Here’s what I did in 2015. (Previously: 2014)
Working and studying
In spring, I did a bunch of courses at the university. Against my plans, I didn’t write my bachelor’s thesis and therefore I didn’t graduate as a BSc. That is disappointing, but at least I got some MSc-level courses done and finished a minor in cognitive science. The latter is important because I’m afraid University of Helsinki may stop teaching cognitive science soon.
In summer, I returned to full-time work at ZenRobotics. There’s not much to be said about that. In fall, I concluded that I want to move on, which led to me quitting the company in December.
What went well?
In spring, I started jogging three times a week and continued for more or less the whole year. This is probably the best thing I’ve done this year - exercising regularly makes me feel so much better about everything.
I made some process in my thinking about software work. This year I realized it’s so much more about people than it is about technology. I’m still exploring the implications of this.
What didn’t go well?
In my free time, I worked on a bunch of projects, but all of them fell through before I managed to publish anything. Either I ran out of energy to work on them, or I ended up with a problem that I couldn’t solve.
Clearly working harder is not going to cut it. I’m going to prioritize getting stuff out of the door, so my plan is to move the goalposts for my projects:
- Set a very achieveable first goal, so I will get at least something out before I run out of steam.
- If I encounter an unsolvable problem, I will work around it by changing the goal.
Stuff made by me
- Continued practicing photography. See my Flickr stream and Instagram.
- Experimented with film photography: I, II.
- Gave a talk titled 20th century functional programming at Helsinki Haskell User Group.
- Posted 39 times on quanttype. My most popular post was Python is not good enough.
Travel
- Again celebrated volbripäev with Raimla in Tartu.
- Spent a week in Copenhagen.
Best of
Here are some things that impressed me in 2015:
- Best fiction book: Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta.
- Best non-fiction book: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
- Best movie: The Man Without a Past, directed by Aki Kaurismäki.
- Best album: Bullhorn by Verneri Pohjola.
- Best coffee shop: Helsingin Kahvikomppania. Consistently the best cappuccino in town!
How did my plans for 2015 go?
I did have a two-week summer holiday, I saw a wild hedgehog, and I finished reading Infinite Jest. As said, I did not graduate as a BSc. Oh well.
What’s next?
I’m joining Metosin as a part-timer and continue my studies. It’s high time that I graduate as a bachelor of science. I hope to give at least one talk at a tech meetup. Otherwise my plans are open.