Uugh. Wedding gifts. They can be as mindless and arbitrary as throwing a dart at someone’s registry. Oh, look, honey, another self-watering plant. Great! Put it in the basement with the rest of the crap. What to get someone for their wedding? I faced this very dilemma when I found…
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How to Make the Best Salmon Cakes
When I was a kid, one of my favorite recipes mom used to make was salmon cakes with mac & cheese. Over the years, I’ve tried different versions of salmon cakes, but they were all too…shall I say… fancy. This is NOT a fancy recipe. This meal is inexpensive, fast,…
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How ‘The Turn of the Screw’ got me Addicted to One of the Sexiest Book Publishers in the World
Some time ago I found myself in London, which as usual put me inside one of my favorite used book shops called Any Amount of Books. On this particular occasion, I happened to be standing in front of the glass case which is behind the cash register and one title…
life hack
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How to have a conversation with JWs or those proselytizing at your door. Lets agree to disagree, shall we?
Some time ago, a pair of women walked up our driveway and knocked on our door. They probably thought this was a “targetable” house, given that my Christmas lights were still up. It was March. Yeah, I’m the guy who leaves his Christmas lights up all year long. At least…
Book Reviews
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These Non-Fiction Books will Get Your Brains Sizzling this Summer
I recently spent a week sightseeing in and around London. My wanderings took me on a private tour through the British Museum. I also got a chance to hop a Thames River Uber bus (Uber?) and headed to Greenwich where I spent the day at the National Maritime Museum, the…
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The 7 Axioms of Writing
Over time, I’ve aggregated a number of famous (and not-so-famous) quotes that I think frame the writer’s never-ending hunt for inspiration and the ability to craft story. Here are my ‘7 Axioms of Writing’. Or maybe 7 Immutable Laws of Writing? Either way, I have this printed out and hanging on my office…
Book Reviews
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20 Armageddon Books to Help You Conquer Quarantine Boredom During the Corona Virus Outbreak
Strictly speaking, these aren’t ALL armageddon books. I’ve included some excellent examples of war, pestilence, murder, and a torch-toting book-burning Caesar. Just to keep things, you know, light. Of course, hiding from contagion isn’t funny. But excessively indulging in Netflix, Apple TV and the CBS and Disney apps has its…
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How to Add an Image to Your Email Signature Without it Appearing Like an Attachment
Updated August 5, 2021. This process was just validated on Apple Mail v. 11.5. The new path to the signature file is now: Library ——– > Mail —— > V5 ———> Maildata —– > Signatures Below I have added a code snippet, which uses a LinkedIn Badge. Follow the process…
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How to Fix a Roku that Won’t Connect to the Internet
Congratulations! You’ve finally made the leap into the world of streaming media players. Personally I think the Roku is super slick. But I had this experience the other day, when trying to set one up for a friend of mine, that almost put the kibosh on our Bomb Girls. (yes,…
Scott’s Last Minute Guide to Books – My Favorite Reads From 2012
I’m boring. My favorite things to give as gifts, aside from $1 lottery tickets, are books. Yea, that’s right. I said it. What sort of doofus gives people books for Christmas? This doofus. So shoot me. A few years ago through Audible and Kindle my consumption of books was radically…
The Best Books I Read in 2011
Your 2011 might have been BIG. Or your 2011 might have been small. Mine was more like a resetting of priorities. With my divorce finalized and my focus on writing returned…I was able to dive into more books this year than ever. If you’re looking for a list of great…
10 Top Books for the Modern Geek
Daemon By Daniel Suarez If you know the difference between FTP, MMORPG and FMRI, then this techno thriller is for you. Forget about the pseudo bullshit tech that others and Hollywood try to shove down your throat (yea you heard me Jack Bower), you won’t get that here. Instead you’ll…
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Why my Windows Machine Won’t Connect to the Xfinity Pod
Our Xfinity router doesn’t cover our entire home. After about a year of screwing around with mesh and other extenders, I finally bit the bullet and purchased 2 Xfinity Pods. (I purchased direct because Amazon didn’t have the latest release of pods.) The pods work exactly as advertised, by that…
life hack
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How to Use Your iPad as an External Monitor
Updated March 15, 2022: If you are using MacOS Monterey, adding the iPad is now built into the os. To start, go to System Preferences —> Displays —> Add Display. Then select your iPad from the dropdown. For more information about this feature see: https://support.apple.com/en-ph/HT210380. Here is a great little…
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How to Travel to Italy From the U.S. During COVID
Travel overseas is already a high-bar excursion. But travel overseas during COVID sets a whole new level of difficulty. Even the most seasoned traveler will need to be extra prepared and informed if they want to keep their plans on track. Below I have posted our experiences going into and…
writing
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Death Rode Into Boulder Last Night. And He Was Not Welcome.
