Looking back at 2010 – Happy New Year 2011!

The year is coming to an end, so what better time to take a nice cup of tea and go into nostalgic mode to write up a summary.

Travels and conferences

2010 was really a fantastic year in terms of traveling and getting to meet tons of great people! And yeah, sure, I know everyone say that, but the number of outstanding individuals I have come across in very different places, I really regard as a blessing.

To get other peoples’ perspective, to see what their life and environment is like, and just to be able to chill with really cool folks is fantastic!

From the awesome heavy metal night in Bulgaria and discussing theories on Lost by an old castle, to a luxury suite and lots of wonderful people at Fronteers (Amsterdam); from a truly great stay by a fiord outside of Oslo to the roughness (in a good way) of the JSConf crowd in Berlin. And what about FOSDEM in Brussels when there were so many people watching my presentation I had to literally step over the ones sitting on the stage next to me?

I could go on and on, but I can honestly say that each place, so different from the other, has been wonderful, and I feel I really come alive when I travel and go on my adventures.

For me as a speaker, I would like to say: practice makes perfect. However, I’m far far from perfect, but at least I’m getting more decent with all the chances I get to talk in front of great crowds. Small rooms with maybe 50 people to larger venues with 400-500 attendants – it’s all different, and every time something new happens and I learn another thing or two.

And on top of that, especially during the fall, there have been some speakers I have gotten the pleasure to meet over and over again, both to learn from their vast knowledge and superior presentation skills, but also hanging out with people I really look up to.

All my presentation slides, and upcoming speaking events for 2011, can be found in my speaking page.

Personal life

Of course, with every year, just as with life overall, there are ups and there are downs. My relationship with Fredrika came to an end and there have been, and still are, some tough things to get through. However, we are both treating it, and each other, very well and in a mature respectful manner, so things are coming along as good as they can and the children seem to accept the new situation the best they can. As their father, I am immensely proud of them, of their wisdom and how they deal with the changes.

My blog

I think I have been pretty decent at still keeping on blogging – sure, this fall saw a break for obvious reasons, but otherwise I keep on producing and it’s really what I like the best (together with the travels and meeting people). Currently I have about 11 700 people daily following my RSS (direct link) feed every day, and a little over 2 000 people following me on Twitter.

Do you have a friend in web developing not reading? Make them a Robertee!

And as always, all blog posts can be found in the archives.

Celebrities who died in 2010

This might seem a bit morbid, but looking back at the year I usually also remember famous people that I have come across through their work in some kind, who have passed away during this year.

Robert Nyman, politician

When I started blogging, naturally what I wanted was to have the first hit, and page, on Google when you searched for my name. For a long time I competed with State Representative Robert J. Nyman, and through that, I felt a weird sort of connection. Unfortunately he passed away this year at the age of 50.

Ronnie James Dio

Dio was most likely one of the best heavy metal singers ever, and I wrote about his passing in Farewell, Ronnie James Dio.

Corey Haim

Childhood actor who I saw in lots of movies when I was young and who was in, amongst other movies, The Lost Boys.

Dennis Hopper

A great actor starring in classics such as Easy Rider and Acopalypse.

Gary Coleman

Child actor most known from Diff’rent Strokes.

John Forsythe

People who grew up during the 80s most likely saw Dynasty, and remember his role there.

Tony Curtis

Actor starring in many movies, where Some Like It Hot and Spartacus probably are the ones most people know about.

Leslie Nielsen

Leslie starred in many movies and genres, but without a doubt, his quest for fame came with the The Naked Gun movies.

Blake Edwards

Best known for writing and directing the The Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers.

Peter Steele

Most recognized for his band Type O Negative

Paul Gray

Bass player in Slipknot.

Happy New Year!

Thank you everyone for 2010, and here’s for a great 2011! See you in the future!