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Why Comic Book Stores Rock

January 19, 2010 By David
Action Comics #1 (June 1938). The début of Sup...

Image via Wikipedia

I have been recently introduced to comic books, something I never was into when I was a kid. As a result, I have found myself going to various comic book stores. Going into a comic book store is a pretty alien experience for me as I don’t know a thing about comics but the experience so far as been great. My first store was in Portland, Oregon where I was trying to find some comics to start with. The guys there were patient, understanding and found me some great comics. Later, at Nuclear Comics in Orange County, I discovered a new comic with the help of the staff there.

One of the things I truly love about these stores is that they are so niche and the staff really knows there stuff. It reminds me of small, independent book stores of old. Today, the small bookstore is all but gone, replaced by the megastores. These stores are huge and cater to the masses. The staff is friendly enough but you’re really not going to be able to get down into an in depth conversation about a particular kind of book and what they recommend. No fault on them, it’s the nature of the beast. But comic book stores are small and dedicated to a particular crowd and the staff really knows their comics which they are happy to talk about. At the same time, I found no snobbery or ill will toward newcomers. There is a passion and excitement at these stores and that breads sales.

Comic stores are also unique in that they specialize in a product that has not yet been duplicated digitally. With all the fancy eBook readers and web tablets, no one has produced a device that can replicate a full color comic in all it’s glory. This puts them in a better position than the rest of the publishing industry which is daily being eaten alive by digital technology.

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Book A Week in 2010 Project

January 18, 2010 By David

I have been so inspired by Julien Smith and his blog post, How To Read a Book a Week in 2010 that I decided to take  up the challenge. I always have a stack of books that I never get through and this looked like the perfect way to make some serious headway. It’s part because of the challenge of it and part because when I focus on how much I will learn and grow from all that reading, I get pretty excited. Julien also provides some excellent tips on making it happen for yourself.

I have started a new page on the site here where you can keep track of how I am doing. I will list the current book being read and all the past books. Feel free to jump in and join the fun! I would love to hear from you if you do. I am also going to try to post short reviews of all the books as well. Being a dad, I am trying to encourage my 1o year old Virginia to join me. She will be reading a book every two weeks and if she is successful we may record a podcast together to talk about our books and what we enjoyed about them.

I am going to try to mix up the books as best possible. Some business titles, some fiction, some non-fiction that is not business related. If you have anything to suggest, please let me know in the comments and I’ll consider it.

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Some Dude From Cali: Sell That House

January 16, 2010 By David

Hello 2010. Getting the house ready to go on the market and a rant on customer service and loyalty.

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Dead Dog Tired

January 15, 2010 By David

My body hurts in so many places and I’m tired as tired can be. We’ve been working like crazy to get this house ready to put on the market for sale soon. Moving furniture, taking out trash and Goodwill, and generally moving nonstop for three days. My lower back is the real problem area and I have always had problems with the lower back. We are still not done, another few days of this and hopefully Monday we will be ready for photos. This is the first real concrete step on our mission to get to Portland next summer.

With all the physical activity you would think my weight would be doing well but we have not been able to do the Lindora thing very well at all. It’s just not even close to our regular routine and I am so wore out and busted, I have nothing left to fight the late night munchies, my ultimate downfall. I haven’t gained much, but I’m suck at 201. I really wanted to get below 200 with some room to spare and we only have one week left of weight loss. We need so badly to finish this house prep project and get back to as much of a normal life as possible.

I’ve never been to a chiropractor but I am seriously considering it when this is done. My body is wrecked. It makes me feel old. The body just does not take punishment as well when you’re over 40.

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Bold new e-readers grab attention at CES

January 8, 2010 By David

via cnn.com

2010 is going to be a HUGE year for eBooks and e-Readers. Lots of new technology is going to ship and competition is keeping everyone on their toes. I still say Amazon has the inside track due to their powerful online store and brand name. The wild card is, of course, Apple who is yet to release their tablet machine. Apple, due to the nature of what they are capable of, could change the game completely.

The flexible displays like the Skiff have been in development for years and it’s exciting to see the first generation finally come to market. It’s a good time to be a geek.

Posted via web from David Jacobs’s Connected World

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Yahoo Further Bridges the Gap Between Internet and TV

January 7, 2010 By David

via mashable.com

Here is something I would have expected Microsoft to do. It’s also the most interesting thing Yahoo has done in years.

Posted via web from David Jacobs’s Connected World

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What Happened To My Little Girl?

January 5, 2010 By David

Now that we have two kids I feel like an experienced parent, until I get a reminder that our first child is only 10 and we haven’t seen anything yet with regard to her. At 10 we are getting perilously close to the very sensitive years and, God help us, the teen years. You can already see clear changes in Virginia’s psyche and attitude. What she cares about; what she wonders about. She’s just not a little girl anymore.

Most disturbing is she is getting breasts already and hair. Is that normal? Is it really time? Really? I don’t know, I’ve never been through this before. As a father I feel very much at a loss here as these are more female issues. She is entering a time that is best navigated by mom. It is at this time I also feel bad for single parents. Thank God for my wife, I wouldn’t want to do this alone.

It is said that kids grow up fast so enjoy them and it is so very true. It’s nearly impossible to perceive when your in the thick of it but boy do you notice when you look back down the road. I’m soaking every bit of everything I can from Capella in her baby stage now. She is such a great baby and I’m going to miss it. I never would have thought this of myself but I love babies.

Ten year olds are pretty cool too.

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Heroes the Most Pirated TV Show

January 4, 2010 By David
Heroes (TV series)
Image via Wikipedia

This news, that Heroes is the most pirated television show, is very disappointing to me for many reasons. It violates my personal primary rule for downloading. I will only download content if I cannot legitimately find it online for a fair price. I am happy to pay for content and/or watch ads and I do so all the time via iTunes and Hulu.com. If you do not make your content available to me online I feel like I am forced to get it another way. I guess I held out hope that many people felt this way. But Heroes is available on Hulu as well as NBC.com. In fact, I would argue it’s a hell of a lot easier to watch shows this way than try to download them via BitTorrent.

Those of us that argue for a digital future need to understand and respect that some kind of business model must follow. Likely, it will not be the same model that exists today, but producing television costs money and many people need to be compensated. Either the audience needs to pay for the content outright or watch some kind of advertising. I don’t know nor care at this point what model wins out but what I do know is that if shows are pirated and people are not compensated, the digital future will not happen. When networks make shows available online as NBC, ABC and others have done we need to reward that behavior as much as possible. If we can work with the entertainment industry and stop spitting in their faces, together we can carve out a future where everyone wins.

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An Affordable $199 Tablet for Everyone — And It's Not From Apple – PC World

January 4, 2010 By David

via pcworld.com

I’m not sure I like the name Smartbook but I love the concept. Apple will no doubt stake out the high end, which leaves lots of room at the lower end. In general, it’s going to be a very hot year for tablets with yet another possible tablet from Google.

If you have not been a believer in mobile wireless computing, time to wake up and smell the coffee. It’s an exciting future and it’s coming, fast.

Posted via web from David Jacobs’s Connected World

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Google Nexus One Available on AT&T 3G? [Rumormill]

January 3, 2010 By David

via mashable.com

So here’s the problem with this. Two different pieces of hardware. The device is unlocked, which is great, yes, but I cannot take it over to t-mobile because it’s not compatible with their 3G. I need to get a different version of the phone. So, what’s the use in that?

I don’t think we’re going to see our way out of this wireless mess until all the carriers get on 4G LTE and we can truly have one set of hardware standards. Than, an unlocked phone will really mean something.

Posted via web from David Jacobs’s Connected World

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