Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Free stories on Kindle

Hey everyone,

A couple of my stories on the Kindle are available for free today.

Sex, Lies, and General Competence:

Sex, Lies, and General Competence

The Debt:

The Debt

This one isn't available for free, but I included it anyway.  It's called the Future is the Past, and it's a Back to the Future parody sequel.

Kindle:



Paperback:



Enjoy!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Lifestyle change progress

Last week was my birthday, and it was a particularly bad week for eating.  I ate out a lot, and it showed.  Somehow, this week,  I was able to get back on track.  When I weighed in this morning, I weighed 317.8lbs.  That's down from 321.7 a month ago which was down from about 328 pounds.  I feel great. 

To recap, the changes I've made include not eating any food with 20g of sugar or more (this is slowly decreasing to 10g, but I have broken the rule a few times), not eating after 8pm (broken a few times too), not eating second helpings (also broken once or twice), and I mostly quit drinking pop (broken a few times also).  Still, I've done enough to keep losing weight, and, while I'm not losing weight at an insane rate, I'm still dropping pounds in a healthy slow way.  I still need to find a way to exercise more and to eat more fruits.  Vegetables aren't a problem though I could be more consistent.  Some days, I eat five servings of veggies and some days it's zero.  Overall, I'm happy with my progress, and I plan on keeping it up. 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Reflecting on 28

Today is my 28th birthday.  Honestly, I feel old, but I also feel the best I've felt in a long time.  I'm wonderfully busy.  I'm in a Ph. D. program.  I'm almost done with a Masters of Public Health program, and I'm losing weight.  Three years ago, I was unemployed, lost, and very unhappy.  The difference is incredible.  Yet, I still think about the past, my mistakes.  I don't know if I'll ever truly let them go even though I should.  I think about missed chances, and, then, I ponder if I'd even be where I am if those things had come to fruition. 

The next line of thought comes back to how much I've changed and how much I've improved.  The truth was I was trying to fix myself for so many years.  So many of my pursuits had been about me.  It's not selfish for a while.  I think someone has to focus on their happiness, or they will make others around them unhappy.  I've finally done that.  I've finally focused on my happiness, and the results are fantastic.  There is no real point to this post except to say that I'm becoming a different better person.  These words are for me, but I hope they can give hope to others in whatever way possible. 

Friday, November 9, 2012

Lifestyle change progress

So, I'm trying to improve my health again.  The difference is this time I'm doing it differently.  Back in September, I listened to the audio book version of "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink Ph. D.  The book presents research highlighting how we eat without thinking.  It can be for many reasons.  We're bored, happy, sad, tricked, or simply terrible at estimation, but it's clear we mindlessly overeat.  While I don't use much of the principles presented in the book yet, I do plan on applying many of them, slowly. 

That's the point of the book and Dr. Wansink's research: little things have huge consequences over time. Consuming just ten extra calories a day can lead to a pound of weight gain in a year.  One hundred extra calories a day can lead to ten pounds gained in a year.  But, and it's a fantastic but, we can use this to our advantage.  Making one behavior can lead to ten pounds being lost in a year.  It's something fairly simple.  Quit drinking that can of pop every day.  Eat less chips, less ice cream, or don't take a second helping are just a few options.  Mine was a fairly drastic step.  I quick drinking pop almost entirely in late-September.  I consumed at least 1.5 liters a day, but 2 liters or more was not unusual.  That's about 600 calories a day, give or take.  Assuming those are excess calories, this behavior change can amount to roughly 60 pounds in a year. 

I'm probably not actually cutting out 600 calories a day, but I am losing weight.  I've lost about 7 or 8 pounds in six weeks.  There are ways that I can improve, but this is a fantastic first step.  I'll keep tracking my progress and muse about possible hypotheses.  When this experiment began, I weighed a disheartening 328 pounds.  This morning, I weighed 321.6.  It's not much difference, but it's a start. 


Sunday, October 7, 2012

Philip K. Dick kindle novels on-sale today

Hey everyone,

When I find a good deal, I like to pass it along.  Today only, select Philip K. Dick novels are on sale at the kindle store for $1.99.

