I got into gaming YouTube and really followed the whole trajectory of the industry.

Nintendo (alongside Apple) now ranks as one of the companies I track the closest.

My consumption of new music and television dropped off. It's potentially something for me to pick up again next year. Although I have to say I've enjoyed the way in which I spend my downtime these days; which is by usually picking up my Nintendo Switch.

As a reminder for how this works I pick my favourite:

1. Game
2. Album
3. Movie/television show

and this is not based on release year meaning it doesn't have to be released in 2024. I base it on what year did I discover and consume the entertainment.

You can view my past selections here: 2022 and 2023.

Here is my list:

1. Game of the year: The Messenger
2. Album of the year: A Hard Days Night
3. Movie/television show of the year: My Neighbor Totoro

Picking game of the year was an absolute nightmare in a good way. I'm still not sure about my decision. I played some absolute bangers this year for the first time. These included: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

These are classics that were just so much fun to play.

I also learnt more about what kind of games I like. I like a Metroidvania.

Hallow Knight, Animal Well, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown are all incredible "modern" Metroidvania experiences. Especially Hallow Knight is just an exceptional game that I couldn't put down for a few months.

I loved Tunic which was a Zelda-like with some aspects of a Soulslike. The bosses and general game play loop were very memorable.

The reason I picked The Messenger was:

• If I had game development skills this is the kind of game I'd want to make, retro art style with some Metroidvania style game mechanics
• It has awesome platforming that reminded me of Celeste with fantastic boss fights and a fun vibe
• The banter with other characters in the game is super quirky

A close second is Hollow Knight. I'm so excited for Silksong.

There were three albums that I "discovered" this year and went deep into them. Two of these albums obviously I knew of but had never truly gone through every song.

1. Oasis: Definitely Maybe
2. The Beatles: A Hard Day's Night
3. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman: Self Titled

This year I dug deeper into the 1963-1965 Beatles catalog and it's fantastic. A Hard Day's night has some corny love songs from this era of The Beatles but it also has some cracking acoustic guitar songs with really interesting chords.

I'll let you in on a secret: a song from A Hard Days Night will be me and Emma's first dance song.

I also developed an appreciation for Help!

Some more random honourable mentions game music: Stardew Valley and Ocarina of Time.

The movie and television category was something I lost touch with this year. Playing games really took over.

I watched House of the Dragon season 2 and thought it was okay.

Probably what captivated me the most was watching some Studio Ghibli movies.

I'd seen Spirited Away but I'd never seen My Neighbor Totoro.

The animation and colour in all Studio Ghibli movies is just phenomenal. There's a reason why people cherish all the movies so much.

I had a play with this last night. It's a fun concept.

I got Inconsolata.

Amazing another Eddie event has occurred! Mother nature has been delivering some big surf in Waimea Bay 2 years in a row. Having been there last year I can imagine it would have been traffic chaos getting in and out.

The French work jacket is a beautiful item of clothing. It's on my wish list but it's very expensive!