My Movie Review of THE GREAT GATSBY

I’d give it: 9/10
You’d give it: 7/10

The other day, my little brother told me, “You don’t like ANY movies.”

I was a little shocked. I hadn’t realized I was such a harsh critic. But now I realize I am (and I’m trying to soften up). Anyways, some of your favorite movies are probably ones I hate a little bit—I certainly have unique tastes, but don’t we all? For that reason, I’ve listed two ratings above—one for me, and one wild speculation for you, whoever you are.

I do fall for movies sometimes though. Last time it happened with True Grit. And I think I like this one almost that much. I would definitely like to see it again in theaters—and that’s unusual for me. Let me tell you about it...

ECKSDOT: The OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK

I’ve put together a list of songs that match the tone of my adventures with ECKSDOT. The first few have lyrics and the last few are musical-score tracks—that fit a tech fantasy. (You might want to listen while you read; not the whole time, of course, because the book is too long, and it would be annoying to repeat it that many times; but maybe you could listen for part of the time; or just listen after you finish.)

Looks like you have to install the Spotify app for this to work right. Luckily it’s free and you can log in with your Facebook account. Or just listen on Grooveshark without having to install anything.

By the way, listen carefully to the lyrics of Track 01. You might be surprised. (But only if you’ve read it.)

How to read ebooks without a Kindle

Did you know you can read ebooks without a Kindle?

And it’s free too.

Here’s how...

ANDROID: REBRANDED

Sundar Pichai recently became the lead of the Android team. I’m excited to hear his keynote address at the upcoming Google I/O 2013 (15 May). His work with Chrome has been incredible (Chrome may be Google’s most ground-breaking yet polished product yet). A lot of great things will be coming to Android now too—as it’s merged into the Google family more fully. (Below you’ll see a side-by-side comparison.)

27 NEW FEATURES coming to GOOGLE MUSIC at I/O 2013

Logo rebrand by Sam Bathe.

I’ll admit right up front that I don’t have any insider knowledge here. I’m just a keen observer and an avid Google watcher. But, just so you know, I predicted Google Music 2 years and 1 month before it was released. Just saying.

I replaced iTunes with Google Music about 8 months ago. It’s been great so far. It beats iTunes in a ton of ways. First it gives you 20k songs in the cloud—FOR FREE! So I can access my music from home, my office, the podium where I teach, my phone, or my friend’s Nexus 7. It’s awesome to have your music everywhere. (And did I mention it’s free?)

I’ve also purchased and have been using Apple’s iCloud for 8 months too, and I prefer Google Music in almost every way. Having said that, Google Music needs to change a few things in order to catch up—gaps between what we expect from a music manager and what Google has given us...

So far.

I have a feeling these updates are coming at Google I/O 2013:

You Can Post on Blogger by Writing an Email

You can post emails directly to your blog, automatically! (This will be helpful to any LDS missionaries who want to share updates without breaking rules or adding any hassle.) Here’s how:

Help Me Choose a Tagline for ECKSDOT!

I’m just about finished with my latest cover design (above), and I’d like to put a tagline on the front. So I need your help. Vote on your fave:

What I Expect at Google I/O 2013

(Google I/O is scheduled for May 15-17, 2013—and it only took 20 minutes for tickets to sell out! Now, below are the speculations of a Google Maniac—all of this is sure to come eventually, but is spring too soon to hope for?)

On Stranger Tides: Is an eBook worth it?

 

I posted my farewell to physical books a few weeks back. Well, last night I finished reading my first ebook!

While I love the texture and smell of a real book, here’s what I like about ebooks:

1. Carrying a whole library in your pocket wherever you go is hard to beat (makes me feel like Merlin from The Sword in the Stone). 
2. It’s not heavy or cumbersome to hold above your head as you lie on your back.
3. If you use your phone, you can read at night without a light.
4. You can press-and-hold any given word to see the dictionary’s definition.
5. You can highlight a passage even when there isn’t a pen or pencil in this entire stinking house, much less one within leaning distance.
6. Your bookmarks sync to the cloud, so you can throw your phone in a river (if you’re the adventurous type) and still not lose your spot!

