There was a bunch of other great stuff I ran across in 2012. Here is a list of books, apps, websites and experiences that made the year more awesome.
- Buddha – Told across eight volumes of manga, Osuma Tezuka portrays the life of Shakyamuni Buddha in detail and with a light hand. I am not sure the interpretation would hold up to scholarly examination, but I found it a great way to become familiar with the life story of Buddhism’s founder.
- Super Vendor – At SXSW Interactive this year, I remember being between panels and seeing in the Twitterstream that there was a vending machine across the street from the convention center dispensing notebooks. I literally ran to find it was even cooler than that. To start, you followed the machine on Twitter and, in turn, received a code, which you took to the machine, entered on the alphanumeric panel to chose your notebook. The small scout book contained a rope API, a set of git shortcuts, and many pages of kaleidoscoped patterns of dotted lines. Bravo, Bohemian Collective. Bravo.
- Indie Game: The Movie – Project creators Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky found the perfect indie game developers to show the drama of creating. Required watching for anyone who is a maker. The soundtrack is brilliant too.
- HackerNewsLetter – This is the one newsletter I read every week. Curator Kale Davis does a incredible job pulling the best from the popular community site. The links lean heavy toward programming and startups but the real value is in the eclectic mix of topics that come up on the forum and the honesty users have about sharing their experiences.
- Tig Notaro Live – Cancer can be funny. Really. Tig proves it in this masterful 30 minute set and must be listened to through to the end. The recording made a big splash earlier this year when Louis CK sold it through his site. The album is now available through iTunes and other outlets.
- Comeback by Redlight – This song was a popular track on this summer’s Avengers soundtrack and I think it works even better in this acoustic version.
- Wirecutter – The sole purpose of this website is to tell you the best single choice to whatever technology problem you have whether you need a iPhone 5 case, are buying a HDTV, or want to know what the best condom is.
- Kingdom Rush – The best game for the iPad, period. I spent most of the summer working through every level in this tower defense style game and on the weekend I completed all the missions, they released two more levels. Heaven.
- Clear – The iPhone version of this app is beautiful and simple. This is the digital place that I put quick notes and to-dos when I am out. Nothing comes close to how intuitive this application for managing small bits of information. Spend the $1.99 and you won’t be disappointed.
- The $100 Investment – I was sitting in The Newmark Theatre in Portland as Chris Guillebeau made his closing remarks at the World Domination Summit. Chris informed each attendee that as they left the theater, they would be handed an envelope with a $100 bill with the hope they would invest in a project, person or cause. It was an incredible moment that left the audience stunned and set high expectations for the works to follow.
P.S. My four favorite quotes of the year:
- “We cook this way, not to be special, but rather to make it possible for anyone to eat here.” -Abby Fammartino talking about her philosophy to serve food that is free of gluten, dairy, soy and refined sugars at her Portland restaurant Abby’s Table.
- “Profit is theory, cash is a fact.” -Unknown
- “Questions are places in your mind where answers fit. If you haven’t asked the question, the answer has nowhere to go. It hits your mind and bounces right off.” – Clay Christensen (source)
- “On a scale from one to Adele, how bad was your breakup?” -The Internet