For many writers wanting to break in, the internet is becoming a valuable resource. Not only can you post your stories online and try to stir up interest (some even release their stories for free under creative commons license, which is subject to some debate better for another time) And there are some authors who create audio dramas of their stories to stir up interest. I hear the promos on some of the podcasts I download that sound interesting. And there is one I just came across that I think you'd be interested in.

It's called the Leviathan Chronicles that starts with a Chinese submarine suffering damage while attempting to deliver a mysterious cargo and meets a US submarine offering assistance, and then things get interesting. It ultimately becomes a tale about a war between immortals and a person who becomes involved that is touted as the saviour of one of the groups. You can listen to the episodes "live" or you can download them to listen to on your mp3 player later. The first episode sounds very interesting and am in the process of downloading the rest of them now. Plus, I'll be checking the page to find out when I can get more. Why not go over there and give it a try?

Drillbit Taylor came out on DVD the other day, and I got it through RedBox for a single night rental which cost $1.07 with tax. I feel ripped off. It's supposed to be a comedy, but it's as funny as a punch to the face. It's about 3 high school kids who are targeted by a bully and his minion when they can't solve the problem with an incompetent principal who falls for the okey-doke of the bully (even the Cleaver parents eventually got wise to Eddie Haskell's shennanigans) decide to hire a bodyguard. Sound familiar? My Bodyguard star Adam Baldwin has a cameo as an applicant who ridicules the whole premise. I'd go on about it, but the point is to stay away from this film. Even if you watch it for free, you'll feel ripped off for the time you wasted on it. I thought my dislike of this movie was having a distaste for watching people being bullied, but it goes beyond that. There are incompetent authority figures (not only does the principal believe the bully's "sweet boy" act, he easily accepts Drillbit as a substitute teacher, with no repurcussions when the ruse is exposed) One kid's family is easily ursurped by the stepdad and the two kids he's had with his mother, which is reinforced by a family portrait where you see the kid visibly separated by the rest of the family. Add in the inconsistenances (the bully is an emancipated minor, then he's 18) and the no repurcussions, and again, I say stay away from this film.

With all the eating we're doing today to celebrate the 4th, we're going to wake up feeling stuffed and pig-like tomorrow. Before you throw out the leftovers and extra food, it might be better to look at getting a treadmill and start an exercise program (after consulting a physician) Plus, you don't have to feel stupid going back to the store and rebuy the food.

Needing to determind paternity? DNA Diagnostics Center (DDC) is the world's largest and most experienced private DNA testing laboratory. It's the same testing used on the Maury Povich Show and was used in the Larry Birkhead/Anna Nicole Smith case. More doctors recommend DDC over all other labs combined, and they're the only DNA lab to achieve 13 perfect inspection ratings. If you need DNA testing, make sure and order reliable and trusted testing from DDC.

If you're reading this, chances are you're using a computer. And sooner or later you're going to be looking at getting your own computer, or get a replacement. Or maybe you want to get the parts to fix yours, supplement it, or build your own. For all that and more, check out Xoxide for all your computer and computer-related needs. Just want to spiff up your machine? They've got what you want, including keyboards and cooling fans. Want an energy drink? They've got all sorts of drinks, including Simpsons tie-in drinks like Duff's and Flaming Moe's. You spend so much time on your computer your drink gets warm? Don't want to water it down with more ice? They've got a USB Beverage Chiller that hooks up to your computer and keeps it cold, and it's on sale! And they've got all sorts of rebates and clearance sales if you're looking for a deal.

Hopefully everyone's having a good July 4th. Kathy's getting better, but still has a cough and congestion that's going away, but very slowly. And her mom's in the hospital right now. But I don't want to bring everything down, as it isn't all bad. I finally got my comics yesterday after some delay, and we had a nice indoor cookout where I had some barbeque pulled pork sandwiches and some baked beans, and Kathy had some Johnsonville Brats and homemade potato salad. Sorry I can't share any food, but here's a new Muppet video for the 4th courtesy of Paul Harris:

So while we carp and fight for what's right for all of us, let's pause and realize how good we do have it. Hey, at least we'll cleanse the palate before we fight again.

