Swing aficionados generally use words like "happy" and "fun," when describing their dance, and Lindy Hop the original style of swing, is often referred to as "an outward expression of an inner joy." Sometimes silly, sometimes cool, it's a dance that lifts the spirits. And to those that catch the bug ( the "Jitter"-bug, that…
Category: Books
Ready Player One: 80s Era Gaming Meets Snow Crash (review)
"Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they learned about the contest." — Opening sentence of Ready Player One I finally got around to reading Ready Player One, by Earnest Cline, after friends told me I had to read it. A near future scifi adventure, Ready Player One…
Tim Ferriss Tackles Spirituality in “The Four Hour Spirit”
For those of you who are die-hard Tim Ferriss fans, having quit your normal 9-5 to travel the world and live off of your mail-order oven mitt business, working on your killer abs and having great sex, you might be wondering what is next from the "4-hour" wunderkind? Well I have it from reliable sources…
“Sorry, apple knocker, no barneymugging, the bank’s closed” : The Flapper Dictionary
Blogger Bookflaps came across this fantastic "Flappers Dictionary" from the July 1922 issue of Flapper Magazine. It's chock-a-block with choice flapper-isms. Some of my faves: Apple Knocker : A hick; a hay-shaker. Barlow: A girl, a flapper, a chicken. Bank’s Closed: No petting allowed; no kisses. Barneymugging: Lovemaking. Brush Ape: Anyone from the sticks; a…
“The Four-hour Work Week”: Revisiting the Work-Happiness Equation, Becoming “New Rich”
I just finished reading Timothy Ferriss's best-selling self-help book The Four-hour Workweek, first published in 2007. I found it to be a breezy, thought-provoking, entertaining and at times inspiring read. Ferriss's central thesis is that — surprise — you can have it all now, as long as you are willing to get creative about how…
“The Lifecycle of Software Objects”: Intriguing Free Novella about Digital Lifeforms and Virtual Worlds
"The Lifecycle of Software Objects" is a fun and thought-provoking novella that should captivate anyone who is interested in artificial intelligence, virtual worlds, or robots. A near fiction story by Ted Chiang about a young zookeeper who is hired to help develop a line of new digital pets in a virtual world. Things are going…
Re-kindling My Passion for Reading
It's been a few months since I got my Kindle as a birthday present, and it has slowly inched its way into both my heart and my backpack. I've been wanting some kind of e-reader to try and restart my love affair with reading that goes back as long as I can remember. I wanted…
My Awesome “Scott Pilgrim” Swag + “Scott Pilgrim” on Blu-ray November 9!
In the interest of full disclosure, and cause I wanted to brag, here's some free "Scott Pilgrim" swag I received recently from the nice folks at Oni Press. And my parents said that blogging would never pay off! Included in the "level up!" kit from Oni Press: two Scott Pilgrim wristbands! two keychain fob thingees!…
“Cage” and “Luke Cage Noir” Graphic Novels: Alternate Visions of the Blackest Superhero
I just finished Luke Cage Noir (2010), part of the Marvel Comics "Noir" series, re-visioning various superheroes as trenchcoat-clad detectives, gangsters, and devious molls from the 1930s. Luke Cage is nearly a perfect choice, since he is a street-smart, hard-edged detective, who also happens to have bullet-proof skin. I found myself comparing the graphic novel…
Turn a Book into a $1 Ironic Case for Your Kindle / e-Book Reader
Dadjunk.com shared a DIY project for making a cheap and fun case for your Kindle e-book reader, using an old book. Irony alert! I decided to try it out this weekend and here's the results. Check the pics and a quick video of how it went for me. I'm a complete spaz when it comes…