This is a little late. I remembered I posted a few resolutions last year, so I thought I had better at least follow up on those resolutions.

Become a Better Programmer

I probably have become a little better just through work, but I don’t think I’ve followed through on what I proposed. Work was hectic this past year, but circumstances have changed and I think I can do it this. I’m going set aside sometime for reading that big pile of programming books stacked up behnd me.

Listen to More Music

I did ok with this one. I’ve expanded my music horizon a bit more this year. That was apparent when a friend asked what sort of music I listened to and she had never heard any of the bands I mentioned. Will have to keep at this one.

Be more organised

I put a lot of effort into this one. Not sure if I’ve improved, but I certainly learned a lot about being organised in the past year. I’ve recently started trying out The Pomodoro Technique, so I’m heading in the right direction.

Last week I finally bit the bullet and bought a Drobo and DroboShare. They’re quite expensive compared to all the other NAS options available. For my $1000+ I got a highly recommended backup storage solution that was quick and relatively painless to set up. In 30 minutes I had my Drobo and DroboShare up and running – firmware updated, HFS+ formatted and all set up as a media server for my PS3 and iTunes.

I’ve got three 1TB and one 640GB hard drive in it now, giving me 2.37TB of protected storage space. If in the future I find myself running low on space, it’s simple to switch those drives for larger ones in the future.

I’m very happy with my Drobo/DroboShare set up. I’d recommend it to anyone needing an easy to set up storage/back up solution and had the money. The ability to stream media to PS3 and iTunes is a bonus.

What I’ve install so far on my fresh Ubuntu 9.04 install.

• NVIDIA drivers – Drivers for NVIDIA video card
• VLC – Media player
• Gnome Do – App launcher (like Mac’s Quicksilver and Win’s Launchy)
• CompizConfig Settings Manager – Config for visual effects
• VirtualBox – Virtualisation software
• Adobe AIR and TweetDeck – Twitter client

I’m sure this list will get longer before the day is done. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Currently enjoying my fresh install of Ubuntu Desktop 9.04. Ubuntu is looking more and more polished with every release. If I were Microsoft I would be shaking in my boots. Who’s going to pay for $500 – 600 for Windows and Office when you can download this for free.

This morning I’ve been setting up a fresh install of Windows on a new HD. I’ve been setting up Windows a lot lately, so I thought I’d create a checklist of the things I usually do when I first login.

1. Install hardware drivers – motherboard, network, video, sound
2. Install service packs and updates
3. Avast! – anti virus
4. Firefox – web browser
   • Install add-ons: Firebug, Web Developer, Twitterfox, Ubiquity, Delicious
5. Launchy – app launcher
6. Notepad++ – Notepad replacement
7. 7-Zip – archiver
8. Filezilla – FTP
9. Keepass – password manager
10. DropBox – file sync
11. Change the orange flower user picture to something less girly

Third and final resolution for the year is to be more organised. I admit there are times when I feel very unorganised. I don’t like those moments. So, I’ll make an effort to avoid them. I guess I’ll start by making sure I’m prepared for things and don’t leave things to the last minute like I’ve had a tendancy to do. Meanwhile I don’t want to become an absolute control freak. Some things in life are more enjoyable when you wing it.

My second new year’s resolution for 2009 is to listen to more music. I like to listen to all kinds of music – been through a jazz phase, some soft rock, some easy listening, some classical and lately I’ve been mostly into British indie. But to be honest, if someone asked me what my favourite song is or what sort of music I like to listen to, I wouldn’t know what to say, because it changes all the time. So, in order to change that I think I’m going to have to spend some quality time listening to music. Just listening to music. Lots of it.

My plan is already in motion. I already have a great pair of headphones – my Grado SR60 which I bought when I was in London. Also I’ve got a set of Edirol MA-15D Stereo Micro Monitors ordered. Last.fm is also an integral part of the plan. Last week I spent hours exploring new music.

So, there you have it. Hopefully by the end of the year. I’ll be able to tell someone what music I like.

Web developers rejoice! Firebug goodness has been updated.

Firebug 1.3.0 Final Released

New year’s resolution number 1 for 2009 is to become a better programmer. Okay, this isn’t really a new year’s resolution. It’s a perpetual goal. And it should be one for every programmer. But this year I’ll focus on improving my understanding and execution of developing with a proper SDLC and consistently delivering projects on time. I’ll start by doing some more reading on SDLCs – especially Steve McConnell’s books and articles.

Hope you have a great 2009.