Retro Review: The Junk Drawer

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Junk Drawer

WEB ADDRESS: http//www.junkdrawerblog.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: I've been described as a cross between Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck. I wish it was neither. Dave Barry has hairy legs and Erma Bombeck is dead.

MY REVIEW: This is an interesting blog. There is a post where the blogger shows a picture (in this instance it was the inside of a toaster) gives the readers a hint and asks readers to guess what the item is. The other entries ramble from entertaining stories about domestic life that do not seem to have any continuity, a story the blogger worked on in workshop, and other musings. There are plenty of pictures to illustrate her points and stories. She is dealing with everyday issues most of us can relate to and is not wrapped up in herself. I think the key here is reading the blog consistantly to get to know the blogger and her world.

Sample post:

Tribal Blogs: The Crap-Free Zone of BloggingBlogging April 1st, 2010
I’d like to introduce you to a great new blogger’s network called Tribal Blogs, started by Jen of Redhead Rantings.

Jen wanted to start a new network for “writers whose outstanding blogs set them apart from the rest of the pack.” I joined a few weeks ago and I’m loving it already.

What you’ll find is a posse of awesome bloggers who take blogging seriously. They’re willing to lend you a hand, share and promote your posts, and toss ideas around that can be of use to everyone.

The network also has plenty of groups to join, even one just for men (Jen can’t even get in to see what they’re talking about, but she figures there’s a lot of belching and farting going on).

What you won’t find at Tribal Blogs are the crap blogs. You know exactly the kind of blogs I’m talking about. You probably visit them as part of other networks you belong to that require you to drop on blogs to earn credits or exposure.

Jen is careful to monitor membership and keep out blogs that aren’t updated, don’t have original material or whose authors don’t engage their readers. Here, there’s no wading through the chaff.

It’s free to join, but a premium membership is available for those who want to be listed in the Tribal Blogs toolbar. The toolbar is a great way to visit other members’ quality blogs all at once.

Come on over and check it out! You won’t be disappointed.

And thanks, Jen, for all your hard work getting Tribal Blogs off the ground. It’s an idea whose time has come.

RECENT ARTICLES:
- Taking it to a whole new level of dumbassery
- Let’s toast the winner
- What’s that Wednesday
- How Windy got in her tree

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Ann Currie publishes:
My Life a Bit South of Normal
Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

Retro Review: Harry and Helen (Yoga)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Harry and Helen

WEB ADDRESS:http://harryandhelen.sulekha.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: This blog presents poems and art which reflect the many years Harry and Helen Kottler have been practicing the path of Siddha Yoga.

MY REVIEW: This is a blog that I could not help but find to have a calming effect on me. (And, I am unfamiliar with the practice of Siddha Yoga.) Each daily post has an interesting graphic or picture with a short description of the poem that follows. Some of the pictures are actually computer drawings by Harry himself. The poems are thoughtful and well written, each quietly speaking to the topic. For those unfamiliar, I did some research on the subject: Siddha Yoga is “a spiritual path of discipline, of mastering the mind and the senses with teachings and practices. . . a path imbued with grace.”

I recommend this tranquil blog, but don’t let my review lull you, it is not dull and boring. The topics are interesting and Harry’s comments let you peak into events in his life.

[A note from Ms Cairo: This is one of those blogs where it makes a lot more sense to subscribe to it via the Kindle then to try to read it on the web. I just went to the web URL and it is all cluttered and extremely difficult to find anything! The Kindle is definitely the way to go with this blog.]

RECENT ARTICLES:
--When Bravery is Colored Blue
--Patience
--See Like an Eagle
--Angels and Creatures of the Dark
--The Mind's the Key to Everything

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Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normal> and Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

Retro Review: Future Savvy Journal

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Future Savvy Journal

WEB ADDRESS: http://futuresavvy.net

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The Future Savvy Journal discusses and expands on topics of the book, Future Savvy. It brings content and method together to promote critical thinking about foresight, and how to better anticipate, manage, and improve the future.

Future Savvy, published by The American Management Association (Amacom Press, NY, 2009) is a user's guide to judging predictions. It shows forecast consumers how to discern quality in future-thinking they read and hear, with examples and case studies of interest to both business and policy decision-makers. It views expert foresight as a crucial resource, but puts sharp tools in the hands of forecast users.

MY REVIEW: This is a well-written business-oriented blog that deals with foresight and the tricky business of prediction in today's international industrial and commerce markets. The subjects are wide ranged and vary from Wal-mart to electric cars to risk assessment. The blogger brings many sources to the table.

However, it is rarely updated - I did the math and in the past 6 months, the posts have averaged one every 11 days. This is not as much a blog as it is part of the overall website for Future Savvy. So be aware of that.

Sample post, from latest entry, March 16

The ’start-up’ visa and green card, a far-sighted recessionary surprise
Published by Adam Gordon under business, economy, forecast filtering, history, policy, social change

Legislation is the route by which ‘the people’ (or powerful sectarian interests, take your pick,) influence the future. It is often underestimated as a future force, or viewed merely as legislators playing catch-up with technology or societal change. But legislation can be far-sighted, and profoundly shape outcomes.

