John Wilson’s Current Reading List
Jan/101
by John Wilson
Inspired by my friend Lauren’s Website about Books I wanted to list a few of the books I am reading now. I’m typically a nonfiction book reader, but every once in a while I’ll pick up a classic. Mostly because it makes me feel smart. I also have a habit of reading more than one book at a time. So here is what’s in my “library” currently:
I’m on page 150 of 900! of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. This is one of those books that I’ve always wanted to read, and had heard great things about, but have never taken the time to pick it up. The story is great so far, the lessons (at least 1/6 of the way through) are timely and the characters well-developed. I’m looking forward to knocking this one off, as it was one of my New Years Resolutions to finish it.
Another one of my resolutions was to read the Bible. You can read my adventures of purchasing a Bible here. Instead of plowing through it from page 1, I found a great website that guides you through it depending on your interests. Go to Bible Gateway.com to choose your path. I am using this one.
I recently finished Glenn Beck’s Arguing with Idiots. Regardless of how you feel about Beck’s politics, his books are always humorous and well written. This book shines a very bright, conservative light, at subjects such as the economy, unions and the public school system. I believe it’s a strong read for folks on both sides of the aisle.
And, with only a week or two to spare, I’m reading Caveman’s Guide to Baby’s First Year: Early Fatherhood for the Modern Hunter-Gatherer. I’m only a quarter of the way through this book, but it is very informative and entertaining. It leans a little too much on the caveman history side, but the baby-content is very useful and friendly.
Lots to read, and coming soon, probably very little time or energy to read.
Nine things I need less of on TV in 2010
Jan/103
by John Wilson
These are 9 things I hope go away from my TV in 2010:
- We are… – No, you ARE NOT. You are NOT Marshall. They came up with this, it has deep meaning there. Stop stealing it. It’s rude and disrespectful.
- Verizon vs. AT&T commercials – They’re not funny, and AT&T’s commercials are horrible. When was the last time you needed to talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time? Being able to surf is meaningless if you don’t have a signal.
- ASPCA Commercials – I have to change the channel every time. If I donate, will they stop sending the signals to my TV?
- “Now more than ever” – This is trite, boring, lazy, over used and adds nothing to the conversation. For the love of the animals, please stop.
- “If you call in the next five minutes.” – Please stop insulting our intelligence. You don’t know when these commercials play, and there’s no way your operators in India are sitting around with stop watches.
- Kidz Bop – Creepy
- Mac vs. PC commercials – There are 100 reasons here, but frankly, the PC guy is way cooler than the geeky kid from Ed.
- Drug Commercial Disclaimers – I’m pretty tired of these commercials that tell what the drug does for 12 seconds and then spends then next 48 or 78 seconds telling us all the different ways it will give you diarrhea, mood swings, and possible death. Driving could do each of those, but I don’t have to listen to a disclaimer every time a Toyota commercial comes on.
- “Outside of the box” – If you have to tell someone your thinking or your policy is “outside of the box,” it probably isn’t. Inside the box is the new outside of the box.
Top 9 Sites I Used in 2009
Dec/090
by John Wilson
To wrap up the year, I thought it would be interesting to look back through the logs and book marks and figure out what sites I used the most in 2009. Here are the unscientific results. This list does not include application based sites such as gmail, google calendars, etc.
- Netvibes – RSS Reader
- Metacritic – consolidated movie/games/DVD reviews
- Gamespot – Video Game News and Reviews
- Sherdog – all things MMA/UFC
- Flickr – picture storage and community
- ESPN
- Hulu – catching up on Hell’s Kitchen, and many others
- Rotten Tomatoes – consolidated movie reviews
Top 7 Geekiest Gifts You Didn’t Get for Christmas
Dec/090
by John Wilson
Here are the top 7 coolest geek presents you didn’t get this year for Christmas:
Hunk-a-Junk
- The Arkeg – 50% Kegerator, 50% Video Game, 100% cool
- Sharp 3D Computer Monitor – Just Say No to goofy headwear
- Legos Millennium Falcon 5,000 Legos and it does point five past light speed
- Alien Gnome Bandits – as seen in SkyMall
- Name a Species – Name a species of bug after a friend or family member
- 108 inch TV – Mario. Life-sized.
- $55,000 Foosball Table
Top 10 Movies of 2009 I Need to See in 2010
Dec/090
by John Wilson
In an effort to write more, and my enjoyment of Top 10 lists, here is my first entry:
Top 10 Movies from 2009, I Need to See in 2010:
10. Zombieland
9. Paranormal Activity
8. Star Trek – This will be my first Star Trek movie, ever.
7. Taken
6. Nine – Simply for the star power.
5. The Blind Side – I hope the movie is better than the book.
4. The Hurt Locker – Super excited about this one.
3. Avatar – Despite James Cameron.
2. Saw VI – One of my favorite movie series.
1. Up in the Air