I went down a rabbit hole and now I'm climbing out.One of my editors recently warned be against using brand names in my current manuscript, including the names of social media brands. Kudos to her for doing so. That's part of her job, but it got me to thinking. If I can't safely use the name of Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube without fear of some kind of action being taken against me, why is it that this is only a fear in the realm of fiction. I realize the likelihood of this happening to me … [Read more...] about Using Brand Names in Fiction
An Open Letter to MeWe, Minds.com, Gab.ai, Steemit, and the Rest of Your Ilk
Dear Social Media Entrepreneurs,There is a large and growing presence among the Facebook community that deeply wishes for a platform that doesn't shove it's agendas down our throats. While your alternative platforms may be superior in many ways, what we from the Facebook community really want is another Facebook, without their stupid rules. Essentially, we want an agnostic Facebook. What we don't want is to take the time to learn an entirely new platform. We have short attention spans. … [Read more...] about An Open Letter to MeWe, Minds.com, Gab.ai, Steemit, and the Rest of Your Ilk
What’s Wrong With You? A Review of ’12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Life’
What's Wrong With You? Psychologically, I mean.Come on. You're dying to know, right? If you're brave enough to be psycho-analyzed and review the results, then there's no better way than to read 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. If you're intellectually honest and you want to really dig in to that noggin of yours, now's your chance -- especially if you fall anywhere to right of Karl Marx on the spectrum of social, economic, and political theory. If you fall on the left of that, there's … [Read more...] about What’s Wrong With You? A Review of ’12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Life’
My Daughter, The Dragonslayer
This article was originally titled 'That Voice in Your Head Though.' While an equally good title, the new one is a better fit in my view.We all have voices in our head. It's our subconscious talking to us. What happens when that voice gets loud and won't leave you alone? Some would call it our conscience, others might call it a demon. It doesn't matter, because it's there. A year and a half ago, my then 24 year old daughter began a journey toward sobriety. It wasn't her first try -- she had … [Read more...] about My Daughter, The Dragonslayer
Idiots, Assholes, & Me – Excerpt
This is an excerpt from the book, 'Idiots, Assholes, & Me, The Psychology of Driving.'TYPE: Stop Paralytics SUBSPECIES: Idiotum NOMENCLATURE: Panicus Paralytica DESCRIPTION: Paralysis while driving affects a small, but dangerous segment of drivers. Stop paralysis generally occurs at four way stops and in right hand turn lanes at traffic lights.Why is it that four ways stops are so confounding to some people? Oh wait, that’s right, because those same people are complete idiots … [Read more...] about Idiots, Assholes, & Me – Excerpt