Hello, Who Are You?

I don’t have any delusions of grandeur about this blog.  It’s not popular, I don’t have tons of hits every day, and given the limited WordPress tracking capabilities I don’t know how many regular readers I have (if I have any), nor do I know how many RSS subscribersI have (if I have any).

I write this blog for a myserious “you” but I don’t even really know who “you” are.  Could you please help remedy this?

If you come here once a week, twice a week, once a month, whatever, I’d like to know who you are.  Leave a comment and tell me (us) about yourself.  If I come back and check this post on Monday morning and I don’t see any comments, I’m going to be one sad dude.  Blogging is about communities, right?  It would be cool to know that I have some sort of readership going on here, modest as it may be.

I’m going to the Cape this weekend to chill with some friends from college, so I won’t be posting at all.  I won’t even be browsing the internet until Sunday night.  I figured that in lieu of posting, I will attempt to get to know you, true believer.

I know weekends aren’t prime internet browsing time.  You have places to see, things to go, people to do, etc.  So maybe this is the wrong time for an endeavor like this, but oh well.  I’m doing it.  Obviously I’m not going to shut down comments after this weekend, so feel free to comment on this post whenever you come across it.

So please, tell us who you are.  Even if you’ve commented before, comment again!

Have a great weekend!

This Week in Links, 6/29/07

A trend on other blogs is to gather “top links” for the day, week, whatever, and put them in a post.  I’m jumping on that ship starting today.  Am I doing it to fill space because I haven’t posted in three days?  Or is this a new feature that I want to start doing every week?  You be the judge.

Lifehack has a Guide to Becoming a Better Writer which might not be helpful to you if you never write, but I think everyone should write, so I say you should read it anyway.  Even if all you write are thank you letters, TPS reports, or college essays (especially if you’re writing college essays), you could probably benefit from these 15 tips.  I know that I’ve been trying to improve my writing lately, and while this guide doesn’t really say anything new and extraordinary, it’s good to be reminded of good writing practices.

Here’s another guide over at Zen Habits on Escaping Materialism and Finding Happiness.  I’m a big believer in the idea that people need to be happy to be successful.  Successful to me doesn’t mean being a hot-shot CEO or an A-list celebrity with tons of money.  I think that if you’re doing something you love to do, and you’re happy, you’ve found success.  This guide might start you on the right path.

Again I send you to lifehack, where they sit us down for a bit of a history lesson.  I know, I know.  It’s summer!  Why must you subject us to history in the summer?  Because history is good for you, youngin’.  Especially when it comes to Making Failure and Frustration Your Friends.

I still think of myself as a noob when it comes to the “real world” and it feels like I just graduated yesterday.  I think I can count myself in the “recent graduate” club, atleast for a little while longer.  Get Rich Slowly has some Career Advice for the College Graduate that is good to read if you’re still in college, if you graduated this year, or even if you’re a year or two out of school.  It seems that those crappy entry level jobs can be good for something after all.

Finally I bring you to Found Read, where you can check out an article on How to Work the Room.  This is more good advice for those of you just entering the workforce, especially if you’re going into a career where you’ll be invited to lots of parties and events.  But this is a worthwhile read in general, because some of the advice he goes over would be useful even outside of “job land.”  If you’re uncomfortable in any social situations, you should give this a read.  Update: I just found a smiliar article at lifehack that I want to share with you.  Go read How Not to Suck at Socializing.  I knew I’d miss out on good stuff by posting in the morning.

Well that’s all the links I have for this week, there is plenty of other good stuff out there on the intarwebs, but these are ones that stood out to me as good for the type of people who (I hope) read my blog. 

Before I let you go, I’m going to ask you to learn a bit more, even though it’s summer.  Along with these weekly links, I’m going to link you to a weekly grammar tip from Grammar Girl.  Just because you’re not a writer doesn’t give you any excuse not to have a firm grasp on the English language.  So, here’s your first lesson: Just Between You and Me.

My Other Computer Is A Mac Wallpaper

I was bored tonight. I decided to whip this wallpaper up to use on my PC. I’m a Mac convert. I barely use the PC other than for gaming and sometimes Photoshop when I want a bigger display.

