First Loves Blogfest + Random Acts of Kindness Blitz

Two big events happening in the blogosphere today, everyone. It seems things are picking up again and everyone's recovered from the A-Z Challenge.

The First Loves Blogfest is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and from his blog:

Your first movie, first music (song/band) first book, and first person. Four loves, one blogfest!

So, here I go:


First Movie: The Secret Garden (1987).
First Music: Windy, by The Association.
First Book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone. I first read this book when I was 9 or 10 (or at least around that age) and blazed through the sequels. Then it was an agonizing wait until the rest of the series was released.
First Person: I'll have to go with non-romantic love here (because I have no social life--ahem) and say my mom.

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And now, for the Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK) Blitz!

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 

Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.

So many people take the time to make us feel special, don't they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums, and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

Kindness ROCKS!

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!

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I thought about this post for a while, trying to think of who to acknowledge. I don't have critique partners (haven't even shown an entire novel I've written to someone else, in fact), or gone to a conference and met other writers, or done any other of those sorts of things that so many of you seem to have formed writing relationships through.

However, that's not to say there haven't been people who've given me great feedback on snippets or offered their thoughts on a writing subject I rambled about on my blog or shared their knowledge in a thoughtful post. So I'd like to thank all of you writers who read my blog for supporting me--if any of you need feedback on a story, the space to promote your book, or anything else I can do, know that I am happy to help out in any possible way.

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Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.

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What were your First Loves? Are you participating in the RAOK Blitz, or have you been Blitzed by someone else?


-----The Golden Eagle

A-Z Challenge Reflections Post

Today's when the blogosphere once more turns to the A-Z Challenge, but this time, it isn't an alphabet-themed post. Instead participants and non-participants weigh in on what they thought of the Challenge. From the Challenge website:

Share your pleasures, your pains, your setbacks, your gains. Who did you meet along the way that you found to be especially helpful or inspiring? Did you have a favorite blog post? Or a favorite series? Which blogs did you discover during April that you will be returning to in the future?
   You can tell us what you thought were the highlights of your April Challenge, what you learned, what changes you might make next time, or what surprised you most. There are no limits as to what your Challenge experience might have been so tell us in your best way how you felt about the April A to Z Challenge of 2012.

Before I get to my reflections, I'd like to give a big, enthusiastic cheer for the hosts of the Challenge:

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Author Elizabeth Mueller(Elizabeth Mueller)

Pearson Report (Jenny Pearson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)
Coming Down The Mountain (Karen Jones Gowen)


. . . who are awesome and amazing people. Go follow them, if you don't already.

And now for drawing together an entire month into a single post. Well, let's start with the posts, since that's the main reason why I participated in the Challenge.

As you probably know my theme was science (unless you're a new visitor, in which case, Welcome to the blog! and yes, I'm that crazy), and my posts covered Astrophysics, Biotechnology, Cosmology, Dendrochronology, Exobiology, Fluid Dynamics, General Relativity, Helioseismology, Inorganic Chemistry, Jumping Genes, Kinematics, Lithology, Microbiology, Nanotechnology, Oceanography, Particle Physics, Quantum Physics, Robotics, Spectroscopy, Toxicology, Unified Theory, Volcanology, Wave-Particle Duality, X Chromosome, Y Chromosome, and Zoology.

I had a lot of fun doing all that research. Because I had a solid theme this year--unlike in 2011--I could plan ahead and had everything scheduled by the end of April 1. It took a big load off blogging for the rest of the month, since all I had to do was edit the posts the day before and comment. I wouldn't necessarily recommend scheduling ahead of time for everyone's style is different, but for relatively factual and static post subjects, I think it works. Scheduling has greatly caught on with me, actually, because I get the impulse to do it with all of my posts now.

All my A-Z posts/images together. If you want to, view my blog (or any other Blogger site) like this HERE.

And once the posts went up, it was great to read your responses and find out what you had to say over some of today's most interesting scientific fields and their respective discoveries and advances. The blogosphere has to be one of the sharpest audiences around, and sometimes it really was a challenge to reply to your comments and answer your questions!

