Filed under: Fun | Tags: facebook, facebook fun, facebook like, like button, liking the like button
This image is so meta. While some of the actions that Facebook publishes are cool and useful, this one flat out blew my mind. I mean, being able to Like the Like Button is like liking the ability to like. It could go on forever.
UPDATE: With the release of Google+, I stumbled across the same kind of meta-awesomeness.
Filed under: Just Because
I am mad at myself for not making a blog post last month. Not so much because there was something on my mind or a particular topic that I wanted to write about, but because I broke my streak of eight consecutive months of blogging and now my “Archives” section on the left side of the page will be missing “June 2011.”
The more I think about it, the more I am realizing that what bugs me about this is solely the visual component of a missing month and not at all the fact that I did not write. That changes today.
Something is Missing
In light of this mishap and as a reminder to myself, I am going to share below seven excellent tips from The Blog Herald that are intended to inspire writing and remind us (me) why it is so important to write often, no matter the topic or time of day. In fact, I am creating a new category of tags called “Just Because” for exactly this purpose. With that, here are “7 Ways to Get in the Zone and Optimize Your Blogging” that can be practiced beginning now:
1. Read great writers often.
The first thing I do before I sit down to write a blog post is to spend a while reading bloggers and authors that I admire. If I’m writing an essay-type post, I might read one of Paul Graham’s essays. If I’m working on a longer post, I’ll read Sports Illustrated or even classic literature. Reading a well-crafted piece helps get your mind in a great place for blogging.
2. Grab a drink.
No lie, orange juice helped me hit at least a half-dozen newspaper deadlines in college. It is amazing how a few gulps of your favorite beverage can stimulate creativity and make you view a syntax or stylistic issue in a different way. Be sure to always have your beverage of choice chilling in a nearby fridge.
3. Listen to the same song over and over again.
This is one of my favorite writing tricks. I’ve found a work at a much better clip when I have my headphones on and some sort of upbeat electronic song on repeat. The music helps get your mind in a rhythm and the words come out much easier. Everybody has a different genre that gets them going.
4. Write at all hours.
Unless your blog is your main source of income, you will likely find yourself doing other things for at least 8 hours of the day and squeezing the blogging in elsewhere. I’ve tried to write on a schedule each day, but that never seems to work for me. Sometimes I get a great idea for a post on a lunch break or while I’m laying in bed or while I’m out for a run. Always be ready to write, even if you are just jotting down some ideas for a new post on a napkin or your hand.
5. Eliminate unnecessary distractions.
Some distractions are good. I have written some of my favorite blog posts in crowded coffee shops or on public transportation. But the little things can trip you up. Put your phone in another room. Sign out of Facebook. Close your email client. One notification or message can derail your train of thought and kill the potential for a great blog post.
6. Start writing in your head.
Both my journalism professors in college and a few of my newsroom colleagues turned me on to this. On my way home from covering an event, I would start writing the lead graf in my head while the most important details were fresh in my mind. For blogging, this works wonders as well. You don’t need pen and paper or a keyboard to start a new post. Do it while you are walking the dog or stuck in traffic. You’ll already have a great post started by the time you reach your computer.
7. Don’t think, just write.
Don’t stop writing. Worry about the details later. Many of the best blog posts are highly emotional. When you are in that zone, it is vital to get as many words down on paper as possible. Don’t fret over word choice or style; you can touch all of that up later. Keeping the passion level up is key.
Filed under: writing
“The Magic of Flight,” written when I was 16 years old, is one of the first pieces of creative writing that I am proud of. When my computer had water spilled on it back in 2004, I lost everything on the hard drive, including this piece of writing.
As I was going through some old papers recently, I was shocked and excited to come across a crumpled up paper copy that I had somehow saved from high school. I scanned it into the computer and posted it here to be forever persevered, complete with original typos and printer spacing errors.
Reading it now, it’s a bit bizarre that I wrote about “flight” less than 2 months after September 11…
Back in 2006, musician Yuri Lane uploaded a video (below) of himself beatboxing while playing the harmonica in front of a live crowd in Washington D.C. I was instantaneously awestruck and the video became my first “favorite” on YouTube. It also became my go-to video at parties or when playing the inevitable “let’s watch cool shit on YouTube” roundtable game with friends. Somehow, the video is sits today at “only” 670,000 views.
Recently, I came across some videos of a few more musicians who combined a traditional instrument with beatboxing, which reminded me of the great Yuri Harmonica video. These other videos may not have the same novelty for me as Yuri’s did in 2006, but they certainly caused my jaw to drop and my head to bob in the same emphatic way. The first is an original beatbox and cello arrangement by Kevin Olusola. Known as “K.O.,” Kevin has posted several videos in this style on his YouTube channel. Check out my favorite here:
The last video features beatboxing flute player Greg Pattillo and cello player Eric Stephenson performing at the Union Square subway in NYC. Now imagine the magic that would happen if the beatboxing cellist and the beatboxing flutist got together for a gig… I can dream, right?
