It was a rough year for those of us with a libertarian bent – the government bailed out failing businesses left and right, California simultaneously banned the evils of gay marriage and cupcakes, and the coming Obama government only promises more of the same. But even still, like many people, I pause this time of year to reflect on those things I’m most thankful for. While I am truly thankful for the love and support of my friends and family in what turned out to be a crazy year, I’m just maybe a little more thankful for the iPhone.

Seriously. I love it. I love it so much that I honestly have no idea how I managed to live 99 44/100% of my life without it. I use the features I never thought I’d care about. I upload tons of random pictures to Facebook. I play Yahtzee (confession: once I realized I could buy a Yahtzee game on iTunes, I knew I’d be playing it all of the time. A love of Yahtzee, like a love of Todd Rundgren, is embedded in my genetic code). I’m already completely dependent on the maps to keep from getting too lost. I’m currently using its iPod to listen to the “Stars on 45” while writing this (yeah, like everything on your iPod is cool). It’s a LCD beacon of light in these troubled times!