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I suspect anyone who is reading this already has a number of technology gadgets. I suppose this could be anything from a computer to a cell phone to an MyePet (quick survey ... does anyone really have a MyePet?). Anyone with a gadget knows that it doesn't always work right. However, according to a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 15 percent of individuals never bothered repairing a piece of technology that broke within the past year.
Before moving to Baltimore, I had had little experience riding most types of mass transportation. Back at home in Louisville, I occasionally took the bus places, but most of my other experiences were infrequent. I can count on one hand the number of cities (Chicago, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco) where I had ridden some form of public transit.
During the weekend, I had a chance to finally attend the Baltimore Writers' Conference. There had been times in the past when I was thinking about going to one, but I could never fit it into my schedule. Luckily, I think I picked a pretty decent one to attend. First, it happened to be at Towson University, where I attend grad school. Second, there was a pretty good crowd of people there, all of whom seemed like qualified members of the writing profession.
The day after the election, I had a chance to check out all of the front pages from around the world. It was remarkable how many international newspapers had Obama as the top story, and as expected, a number of U.S. papers devoted their entire front pages to election coverage. I created an Obama collage of the papers as a tribute to our next president. Feel free to use as a screensaver or desktop image!
You may have noticed that I recently changed the name of my new book to "Corporate Ties." I haven't had a chance to change all of my marketing material yet because, well, there's only so much time in the day, right? After thinking about it and discussing with others, "Polos to Ties" worked great for the local audience, but from a book sales standpoint, a random person might not notice the fashion connection.
I have seen my name plenty of times in The Exponent, the Purdue student newspaper. Although in the past, my name was in the byline area, not in the actual body of the story.
This changed when I recently had a couple of book signings in the area. The paper ran a preview for "The Developers" signing, which was definitely appreciated exposure.
If you've had enough of Christmas music being played incessantly throughout your region, just be thankful you are not a shark at Loch Lomond Sea Life Centre in the United Kingdom. There, scientists are examining sharks' reactions to Christmas tunes.
Cue the "We Three Kingfishes" remake.
In what appears to defy the laws of nature, an octopus has been videotaped taking a leisurely stroll along the ocean floor in Indonesia.
"I do this all the time," the octopus said. "What's funny is I recently showed my friends a videotape of people walking on two legs. They were stunned."
If you haven't been to Friendster lately, it might be time to go back and check it out. Released in September, Friendster 2.0 appears to be not only leading the way with online social networking, but it may also be replacing Internet dating websites.
There are a fair amount of improvements with the new Friendster, including the following:
- FriendTracker: Real-time updates about your friends' information
- Customizable Profile: Ability to use HTML or CSS for your profile
I've played my fair share of board games, and I'm pretty up to speed with a majority of newer games. I have to say that the basic version of Apples to Apples is one of the best. You can play it with a group of adults or kids, and it's fun to play at any level.