Although we’re more than a fortnight in to 2007 already I’m going to put 2006 to bed by recapping some personal highlights and disappointments.

Two thousand and six rapidly turned into a blur of a year. I spent some time in January converting wasabicube.com from my own potted CMS to Textpattern and redesigned in the process. That was pretty much it for the site until much later in the year. I spent a total of around three days working on the site. Must do better in future.

From a Web design and development point-of-view the highlights were Webstock in May and Web Directions in September. Webstock was a huge success, particularly when you consider it was their first attempt at a major conference. Great speakers, great venue and great attention to detail. Web Directions continued where Web Essentials left off and, again, provided a fabulous opportunity to hear and meet some of the luminaries of the industry.

July saw me give my first Web Standards presentation to the The Auckland Web Design & Development Meetup. [Speaking notes coming soon – Ed.] It seemed to go down well despite the, frankly, expected arguments against from a couple of “dyed-in-the-wool” developers of pixel-perfect brochure-ware. Although we had good intentions, Darren and I didn’t get the Auckland Web Standards Group off the ground despite coming close. We’re looking forward to getting things kicking along in 2007. Nigel Parker put in a great effort in bringing a bunch of Web people together in November and we’ll be doing our best to build on that group to prove, particularly to Wellington, that Auckland can do community!

And it was my year of the Apple. Having got a shiny white iBook for C a couple of years ago I found myself using it whenever she was away. So, in September, after waiting for the Intel Macs to appear and a respectable time for the issues to be dealt to, I migrated to a black MacBook and I haven’t looked back. The MacBook covers all the bases I need including running Windows XP brilliantly using Parallels Desktop. Fantastic.

October marked my fortieth birthday. Forty came around far too quickly, in my opinion, and I really don’t think I’ve fully come to terms with the implications. Blissfully ignorant, I’m sure I still get what the cool kids are on about! Surely? Hey, and thanks to C, I now have a lovely black iPod. It’s brilliant and surely shows how much I am hep with the young people’s jive!

During December Twitter became a bit of highlight for me. It’s hard to define but it, along with other “community sites”, Twitter begins to hint at the power of the Web to bring people and ideas into contact. With caveats, it emphasizes the potential for leveling social hierarchies and creating an egalitarian world where the power is in the communication and the ideas rather than the power, status or geography of the participants. On a more practical level it provides, as Justine put it, the background office chatter that’s so often missing for those of us who, predominantly, work alone.

So 2006 treated me very well as I hope it did you. Here’s to a 2007 that sees a more peaceful and tolerant world that brings you all that you and those dear to you could want.