Pictures from all the Christmas gatherings I attended in 2010. I made a point of taking a formal portrait of everyone at each celebration that I attended.

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This weekend I was very sick for three days and consequently spent most of my time in bed feeling rather sorry for myself. When I was feeling less sick I could leave the bed and watch Firefly or Arrested Development and play Osmos.

Osmos is an excellent game when you are sick because of its slow game play and lovely ambient music soundtrack. The game isn't just pleasant to play, it's downright relaxing.

In Osmos you are a blob of matter and your goal is to become the largest blob of matter on the screen. Larger blobs absorb smaller ones, so you want to find and absorb smaller blobs on the screen and avoid hitting anything larger than yourself. To move around, you shoot matter out behind you, but this comes at a price since it reduces your size.

Working with these simple base rules, a number of excellent levels were created; some of which require agility, others problem solving to beat. Different behaviour patterns are introduced in the other blobs which gradually increases the complexity. There is a good deal of variety in the levels and a solid progression in difficulty as you proceed through the levels.

The one thing that really stood out to me was the soundtrack. The soundtrack is ambient works from prominent groups such as Biosphere, Loscil, Gas/High Skies and Julien Neto. The music is well chosen, complements the game perfectly, and I got a kick from the songs that I recognized.

Overall I recommend this game highly whether you are sick or healthy. Osmos begins looking very simple but then develops an elegant complexity which makes it challenging and fun to play.

You know it's the end of the year when all the blogs you read online have endless piles of 'Top 10' and 'Best of' posts. Now while I try to eschew such behaviour, there are moments when it is convenient or even fun. So with that in mind, I would like to share my favourite musical discoveries of 2010.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros has a distinctly retro indie-folk sound. The entire album sounds like it was recorded in the 1970s, and brings back memories of family road trips listening to Neil Diamond albums. Accordingly, this album is excellent road trip listening.

Fang Island - Fang Island

If you've ever had the complaint that indie rock is not upbeat enough for you, look no further. Fang Island describes their sound as "everyone high-fiving everyone" which is more accurate than I could ever muster. Expect to feel good about life after listening to this album.

Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers - Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers

Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers play what can only be described as big band folk. The songs have some distinct folk roots, but the bands strong horn section adds a unique quality to the songs. This is a toe tapping album which seems tragically short.

Gord Downie - The Grand Bounce

Gord Downie has the ability to polarize an audience, so it was a bit of a surprise that the rock icon toured folk festivals to promote his newest album. The lean towards country style music and excellent lyrics set this album apart from the previous solo albums that have been released.

Sleigh Bells - Treats

What do you get when you combine saccharine-sweet female vocals, rock guitar and crunk beats? You get an album which on first impression sounds like carefully orchestrated noise, but you simply cannot stop listening to it. Not all the songs in the album are equally strong, but the good ones are amazing.

VNV Nation - Of Faith, Power and Glory

After including a lot of indie and folk, I need to balance this out with a strong synthpop album. This album is set apart by its sweeping lyrics and synth washes which form the core of contemplative and dance tracks alike. Some more experimental tracks round out the album and keep it from being predictable.

Wax Mannequin - Saxon

Words like theatricality and dark humour have often been used to describe the post-modern classic rock that Wax Mannequin plays. Saxon exhibits these traits along with the polish of a musician coming into their stride. From acoustic to bombastic, this album contains a wide range of songs.

Peer reviewed publications are not always the most interesting of reading; however, some of the quotes made by reviewers are excellent. Cesar Sanchez has compiled a list of some humourous comments which were made during the peer review process for scientific papers. Some of my favourite comments are listed below.

The biggest problem with this manuscript, which has nearly sucked the will to live out of me, is the terrible writing style.

The writing and data presentation are so bad that I had to leave work and go home early and then spend time to wonder what life is about.

The finding is not novel and the solution induces despair.

The peaceful atmosphere between Christmas and New Year was transiently disrupted by reading this manuscript.

The writing style is flowery and has an air of Oscar Wilde about it.

I wish those who reviewed my work when I was in CASB were so honest.