On March 22, 2021, a gunman opened fire in my grocery store. Ten people, including a first-responding police officer, were murdered. Since then, we’ve spent time with friends and family in contemplation of the simple fact: it could have been us in that store at that time. My reaction to…
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How to Fix Upside Down Temperature Display on Your Jacuzzi
Sometimes I get to write about the most mundane things. The other day I noticed that the temperature display on our jacuzzi was upside down. See photo. What in the world could cause that? I figured power surge. But then I went to my tried-and-true scapegoat: the kids. Kids have…
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How to Visit Pearl Harbor Without Paying for a Tour Guide
For my 50th birthday, I wanted to visit Pearl Harbor, the location where the Japanese Empire shocked the United States out of its malaise of “mixed” neutrality, and thrust “the sleeping giant” into WWII. The idea of walking that hallowed ground had been a dream of mine for as long…
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How to Install a WordPress Website on your Home Computer
You’re finally tired of editing websites in the bright, clear daylight of your (insert hosting company name) server. Which is a dangerous habit anyway, right? Or perhaps, you want to learn how to build in WordPress without spending money on hosting. Or you want to get all Frankenstein on a…
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Fix: My Apple Watch Isn’t Syncing With Audible Books
YOU are not crazy. You’ve followed the instructions on how to sync your Audible audiobooks to your Apple Watch, and you keep getting an error. Here is the fix. (Hat tip to Audible’s super-responsive support staff on Twitter for helping me out). 1. make sure your Watch OS, iPhone OS…
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The Best Mood-Boosting Puzzle I’ve Ever Played
Assembling delight. One piece at a time. Someone showing up at a party, box in hand, stiffly packed with crazily-shaped colored tiles, wouldn’t normally get me all hot and bothered. I mean. Does my addled brain really need another puzzle? Is it a Liberty Puzzle? Fuck yeah. I’m in. When…
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How to Make Swedish Pancakes That’ll Have Them Begging for More
As kids, we often had interesting guests that visited us from around the country and the world. One such visitor was Mr. Franson from Sweden. He was a minister from our church that came around twice year–you know checking on the flock and all. While his accent was a bit…
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How to Stop Your Dog From Barking (the humane way)
Do you have a Barky McBarkface on your hands? Are your mornings, afternoons, evenings filled with the dulcet sounds of yapping? Anyone who has brought home a new puppy or even a rescue knows how stressful and challenging barking can be. Our case was no different. Every time our little guy…
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Don’t Fall Prey to Phishing Scams. Watch This Video.
I rarely post video to my blog. However, there is no better way to demonstrate the lengths bad guys will go to separate you from your precious banking information. It’s easy to be duped. Please share this video.
