Blogging the Right Way

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Mine was kind of a rollercoaster of emotions, but I think Father's Day went well and now I have a couple of tough things this week (details later). What I wanted to talk about today was some stuff I came across that can help you be better bloggers like the newly found journalists in India. I'm pretty sure I had mentioned one dude's post about blogging a while back ago (who has a really awesome blog himself), but now I found another great one. I think it's funny how true the stereotype against Xangas are, and I personally prefer the functionality of Blogger in addition to the good name of Blogspot. Anyway, he talks about links and pictures and those are things I would like to see more in blogs because they prolong the experience and make me want to come back. A big downfall of many blogs is the lack of proper writing, which can be learned here. Why do some people feel exempt from using sentences and paragraphs? Anyway, I adore that list of tips there because I love writing (prose mostly) and I've forgotten how important techniques like highlighting ideas with verb voice and painting pictures properly.

I have nerd news abound today. Google extended their Maps site to also show the rest of the world including topographical views, except that you can't actually get directions except in the U.S. and U.K.. It's still kind of neat though, and I guess furthers the idea of Google being a media company. As if that wasn't enough for the growing company, there's also word of their moving into online payment services. This contributes to the popular question of what direction they're actually moving though. I don't care much myself though, as long as they do good work. If you're a newb to Linux like I am I think you'll want to bookmark this article that explains all the different distros' advantages and such. A new model of time travel suggests that if you were to go back in time you could not alter the present. I don't understand any of what's behind all this, but after seeing Back to the Future I have pondered it quite a bit and thought it was a notable finding. The New York Times is running an article about using your cell phone for international calls. I just thought that would be useful for some of you because I always had a curiosity for GSM myself. I think I'll leave off this paragraph with a picture of a paper thin clock:



Since the movie news is so slim today I'll combine it with some randomness. Shame on all you people who read all the great Batman Begins reviews and didn't support it! It made a measly $46.9 milllion this weekend, though it did make $71 million since its opening on Wednesday. The last two Batman movies beat it and they blew. I am glad that The Perfect Man bombed so badly though, but it's unfortunate that Cinderella Man is getting clobbered. If you want more superhero news, it turns out that Nightcrawler will not make an appearance in X3 because Fox, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to stick with its horrendous script and lackluster director. I loved Alan Cumming! The last bit of movie news is the announcement of the premiere of the King Kong teaser trailer in like a gazillion places. This movie sounds like it could go well so be sure to catch that trailer (I'll try to remind you all on the 27th). Back to the box office problem though, movie studios now have to look into distributing movies online. It sounds like they're more focused on fighting piracy than providing a legitimate alternative, and I think the former would be easier if the latter was completed. With kids downloading movies these days and playing video games some people are asking whether their kids have a Nature-Deficit Disorder. I think playing outside is so important to physical and mental development and I hope I can show my kids how to live properly balanced lives (assuming I have kids someday way in the future). Lastly, my summer school teacher turned me on to an interesting site called 'Save This' where you can save articles that you encounter online totally for free. He's been using it for three years so I'd reckon that it's pretty reliable and useful.

Now for some Sunday Brunch:

1) Are you an organized person?
Yeah, I try to be. I'm sure my mom wouldn't think so, but I manage to get all my homework done and keep up with all my club stuff. The way I do it is with my planner plus a 'To Do' list widget on my computer.

2) What is one thing about your home that has to be just so or it drives you crazy when it comes to organization?
There can't be underwear on the floor! My room mate was bad about that for a while but he changed. It just makes the apartment look dirty. Another thing that drives me crazy is a sink full of dishes. It just looks unappetizing.

3) Do you have one little nuance about your organization that most people consider to be a little over the top? What is it?
Some people think it's odd that I harp on them taking their shoes off before coming into my place. Is that really so much to ask? If you walk into any Indian home with your shoes on it's a huge insult. I like to keep my place clean and I dont like to find leaves and rocks on my carpet.

4) What is your favorite organizational tool? (bins, closet organizers, etcetera)
Probably my planner. It really helps me keep my life organized. I guess next to that I really like the plasic drawers I got on sale from Target. I use them to store clothes in one and random stuff in the other.

5) Where is your favorite place to buy organizational needs?
Ikea is great because stuff there is so cheap and easy to assemble/disassemble. I haven't got much from there yet, but I can forsee it in the future.