.
YouTube - Winning the Aussie Way
Ya gotta love it!
Also, I just noticed Susan Boyle now has a CD out! I'm totally in love with the way she beat the crap out of Simon Cowell... metaphorically speaking, of course. Looking her up for the above links, I see she's got TWO CD's out, plus a couple DVDs and a book, and I'm proud to link them up for you. Congratulations to you, Susan, for making it so big, and especially for wiping that smug scowl off Simon's face!
Lastly, let me throw out some birthday greetings to a couple of my friends. One turned 16 yesterday and another turns 28 today.
_______
Other articles you'll find interesting or helpful:
"The The Impotence of Proofreading," by TAYLOR MALI
You know you feel good when...
Hey baby, what's your sign? (Updated!)
.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Site Metrics Unveiled
Labels:
computer,
my jobs,
status,
stuff i made
.
Hey, everyone! I thought I'd clue you in on what's been going on around here, because it's pretty fantastic!
Another surprise was that 50% of my visitors use IE, 28% use Firefox, and the remainder are made up of the usual suspects (Safari, Chrome, and Opera), but with a couple surprises, such as Java and Netscape. The real shock, though, was the operating systems and the way the numbers have changed over the past few months.
87% of visitors use Windows, and 6% use Mac. What about the other 7%? I was SHOCKED. SHOCKED, I tell you!
The iPhone users made up over 1/3 of the bulk, and another third went to "Other" Unix. Making up the remaining 2% of my visitors are users of the iPad, Linux, Playstation, BlackBerry, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Wii.
Wow! People are visiting my site with GAME MACHINES and PHONES!
I love it!
Thank you all!
Over time, though, the statistics have changed markedly. The stats above are all-time numbers since Google started doing this back in May. In the past 30 days (as of right now), 8% fewer people have used Firefox and 7% more have used IE to visit me. 2% fewer people used Windows, and, get this: IPhone users outnumbered Mac users! Both had 5% of the visits, but there were a few extra iPhone users.
And in the past 7 days, 66% of visitors did so with IE, and only 13% used Firefox. 88% used Windows, and Mac and iPhone both tied at 4%.
That's pretty cool!
Which articles are most popular? Probably the one you came in on, since 90% of you are coming for four articles, but staying to read everything else. I'll have more of those topics for you in the future!
When I first came here to Google Blogger, I set up all kinds of helpful cross-linking tools: categories, archiving, and so on, but apparently that wasn't enough, so I just recently added a few links to the end of many articles to direct traffic elsewhere. I didn't restrict these cross-links to similar topics, because I have a plethora of things here worth reading, because I read about a plethora of things. I still saw a corresonding increase in traffic, so I'll be using this tool more often, and now that I've got 80 articles, I'll be able to link up related posts more often and we'll see how well that does for the traffic. I spent a few hours editing articles to add these links in.
The only thing left is to start getting more active participation. I do occasionally get emails, but not many comments or votes or followers. And I do get the occasional PERSONAL comment, like from a friend who reads it. Only a handful of people have bought something through one of my Amazon links, but that's all it takes to pay for this place.
Thank you, to those of you who have helped me out, and thank you to those who will continue to do so. Here are a few things for you to consider buying, and then some other articles to check out.
_______
Further articles that may interest or help you:
Expose Yourself #1 – Smilin’ Bill
BobParsons is a friggin' genius
Got Lobstah?
.
Hey, everyone! I thought I'd clue you in on what's been going on around here, because it's pretty fantastic!The other day, I discovered that Google now includes a modest suite of site-metrics for Blogger.com websites! Outstanding! I've been reviewing them, and you'd be shocked and amazed at what I've found.
For one, I get visitors from all over the world. The bulk are from the USA, of course, but a suprising number come from elsewhere. Canada, The United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Australia, Sweden, Romania, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Latvia, Chile, Ghana, and New Zealand all generate a surprising amount of traffic.
Another surprise was that 50% of my visitors use IE, 28% use Firefox, and the remainder are made up of the usual suspects (Safari, Chrome, and Opera), but with a couple surprises, such as Java and Netscape. The real shock, though, was the operating systems and the way the numbers have changed over the past few months.
87% of visitors use Windows, and 6% use Mac. What about the other 7%? I was SHOCKED. SHOCKED, I tell you!
The iPhone users made up over 1/3 of the bulk, and another third went to "Other" Unix. Making up the remaining 2% of my visitors are users of the iPad, Linux, Playstation, BlackBerry, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Wii.