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In Memory of Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941
Today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the U.S. (finally) into WWII. On this date, I take a moment to honor those who sacrificed so much, including my great uncle, who was killed during the Battle of the Bulge. It seems important now more than…
iOS Game Reviews
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11 Awesome iPad Games For Grown-Ups Who Need a Vacation
Every once in a while you just need a game fix. But, we’re grown-ups. We don’t play games. We, (um, cough cough) interact with our devices in an entertaining way so as to enrich our lives and the lives of those around us. Yup. We play games. But we don’t…
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How to Pair with the SolidPin Mini Wireless In-ear Earphone
Oh my gosh. Talk about inscrutable instructions! When my step-son received the SolidPin Mini Wireless in-ear earphone from Amazon, we were at a loss as to how to pair it with his phone. The instructions, which are full of typos, said to “Put device into standby mode.” Then gave NO…
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How to Prevent Kids From Accessing the Home Wifi Without Changing Your Wifi Password
UPDATE: August 9, 2018 If you’re using XFINITY from Comcast, their updated routers now make this process MUCH easier. When you log onto your Xfinity dashboard, you can Pause individual device access to the wifi. Set parental controls. Even establish bedtime parameters. Here’s a screen grab from the dashboard. Another…
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How to Eliminate Spelling and Grammar Mistakes In Your Online Communications
Oh, think of the tragedies rooted in ambiguity! So goes the old saw from Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. The days of bad grammar and spelling errors may not be numbered, but with the browser plugin called Grammarly, typos have certainly gotten easier to hunt. Some people think…
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Halloween Advice For Writers: Don’t Write Like a Dead Guy.
Have you tried to get a kid to watch a classic horror film lately? Sixty seconds into Psycho, they’re Snapchatting their friends wondering what’s going on this weekend. Oh sure they might glance up for a second when Marion Crane gets knifed in the shower, but you know, yawn. Compare that…
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How To Fix Memory Errors on Brother WIFI Laser Printers
UPDATE 11/5/21 — If you are using the IP Address of your printer, you may get NO RESPONSE from your printer after it has been working just fine. This is because the IP address number you used was re-assigned to another device on your network. Go to the physical printer….
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The Seven Most Indispensable Tools Every Novelist Needs
A friend of mine recently shared with me that she wanted to write a novel. She had the story, but it was locked in her head. I can acutely empathize with her. In fact back in 2012 I wrote an article about this funny yet painful process. However, what my…
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Visual Composer Not Appearing Correctly in WordPress
This article is written for those familiar with Visual Composer running on Self Hosted instances of WordPress. For more information about this KILLER plugin that greatly enhances the development process, please visit: https://vc.wpbakery.com/. Today I ran into a new problem on two of my websites. The back-end editing tool called…
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How to Troubleshoot Intermittent Connection Problems With a Wifi Printer
This technique solved my print problems on the Brother HL-L2340DW laser printer. However, I’m confident these steps have a good shot at working for any printer, on any computer. Step away from the baseball bat. One of the most frustrating experiences you can have with your computer is trying to get it…
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How to Get Food Unstuck From Your Throat
**NOTE: This article is not intended to be taken as medical advice. I am not a medical professional.** My brothers and I have this problem. Every once in a while when we are eating, food gets stuck down in our throat. This food plug does not block our airway, but…
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The Crash of the Air France Concorde
July 25 marks the anniversary of the crash of the supersonic passenger jet liner known as the Concorde. Concorde was one of only two supersonic passenger airliners that could fly twice the speed of sound. To put that in context, today it takes about 7 hours to fly from NY…
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A Case For My Grandfather’s Involvement In the Manhattan Project
Earlier this week, I got this text message from my nephew: Through the accumulation of certain facts, based on statements made by my grandfather, I believe the answer to this question is yes. My grandpa used to work at the Franklin Institute. There, he said, they were using a computer…
Apple
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Age Appropriate iOS Games For Generation X