Will I make any changes to how I performed during the A-Z Challenge when we reach April 2013? Maybe. I'll try to comment more--but though it wasn't the entire shebang, I'm relatively content with the 400 or so blogs I visited on the sign up list, plus visiting those who commented here and attempting to keep up with regular bloggers. I think if I'd tried visiting any more I would have completely burnt out a couple weeks after starting, and I figure moderation is better than Someone help me, I'm drowning in blogs . . . by the end of April. Not that I think so many people joining in on such an event is a bad thing; quite the opposite.


All in all, I thought the A-Z Challenge was a productive, worthwhile experience. I learned things I didn't know before, I met a bunch of new bloggers, I read some really cool posts, and for an entire month I published articles that I feel like I could actually hold up and say they have some quality.


For those who participated, how was your A-Z Challenge experience? Are you planning to do it again next year? If so, have any theme ideas hit you already, if you use themes*?

For those who didn't participate in the Challenge, are you glad that May has finally arrived and you will no longer be seeing posts with the same letter in your blog reader? Would you consider participating next year?

*(In 2011 I had grand plans for 2012 . . . I'm drawing blanks for 2013 now, but hey, there's still another ten months until crunch time rolls around again. :P)


-----The Golden Eagle

Are You Participating In The A To Z Challenge? + Announcing My A-Z Theme

There is only a week and two days until the A to Z Challenge officially starts on April 1, so time is ticking down.

You've probably heard of the event by now (which to date has over 1170 participants signed up) but if not, you basically post 26 times during the month of April, according to each letter of the alphabet. It's a great challenge.

And now, the part you've all been waiting for (not):

My A-Z Theme for the month is Science.

I had hoped to keep the theme a secret until I unveiled it in this post, but I made a bit of a mistake yesterday when I accidentally scheduled my unfinished K post (Kinematics) to go up on March 12. Seeing as it was March 22--yeah, I accidentally published it. It appeared in Google Reader and on people's blogrolls, which rather blew my cover.

But now that you know I'm posting about science, I hope you're all as excited as I am about it, because that's all I'm focusing on for April. The Challenge will start out here on The Eagle's Aerial Perspective with Astrophysics and continue with Biotechnology, Cosmology, etc.

I've tried to keep the scientific jargon to a minimum and explain terms that might not be familiar offhand, and there will be at least a couple images in every post that will (I promise) be no longer than four to six paragraphs. At the end of the posts, I'll be featuring a Notable Scientist in the field--or closely related field--just covered, with a video of the person if I can find one, which is not always. Plus, there will be links at the bottom of each post to the sources where I got the information, so you'll be able to go and check the facts for yourself (and probably correct me!) if you think something is wrong.

You may be wondering, overall, what fields I'll be covering. In that case, it's just the natural sciences (with particular emphasis on Physics and Biology). This is not because I think the social sciences, humanities, formal sciences, or other professions aren't worth writing or learning about, but I know (counting what little I do know) a bit more about the natural sciences. (Shout out to Charles Gramlich (*update*: his wife has been diagnosed with cancer, and they are both in my thoughts) and Josh Hoyt here. They both have excellent posts about the social sciences/psychology, if you're more interested in that.)


Oh, and do take notes as you read next month. It will all be on the test.



Just kidding. Trust me, there won't be a test. :)

Unless you'd all like one . . .


Are you going with a theme this year, if you are participating in the A-Z Challenge? If not, are you prewriting your posts? And since I know some bloggers are posting on multiple blogs: how many blogs have you signed up for the Challenge?


-----The Golden Eagle

On Fire for Alex J. Cavanaugh's CassaFire!

It's the big day, everyone! It's the release date of Alex J. Cavanaugh's new book, CassaFire (sequel to CassaStar).

