2014 in review

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Reading Time: 3 mins
Section: Blog Posts
Categories: blog
Tags: arcade computing books video games bio

Pepper

I think it’s always a good idea each year to reflect on the events that happened during the year - it’s a great way to remember some of the great things that have happened, as well as put some of the not-so-great things that have happened in perspective. If you regularly post to social media (e.g. Facebook or Twitter), looking back on your posts are a great way to revisit the major events that took place during the year. Better yet, by summarizing them in a blog post (as I’m doing here), you’ll preserve those events for posterity and make it easy to revisit them in distant years too!

Here are some of the coolest things from my 2014 year:

  • I got some cool movie props from the set of the movie “Pixels” coming out in 2015 (including a Dig Dug arcade machine!)

  • I spent a LOT of time this summer going for walks and playing “kick-ball” with my dog Pepper (shown right) in the park behind our house - what a great summer!

  • I got new furniture for the living room (retro-style) and a Daft Punk print for over the piano

  • I finished the 4th edition of my best-selling Linux+ textbook for Cengage

  • I saw “Les Miserables” at the Dunfield Theatre in Cambridge - my favourite musical!

  • I won 2 different awards for academic achievement!

  • I got the coolest computer in the world: the 6-core Mac Pro tube (the aluminum shell doesn’t even smudge when you kiss it goodnight)

  • Went to the Science of Rock & Roll exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre with my daughter Mackenzie

  • I restored a full-sized upright Galaga arcade machine, a full-sized upright Robotron 2084 arcade machine, a Ms.Pac-man upright cabaret arcade, an Asteroids upright cabaret arcade, a Centipede cocktail arcade, and a Space Invaders cocktail arcade (six games I absolutely love), and I’ve still got some more arcade projects on the go!

  • I coordinated and attended the Great Canadian Appathon 4 and the Microsoft Imagine Cup Camp events at our Kitchener campus - both events were a blast!

  • Reorganized and updated my website to streamline the information and make it easier to browse

  • I read some amazing books throughout the year!

  • I remodelled my games room (rec room) to be nothing short of EPIC!

  • I took my mom to Mother’s Pizza (a great restaurant that just opened again after 20 years) for Mother’s Day

  • I managed to digitize my entire printed photo collection (from before the days of digital cameras)

  • I blew up a lot of shit playing RAIDEN, RAIDEN 2, and RAIDEN Fighters Jet 2000: Operation Hell Dive on my arcade machines (RAIDEN games rock!)

  • I enjoyed good coffee on my front porch sunroom most mornings

  • I got to know many of my more distant neighbours at a potluck party another neighbour organized - the people in my neighbourhood are awesome!

I spent much of this year thinking that it wasn’t as cool as 2013. mainly because I did the ultra-cool Game ON 2.0 stuff at the Ontario Science Centre for most of 2013. But now that I look back on all the great things that have happened in 2014, I’m thinking that 2014 was just as good or better than 2013!

Here’s to 2015 being even better!