When Kevin Spacey in House of Cards started speaking so lovingly about Ada and the iOS game Monument Valley, I knew that my generation’s affinity for video games had absolutely become the norm. Those of us born in the late 60’s are really the first generation to have grown up…
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The Fastest and Cleanest Way to Replace an Old WordPress Site With a New One
You know what a harrowing experience it can be when you’re poised to replace a client’s website with the new one you’ve been building. All this time the new site has been safely available in the background, all cool, no one the wiser. Replacing a site, with as little disruption to…
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How to be a Hacker for $40 Just Get Blackshades RAT No Experience Necessary
Here is why ALL computer users need to be vigilant. (Scroll down to read the 7 habits that can make your Internet surfing safer). Today “one of the largest global cyber operations in history” attempted to take down the Blackshades racket. Here is why I think this is important news for you…
How to Set Up Your Dedicated IP on 1and1 L 2 Core Managed Server
I recently had to set up a dedicated IP address for a website at 1and1. My client didn’t have a need to get a fully dedicated server, so the best option for them was a managed server. What we needed was a way to point the A records to a…
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How To Simplify and Improve Your Proofreading
http://t.co/CoHjmHoaFi #Proofreading is a bitch. #Typos suck. Click to read the full article: This is the best technique for proofing your own work. pic.twitter.com/IxT5fAfLH4 — Scott_Allen (@Scott_Allen) March 30, 2014 Click here to read the full article…
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The Best Way to Securely Manage All of Your Website Passwords
No more post-it notes. No more forgotten or lost passwords. No more risking your data by using the same password for every site. No more insecurely saving your passwords inside your web browser. It’s time to tame the madness! If you use a web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari or… cough,…
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How to Reset Your Chromebook to Factory Settings
Look, I admit it. I love Google. That company does so much cool shit, I’m there. I’m not an Android user, but that doesn’t mean I can’t luv on Google a bit. I picked up an Acer C720 Chromebook for work, and while I really liked the machine, I just…
Book Reviews
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Scott Allen’s 2013 Reading List
This past year was like a rebirth for me. Finally after 10 years of cocooning I was out in the world, again. I think my 6 (or so) months living in near isolation in Kiev (yes, that’s Kiev, Ukraine) put the final touches on my 10,000 hours as a–whatever I…
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The Hitchhiker’s Guide To Marketing
Here is a little mental sorbet for you to chew on… (hat tip to CTO, John Harper, for the label ‘mental sorbet’ and the many discussions inspiring this article.) When it comes to selling the future, the statement “beware the naked man who offers you his shirt,” does not apply….
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How Vulnerable Are We, The Deplorable State of Cyber Security in the U.S.
The deplorable state of corporate & government cyber security in the U.S. should keep us ALL awake at night. Please carve out an hour of your time to focus on the issues discussed in the video embedded below. Take time to educate yourself about good personal security hygiene. Keep this…
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How to Send a Postcard From Your iPhone
Who doesn’t love receiving physical postcards in their mailbox? Our digital lives are so ephemeral. We post to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. We shoot emails. We ping on SMS. We Recommend on Linkedin. But it’s all so… what’s the word? Digital. Dare I say, empty? Emailing someone a photo from…
How to Remove Disqus Ads From Your WordPress Blog
If you’re using Disqus, which I highly recommend for managing your WordPress blog comments, you are probably serving up ads at the bottom of your posts and not realizing it. I got alerted to this when a client contacted me with a simple message: “WTF?” I dug around a little…
How to Add Send To Kindle Button to Your Blog
I woke up this morning with an email from my friend. I’ve just been informed, and have subsequently added, one of the best WordPress plugins I’ve seen since WP Touch made your blog mobile friendly. Send to Kindle. When you add this button to your blog your readers can click…
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Today’s Best Games on iPhone
For the past few months I’ve been living and working abroad. Basically hotel hopping between Philly, Dusseldorf and Kiev. It’s sort of like living like a monk. Except for the booze. The late night dinners. And the strippers. But beyond that, there has been time to explore a few games…
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Why We Cannot Blindly Trust The New Economy of Trust
When do we become afraid to make mistakes? When forgiveness dies. Take a moment to watch this video: Part of me says “I’ve seen the future and the future is trust.” But then, a little warning light goes off in my brain. Like that distant flickering of a train lamp…
