The iPad<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ipaddessert.jpg\" "\\"ipaddessert\\"")
<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\nI picked up an iPad at launch when it came out in May this year and am still absolutely in love with it.\u00a0 It\u2019s simple interface, generous battery life and perfect form factor instantly made the device a useful part of my daily routine.\u00a0 It has replaced the home PC as my preferred avenue for checking email, social networking and browsing the Internet.\u00a0 The only times I really use my PC anymore is to blog on TFW or when Jen is hogging the iPad and playing sudoku on it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure the new year will bring an avalanche of competitors offering a slew of extra features and Apple themselves are rumoured to be not too far away from a new iteration on the iPad.\u00a0 That said, I\u2019m really happy with what the iPad does already and don\u2019t miss the absense of Flash or a built-in camera at all.\u00a0 I really only use the iPad for a handful of simple functions but the critical thing is how the iPad lets you do things (quickly, efficiently) rather than what it does.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m pretty sure we\u2019ll look back on the launch of the iPad in 2010 as the beginning of the end for laptops being the preferred portable computing format of choice.\u00a0 Tablets are the future and the iPad is king.<\/p>\n
Twitter<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/twittercup.jpg\" "\\"twittercup\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nI was one of the last people on TFW to sign up for Facebook when it first really started to take off three years ago<\/a> and it was the same again with Twitter.\u00a0 It took a lot of goading from Mike and the others to get me onto Twitter in the middle of last year but now that I\u2019ve gotten used it, it has become my favourite social networking medium.\u00a0 The biggest obstacle for me to overcome was to understand the usefulness of Twitter.\u00a0 I just saw it as a form of Facebook stripped down to just a series of status updates.<\/p>\nI\u2019ve blogged before about my Facebook fatigue<\/a>.\u00a0 I feel like now that I\u2019ve added and caught up with just about every single long lost friend, aquaintance and work colleague I can think of, the functionality of the site doesn\u2019t really offer much to keep me coming back (I don\u2019t play Farmville or Mafia Wars).\u00a0 There\u2019s just a lot of baby photos and random song lyrics as status updates.<\/p>\nComparatively, Twitter offers an excellent blend of communication with friends plus newsfeeds that are very specifically tailored to topics I\u2019m interested in.\u00a0 It gives you an outlet to interact with and follow the musings of musicians, athletes, journalists, actors, politicans and whoever else might take your fancy.\u00a0 Once you start following over a hundred accounts, your Twitter feed becomes a perpetual ever-updating stream of information that is almost always interesting and relevant to you.\u00a0 Thats what makes Twitter so awesome.<\/p>\n
Board Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ticket2ride.jpg\" "\\"ticket2ride\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nIt was nice to rediscover the fun of playing board games this year.\u00a0 Although they are by no means new games, this year Jen and I discovered Carcasonne<\/em>, Settlers of Catan, Perudo<\/em> and Ticket to Ride<\/em>, all top notch games that have a healthy balance of luck and skill, that can be completed in a single afternoon.\u00a0 It’s a fun way to pass a lazy Sunday afternoon, particularly with a group of friends over, a bowl of pistachios and some beer.<\/p>\nBooks<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/kafka.jpg\" "\\"kafka\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nI’ve personally had a great year for reading interesting, enjoyable and informative books in 2010.\u00a0 Looking back on the year, I went through a pretty diverse range of material and plenty of my favourite books were peer recommendations.\u00a0 I read Stephen King’s Under the Dome<\/em>, Richard Dawkin’s The Greatest Show On Earth<\/em>, Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore<\/em> and David Mitchell’s Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet<\/em> after I discovered them for myself but I would never have come across Tim Park’s A Season With Verona<\/em>, Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet<\/em> or Malcolm Gladwell’s What The Dog Saw <\/em>were they not for recommendations from friends.\u00a0 I can’t think of a single book I’ve read this year that I haven’t ultimately enjoyed.\u00a0 Hopefully, I can keep up a similar record in 2011.<\/p>\nLive Sport<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/roarsupporter.jpg\" "\\"roarsupporter\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nHere are some great sporting memories I have from 2010:\u00a0 Peter Siddle’s hattrick on Game One, Day One of the Ashes, the Kiwis scoring a last minute try in the Four Nations rugby league final to beat the Kangaroos, the Brisbane Roar crushing Adelaide United 4-0 and the Queensland Reds piling on 40 points against the Canterbury Crusaders.\u00a0 Something that made all those moments even more special was watching them happen live at the venue.<\/p>\n
