Tuesday Tech

Found on  imgur through Daily Infographic

Enjoy!

(I'm really tired, in part because of the weather, in part because I stayed up late to watch the Sony press conference for the first time. It was interesting.)

Tuesday Tech

Goodness! I almost titled today "Monday Musings." As you can see, the weekend swallowed me alive, only to spit me out at work, wondering what day it is.

Here are two articles for today:

Something fun: "Iron Man" Phone by Samsung

Something professional: 15 Body Language Secrets of Successful People


I just got a new phone, but it's no where near as snazzy as the Iron Man phone (the one in the movies or the one Samsung is releasing). I did try to find some cool cases that cover part of the front, making the shell and the empty space on the front look seamless, but alas, I'm just not that cool.

The second article is pretty interesting. I know I have a slouching problem (something that is considered disrespectful), a lot of people my age do. For me, I don't mind when people slouch because I do and it never means I'm not interested or engaged, that's just how I sit. It's when people lean back in their chair and put their feet on the table do I cringe (in a meeting that is).

The second article would be good for writers, and artists, since body language is a good way to tell the characters attitude or interest in a situation without having to spell it out for people.

Tuesday Tech

Today is actually a techie day because I found an interesting article about 3D printing: 3D-Printed Exoskeleton Hands Could Augment Human Bodies (Link goes out to PSFK).

3D printing has really taken off in the past few years. On Etsy, there are many customs, creatures, and add-ons that were printed using someone's 3D printing. It's really fascinating to see what people are using the technology for.

This article shows yet another facet of the printer's capabilities, helping humans do more, better. The main image, a hand with an exoskeleton that looks like claws or talons, is a pretty cool sight. While it's awesome we may be able to do work differently, I think it looks like a pretty awesome addition to a costume.

But I wonder what else people will be making with 3D printers. With everyone who does good, or really cool things, there tends to be people who create more nefarious things (right now all I can picture is all those Scooby-Doo badies having an easier time with their costumes).

Yes, I'm leading to a theme/idea/inspiration for writing. It may be cheesy, it may be brilliant, but imagine an antagonist who utilized 3D printing for, well, whatever they do. Of course, you can flip this. Imagine a Batman-esque superhero, minus the wealth. Instead they use their skills to create something to increase their normal, human abilities.

Just an interesting thought.

Anyway, I don't actually own a 3D printer, but one day, I know I'll be getting one.

Tuesday Tech

One of the big stories of the day, according to the numerous articles I saw about it, is that Verizon is acquiring AOL.

But, that's not what I'm talking about. Yesterday, I kind of switched things up, posting about younger people working on their dreams and how they inspire others.

I should re-label today as "Muesday" and yesterday as "Tonday" so I can keep my alliterations.

Anyway, today it's all about being productive. Writers, like anyone else who is working on anything, have moments (you know days, weeks, years) where it's hard to be productive. It could be a marvelous Spring day outside, but you're wired to your desk, or you could be excited about an upcoming trip and all you can think about is what to pack. It could even just be a "I don't feel like doing this" kind of day. Thing is, you've gotta do the work. It's needed if you want to succeed.

In comes the article: Naturally successful people do these 5 things at work every day.

The one I want to bring to your attention is item three, "They focus for 45, then break for 15."

I've never tried taking breaks this frequently as I've always been the kind of person who "takes a break when I need it." And I know when I need it. Otherwise, frequent breaks cause me to lose focus because my mind thinks we were done with task A.

However, this is worth a shot. As the article talks about, a teacher moved to Finland to teach and discovered the 45 minutes of instruction followed by 15 minutes of freedom kept the students energized. Energy is definitely something I could use.

Yesterday I was successful in moving towards a second completed MS, so, I'm going to try the frequent breaks today. Perhaps I'll be able to figure out some of the issues with the MS as I move forward.

Who knows, maybe this will help a lot of people succeed in their work.

Tuesday Tech

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Because yesterday was Star Wars day, a lot of information about the future of the Star Wars franchise was released and rumors spread.

I grew up watching the Star Wars movies, never really sure which movie came first, but non-the-less enjoying them.

Now three more movies are coming out - and that's only in relation to the main story line. Spin-offs have been announced, like "Rogue One."

And now, another is rumored, and it's one people have been speculating about since the character first made an appearance - Boba Fett's origins.

Some information was detailed in the prequel trilogy about this bounty hunter, but not much is known about him.

Of course, this is "rumored," but the story I found on it is here: Fan favorite Boba Fett is reportedly about to get his own 'Star Wars' movie.

This brings up an important topic: Fanservice.

The first time I heard a TV show incorporating a fan-named background character into their regular programming, I thought that was awesome, "people are actually listening to the fans." Well, this was probably not the first time I heard or have seen this happen, but it was the first time I truly recognized what was going on.