The Best of Philip K. Dick:


The Man in the High Castle:


Total Recall:


Ubik:


A Scanner Darkly:

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Another Back 4 the Future plug


Sometimes, a movie studio just doesn’t understand how much fans can love a movie franchise. There are times when a movie can define a decade for someone.  It could be the one with that guy named Luke or Indiana.  For some, it’s the franchise about time travel featuring a Delorean.  But, you know what?  The movie studio doesn’t get it.  I fucking love this series.  As a kid and even an adult, I wanted to travel through time.  I wanted to be the assistant to a scientist, especially a sexy older scientist.

Come on!  It's worth it!
In Paperback
On Kindle
On Nook

Is it a surprise that I didn’t want it to be over?  Three movies was all I got.  How is that fair?  I wanted more, so I wrote another one.  But, apparently, fan fiction isn’t the same as a spec script. Big deal.  Some of the comments I received from Universal Studios were insane.  Maybe, it’s quote “riddled with anachronisms” whatever that means. Yes, there are definitely some homosexual overtones between the young man and the scientist.  Let’s be honest here. Why would a genius scientist have a high school boy who dreams of being a rock star and has sub-par grades be his research assistant?  It doesn’t make any sense. I’m just saying he clearly wanted to tap that ass.  Really, who doesn’t want to bone Michael J. Fox, even now? Hell, I know I do, and I know he’d be creeped out by it too. And what does me supposedly sending naked pictures of myself to the stars of this franchise have to do with the quality of my story.  Talk about a non-sequitar.  If I were a woman, they wouldn’t be complaining.  So what?  I maybe sent some naked pictures.  So FUCKING what?  Why don’t you read it before you judge me?  Just read it!  Read it and decide for yourself.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Samurai sword deal!

I was just looking at samurai swords, and there a great deal on a set at amazon.  I won't be able to purchase this, but, if you're looking for samurai sword set, this is a pretty sweet deal.  The set is about $70 cheaper than usual and only 4 are left. 





Friday, September 14, 2012

Kettlebell or Girya, The Name Doesn't Matter

It's a fairly simple weight.  It's made out of cast iron, and it is basically a cannonball with handle.  The kettlebell or girya is not only a weight but a form of exercise.  You can do practically anything with them including cleans, snatches, lunges, bench and shoulder presses, squats, swings, and curls.  They also increase grip strength and endurance.  If you're wondering about their effectiveness, well, I heard a story about kettlebells being used to get soldiers into shape.  The weight was so effective that nothing else was used to accomplish this.  Now, this seems unlikely, but it's a great story. 

Kettlebells are also great for workouts.  Kettlebell workouts are more aerobic than traditional weight lifting workouts.  These workouts are closer to a high intensity circuit training.  One study even found a 20 minute snatch workout with kettlebells burned as many calories as running for that 20 minutes at a six minute per mile pace.  However, it should be noted that these workouts are to be done with caution.  Linked at the bottom of the page are videos that show proper techinque.  

Dumbbells are nice, but they can be unwieldy.  Kettlebells are comfortable.  The handles are actually smooth and don't beat up your hands as much as other weights.  They're easy to handle and easy to store.  The price is comparable to dumbbells, and the range is similar: 15lbs to 70lbs.   Honestly, considering their versatility, a few kettlebells can be just as good as a complete gym.  That sounds like hyperbole, but I'm sticking by it. 



Workout instructional:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkXw9hB0Zpo

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Back to the Future and a Sequel Parody

When there's something strange and it don't look good, who gonna callllll?  Ghost...no wait.  That's not the right movie.  The movie I'm thinking about involved time travel and Delorean.  It followed the wacky adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown as they routinely fucked with time.  They messed everything up, and, then, they had to fix it.  For some reason, a fairly formulaic story resulted in a great movie.  There were some blaring questions. 

Why was Marty the assistant to a genius inventor when he seemed to only really care about being a musician? 

Well, there is an obvious reason for this.  Doc met in 1955 and made sure to hook up with him in the early '80s. Why?  Because Marty would have to give him the letter that saves his life.  This, however, leads to the first and real question.

How did Marty originally become Doc's assistant?  