In a fascinating recent development, John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Richard Lugar, Republican of Indiana, introduced the Start-up Visa Act to the US Senate, as reported in Inc. magazine.

The legislation is a forward-looking bid to turbo-charge entrepreneurial venturing in the U.S. by attracting foreign entrepreneurs and connecting them to U.S. capital, therein driving new economic growth and local jobs. What’s really interesting is it goes against past common wisdom that recessions are ‘bad for immigration’ (as citizens demand job protection.)

If passed, the bill gives U.S. visas to foreigners who can raise $100,000 from an angel investor or $250,000 from a qualified VC firm. After two years, if the immigrant entrepreneur can create five or more jobs (excluding family), attract an additional $1 million in investment, or produce $1 million in revenue, he or she gets a green card (permanent residency.)

The only current option, the EB-5 business investment visa, requires immigrants to invest at least $1 million in the U.S. and employ 10 people.

Job creation
The National Venture Capital Association says 25 percent of America’s venture-backed, publicly-traded businesses, incl. Google, Yahoo!, eBay and Intel have been founded or co-founded by immigrants. According to Richard Herman, author of Immigrant, Inc.: Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy, nearly all U.S. job creation in the past 20 years has come from companies less than five years old.

The history of US immigration policy has been schizophrenic to say the least, with periods of great social openness followed by about-face door slamming. The slamming has always corresponded to economic downturns or anxiety thereto. But here we have the opposite effect. And we have legislators taking a forward view! Both proof that the future is sure to surprise us.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--The happy medium is a guide to the future for Toyota, McDonalds, and all of us
--Telling words on a running controversy in risk & foresight, from Peter Bernstein
--Haiti, when the present trumps the future, but possibly jolts it too
--What goes around comes around, like Yule and mom-and-pop shops inside Wal-Mart

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Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normal> and Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

Ebook Reader Geek (arts and entertainment)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: eBook Reader Geek , by Greg Diaz

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.ebookreadergeek.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Fun blog dedicated to digital reading and ebook readers.

MY REVIEW: I'm not sure how long it will take for ebook readers to take over from books. On the one hand you can get a whole library into a slim piece of metal that you can hold in one hand, on the other hand, if you lose a book - that's all you lose. If you lose your ebook reader, you've lots thousands of dollars worth of books!

Nevertheless, it's fun to read abou tthe various ebook readers - the Kindle, the Nook, etc. and the various books that you can read on them and the games you can play on them.

If you're interested in that type of thing - check out this blog. Lots of fascinating and informiative info.

RECENT POSTS:
--Nook Ereader vs Kindle
--5 Awesome Kindle Magazines for Mom
--Nook Color To Add Flash Suport and Apps
--7 Wacky Ways To Protect Your Kindle
--Patent Leather Nook Color Case in Red

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Retro Review: Magnificent Frigatebird (Bird watching)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. CAiro

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Magnificent Frigatebird

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.magnificentfrigatebird.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: ABOUT ME - My name is Amy and I'm a newer birder living in the Chicago area with my husband, Arthur. Besides birding I love to travel. I was fortunate enough to live in Arthur's native Holland for nearly 10 years. We spent a lot of that time traveling around Europe and beyond - birding, scuba diving and having a great time generally exploring our world. On this blog I'll write about my own birding & backyard birding experiences, interesting bird news, and a bit about the birding-themed gifts for sale in our shop here and at Birdorable.

MY REVIEW: This is another enjoyable birding blog. Well, most birding/bird watching blogs are. There are a lot of photos, and that's the only drawback, they are in greyscale, so you don't get the full impact you would at the actual site. Nevertheless, for a quick daily fix of birdwatching, this one, along with Two-fisted Birdwatcher, fit the bill.

Here's a sample post:

As spring migration starts picking up, so do the spring bird club field trips. Lake-Cook Audubon kicked off their 2010 field trip season with today’s Loons of Lake County lead by Fred and Cheri Thompson. We had 33 total species for the day, with nine FOY (First Of Year) birds, including Common Loon and Double-crested Cormorant. We also had our FOS (First of Season) big group of birders.

(With several photos)

RECENT ARTICLES:
--T-Shirt Tuesday: I See Birds (posted 3 days ago)
This week's highlighted shirt design looks like an eyechart you ...
--Leucistic Robin (posted 4 days ago)
I saw my first leucistic American Robin on Sunday afternoon ...
--FOY joy (posted 5 days ago)
As spring migration starts picking up, so do the spring ...
--Raptor Internship Week 11 (posted 5 days ago)
My Raptor Internship at Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation is winding...
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On Thursday Arthur and I are volunteering for Flint Creek ...
--T-Shirt Tuesday: Ride a Birder (posted 10 days ago)
This week's highlighted t-shirt design spoofs the popular "Save a ...
--(Really Old) Book Review: Birding Babylon (posted 12 days ago)
Birding Babylon: A Soldier's Journal from Iraq by Jonathan ...
--Three lifers in two days (posted 13 days ago)
We don't often chase rare bird alerts. When we do, ...