The goal is to help CassaFire “catch fire” on the best seller charts and achieve the success of the first book, CassaStar. There’s also a special package of prizes being given away at the author’s blog (copies of CassaFire, CassaStar, tote bag, mug, and bookmarks) as well as book giveaways during his two-week blog tour. See Alex’s site for details.

About the book:

CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities.

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

A review of his novel CassaStar, from Library Journal:

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” 

Trailer (you really should see this, because it's amazing):

Science fiction - space opera/adventure

Print ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5, $15.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 240 pages

EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9, $4.99, available in all formats


Links to purchase:
Barnes and Noble: http://dft.ba/-CassaFireBaN
Amazon: http://dft.ba/-CassaFireAmazon
Amazon Kindle: http://dft.ba/-CassaFireKindle

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CONGRATULATIONS, ALEX! :)

-----The Golden Eagle

Blogoversary Celebration + The Evil Genius Blogfest

The Eagle's Aerial Perspective turns two years old today!

Wow. I wasn't sure I'd even be sticking it out beyond just starting a blog back in 2010, since I'd lurked in the blogosphere for a month or two and noticed bloggers appear and disappear within that time frame. But I did, and I'm glad of that; I've learned a lot from the experience and I got to know all of you amazing people.

Reading last year's recap post, I have to say that 2011 feels like it was busier.

There was the A-Z Challenge, the Harry Potter Blogfest, the Inanimation Blogfest, the It's All Fun and Games Blogfest, the Blogfest Interrupted, the Inspiration Blogfest, the Novel Films Blogfest, Terry Pratchett Month, the Worst Movies Ever Blogfest, the What I Did On My Summer Vacation Blogfest, the REN3 Blogfest, the Pay It Forward Blogfest, the Cool As Cucumber Blogfest, the Deja Vu Blogfest, the Origins Blogfest, the Third and Fourth Platform-Building Campaigns, Teaser Tuesday, and various writing, review, and guest posts. In addition to a few guest posts that I wrote and interviews of me.

Stat-wise, this blog reached 67,400 pageviews, 12,800 comments (not counting over 600 spam :P), and almost 650 published posts.

And since that takes visitors and readers, here's a big THANK YOU to you all. You make this blog more than just any other site among billions.

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Because of this date, I am hosting The Evil Genius Blogfest. Here's the information:

The Who:
You, of course. With the evil genius of your choice.

The What:
Create a story, in any format whether that's flash fiction or poetry, where the aforementioned character does something qualifying them as an evil genius. You can also choose an already-existing person, perhaps from one of your favorite books or movies--just tell us why you think they're the best.

Interpret the phrase "evil genius" any way you like: For the evil, it can be a truly sinister murder or a humorous prank; a teen hacking into high-level security or a plot to foil someone's trip to the mall. And the genius? Also up to you. Just make sure there's something that makes your entry sparkle. Or skulk through the dark, as it may be.

Non-fiction what you'd like to do instead? No problem. Feel free to write a post about an evil genius from history or the present.

Word limit for entries: 400. You may go over that number--but be aware, people are less likely to read your entire post if it is long.

The Where:
Your blog/website.

The When:
February 27.

The Why:
Because The Eagle's Aerial Perspective is turning 2 years old on February 27, and that calls for celebration. Furthermore, the blog's mastermind has had this idea simmering in the back of her mind for months (part of her plot for complete web domination, you know) and she thought it was about time she took the leap and hosted her own blogfest.

And why should you sign up? Well . . . three winners will be announced on March 9th; two shall be chosen by Random.org and one by popular vote, and those entrants will win something of their choice. Nothing monetary (since this evil genius is among the rest of them: experiencing recession) but the other options are many: guest post or interview on The Eagle's Aerial Perspective (written a book? Free advertising), some graphic design (examples can be procured), an edit/critique, and even some HTML/CSS coding (for websites and so forth). Other things within her (er, limited) domain of knowledge may be negotiated. Nothing so terribly exciting as, say, free books, unfortunately.

VOTING IS NOW OPEN. Go HERE to cast your vote for your favorite entry.