We don't know. He may have just been able to operate a video camera.  It have been that simple.  There are other possibilities as well, and this is where my parody comes into play.  Honestly, I wasn't satisfied with the three original movies.  They were good, but I wanted more.  So, I created more, another adventure for them. 

What's the story this time?

Well, the characters had to be renamed slightly to Farty and Dr. Poop (childish, I know, but funny none the less).  In 2013, Farty is down on his luck family man working as the mail boy at an office.  That is, until Doc comes back and strongly suggests that they travel across the country to Washington, D. C., so Doc can go back in time to meet his future wife.  Doc chooses an important date in history to do this, April 14, 1865.  From there, everything goes to hell, and they have to put the pieces back together again.  If you'd like to read the story, it's available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as e-books.  A paperback copy is currently being produced.  A link to Amazon is below. 



 

  

Monday, September 3, 2012

Watchmen: Comic vs. Film

"Who watches the Watchmen?"  Apparently, a lot of people do.  When a movie was finally announced after 20 years of developmental hell, I was excited.  I was a bit leery about Zack Snyder being at the helm, but I thought it could be awesome.  I am a huge fan of the graphic novel by Alan Moore, so much so that I read it about twice a year and own multiple copies (so I can borrow them to people).  When the movie came out, I was there opening night.  The first half was a pleasant surprise.  It had been shot beautifully, and the story was close to the comic albeit less nuanced.  This was forgivable, even understandable. Fitting 12 dense issues into a 2.5 hour movie was nearly impossible.  Patrick Wilson was nothing short of incredible as Nite Owl II, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan was perfect as the Comedian.  Rorschach was also awesome as was Carla Gucino as Sally Juniper.  Although, from the beginning, I wasn't happy with Malin Akerman as Laurie. I had never found her to be a skilled actress, and this character carries much of the story.  It could even be argued that she's the most important character in the graphic novel.  Then, there was Matthew Goode playing Adrian Veidt in a weird turn.  He had an accent.  Apparently, being born to immigrants means that you have an accent when you speak English.  Who knew? 

There were flaws to be sure but there were flaws with the graphic novel too.  Sometimes, the story could drag a little, and the added bits between issues didn't always add much.  For many, the ending was a disappointment, but I loved the ending.

Other than the flaws already addressed, there were more in the movie.  Laurie's character is reduced to the point of not mattering.  Doctor Manhattan is well endowed when the dude honestly wouldn't give a damn about it.  The nuance is gone, and the violence is ramped up.  It's basically stated that the Comedian and Sally were an item, possibly in love, in the first few minutes.  The violence is bloody and extended when the comic had muted violence (this is important later).  Slow motion was included (a Snyder staple), but it doesn't add anything.  It's a style over substance decision, and, while I get that he must like these kinds of shots, they don't work in this film well. 
 
Then, the ending is completely changed (Thar be SPOILERS ahead).  I actually wouldn't have had a problem with it except that the ending literally makes no sense.  I don't mean that in the "this couldn't happen way".  I mean that the same outcomes would not happen at all.  Adrian bombs cities and blames Dr. Manhattan.  The other heroes discover this, but they all agree to stay mum except for one.  Now, the comic makes it appear as an alien threat which has attacked us.   It works because the threat feels real, and it is unknown.  It also has an emotional impact when bloody bodies are strewn everywhere.  It's first encounter not only kills three million people, but it also leaves people mentally distraught for years to come.  In the movie, as previously stated, a bunch of cities blow up, and they blame Dr. Manhattan.  So why doesn't this work?  Well, Dr. Manhattan is a known entity, and, seemingly, he left Earth, for good.  Unless Doc wants to hang around and terrorize people, this is rather pointless.  Secondly, he worked for the US.  The Soviets are going to be suspicious.  Hell, they might have even launched nukes in response.  The US might also have responded like that since neither knew where these explosions came from.  They're just going to wait around to see if it's something else?  Also, how do they know it has Dr. Manhattan's signature.  In short, this plan is also stupidly risky and doesn't guarantee peace at all.  Lastly, no one has ever been able to stop Dr. Manhattan.  There is literally no defense against him.  The best the world could hope to do is make peace with him, but he's left Earth.  In the comic, the world is on the brink of nuclear disaster.  The only deterrent, Dr. Manhattan, is gone.  When a creature suddenly appears, the world is looking for a solution and looking for peace.  In short, it makes sense whereas the movie just doesn't. Then, to add insult to injury, the film has arguably the most important line of the book said by the now least important character.  "Nothing ever changes."  Laurie says this to Adrian in response to "I did the right thing?", and it immediately removes the power of it.  Having Dr. Manhattan say that line actually means something, and Laurie saying it could have except that she was basically downgraded as a character.  I understand why Snyder didn't want the squid, but the movie ending is a logical catastrophe. 

