Totally random post but I love this commercial. If I had the money, I would go buy a Dodge because of this. The commercial shows the process from idea to the actual car. Love it!
“Kick out the finance guys.”
Month: September 2012
Finally, a Nook
I’ve unwittingly fallen in love with it, a bit.
I still believe e-books are despicable things though I now own one (and have secretly wanted one since forever). I don’t even know what to read on it. I have a hard time deciding. Should I only read romance novels on it? It would be easier to hide from prying, judging eyes and I could enjoy the rapture of lust in privacy without everyone knowing why I squirm so much in my seat while reading.
In a way, I feel as if I’ve fell from grace. I feel as if I’ve flung my archaic books aside and ran off with the first young thing that came along. I feel like Judas. Betrayer. I feel like my books stare at me with hate and displeasure while I sleep, wondering if they should lay gently across my face and suffocate me in my sleep as a way to rid the world of another book-betrayer.
There’s not much for them to worry about though. I still feel odd holding and reading on the Nook. The experience is not the same but I think the Nook is growing on me. Efficiency tends to do that. Being able to carry a device that contains many books rather than lugging around 10 at a time, as I’m prone to do, makes the Nook shine in my eyes like a Siren on a rocky coast that beguiles sailors to come closer. I feel like a crash is coming.
Cool Cakes on Cake Wrecks and Mental_Floss
Here are some cool cakes that I saw on Cake Wrecks and Mental_Floss websites:
The theme for this Cake Wrecks post is “back to school.” This is my favorite because of how realistic it is. I have a hard time believing it is a cake. It looks like a real calculator. If there were numbers on the screen, I probably wouldn’t believe it’s a cake at all. Make sure to check out the other cakes here.
This cake is from Mental_Floss’ “11 Cakes Inspired by Comic Books” post. This one was my favorite. It has Wonder Woman busting out of her comic book and becoming real. It’s an awesome cake. Very creative. Check out the other 10 cakes here.
Related articles
- 8 Cakes For Completely Inappropriate Occasions (neatorama.com)
- Cake Wrecks: Awkward 50th Birthday And Retirement Cakes (huffingtonpost.com)
- Steampunk Cakes Are Dapper, Classy [Pics] (geeksaresexy.net)
- Gruffalo Birthday Cake (bumblesofrice.wordpress.com)
“What Kind of Book Reader are You? A Diagnostics Guide” — The Atlantic Wire
I came across this hilarious article on The Atlantic Wire‘s website. It was posted back in August and was inspired from a blog post on The New Yorker‘s Page-Turner blog. In this article, Jen Doll lists a number of possible book reader types along with suggested reading for each.
I identified with them all. For each one I read, I kept saying, “Oh my gosh! That’s so me!” I began to despair that I am just too weird a reader to be able to find a description that totally matches my reading personality. For this reason, it’s good that I’m reading Doll’s article a few weeks late because at the end of the first article, I saw a link to a second one which lists additional book reader personalities.
I was finally able to find my match, at the end:
The “It’s Complicated” Reader.
You are a combination of many of these things and yet completely different, too. Each book means a new type of reader exists in your soul; you refuse to be defined or categorized. You are a freeform, wild, woolly entity. You do whatever you want. You’re probably a Pisces. You’re definitely a reader.
Suggested “it’s complicated” reads: We dare not to go there.
Yes, I am definitely an “It’s Complicated” Reader and it’s true, I am a Pisces; thus my inability to go strictly with any one type. Anyways, you should check out both articles and see which ones you identify with. Let me know when you find your match!
Here are the links to the articles by Jen Doll:
“Classics for Pleasure” by Michael Dirda
I’ve always thought of the classics as boring and stuffy books to which I would not relate and would not enjoy. I would hardly pick one up to read for leisure and would only purchase them to add to my bookshelves to show off to friends. My views changed after reading Michael Dirda’s Classics for Pleasure.
I first read this book last year when I rescued it from a Borders sale. Since I was broke with no job prospects, I thought it best to spend my time reading the classics. Being the impatient person that I am, I wanted to know what to expect before I begin. Would I like what I read or not?
I was sucked so deeply into this book that I believed that I would like all the works discussed. Dirda’s love for literature is apparent throughout. And his appreciation for the works selected for Classics for Pleasure drew me in and made me want to experience such magnificence for myself.
Fortunately, I got a job but became sidetracked and forgot about pursuing the classics. Now that things have settled down a bit, I’ve decided to hop on the bandwagon and join The Classics Club, which I believe will be a great way for me to stick to my plan to nourish my reading appetite with the classics. The Classic Club asks that members list 50 or so classics that they plan to read over a 5 year period. After completing a book, members discuss it on their blog and share the review with other members via The Classics Club’s blog.
It’s a great plan and helpful, especially if you’re reading a difficult book that might make you miserable. Misery does love company!
“Is an MBA ‘value added’? Ask the grads” — Publishing Trends
Here’s an article that I found helpful on Publishing Trends.
I am now at a time in my life where I’m trying to figure out which way to go. Should I drop everything and run off to grad school to get a master’s degree? I really want one. Or should I stay at my job and continue to work to strengthen my skills and broaden my knowledge of the publishing industry?
It’s hard to study and work at the same time, especially when all the great classes are usually during my work hours (I find that very annoying). But this gave me a bit of clarity. Really, at this time it doesn’t make sense to quit my job to enroll full-time. As stated in the article, I might be unable to get a job when I’m done, which is something I’ve observed amongst my friends and acquaintances.
“An MBA helps open doors up, and is often preferred, but it’s not an automatic ‘in’ anymore,” said Steven Sandonato, vice president for strategy and business development at Time Home Entertainment Inc.
From the article I’ve garnered that I need to question my “motivation” for going back to school. According to those interviewed, if it’s simply to receive a higher salary, then it’s pointless; but if it’s to gain a better understanding of certain aspects of the industry, or to totally change my career path, then sure, it’s a good idea.
Related articles
- Master’s Degrees Part I: Why I Did It (avoidingadulthood.com)
- Master’s Degrees Part II: But Does That Mean You Need One? (avoidingadulthood.com)
“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by J.K. Rowling
For some reason, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has never left an impression on me even when I was a young fan. Back then, I read it just so I could move on to the next book in the series. It was simply a passing note for me, an installment that needed to be read so I could understand what comes next.
Now a few years older, I’ve read it again and still it didn’t give me a POW! like the first book. However, instead of simply bypassing it, I am able to see the little breadcrumbs that Rowling drops to alert the reader of what’s to come.
This is one of the reasons why I love the Harry Potter series. All the books relate and everything ties into each other. We see Voldemort’s first horcrux – Tom Riddle’s diary – and by the end of the series, we understand that he murdered Moaning Myrtle (though she wasn’t moaning back then, bawling maybe) to create it. We also learn that a piece of Voldemort lives inside Harry Potter (an eighth* horcrux, which explains Harry’s partial resemblance to Riddle and his having powers similar to Voldemort: parseltongue). I don’t think this is mentioned again until the final book when that part of Harry is removed.
The important lesson in this installment is that it’s our choices that make us who we are, as Dumbledore advised Harry. This is the same as the lesson taught to Richard by Zeddicus Zul Zorander in The Wizard’s First Rule (a book I began but am unable to finish due to its circuitous nature and annoyingly love-struck characters). Dumbledore shares this lesson with Harry since Harry doubts his placement in Gryffindor; however, Dumbledore states that because Harry asked not to be placed in Slytherin, he made a choice that reflects his character and sets him apart from Voldemort. He exercised his freewill.
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