It was another one of those years. Last year I thought was incredibly busy, and that things would slow down. This has been far from the truth.
In terms of speed, I flew over 50,000 miles, and that doesn't include the driving, trains, and other modes of transit - China, Kenya, South Africa, UK, and Italy. And home was an interesting concept, as I moved houses 5 times in 2008.
Beyond simple logistics, I was a part of some great events: CIFoo and FooCamp both revolved around similar concepts of the future of humans in technology, I shared my thoughts on neogeography, neocartography and traditional GIS at Where2.0, Stanford, FOSS4G, Future of Web Apps, and applied these concepts in helping with Twitter Vote Report. I captured these trends in an O'Reilly Radar Report that reminded me how hard it is to convey what is in your brain to linear sheets of paper with graphics.
I was also very fortunate to help with mapping of community and growth in New Orleans. The experiences learned from working with people - from Louisiana to Nairobi, food in Mozambique to food in urban gardens - are each amazing and informative in catalyzing the evolving set of capabilities and techniques.
Obviously a big event of 2008 was the company and technology that Mikel and I built, Mapufacture, joining with FortiusOne, which is shaping what 2009 will look like.
And most importantly, I had a great time - and met many new friends. Thank you for a great 2008.
GEOPRESS_LOCATION(Arlington, VA)