Please join me in wishing good friend and team member Mitchell Oke a very happy and special 19th birthday!

So many things have happened since last year: Mitchell is now a published (and paid!) author, he is a second year university student, he has purchased yet another car, he’s been traveling a lot, and he has only continued to live up to the high expectations I’ve always had for him.

I just re-read what I wrote for his birthday last year, and you know what? It all still applies, and even more so now than when it was first written…

Yet chunks of last year’s birthday post bear repeating, so here goes:

We first started corresponding in 2000, or maybe 2001, which would mean he was about 11 or 12 at the time. Sure, I remember realizing that he was young when we first started talking, but not exactly how young; he’s only a few months older than my daughter Sarah!

Mitchell’s maturity, knowledge of computers and gadgets, as well as his general can-do spirit have always impressed me. When I started Gear Diary, he was one of the first people I thought of when considering potential contributors; thankfully, he was eager to help.

Mitchell works hard to support his gadget habit, unlike so many other kids whose parents fund their obsession: he pays his own way. Mitchell is inspiring, amazing, and yeah – I would totally adopt him if he didn’t already have his own set of loving (and I am sure very proud) parents.

Mitchell is someone about whom I will one day be able to proudly say, “yeah – I knew him when.” He is going places.

Since last year I have finally had the opportunity to meet Mitchell in person, and he was just as awesome IRL as he is online…not that there was ever any doubt!

Mitchell personifies grace under pressure; he inspires me, and I am proud to call him a friend.

Some of his more recent posts have included raves about the Nokia E71, the AOC Rivio 2230Fm 22″ LCD Review, and quite a few helpful iPod touch posts, including this one. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, of course…

If you have also enjoyed Mitchell’s work,then you ought to send him a greeting in this thread; you can also catch up on all of his other posts here.

Happy Birthday Mitchell! I hope you have a great day and an even better year!