Filed under: writing
Last summer, I edited a book by author and historian Doug Pricer called A Candle in the Chapel. You can read about more about the book and my involvement here before picking up a copy for yourself here.
Recently, Doug passed along a shining review of the book from R.R. Keene, a retired USMC MGySgt (Master Gunnery Sergeant) who is also the associate editor of Leatherneck Magazine. Among other praises, Mr. Keene highlighted my “judiciously tight editing,” for which I am sincerely grateful. Here are his words:
Author Douglas R. Pricer has penned a historical novella where the central characters are fictional and the historical context in which they are portrayed are true. It is a salute to his father, Private First Class John H. Pricer, who was a rifleman at Guadalcanal and Tarawa during World War II and, who as fictional PFC Billy Ray O’Callaghan, before he dies tells his story to his son, grandsons and great grandson.
Douglas Pricer is a gifted writer: Judiciously tight editing with wonderfully well-crafted dialogue. This 187-page story is uncommon in its ability to, with subtle emotion, move the reader through a beautifully told and unforgettable story.
Published by Xlibris Corporation, (888) 795-4274, Orders@Xlibris.com (IBSN 978-1-4415-9792-2). Soft cover edition only and more than worth the price: $19. 99 via Xlibris or Amazon.com. Pass it on.
Filed under: Fun | Tags: corgi, funny art, obama, obama on a corgi, welsh corgi
It’s tweets like this one that make Twitter worth all the hype:
Obama riding a giant corgi. http://tinyurl.com/6yk8u43—
Booooooom™ (@Booooooom) February 08, 2011
And it’s pictures like the one below that we are so fortunate to see because of the internet:
Douglass Gore at Pepperdine, where I completed my MBA last year, wrote a nice little feature on my hiring at Fanscape that can be found here on the Pepperdine Alumni Successes website. You can also click on the image below to check it out.
Filed under: Fun | Tags: corgi, corgi videos, funny dog videos, welsh corgi
To me, Corgi’s are the most amazing dogs in the world. No other dog possesses such a disproportionally excellent mismatch of dog body parts; stubby legs, long body, no tail and the head of a fox. My family has had a corgi (Oliver) for more than 10 years and his antics have brought us a lot of joy.
Recently, I feel like I have seen a ton of corgi videos showing up on the interwebs. When it comes to web-based animal hilarity, everybody knows that no animal can top the popularity and endlessly humorous abundance of cats, but are corgis the most viral and web video worthy breed of dog? I need to do some research and get back about that. In the meantime, here are 3 of my favorite corgi videos.
Filed under: Fanscape | Tags: downtown la, downtown los angeles, labj, los angeles business journal, santa monica, third street promenade
Working with Natalie Svider last week, I submitted a response to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s question, “If more shops open on Seventh, could it become a destination comparable to Santa Monica’s Third Street?”
Opening the paper on Monday revealed that my response had been included. Yay. Albeit with the wrong last name. Boo.
Check out my response below and let me know if you agree, disagree or maybe don’t care at all.
After watching the Ryder Cup last week, my dad felt inspired to address an email to my brother and I expressing something he has always made clear to us; golf is the greatest sport of all time. Not because of what you win or how you play, but because there may be nothing on this planet that brings out the real qualities of a person so effectively. I couldn’t agree more, but read check out his words below and tell me if you do too.
My thoughts on golf.
You boys know this, but for some reason I wanted to write it down for you.
I don’t believe there is another sport, activity, game or hobby that can reveal so much about who you are than the game of golf.
Think about it.
While playing, you experience joy, frustration, anger, anxiety, apathy, disappointment, hope, regret, surprise, embarrassment, etc.
Maybe all of those on the 1st hole!
But what I like best is what that reveals about yourself, in how you respond to or react to those emotions. It also reveals how your playing partner reacts to those feelings, with the bonus of seeing how you both react to each other. And of course, just how competitive a nature you have and how you deal with pressure.
You have the challenge of playing a game with a self imposed penalty system. An honor system, whereby you bring your own character into play. Do you count that last shot your partner may not have seen?
What else makes golf unique? I can’t think of many other activities that leave you no one but yourself to blame or credit for your success or failure. There’s no teammate to point fingers at and no referee to fault. We’re left with just blaming the “game.” “Golf – a good walk ruined.”
You hit a bad shot, you live with it. We’ve all done it, but what happens next is what makes the game so interesting. How do you recover and how do you respond? Was it just poor club selection or not factoring the wind? Have you lost all confidence?
I’ve played golf, off and on, for over 46 years. I’ve had hundreds of playing partners. I still learn more about a person I may have known for years after playing just a few holes of golf with them. Bowling, softball or tennis may be more social sports, but they are nowhere near as revealing.
There are always going to be guys who swear, throw clubs, complain about every shot–even the good ones.
Then there’s the guy who’s encouraging, laughs, seems to enjoy life and is just plain fun to be around. Which leads me to the last point. All of the things you learn about yourself and your partners are applicable to the work place.
Forget a job interview, take someone out for a round of golf. You can feel confident you’ll have a pretty good idea of what that person is made of. And they’ll learn a lot about you.
Agreed?
Dad