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And here is my entry. I decided to go the fiction route (though do note that you can write your post on any evil genius, whether that's fictional or real):

   She was dressed all in black, even her hands covered in smooth, tight gloves.

   “Commander.” The man dropped to one knee in front of her, his head bowed and his weapon pressing into his stomach.

   “You have the coordinates?” she asked. She walked toward him, her boots striking against the marble floor.

   “Yes, Commander.”

   “Show me.”

   He pulled a small computer from his pocket and handed it to her.

   “How easily destructible it looks.”

   “It would have been impossible to find without your technology, Commander.”

   “Of course it would have been,” she replied, handing the device back to him. “Everything—everything—this army depends on was created by me. The enemy has nothing against us. Their scientists? Fools and simpletons, incapable of everything except the wheel, and lopsided ones at that.”

   “Of course, Commander.”

   “How many soldiers do you have at Station 3?”

   “6,000.”

   “No more?”

   The man hesitated. “One of the ships was attacked by the enemy. My regiment tried to fend them off—”

   “Do you mean you merely tried to deflect them, Captain?”

   It was impossible to tell if he resented the address, directed as if he’d been in charge when the attack occurred. He only lowered his eyes and said, “Yes, Commander—“

   She turned her back on him before he could finish and walked toward the throne. “How many times do I have to tell you to never show the enemy mercy?”

   “We felt—“

   She turned around and faced him. “Felt, Captain. Precisely the word I do not want to hear within this chamber.”

   “My apologies, Commander.“

   “Return to Station 3 and tell the soldiers I want them performing at no less than brilliant. We have a reputation as the most cunning army in the galaxy—and I am its brain. Show the enemy that. I will arrive in six hours to check that operations are proceeding smoothly.”

   “Yes, Commander.” The man bowed and walked out of the room.

   A few seconds later, the woman froze. She did not even blink as a young, short girl walked through a hidden door in the wall.

   She patted the woman on the shoulder. “You performed marvelously well for a remotely-controlled android, Commander. How I wish I didn’t have to pretend, but of course, who would listen to a girl?”

   She sighed. “Even if I am a genius.”

(390 words)

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So, how long have you been blogging? How long do you think you'll continue--and/or how long do you want to continue?

And (if you aren't participating in the blogfest) who is your favorite evil genius?


-----The Golden Eagle

Upcoming Blog Events

First, the hosts of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge are trying to get to 1000 participants by March 1st--so far they have over 700.

I participated in this blogfest last year and I highly recommend it. While it is a month long and involves posting 26 out of 30 days--not to mention the time it takes to visit other participants--there's also no comparable event. When else are you going to find the blogosphere turned into a series of alphabet letters, with no two bloggers taking the same approach, and get to know dozens of new people?


Second, Alex J. Cavanaugh's Catch Fire! Blog Party.

His new book CassaFire is coming out on February 28, and he's asked for the blogosphere to help spread the word. If half as many people have signed up as those who did for the CassaStar blog event, then a ton of blogs will be showcasing his book. And I get the feeling there are many more this time!


. . . and I hope none of you will mind if I mention my own blogfest. Tomorrow is The Eagle's Aerial Perspective's blogoversary (two years, everyone. Hard to get my head around) and the celebration begins with The Evil Genius Blogfest. The general idea? Post in any form about an evil genius (real or fictional) of your choice. You can even win stuff!

For those of you who have already signed up, I can't wait to see what you come up with. :)

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Will you be participating in any of these?


-----The Golden Eagle

The Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

Yes, I've signed up for the Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign!

Never heard of the Campaign? From the creator's, Rachael Harrie's, site:

Basically, the Campaign is a way to link those of us in the writing community together with the aim of helping to build our online platforms. The Campaigners are all bloggers in a similar position, who genuinely want to pay it forward, make connections and friends within the writing community, and help build each others' online platforms while at the same time building theirs.

Are you joining in?

