Writing - Butt In Chair

There is no secret to writing. You put your butt in a chair and put the words on the page. If you hear of anything else as being important, it's not true. You write by putting words on the page. That was just made clear to me in an interview of best selling author CJ Lyons. Asked if there is anything she does to before she starts writing she stated:

"Putting my butt in the chair — any chair!"

That's the key to writing (and any creative endeavor). Stop everything and get started. If you want to be a composer, put your butt in a chair and write music. If you want to be a painter, put your butt in chair (or stool) and paint (draw, sculpt, etc…). If you want to be a musician, put your butt in a chair and practice. It is all the same. So go, put your butt in a chair and get started. 

What do you think? 

For more: http://www.copyblogger.com/how-cj-lyons-writes/

The Economy - The Stock Market

The stock market looks to be closing much higher today. So what is driving stocks higher? Here is what I think is driving stocks higher:

*  Low interest rates drive investors into stocks because they can make a higher yield than savings or money market accounts.

*  Low interest rates in bonds are driving investors into stocks.

*  Low interest rates help companies make a better profit, driving prices higher.

*  Low interest rates make stocks the "only game in town" making money.

I think you get my point. As long as interest rates stay low, stocks is the only place to make money. So what will happen when interest rates rise? It is going to be ugly as investors head for the exists and move into bonds and cash. When will that happen? Probably sooner rather than later. The storm is coming.

What do you think?

The Future - 3D Printing

The future will be all about personalized manufacturing and 3D printers are going to make that a reality. I was just looking over a web site that features articles about 3D printing and I was surprised at how much can be created with 3D printers. You can create toys, parts, weapons, prosthetic limbs, and even body parts. 3D printers are going to revolutionize manufacturing. They are also going to lower the price of many of the products we currently use. Take prosthetic limbs, which are currently quite expensive. I read a couple of articles that showed the price of prosthetic hands and arms dropping from costing thousands to hundreds of dollars (and even less). Not only were the prosthetic limbs cheaper, they were as good or even better in quality. Yes, there is a revolution in manufacturing coming and it will bless us all (unless you are a factory worker).

What do you think?

For more: http://www.3ders.org//

Personal Improvement - Love What You Do

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." - Steve Jobs

When I was a high school band director I would have a talk every year with my graduating seniors. I would first tell them that I had invested 4 years of my life into theirs, so they were not allowed to waste that investment. They had to go do something with their lives. If I ran across them 10 years later, and they were working at a fast food restaurant, they better be the manager! The other thing I would tell them was to figure out what they loved to do, then find a way to get paid to do it. If they did that they would never have to "work" a day in their lives. Steve Jobs was right, love what you do and everything else will fall into place.

What do you think?

Chromebook - Ultra Cheap

I read an article that called Chromebooks "Ultra Cheap". Is that accurate and fair? I think it is. Why?

*  Chromebooks are the least expensive system on the market.

*  Chromebooks are the least expensive system to use.

*  Chromebooks are the most secure system on the market saving a ton of money and time.

*  Chromebooks are lots of free or inexpensive web based software.  

*  Chromebooks are made with the same components as all other laptops.

So Chromebooks are "Ultra Cheap" and worth every penny!

What do you think?

For more: http://wallstcheatsheet.com/technology/is-it-time-to-ditch-your-pc-for-a-chromebook.html/?a=viewall

News - Summary

It was a quiet Sunday across the world and across the U.S. The only story of interest is the vote for sovereignty in Eastern Ukraine. Early reports are the nearly 90% of the votes are in favor of secession. There are also accusations of fraud. I think most of the people of Eastern Ukraine want to leave Ukraine and either be independent or be part of Russia. So what will Ukraine do about it? What will Russia do about it? The U.S. will not do much more than sanctions about it. The E.U. is also not inclined to do much about it. Hopefully this all resolves itself peacefully but I would not be surprised if there is more bloodshed to come. Besides the normal amount of murder, mayhem, corruption, triviality, and tragedy, it was another day in the calm before the storm.

What do you think?

Internet Business - Building A Community

I was made aware of a distinction I want to make. In building an internet business you don't want to build an audience. You want to develop community. Why? 

*  An audience is passive while a community is active. 

*  An audience is fleeting while a community is vibrant. 

*  An audience does not interact while a community is interactive. 

In the digital age it is a community you want to build, not an audience  

What do you think?

Mother's Day

Happy mother's day to all the mom's out there! May you have a truly blessed day since you have blessed us all!

The Economy - Teen Employment

Now that my son has a job I wanted to see how the employment figures look for teens (16-19). Things do not look good for teens. Back in 2000 45% of teens had some kind of job. I remember this well since I was teaching high school band at the time. I had quite a few upperclassmen who had jobs (I remember having to call McDonald's to make sure my key trumpet player had the day off for a competition). Last year I had very few students who had jobs and did not have to worry about conflicts with work schedules. That's because teen employment has fallen to 26% (with most of them not working very many hours). The economy is supposed to be rebounding, but the reality is that it is not. Yes we had some better numbers in the last employment report, but in the real world teens are not working, 19-25 year olds aren't working, and college grads are not getting jobs in the fields in which they studied (if they are getting jobs at all). Things are not healthy in the real world.

What do you think?

For more:
http://news.investors.com/economy/050914-700380-teen-job-crisis-mirrors-shrinking-labor-market.htm

News - Daily Summary

Things seemed to be quieter in Ukraine as two eastern regions prepare to vote on leaving Ukraine and joining Russia. It will be interesting to see how the people vote and what happens in the aftermath. No major developments in Venezuela, Syria, the Middle East, or North Korea. There were also no new developments between China and Vietnam or China and Japan.

There were no major developments in the U.S. There was some talks about new sanctions against Russia over what is happening Ukraine. There were the usual murders, mayhem, corruption and trivialities though (which are always present).

Another day in the calm before the storm.

What do you think?