Favorites of 2014

Another year has come and gone which means it’s time for another list of favorites. It’s been a great year personally; I started a new job and got engaged, traveled a bunch and made a lot of new friends. There were also a whole lot of great movies, media, and tech. Here are my favorites.

Tech Favorites

Gadget: Moto 360. You will probably read a lot about how 2014 was, “the year of the smart watch.” While they have been around for a couple of years, they became very popular in 2014. I got the Moto 360 from my fiancee for my birthday and I have been loving it. I like that it’s customizable, that it has a wealth of apps (like a heat rate monitor and pedometer), and that it makes using my phone more convenient. The price point on the 360 is also really great, the battery lasts a day, and it looks like a ‘normal’ watch.

App/Website: Git/Github. In my travels from the past year one thing I realizes was that I needed to reevaluate how I did things in my field, and that I would definitely need to use Git and Github. I started in February using it casually, started using it for small projects at The University, and now that I’m with Crowd Favorite I use it on an everyday basis. It’s made so many things so much easier, and while it’s not new this year, it is new to me. 

Media Favorites

Book: The Book Thief. I read this over the summer after multiple recommendations from my family and friends and I loved it. It follows a German family during WWII through the troubles of war and Nazi Germany. It’s a great story and focuses on things that many probably don’t think about in regards to WWII.

TV Show: House of Cards. A fantastic Netflix show that I flew through this year. It follows Sen. Frank Underwood through the games and toxicity of Washington politics. Kevin Spacey is excellent! I can’t wait for Season 3.

Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy. Great movie! Funny, action-packed, great cast. What more is there to say?

Music: This is now a weird category for me; last year I picked a soundtrack and I’m inclined to do it again (Guardians “Awesome Mix 1” anyone?). I just don’t buy albums that much anymore and as they are released, I don’t listened to albums religiously like I once did. With Google Music, I create playlists that I listen to and change over time. I will have to make a concerted effort in 2015 to change that. Though I will say, I found Taylor Swift’s new album very enjoyable.