Zarf Updates

Welcome to my last blog post of 2024. Unless something really exciting happens this afternoon. I suspect not; I'm not doing anything except making cookies.

This happens to be my fiftieth blog post of 2024, which beats my previous record of 48 in 2008. There's nothing particularly interesting about this record. In fact I started this post to just say "Ha! Fifty blog posts in 2024! Merry new year!" But I guess it's turned into a 2024-in-review sort of thing.

I'll keep it snappy:

• Four months of employment, and no, that wasn't a contract gig. It was a flameout. The smoking remains of that company are now being picked over by a lawsuit, I hear. (No, I'm not involved.)
• Attended four conferences (GDC, Scintillation, NarraScope, XOXO). NarraScope was a great success; we're on for Philadelphia in 2025.
• Stepped down as an IFTF board member; handed over NarraScope to new chairs; began the process of stepping down as IFTF treasurer.
• Finished several code projects, including a photo catalog, a Blorb editor, autotranscripting for Lectrote. Plus I turned off MacOS spellcheck for good.
• 16 game review posts covering 46 games.
• Shipped three games: The Beyond (Steam), Leviathan (iOS), and Advent Window (a jam game but it counts!)
• Bought 80 books (only 33 were physical volumes). Looks like T. Kingfisher is my top author of the year.
• Spent two weeks in Italy with my family. (Photo catalog link!)
• Started using Bluesky.
• Still have not gotten COVID. That I can tell.

And other stuff I didn't blog about, of course. Some good some bad. The usual. A life, if you can keep it.

And 2025? Look, we know the shitshow is laid in. I'm not looking forward to the details. Just gotta manage however we manage.

Onward to the cookies for New Year's. Melomakarona with spiced honey. Not a Jewish recipe or the Jewish calendar, but have something sweet for the new year anyhow.