Tech, News, and Other Stuff

Interesting news to kick off your weekend!

Go check out the latest issue from Prinkipria

Today is Summer’s birthday! Go wish her a happy birthday at And This Time Concentrate!

The iPad will soon have competition! Numerous other tablets are in the making, but the next big one will likely be Google’s, which uses Android. It also supports Flash. So far, I’ve not really missed the Flash on my iPad – so many sites are moving away from Flash.
I’m still digging my iPad, too. I think I have thirty apps downloaded now. The keyboard is so easy to use – it’s as wide as the iPad itself. If you have an opportunity, definitely check it out!

Starcraft II finally has a release date!!!!! July 27, 2010. Never thought I’d see that date in my lifetime…

And I am SO close to 100 followers! Okay, I can't give away a cash prize or anything, but... When I hit 100, I will randomly select one of those followers and do a special feature just for them! How's that?


I was tagged by Raquel Byrnes and Shannon at Faith, Hope, and Love

Okay, ladies, I'll play along...

For a "Tag" you answer 5 questions 5 times to share a bit about yourself. So here goes.

Question 1 - Where were you five years ago?
Working for a contract company
Five years younger
Here in the same house
Not yet ready to pursue my author goals
Did I mention five years younger?

Question 2 - Where would you like to be in five years?
An author with three books published
Doing more freelance work
Five years younger (I know, that can’t happen!)
Making a difference
With enough time to watch every movie released. Wait, I pretty much have that now...

Question 3 - What is on your to-do list today?
Play guitar
Fix the stove (That one’s been there a while)
Work on next book
Watch Stargate Universe
Spend time with my wife

Question 4 - What snacks do you enjoy?
Hot Tamales
Nachos
Pizza
Veggies
Okay, I’m a guy – I’d eat about anything

Question 5 - What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
Make sure my family and friends never worked again
Take care of my church
Tour the world
Buy a Bugatti
Build my own personal movie theater – with free popcorn!

The rules are that I get to pass the Tag along to 5 Bloggers I admire....
Fallen Formulates Fiction
Spunk on a Stick
Cassandra Jade
Karen-Coming Down the Mountain
B. Miller


Okay, now back to work...

On Writing

I'm working on a follow-up to CassaStar right now. (So I hope the book does well this fall, or it'll be an exercise of imagination on my part.)

I have the characters defined, and the beginning and ending outlined and ready. What I'm still searching for is the overall story arc.

CassaStar centers around a war with another race, so I want the next book to possess a different threat. Space pirates is way too hokey! An alien probe from another galaxy laying a path of destruction? Hmm, Star Trek IV anyone? The discovery of an ancient race that creates a crisis? Damn, I watch too much Stargate! How about an ancient technology unleashes a deadly probe or weapon? Perhaps internal conflict within the Cassan race?

Still haven't hit the right conflict. Any suggestions?

On a less confused note, Beth was sweet enough to give me The Sunshine Award. (And she rather embarrassed me with her nice comments!) Thanks, Beth, and please visit this wonderful lady at Beth: A Work in Progress

I'm going to pass this on to Shannon and Yvonne, because both ladies are always so full of joy!

Movies in May

May kicks off the official summer movie run and the opportunity for me to slip into a dark, air-conditioned movie theater for two hours every week for months. It's also a time for my imagination to roam, sparking many writing ideas. (And you thought I watched a lot of movies because I'm lazy!)

I thought I'd give you the rundown of the movies that have caught my attention for May. (And one for June, because I've really been wanting to see this flick.)

May 7 - Iron Man 2
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle (who finally gets his own suit!), Gwyneth Paltrow, and Mickey Rourke

May 14 - Robin Hood
Ridley Scott takes a shot at the legend, which stars Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, and Matthew Macfadyen

May 21 - Shrek Forever After
Starring Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, and Antonio Banderas in what they are promising to be the last Shrek movie. (Unless it makes a ton of money of course!)

May 28 - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, and Ben Kingsley in what we hope is not just another special effects hype.

Also May 28 - Survival of the Dead
Director George A. Romero returns with another zombie flick.

June 4 - Splice
Starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, this was the buzz of Sundance!

Remember, for all your movie needs, visit my buddy Dez at Hollywood Spy

A-Z Challenge Reflections

When Arlee threw out the challenge, I decided to take a chance. I was blogging four times a week, sometimes five, and bumping that up to six seemed plausible. Now that I've completed the challenge, I can look back at all the changes over the past month.

Blogging six days a week taught me consistency. Some letters were challenging, but I never missed a post. I realized my strengths and the areas where I need work and can now apply that to future posts.

During the month of April, I discovered so many new bloggers! I found a whole community of writers and authors who share my aspirations and concerns. Those with different interests have been the most fun, as they have exposed me to a whole new world. I've learned a lot from my fellow bloggers and hope the friendships continue.

One thing that surprised me was the increase of my followers. I began April with forty followers - now I have over ninety. I hope I remain interesting!

Where will I go from here? Hopefully everyone has enjoyed my posts, as I will continue to cover movies, music, books, science fiction, new gadgets, and art. I intend to post more often about writing and will seek out sites and information that are useful to my blogger friends. I'd like to integrate more guest posts as well. I've hosted two so far and will welcome David J. Williams here on May 20 with an interview.

Big thanks to Arlee at Tossing it Out for starting this challenge! All it takes is one person to make a difference, and Arlee, you did indeed. I'm sure the others said it much more eloquently, but I appreciate all you did to inspire and motivate us.

And I just realized - this is my 100th post!