I would have comfortably gone to more sporting events in 2010 than I ever have before and I’ve got the giant gut from all the pies and midstrength beer to prove it.\u00a0 There’s nothing sweeter than watching the spectacle of live football.\u00a0 Or cricket.\u00a0 Or rugby.\u00a0 They’ll all produced some great entertainment for me over the years on TV and I’m glad that this year I had a chance to watch so much of it in person.\u00a0 Whoever you are and whereever you are in the world reading this, make a point in 2011 to go and watch some live sport.\u00a0 Whatever you’re passionate about.\u00a0 I can’t recommend it highly enough.<\/p>\n
The Worst of the Year<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nAustralian Politics<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/r634577_4350448.jpg\" "\\"r634577_4350448\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nSometimes, you can\u2019t appreciate what you\u2019ve got until its gone.\u00a0 In 2009, Australian federal politics were headlined by Kevin Rudd as the country\u2019s Prime Minister and Malcolm Turnbull as leader of the Opposition.\u00a0 Naturally, both men had widely differing views on a range of political topics but they were also men who had clear ideological views of where Australia should be headed.\u00a0 Both were willing to go against their own parties official stance if they felt strongly enough about an issue.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it cost them both their jobs.<\/p>\n
Now in 2010 we have Julia Gillard as our country\u2019s first female prime minister and \u2018the Mad Monk\u2019 Tony Abbott as the leader of the Opposition.\u00a0 Both Gillard and Abbott are depressingly poll driven in their policies, reactionary in their decision making and dishearteningly artifical in their delivery.\u00a0 Gillard stuck so slavishly to soundbytes that she had to campaign during the election as The Real Julia<\/em>, such was her deserved reputation as someone who spoke constantly in meaningless platitudes.\u00a0 Abbott was no better, going on record on the 7.30 Report as saying he was not to be trusted or held accountable to what he said, only to what he commited to writing.\u00a0 Starved of quality leaders, some pundits applauded his \u2018refreshing honesty\u2019.<\/p>\nUnfortunately, it seems we are stuck with these pinheads for some time to come.<\/p>\n
FIFA<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
I picked up an iPad at launch when it came out in May this year and am still absolutely in love with it.\u00a0 It\u2019s simple interface, generous battery life and perfect form factor instantly made the device a useful part of my daily routine.\u00a0 It has replaced the home PC as my preferred avenue for checking email, social networking and browsing the Internet.\u00a0 The only times I really use my PC anymore is to blog on TFW or when Jen is hogging the iPad and playing sudoku on it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure the new year will bring an avalanche of competitors offering a slew of extra features and Apple themselves are rumoured to be not too far away from a new iteration on the iPad.\u00a0 That said, I\u2019m really happy with what the iPad does already and don\u2019t miss the absense of Flash or a built-in camera at all.\u00a0 I really only use the iPad for a handful of simple functions but the critical thing is how the iPad lets you do things (quickly, efficiently) rather than what it does.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m pretty sure we\u2019ll look back on the launch of the iPad in 2010 as the beginning of the end for laptops being the preferred portable computing format of choice.\u00a0 Tablets are the future and the iPad is king.<\/p>\n
Twitter<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nI was one of the last people on TFW to sign up for Facebook when it first really started to take off three years ago<\/a> and it was the same again with Twitter.\u00a0 It took a lot of goading from Mike and the others to get me onto Twitter in the middle of last year but now that I\u2019ve gotten used it, it has become my favourite social networking medium.\u00a0 The biggest obstacle for me to overcome was to understand the usefulness of Twitter.\u00a0 I just saw it as a form of Facebook stripped down to just a series of status updates.<\/p>\nI\u2019ve blogged before about my Facebook fatigue<\/a>.\u00a0 I feel like now that I\u2019ve added and caught up with just about every single long lost friend, aquaintance and work colleague I can think of, the functionality of the site doesn\u2019t really offer much to keep me coming back (I don\u2019t play Farmville or Mafia Wars).\u00a0 There\u2019s just a lot of baby photos and random song lyrics as status updates.<\/p>\nComparatively, Twitter offers an excellent blend of communication with friends plus newsfeeds that are very specifically tailored to topics I\u2019m interested in.\u00a0 It gives you an outlet to interact with and follow the musings of musicians, athletes, journalists, actors, politicans and whoever else might take your fancy.\u00a0 Once you start following over a hundred accounts, your Twitter feed becomes a perpetual ever-updating stream of information that is almost always interesting and relevant to you.\u00a0 Thats what makes Twitter so awesome.<\/p>\n