Wow! People are visiting my site with GAME MACHINES and PHONES!
I love it!
Thank you all!
Over time, though, the statistics have changed markedly. The stats above are all-time numbers since Google started doing this back in May. In the past 30 days (as of right now), 8% fewer people have used Firefox and 7% more have used IE to visit me. 2% fewer people used Windows, and, get this: IPhone users outnumbered Mac users! Both had 5% of the visits, but there were a few extra iPhone users.
And in the past 7 days, 66% of visitors did so with IE, and only 13% used Firefox. 88% used Windows, and Mac and iPhone both tied at 4%.
That's pretty cool!
It also tells me what the most popular search terms are, where people come from, and which pages are visited most frequently. I was a bit surprised at the results, especially since the most used search term to reach me was the name of a guy I've only used once on the site. I suppose I shouldn't be, since everyone wants to know who he is and there's nothing out there to tell you what kind of a guy he is and whether he's as dangerous as you've probably heard. Since I'm not interested in propping up his career, I'm not going to mention it now. Maybe later. I can tell you that if you google for him, this site is high on the results list.
Which articles are most popular? Probably the one you came in on, since 90% of you are coming for four articles, but staying to read everything else. I'll have more of those topics for you in the future!When I first came here to Google Blogger, I set up all kinds of helpful cross-linking tools: categories, archiving, and so on, but apparently that wasn't enough, so I just recently added a few links to the end of many articles to direct traffic elsewhere. I didn't restrict these cross-links to similar topics, because I have a plethora of things here worth reading, because I read about a plethora of things. I still saw a corresonding increase in traffic, so I'll be using this tool more often, and now that I've got 80 articles, I'll be able to link up related posts more often and we'll see how well that does for the traffic. I spent a few hours editing articles to add these links in.
The only thing left is to start getting more active participation. I do occasionally get emails, but not many comments or votes or followers. And I do get the occasional PERSONAL comment, like from a friend who reads it. Only a handful of people have bought something through one of my Amazon links, but that's all it takes to pay for this place.
Thank you, to those of you who have helped me out, and thank you to those who will continue to do so. Here are a few things for you to consider buying, and then some other articles to check out.
_______
Further articles that may interest or help you:
Expose Yourself #1 – Smilin’ Bill
BobParsons is a friggin' genius
Got Lobstah?
.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Nelson Mandela isn't THAT good
Labels:
advice,
famous,
good links,
history
.
You've heard of Nelson Mandela, the black African from South Africa who was a political prisoner stuck in some hole for 27 years. He used the time to read and learn about human nature and managed to figure out how to heal his country, so that when he was finally liberated, he soon after became President of the very country which had taken away so much of his freedom.
Most of us would probably be very angry about such a circumstance happening to us. Most of us would probably look for retribution. Most of us would retaliate. But Nelson Mandela built his presidency and his country on forgiveness and enlightenment. He understood that the past need not impact the future, that people can put aside their differences and focus on something much more important.
There are two ways in this world to get ahead, and I'll tell you what they are:
One way is to push other people down. Embarrass them, sling mud, attach negative labels to them, show the world their flaws, prey on them, even ram jets into their builldings. The Bible says "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," which is supposed to be our justice system. Let those who transgress against us suffer the same transgression against themselves.
The problem with that is twofold: first, transgressions are often imagined or perceived where none were intended. Sometimes they're even invented to justify our own selfishness. Killing people who are different from you at the behest of some one who thinks he's above you is the ultimate form of selfishness, and it doesn't matter if they're a national leader, religious leader, or comes into your head of your own accord. Only the people asking for murder gain, and at the expense of both the murdered and those who do the murdering. I guarantee you that the same figure who tells you to kill someone else will eventually tell someone else to kill you.
The other problem is that when we push others down, we ourselves are also lowering ourselves. You can't push someone down without also going downward yourself. It's simple gravity, man!
The second way to get ahead is to help others. Build them up and you build yourself up. Work together and you both win. It's obvious that this works or we wouldn't have countries, or cities, or even families. By cooperating for common gain, everyone wins.
Without cooperation and building each other up, we would've been extinct long ago. We're all born helpless and depend on someone else to provide for us, and our dependence on others never ends. We can't even die without depending on someone else to take away our bodies.
