What on Earth TV series, My New Addiction

     So, I recently discovered this television series due to the fact that the Winter Olympics have crippled new showings of some of my regular viewings over the past two weeks. With nothing for my DVR to record, I was forced to explore channels and shows that I had not viewed before.  I discovered the "What on Earth" series on the Science Go channel.  They were running a half day marathon so to speak this past Sunday, and I recorded eight consecutive shows.

 
What on Earth



     The episodes are roughly an hour in length, and cover information gathered about four to six odd photographs captured by the 4000 satellites orbiting above the Earth.  Scientists and other special investigators use the odd images to determine their cause.  This leads the viewer to many unique and previously unheard of world locations.
    As a fictional writer, I have found some of the information presented to be worthy of story inclusion.  Just to divulge some topics:  evidence of previous villages removed from the Earth, unexplained animal convergences, strange colored bodies of water, signs of civilization in uninhabited regions of the world, and unknown wreckage found on land or underwater.  I absolutely love this type of X-files type show, but only this is real.
   I highly recommend the series for anyone looking for some obscure information on the unknown.
Follow the link to view some of the series.


Cheers!
Drakov

Strange Pairings 2018, Ash Wednesday, Valentine's, Easter and April Fools

    2018 is host to a couple a strange event pairings. The two I will discuss are a little controversial and morbidly entertaining at the same time. 
     For starters, Saint Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday are on the same day this year.  So a day that is commonly associated with chocolate, lavish dinners, and lustful acts is on the same day that Catholics are supposed to be fasting and preparing for Lent.  An odd pairing which has left many self-proclaimed Christians with a problem.
      The Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, addressed the issue and said that Ash Wednesday takes precedence and that Catholics should find other ways to show their love of God by committing selfless acts of charity, instead of fasting.  "Giving love to those who don't have it."  Others like the news have delivered the message that since it's only this year, that you can go back to your normal Valentine's traditions next year.  In all actuality, the last time this pairing occurred was 1945.  So I guess god-fearing people can adapt.

     On the flip side, horror fans have made a joke of the whole situation by posting gifs of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Ripping out their lover's hearts, and using images of Ash from the Evil Dead to celebrate "Ash" Wednesday.  The whole situation is amusing, to say the least.

     The other celebration that coincides with another holiday this year is Easter Sunday, the holiest day in the Catholic calendar, and April Fool's Day.  Talk about a strange pairing and an opportunity for tricksters and naysayers to mock an important religious holiday.  Get ready for people who would not normally wish you a "Happy Easter" doing just that, only to renege with an "April Fools" a moment later.

    Hardcore atheists will use the coincidence to mock the resurrection of Jesus Christ, proclaiming that "even the calendar knows it's a farce."  To add to the fun, parents and guardians can make other claims such as hiding Easter eggs for a back yard hunt. After their children search frantically for thirty minutes, they can then break it to them that it was all nothing but an April Fool's Day joke.  the same can be said of Christ's resurrection and the Easter Bunny.
    I can see some of these pranks getting a little out of hand.  Regardless, it is a pairing that hasn't happened since 1956 and won't happen again until 2029.  The following is a list of past and upcoming pairings:  1714, 1725, 1736, 1804, 1866, 1877, 1888, 1923, 1934, 1945, 1956, and will coincide again in 2018, 2029, 2040, 2108, 2170, 2181, 2192, 2238, 2249, 2260, 2306, 2317, 2328.  
     Just my thoughts.  What are yours?

Cheers!
Drakov

Top Five Reasons Why United Airlines Sucks

     I have been flying around the globe since I was a youngster.  I have been many places including London, Budapest, Jamaica, the Bahamas and at least twenty of the fifty continental United States and Hawaii.  Over the course of my travels, I have flown with anyone from Evergreen to Pan Am, Continental, Delta, United and Jet Blue.  I currently live in the tri-state area and commonly use Newark Liberty International for my flights, which just so happens to be United's hub. Over the past five years, I have been pretty much forced to fly United when I wish to travel, but in all honesty, "They Suck!"  and if you haven't flown United Airlines, I'm going to tell you why you shouldn't.

