This is my third year of blogging and the third year of Life on the Wicked Stage. I find it hard to believe I've been doing this for three years, and yet harder still to imagine not doing it. In many ways Life on the Wicked Stage is my refuge. In still other ways it is a platform to share some thoughts on what I find outrageous, wonderful, crazy, sublime, and just plain wacky in the world. I often find myself wishing I had more time to do that. I mean, let's get real. There's plenty of wacky to go around.
A lot has happened since I began blogging, both in the world and to me as I rotate around on it. I started out blogging mostly about Tablet PCs and mobile computing but most of that shifted last year when I joined the gang at GottaBeMobile.com. Wicked Stage struggled a bit during that transition but it seems to be doing ok these days as I still blog about mobile computing, computing in general, politics, wacky stuff, Wayside Theatre, and things that simply astound and amaze me. I find great wonder in that and hope some of that gets relayed in the words here. I also find great idiocy in the world, and I imagine I contribute to that as well.
This was indeed a crazy year. This was the year of social networking. Twitter became a part of what I do and how I share. Facebook became a part of what I do and how I share. I have to say that I find great joy and value in how that platform as allowed me to reconnect with some folks from past lives. That said, I think that while this was the year of Facebook, it may unfortunately be the year that Facebook started a death spiral because of privacy issues. Too bad they got greedy. With the way things are going now and the the reaction to the stupid advertising platform they call Beacon, it shows just how perilous this whole Internet thing is.
It was also the year of the iPhone, a device that will certainly change things, as it already has. I'll probably join that craziness in the next generation.
It was another year of Google, who continues to amaze and astound me with their efforts. Here's hoping they can make a part of what they are trying to accomplish with openness really mean something.
It was also the year that I think Microsoft's eventual decline began in earnest.
It was a year I became multi-platform, (or is that platform agnostic as my good friend Marc Orchant would say), when I recently purchased an iMac to add to my arsenal. I'm sure I'll be blogging more about that as the next year unfolds.
I also purchased the domain WickedStage.com, although I haven't found the time to switch things around here yet, but that will come in due course.
I attended my first CES. I'm either a glutton for punishment or I liked it because I'm going back in 2008.
At Wayside Theatre it has been an insane time. We finally got under way with our renovation project, and everyday now we deal with construction workers, noise, crazy schedules, and all the vagaries of construction as we work to make our historic little building a better place for live theatre. In the meantime we've scattered ourselves almost too thin, by creating another theatre in another town to perform in during the construction period. Although we haven't had the success there we'd like yet, I'm as proud of that as anything we've ever done, and I think success will come, once we find the right support. And the gang at Wayside Theatre started blogging and podcasting as well, at InsideWayside. Check them out if you get a chance.
All of these things above made it onto the pages of Life on the Wicked Stage this year, because they made it into my life. Some more than others. There were no new emu sightings. All of it will continue to pour out of my little brain and onto the pages in this next year I'm sure. Two things intersect here in my theatre life and my blogging life. One, I'm always meeting with and sharing ideas with new people. Two, I'm always learning something new. It is a good day when either or both happen. I count myself blessed on both accounts that it happens more frequently than it does not.
But it all comes back to this. When I started blogging on Life On The Wicked Stage, it was to talk about and share my passion for Tablet PCs, live theatre, and the bizarre wonderfulness of our world. I wondered then if anyone other than me would get value from it. I still wonder that today. I still am passionate about sharing those things, although most of my passion for Tablet PCs pours out on the pages of GBM. I celebrated Year 1 and Year 2 of Life On the Wicked Stage by creating and continuing the Ink Blot Awards and Year 3 will be no different. I offer the Annual Life on the Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards each year on the anniversary of this blog, in tribute, and as a small way of saying thanks, to a great community we call the Tabletscape.Like last year, I've expanded it a bit as my blogging interests continue to expand as well. To paraphrase what I said last year:
As we head into year four, I hope that through some intelligently designed construct what happens here will continue to evolve as I do. In the meantime join with me as we celebrate three years of Life on The Wicked Stage: Act 2 with the Third Annual Life On The Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards. Enjoy!