The human body itself is composed of billions of cells which must work together for the common good. Some cells are heart cells or blood cells, and they deliver nutrients to the other cells. Some are stomach cells or lung cells, and they collect and prepare nutrients for the blood to carry. Some cells are muscle cells or bone cells, and they allow the whole body to move and search for food. Some cells are brain cells or nerve cells, and they keep the whole thing running smoothly, even allowing us to think consciously.
What's more, the human body DEPENDS on certain bacteria. These symbiotic bacteria digest foods that we can't, and they produce nutrients that we CAN use. In fact, symbiosis is the rule of life, not the exception. EVERY LIVING THING cooperates with some other living thing to survive. No man is an island, and so too is no bacteria.
Nelson Mandela understood this. When he became President of South Africa, he could've used his position to punish all who had punished him. But instead he chose to forgive them and move past the hate. As a result, South Africa has become a significant power in Africa, and will likely continue to be one for some time.
That's pretty darn good for one man to accomplish. Except he didn't accomplish it alone. He had help. Just as we all need help, so too did he. He was the brain cell, someone else was the nerve cell, someone else was the heart cell, someone else was the blood cell, and so on. He did a lot of good by guiding his country in the proper direction.
So why do I say he's not THAT good?
A couple weeks ago, a friend showed me a book she was writing, and at the end she had a brilliant quote that came from Nelson Mandela's Inaugeration Speech. It was powerful and fantastic, and I'm going to quote it for you now:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
This is brilliant, and something I've been learning to live by for the past couple years, so I recognized its value immedately.
However, Nelson Mandela never wrote this. Nor did he read it. According to this page, it was written by Marianne Williamson for her book, “Return to Love” and was never spoken by Mandela. He had nothing whatsoever to do with it.
It's a really great quote, and I'll probably have more to say about it soon, especially if I can find a copy of that book to read.
_______
Other articles you'll find interesting or helpful:
Up to 5.5 Miles, and a Computer Store in a Hairdresser
Ron Riekki - 2010
Maps are freakin' awesome
.
Most of us would probably be very angry about such a circumstance happening to us. Most of us would probably look for retribution. Most of us would retaliate. But Nelson Mandela built his presidency and his country on forgiveness and enlightenment. He understood that the past need not impact the future, that people can put aside their differences and focus on something much more important.
There are two ways in this world to get ahead, and I'll tell you what they are:
One way is to push other people down. Embarrass them, sling mud, attach negative labels to them, show the world their flaws, prey on them, even ram jets into their builldings. The Bible says "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," which is supposed to be our justice system. Let those who transgress against us suffer the same transgression against themselves.
The problem with that is twofold: first, transgressions are often imagined or perceived where none were intended. Sometimes they're even invented to justify our own selfishness. Killing people who are different from you at the behest of some one who thinks he's above you is the ultimate form of selfishness, and it doesn't matter if they're a national leader, religious leader, or comes into your head of your own accord. Only the people asking for murder gain, and at the expense of both the murdered and those who do the murdering. I guarantee you that the same figure who tells you to kill someone else will eventually tell someone else to kill you.
The other problem is that when we push others down, we ourselves are also lowering ourselves. You can't push someone down without also going downward yourself. It's simple gravity, man!
The second way to get ahead is to help others. Build them up and you build yourself up. Work together and you both win. It's obvious that this works or we wouldn't have countries, or cities, or even families. By cooperating for common gain, everyone wins.
Without cooperation and building each other up, we would've been extinct long ago. We're all born helpless and depend on someone else to provide for us, and our dependence on others never ends. We can't even die without depending on someone else to take away our bodies.
The human body itself is composed of billions of cells which must work together for the common good. Some cells are heart cells or blood cells, and they deliver nutrients to the other cells. Some are stomach cells or lung cells, and they collect and prepare nutrients for the blood to carry. Some cells are muscle cells or bone cells, and they allow the whole body to move and search for food. Some cells are brain cells or nerve cells, and they keep the whole thing running smoothly, even allowing us to think consciously.
What's more, the human body DEPENDS on certain bacteria. These symbiotic bacteria digest foods that we can't, and they produce nutrients that we CAN use. In fact, symbiosis is the rule of life, not the exception. EVERY LIVING THING cooperates with some other living thing to survive. No man is an island, and so too is no bacteria.
Nelson Mandela understood this. When he became President of South Africa, he could've used his position to punish all who had punished him. But instead he chose to forgive them and move past the hate. As a result, South Africa has become a significant power in Africa, and will likely continue to be one for some time.
