33 down, 66 to go

I’m 33 today.  Feels exactly the same as yesterday and a year ago.  But getting all those best wishes from people all around the world is, of course, super cool!  Thank you all so much.

And while we are on the subject of age, here is a screenshot of hilarious comment from this Linux Questions thread (kudos to Chris for the link):

Happy 6th birthday, Firefox!

Download Squad reminds us that it has only been 6 years that Firefox is with us.   That’s true, but I find it so hard to believe.  What was the web experience before Firefox came along?  I remember that Firefox made it way better, but I don’t really remember how bad it was before that.  And even though I spend most of these days using Google Chrome, I clocked thousands of hours in Firefox and it is almost like a relative to me.

Happy birthday dear browser! Best wishes and may you continue to improve, especially now that you have some competition to get you going.

Back from the party land

I’m back from the party land.  This was, no doubt, the longest and heaviest birthday celebration that I ever had.  I’ve been going from drunk to wasted for a whole week, and got to the stage where my body does not accept alcohol any more.  Not even a beer.  I need a break for a week or so.

Big thanks to everyone who sent warm wishes, presents, and money, who called and came, who thought, and so on and so forth.  I think there were well over a hundred people who congratulated me this time.  I can’t tell you how awesome it makes me feel!

And of course with so many good things coming my way, there were some really special presents.  Just to name a few:

  • Fallout3 and Gran Turismo video games for PlayStation3.  I tried both of them already and they are excellent.   Fallout3 will have me exploring its world for many months to come.  Gran Turismo is faster than that – I already completed all events in category C and B, started with Category A, and got myself my first Ferrari.  There are many excellent cars to drive, tracks to try, and I haven’t even got into online races.  Hours and days of my life will be spent staring at the TV.
  • “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns” Blu-ray disks.  These are my first blu-rays to both own and watch.  I was expecting something out of a blu-ray experience, but I never expected what I got.  It is absolutely stunning!  I think I finally got all the bits of the setup in order – PlayStaytion3 blu-ray player, 32-inch Sony Bravia HD TV, and an HDMI cable to connect them.  The results are mind blowing.  It’s crisp and clear and colourful and almost 3D-like and makes me want to never ever watch another DVD again.
  • Kwak beer set.  And the best part of it – two traditional Kwak glasses and a wooden glass holder.  This is something that I always wanted to have, but would probably never bought for myself.  In a few days, when my body clears all the traces of last week’s alcohol consumption, I will enjoy a glass of Kwak at home.  And now I can do it with a friend too.

There were, of course, more awesome presents, but the idea here is not to list all of them, but to show off the amazing people that I am surrounded with.  Thank you all once again – it was a blast!

2 ** 5 = 32

It’s my birthday once again.  And a very special number this time – 32, which is 2 to the power of 5.  Powers of 2 are very special numbers for all the computer people.  Hopefully I’ll make it to the 2 to the power of 6 and that these powers will be more important to me when I was at 2 to the power of 4.  Other than that, everything is as always.  Getting older, but not growing up.  I am ditching the idea of becoming an adult, since it is unachievable or way too hard.  And I am not sure it’s worth it.

Now, for all those people who complained that I don’t have a wishlist handy, and who think that that is a valid excuse to NOT get me a present, I have something to say.  I will gladly accept:

  • any driving, action, adventure, or first-person shooting games for PlayStation 3 (I already have all Call of Duty and Modern Warfare titles, both Assassin Creed games, Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV, just in case)
  • DVDs and Blu-rays of awesome movies and TV series (region 2 preferred)
  • books on web, programming, technology, team and project management, photography, driving, and pretty much anything else
  • geeky clothing (sized at least XXL)
  • food, beer, hugs, kisses, handshakes, best wishes, emails, tweets, money (in no particular order)
  • anything else

That’s the best I can do in the wishlist department right now, but I guess you got the idea. ;)

30, here I come!

Yesterday I celebrated my 30th birthday.  That was a blast!  I received congratulations and best wishes from more people (and bots) than I ever did.  In fact, there were so many that I can publish some statistics (numbers are approximated):

  • Automated greeting messages from forums and social services: 35
  • Phone calls: 15
  • SMS messages: 10
  • Paper postcards: 1
  • E-cards: 1
  • Emails: 4
  • IM chats: 15
  • Social networks contacts (Odnoklassniki.ru, Facebook, etc): 70
  • In person: 20

Some of these overlap, but not that much.  Messages started coming in from Monday afternoon and they are still pouring  in. Needless to say, I am overwhelmed.   A huge thank you to all of you!  You made my day.