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Romney Effect: Will Mitt's beliefs hurt his chances to become president?

It seems like a preposterous idea.  There is no way that it can happen.  People don't care about religion anymore or lack their of it.  Right?  Evangelical Christians will happily support a Mormon for president, just like any other Republican.  However, every other past candidate has been a Christian.

In a recent poll conducted by Gallup, they asked respondents if they would vote for candidates of different religious backgrounds.  Atheists scored the lowest with 54% saying that would vote for that candidate, and this was closely followed by Muslims (58% would vote for this well qualified candidate) and being gay or lesbian (68%).  Included in this poll as a choice was also Mormon.  Of the responses, 80% said that they would vote for this candidate including 90% of the Republicans polled.  Now, this poll was published on June 21st of this year (2012), and the polling took place on June 7-10.  So, candidates knew that Romney was their guy.  This could have had some effect on these numbers, but it's hard to know.

Now, this possible bias could skew the results, but there's no way to be certain of this.  Generally, Gallup has excellent polls that are well organized and have been conducted for a long period of time.  The numbers have changed little since 1968.  All of this would suggest that being a Mormon will not hurt Mitt Romney's chances of becoming president, but, with Paul Ryan as his VP, it's also hard to believe that his campaign wasn't, at least, a little bit worried about this.

There is also a somewhat similar real life example of polls not matching up with the outcome due to prejudice.  The primary example is Tom Bradley who ran for governor of California in 1982.  According to the polls, he was ahead going into the election, and, then, he lost the election.  The thing is that Tom Bradley was African American, and this result led to the creation of the theory know as the Bradley Effect.  You see, when respondents were interviewed, they claimed that they were undecided or voting for Bradley due to social desirability bias (telling people what you think they want to hear to appear less prejudiced).  So, people could be saying these things because they feel like they're supposed to, but it may not be the case.  Now, in direct opposition to this idea is the last presidential election where Barack Obama won the election.  Will there be a Romney Effect?  Only time will tell. 


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

So, you haven't read Give Me Liberty by Frank Miller?

Frank Miller was at the top of his game from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s.  Then, he fell off a little bit, but, before that, he wrote an amazing assortment of comics.  Among his many achievements are The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Ronin, and the Sin City series.  However, there is another comic that doesn't really  receive as much attention as the others, and that comic is Give Me Liberty. 

Give Me Liberty revolves around the aptly named Martha Washington who lives in, for lack of a better term, a ghetto for African Americans.  Like most children, she attends school but is just an average student.  She is excelling at computer programming but is just a 13 year old when the story begins.  Martha befriends a teacher who smuggles her goodies from outside the ghetto, and he encourages her computer skills.  That is, until he is murdered by a local thug, and Martha subsequently kills the thug.  This action leads to her being placed in a mental institution until it is suddenly closed down, and she is forced to live on the streeets.  When two men try to recapture her, she kills one and injures the other.  However, with no place to go and a criminal record, she joins the PAX, the new American military armed forces.  Martha is just 14 years old, but the PAX accepts her and clears her record. 

The world has changed significantly by 2009 in this world.  The US has annexed Mexico.  The president has been in office for 13 years, and, during his tenure, over 50 amendments have been added to the constitution.  The US is engaged in multiple wars including a war against fast food companies in South America, and this is where Martha is off to.  This is also where she meets Lieutenant Moretti, who becomes the main antagonist of the story.  The rest of it is a bizarre fun ride, and the ending is especially good.  This is a comic that has to be experienced, and to tell you more about it would be, simply, unfair.  It's a must read, even if you don't like comics. 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

So, you haven't heard about Post Secret?