Click on the image to download a bigger version (1280×1024). Click here for a widescreen version (1280×800). I didn’t bother making a bunch of different sizes. I figure if you’re computer savvy enough you’ll be able to figure out a way to make it work for you.

What do you think?

Vegas Pictures and Video

Those of you who have stuck with me for atleast three weeks know that I went on vacation to Las Vegas.  It was such a great time.  I recapped some of the highlights in this previous post, and told you that I would eventually get some pictures online.

Well now I have, thanks to Picasa (mayhap I will post about this cool Google app later).

My Las Vegas ’07 Album

We had three cameras on the trip, so many of the photos are duplicates or redundant.  Sue me.  There are a lot of them, but if you care enough to check them out then I’m sure you don’t mind.

I thought about bringing my video camera along with us, but I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of bringing it around everywhere and holding it and taping everything.  So I didn’t.  I did however have a recording capabilities on my camera, so I managed to get this gem:

One of the bars we spent time at is called Carnival Court. It’s open to the outside (it’s actually all outside, just has a tent kind of roof) with a circular bar in the middle, blackjack tables with sexy dealers, a ton of sitting/standing room, and a stage where bands jam away whilst hot go-go dancers do their thing.  It’s a crazy party atmosphere.  Oh, and you may get propositioned by a hooker.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen really good flaire bartenders (no, Tom Cruise in Cocktail doesn’t count) but they’re really a sight to behold.  Here’s an example of one of their best bartenders (he served us!):

If you’re ever in Vegas, and you’re around my age (hey, even if you’re older and you want to let loose and have a great time), make sure you stop by Carnival Court. 

One last thing, here I am with my idol, Captain Jack Sparrow.

So awesome.

Paris Hilton Explains the Power of Keywords

I’m going to run a little test inspired by Paris Hilton.  It’s actually inspired by a couple of posts I’ve read recently on keywords, but Paris Hilton jumpstarted my idea.

If everything I read is true (which prior experience tells me it is), using keywords increases traffic to your blog, and Paris Hilton is quite familiar with traffic, apparently.  Or, not so familiar in the case of Paris’ drunk driving charge which left Paris in jail.

Paris Hilton is set to be released from jail soon, which is going to cause a goddamn media frenzy.  I have no idea why, but hundreds, thousands, even millions of people are going to be searching Google for Paris Hilton in the coming days and weeks.  It really puts a strain on the old noggin.

For our purposes, just know that Paris Hilton is a keyword (keywords, I suppose).  Keywords are important, because the more keywords you use (for example, Paris Hilton, jail, drunk driving), the easier it is for those sneaky little search engine robots to crawl through your content and send traffic to your blog. 

It’s because of keywords that these two posts are the most viewed posts on my blog (even though they’re pretty much useless).  Because I used “hot” keywords, in this case “Suri Cruise”, “Venom”, and “Spiderman”, in addition to “pictures”, a very frequently searched word, those posts receive tons of traffic when people search for pictures of Venom or Suri.  Why anyone is still searching for pictures of the little scientology monster is beyond me, but they do. 

Keywords, like Paris Hilton, are important if you want your blog to accumulate a lot of traffic.  If you blog for a certain niche, be sure to throw some related keywords into your posts.  If you write about llamas, for example, you could sprinkle your posts with “llamas,” “alpacas,” “Incas,” “Aztecs,” “South America,” “camelid,” or even ”weird fucking creatures.” I wonder how many hits I’m going to get from people looking for information about llamas.  Sorry guys, this really isn’t the blog for you.

Just don’t go overboard with keywords.  I’m being purposely ridiculous in this post, just to make a point and run an experiment.  A few here and there are fine, but if you use too many the keyword bots might catch on to your ruse and DESTROY YOUR BLOG!  Well, they really wouldn’t do that, but too many keywords does lessen the impact of what you’re trying to accomplish (and it makes your writing look kinda shitty and repetative).

So, the experiment, gladly provided to me by Ms. Hilton herself, is to see how much new traffic I get based on people searching for any of these Paris Hilton jailtime related keywords.  I use only very basic WordPress stat tracking (no plugins, because, as you can see, I don’t host my own blog, and therefore can’t really install any fancy plugins), so I don’t know how in depth I’m going to be able to get.  That, and I hate numbers with an all consuming passion.  But I’ll be sure to let you know the results.  Maybe I’ll post a screen cap or two.