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***Also: Tomorrow, I'll be announcing something special that I'm really quite excited about--a blogfest, hosted here on The Eagle's Aerial Perspective. Be sure to mark your calendars!***


-----The Golden Eagle

Blog Action Day 2011: Food

This year for Blog Action Day, the topic is food.

For my post, I decided to take on the subject of food deserts.

A food desert is, according to Wikipedia:

Any area in the industrialized world where healthy, affordable food is difficult to obtain. It is prevalent in rural as well as urban areas and is most prevalent in low-socioeconomic minority communities, and is associated with a variety of diet-related health problems.

This issue strikes close to home because the town we live in is rural, and the closest city has entire neighborhoods where there are no grocery stores at all; it's actually listed on the Food Desert Locator by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The local store is around 1.5 miles away and within walkable distance. While it does sell fruits, vegetables, and other relatively-healthy foods (bread, cheese, some meat) it is problematic because a.) they hike their prices in the summer when there are more people coming through the area, on top of their high-ish prices all year-round b.) they don't have a very good record when it comes to their business practices (charging the wrong price, not listing their prices correctly, promoting people but not giving them a raise, strange employees, etc.) and c.) their stuff is just lower quality than other marketplaces.

But there's no competition, since the second-closest place is 15 miles down the highway or by backroads, which run along the highway. The farmers' markets only come by in the summer, and their prices are much higher.

And if you don't have a running car (which we didn't, for a while) then you're stuck with the more expensive store, taking a slow and inefficient bus down to the city to where there are places to shop, or the gas station, which is super expensive. They sell a quart of milk for almost four dollars.

Of course, that's better than having only a convenience store or a gas station, which is the situation many people find themselves in. Some rural areas don't have sources of healthy food at all, unless you want to grow it yourself, which takes land, time, energy, and money.

Hopefully, this problem will be addressed more. Some things have already been done: the Obama administration has established the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which works with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign against childhood obesity, and some states in the U.S. have set up their own programs.

It would be wonderful if those programs worked and food deserts became much less of an issue, and not just in this country, either. But there's still an awful lot distance to cover.

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In case you'd like to watch/read a report on food deserts by the PBS NewsHour, go HERE.

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About Blog Action Day:

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion around an important issue that impacts us all.

For 2011, our Blog Action Day coincides with World Food Day, so our topic of discussion for this year will be food. Take the first step now and sign-up your blog to Blog Action Day and then look at our suggested topics for some food flavoured inspiration to discuss.

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Do you live (or have you lived) in a food desert? What do you think should be done to help relieve the effects of them?


-----The Golden Eagle

What's Your Favorite Thing To Do On A Saturday?

Me, I'm headed off to the library. And then I'll attempt to tackle as many links as I can for the Pay It Forward Blogfest . . .

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But before I go, I wanted to let you know I will be posting tomorrow for Blog Action Day, and have signed up for yet another blogfest (because it sounded awesome. And after all, I am so not busy with, um, two others):

Hosted by Carrie Butler at So, You're a Writer....


So, what is your favorite thing to do on Saturday? Or over the weekend? Are you participating in Blog Action Day or the Casting Call Bloghop?


-----The Golden Eagle

It's October, Which Means A Lot Of Things Will Be Happening

Happy October, everyone!

The reason for this post is that I have a few announcements to make about things happening here on this blog:

1. NaBloWriMo
Can't forget this event. Basically, it's a challenge to write a post for every day of October. Yes, that's right, every single day. I did it last year, and had a lot of fun coming up with topics each day: this year, I'm going to try to be a bit more organized, though you will see some random posts crop up during the month. Or maybe just something along the lines of "I can't think of anything to say . . ."

2. The Rule of Three Blogfest


You've probably heard of it by now, but if not, this is a blogfest where writers post on Wednesdays/Thursdays throughout October (four posts in all) based on a writing prompt given by the hosts--but the setting has already been given to you to work with, called Renaissance. I'm really looking forward to writing/posting mine; I've got ideas for my characters from the first prompt already, which will go up next Wednesday.