Do you have a secret that you wouldn't disclose to anyone?  Well, you're not the only one.  Every week, Frank Warren receives hundreds, if not thousands, of secrets inscribed on postcards.   Some are funny; others are very serious, and some are weird.  All in all, they're a pleasure to read and fully anonymous.  This blog has been appropriately dubbed PostSecret, and it is the largest ad-free blog in the world with new secrets posted every Sunday.

Frank has expanded the website into a series of books and yearly speaking tours.  I attended one of Frank's speaking engagements, and it was unbelievably fun.  He talks about the creation of PostSecret as an art project and about its explosion into the popular blog that it is today.  His events regularly sell out, and, here, secrets aren't so secret.  People share some of their secrets in front of an audience.  The site is anonymous though, and, if you're interested, the site is simply PostSecret.com



Sunday, August 12, 2012

So you haven't seen Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Have you noticed a lot of Will Ferrell's best recent includes a guy named John C. Reilly?  You know, Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, those other movies? Ok, so that's it, but the guy is hilarious.  He's also crazy talented.  He was in Boogie Nights, Chicago, Gangs of New York, and The Aviator.  I wasn't familiar with Chicago (still not), so I had no idea that he was such an excellent singer.  The man makes the movie, and he may have been the only person to play this role.

Yet, he has an amazing supporting cast as well.  You'll recognize a lot of the actors in this flick including Kristen Wiig, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows, Craig Robinson, Harold Ramis, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Chris Parnell, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch.  Many of these cameos, but they don't steal the show.  The only actor to really go to toe-to-toe with John C. Reilly is Raymond Berry, who plays Pa Cox.  He hates his son and pulls a gun on him as well as fights him with a machete.  Why?  You gotta see the movie.  So what is this all about? 

Walk Hard is a spoof of all of the biopics out there focusing on musicians, and there are a lot.  It lampoons many musicians including Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, and David Bowie.  I'll be honest, the first time around, I didn't like it that much.  But, I watched it again, and it got better. Then, I couldn't stop watching it. There were new things to appreciate with each viewing, and most of it is the work of John C. Reilly.  He does so many little things that are easily missed, but it really shows how much work he put into this role.  In my opinion, it is an extremely underrated comedy and movie, in general. 

As a bonus, there's plenty of nudity, if you like that sort of thing. 

Thursday, August 9, 2012

So, you haven't seen Not Another Teen Movie?

It's the kind of comedy that didn't get the attention that it deserved when it was released.  Still, I don't hear much talk about it, and I wonder why.  Truthfully, the first time I saw it, I didn't love it.  It was kind of funny, but I wouldn't have called it amazing or even  a stand out comedy. 

Not Another Teen Movie spoofs many of the teen movies from the '90s and even some '80s movies.  The most obvious is She's All That with Janey Briggs playing the Pretty Ugly Girl who would be gorgeous except for glasses, ponytail, and paint covered overalls.  There's football, that annoying best friend, the nasty ex-girlfriend, a pig, and a bet.  It also spoofs the Breakfast Club, Almost Famous, American Beauty, Varsity Blues, Bring it On, Cruel Intentions, and American Pie.  With all of this, it seems like it'd be too much, and the movie must be a mess.  However, it isn't.  The story takes some minor turns, but it somehow hangs together. 

Still, I didn't appreciate this until I watched it again.  When that happened, all of the secondary jokes came out ("Sex club meeting after school"), and the movies that are being spoofed become clearer.  Watching it for the first time, it was almost like being overwhelmed by comedy.  With repeated viewings, I was finally able to truly appreciate this flick, and it is great.  The cast includes a young Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Chyler Leigh, Eric Christian Olsen, Samm Levine, and Sam Huntington.  They're all excellent in it, too.  I badly want to quote it, but that spoils the fun. While I wouldn't call it a perfect movie, it is a joy to watch.  If you haven't seen it, you should.

 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

So you haven't seen Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog?