Board Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nIt was nice to rediscover the fun of playing board games this year.\u00a0 Although they are by no means new games, this year Jen and I discovered Carcasonne<\/em>, Settlers of Catan, Perudo<\/em> and Ticket to Ride<\/em>, all top notch games that have a healthy balance of luck and skill, that can be completed in a single afternoon.\u00a0 It’s a fun way to pass a lazy Sunday afternoon, particularly with a group of friends over, a bowl of pistachios and some beer.<\/p>\nBooks<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nI’ve personally had a great year for reading interesting, enjoyable and informative books in 2010.\u00a0 Looking back on the year, I went through a pretty diverse range of material and plenty of my favourite books were peer recommendations.\u00a0 I read Stephen King’s Under the Dome<\/em>, Richard Dawkin’s The Greatest Show On Earth<\/em>, Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore<\/em> and David Mitchell’s Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet<\/em> after I discovered them for myself but I would never have come across Tim Park’s A Season With Verona<\/em>, Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet<\/em> or Malcolm Gladwell’s What The Dog Saw <\/em>were they not for recommendations from friends.\u00a0 I can’t think of a single book I’ve read this year that I haven’t ultimately enjoyed.\u00a0 Hopefully, I can keep up a similar record in 2011.<\/p>\nLive Sport<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nHere are some great sporting memories I have from 2010:\u00a0 Peter Siddle’s hattrick on Game One, Day One of the Ashes, the Kiwis scoring a last minute try in the Four Nations rugby league final to beat the Kangaroos, the Brisbane Roar crushing Adelaide United 4-0 and the Queensland Reds piling on 40 points against the Canterbury Crusaders.\u00a0 Something that made all those moments even more special was watching them happen live at the venue.<\/p>\n
I would have comfortably gone to more sporting events in 2010 than I ever have before and I’ve got the giant gut from all the pies and midstrength beer to prove it.\u00a0 There’s nothing sweeter than watching the spectacle of live football.\u00a0 Or cricket.\u00a0 Or rugby.\u00a0 They’ll all produced some great entertainment for me over the years on TV and I’m glad that this year I had a chance to watch so much of it in person.\u00a0 Whoever you are and whereever you are in the world reading this, make a point in 2011 to go and watch some live sport.\u00a0 Whatever you’re passionate about.\u00a0 I can’t recommend it highly enough.<\/p>\n
The Worst of the Year<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nAustralian Politics<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nSometimes, you can\u2019t appreciate what you\u2019ve got until its gone.\u00a0 In 2009, Australian federal politics were headlined by Kevin Rudd as the country\u2019s Prime Minister and Malcolm Turnbull as leader of the Opposition.\u00a0 Naturally, both men had widely differing views on a range of political topics but they were also men who had clear ideological views of where Australia should be headed.\u00a0 Both were willing to go against their own parties official stance if they felt strongly enough about an issue.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it cost them both their jobs.<\/p>\n
Now in 2010 we have Julia Gillard as our country\u2019s first female prime minister and \u2018the Mad Monk\u2019 Tony Abbott as the leader of the Opposition.\u00a0 Both Gillard and Abbott are depressingly poll driven in their policies, reactionary in their decision making and dishearteningly artifical in their delivery.\u00a0 Gillard stuck so slavishly to soundbytes that she had to campaign during the election as The Real Julia<\/em>, such was her deserved reputation as someone who spoke constantly in meaningless platitudes.\u00a0 Abbott was no better, going on record on the 7.30 Report as saying he was not to be trusted or held accountable to what he said, only to what he commited to writing.\u00a0 Starved of quality leaders, some pundits applauded his \u2018refreshing honesty\u2019.<\/p>\nUnfortunately, it seems we are stuck with these pinheads for some time to come.<\/p>\n