3. Pay It Forward Blogfest


Sign up, and list three blogs you recommend on October 14th. I love meeting new bloggers, so I'm excited for this blogfest.

4. An interview with author Elliot Grace


If you don't know Elliot Grace, you have to go check out his blog and follow him. He's one of the most interesting authors around, and I will be interviewing him here on October 26th. Watch for it!

5. The Inheritance Cycle Re-Reading Challenge


This is a really good Fantasy series, and Christopher Paolini has finally finished the last novel, which will come out November 8th. Hooray!

6. The Insecure Writer's Support Group


Wednesday, again. I'll have to post double on that day, because that's also the day the Rule of Three Blogfest begins--these blogfests seem to be trying to thwart any plans I make. :P

7. Rachael Harrie's Third Writer's Platform-Building Campaign


There's a third challenge to come on October 17th, so of course I will be posting that as well. (If you haven't read my entry for the Second Campaigner Challenge, it is HERE.)

. . . and I think that's it.

Finally.

Do you have anything planned?




-----The Golden Eagle

Announcing: Terry Pratchett Month

Yes, you read that right!

Here on The Eagle's Aerial Perspective, for the entire month of September, things will be centered on Terry Pratchett and his books. The co-host of this event is Deepali at Evolving Books, who runs a great book blog.

Of course, there will be other posts for blogfests, the Third Writer's Platform-Building Campaign, other events, and I am part of the Upgrader: Re-Engineered blog tour (see sidebar button--I post on the sixth with an interview with the awesome Terry Tibke).

But for the rest of the month? Pratchett.

(SOURCE)

Here's the plan:

Date: September 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, and 28 (Sundays and Wednesdays): Book Reviews

These will be of not just Discworld, but include his YA books, along with other non-Discworld novels and a movie they made of his books. Of course, I will start with a review The Color of Magic, the first in the Discworld series. Since I have only read six of his books currently, some of reviews will be coming fresh after I read them in sequence this month.

Date: September 8, 15, 22, and 29 (Thursdays): Discussion Posts

For the writerly, or just non-Pratchett readers of this blog, these posts will be like the usual posts I publish on Thursdays. What will I be covering? Posts will be up on personification of the abstract (DEATH, anyone?), world-building, humor, writing style, and other such subjects.

And, of course, Teaser Tuesdays will continue on, well, Tuesdays.

There will also be a poll on the sidebar, once the current one closes, where you will be able to vote for your favorite book(s) in the Discworld Series, along with a separate poll for his other novels.

(SOURCE)

Feel free to jump onboard with your own Terry Pratchett thoughts! This is the month for everything to do with his books, after all.

Deepali has also set up a challenge for readers: for old fans, read 4-5 of his books in September, and for new ones, 2-3. Find out more HERE.

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Are you ready?


-----The Golden Eagle

Rachael Harrie's Third Platform-Building Campaign

It's time for another Campaign!

Once again, Rachael Harrie at Rach Writes... is hosting this event, meant to help boost your online platform, connecting you with other writers throughout the blogosphere. Find out more about how it all works HERE.

This Campaign is running from August 22-October 31, and the List of Campaigners closes August 31, so there's still time to sign up.

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Are you going to join in for the Third Platform-Building Crusade?


-----The Golden Eagle

A Final Wrap-Up Post Before The Madness Begins

As for the madness . . . I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. The A-Z April Blogging Challenge begins tomorrow--the day 865 (or so) people post starting with the letter "A".

865. If you divide that by 30, you get 28.8333333. So to keep up with just 865 and comment once on each, you'd have to visit 28+ blogs a day.

My plan is to get to around 30 blogs per day, keep up with as many bloggers that I already know as I can, (I probably won't get around to everyone--if you don't see me, no, I haven't forgotten about you!), and finish scheduling posts. I had wanted to have all 26 done by today, but instead I have something like 17. Now my goal is to finish them by the end of first week. Thankfully, I have Sunday to type like crazy.