Just for the record, I despise Paris Hilton, I’ve never been to jail, and I don’t drive drunk.

What Kind of Thinker are You?

I came across this test over at The Thinking Blog, and I thought I would share it with you.  I think personality/aptitude/what kind of ____ are you tests are pretty fun, even if they usually don’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.  This one isn’t very long (although it was kind of finicky about actually bringing me to the test), it’ll just take a few minutes.

This one is pretty spot on, I especially like the Dynamic Creativity part, and the analogy to Superman.  How’d they know I love comics?

So, What Kind of Thinker are You?

Mike Landry, You are a Motivational Visionary

Ideas and options are what you’re always creating and doing.

Understanding the Big Picture

Thinking and processing! That’s what you love to do the most. Ideas and options are what you’re always creating. Once something seems concrete, structured and complete, you have a way of coming up with a creative option that changes the whole and leads to a better building process.

Most of the time you are very uncanny about seeing and understanding the big picture. Yes, you’re a holistic thinker that is always asking the question “How?” Everything, including the smallest detail, needs to be woven into a framework to answer your question of “How?” Not one step can be taken until you know how that one step fits into the whole. These are some of the many reasons why people refer to you as a visionary.

How You Think

Your thinking process is mostly intuitive and analogic. However, you do use facts and logic to back up your intuitive thought processing. When you weave these processes together, you’re constantly challenging logical and scientific thought. You seem to stretch the facts to create a new theory or develop a synthetic way of tying different theories together. This optional way of thinking energizes your thought processes while at the same time focuses your energy on the facts in specific, yet different, ways.

Dynamic Creativity

Change, particularly in ideas, is never-ending for you. What you’re enthusiastic about today may not be the focus of your energy in a week, a month or year. People that know you see a dynamic stream of consciousness which, given the right amount of time and people support, allows you to develop idealistic and artistic themes into living and creative realities. It makes no difference whether they are software programs, pieces of art, strategies for corporations or new, holistic developments for organic gardening.

There is no timeline or deadline for your accomplishments. They are never-ending because you will go back and transform them if they evolve into a different whole within you. That is why in school or at work you procrastinate until the last moment to finish a paper, an assignment, or a project. If you do the work early, you’ll have to go back and change it completely because you’ll see it in a different contextual whole at the time when it is due. So, why redo it?

Exploring Options

Every so often paradoxical thoughts attract you. While most people avoid them, you seem curious and comfortable with them. That’s because, once again, your need for creative and optional thinking doesn’t have to be tied consistently together with logical and factual data.

You’re attracted to the unknown more than the known. You’re drawn to what’s unusual about something rather than what is ordinary about it. If it’s strange or way out there, you’ll want to know and read about it. You may take an idea from this and apply it in some practical way.

As a scientist or scholar, you have a bent towards the artistic side. What other people see as facts, you may see as shades of facts or possibilities of different facts. It’s the development and the creation of new ideas and ways of looking at something that excites you. Your world is the world of possibilities and visions.

Thinking of the Future

You’re always thinking about the future and you have an usual awareness as to what may happen. What you forecast is not always logical and sometimes makes many people uncomfortable. But if they’ve known you long enough, they use the awareness to be better prepared for upcoming situations or events.

How You Communicate with Others

People want you to share your thoughts with them. That’s because your ideas and expressions usually give a different slant on a topic or on what’s happening. Many times others look to you for your awareness or guidance about something.

You’re an excellent communicator with individuals and small groups of three, no more than four people. You listen attentively to what people say, how they say it and what feelings are generated. When you give feedback, it is usually very sensitive and leads to further communication. You have an unusual awareness for what is happening to the person and others that are participating. It’s almost like a sixth sense. Sometimes, people distance themselves from you because of this sensitivity and your feedback.

The same thing happens when you enter a room with people conversing. Without trying, you can sense the themes of the discussions and the feelings being expressed. As you join a group, people are drawn to you and have a need to express their thoughts and feelings in your presence. You seem to be a natural facilitator for communication on all levels.

