The year in blogging & other stuff.

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2010 wasn't a great year due to a massive drop in posts. Well, doing the last year at UOM & having to devote time to final year project, that was to be expected.

Reviews

The most significant thing for me was indeed the reviews. What’s the use of being a blogger if all your “reviews” are based on other reviews & crappy YouTube videos. Well, in 2010, that finally changed. I became a proper tech blogger. I had my first hands-on with some trial hardware. & not just any hardware. Smartphones!
So big thanks to WOMWorld Nokia for the devices & gifts. Special thanks to @Rwishi for introducing me & some other Mauritian tweeps/bloggers to WOMWorld.
The devices were the resistive touchscreen Qwerty slider the Nokia N97, the portrait Qwerty Swiss knife Nokia E72 & the megapixel monster, the Nokia N8.

Nokia N97:

• Part 1 - The Hardware
• Part 2 - The Software
• Part 3 - Multimedia & Apps
• Part 4 – Camera & Wrap-up

Nokia E72:

• Unboxing Pics
• Part 1 - The Hardware
• Part 2 - The Software
• Part 3 – The Camera

Nokia N8:

• Unboxing the Nokia N8
• Part 1 - The Hardware
• Part 2 - The OS
• Part 3 - Native Apps
• Part 4 - 3rd Party Apps

What remains of the N8 review - gaming & the camera. I still haven’t been able to trial the dream device I’ve coveted for so long – the N900. & mind you, these were completely honest reviews – I have been extremely critical of these devices. Not sure I’ll get more Nokia devices now… Hopefully, other manufacturers will step up. Unbelievable that I still haven't used any Android device!

Nikon L20

The best thing that happened to me in 2010? That's quite easy - I got my digital camera - the Nikon L20!
Managed to snag it from Rapidshare's reward program by converting my earned points (uploading mostly Top Gear!). I was lucky because just afterwards they closed down the rewards (& went downhill ever since).
After being "camera-less" since Oct 2008, it was an enthralling experience to discover photography all over again. Furthermore, it allowed me to accomplish something I've always wanted to do – open a photo blog.
109 posts & 305 comments. Very positive response. Here are the most popular posts:

• Pointe aux Biches
• Black River Gorges National Park – Part 1
• Black River Gorges National Park – Part 2
• Infinity
• Port Louis - Moka Range
• Vieille Fille II
• Vieille Fille IV
• Angry Bird
• USB LED Fan
• Roche Cari

As for the Nikon L20, I initially thought it was worse than my previous HP 635. I was obviously proven wrong, but even I have been amazed by what the cheapest of all Nikon cameras can do. Low-light performance aside, I think it's worth every cent... or rather every minute I spent "uploading" files.
I should single out the PAPM (Photographes Amateurs et Pros Mauriciens) Facebook group for having contributed towards sharpening my photographic skills. The sharing of photos with the accompanying critiques is much more valuable than any photography book.

First Bloggers Meeting

Once again, the L20 proved its versatility for my very first Black River Gorges National Park trek with fellow Mauritian bloggers. High fives to Yashvin, Tushal, Sun & everyone else for making this a success!
Some of the prominent bloggers present were active bloggers while others have already been extinct dormant for a while. The Mauritian blogosphere remains very vibrant with new blogs cropping up, especially with a rise in photoblogs & tumblrs... Let's hope for a bigger party at the next Mauritian Bloggers Meeting.

Prior to that there was the Caudan tweetup organised by @sjdvda & co. Was nice meeting @rrikesh, @yurit0s & some other tweeps!
The tweetup/Shootup was repeated in early November where even a larger cohorts of tweeps came for a lively get-together at Shooters.
Meeting all these lovely people is definitely an experience all other Mauritian tweeps should try!

Orange Mauritius

There was a speed double this year. But only for My.T+TV subscribers. The most faithful subscribers were left in the cold. ADSL users had a Rs 100 decrease & My.T (no TV) had nothing.  As it stands, I won't be getting any 1Mbps connection. & every time I download something on my 512kbps, I'm painfully reminded of the knife firmly stuck in my back...

Infotech 2010

An absolute turn-off as there was really no innovative products there. 3D TV still remains a gimmick – although Orange is pushing it a lot (bet they’ll launch a 3D channel!). Android devices were invisible & the iPad was only on display only for some Face Time, no hands-on...
Oh, & let's not talk of the Electronic & Technology show...

Inception

I went to the cinema only three times this year - Avatar 2D, Iron Man 2 & Inception. Only one of them was mind-blowing. Christopher Nolan has yet to disappoint me. & that's why he's my favourite director of all time. The background score, the action, the plot. It was sublime. Double paisa vasool as some would say.
Still 2 years to go before we have Nolan's next magnum opus, The Dark Knight Rises.
In the meantime, next year will be the year when Android robots will explode on your screen with Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

A Thousand Suns

A die-hard LP fan, I knew that the only way to listen to this album was to listen it as a whole in one go. It was only several months later that I got my chance with the N8. It's not the best LP album of all time, but it's great. Nu-metal era is over, but I like these new experiments...

Man Utd

I seriously don't know what positives to extract from this 2010-2011 season. Yes, we are top of the league. Yes, we are the only unbeaten team. Yet, last Tuesday's yet-another-draw-snatched-from-the-jaws-of-victory brought everyone back down to earth. In 2010, we had 40-year-old Van Der Sar guarding the goal, Vidic rocking the back, Rafael bombing on the right, Anderson controlling the middle, Nani stepping up the assists, Park showing his mettle & Berbatov having the season of his life! Yet everything was shadowed by Mr Ambition’s saga. Notice how he hasn’t scored a goal ever since. Cursed, I believe he is.
However, I believe the problem is that the squad lacks depth & loses concentration when playing away. Remember the defeat against West Ham. The signing of Javier Hernandez is a mystery. He’s the fastest player in the EPL & is the most talented young player, yet no one gives him through balls. Someone should read this ZonalMarking post on the offside goal!
This season will be a tough one. Even while United aren’t playing at 100%, we are top. Here's my best goal of the year. Watch & learn...

World Cup 2010

Of course it crossed the line you dimwit! One man missed what a billion other people saw. We need technology. Sadly, the most despotic organisation in the world absolutely refuses to listen. & instead pretends that the most expensive auction of all time is a vote.
These controversies aside, Spain got their due & South Africa reveled in what was a great world cup. It was nearly the time for Africa as Ghana faltered on the doorstep of History.

Top Gear

Top Gear - The Three Wise Men Special. It wasn’t the best Special (Vietnam/Bolivia is much better), but the level of entertainment was classic Top Gear! Jokes, challenges, unforgettable quotes & the usual bantering, everything was there! James May’s non-serious head injury means that the Top Gear orangutan is the only who hasn’t had an accident yet! Now that everyone knows who The Stig is, I couldn’t think of any way Top Gear could re-introduce The Stig without over-doing it. Fortunately, they nailed it perfectly in that last scene! That was effing awesome! Bring on S16 on 23rd Jan! :D

That was it. I’ll end here on these photos, taken today. The last sunset of 2010.
Happy New Year 2011!

PS. Don’t forget to change your blog footer to 2011! ;)