Well, then, you're in a for a treat because it's pretty damn good.  It has comedy, singing, and some action.  Weirdly (in a good way), the main character is a villain named Dr. Horrible (played by Neil Patrick Harris) who wants to get into the Evil League of Evil.  He's also infatuated with his laundry buddy, Penny (played by Felicia Day).  Of course, he has a nemesis.  The douche in question is Captain Hammer (played to perfection by Nathan Fillion).  This alone should be enough reason to see this, but there's more.  It was written by Joss Whedon (of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Avengers fame) along with his brothers, Zack and Jed as well as Maurissa Tancharoen. 

Dr. Horrible is a web series, but it came about because of the writer's strike.  While negotiations continued and writers stroked (past of strike?), the Whedons were busy making this web series.  The result is nothing short of awesome.  Now, if you like this, you should also know about the musical commentary.  It's 14 independent songs that don't really line up with the story, but they're funny and often impressive.  So, where can someone watch this amazingness?  Well, if you want it for free, I recommend YouTube (Dr. Horrible).  If you want to pay for it and support (I assume) the cast and crew, you can easily purchase it from Amazon. 

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Stop lights as stop signs.

With gas prices remaining high, it's time for some easy alternate solutions.  Back in the 1970s, turning right on red became legal to stop wasting gas.  Well, how about we treat stop lights as stop signs during certain times of the day.  Honestly, how many times have you sat at a light with no cars in sight.  Now, at 10PM, on a non-major road or highway, why should anyone sit at a red light for a minute where they're just idling, wasting gas.  It doesn't make sense. 

Well, you might say, this is just going to increase accidents.  It might a little, but who doesn't have the common sense to know that a car is too close to safely cross the road?  Well, drunk people and people who shouldn't be driving.  These are people who shouldn't be driving in the first place and are a small minority of drivers.  I don't think that the entire driving populace should be punished because of a few, well, idiots.  Let's save some gas and some cash.  It may not seem like much, but, if millions of people start doing this, the difference might be noticeable.  People are going to keep driving, so we need to find a way to use less gas.  This is one small way, but many of these solutions together can start to make a difference in gas consumption.

Using church parking lots as park and rides.

As I drive through Minneapolis, I often hit traffic.  It's not just annoying; it's stressful and wasteful.  Stressful when we wait for extended periods of time, just trying to get home or to work. Wasteful in the amount of time, energy, and fuel that is spent in traffic.  While buses, trains, and carpooling are obvious solutions, these methods are either being put to use already or are not convenient enough. 

However, is there a better short term solution?  I think the answer is yes, but we also have to address the problem.  Honestly, the main reason seems to be convenience, though many other reasons likely exist.  So, there is a fairly simple solution that can benefit both parties, and it's using church parking lots as park and rides.  People who work around the same area can meet at a church that's approximately however far (one mile or ten miles or however many miles).  A church charge people to park there for a minimal price (which is helpful to them), and people can meet there and head to work.  This doesn't hinder convenience significantly, and it lessens congestion, decreases stress, and saves fuel.  It may seem like it wouldn't make much of a difference, but we need these sorts of solutions until better options emerge.  It's just an idea, and it's probably flawed.  What do you think?

Friday, April 13, 2012

If you don't own a Kindle, you should.

It's a great device. If you aren't aware of the Kindle, it's a digital device often used for reading stories, but the Kindle Fire also allows people to watch movies and television on it. Amazon offers a fairly cheap version for only $80, and the Kindle Fire is priced at a reasonable $200. It's pretty awesome, too. Here are some reasons why.

1. It's light weight, high-quality, and its battery literally lasts for weeks.

Books can be cumbersome. Sure, one book isn't an issue or even two, but why bother with them at all if you can have hundreds of books on the Kindle. It almost feels like reading a book, which is weird at first. But, the experience becomes normal. They can take a bit of a beating too, but that doesn't mean you can beat the crap out of them. But, the nicest thing about kindles is that their battery lasts for weeks. My Kindle operated for three weeks before it needed to be charged.

Now, I'm sure you're saying "so what?" I need more than that. Well, these aren't the best selling points. They are added benefits.

2. Free books and reduced price books.

There are many free books on Kindle including many of Shakespeare's plays. I know. I "bought" them, but there is another benefit too. No Kindle book can cost more than the hardcover or paperback version, and many cost significantly less. So, while it seems like you're shelling out $80 or $100 to just buy more books, the initial cost is offset by cheaper books.