And now, wrap-up time!:

• The Powerful Woman Writer award

. . . from Tyrean Martinson. Thank you so much for this award, Tyrean!

*****

• OpenOffice.org.

Coolness. It's free (free, everyone!) software from Oracle, with Writer, (MS equivalent: Word) Base, (Access) Calc, (Calculator) Draw, (Publisher) Math, (Equation Editor) and Impress (PowerPoint), and available for Linux, Mac OS, Windows, Solaris, and some others. My mom wanted to download Base for database management, and the whole pack came with it. Basically, OpenOffice has fewer options, looks like an old version of Microsoft--but it works. Hurray!

*****

• Death by PowerPoint. I couldn't help posting this. It's just too funny (and kind of disturbing).

Apparently, Death by PowerPoint can also be called "PowerPoint Poisoning" and "PowerPoint Hell". Retired Marine Colonel Thomas X Hammes called it "hypnotizing chickens" when the program is used to make presentations that are overly-complicated and tedious, such as during press briefings. (Guess he doesn't enjoy the press.)

The Wikipedia article also says there is even such a thing as a "PowerPoint Ranger"; i.e. "a military member who relies heavily on presentation software to the point of excess". In addition, a Colonel was fired for criticizing the dependence on the "presentation method". One Russian said "If we ever had a war, while you are working on your Power Point, we would be killing you."


Yeah . . . is there something fishy there, or is it just me?

*****

For those participating in the Challenge, I hope you all have fun, and I look forward to reading your posts!

For those not participating in the Challenge, (hey, you can still sign up, if you haven't been terrified by that huge number of blogs) I also look forward to reading your posts, which I will do my best to keep up with while I tackle the aforementioned list!

See you in April, everyone!

-----The Golden Eagle

*300+ Followers!* and Second Writer's Platform-Building Crusade

ANOTHER BREAKING NEWS ALERT:

I have over 300 Followers!

Thank you so much, everyone. I'm honored that so many people are following The Eagle's Aerial Perspective!

