Favorites of 2024
I look forward to writing this post every year, just as I have the past 15 times. So much so, in-fact, that I keep a “favorites” note, which I clear on January 1st, so I don’t fall victim to recency bias.
There year, though, I’m doing two things differently.
- I’m changing the order to put the pop culture and media first. I actually consumed new movies, music, and TV, which is rare1.
- I thought it would be fun to look at this post from 10 years ago.
Let’s dive in!
Favorites of 2014, a Review
2014 was the year I started my last full-time job. I also got engaged. Big year!
These posts were a lot shorter back then — I didn’t have a dedicated category for App, Enrichment, Video Game (which is a little shocking), or Podcast.
I (we, as a society, maybe?) deemed 2014 the year of the smartwatch, and I was full Android Army then. My wife — then fiancé — got me the Moto 360. In retrospect, it wasn’t very good. It had a silly cutoff, to make the watch circle shaped without a circular screen. It looks like Android Watches have come a long way since then.
Last year, I picked the Apple Watch Ultra, which I still love.
As far as media picks went, despite loving music, I seemed ambivalent about it. These days I just rely on my Apple Music Replay, but Spotify Wrapped didn’t exist in 2014, so no one was ripping it off yet.
I do mention that I enjoyed Taylor Swift’s new album, which at the time was 1989. This is some funny foreshadowing for this year.
OK — let’s get onto the favorites.
Book: Dark Matter
Earlier this month, I wrote about how we need to read more fiction (“we” being anyone, but specifically people who read exclusively business books).
I experienced the incredible low of reading This is Strategy, a book that has cemented in my mind that Seth Godin is a snake oil salesman. This was right after reading a late-breaking choice for my favorite book of the year, Dark Matter.
There’s nothing more satisfying than finishing a good fiction book. You get to do it at your pace, there’s a thrilling conclusion, and there’s no homework after.
The great story is the return on your investment.
And I love Blake Crouch’s work. I read Upgrade and Recursion previously. I figured it was time to read Dark Matter (now an Apple TV+ show), and it did not disappoint.
On top of it being a gripping story, it sparks some interesting thoughts about String Theory/the existence of a “multiverse,” and what happens if someone figures out how to breach it.
I like it a whole lot.
Book Honorable Mention
Honorable mention and the book that had been earmarked as my favorite since I devoured in January, goes to Oath and Honor by Liz Cheney.
I was deeply affected, like many, by the events of January 6th, 2021, and was impressed that Cheney never wavered on her principles, even after she lost her position, and ultimately, her job, because of them. She gives an incredible account of the events leading up to J6, the day of, and the aftermath.
If you care about modern American history, it’s a must-read.
The reason Dark Matter won out in the end is probably a little recency, but also because it reminded me of how great works of fiction are. I can’t communicate how deeply satisfied I was when I finished the book.
Outside Dark Matter and Oath and Honor, I didn’t read many books. I was feeling uninspired. While it’s picked up more recently, these are the two books that have had the biggest impact on me this year.
TV Show: Agatha All Along (Disney+)
The last time Disney didn’t make my favorite show was 2020 when I selected Ted Lasso.
And of the past 5 (I cheated in 2022 and picked two), three were made by Marvel.
I loved Wandavision so much, it makes perfect sense that the sequel, Agatha All Along, takes the cake.
Kathrine Hahn is magnificent, it’s a fantastic story, there’s original music, and some mind-bending plot points that Wandavision fans have come to know and love.
I don’t think it was as airtight as Wandavision, but it didn’t need to be. It was an enjoyable, emotional story.
TV Show Honorable Mention
House of the Dragon Season 2 gets honorable mention as it’s basically the only other new show I watched this year. But it’s very, very slow. HBO seems to have a pacing/episodes per season problem with the Game of Thrones franchise.
It’s basically getting an honorable mention because I trust Season 3 will be a banger.
There are a bunch of new shows I want to watch, so hopefully we’ll have some more variety next year!
Podcast: The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast
The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast came out in April, and when I discovered it in September, I was hooked.
It’s a rewatch podcast, and I wrote about earlier this year. They are going through every SNL Digital Short that The Lonely Island created, and it’s both funny, and interesting.
