Well, I did it.
I published one of my short stories on Amazon as an E-book and sales have actually been pretty decent! The Book is called “Growing up Hippie – Living with the Rastas” and is an edited and longer version of the Rasta stories which were posted here last year.
You can buy the book for only 99 cents!
The link is at:
http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Up-Hippie-Rastafarians-ebook/dp/B008397HPG/
Enjoy!
How I become a Webmaster and started Hearth.com
For those who are unfamiliar, I am the founder and publisher of Hearth.com, a popular web site about wood stoves and related appliances which has been active since 1995.
When I first decided to start this informational hearth site, it was my goal to have 10,000 readers per month…now we have more than that number in ONE DAY. Stats for Fall, 2011, show 460,000 visitors in November alone, reading over 3 MILLION pages!
In fact, Hearth.com is the most read stove and fireplace publication in the world and perhaps the only independent source of hearth information on the internet or in print!
Let’s turn on the wayback machine and discover how Hearth.com came to be.
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I was born in Philadelphia in November of 1953 – a baby boomer, for certain, albeit on the younger end of that generation. Although many periods in history are full of upheaval and change, there is something unique about the speed and severity of the changes which started to occur as I entered primary school. The sequence of events are fairly well known, but to see them close at hand as a growing child was quite alarming. Continue reading
I’m sorry to hear of Steve Jobs leaving Apple, although very few human beings have had as good a run as he.
His illness and eventual passing brings to mind the question of the Singularity, that being the idea that computing power is now close to being able to contain consciousness offloaded from the human brain. Those not familiar with the topic should check out these links –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singularitarianism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Singularity_Is_Near
Continue reading
I’m a big fan of Apple Computer and Steve Jobs since I purchased my first mac in 1984. There is something special about people who follow their dreams – at seemingly any cost! Despite the pundits, his company has now grown to be the worlds largest (market cap) and most valuable brand – a serious accomplishment!
I think all of us would be wise to read the following passage from a commencement speech he gave in 2005. It regards deaths – but, actually, refers more to life – specifically how to live it.
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“My third story is about death. Continue reading
(note – written MANY years ago – approx 1992)
Take it from me–the original type “A” personality. It pays to keep yourself rested and healthy. I worked 60 to 70 hours a week for many years while I started my businesses. Yes, I enjoyed it, but this stress took it’s toll.
At around age 35, my doctor told me he’d be putting me on medicine for high blood pressure. I casually asked him how long I would have to take it and he answered “the rest of your life”. Well, that got me thinking ! It’s easy to pretend that we are invincible, but you can’t fool Mother Nature. If you are far out of balance, something will go wrong! In my own case, it’s a long story that’s not over yet.
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….in this case, the Beast being us and Beauty being what we describe as such. I heard an NPR show on How Pleasure Works and it got me thinking….. Continue reading
Mechanic’s Mind – a term I have not heard before – and yet one that would seem to be obvious. I have never read “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, yet the title brings to mind a definition possibly close to Mechanics Mind.
For the uninitiated, the closest thing might be the 1963 Movie Classic “The Man with the X-Ray Eyes“. This is the story of a normal man who started to see through things. At first, he only saw through the first layer…such as clothes or a wall. But as his powers increased, he started to see the breakdown of EVERYTHING to the extent that it all eventually became molecular! Continue reading
I just love the parts of Gump where he ends up being in the right or wrong places at various times in history! One scene shows him in with LBJ, another addressing one of the largest anti-war rallies in history. He buys some stock in a fruit company (Apple Computer) and inspires John Lennon to write the song “Imagine”. Continue reading
Take it from me—the original type “A” personality. It pays to keep yourself rested and healthy. I worked 60 to 70 hours a week for many years while I started and ran my businesses. Yes, I enjoyed it, but this stress took it’s toll. Continue reading