This didn't end well for the TV series and they quickly renamed the character as the fan name wasn't entirely PC (politically correct) or sensitive.

I know other series, both TV and otherwise, do fanservice to appease die-hard fans, but at what cost?

Don't get me wrong, when I "ship" two characters, I live for the 30 second moment they share on screen together, be it just a look or standing next to each other - and I know a lot of people feel the same way. What bothers me is when creators, writers, directors, whoever, incorporates largely accepted fan ideas into their original work.

I'm glad they are listening to the fans, but so often when people do this, they sacrifice what they originally had going for them. Stories take bizarre turns, characters become less like themselves, situations become forced, none of it is really healthy for a story.

Personally, I believe listening to fans, maybe arranging positioning and team-ups so that fan favorite characters are seen together more often works. It feeds the fans, the artists, the fan-fiction writers, without compromising the original story. And fans seem to be ok with this. As a business person, I fully believe in listening to your customers. However, sometimes they don't know what they are asking or wanting.

As a fan of shows and series, I trust what the creators have envisioned for their series and I don't want anything to steer them away from the natural growth of their story. As a writer, I appreciate that stories grow on their own and changing them too much - just to incorporate fan ideas - can become detrimental to the story.

Just some thoughts. Remember, trust your vision and ideas, interact with your fans. If a fan idea seems organic to your story, then incorporate it. If it's not, well, maybe a side, "non-canon" story may be in the works, just to show your appreciation. :)

Tuesday Tech

Despite there being loads of things happening in the world - which is usually the case - I actually struggled with finding an article for today.

So, in honor of the people who will be graduating college this weekend and next I thought I would share Business Insider's story: 13 Qualities Google looks for in job candidates.

The best one of the attributes, based on the name given, is "Google wants Googleyness." The article goes into what exactly "Googleyness" is, a summation of a bunch of different qualities, and I love that they made up their own word.

One of the qualities I appreciate, as I believe not many companies do (from my experience), is "role-related knowledge." Role-related knowledge is that you have the background and the aptitude to do your job, even if it means you need to teach yourself a few things. A lot of the jobs I have interviewed for seem to expect you to come in knowing everything. But studies show, people don't stay in those jobs long. People like challenge, be it small or overwhelming. Yet, it almost seems companies expect you not only to have the qualifications, but be able to come in knowing how to do most, if not everything, listed in the job duties.

One key thing from this article is that Google wants people to have the willingness to learn. They want you to be smart enough to know that you don't know everything, you could be wrong, and have the willingness to learn (because it's ok to make mistakes!)

That's the short and sweet of it. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Tuesday Tech

I found this article yesterday: Step 1 to Selling Your Book? Don't Pretend It's 'Free.'

I had mixed feelings about it. At first it read like "How to Cheat the System," with some good advice on how to promote your book.

Then, well, it still felt wrong to me. I had to read the article several times to find what was missing: the writing itself.

One thing this article didn't express, which I feel is essential in any business, it the quality of the work you are producing. Yes, you can produce garbage, and people may by garbage, but like so many of my business professors have said "garbage in, garbage out." Basically, you don't put forth your best effort going into the process, you can expect less than stellar results.

This article focuses on promoting your book, something absolutely essential in this day and age, but it fails to highlight that one key detail of actually having something to sell. It almost read like "you want to make some money, write a book, promote it, and then you can go on to your next idea."

I agree, building your audience is crucial, but passion is a MUST if you are going to do anything the "hard way." Writing a book, and having it published, is like starting your own business. I wrote my first MS as a way to challenge myself while I was looking for work. I found that I love writing and I'm willing to work at it to improve my craft.

This article does focus on entrepreneurial people who are writing books (by the sound of it), but again, write something good. Just like in business and query letters, you need to have what makes your book special compared to all the others out there.

Anyway, take my thoughts, and the article, for what they're worth. I do recommend reading the article - or at least skimming through it - for ideas on how to promote your work (writing or not) that are outside the usual Twitter and Facebook.

Tuesday Tech

Rejoice authors, writers, and readers!

HarperCollins and Amazon have finally reached a deal. (Link goes out to Business Insider).

That means HarperCollins books will still be available on Amazon. Great news for readers who love their Kindle (or Kindle App in my case), and for writers/authors because any additional channel to reach readers is a good one, especially when they are big like Amazon.

I guess this could be good news for investors, but the financial people can talk about that.

Besides Barnes & Noble, and the occasional book from my local grocery store, I buy most of my books from Amazon. It is also one of the top places I learn about new books, besides the lovely agents and authors I follow over on Twitter.

I can't imagine how many amazing books might not reach people if this deal didn't go through. One of my good friends reads only on her Kindle (and books from the library), so imagine all the others who would miss out.