Did you ever get a call from someone and you didn't know who it was? Even with caller ID, there's a couple of numbers that I don't know about. But with Who's Cell Phone Number Is This they can help you look up who's land or cell number that tried to call you. But there's certain times you don't need their service, but they want to help you out with these instructions for No Call List Information to get your land or cell phone on a no call list.

There's still progress made on the illness front, and we were able to go to the movies and see Kit Kitteridge An American Girl. It was a good film. You wouldn't know it's based on any sort of merchandising, and stands up very well on it's own. I'd like to get the DVD when it comes out.
We also saw the Get Smart: Bruce And Lloyd Out of Control DVD last night. We haven't seen Get Smart yet, but if we do, there's a $7 movie money packed in the DVD, so we don't know how well it ties in the movie story as some references in the DVD and the cameo by Anne Hathaway would show. We got it because we're such Heroes fans, and Kathy was especially glad to see Masi Oka and Jayma Mays together again. I'd say purchase only if you're a real big fan of Get Smart or the actors in it, otherwise rent it or wait for TV.

If you're looking into the possibility of a car rental this summer for your vacation or whatever reason, why not check out what Advantage has to offer? They have all sorts of deals going on, including an up to 50% discount on luxury and convertible car rentals. And one deal that caught my eye was the $1 a day rental if you rent a car in Florida and return it in Chicago. They get the cars where they need to be, and you get a great deal on rental. Even though flying's faster, there's so many hassles involved anymore that the chance to see the country has it's attraction.

So what do you do when reporters do stories attacking your news organization? Do you debate or refute their points? Well, you saw in the headline that it's Faux News we're talking about, so of course they're not going to do anything rational. They'll just show altered photos of the reporters that include yellowing their teeth and making the Jewish fellow's nose bigger. Anybody want to dispute Geoffrey Wessel's claim comparing it to Nazi propoganda?
At least it gives me the chance to quote a poster to the PvP forums under the name "TheDecayedOne"s tagline: "Fox News - for people who never realized what a dick J. Jonah Jameson is."
P.S. to Faux News puppet Steve Doocy: TV Guide's circulation going down under Steven Reddicliffe's tenure would have more to do with the changing nature of people finding out what's going on (TiVo, DVRs, the internet, etc) than anything he did. I won't even blame your company for consolidating the listings, then elimating them to become a generic puff-piece of fluff. And I used to be a TV Guide junkie: Every Monday I'd be there to get the new copy for the next week. And woe if Monday was a holiday, especially Labor Day, when that week's issue was the big Fall Preview.

There are many times when you're online and looking for something but not sure exactly which web site to go to, so you go to a search engine to find the place to go for what you're looking for. Many people know of a couple of such search engines, but do not know that there are others online that's vying for people to use them. And some of them have contests and offer incentives to get you to use their search engines. But what if there was one that was Carbon Neutral? You've probably heard about reducing our carbon footprint and since reducing our reliance on natural resources isn't something that a lot of people can do to have any kind of impact, many peoples' efforts are now channelled into taking steps to offset our usage of those resources, sort of a putting back something to replace what you've taken if you will. The Carbon Neutral Search Engine offsets emissions generated by each search query from our website as a thank you for using their search engine. They've calculated the average search query emits approximately a fraction of a gram (UK users), and with the addition of users computer use taken into account, 17.57g (UK users). They will offset each search query by a minimum of 300g via their offsetters Climate Care and Carbon Fund. (300g is over and above the emissions that will be most likely be generated in any country in the world, as emissions vary hugely from country to country based on power generation.) Maybe offsetting your online searching doesn't sound like much, but it's a start.

If anyone's asking what I think about the latest brouhaha about Wesley Clark's statements about John McCain's military record and how it pertains to the presidency, I would say John Roger's post on the matter sounds very well thought out, and he should consider himself one of the better people writing on the matter.
And you know those shows where a caper hinges on someone impersonating a cop? Would that work in real life? And how easy is it for someone to accept what someone they believe in a position in authority says? Easier than you think.

