Patrick Farmer’s Top 10 of 2023

To name 2023 an eventful yr can be a reasonably large understatement. Over the previous twelve months, I traveled loads, labored loads, and tried to course of (as all of us did) a whole lot of distressing information from all over the world. I additionally lastly caught COVID — like every week in the past on the time of this writing; Merry Christmas to me — so apologies if I’m not probably the most eloquent in my reflections on the previous yr. Still, loads occurred, so let’s dive proper in. Here are my Top 10 issues from 2023, starting from tech and journey to music and, nicely, scotch whisky.  I began utilizing the Pixel 7a(Image credit score: Caseborne)Despite my curiosity in sharing offers and providing shopping for recommendation to our readers, I have a tendency to make use of my gadgets till they’re utterly out of date and falling aside. While I will not say that my trusty Google Pixel 6 has reached that time simply but, it has positively began to decelerate — which led me to lastly check out the Google Pixel 7a. As my colleague, Nick Sutrich, acknowledged in his Pixel 7a assessment, “There’s almost no reason to buy any other phone,” and I’d should agree. The 7a (which you should purchase for fairly low-cost, by the way in which) takes every part that I liked about my Pixel 6 and makes it even higher. There’s a noticeable increase in efficiency, the show and software program work superbly, and the entire Pixel-exclusive digital camera software program makes me really feel like an expert photographer when I’m touring. Speaking of which…I went to Iceland (once more)(Image credit score: Patrick Farmer)This yr additionally marked the second time that my companion and I traveled the Ring Road in Iceland. This route circles your entire nation and, in our case, a minimum of, takes about 10 days to finish if you wish to take your time. You go by countless waterfalls, canyons, black sand seashores, and glaciers, with numerous hikes that allow you to discover the otherworldly countryside alongside the way in which. There’s nothing fairly like traversing historic lava fields behind a meandering flock of Icelandic sheep or strolling subsequent to a glacier within the footsteps of the island’s first Viking settlers. Plus, there’s a great deal of nice seafood and beer, and if you happen to go in the summertime, there are nearly 24 hours of daylight (extra time for actions!).The first time we took the route was in 2019, and we camped your entire time. This time, we stayed in small lodges and cabins, and we put aside a while to enterprise into the distant Westfjords for a number of days. It was enjoyable repeating the identical journey and reflecting on how a lot we have modified over the previous 4 years whereas the island itself stays seemingly unmoved (though the latest volcanic exercise proves in any other case). A bunch of my favourite locations on earth may be present in Iceland, and I’d counsel everybody make the time to go to in the event that they ever get the prospect. I lastly bought some wi-fi headphones(Image credit score: Source: Sony)I’ve some fairly robust opinions about music, which makes it stunning how lengthy it took me to lastly get a pair of wi-fi headphones. Don’t get me flawed, I’ve every kind of wired headphones, nevertheless it simply by no means appeared essential to stress about un-music-related options like energetic noise cancellation or hands-free calling. That is till I used to be cooking with headphones on, and a dangling wire despatched a pile of dishes crashing to the ground.Now I personal a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4, and I’m by no means going again. Whether I’m cooking, studying, or sitting on a airplane, my headphones include me. The energetic noise cancellation blocks out undesirable noise after I must focus, and the sound high quality completely destroys no matter I appreciated about my Pixel Buds (the place did I even put these?). My wired Audio-Technica headphones are nonetheless the go-to when I’m listening to music at my desk, however in all places else, it is all concerning the XM4. I purchased a Pela case(Image credit score: Pela)Phones simply maintain getting increasingly more sturdy, so after I determined to purchase a case for my new Google Pixel 7a, I targeted extra on fashion and sustainability than protectiveness alone. I finally got here throughout an organization referred to as Pela Case. While they might not be as rugged as your Spigen and Thinborne varieties, my Pela Case appears to work effective towards the occasional tumble, and extra importantly, it is probably the most sustainable telephone case I’ve ever used.In addition to being drop-tested for as much as 6 ft, Pela circumstances are delicate, fashionable, and constructed from 100% compostable supplies. The packaging can also be