That's pretty darn good for one man to accomplish. Except he didn't accomplish it alone. He had help. Just as we all need help, so too did he. He was the brain cell, someone else was the nerve cell, someone else was the heart cell, someone else was the blood cell, and so on. He did a lot of good by guiding his country in the proper direction.
So why do I say he's not THAT good?
A couple weeks ago, a friend showed me a book she was writing, and at the end she had a brilliant quote that came from Nelson Mandela's Inaugeration Speech. It was powerful and fantastic, and I'm going to quote it for you now:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
This is brilliant, and something I've been learning to live by for the past couple years, so I recognized its value immedately.
However, Nelson Mandela never wrote this. Nor did he read it. According to this page, it was written by Marianne Williamson for her book, “Return to Love” and was never spoken by Mandela. He had nothing whatsoever to do with it.
It's a really great quote, and I'll probably have more to say about it soon, especially if I can find a copy of that book to read.
_______
Other articles you'll find interesting or helpful:
Up to 5.5 Miles, and a Computer Store in a Hairdresser
Ron Riekki - 2010
Maps are freakin' awesome
.
Monday, September 13, 2010
"The The Impotence of Proofreading," by TAYLOR MALI
Labels:
food,
funnys,
writing,
you might not know
.
"The The Impotence of Proofreading," by TAYLOR MALI
This is a short video presentation. It's pretty funny, but technically I wouldn't term it as safe for work.
Reminds me of a couple years ago, back when I frequented forums a lot more than I do now, when I got tired of all the horribly misspelled posts I had to read to get to an idea. I finally created a short saying that summed up my feelings pretty well. Then some over-sensative idjit said I was being "offensive". Here's the full text of what I was trying to say:
"If reeding you're techs tis all-most tore-chore fore pea-pull, pleas bee shore two ewes thee rye-towards too right hear inn thee four-umms; its aweigh too lettuce no ewer knot uh more-ron. It snot sew vary harred two due atoll. Thang-queue."
I'm so bad, as my friend Natalie will tell you.
It also inspired the You Might not Know how to Write in the English Language article, and their follow-ups.
Hey, while you're here, buy something from Amazon with one of these links. You don't have to buy what I'm linking, just go to Amazon through the link and buy something.
"The The Impotence of Proofreading," by TAYLOR MALI
This is a short video presentation. It's pretty funny, but technically I wouldn't term it as safe for work.
Reminds me of a couple years ago, back when I frequented forums a lot more than I do now, when I got tired of all the horribly misspelled posts I had to read to get to an idea. I finally created a short saying that summed up my feelings pretty well. Then some over-sensative idjit said I was being "offensive". Here's the full text of what I was trying to say:
"If reeding you're techs tis all-most tore-chore fore pea-pull, pleas bee shore two ewes thee rye-towards too right hear inn thee four-umms; its aweigh too lettuce no ewer knot uh more-ron. It snot sew vary harred two due atoll. Thang-queue."
I'm so bad, as my friend Natalie will tell you.
It also inspired the You Might not Know how to Write in the English Language article, and their follow-ups.
Hey, while you're here, buy something from Amazon with one of these links. You don't have to buy what I'm linking, just go to Amazon through the link and buy something.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
What we mean when we say we will never forget
Labels:
good links,
history
.
What we mean when we say we will never forget
I don't know how it could be said any more succinctly.
_____
Other Articles you may find helpful or interesting:
It's Official: Asus doesn't Honor its Agreements
Arizona you evil state you
To Your Health - Part 3
.
What we mean when we say we will never forget
I don't know how it could be said any more succinctly.
_____
Other Articles you may find helpful or interesting:
It's Official: Asus doesn't Honor its Agreements
Arizona you evil state you
To Your Health - Part 3
.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Up to 5.5 Miles, and a Computer Store in a Hairdresser
Labels:
computer,
good links,
health,
status
.
We've been walking a lot more. Last week, my buddy and I walked what I thought was 5 miles over the course of 100 minutes - that's a good walking speed of 3 miles per hour. I finally got around to measuring it on my map and discovered we'd actually walked half a mile farther! That's an even brisker 3.3 miles per hour.
I walked on the treadmill the other day and found out I burn 330 calories per hour when walking at 3 miles per hour, so for that walk I burned about 600 calories.
That's about one bowl of cereal with almond milk, which is what I have for breakfast. Free breakfast! Calorie-wise, anyway.