My wife and I were watching the game show "Card Sharks" earlier today, and one of the questions was a survey they took of women who got a nose job. They asked them if they got it done for themselves, or for someone else (a man, I think) It turns out a lot more did it for themselves than for someone else. It seems that a lot of times people think that those who get plastic surgery get it for someone else, but it turns out that it's for themselves. If they look good, they feel good.
Under the direction of Dr. Min S. Ahn, the Aesthetic Wellness Center offers a comprehensive array of surgical and non-surgical solutions that will enhance both the way you look and thus how you feel. For instance, if you're looking for rhinoplasty in Boston, this would be the place to go. And they do more than nose jobs. The Aesthetic Wellness Center is known for its use of cutting-edge techniques that produce exceptional results. On their home page they had a thing they offer to tighten up underneath the chin that the wife and I wanted to use for ourselves, and for the record, not each other. In fact, she remarked how she didn't want to go to the doctor when she was sick, but wanted to go see about plastic surgery.

Comic Book Resources has been running a multi part interview with writer J. Michael Straczynski.
Here's part one.
Here's part two.
They're good for a read, even for someone that's read a lot about him and from him since the New Twilight Zone.

Advertisers have many different ways to get the word out about their product. Sure, there's the usual suspects, such as print advertising and TV commercials. But did you know that there's a history of grass-roots advertising where companies have arranged for people to get the word out? And there's a lot of things that people would be glad to spread the word about. Unfortunately, human nature shows that negative experiences get spread more than positive ones. When I worked in customer service, I heard that if a customer has a good experience, he tells 3 people. If he has a bad experience, he tells 15. But most times people aren't as anxious to tell people about a product or service. One way is to make an arrangement to do so. IZEA is a social media that connects advertisers and bloggers to help them achieve a mutually beneficial arrangement. Bloggers are anxious to get the word out, and advertisers want to get their word out. Best of all, if you're a blogger you get to pick and choose what you want to talk about, and they if there's any questions about maintaining your independence and clarify your standing in the blogosphere, IZEA wants you to do so. In fact, they insist upon it. Not only do they offer blog postings, you can also sponsor a blog, and can send free samples for people to try and write about them. Instead of handing out free samples and hoping for the best, you can get your merchandise to the people who will get the word out on how good your product is.

The Dark Knight hasn't come out yet, but the speculation has started on the movies beyond it. First, in the latest round of interviews with the stars Gary Oldman mentions the Riddler as a possible villain in the next movie, which this site is taking as gospel instead of somebody mentioning the next Batman villain that comes to mind after the Joker.
And everyone's wondering when Robin's going to show up. JoBlo is writing why that wouldn't be a good idea, and Christian Bale is saying he'll quit if Robin is introduced in the films. Um, can I enjoy The Dark Knight before I start thinking about all this?

There's all sorts of places where you can go to book your travel online. You probably thought of a couple when you read that. But while they're very good about finding good deals on hotels in the US and Canada, you'd prefer to go to a site that can find you the best deal on hotels in Europe at Easy To Book.com.
If you're looking for a great deal on London hotels or hotels in Barcelona, they can help you out. If you're looking for more in a hotel than the best deal such as star class, facilities, or services you can do that as well. And if you'd prefer to browse in another language, just go to the bottom of the page on the left and select another language. Not only that, but if you're looking for hotels in the US, they can do that, too. So if you want more than just the best deal and more than just this country, go see what they can do for you today.

After some resting, Kathy decided to try to go see WALL*E, as it was playing at the closest movie theatre. We went to McDonald's for supper and she had a double Quarter Pounder With Cheese, fries and water. She ate about half of it, and I helped her with the rest.
Okay, you're wondering about the movie. We enjoyed it. I wouldn't say it's my favorite Pixar film (still The Incredibles) but it passes the "great film" test (from the graphic novel Tales of the Starlight Drive-In, where it is said that you can tell a great film by when it's over you want to see it again) and do plan to get it on DVD. In fact, when we went shopping today, I saw the radio controlled WALL*E at Sam's Club, and decided to get it.
PS: Thanks to Mark Gibson for the good thoughts. Hopefully he'll get some good tidings very soon.

I'm sorry, I know that gas is over $4 a gallon now, but there's something about Motorhomes. Sure, they're big and all, but there isn't any question in the air about where you're going to stay when you're on vacation. You get to take it with you. And if you're tired you can pull over and pop in bed for a quick nap. With all the RVs available on this site, it's fun to go to it and look around at all the different RVs to choose from. You can browse through new and used RVs and Motorhomes and dream about hitting the open road in your home away from home. And you'd be surprised how nice some of them are.