FIFA<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nI was one of the last people on TFW to sign up for Facebook when it first really started to take off three years ago<\/a> and it was the same again with Twitter.\u00a0 It took a lot of goading from Mike and the others to get me onto Twitter in the middle of last year but now that I\u2019ve gotten used it, it has become my favourite social networking medium.\u00a0 The biggest obstacle for me to overcome was to understand the usefulness of Twitter.\u00a0 I just saw it as a form of Facebook stripped down to just a series of status updates.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve blogged before about my Facebook fatigue<\/a>.\u00a0 I feel like now that I\u2019ve added and caught up with just about every single long lost friend, aquaintance and work colleague I can think of, the functionality of the site doesn\u2019t really offer much to keep me coming back (I don\u2019t play Farmville or Mafia Wars).\u00a0 There\u2019s just a lot of baby photos and random song lyrics as status updates.<\/p>\n Comparatively, Twitter offers an excellent blend of communication with friends plus newsfeeds that are very specifically tailored to topics I\u2019m interested in.\u00a0 It gives you an outlet to interact with and follow the musings of musicians, athletes, journalists, actors, politicans and whoever else might take your fancy.\u00a0 Once you start following over a hundred accounts, your Twitter feed becomes a perpetual ever-updating stream of information that is almost always interesting and relevant to you.\u00a0 Thats what makes Twitter so awesome.<\/p>\n It was nice to rediscover the fun of playing board games this year.\u00a0 Although they are by no means new games, this year Jen and I discovered Carcasonne<\/em>, Settlers of Catan, Perudo<\/em> and Ticket to Ride<\/em>, all top notch games that have a healthy balance of luck and skill, that can be completed in a single afternoon.\u00a0 It’s a fun way to pass a lazy Sunday afternoon, particularly with a group of friends over, a bowl of pistachios and some beer.<\/p>\n I’ve personally had a great year for reading interesting, enjoyable and informative books in 2010.\u00a0 Looking back on the year, I went through a pretty diverse range of material and plenty of my favourite books were peer recommendations.\u00a0 I read Stephen King’s Under the Dome<\/em>, Richard Dawkin’s The Greatest Show On Earth<\/em>, Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore<\/em> and David Mitchell’s Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet<\/em> after I discovered them for myself but I would never have come across Tim Park’s A Season With Verona<\/em>, Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet<\/em> or Malcolm Gladwell’s What The Dog Saw <\/em>were they not for recommendations from friends.\u00a0 I can’t think of a single book I’ve read this year that I haven’t ultimately enjoyed.\u00a0 Hopefully, I can keep up a similar record in 2011.<\/p>\n Here are some great sporting memories I have from 2010:\u00a0 Peter Siddle’s hattrick on Game One, Day One of the Ashes, the Kiwis scoring a last minute try in the Four Nations rugby league final to beat the Kangaroos, the Brisbane Roar crushing Adelaide United 4-0 and the Queensland Reds piling on 40 points against the Canterbury Crusaders.\u00a0 Something that made all those moments even more special was watching them happen live at the venue.<\/p>\n I would have comfortably gone to more sporting events in 2010 than I ever have before and I’ve got the giant gut from all the pies and midstrength beer to prove it.\u00a0 There’s nothing sweeter than watching the spectacle of live football.\u00a0 Or cricket.\u00a0 Or rugby.\u00a0 They’ll all produced some great entertainment for me over the years on TV and I’m glad that this year I had a chance to watch so much of it in person.\u00a0 Whoever you are and whereever you are in the world reading this, make a point in 2011 to go and watch some live sport.\u00a0 Whatever you’re passionate about.\u00a0 I can’t recommend it highly enough.<\/p>\n The Worst of the Year<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes, you can\u2019t appreciate what you\u2019ve got until its gone.\u00a0 In 2009, Australian federal politics were headlined by Kevin Rudd as the country\u2019s Prime Minister and Malcolm Turnbull as leader of the Opposition.\u00a0 Naturally, both men had widely differing views on a range of political topics but they were also men who had clear ideological views of where Australia should be headed.\u00a0 Both were willing to go against their own parties official stance if they felt strongly enough about an issue.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it cost them both their jobs.<\/p>\n Now in 2010 we have Julia Gillard as our country\u2019s first female prime minister and \u2018the Mad Monk\u2019 Tony Abbott as the leader of the Opposition.\u00a0 Both Gillard and Abbott are depressingly poll driven in their policies, reactionary in their decision making and dishearteningly artifical in their delivery.\u00a0 Gillard stuck so slavishly to soundbytes that she had to campaign during the election as The Real Julia<\/em>, such was her deserved reputation as someone who spoke constantly in meaningless platitudes.\u00a0 Abbott was no better, going on record on the 7.30 Report as saying he was not to be trusted or held accountable to what he said, only to what he commited to writing.\u00a0 Starved of quality leaders, some pundits applauded his \u2018refreshing honesty\u2019.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, it seems we are stuck with these pinheads for some time to come.<\/p>\nBoard Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nBooks<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nLive Sport<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nAustralian Politics<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFIFA<\/strong><\/h2>\n