Yes, if I knew of a book I really wanted to read, I would go to other stores/libraries to get it, but I also wonder how many books I would pass on because I just don't have the time for other stores (so sad, but true).

Anyway, cheers! Anything that benefits writers and readers, the better.

Tuesday Tech

It's an Amazon kind of day. Yes, the website, though with these April showers, it could be the jungle area as well.

A while ago someone brought up covers of self-published ebooks on Amazon and how some aren't quite what people would expect.

Well, now Business Insider interviewed the blogger who posts some of the more interesting ones: Amazon Kindle eBook covers.

Before clicking the link, I do warn that some images may be disturbing and may not best be displayed on a full screen window at work or school. Business Insider put up ones that are PG-ish, but it's still a precautionary warning. (Just a heads up because I like to keep things relatively family friendly - depending on your family, I guess).


I did chuckle at the ones Business Insider chose to feature, but the people deserve kudos. They got their book out there. Sure, the ability to self-publish has spawned some less than stellar books (at least in the world of grammar), but there are some real gems out there. There are also some nightmares. (So Amazon does have a dark side).

Another type of written gem found on Amazon hides in the comments for some products. Now, a lot of wrtiers/authors recommend to NOT read the comments on their books. People, in general, tend to focus on the negative comments over taking everything as a whole. Especially when the negative comments are childish and unconstructive.

But, then there are those other comments, like the ones found here: Most hilarious Amazon reviews (2014).

Again, another warning that some of the comments may be inappropriate. However, I did really enjoy the Horse Mask comments. I worked at a costume store where we sold that Horse Mask and I can say, it sold out, fast.

Anyway, these are just some of the fun finds on Amazon. The company seems to be doing a lot lately, from these "press-to-order-product" buttons to making same day delivery available in some locations.

These are crazy times. If we aren't careful, it may just be Amazon that takes over the world. An, unfortunately for the adventurous spirit in me, it's not the rain forest.

Tuesday Tech

So, once again I am late. I'll get on a scheduling system sooner or later. Of course, then again, the relevancy of the articles I read will be a little out of date.

Anyway...

I found an article with the most employable careers 2015 (Link goes out to MSN).

A piece of advice I have for people pursuing a degree, look at what jobs you want, not what topic interests you. If you like creativity and social media, look for jobs in those areas. Often, a specific degree is required, and a bunch of knowledge you need to have to do that job.

Then, major in the field that will get you the jobs you want. I linked to the employable careers as a starting point, but really get to know what kind of job you're interested in. It can be broad, like design or utilities. Then look at the related jobs and their descriptions, it interests you, then look at the qualifications.

If you want to be a writer, then look for jobs where you can write. It may not be creative writing, but writing something in general (and the editing practice that goes with it) is important. But, like so many people suggest, don't forgo the day job so you can write (unless you have the means to do so. Even then I still recommend a part time job).

1) You need an income. Living (and dying) isn't free. So, make money doing something else you enjoy, or at least can sharpen your writing skills.

2) You need to live life. I'm not saying that people who just write or don't have a job don't live life, but for so many people, work is a big part of their lives. At work you can listen to other people's experiences and learn about other cultures so easily. This can provide inspiration for characters or stories.

The other part to the "living life" is that it often costs money to go places. Sometimes, companies will send you places for work (San Diego Comic Con anyone?) It's a good opportunity to get some other perspectives.

3) You need a break from writing. This is more for me and people like me. I need a balance in my life. I need to do some technical and analytical thinking or my brain starts feeling like mush. When that happens, my creativity goes on the fritz. It's not pretty. But, working, though it's been taking time away from writing, has been helpful for me. It gives me distance from my MS, it gives me other experiences, and I can work with a bunch of interesting people.

So, the keyword of the day is "jobs". I just wanted to throw this out there. Unemployment isn't fun (believe me, I was there for a long time), but it can give you the time and space you need to discover things you love (like writing).

Well, that's my two cents, soapbox, pamphlet advice.

Tuesday Tech

For the video game lovers, both hardcore and casual, I saw a big announcement that broke today in Japan:

Nintendo is going to be making smartphone games!

This means characters like Mario, Bowser, Link, Zelda, and Samus could be coming to smartphones (like I didn't already have a problem with my battery).

Nintendo is partnering with DeNA, a mobile gaming company, to make this possible. What I really liked is that DeNA uses a "freenium" model. That means it's free to play, but to get enhancements like extra lives or power-ups, you have to pay.

This article (I've seen two so far) mentions a fear that Nintendo might steer into the "pay for power-ups" model for their console games. I personally don't see why they would bother. Their model works now (especially with this amiibo craze).

Now someone is going to need to invent an indestructible phone or padding for people. Have you seen photos of what happened to people's handheld consoles when Super Smash Bros came out? Phones won't be able to handle the fury.