Kill Your Television and Read a Book!
I saw this morning that there are now more televisions per household than there are people, on average, with something like 2.7 televisions per household on average compared to only 2.5 people per household. Obviously there are lots of families that are way bigger than 2.5 people, and there are lots of single people who have more than one television, so it almost makes sense.
But then I read that Americans are watching more television than ever, with the television being on in a house an average of eight hours and 14 minutes a day! The average amount of television watched by any one viewer went up as well, to four hours and 35 minutes.
That’s insane to me. Someone has their television on all day long to make up for my household, where the television is only on for four hours at a time if we’re watching a movie or a football game. We often don’t turn it on at all on weekends. Why should we? Reading is so much more fun.
I’m probably preaching to the choir writing about this on this particular blog, but if you see yourself in these statistics, it’s time to turn off the television and pick up a book. Just try to have a no-television day and see what happens. Read. Go outside and play. Do something with your kids. Say no to the box.
I bet you’ll like it.
Unfinished Tolkien Tale Now Completed
Every fantasy reader probably knows by now that Christopher Tolkien was responsible for the posthumous completion of The Silmarillion, but how many did know that in the past 30 years, he has also been working on an edited version of The Children of Hurin, an unfinished tale abandoned by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1918? Extracts from the original tale have already been published, and here it comes fully, now–an account of the story of the family of Hurin, the man who dared defy Melkor in the First Age. This may be matter to controversy, but regardless, it will contribute to revealing some more narrative links on the complex, intricately woven world of Tolkien.
(Source: The Guardian.)
Best of Niner Niner September 06
In Blogging Naked, Britain holds their first masturbate-a-thon and in China they put an end to funeral stripteases
And in Bookadoodle Nancy Callahan continues her Getting Published series, while Starbucks sells childrens books and publishers contine to make billions
Next up in Boomer 2.0 scientists try to map our neanderthal genes
The unemployed get credit cards in Credit Cardenza
Dealsneak continues to show the latest deal around the web with cheap wine, free products, and discounts.
Jewel thieves, Kiwi casino, and another poker pub strategy article all sweep into Games For Money.
High Heels Blog: Nancy gives us a look at ballet inspired heels and Victoria Secrets peeptoe wedges.
In Hipaa Blog VA data is lost once again.
Over at HyperGadget we see that Ditty is no more, a real universal remote control can really control the universe, and microchipped passports.
In the Medcare Forum Doctor Medicare payments are cut and low income families should apply for medicaid.
On Healthy Living: Learn 5 good and bad cholesterols, answer the question: Which Has More Germs, Cell Phone or Toilet Seat? and try these Delicious Seafood and Fish Recipes
Head over to On Movies and read Leafworks reviews on movies such as Snakes on A Plane, RV, Final Destination 3, The Descent, and John Tucker Must Die
Powersellers Blog shows that Ebayers are still mad at the rate increases, Ebay Pays Attention to Shipping abuse and Nancy tells about selling in Squidoo.
SEO Updates: Google finally updated Blogger, Yahoo gets hit by a worm and Subtle copy changes can make a difference
In The Diet Logs, Nancy shows us how the 10 Slim-Down Strategies and The Antidote for a High-Fat Meal
Look for the dysfunction in The Single Life, perfect your pickup lines and then head over to Fallout
Wander Worlds: Honesty isn’t always best, leafworks reviews The Siren Project, Lipgloss, and Faith and the Muse.
Unpublished Writers Get Their Chance
The Sobol Award is a new literary prize but only writers who are both unpublished and who do not have an agent can try to get it. The winner will recieve $100,000 and for second and third place, they will recieve $25,000 and $10,000 while 7 others will recieve $1,000 each.
Participants must enter through the Sobol website, where up to 50,000 manuscripts will be accepted, online only and when applying an $85 fee is required.
Sex In Videogames
If anyone was wanting to buy my a present, it could be Sex In Videogames, by Brenda Brathwaite. This book, which came out last month and for some reason, isn’t available in my local Chinese bookstore, discusses game-related sex, including game ratings, censorship and changes in the industry. I think this will be a fascinating read (if it makes it past customs).
Since the first computer games became available, sex has played a role in some form. But with the release of games like Playboy: The Mansion, Leisure Suit Larry, and The Singles, sexual content has gained a firm foothold and for the first time, ventured into the mainstream. Even casual games like The Sims have started to rev things up a bit, and in on-line games, tales of cybering have become commonplace. This sexual revolution in games has generated intense scrutiny of the games industry by political watchdog groups and family-oriented organizations. And it has brought the importance of self-regulation and rating systems to the forefront of the industry. Seeking to understand this emerging trend, developers, publishers, retailers, and consumers are asking themselves: When is sex appropriate in a game? How far is too far? What will it mean for the product? For its distribution? For my company? For me? Do games with sexual content sell better? Are they generally profitable? So far, there are no definitive answers to these questions. Sex in Video Games provides insight into this issue and presents guidelines and answers by studying the history of sexual content use in games and within the industry itself. In addition, the book considers ethical issues, parental and retailer responsibility, and explores industry attempts at self-regulation, along with a growing concern about potential censorship. from www.courseptr.com
Another Princess Di Novel Coming Soon…Again
Paul Burrell’s “The Way We Were” will be another gossip filled novel that speaks about Princess Diana and her not so private life. You may remember Burrell, Diana’s ex-butler who wrote “A Royal Duty” in 2003, his first novel about Diana.
The book was billed as a must read, and “shattering”. Readers were also urged to pre-order, but they didn’t know what the novel was about. Now that they do, many are complaining because they thought it would be a provocative, political novel. They are and will be grossly disappointed.
The novel does nothing more than take you on a day to day, room to room summary of her life and adds the announcement that Princess Diana would never marry her companion Dodi Fayed, who died with her in the 1997 car crash.