Tags: 2010

I have a feeling that 2025 is going to be a year of reflection for me. It’s such a nice round number, 25. One quarter of a century.

That’s also how long myself and Jessica have been married. Our wedding anniversary was last week.

Top tip: if you get married in year ending with 00, you’ll always know how long ago it was. Just lop off the first 2000 years and there’s the number.

As well as being the year we got married (at a small ceremony in an army chapel in Arizona), 2000 was also the year we moved from Freiburg to Brighton. I never thought we’d still be here 25 years later.

2005 was twenty years ago. A lot of important events happened that year. I went to South by Southwest for the first time and met people who became lifelong friends (including some dear friends no longer with us).

I gave my first conference talk. We had the first ever web conference in the UK. And myself, Rich, and Andy founded Clearleft. You can expect plenty of reminiscence and reflection on the Clearleft blog over the course of this year.

2010 was fifteen years ago. That’s when Jessica and I moved into our current home. For the first time, we were paying off a mortgage instead of paying a landlord. But I can’t bring myself to consider us “homeowners” at that time. For me, we didn’t really become homeowners until we paid that mortgage off ten years later.

2015 was ten years ago. It was relatively uneventful in the best possible way.

2020 was five years ago. It was also yesterday. The Situation was surreal, scary and weird. But the people I love came through it intact, for which I’m very grateful.

Apart from all these anniversaries, I’m not anticipating any big milestones in 2025. I hope it will be an unremarkable year.

The People’s Space Odyssey: 2010: The Year We Make Contact

This is an epic deep dive into the 1984 sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

For all its flaws, I have a soft spot for this film (and book).

Responsive web design turns ten. — Ethan Marcotte

2010 was quite a year:

And exactly three weeks after Jeremy Keith’s HTML5 For Web Designers was first published, “Responsive Web Design” went live in A List Apart.

Nothing’s been quite the same since.

I remember being at that An Event Apart in Seattle where Ethan first unveiled the phrase and marvelling at how well everything just clicked into place, perfectly capturing the zeitgeist. I was in. 100%.

The Decade in Cheer - Reasons to be Cheerful

Since 2010

• The developed world used less water, despite population growth
• The (whole) world became less transphobic than it once was
• The ozone layer started healing
• Investment in green energy far, far exceeded investment in fossil fuels
• The world got greener
• Homicide rates fell worldwide
• Weather forecasting became a lot more accurate
• The number of people without electricity fell below one billion
• Universal health care went from privileged ideal to global ambition

I’ve published the transcript of a talk I gave at An Event Apart in 2010. It’s mostly about interaction design, with a couple of diversions into progressive enhancement and personality in products. It’s called Paranormal Interactivity.

I had a lot of fun with this talk. It’s interspersed with videos from The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Alan Partridge, and Super Mario, with special guest appearances from the existentialist chalkboard and Poshy’s upper back torso.

If you don’t feel like reading it, you can always watch the video or listen to the audio.

You could even look at the slides but, as I always say, they won’t make much sense without the context of the presentation.

…another year over, and what have you done?

Well, quite a bit actually, Mr. Lennon.

In 2010 Jessica and I moved into our new home in the Elm Grove area of Brighton. It’s a really nice place in a quiet neighbourhood and it lies at the top of a fairly steep hill, which may be of benefit to my physical condition. This is also the first place that we’re not renting. We’ve got a mortgage now, which technically puts us in the category of being homeowners …although it’s actually the bank that owns it.

In 2010 I became a cyborg. I’ve been wearing glasses since September. They’re especially handy for conference halls and cinemas.

In 2010 Salter Cane released their second album, Sorrow. Modesty forbids me naming it album of the year. That accolade undoubtedly goes to High Violet by The National (and film of the year undoubtedly goes to Inception).

In 2010 my third book was published. I’m very proud of it.

In 2010 I spoke at An Event Apart five times in five different cities in the US. I loved every minute of it.

In 2010 I compèred dConstruct. It was the best yet.

In 2010 I attended the wedding of Simon and Nat and officiated at Cindy and Matt’s wedding. They were joyous occasions.

In 2010 I organised the world’s first Science Hack Day in London and attended the world’s second Science Hack Day in San Francisco. Both events were indescribably excellent.

Bring on 2011.

YouTube - Filmography 2010

A montage of this year’s films.

The Story Behind a Wikipedia Entry - NYTimes.com

James Bridle's dConstruct artefact is in the New York Times.

My Faith in Nerds: Stronger Than Any Gelatinous Cube | 43 Folders

I'm very touched by this description of dConstruct from Merlin. We were incredibly lucky to have him come and speak. He the man.