Well, it's a new year; the holidays are over...  the tree was un-decorated and dragged to the curb, all our Christmas stuff was put away, the lights were taken off the house (once again I successfully avoided falling off the roof), the reindeer were garaged, and all the other signs of celebration were extinguished.  Sad in a way, but nice to have it over with (if 'twere done when 'tis done, 'twere well it be done quickly).  I was able to get in a nice ride today, Rockstore, done in a relatively sedate 1:56; the foggy cold weather slowed me down as did all the food I've eaten recently (!), but it was good to do it anyway.  And I was able to think about work a little; today was nominally a working day but in actuality an extension of the holiday week.

Meanwhile, the world has started the new year, too...

One more link from the Economist's year-end issue: Why we are, as we are; a terrific example of how Darwinism can be applied to the problems of our day.  I find it amazing that a mainstream publication like the Economist would apply these principles so freely, delightful, but amazing.  This article could have been written by Daniel Dennett :) 

Techdirt: On staying happy.  "As we move into 2009, there are plenty of things to be worried about, but look around at what progress has brought to us already, and look at the trends and the obvious direction in which technology is taking us - there's so much to look forward to, it's hard to let any depression seep into the discussion at all."  Amen.  [ via Slashdot ] 

Bet you didn't expect this: Music sales up 10% in 2008.  Online single-track sales grew by 27%.  All of the growth was digital, online.  See! 

BTW wasn't it excellent to see the Doobie Brothers at halftime of the Orange Bowl?  They even looked good :) 

I loved this Sailing Anarchy article about Ragtime's entry in the Sidney-Hobart race.  In addition to being the coolest and only American entry, they won their class and came to the rescue of a fellow competitor during the race.  Awesome! 

IE market share drops below 70%.  Wow, that's amazing.  Who would have thought?  But then again who would have thought Netscape would ever become irrelevant?  Right now the darling is Firefox, but what's next, Chrome? 

Rogers Cadenhead: The Sarah Connor's Great-Grandparents Chronicles.  "Why does Skynet keep sending Terminators after Sarah Connor? Or even John Connor, for that matter? Why not go back a hundred years, or two hundred years, and kill her great grandparents?"  I see a new show in development, a Western, maybe?  I would be seriously interested in John Wayne vs the Terminator :) 

I am still really enjoying the Industry Standard's video replay of Steve Jobs keynotes from Macworld.  I love his remarkable focus on critical features, and his showmanship.  And I continue to be struck by the amazingly rapid pace of PC technology.  Ten years was a lifetime: 

• 1998: original iMac
• 1999: original iBook
• 2000: G4 cube
• 2001: OS X
• 2002: flat-screen iMac (aka "lamp"; I still have one, and still love it :)
• 2003: Ti Powerbook, Safari
• 2004: iPod mini
• 2005: Mac mini, iPod shuffle
• 2006: Intel iMac
• 2007: iPhone - IMHO, the best of them all...
• 2008: Macbook Air
• 2009: ????

Autoblog: Barn Find of the Decade: 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante.  The Decade?  How about all time?  Wow...  

ZooBorn of the day: a baby aardvark. 

SFGate: The Wave Hunter...  in the Potato Patch outside the Golden Gate.

  "'As we approached [the South Patch], I remember hearing this really low rumble,' Raymond recounts. 'I looked up and there was this wave, a perfectly shaped Hawaii 5.0 wave, breaking a mile out from us. It was maybe 50 feet, 70 feet on the face, just Hawaii 5.0ing down the line,' he says. 'It was one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen.'"  Wow...
[ via the Horse's Mouth ]