3. Lending and libraries.

Digital books are the way of the future, and libraries have figured this out. While they are not yet widely available, digital books are going to become the new normal (for better or worse). Likewise, if your friends own a Kindle, you can share books. They can loan books to you, and you can loan books to them. I'm not sure about you, but I've loaned out many books and have never had them returned. It's really nice for that not to be a problem.

4. Convenience.

That's the real advantage of the Kindle. This device saves time, which none of us seem to have enough of these days. There is a link to Amazon at the end of this post.

Now, to be perfectly honest, I've published some stories on Kindle, so there is a clear benefit in this for me. I won't deny that, but the Kindle is definitely nice to have. There is a link below if you would like to find out more.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tebow Heading to the Jets and the NFL Punishes the New Orlean Saints

With the acquisition of Peyton Manning, the Broncos have decided to jettison Tim Tebow to the New York Jets for a fourth round pick. Did I hear that right? A fourth round pick? It seems a bit harsh. Tebow isn't amazing, but he's young, he draws crowds, and he wins. With how quickly this trade occurred, it makes me wonder if Tebow asked for this trade. Personally, I was surprised to see a fan favorite traded away, but I was even more surprised to see Manning go to the Broncos. Although, I'm glad to see him playing anywhere.

In other NFL news, the New Orlean Saints have been punished for their bounty program, and it is a strong punishment. Sean Payton has been suspended for the 2012 season without pay, and Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely. The team will also pay a $500,000 fine, and surrender their 2nd round draft picks for 2012 and 2013. The status of players is yet to be determined. According to reports, the emails discussing the bounty system is likely what led to such a reaction from the NFL. While some fans basically said that the Saints should give back their Super Bowl trophy, that sort of punishment wasn't realistic. Even though I am no fan of the Saints, this decision still surprises me. I didn't think that Payton would be suspended for an entire season. Football is a rough game with hard hits and fast action. Careers are already short enough. As a fan, I'm glad that the punishment was as harst as it was.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Ricky Rubio out for season

In the Lakers game last night, Ricky Rubio was injured late in the game, and it appears that the injury is an ACL tear. Rubio's season is over, and that doesn't bode well for the Timberwolves. The Spaniard has been an important member of the team this season. While he doesn't score a ton of points, he's an assist machine and a great defensive player. The good thing for the Timberwolves is that someone usually steps up to fill the gaps, but this might be a fatal blow. For the first time in years, the T-Wolves are in playoff contention, and it's unclear if they'll make it now.

Sadly, this has been the best season for Timberwolves' fans in years, and it's just not going to be the same now. Rubio should make a full recovery and be back next year.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Bill Hicks On Rush Limbaugh: I think he got it right

With all of this talk about Rush Limbaugh, I thought I'd break out this old quote from Bill Hicks.

"Speaking of Satan, I was watching Rush Limbaugh the other day. Doesn't Rush Limbaugh remind you of one of those gay guys that like to lie in a tub while other guys pee on him?"

Yeah, Bill, he really does.

To learn more about Bill or to his some of this standup, visit this article: Bill Hicks At 50

Friday, March 2, 2012

It's Time For a Third Political Party

If the past decade has taught American citizens anything, it's that neither major political cares about actually solving problems. They care about re-election, and, honestly, I can't blame them. Being in congress isn't a bad job even when their approval rating is hanging around 10%. They know that they just repeat the things that people want to hear. Lower taxes and give more benefits. Increase spending but decrease revenue. Even fixing the tax system is out of the question because it's raising taxes, but so is cutting or even fixing Medicare along with spending in general.

Often, the debate concerns social issues, but this is just a distraction from real problems and isn't constructive, just divisive. Then, true problem areas such as Defense and Medicare/Medicaid are completely ignored. If we're serious about doing anything about our debt, these are the areas that have to be addressed. If the two major political parties won't do this, then we need someone else. That only leaves a third party to take the reins.