1. Schedule Changes: I am on top of vacation and business travel reservations.  Many times, I book my flight six months to a year in advance.  In the past five years, the representatives at United Airlines have changed my scheduled departure and arrival nine out of my last ten flights. To make it worse it's never earlier, and almost always later.  My most recent complaint affects my upcoming trip to Chattanooga in June.  I picked from one of only two flights offered in September.  I chose the evening flight (7p.m.) so I could arrive with enough time to make it to a trade show.  I received notice that my flight was rescheduled to two hours later just this week! Now, I will not be able to make it to my desired location at an acceptable time. Unreal!  Once they changed the entire day of my flight wanting me leave the day after I needed to be somewhere.  I mean seriously United...."You Suck!"

2. Flight Delays: If changing flight times isn't enough to deter you, add in unscheduled delays.  Anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours seems to be the norm with United Airlines and quite frankly is not acceptable.  I can understand weather delays, wind, rain, but many times it has to do with none of these and well United...."You Suck!"

3. Seat Size and Leg Room:  I'm six feet tall and 200 pounds, I am by no means obese, but the seats on the typical United 747 will make you feel oversized.  Not to mention, lack of reclining and lumbar support.  I refuse to fly anywhere on United that is more than five hours away, because the lack of comfort isn't worth the price tag.  Not to mention, if you want added leg room, you can purchase non reclining seats in the emergency exit row for 75-100 dollars more.  Pay more for less.  I don't think so and that is why United..."You Suck! Once again."

4. Cleanliness:  Still reading?  Here is reason number four.  United Airlines jets are down right dirty.  The delays and schedule changes apparently equate to lack of time for the flight staff to clean the cockpit.  Garbage on the floor, in the seat backs, and even in the overhead compartment bins leave little to brag about, and just another reason to say United..."You Suck!"

5. Lack of Customer Service:  Since United Airlines pretty much has a monopoly at Newark Liberty International Airport, they do very little to keep their guests happy.  Questions and complaints usually fall on deaf ears and if you don't like their service they really don't care.  call the 800 number and chances are you will talk to one of their outsourced employees who in many cases are difficult to understand.  At the airport itself, add in a "state of the art" terminal where everything, even the bar, is automated with iPads and lack of service personnel, and I really can't find any good reason to continue using them. Other than the fact that they are the primary airline servicing my region, they leave little to applaud.  So once more I will say it United...."You Suck!"

     So, if you are in the market for an airline that regularly changes your flight times, runs late, lacks comfort, is dirty, and doesn't care about your opinions.  By all means fly United Airlines, but don't say you haven't been warned.  United Airlines..."You Suck!"

Cheers!
Drakov

Five Reasons Why Technology is Ruining Society

     It's 2018 and everyone, who is anyone, has more technology in their pocket than ever.  Smartphones, iPhones, tablets, smartwatches, and the like abound.  Heck! I've even seen preschool students with their own electronic devices, but at what cost?  What are we starting to lose as a society as a result of all these devices aimed at making life simpler?
     The epidemic has created a world where people lurk hidden behind a touchscreen. Online phishing schemes, catfishing on dating sites, scams on Craig's List, and cyberbullying on social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snap Chat, and whatever will be the new fad tomorrow, are becoming more and more of a commonplace occurrence.  Ultimately, what is society losing, while making all these "gains"?

1. Social Interaction Skills:  Elementary students, middle school students, teenagers, and twenty-somethings have all grown up with internet-based cell phones. They would find it impossible to imagine a world without them.  Take away a teenager's cell phone today, and you would think that you stole their favorite puppy.  They experience anxiety and lose the ability to focus on anything, but the device that they think contains their life. They spend so much time on Snap and texting, that even when they sit next to one another in the cafeteria at lunch, or at a diner, they communicate through their handheld device.  If you send them into a social situation that requires talking like an in-store purchase, ordering food at the diner, or asking for directions, they lack the ability to initiate and carry on a coherent conversation. This, in turn, can lead to Number Two.

