May 20, 2017

The VOID Ghostbusters: Dimension – A Review

She ain’t afraid of no ghosts.
About a year ago, Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired, said the most profound Virtual Reality he’s ever experienced was a private prototype at the headquarters of The VOID in Lindon, Utah (just 20 miles from our house). Through the next week, they’ve opened their Ghostbusters: Dimension experience to the public. Slimer and Stay Puft make an appearance, and the sensory experience is absolutely wild. From the pulsing and mist of ghosts flying through you, to balancing on a shaky rig outside a skyscraper. I’ve never experienced anything like that, except maybe real life. I’ve drunk the Ecto Cool-Aid. VR, I’m in.
 
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May 17, 2017

No. There Is No Way YOU Should Write A Book.

This post has been contributed.
 
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Everyone has a book in them. That’s how the infamous phrase reads. Unfortunately, most people stop reading there and fail to read the second half that sentence; everyone has a book in them, but that’s where it should stay. We know, we know, we’re supposed to encourage people to write books, to tell their story and add to the culture of this world. But the truth is, most people who want to write a book should not.
 
It’s not so much that the idea of the book is bad. It may well be genius, the next 1984 or Casino Royale or, maybe even, The Great Gatsby. Even so, the reason why most people shouldn’t write a book is the motivation behind wanting to because most people want to write for extremely bad reasons.
 
So, if you are thinking about putting your fingertips to keyboard, please pause for a moment to consider whether you are writing for a bad reason before doing so. This is for your benefit because writing for bad reasons tends to lead to bad writing, and bad writing leads to bad books.
 
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You Want To Be A Famous Author
We have all wanted to be Charles Bukowski or Hunter S Thompson or Virginia Woolf, but this isn’t the right mentality to have when writing a book. These people are icons because of who they are and they time in which they wrote what they wrote. They were in a sentence far more than you can ever know. They changed social thinking with each and every sentence they threw themselves into. This isn’t the whole reason, though. Yeah, sure, there are famous authors, like those we mentioned, but the majority of famous authors are dead and the majority of living authors are unknown. The bottom line is this, writing doesn’t make you famous, even a best-seller doesn’t make you famous. So it is time to rethink your goal.
 
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You Want To Live The Life Of A Writer
What does that even mean? Most writers we know, the ones that have been doing it steadily for years and years, haven’t been on holiday since they picked up a pen and still rely on the bank of mum and dad. They are in their late 40s and early 50s. Writing because you have seen someone put #writerslife on Instagram while at the beach, or because you want to wear a tweed jacket and get drunk on whisky and ice is a foolish reason to start writing. You will only suffer a miserable existence if this is your goal, and you will deserve that suffering. To live the writer’s life of success and freedom requires serious hard work and dedication, and it relies on you writing something of value, that others will find interesting. A life is what you make it, and that starts with you. So figure out who you are first.
 
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You Are Writing For You And You Alone
Don’t get us wrong, when you write a book you need to write the book you want to read. It is simple as that. If you don’t love what you have written then you can’t expect anyone else to love it. However, if you are simply writing for you, then you are confusing a book with a diary. There is nothing wrong with this. Writing for you is a wonderful way to expand as a person and to meditate and heal, but that’s all it should be. Don’t release your words. If you are just writing for you, then leave it at that. Write, put it in a drawer, and keep it for you. Or you can write a book that is actually a book that people will want to read, which is different to a diary. Trust us on that.
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May 17, 2017

The Hobbies That Could Make You Money

This post has been contributed. 7027595009_f3c5fc23e4_z.jpg
Everyone should have a hobby. When we’re kids, hobbies come naturally. We collect football cards and Barbie dolls, draw pictures and play games all night long. Unfortunately, when we reach adulthood and the world of work beckons, many of us put our pastimes away and do little more than cook dinner and slump in front of the TV when we get home at night. This is such as shame because not only are hobbies, relaxing and great at keeping the brain healthy, but they can also be quite lucrative too.
 