The guys do an outstanding job of blending familiar banter with behind the scenes stuff, and get input from former hosts and cast members at SNL as well. I love learning how a sketch came together, and what they thought about it at the time, vs. now, up to 15 years later.
If you’re an SNL or Lonely Island fan, I highly recommend this show.
Podcast Honorable Mention
Before October, Talkin’ Yanks was a lock for my favorite podcast. I love the Yankees and the Jomboy Media guys do a fantastic job producing an approachable show, that’s obviously well-prepared.
It’s also had a big effect on my approach to podcasting. They are the ones who got me thinking more about how segments can be a way for indy podcasters to streamline podcast production.
Music: The Tortured Poet’s Department
This year was big for artists I dig. Alkaline Trio, Gaslight Anthem, and Eminem dropped new albums, and blink-182, Simple Plan, Anberlin, and Thursday put out new songs.
But my Apple Music 2024 Replay doesn’t lie, and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poet’s Department won by a long shot. It was easily my most listened to album, and while my kids had something to do with it, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’m not much of a music reviewer, so I won’t attempt to put into words what I liked, besides this: I felt the music was catchy and the lyrics were relatable while still being meaningful and deeply personal.
Music Honorable Mention
If you’re an Eminem fan, I highly recommend The Death of Slim Shady. It’s an incredible work that feels like a farewell letter. Cleverly written, and irreverent, as we’ve come to expect from him.
Gadget: The Brick
This year was a great year for gadgets, as you’ll see in the honorable mentions section.
But the one with the biggest impact, and future potential, is The Brick. This is a small NFC device that you stick on your fridge, and you physically scan it with your phone. When you do that, depending on the “mode,” you either:
- Block access to up to 50 apps and websites
- Allow access to 50 apps and websites max
I’ve gotten into the habit of scanning it before bed, and when I’m with my family, making it so I cannot use certain apps or websites, and it’s been great. I genuinely am not reaching for my phone as much.
I noticed, for example, when I grab my phone I usually check my email (despite it not being on my Home Screen, or recommended in search. Now, email apps are bricked most of the time now, and it’s liberating.
It has even more potential as I refine my use more with my yearly theme, which I’ll reveal soon.
Gadget Honorable Mentions
Both the Oura Ring and DJI Mic get honorable mention. The Oura Ring has given me great insight into how what I do affects my body…particularly my sleep. I do admit it carries the risk that I put too much stock in what it says.
The DJI Mic has been a great companion for my Audio Notes podcast and short form videos. Sound quality is important to me, and the DJI Mic does an impressive job of leveling up the audio from the built-in iPhone mic.
I also traded in my Kindle Scribe for a Kindle Colorsoft, and realized just how prohibitive the Scribe’s size has been for casual reading.
I also picked up the new 11” iPad Pro with revamped Apple Pencil, and love that too — I’m currently writing this article from it.
Man. It’s been a great year for gadgets and gear!
Enrichment: CaboPress
I’m hesitant to write CaboPress as this year’s “enrichment” pick (as a reminder, this is a blanket term I’m using for something I did to better myself) because it would be a strong candidate every year.
But the reason it takes the cake this year (despite there being no blog post — shame on me) is because what I learned about my product offerings, and myself, fundamentally changed my business, and I’m already seeing very positive returns on it.
It greatly impacted the rebranding I went through, and I’m leaning into the personal brand Hollie created for me. I’ll discuss it more in the new year, but Chris (who runs the event), the hosts, and the attendees all gave me some incredible personal feedback about my strengths. It opened my eyes to the fact that I’ve been limiting myself in the wrong ways.
App: Obsidian
I said I wasn’t going to use Obsidian. It was complicated and so customizable, I was worried I’d waste a ton of time trying to make it perfect. Plus, it didn’t serve a purpose.
Boy was I wrong. After Mike Schmitz came on the podcast and showed me the power of Obsidian, I was hooked. I reworked several of my systems, and have clearly defined roles for it, as well as Notion.