2. Public Speaking:  Hiding behind a touch screen and using your thumbs to communicate has made a stressful situation like public speaking an Everest for the newer generations.  their inside voices lack volume, confidence and they have the inability to make eye contact.  Are these individuals really on the spectrum? Or have we as a society taken away their confidence at public speaking? Many people experience so much anxiety at the thought, that they refuse to speak in class, at public meetings, in front of their teams, etc.  This is slowly creating a generation of social followers.  hanging on to every written word that they read online, or worse, nameless, faceless individuals who lash out online and block others when they disagree with their opinions.  This leads me to Number Three.

3. Lack of Respect:  Freedom of speech is one thing, but it was originally just that.  People would stand up in a public forum and voice their opinions in front of their peers.  Today, much of this has changed.  The public forum has become an intangible place called the internet.  Countless people can hide behind the anonymity of their device, and troll other people.  They read their posts, stalk others, look at their pictures, and in many cases lack a filter when posting their hurtful comments.  "Your opinion sucks!  You look like a "such and such".  You're ugly!" and these are tame in comparison to what people really write.  They forget that there is an actual person on the other side who has feelings just like them.  This is not cool! It's not funny! and it's not how many of the older generations were raised.  We didn't hide behind a phone and torment others.  We didn't harass others from the safety of our private servers.  If you insulted the wrong person, there could be swift and fierce consequences.  We grew a backbone and knew when to open our mouths and when not to.  I don't feel this is the case for the people living on their smartphones today.  Lack of face to face confrontation has created a world of cyberbullies who respect no one but expect to be respected.  Unacceptable!

4. Knowledge and Common Sense:  Constant connection to Google, Bing, and other search engines like Alexa and Siri have given people the excuse not to retain any information.  The way I can still recite over fifty percent of the Preamble to the Constitution is the way today's children can't remember what a verb is after twelve years of school.  And forget doing mental math, people today can't figure out what 10%, 25%, or even 50% off means without using the calculator on their cell phone.  Having a countless amount of information at our fingertips should be making society smarter, not dumber.  It's no wonder that America is slowly falling behind other world powers in terms of business, technology, and innovative ideas.  Having a Smartphone doesn't necessarily make the user smart. In many ways, it makes them LAZY. Knowledge is still obtained by studying, reading, critical thinking, rote recall, and hard work.

5. Spelling and Grammar:  Twitter and Instagram are littered with sentence fragments and atrocious spelling.  Blog posts are sometimes so poorly written, that I stop reading after only a few lines.  Come on people, use Spell Check, and Grammar Check, or how about actually proofreading your posts?  Autocorrect is NOT always your friend! Just look at some of the online postings involving some auto-corrected texts. Since people can't see you face to face, they are more inclined to judge you based upon your social writing skills or postings.  If I have to see one more "your" the best instead of  "You're the Best," I might start going all Grammar Police on people, but I promise, I won't go all Number Three on anyone.

Just my daily rant.  I feel a little like Lewis Black. ( Insert brrr mouth sound here.)

Cheers!
Drakov

Top 5 Mistakes Self-published Authors Make

     The past few years have seen a huge influx of self-published authors.  Online platforms like Kindle Direct, Lulu, Createspace, and personal blogs have become household words. Many leisurely writers are foregoing traditional methods of publication and taking matters into their own hands.  Now, I'm all for being your own boss, but there are some things that other people do better than I can, because, quite frankly, they were trained to do it.  With that being said, I am a self-published author and I, like every other self-published author, have made mistakes.  I have compiled the following list of the top five things I feel could be helpful to new aspiring self-published authors who are just starting out.  So without further delay...

1.  Don't Rush Through Your Manuscript-  One thing I have noticed is that many authors rush through the creative process in an effort to just get their story out. Even though they may have had an awesome idea, they did not allow it to ferment into an intoxicating tale.  I have read quite a few self-published works that are riddled with spelling, grammatical, and formatting issues making them difficult to read.  Take your time and do a second, third, or even seventh proofread of your manuscript before hitting the submit button.  If the first book you put out is not well-written, it can greatly deter the public from looking at your future titles. This leads me to number two.

2.  Not Getting a Proofreader or Beta Reader:  Writers like many other professionals, can be a proud bunch and want to believe that every word they write is literary gold.  Well, the truth is, they're probably not.  Don't be afraid to let others read your work after you have written your first draft and performed your first edit.  A fresh set of outside eyes may see errors, or plot holes, that you may have missed.  If you don't want to share your story with a friend or stranger, send off a sample to one of the many online editing companies for a free 2000 or 3000-word edit.  Even if you don't decide to hire them to edit your entire book, they may have some valuable notes, which can be applied to the rest of your W.I.P  (work in progress) on your next edit. Another helpful tool out there is the Grammarly extension with Google.  This Godsend makes it possible for an author to proofread their manuscript with a professional eye.  Although it will not catch every mistake, (Not even the best editor can) it will help with comma placement, subject-verb agreement, and spelling.

3. Writing Because You Want Fame, NOT Because You Enjoy It:  This is probably the most important thing that many self-published authors forget.  Very few of us will ever be the next Dr. Seuss, J.K. Rowling, or Agatha Christie no matter how badly we want it. In an effort to gain fame and fortune, some authors forego the enjoyment of writing and fabricating a believable and tantalizing tale in exchange for writing the next great rip-off of Game of Thrones.  When we write only to earn a paycheck, writing becomes a J.O.B. and stops being our passion.  We all write because we are passionate about our craft. If you write an awesome story, other people will eventually find and read it with the right exposure. This takes time. As much as no one wants to hear it, how many famous authors became well-read and known after their death?  You have all heard of Herman Melville, Edgar Allen Poe, Franz Kafka, and H.P. Lovecraft, just to name a few.  Terrible, I know, but isn't it more important to leave behind a legacy?  And a well-written one?

4. Not Researching What You Don't Know:  We all possess knowledge about certain topics that are foreign to others.  Each of us is an expert at something or several things.  I know quite a bit about automotive repair, mythology, education, and forensics.  I tend to write about fantasy worlds populated with mythological creatures and G.I.Joe characters fighting futuristic, military battles.  There are many other things that I am unfamiliar with, and that I need to either consult an expert on or research online.  There is an awful lot of reading and research that goes into good writing. Realism will only add to your work and create a more encompassing experience for your readers to indulge in.  Don't forego realism because of laziness.  I once spent the better part of three hours just reading about foreign cuisine to fabricate a short chapter in a fan fiction novel.

5.  Not Promoting Your Work Before Release:  More times than naught I see self-published authors promoting their work after its already been published.  I'm not saying this is completely wrong, but you need to establish an audience, and the best way to do that is by offering tantalizing nuggets of your current W.I.P to your would-be readers.  This can be done in your blog posts, on your Twitter, Facebook, or any one of a dozen author websites like Marketlist.com or an Amazon author's profile. You don't have to give away full plotlines or even complete chapters.  Equate this practice to movie trailers, not the ones that give you the whole story, but the good ones that leave you with a multitude of questions and wanting more.  Apply this concept to your book updates and add some flashy pictures to whet the appetite of your fans.  A picture can be worth a thousand words and a thousand new readers.

    Hope this helps some of you out there.  Thank you for reading. Have comments or other ideas to share?  Feel free to leave them here and share this article with others.  Until next time.
Cheers!

Drakov

Top 5 Things to do on a Day Off

     Everyone, who is anyone, in this day and age knows the value of time off.  Most of us spend so much time at our J.O.B.s, that we forget what free time actually is.  Well, I'm here to remind you that even the hardest working individuals need time to relax and call their own; but what do you do on these days off when you are so accustomed to the daily grind?  Here is a list of my top five suggestions.

1.  Sleep In:  Most of us go about our daily activities by way of the alarm clock. Here's a novel idea. When you actually take a day off,  turn off the alarm clock and take an opportunity to spend a little extra relaxation time in your bed.  Most of us spend thousands of dollars on a good mattress and box spring, but don't take any additional time to appreciate it.  On your next day off, just lay in bed and enjoy it.  Feel the comforter, re-fluff your pillows, or just allow yourself to fall back asleep without the dread of being late for work or school.

2. Read a Book:  Many of us don't take the time to unwind with a good book any more unless, we're poolside and on vacation for at least a week.  I'm here to change that.  On your next day off, take some time to engorge yourself in a good book.  With so many genres out there, it's hard to come up with a miss.  Mystery, fantasy, history, romance, or even a good graphic novel, allow yourself and your overactive mind to relax with a good read and take yourself somewhere outside the confines of the office.  Let yourself experience a foreign world devoid of your daily responsibilities.  There is no greater escape than the pages of a great book.

3. Spend Time with Family:  Many of us spend most of our year and our lives working, that we forget about why we work.  We work to provide for the people we love.  On your next day off, spend some time with the people you claim to be working for.  Have a romantic, sex-filled day with your spouse or partner.  Take the kids to the movies, or the mall, and spend some quality time reconnecting with your loved ones.  Stopped by your parents, or in-laws for lunch or some coffee.  You'll be glad you did.  Life flies by and everyone ages in the blink of an eye.  Find the time to spend with your loved ones while they are still here with you.

4.  Devote Time to a Hobby:  Many of us have neglected hobbies.  Whether it be fixing your car, manicuring your lawn,  learning a new recipe, or catching up on your favorite shows.  These are the habits of value that many people forget to experience on a weekly basis.  In the long run, countless Americans retire every year bored with nothing to do because they spent the last 25-40 years devoted to their jobs.  Don't let this be you.  Find time every week to do what you love.  Our jobs are important, but they're not forever.  Everyone would like to retire at some point in their life and spend some time smelling the roses.  A little extra effort now, will keep your appetite whetted with new projects and goals for the future.

5. Finish a Neglected Project:  The house needs painting, the shelves need dusting, the car needs to be washed, vacuumed and waxed  On your next day off, find some time to do the things that you keep putting off because your work week is too busy.  There is no bigger feeling of accomplishment than finishing that 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, or tidying up the junk drawer.  There are so many things that we say we should do, that we don't.  On your next day off, try to vanquish some of these demons that have been hanging over your head for the past six months or longer.  It can also help in alleviating some unneeded stress from your life.

     Regardless of what you choose to do on your next day off, take some time to devote to things that you want or need to do, but just haven't been able to find the time for.  Don't take a day off just to go to the doctor or get the oil changed in the car.  Life goes on with or without your participation.  Be an active participant and not a passive observer.  You'll be glad you did!

Cheers!

Drakov

Possible Title Change for book two.

Hello Joes and Janes,

     So I have been working on the edits for my second G.I.Joe novel in the Armed and Dangerous series, and am starting to think the title is not befitting the material.  I originally entitled the work Cobra's Cesspool with the assumption that I would be focusing on the backstory of Cesspool and his company's involvement with Cobra.  Although the story does dive into the character of  Doctor Vincent D'Alleva, I am not yet ready for his biologically-induced transformation by this book's end.  I now envision that happening further on into book 3.  Therefore, I am considering a title change and reserving Cobra's Cesspool as the working book 3 title.  My current WIP  really focuses more on the emergence of the Headman and his band of organized drug dealers the Headhunters, and the need for the DEF.
As a result: I am contemplating renaming this book, "Enter the Headhunters."

Would love to get your thoughts on this.

Cheers!

Drakov