Voting for a third party has other benefits. It also shows politicians that it's not an either/or game anymore which might actually start to change the political discussions. Candidates can lose their positions of power, and we might actually find politicians with the courage to discuss issues that need to be discussed and take the action needed to right this country.
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More to come in future posts...

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Always Second: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (A Personal Blog Post)

For a long time, I thought of myself as always being second. That statement doesn't make much sense, but it meant that no one ever put me first. I felt like my parents never did, and I always felt like I was second best when it came to women. Then, it dawned on me that I just thought of myself as second, and it became a self-fulfilling prophesy. I was second because I made myself second. I made excuses about why I couldn't do things, and it's time for that to stop. But, for that to happen, I have to acknowledge some things.

Being fat is holding me back because I let it. I used to weigh 345lbs. It's a ridiculous weight, and, now, I'm down to 325. I have to keep going, and I have to lose more weight. I feel better, and my confidence is substantially improved. It may not be a hang up for others, but it certainly is for me.

Secondly, I have to take risks. Women are going to reject me, but nothingis going to happen if I don't take that chance. While I can look back and opine about sour grapes, it's just not true. I have to rectify that. My thinking is so faulty that I think most people don't like me, but I'm not an asshole. I don't try to hurt people's feelings. It's time to accept that I'm not a bad person. I can certainly be better, but that takes work. Now, it's time for me to get to work.

Amazon Books


Amazon Kindle Store

Saturday, February 11, 2012

What happened to personal responsibility?

Is anything anyone's fault anymore? Is anyone responsible, or does everyone just pass the buck to someone else? Everyone wants something for nothing these days. But, who is supposed to pay for it? Someone else is the answer. People don't want to pay taxes, but they seem happy to benefit from public programs when they need it. Everyone else is fucking over the system and doesn't deserve those benefits. We're drowning in debt, but we don't vote out politicians who spend and spend and/or refuse to raise taxes. The rich can pay for needed programs, but that responsibility shouldn't shared with the middle class at all. At some point, this just isn't fair. The middle class may not have a lot of extra income, but it's also not fair for a subset of the population to pay a huge portion of the tax revenue. When 50% of people don't pay income tax, it suggests a major problem with our tax system. And, when our corporate tax rate is pushing 40%, but companies pay, on average, 24%, there is a problem.

So, why don't we fix it? What's stopping us from being personally responsible? I'm not entirely sure, but our politicians don't help. The media doesn't help, and the idea that things shouldn't be criticized doesn't help. Imagine if nothing was criticized. Medicine probably wouldn't work. Actually, nothing would. As each side points to the other as the problem, it distracts us as a whole, and we keep voting for the other party. This does nothing. If we want personal responsibility, we have to start with ourselves, and, then, elect personally responsible politicians. Well, there are two more options, but I'll get into those later.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Kindle Select Experiment

So, I've had a few stories posted on Kindle for purchase for over two years. In that time, I hadn't sold much, and I was wondering if there were a way to offer my stories for free or have a sale or something to boost sales and exposure. Then, a new program came along called Kindle Direct Publishing Select. With this program, stories or novels can offered free of charge for five days every 90 day period. Likewise, if someone borrows your story, you can get a piece of the pot they offer monthly. Since I was struggling with sales, I decided that this would be a great idea, so I moved them into the program. The only issue was that I had to not offer them anywhere else for sale or reading which wasn't really an issue. Then, this last weekend, I had my first free promotion which went pretty well.

I had a lot of downloads of my stories which was a pleasant surprise. It also appears that I had some sales from the experience. It's early, so it's difficult to tell if this will result in sustained sales. Personally, I doubt it, but, honestly, my stories are short, need more editing, and look kind of crappy (coverwise). Still, I'm definitely satisfied with the program.

While my experience is probably not common, I would advise a thing or two. First, my downloads dropped off significantly on the second day of my promotion, so, if I do this again, I won't offer my stories for free two days in a row. Secondly, from what I've seen, sales improve after offering stories for free. If your sales are struggling, try putting that story into KDP Select and see how it goes. At this point, people aren't really reporting a downside. If your work is selling well, I've seen others who aren't using this program, and I can't blame them. Why jeopardize that? I can't think of a good reason. Good luck to any authors out there and think about this option if you want exposure.