An hour of walking is good for your circulation and helpful for your heart and lungs, but if all it negates is a bowl of cereal, it's not a fat-burning tool. By that I mean you can't go eating tons of cookies and crap and think you're going to burn them off with an easy hour or two of walking.
Jogging at a comfortable pace of 5.5 mph burns off about 650 calories per hour for me. My jogging has gotten up to about a mile and a third at that speed, for 14 minutes, then filling out at least half an hour with walking, for about 3.5 total miles those days.
If you do the math, you'll see that you don't have to run twice as fast to burn twice the calories. If you can go faster, you can burn disproportionately more calories while you're doing it, and save time too. Higher intensity is better.
Matt Furey, noted physical trainer, agrees with me about intensity. In fact, he takes it a couple steps further by saying you should run all-out for as long and far as you can - essentially go as intense as you possibly can. I haven't tried it yet, but he says it's the best thing you can do for your heart and lungs, in that it does the most to build them up. I think I may give it a try for a few days and see if it improves my speed and endurance for my jogs.
In other news, if you live in Bunnell, I've discovered a great computer repair place - slash - beauty parlor and barber. Get your hair done and a facial while you get your computer fixed! Head to 4751 E Moody Blvd and look for the computer sign on the salon, and I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised!
View Larger Map
_______
Other articles you'll find interesting or helpful:
Bob Parsons is a friggin' genius
Curse cookies!
My Travels - Indiana
.
We've been walking a lot more. Last week, my buddy and I walked what I thought was 5 miles over the course of 100 minutes - that's a good walking speed of 3 miles per hour. I finally got around to measuring it on my map and discovered we'd actually walked half a mile farther! That's an even brisker 3.3 miles per hour.
I walked on the treadmill the other day and found out I burn 330 calories per hour when walking at 3 miles per hour, so for that walk I burned about 600 calories.
That's about one bowl of cereal with almond milk, which is what I have for breakfast. Free breakfast! Calorie-wise, anyway.
An hour of walking is good for your circulation and helpful for your heart and lungs, but if all it negates is a bowl of cereal, it's not a fat-burning tool. By that I mean you can't go eating tons of cookies and crap and think you're going to burn them off with an easy hour or two of walking.
Jogging at a comfortable pace of 5.5 mph burns off about 650 calories per hour for me. My jogging has gotten up to about a mile and a third at that speed, for 14 minutes, then filling out at least half an hour with walking, for about 3.5 total miles those days.
If you do the math, you'll see that you don't have to run twice as fast to burn twice the calories. If you can go faster, you can burn disproportionately more calories while you're doing it, and save time too. Higher intensity is better.
Matt Furey, noted physical trainer, agrees with me about intensity. In fact, he takes it a couple steps further by saying you should run all-out for as long and far as you can - essentially go as intense as you possibly can. I haven't tried it yet, but he says it's the best thing you can do for your heart and lungs, in that it does the most to build them up. I think I may give it a try for a few days and see if it improves my speed and endurance for my jogs.
In other news, if you live in Bunnell, I've discovered a great computer repair place - slash - beauty parlor and barber. Get your hair done and a facial while you get your computer fixed! Head to 4751 E Moody Blvd and look for the computer sign on the salon, and I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised!
View Larger Map
_______
Other articles you'll find interesting or helpful:
Bob Parsons is a friggin' genius
Curse cookies!
My Travels - Indiana
.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
CAPTAIN BOOTSIE BEAR'S LOST TEMPLE IN TIME
Labels:
good links,
history
.
CAPTAIN BOOTSIE BEAR'S A LOST TEMPLE IN TIME MAGIC TIME PORTAL ADVENTURE
I'll bet you're wondering why I'd link up something called "Captian Bootsie Bear". Read the article. It's worded for kids, but if the discoverer is correct, this archaeological find upsets almost everything we know about human history. What does it take to create a civilization? Agriculture? Writing? The wheel?
When you consider that the Sphinx may be a lot older than originally thought (if the geological evidence is to be believed), it makes you wonder what other fantastic discoveries are waiting to be made about our pre-history!
Civilization is generally accepted to be about 6000 years old. There are about a dozen games which will corroborate this. This Turkish discovery and the debate over the age of the Sphinx indicate there may have been civilization a lot longer than we thought, as much as 10,000 years ago according to a TV program about the Sphinx I saw a few years ago.
Tour around the site a little, too. The owner tells me she gets half a million visitors a month. I'd bet they're not all kids, either.
.
CAPTAIN BOOTSIE BEAR'S A LOST TEMPLE IN TIME MAGIC TIME PORTAL ADVENTURE
I'll bet you're wondering why I'd link up something called "Captian Bootsie Bear". Read the article. It's worded for kids, but if the discoverer is correct, this archaeological find upsets almost everything we know about human history. What does it take to create a civilization? Agriculture? Writing? The wheel?
When you consider that the Sphinx may be a lot older than originally thought (if the geological evidence is to be believed), it makes you wonder what other fantastic discoveries are waiting to be made about our pre-history!
Civilization is generally accepted to be about 6000 years old. There are about a dozen games which will corroborate this. This Turkish discovery and the debate over the age of the Sphinx indicate there may have been civilization a lot longer than we thought, as much as 10,000 years ago according to a TV program about the Sphinx I saw a few years ago.
Tour around the site a little, too. The owner tells me she gets half a million visitors a month. I'd bet they're not all kids, either.
.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Expose Yourself #1 – Smilin’ Bill
Labels:
advice,
deals,
expose yourself,
famous,
good links
Tweet.
About a year ago, when I moved my site to Blogger.com, I promised I’d bring to your attention some of the interesting people I know or have met. It took a little while to make this one happen, but I keep my promises.
Today I’m talking to a real, living legend. Inspired by the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Tom Mix, he became a cowboy musician and horseman who performed across the Midwest, all before he turned 18. At 21, God came into his life and set him on a new path. Starting at age 29, he began a career as a highly successful environmental engineer, designing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of public works projects. During the next 33 years he married, started a family, and became a church leader.
He recently began to write and is now a highly acclaimed author with an award-winning book, creating his own publishing company in the process. Today, you might mistake this pillar of the community for a spry 60 year old because he’s so active in his community, but what got my attention was his super-positive attitude, an encouraging word for everyone, and a laugh that comes easily.
In the 1940’s, you knew him on stage as, “Smilin’ Bill and his Wonder Horse King.” Please welcome William Cummins!
WC: Hello everyone! Please call me Bill.
JC: Howdy, Bill, thanks for coming; I’m totally psyched! This is almost like getting Marilyn Monroe in the inaugural issue of Playboy, except you get to keep your clothes on.
WC: That’s quite a comparison… Marilyn has always been one of my favorites.
JC: Okay, Bill, I know you don’t have a lot of time, so let’s get right to it. Where are you in your life, or career, or pursuit of your goals?
WC: Recently I authored the highly acclaimed relationship book, Life Is Sexually Transmitted, and the award winning, The Forgotten - Volume One, honoring Korean War Veterans, which I published with my own publishing company. Currently I’m writing a book about my cowboy days entitled, KING and the COWBOY. I’m also expanding CAI Publishing by offering FREE Publishing Services to aspiring authors.
WC: My secret is to dream BIG. I believe that whatever you think about and dwell upon, you will produce in your experience. Therefore, you should be careful of what you wish for and then prepare for it to come into your life.
JC: That’s huge. I’m stumped trying to think of a question to get you to expand on that, to show us how we can do that ourselves and start making our own big dreams into reality.
JC: Thank you very much, Bill, for taking time out of your busy schedule to help us out. I really appreciate your helping me inspire people to reach for their dreams! Good luck with the new book and the free publishing offer; I'm sure I’ll be signing up for it as soon as I get my own book finished.
Other articles you'll find interesting or helpful:
"Expose Yourself" Articles List
Hey baby, what's your sign?
To Your Health - Part 1
Stony King - 2009
.
About a year ago, when I moved my site to Blogger.com, I promised I’d bring to your attention some of the interesting people I know or have met. It took a little while to make this one happen, but I keep my promises.
In this series of articles, I’ll talk to people who have been successful at taking control of their lives, making a name for themselves, and helping others to do the same. I’m very fortunate to have met them, and very thankful they have agreed to spend a few minutes talking with me to share part of their stories. We’re going to delve into what it took to propel these people from ordinary lives into extraordinary lives. We’ll find out where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re going as each guest is asked to “Expose Yourself”.
Today I’m talking to a real, living legend. Inspired by the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Tom Mix, he became a cowboy musician and horseman who performed across the Midwest, all before he turned 18. At 21, God came into his life and set him on a new path. Starting at age 29, he began a career as a highly successful environmental engineer, designing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of public works projects. During the next 33 years he married, started a family, and became a church leader.He recently began to write and is now a highly acclaimed author with an award-winning book, creating his own publishing company in the process. Today, you might mistake this pillar of the community for a spry 60 year old because he’s so active in his community, but what got my attention was his super-positive attitude, an encouraging word for everyone, and a laugh that comes easily.