Now, let me tell you about the book I read:

My Washington D.C. Adventure, in Six Parts

(This essay was a Christmas present to Mom and Dad. Now I’m passing it along to the world, but I realize it might take more than a true friend to read an essay this long.)

(The paragraphs set in Courier were posted to my social networks during the trip. They were fun poems, but, as poetry goes, they needed an essay to demystify them...)

DC, Day 1: Found the triforce at DCA, stole the declaration of independence, uncovered the lost symbol, watched Dr. No vote yes twice. 

I had come 2,489 miles for this. And I was expecting it to be the big moment. It was the end—my telos, my grail, my Land of Song.

But something was wrong.

My No-Baggage Challenge in Washington D.C.

I stepped off the plane in DCA and jogged to the National Mall (over 3 miles away) without any hassle. 

I also stayed on foot till my ride picked me up that night after dark. 

To do this, I had to travel light. 

Real light. 

I got this idea from Rolph Potts. It’s called the No-Baggage Challenge. I didn’t bring quite as little as he did (my excuse is that I’m a photographer), but I was close. Here’s what I brought...

What happens when you put a round world on a flat map? (Map on an orange peel)

I’ve been wanting to do this project for a while. I just wanted a visual example of what happens when cartographers put a spherical, round world onto a flat map—Greenland in particular always seems to get the worst of it. Anyways, hope you enjoy my orange-peel map. : )

“The first draft is for you. The second is for the reader. The third is for the hater.”

— Neil Strauss

(Neil Strauss is a New York Times Bestseller and the author of Everyone Loves You When You're Dead, and he’s speaking with Tim Ferriss on CreativeLive.com right now!)

HIS TIPS: 

1. Write based on the premise that NOBODY CARES; then make them care.
2. The first draft is for you. The second is for the reader. The third is for the hater.
3. If you can take a scene out and it doesn’t change the whole story, it has to go—no matter how good it is.
4. Tim (and Neil too) puts Monday as the minutia day—catching up on email and junk things. But he’ll only mess with that stuff on that one day per week.
5. Neil even automates his food delivery so he doesn’t have to choose what to eat each day. It helps remove decisions so he can focus on what’s important.
6. Neil reads his book out loud to his friends, but he doesn’t even ask for feedback. He can tell when he’s losing them from their facial expressions.
7. If you can sell 10K copies, a publisher will pick you up. No matter what. Also, if you can get on the A-list in Asia, you’ve made it too.
8. Tim outlines. Neil doesn’t.
9. Use “TK” in your document when you want to come back to something (it’s a simple “term” to search, and that combination isn’t found in the English language).
10. Tim: If the topic isn’t fun to research, it won’t be fun to read. So you better love it.

Read ECKSDOT Chapter 1

Today’s my first day of real revision. And this is a brand-new Chapter 1 for ECKSDOT. We’ll see if it sticks... And feel free to leave comments—even if they’re constructive criticism (*he said through gritted teeth*). You’re also invited to sign up as a beta reader. 

Ecksdot used to be imaginary. Just make believe. He was something inside my mind. Just in my mind and that’s all.
But not anymore.
Now he’s in your mind too.

Chapter 1: I Crash and Burn
I came falling out of the sky—a million miles an hour. So friggin fast. Dad tells me not to use that word. But I don’t see the problem. It’s a lot better than the real F-word.

I’ll give you a copy of ECKSDOT for FREE

I need 100 people to read my book and write Amazon.com reviews. If you’re interested in helping me, sign up below. (Not everyone will be selected, but hopefully most will.)

In case you don’t know, it’s a young-adult adventure novel. Some might call it sci-fi. I like to call it tech fantasy. Read more about it on the books page. Or read Chapter 1 here.

Here are some things you should know about being a beta reader/reviewer: