There's battle lines being drawn.
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong.
Young people speaking their minds
getting so much resistance from behind

Monday, February 1, 2016

Linkee-poo there's nothing halfway about the Iowa way to treat you, when we treat you, which we may not do at all

I don't often point to these things, but Jim Wright is running a fund raiser. I have always lusted after some of Jim's woodworking, now I have the impetus to hit the buy button. So besides donating to Jim and then maybe having him select you as a donor to get one of Jim's woodturned items (that bowl looks awesome), you could also buy things from Jim's etsy store.

Self-publisher makes good, start up her own imprint to publish other self-published authors. She's not the first one I've heard of (there are a few others mentioned in the article). Also note which genre she's publishing (erotica), which has been underserved by more mainstream publishers (and is also a main component of most of the authors she is bring onboard with her imprint). Also pointed to for this line, "Over the last five years, close to 40 independent authors have sold more than a million copies of their e-books on Amazon, the company said." Forty is a far cry from the "thousands" other have stated (although selling millions isn't a good metric for "making a good living"). Also note that mostly what she's doing is marketing, although she offers other services. (Grokked from John Scalzi)

A transgender Girl Scout proves a transphobic neighbor wrong by selling thousands of boxes of cookies. One, props to Girls Scouts (which is why I buy their cookies, which I guess my normal supplier this year had graduated, but her mom is still active in the troop), and two, props to the foster mother who helped prove to this little girl that she is valid and people will accept her. (Grokked form Chuck Wendig)

I've never called, because I know it's a scam, but Planet Money investigates the "Work From Home" racket. There are some legit work from home businesses, the website Rat Race Rebellion supposedly vets some of these jobs (site was mentioned at the end of the Planet Money episode as providing help for the story), but a great many are just trying to get your money. Use cautiously (note, even for legit freelancing there are enough places that will stiff you for payment to make you fully investigate whom you're working for).

The viking sacrificial practice of the blood-eagle. Trigger warnings for excessive violence in the portrayal and the embedded video from the Vikings series. (Grokked from Tania)

First, you must unlearn what you have learned. Or the six lessons you need to forget before you start coding for a real company. Not entirely applicable to other careers, although all careers will have their differences between what you learn in the classroom and what is done in the real world. I don't care how much your school states they only hire professionals with real life experience (was the case for both my graphic design and radiology technologist degrees). Why? Because everyone does it differently, ISO9001 and "Best Practices" be damned. (Grokked from Ferrett Steinmetz)

Kids these day, "So next time an acquaintance talks about what a computer genius their kids are, sigh really loud and roll your eyes and tell them what dum dums they are." Yea, I've had that conversation before. (Grokked from John Scalzi, I think)

So, if a groundhog sees its shadow and goes back in, it means six more weeks of winter. If it doesn't, Spring comes early. What does it mean if the groundhog dies the day before Groundhog Day? This can't be good. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)

I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? Flexiramics (flexible ceramics). Okay, that's interesting. (Grokked from John)

Apparently Illinois can't pass a budget. Pointed to because this is the result of partisan impasse and just how deep government spending reaches into everyone's life.

A lot of people are going to be hungry very soon as SNAP waivers expire. SNAP, or food stamps, have been tied work requirements since the 90s, typically allowing for only 3 months of assistance. In the Great Recession that time limit was waived. It's now coming back.

A reminder about what happened at Ruby Ridge.

A profile of Iowans voting tonight. I got nothing. Okay, well, I'm sure this will come of as East Coast Elitist (it is after all the New York Magazine) and how the raging liberals on the coast don't understand "fly over country." But that's just Mid West Elitism of "we know better because we're closer to the Earth." Well no, dumbass. Because even in Texas, a place that loves it some guns and is making sure you can carry (open and concealed) everywhere, they don't want them in the State Capital, because that would just be crazy. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)

No comments: