My Retro-Hip Blog Banner

Do you see the multi-colored letters that form my name at the top of the page. I did that on purpose. I was trying to recreate the look and feel of an early nineteen sixties cocktail bar sign, the sort of thing you would find in a Rock Hudson / Doris Day movie or (my personal favorite) the Kim Novak, James Garner, Tony Randall classic, Boy’s Night Out. It may or may not be the best look for a site by a 21st century writer, but I liked it. This all leads me to a conversation being had over at ProBlogger about how much design matters during the early stages of a blog. I subscribe to the philosophy that the first, most important thing to do is start writing quality posts and worry about fancy design earlier. Read: Does Blog Design Matter in the Early Stages of a Blog?

Somebody Out There Made it Work

Have you wondered whether or not to try freelance writing for other blogs? In my opinion, it isn’t worth the effort. It is far easier to write and market your own blog about things that interest you than to try to squeeze money out of the notoriously tight-fisted blogging community, but Leo Babauta claims to be making $2000 a month freelancing for blogs, and he offers a boatload of advice for people who want to follow in his footsteps. In my opinion, there are far easier ways to make $2000 a month, but I don’t begrudge anyone who wants to try the exciting world of freelance writing. Read: How to Become a Freelance Blog Writer

28 Years Later

When I was a kid watching Meatballs for the first time, I thought it was an instant classic. After 28 years or so, it turns out the movie was merely great, which is why I still don’t want them to remake it. Unfortunately, Hollywood continues its self-devouring ways and has commissioned a script for a new version. I wonder if this one will have the lead character laughing and joking his way through a date rape scene. Read: Who’s Ready for Another Serving of ‘Meatballs’?

The Book is Flat, and Thick

On the traditional book front, I am reading Thomas L. Friedman’s The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. After reading Timothy Ferris, I became more interested in the influence of outsourcing on the technology industry.
Friedman’s book discusses the benefits and challenges of a truly global, mobile economy. I’ll be discussing it in more detail once I finish reading it.