Motivating Others

Every so often, you’ll be inspired enough to positively motivate people to follow you as their leader. When you’re in this action mode, you can speak before and lead large groups of people, even major organizations if you’ve had enough previous experience. Your words will flow fluidly and touch the hearts and minds of those listening. You’ll have a dynamic energy that will focus people to successfully accomplish the goals and objectives set forth.

Yes, if the situation is right, you can go from this quiet, sensitive thinker and communicator to a charismatic, dynamic leader who is not afraid of risks or of being wrong. It’s not as dramatic as being Clark Kent and turning into Superman. However, if some persons have never experienced this transition in you, they may be pleasantly surprised if they are on your team or a employee/member in your organization. However, you should know that, once the mission and goals have been accomplished, you’re quite satisfied to return to being the thinker and sensitive communicator.

Books I'm Reading, Have Read, and Need to Read

Books are funny things. I love them, and I hate them. I love them because I love to read, it’s a great way to flex my imagination muscles. I hate them because I love to read, and have a tendency for books to pile up on me.

In an effort to get my literary life back on track, I’m going to talk with you about books.  These are books that I’m reading currently (or just haven’t finished yet), books that I’ve read recently, and books that are waiting for me to read.

Books I’m Reading

State of Fear by Michael Crichton. I bought this book before I left for Vegas because I thought I’d like to read it on the plane. I quickly realized that I don’t enjoy reading on the plane. Well, at least not reading really thick novels that are a pain in the ass to keep open. It’s a good book so far, and I have faith that it will end up being a great book. Why? Because I love Michael Crichton, and he rarely disappoints. It has the added bonus of being a warning against fear mongering and global warming scare tactics, which is OK by me.

On Writing by Stephen King. I meant to pick this book up for a while, and luckily I had a chance to stop by a Border’s whilst waiting for Pirates of the Caribbean 3 to start, and stumbled upon it. So I bought it. It’s an excellent book, especially if you’re a fan of Stephen King (me) and have aspirations to be a writer (also me). It’s a cross between his memoirs and a writing guide, all written in beautiful Kingly fashion.

The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower VII) by Stephen King. The Dark Tower series has been described as King’s “magnum opus.” Maybe you don’t know what a magnum opus is*, but know that this is an outstanding work of literature. A science fiction/fantasy/western/horror/everything else epic that took King over two decades to finish, The Dark Tower will surely go down in history as one of the great works of our time. Truth be told, this book has been sitting on my shelf with a bookmark between pages 81 and 82 for a few months (it’s so loooong).  But I’ve come this far in the series, so I will be certainly finishing this monster someday.

*If you were wondering, magnum opus is latin for “great work.” It represents the greatest work or achievement in an artist’s (in this case, writer’s) career. There’s yer learnin’ fer tha day, do ya kennit?

Books I Have Read Recently (and think you should read too)

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. World war, true stories, post apocalyptic survival tales, what more could a guy want in a book? Oh, I know. Zombies. Ok, so this book clearly doesn’t give a true account of WWZ (i.e. zombies don’t exist, sadly), but it certainly feels like it. If you’re a fan of war stories, post apocalyptic fiction, or zombie lore, this book is for you. Hell, you should read this book even if chose none of the above, because it’s that awesome.

A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future by Daniel Pink. Well, ok. I finished this book over a year ago. But I still browse through it every now and then, so that counts as “recent” in my eyes! Besides, it’s an awesome book that I’d gladly recommend to everyone. Pink’s basic premise is that there is a new revolution taking place in jobland. Some may disagree with him, but I’m inclined to agree (especially because I clearly swing to the right). He claims that the traditional left brain way of thinking (lawyers, accountants, programmers) is out, and the creative right brain way of thinking (artists, teachers, designers) is in. If you’re looking for a way to get ahead of the game, or maybe you just want to get those creative juices flowing (he has a lot of great activities for that), this is a great read.

Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. This one is pretty straight forward. Do you play Texas Hold’em? Do you want to get better? Read this book.