In the 1940’s, you knew him on stage as, “Smilin’ Bill and his Wonder Horse King.” Please welcome William Cummins!
WC: Hello everyone! Please call me Bill.
JC: Howdy, Bill, thanks for coming; I’m totally psyched! This is almost like getting Marilyn Monroe in the inaugural issue of Playboy, except you get to keep your clothes on.
WC: That’s quite a comparison… Marilyn has always been one of my favorites.
JC: Okay, Bill, I know you don’t have a lot of time, so let’s get right to it. Where are you in your life, or career, or pursuit of your goals?
WC: Recently I authored the highly acclaimed relationship book, Life Is Sexually Transmitted, and the award winning, The Forgotten - Volume One, honoring Korean War Veterans, which I published with my own publishing company. Currently I’m writing a book about my cowboy days entitled, KING and the COWBOY. I’m also expanding CAI Publishing by offering FREE Publishing Services to aspiring authors.JC: That’s a lot you’ve got going on. How did you get started?
WC: I was born on a farm in Ohio during the Great Depression. I fell in love with horses the first time my Dad lifted me high onto the back of his favorite draft horse, named Babe. When I saw my first western movie, I set my sights on becoming a singing cowboy and horse trainer. My biggest inspiration then was Gene Autry. Despite a serious hand injury at age nine, I achieved my dream and headlined across the Midwest on stage and radio as, “Smilin’ Bill and His Wonder Horse King.”
JC: You loved being a cowboy; what made you give it up?
WC: When I was 19, I took a factory job to make enough money to keep my cowboy career going. Then Rockwell offered me an apprenticeship in engineering design and the rest was history.
JC: How did you get where you are now? What does it take to be a success?
JC: That’s huge. I’m stumped trying to think of a question to get you to expand on that, to show us how we can do that ourselves and start making our own big dreams into reality.
WC: Success is the attitude of believing you are following God’s plan for you. I was often asked how I solved difficult engineering problems. My reply was, “I pray a lot, and today I still do.”
JC: Where are you going next? What’s the next goal, the next step, the next whatever?
WC: I’m always expecting bigger and better things, because God never discards those who love Him. I hope to soon break open the secret of successfully marketing quality books for myself and other authors. But wherever God leads me, I will follow and pursue it with all the passion I can muster.
JC: What are you doing to get where you’re going?
WC: I want to assist as many writers as possible in achieving their goals. To do that I’ve developed a system called ‘CAI FREE Publishing.’ It finances the publication costs by selling a percentage of the future revenue from book sales.
JC: Why and how did you start your own publishing company?
WC: While writing my first book, I found there was a need for a simpler way to produce books that would treat the authors fairly. Based upon lots of personal research, I decided to only use professional editing, formatting, cover design, and printing. By following these decisions it was only a small step to creating my own publishing company because all the critical blocks were in place.
JC: Guys, I could go on and on, begging for more and more detail, but I’ve taken quite a bit of time from Bill’s writing schedule as it is. There’s just such a huge variety of things to ask him about, so many different careers and accomplishments. I’m simply going to have to have him back again someday so I can pick his brain a little more, get some juicy details about his cowboy show and the book he’s writing about it.
JC: Take a gander at the books William Cummins has to offer. The Forgotten looks powerful, like it could change the way we see Korean War history and that part of our world; Life Is Sexually Transmitted packs a wallop about dating, mating, and marriage; and after all I've heard about it, I can’t wait to see King and the Cowboy in my book store!
JC: Thank you very much, Bill, for taking time out of your busy schedule to help us out. I really appreciate your helping me inspire people to reach for their dreams! Good luck with the new book and the free publishing offer; I'm sure I’ll be signing up for it as soon as I get my own book finished.WC: Thank you Jaycee. Expose Yourself is a wonderful idea you have started with your own dream. I’m reminded of the young buck who was asked, “Why did you volunteer to paddle our chief across the river?” He smiled and replied, “Because he who rows his chief across the river gets there too!”
Other articles you'll find interesting or helpful:
"Expose Yourself" Articles List
Hey baby, what's your sign?
To Your Health - Part 1
Stony King - 2009
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