TJ Tjheart John The Words Crafter Mist of the blossom rain The Library Lurker Misha Mathew Alison Jessica Canfield Bobbye Terry Bleah Briann Bamba Karen Gowen Kenzy Icewolf Taylor Alex ~Prism~ Julie Shimmer Bleah Briann Jayden Black Memzie Jojo Shantal Quintessajazz Sarah Bekah Hayhay Bridget Liliejane Hannah Audrey Liberty Miss M Kristen The Neverending Shelf Adria Milli Guinevere Roland D. Yeomans Lizzy Caroline Cornet Crazie Katie Krinkleberry Maryo Shaynie Laughingwolf RA Elliot Grace Alyssa Kirk Elana Shelley Julie Artistaplastico Jessica Nicole Kulsuma Brooke Samantha Cx2 The Artist Kelsey Opsahl In The Hammock Blog Darlyn LadyViolet Orchid Peaceful Reader Dog Trainer In Training Oceanwing Brian Jenna B. Bobbi Marie Sunsinger Amy Ant Brena Tate Arlee Bird Alex J. Laurel Of Green Dahlia Sammy Sleuth E.J. Stevens Medeia Sharif Theresa Crystal Jigsaw Debbie Curran Cruella Collett Clarissa Draper Becca & Zippy Deepali Anne Sepulveda Kelley Lynda Young Elena Solodow The Alliterative Allomorph Renae Mercado Christine Fonseca Michelle McLean Lola Sharp Talei Tere Kirkland  Sandra Ulbrich Almazan N. R. Williams Lisa Potts Shannon O'Donnell Sharon K. Mayhew Jen Chandler Pam Torres Misha Gericke RaShelle Elizabeth Mueller Len Hannah Kincade Whiskfang Cinette Julie Nelson Kathi Oram Peterson Quinn Angela Felsted Sabryna Lauren Parkinson C. N. Nevets Brave Chickens Emma M. Ishta Mercurio-Wentworth Hannah Joe64 Tyrean Rachel Morgan Gail Kiki Deni Krueger Marieke J.C. Martin Jamie Aleta Carolyn Abiad Patricia Stoltey Nature Freak Nicole MacDonald Jennifer Hillier DEZMOND Lydia Kang Angela Ackerman Simon Kewin Sangu Francine Paul C Mary Jeffrey Beesler Ellie Great KILLER CHICKS Holly Ruggiero Brenda L. Diane Wolf Christine Danek KarenG Stephen Tremp Jackee Ann Emily Talli Roland Joann King AFIcionado Old Kitty Robyn Campbell Liz Maria McKenzie Rachael Harrie +Flamingo Pink+ Angus and Robertson Edwardstown Reading Lassie Regina Linton Jayne Michelle M. Merrill Swirly Girl Claire Goverts Kris Kaumeyer Lucy Westenra James Deagle Theresa Jane Kennedy Sutton L'Aussie Jessica M Stanford Pk Hrezo Adina West Susan Wilcox The Blogger Formerly Known As Jewelknits Colene Murphy Jai Joshi Mohamed Mughal Jesse Noe Mendez Julia C Dominic de Mattos Cherry Brian Madeleine Tuncerni Jemi Fraser David J. West Hart Angie Summer Ross Susan Fields Shannon Whitey Messenger Patricia A. Timms Liz Pezzuto Lisa BLHmistress Mason Canyon Elizabeth Spann Craig/Riley Adams Kanespock Mary Mary Chary Johnson Ali The Weed Tessa Quinn Milo James Fowler Ellie clp3333 Laurel Garver Flamestorm Emma de Mattos Samantha Verant Lazy Girl Crystal Celery Tree Amparo Ortiz Klahanie Julie Musil Tessa Conte ~Chris Life 101 Heather M Amanda the Aspiring Tracey Neithercott Michael Di Gesu Susan Gourley/Kelley Ricky Nicole Duclerior Jacqueline Howett Tricia J. O'Brien Creative Chaos Summer Frey Susan Kaye Quinn Jamie Burch Sarah Ahiers Erin Laura Eno Katie Mills Sash Bess Weatherby Charli Mac Tony Benson Katrina Lantz Dancing Through Life Janet Johnson Aaron Vincent Julie Dao Ben Edith F Jodi Henry M. J. Fifield Sajack88 GryphonFledgling E. Elle Dempsey Sanders Ellen Amy  Margo Benson Gabriela Pereira M Moonlight Gleam T C MckeePlamena Schmidt W. B. Alexia Elaine AM Smith Angelina Rain SariBelle Madeline Bartos Donea Lee VR Barkowski MJA Ware Kindros Aracelis Indigo cal12 Heather Hellman Dimitris Nikogloy Rachna Chhabria Ellen Abby Minard Walk2write Alison Stevens Flying high in the sky Marie Rearden Tuca Zamagna Gail Zuniga Miles McG Gary Baker Carole Ann Carr

(If I do not have your link, no, I certainly haven't got some agenda! It's either I can't find you, or your name is different than the one I see you commenting with. Do comment if I don't have the link, your name is wrong, I'm not following you, or Blogger says you're following but you're not listed above! Thanks!)

*****

Don't forget that the Second Writer's Platform-Building Crusade has begun! This event is hosted by Rachael Harrie at Rach Writes.... and is exactly what it sounds like--a way of increasing your blogging platform through followers, comments, etc.

I joined up for the first (but too late for the challenge) and it's been fun so far; there are some great Crusaders out there!

Sign up and learn more HERE.


-----The Golden Eagle

Halloween Haunting at Substitute Teacher's Saga!

Theresa Milstein at Substitute Teacher's Saga is hosting a Halloween Haunting!

The rules? Comment with answers to the questions in her post, and "haunt" at least three other bloggers who commented. Make new blogger friends, follow, be followed, find others who share your interests!

-----The Golden Eagle