On "Writers"

Shut up. No seriously, shut up. I've been unfortunate enough to be shown the blogs of signed writers and various agents. And while these blogs can be composed quite well, the comments sections reveal a dark underbelly of Internet critiquing. If you want to ask the Internet for non technical writing advice, don't. Nobody really knows what they're doing, and I'll get to that later on. But first, I really want to share my perspective on the bullshit I've read.

The Hardest Thing I've Done

The hardest thing I've ever done is convinced myself that I have a sliver of talent. Now, you may ask: Why? I mean, you can totally draw cool cartoons, do amazing guitar solos, write well, build robots, and kick ass with your super karate powers. Well, the thing is ... I think Internet socializing has something to do with exacerbating self doubt.

Book Review: So, You're a Creative Genius ... Now What?

This is a difficult book to review because it touches on so many bases. And ultimately, I think there is a little something in it for everyone. Have you ever thought of a career in freelancing your creativity? It's a road I know all too well and have had mixed results with. But Carl King, on the other hand, has it figured down to a science. And it's all inside this book!

First off, it's really well written and stylish. I read a lot of non fiction, and this is one that presents its material in an informative / entertaining way, which is really engaging and effective. I'd even say it's hard to put down. So, this creative genius wound up reading it all in one sitting.

Xbox Kinect Doesn't Suck, You Do!

Always take any Internet review with a grain of salt. Obviously, opinion is subjective. But it's also based on things like personal experiences, education, and your personality. This, however, does not excuse the mounds of absolutely moronic reviews and absurd criticisms lodged against several Kinect titles. It's so ridiculous that it verges on, insert most hated, fascist country, level of propaganda.

RIP Christopher Hitchens

The average world IQ has dropped a few points. Our bard, hero, and champion of rationality, Christopher Hitchens, is dead. I repeat, Superman is dead. This was a sentiment echoed across the rationalist, intellectual communities, last night and this morning. And it is with a heavy heart that I write this. While I understood the survival rate of esophageal cancer, and this may be a remnant of my believer upbringing, I never gave up hope. While being a real human being requires one to be acquainted with death, who I know far better than I ever wanted, there is no preparing for such things — regardless that we "knew" this day was coming for quite some time.

E-'geniuses' and Kepler-22b

Warning: Nerd rage alert.

Thanks to the "brilliance" of the Internet, I've had to make a lot of personal rules. The first one: Avoid the YouTube comments section, as much as possible. And honestly, my life has been much better since I created that one. So many times I'll click on an interesting article, scroll down a bit, and find myself viewing a few posts "correcting" someone or the article, incorrectly. And unfortunately, this rule needs updating to involve other sites I used to love.

Epic Skyrim Review

The Elder Scrolls has been my favorite game series since Morrowind. It was the first time I had felt like I was in a world that, truly, existed beyond the periphery of my character's vision. This was only improved on in Oblivion, and Skyrim was hyped to be the epitome of the openness and expansiveness: Taken to the next level. I, like many of you, had been waiting for this game for quite some time. And for the most part, it delivered. I mean, it has motherfucking dragons!

I Placed it With My Other Enchanted Items