Books I Need to Read

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud. I have a passion for comics, and I want to be involved in creating one (or many) someday. I hear this is the book to read if you’re into that sort of thing. The coolest thing about it is that it’s presented in the form of an actual comic book.

Victory in Tripoli: How America’s War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Shaped a Nation by Joshua London. Not quite sure what attracted me to this book, because though I’m a fan of history, I’m not big on reading history books. I was looking into the story of Tripoli, though, and I decided that I wanted to read more about it. Maybe this’ll spark my interest and I’ll get into more historical novels.

Doyle Brunson’s Super System II by Doyle Brunson (and friends). This is the sequel to the “Bible of Poker.” If you’re a poker nut, you must have these books on your shelf. I doubt I’ll ever read the entire thing, but I’ll sure as hell try. If it ends up getting the best of me I guess I can always turn it into a secret hiding place like Matt Damon in Rounders.

The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower VII) by Stephen King.  This book gets a second mention because, even though I’ve gotten into it, I haven’t touched it in a while.  And I’m only a little over 80 pages into an 850 (give or take) page book.  So I can barely say that I’m reading it.

Well that’s it folks, I hope you’ve enjoyed this impromptu meeting of Faisca’s Fabulous Fiction Foray as much as I have. If you have any suggestions for books that I should read, please don’t hesitate to let me know! Likewise, if you’ve read any of these books, drop a line in the comments, I’d love to discuss them with you.  Thankee, sai.

P.S. What do you use for bookmarks? Am I the only one who uses jokers from decks of cards?

Books I’m Reading, Have Read, and Need to Read

Books are funny things. I love them, and I hate them. I love them because I love to read, it’s a great way to flex my imagination muscles. I hate them because I love to read, and have a tendency for books to pile up on me.

In an effort to get my literary life back on track, I’m going to talk with you about books.  These are books that I’m reading currently (or just haven’t finished yet), books that I’ve read recently, and books that are waiting for me to read.

Books I’m Reading

State of Fear by Michael Crichton. I bought this book before I left for Vegas because I thought I’d like to read it on the plane. I quickly realized that I don’t enjoy reading on the plane. Well, at least not reading really thick novels that are a pain in the ass to keep open. It’s a good book so far, and I have faith that it will end up being a great book. Why? Because I love Michael Crichton, and he rarely disappoints. It has the added bonus of being a warning against fear mongering and global warming scare tactics, which is OK by me.

On Writing by Stephen King. I meant to pick this book up for a while, and luckily I had a chance to stop by a Border’s whilst waiting for Pirates of the Caribbean 3 to start, and stumbled upon it. So I bought it. It’s an excellent book, especially if you’re a fan of Stephen King (me) and have aspirations to be a writer (also me). It’s a cross between his memoirs and a writing guide, all written in beautiful Kingly fashion.

The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower VII) by Stephen King. The Dark Tower series has been described as King’s “magnum opus.” Maybe you don’t know what a magnum opus is*, but know that this is an outstanding work of literature. A science fiction/fantasy/western/horror/everything else epic that took King over two decades to finish, The Dark Tower will surely go down in history as one of the great works of our time. Truth be told, this book has been sitting on my shelf with a bookmark between pages 81 and 82 for a few months (it’s so loooong).  But I’ve come this far in the series, so I will be certainly finishing this monster someday.

*If you were wondering, magnum opus is latin for “great work.” It represents the greatest work or achievement in an artist’s (in this case, writer’s) career. There’s yer learnin’ fer tha day, do ya kennit?

Books I Have Read Recently (and think you should read too)

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. World war, true stories, post apocalyptic survival tales, what more could a guy want in a book? Oh, I know. Zombies. Ok, so this book clearly doesn’t give a true account of WWZ (i.e. zombies don’t exist, sadly), but it certainly feels like it. If you’re a fan of war stories, post apocalyptic fiction, or zombie lore, this book is for you. Hell, you should read this book even if chose none of the above, because it’s that awesome.

