Frictionless Sharing – Another Great Reason to Hate Facebook
DILBERT © 2012 Scott Adams. Used by permission of Universal Uclick. All rights reserved.
OK, I confess. I’m oblivious to the ins and outs of Facebook. At one time I tried to fine tune my Facebook profile and author page. I read articles and blog posts, and books for dummies and idiots, but I could seldom seem to get things to work as advertised. And on those rare occasions when I finally mastered a feature, it seemed like Zuckerberg and company went out of their way to change it.
In the end, I abandoned my dream of being a Facebook power user and Continue reading
Posted in General Interest, Humor | 
anti-viral, dumb ideas, facebook, frictionless sharing, going viral, Socialcam scam, spam | 
2 CommentsA gritty British crime drama – I think
With apologies to my many British friends, I couldn’t resist this post. Thanks to The Passive Guy and Matthew for sharing the link.
Inside the Kowloon Walled City
Before it was demolished in 1992, the Kowloon Walled City was thought to be the most densely populated place on Earth. Canadian photographer Greg Girard in collaboration with Ian Lamboth, spent years photographing the place before it was torn down. The photos are amazing.
See them all in this article from the Daily Mail.
Posted in General Interest | Far East, Hong Kong, Kowloon, population density, Walled City | 1 CommentThe Osprey – An Amazing Predator
In keeping with my theme of not having much of a theme, I’m posting this amazing video of an osprey that a friend sent me. It’s not about ships/writing/humor, but I think you’ll agree that it’s pretty cool.
Adding Drama to Your Story
Every writer struggles with the task of adding tension and drama to their tales. If only we’d known that all it really takes is a big red button!
English – A 10 Minute History
An amusing look at the evolution of English.
Safely Out to Sea
We’ve all seen it. The blow-dried weatherman with his multi-colored radar map of the coastline, all smiles as he pronounces that the latest devastating storm has turned “safely out to sea.” I certainly can’t fault people for being happy about that, but the next time you hear that phrase, stop a moment and hold a good thought for some people that might have a slightly different perspective.
Lessons We Can Learn From Dogs
This post has nothing to with ships, or writing, or humor. It’s the
Rascal 1987-2004 RIP
text of an email forwarded to me by a reader, and very much in the category of ‘things that interest me.’ I don’t know the veterinarian describing this incident. I suspect his name was lost as this message ping-ponged about the internet. Profound apologies if you’ve seen this before, but I read it for the first time a few days ago. I found it moving, and thought you might as well. Thanks to Virgil Carey for sharing it.
A Dog’s Wisdom
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. Continue reading
You’ll shoot your eye out kid
No Christmas in the McDermott household feels complete without watching Jean Parker Shepard’s A Christmas Story. We all know the dialogue by heart, but it never seems stale — great stories well told are timeless.
This year, like Ralphie, I harbored a secret Christmas wish. Not for a Red Rider, 200 shot, Range Model Air Rifle (with a compass in the stock), but for something much more elusive — a gift that could neither be given by a loved one nor delivered by a benevolent Santa. I wanted Continue reading
Posted in For Writers, General Interest, Humor | A Christmas Story, Ralphie, You'll Shoot Your Eye Out | 26 CommentsEveryday Heroes – An Untold Tale of 9/11
In 1940, rallying to Churchhill’s plea, Britons put to sea in anything afloat to rescue Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk. Rightly dubbed “The Miracle of Dunkirk,” the Brits battled the elements and German air attacks to evacuate 330,000 men in 9 days.
On 9/11/2001, men and women of the NY/NJ waterfront answered a single radio call from the Coast Guard, to evacuate 300 to 500 thousand terrified civilians from Manhattan. In 9 hours.
It was a feat largely unnoticed until Tom Hanks produced this short, but moving documentary. Please take a moment to watch it, if you will, and say a little prayer of thanks for everyone that stepped up to the plate on that tragic day.
A Great New Review
Rick Spilman hosts the Old Salt Blog, which he bills as “a virtual port of call for all those who love the sea, whether from the deck of a ship or boat or from the pages of a novel.”
It is all that and more, spanning topics from Nelson in the Great Age of Sail to current events such as the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and challenges faced by women submariners. With links to well over a hundred maritime blogs, websites, magazines, and industry and preservation groups, the Old Salt Blog is the place to be for anyone with an interest in ships or the sea.
I didn’t know Rick before I sent him a copy of Deadly Straits and requested a review. To be honest, I figured it was a long shot; many of the books Continue reading
Michael Wallace’s Journey
Michael Wallace is a rising star in the indie world, having just inked a five-book deal with Amazon’s new thriller imprint. He’s also generous, and for months has patiently answered my questions, and offered advice by email. In today’s guest post, he shares his publishing journey
Note: Shortly after Michael sent me this post, Vermont endured disastrous flooding in Irene’s wake. As he joins local volunteer relief efforts, Michael asks readers to consider a small donation to either of the following groups:
Vermont and NH Valley Red Cross
Mad River Valley Community Fund
And now Michael, in his own words:
My success as an indie writer has not been in the realm of the John Locke, J. Carson Black, or Amanda Hocking. Nevertheless, I’ve sold over 60,000 ebooks Continue reading
Posted in For Writers, General Interest | indie best-seller, Michael Wallace, The Righteous | 4 Comments