Here are some of the hobbies that could make you money:
 
Blogging
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Setting up and writing a blog is a lot easier than the average person thinks. You can be up and running in under an hour, and writing a 500-word post need not take you longer than 20 minutes once you get into the swing of things. If you ad sponsorship deals, Google ads and affiliate links to your blog, you could bring in anything from a couple of pounds to several thousand each month.
 
Entering Competitions
 
Spending a few hours a week seeking out and entering all of the many thousands of competitions that are available on and offline, you could win cash and prizes worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Some of the most serious competitive competition hobbyists have even been able to give up their own jobs and make a full time living selling their prizes. Obviously, most people won’t be so lucky, but you could see a regular stream of packages turn up on your doorstep if you pursue the hobby seriously.
 
Photography
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Not only is photography a great way to unleash your creativity on the world, but it can be a good way to boost your income too. If you’re able to take really good pictures, you can sell them to newspapers and stock photo sites and make a decent amount of money over the course of a year.
 
Online Gambling
 
Obviously, online gambling can be a good way of losing money, but not if you’re smart about it and take advantage of the many sign up bonuses and free games that are available. Looking at Foxy Reviews, it is evident that playing online games like bingo is a lot of fun, and there are many great bonuses to be had. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say.
 
Graphic Design
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Learning how to use creative software like Photoshop can be a very engaging hobby, especially when you start to get the hang of it and you’re able to create great works of digital art. If you get really good at it, you could even offer your services as a freelance graphic designer creating logos, infographics, and artworks for all kinds of companies.
 
Woodwork
 
There are few things more satisfying than taking a lump of wood and turning it into something beautiful with your own two hands. If you learn the skill of carpentry, you can sell sculptures, restore furniture and do odd jobs to make a bit of extra cash. It could even lead to a whole new career for you.
 
Do you make money with your hobby? Tell us all about it.
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May 16, 2017

Got Something to Say? Then Say it Loud!

This post has been contributed.
 
The world isn’t always in its best shape, and you might say we’re in one of those periods now. The problem is, just a few people make the decisions who take us down a dark path; the many tend just to sigh and talk about it over a coffee or a beer. But in a democracy, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be an active part of the decision-making, and how you do that is by speaking up and getting your opinions out into the world. Here are five ways to get your message across.
 
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Source: Pexels.com

Starting a Blog

 
You might think that every man and his dog have a blog, and that’s true to a degree: there are many blogs out there. However, most are just a blog in name only, they’re not updated and lack the cohesiveness that makes the most popular blogs online so well received. If you’re got a knack for writing, can figure out SEO and think you’ve got something to say that’ll improve the world, then set up a blog and get publishing. If what you’re saying is worth a grain of salt, it’ll find an audience.
 

Active Social Media Accounts

 
Just like blogs, there are a lot of social media accounts there, and very often they’re opinionated. But most people used Twitter to share their opinions about everything; you’ll be using it to express your opinions around one specific theme or idea. In time, you’ll have built up a following as you’re seen as a leader in that line of thinking. Just make sure you’re sticking to the topic and not tweeting about anything and everything!
 

In Book Form

 
The self-published book revolution is most definitely here. Could you put your opinions to paper and get it out there in book form? If your thoughts are developed enough to merit long form,  then learn more about digital book printing and begin the journey of being a self-published author. Writing a book has many more advantages than just Tweeting or writing a blog; it shows a real commitment to your thoughts, and having them put down in a real book will automatically give them more respect.
 

Smartphone Generation

 
Everyone’s walking around with a smartphone in their pocket, just waiting to for their next slice of entertainment. If you’re tech savvy, then consider starting a podcast. After a brief blip, podcasts are back and bigger than ever. You’ll be able to record them at your own leisure, really flesh out your thoughts, and even be able to put across some of your personality too. They’re also a little bit informal than other mediums and can take you off in directions you never thought possible.
 

Video, Video, Video

At some point in the next couple of years, videos will account for something absurd like 75% of mobile internet traffic. That’s a lot of videos that are being watched! If you think you can put together a good video, that might be the best way to get your opinion out to a large audience.
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