A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future by Daniel Pink. Well, ok. I finished this book over a year ago. But I still browse through it every now and then, so that counts as “recent” in my eyes! Besides, it’s an awesome book that I’d gladly recommend to everyone. Pink’s basic premise is that there is a new revolution taking place in jobland. Some may disagree with him, but I’m inclined to agree (especially because I clearly swing to the right). He claims that the traditional left brain way of thinking (lawyers, accountants, programmers) is out, and the creative right brain way of thinking (artists, teachers, designers) is in. If you’re looking for a way to get ahead of the game, or maybe you just want to get those creative juices flowing (he has a lot of great activities for that), this is a great read.

Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. This one is pretty straight forward. Do you play Texas Hold’em? Do you want to get better? Read this book.

Books I Need to Read

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud. I have a passion for comics, and I want to be involved in creating one (or many) someday. I hear this is the book to read if you’re into that sort of thing. The coolest thing about it is that it’s presented in the form of an actual comic book.

Victory in Tripoli: How America’s War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Shaped a Nation by Joshua London. Not quite sure what attracted me to this book, because though I’m a fan of history, I’m not big on reading history books. I was looking into the story of Tripoli, though, and I decided that I wanted to read more about it. Maybe this’ll spark my interest and I’ll get into more historical novels.

Doyle Brunson’s Super System II by Doyle Brunson (and friends). This is the sequel to the “Bible of Poker.” If you’re a poker nut, you must have these books on your shelf. I doubt I’ll ever read the entire thing, but I’ll sure as hell try. If it ends up getting the best of me I guess I can always turn it into a secret hiding place like Matt Damon in Rounders.

The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower VII) by Stephen King.  This book gets a second mention because, even though I’ve gotten into it, I haven’t touched it in a while.  And I’m only a little over 80 pages into an 850 (give or take) page book.  So I can barely say that I’m reading it.

Well that’s it folks, I hope you’ve enjoyed this impromptu meeting of Faisca’s Fabulous Fiction Foray as much as I have. If you have any suggestions for books that I should read, please don’t hesitate to let me know! Likewise, if you’ve read any of these books, drop a line in the comments, I’d love to discuss them with you.  Thankee, sai.

P.S. What do you use for bookmarks? Am I the only one who uses jokers from decks of cards?

I Was Attacked By A Chicken

We have about 25 chickens.  One of them is a rooster.  Today, the rooster attacked me.

My parents are out of town for a few days, so I had to feed and water the chickens.  I’ve done this before, it’s no big deal.  Until today.  I was bringing their water container into the chicken coop, and some of the hens tried to escape.  I bent down to stop them from escaping, and the rooster lunged at my face.

Luckily I have the reflexes of a goddamn cat, because if I didn’t, I’d look like… someone who was attacked by a chicken.  I blocked the onslaught of claws and feathers with the water dispenser, then kicked him clear across the coop.  Then, knowing I had won this battle, I took my leave.

Yes, he had large talons.

How To Do Poker Chip Tricks

Do you play poker?  Have you ever wanted to impress your friends/opponents and look like a pro?  Besides actually practicing and getting better at the actual game, chip tricks are the way to go.

I’m fascinated by some of the tricks performed by top poker players (Antonio Esfandiari comes to mind), and I’m constantly adding new tricks to my repertoire.  I only have a few tricks down perfect, but I’m working on more.  I was actually going to make some tutorial videos on my own, but I found these great ones on YouTube so I’ve decided to link you to them, just incase you’re like me and obsessed with learning how to manipulate poker chips.

The Thumb Flip

This is the first trick I learned, and it’s the one that seems to be the easiest for me to teach to people.  This blows some people’s minds (not sure why, because it’s easy), so it’s a good one to start with.

The Shuffle

If you watch poker on TV, you’ll see almost every pro do this trick.  By the same token, if you play in any live poker games, you’ll see lots of people doing this trick.  It’s one of the most well known tricks, and one of the coolest.  It’s the second trick I learned.

The Chip Twirl

This is the latest addition to my poker skills.  It looks daunting and impossible, but it’s quite easy once you get the hang of it.  Would you believe I learned the trick by keeping 3 pennies in my pocket all the time, and just practicing with them as the day went by?  You probably wouldn’t, but you should, because that’s how I learned it.

Those should be good to get you started.  If you master these and are hungry for more, check out SKD1337′s YouTube channel, he has lots.

Let me know how you do!