Obsidian is my research buddy, ideas repository, and journal. With extensions like Dataview, Todoist, and Google Calendar, it’s my life dashboard and planner.
It’s truly excellent. It allows me to offload all of my note-taking from Notion, which I still use for project management. But I found the way I take notes and capture info made using Notion cumbersome.
Obsidian solves that and so much more. I suspect a podcast episode about it will be in my future.
App Honorable Mentions
There were 2 other apps that have changed the way I use my phone this year: Blank Spaces, and Whisper Memos.
Blank Spaces is an app that gives you a set of widgets/shortcuts that allows you to launch apps from text, making it look like the eInk Light Phone. This, combined with The Brick, has done a great job with reducing the mindless scrolling I used to do on my phone.
Whisper Memos is an app that records voice memos, transcribes them, and then emails them to you. It also has Zapier integration — so I have an automation that watches my email inbox, and sends any memos to Obsidian.
I highly recommend both of these if you’re an iPhone user!
Movie: Deadpool & Wolverine
The last movie I saw in theaters before I went to see Inside Out 2 on June 14th of this year was Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on December 19th, 2019.
That’s nearly 2,000 days between theater visits. Well, this year, I came back with a vengeance, seeing 3 in theaters over the course of 5 months:
- Inside Out 2
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Wicked (Part 1)
Part of it is because my oldest can now sit through an entire movie without talking too much or getting bored.
But it was also the first time ever I went to see a movie by myself, for some alone time. That was to see Deadpool & Wolverine, which was far and away my favorite movie of the year.
It’s the perfect mix of fun, irreverence, nostalgia, and it’s chock-full of pop culture references. It’s a masterpiece.
Movie Honorable Mentions
Inside Out 2 and Wicked were both fantastic — and I had reservations about both. I wasn’t sure what kind of story they’d have for Inside Out 2 that didn’t seem rote or canonically weird. But it was great2.
With Wicked, I couldn’t believe it clocked in at 2:40, and was just the first half. But it didn’t feel long at all. The worst part is I have to wait a year for the next one!
As always, I didn’t watch nearly as many movies as I hoped I would, but the fact that I managed to get to the theaters 3 times is a step in the right direction.
Game: Immortals Fenyx Rising
For most of the year, I didn’t plan a new video game. I continued to play Marvel SNAP, my favorite mobile app game last year. But I feared the addiction was too much and removed it from my iPhone. It still lives on my iPad, but I don’t play it very much anymore.
The game I was going to pick was Uno, the classic color/number matching card game. It’s become a family favorite. My kids love it — even my 3-year-old!
But December has brought me 2 video games I’ve been enjoying. The one I’ve picked for my favorite of the year is Immortals Fenyx Rising.
It’s an open-world environment that allows you to acquire the abilities of Greek gods, as you try to vanquish the titan Tython, who is capturing and killing said gods.
My friend Austin from our mastermind group told me about it when I said one of my goals for my 2-week holiday break was to play videos games. This is a perfect recommendation — I get to run around and fight stuff, it’s pretty low stakes, and I have no intention of beating it. It’s just a fun way to pass the time.
As an added bonus, my kids love watching me play it!
Game Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention goes to a cross-platform card game called Balatro. I’m playing it through Apple Arcade (which is great, since I don’t have to buy add-ons).
It’s poker with a twist. You get 8 cards, and need to make the best 5 card hand until you score enough points to meet the Blinds. The Blinds get increasingly higher, and you need to power up your deck with planet and tarot cards, and your hands with Joker cards.
The only reason it’s the runner-up is it’s a little too addicting. Since downloading it on Christmas Eve, I’ve averaged around 3.5 hours per day on just that game. My weekly average for Screen Time before that was around 4 hours total.
It’s so fun, but I’ll probably delete it from my phone sooner rather than later, or include it in my list of Default “Bricked” apps.
That’s it for 2024!
There was a lot this year — my longest favorites post ever. Part of that is the “Decade review” I added. But there was legitimately a lot of great media and tech, too.
Moving into 2025, I definitely want to watch more TV shows. The list of stuff I should watch is growing considerably. And now that I’ve gone back to the movie theaters, I suspect I’ll be doing more of that, too.