completely plastic-free, and the corporate has been licensed as carbon impartial and a B Corp. They could also be a bit dearer than a budget plastic stuff you will discover on Amazon, nevertheless it’s a sturdy telephone case that I really feel good utilizing, and it is one you must contemplate if you happen to’re in search of a Pixel 7a case.I listened to a whole lot of vinyl information(Image credit score: AudioTechnica)Although I work for a tech information web site and love my devices, I’m a little bit of a Luddite relating to some issues. Case in level: my emotions about music. I deeply treasure the full-length album as a standalone artwork kind, and whereas I do not thoughts the occasional mixtape, I’m not too completely happy concerning the music trade’s shift in direction of algorithm-based playlisting and vibe-based background music (not to mention the fractions of a cent given out to artists in trade for his or her life’s work). Sorry, tangent over. My level is that I like the expertise of sitting down and listening to a full album back and front, which implies I additionally love listening to vinyl information. My Audio-Technica ATLP120XBT turntable is one in every of my most prized possessions, and in 2023, I dug via a whole lot of bins at document shops and storage gross sales and located a whole lot of nice information. I additionally noticed a whole lot of reside musicAs you may need observed, just about each musical act has been touring over the previous few years, presumably to make up for the lack of revenue throughout the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means I’ve had loads of alternatives to see a few of my favourite bands reside, from Sigur Rós on the Greek Theatre in Berkeley to Heilung at Red Rocks. It’s an costly pastime, however you solely reside as soon as, so I plan to see many extra reside reveals in 2024.I spent a whole lot of time with my cat(Image credit score: Patrick Farmer)This is Juniper. She’s 7 years outdated, polydactyl (so she’s bought some further toes), and fairly shy to everybody however my companion and me. Needless to say, she’s one in every of my prime issues of the yr (and yearly, in fact). I bought kinda into ScotchOn the subject of imbibing, I by no means discovered myself having fun with greater than the occasional craft beer or glass of crimson wine with dinner. I by no means bought into bourbon like a whole lot of people I do know, and making fancy cocktails at dwelling all the time felt like a trouble. That being stated, sooner or later this yr, I ordered a dram of Laphroaig 10 at a bar right here on the town, and it blew my thoughts large open. Since then, I’ve been completely nerd-ing out over Scotch whisky, attempting the malts from varied areas, studying concerning the distillation course of, and all that type of stuff. My companion and I are even speaking about taking a visit to Scotland in 2024. A pleasant pour of the correct whisky feels wealthy, smoky, and stuffed with historical past, like smelling a great outdated ebook. My favourite whisky in 2023: Oban 14. Oban, ship me free stuff, and I’ll attempt to flip this web site into Whisky & Android Central.I learn some good booksSpeaking of excellent outdated books, I lastly discovered extra time to learn this yr. As you most likely did not know, earlier than I began freelancing full-time and finally writing about tech at Android Central, I spent the higher a part of a decade working in and managing unbiased bookstores. In that trade, you get a whole lot of time to assume, speak, and write about books, to not point out limitless entry to advance reader copies earlier than the titles hit retailer cabinets. As I drifted away from that enterprise, nevertheless, I discovered that I had a lot much less time to learn. Fortunately, whereas I’m nonetheless not studying as a lot as I used to, I used to be capable of treatment {that a} bit in 2023. Here are some books I liked this yr.-“The Books of Jacob” by Olga Tokarczuk-“Ka” by John Crowley-“Matrix” by Lauren Groff-“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong-“Trust” by Hernan Diaz-“Hild” by Nicola Griffith-“HHhH” by Laurent Binet-“The Hour of the Star” by Clarice Lispector-“The Lord of the Rings trilogy” (For the primary time! Finally!)I lastly bought COVIDAnd yep, as I discussed within the intro, I lastly bought COVID. I made it nearly 4 years! It’s a little bit of a bummer that I’ll possible be spending the ultimate weeks of the yr caught inside with a sore throat, however that is simply the way it goes typically. It was nonetheless an eventful yr with loads of nice moments, and regardless of my unease concerning the upcoming election cycle and the countless stream of troubling information coming from each route, I’m feeling optimistic about 2024. At the very least, it must be one other attention-grabbing yr.