Nevada Update!

Hey everyone! I am almost completely settled in my new state!

So far, so good. But I haven't had much time or energy for fun things like blogging. I've been keeping notes about things that I want to write about, but I also have about 60 unpacked boxes. There were some things broken and seemingly, some things missing.

But all around, things are great here! The people are nice. There's some issues with the unit I'm in, though. Right now I also have a crazy number of seats. My two bedroom can seat 30 people. And I'm still missing two chairs.

So almost completely settled really means, I'm almost able to never go back to Oakland.

I need to go back a few times maybe to take care of some issues, but after that, if I go to the Golden State it will be for vaykay. People have been dissing Reno, but they're all crazy. Reno is awesome. It has everything I liked in the Bay Area, plus more, and all within a ten mile radius.

Reno people consider half-hour commutes to be too long. As a Bay Area native, it makes me laugh every time I hear it, because it's said without sarcasm. That's the pace and style here. And I like it. Because I hate traffic.

I should have more time to blog in April — hopefully I'll have my desk chair back by then. I have two kickass desks in my office now.

I'm much happier here. Hope things are going well for you!

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Burned Out Site

For whatever reason, over the past few days, my website has been hit by numerous spam reference links & comments. It's tiresome going through it all, and Squarespace said that there isn't a great automated option to solve the problem. It's time-consuming cleaning out the crap, and it feels like it isn't worth it at times. I'm already overloaded by emails because I don't have enough time awake to manage all of it, and now there's this to deal with. So I suppose there's another reason to look at either: migrating to WordPress with DISQUS comments, or finding someone to help me manage the site (and add content) — or both. I don't suppose you're interested? :-) I wanted to write about iOS 7 today but I feel like I just don't have the energy. I'll likely add a few more photos to my Instagram, however. @bradtastic Thanks for the continued support!

Birthday

"Happy Birthday, dear Bradley..."

On Monday, my birthday passed by quietly. No Hawaiian vacation, Disneyland trip or Reno excursion... just a quiet evening with family (sans sister, unfortunately, due to proximity) and it was just fine by me.

It's been a difficult year. Illness and disability has kept me inside for most of it. Spent a lot of time reading; some writing, some designing, some sketching. Researching politics and world history has led me to reevaluate many things — it's been very troubling and somewhat disheartening, to really understand the dark and ugly truths behind American government, the Federal Reserve Bank and our fiat money system, and the push toward disarming America and moving toward a globalist, collectivist authoritarian government. Post 9/11 America — post-Bush, post-Obama America, how much free speech and independence will we have?

A worthy cause...?

At a minimum, it's inspired me to want to spread information and ask more questions, difficult questions. We should always question and scrutinize our government and leaders. We should always be skeptical of government and its messages — especially when they've told us they not only have and will continue to lie, but they have an obligation to. For our safety and security, they claim.

To that end, I will be working vigorously on my new website project, aimed at asking hard questions and unveiling inconvenient truths. Americans have been locked in an increasingly hostile left vs right paradigm for over 100 years when we should really be looking at individualism vs collectivism.

But that doesn't mean I want to give up on having some fun.

I still love art. I love the good in the world. Technological innovations and video games. One minute after my birthday ended, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V released — a sort-of belated present, I suppose. I installed iOS 7 also, though I must admit to being slightly overwhelmed by it.

I miss the tweet/post widget in Notifications. I think I'll leave my phone on iOS6 for now because of it. I never updated my iPad 2 to 6 because of YouTube. Now I have devices on each OS from 3-7.

If you have PSN, add me: rainfault — especially if you want to play VITA games like Soul Sacrifice, Dragon's Crown, Earth Defense Force 2017... or Diablo III for PS3. My GTAV copy is also PS3.

Life.

I was listening to an interview with survival guy Blake Sawyer — he thinks that 90-95% of Americans will be dead within 5-15 years. According to him, he's researched some of the same stuff I've been looking at, but for the past 35 years, and it's time to bail — flee America for safer, better, libertarian nations.

But I love America. I believe it's worth fighting for. I believe in The Constitution, and I believe that there are millions of Americans willing to fight and die for the freedoms here, at home. Mass exodus won't solve the problem.

It comes down to this: are you willing to die for what you believe in. Are you willing to die for the things you love?

Not just people, but things. Maybe sports, or movies, or video games, or bike riding. What would you give up to stay alive?

The thing is: everybody dies. Sometimes early, sometimes late in life... fulfilled and unfulfilled. My family is here. My dreams are here. And I am not alone.

So this post got kind of serious fairly quick. But that's what I've got. I'll try to get that new site up soon (it shall be, as soon as the content is written well enough), so this blog can go back to being about tech and toys.

Take care, stay safe, and have fun. While you can. Dun dun dun...

Posted with Blogsy

Small changes to Says Brad blog

Made a few changes to saysbrad.com — will continue to update it as I can. Almost as soon as I have an OK day, I get sick again somehow.Sigh. This really has been one harsh year. It has taught me a lot, however, and I have had the opportunity to catch up on a lot of reading. Not so much writing and art, unfortunately.

I received a question about styluses in general and my thoughts on Wacom’s newly announced Wacom Intuos Creative Stylus (releases in October, along with Cintiq Companion drawing tablets); although I answered that specific email, I’ll briefly share my thoughts with everyone here. I’m really excited about the new stylus and I have high hopes for it! I hope I can try the new Wacom Intuos capacitive touch stylus soon! I’m still particularly fond of the oStylus DOT and Wacom Bamboo stylus (standard version) because both are 100% reliable in all practical conditions and work great on the iPad mini; something that many styluses, especially those with small tips, struggle with. Check out my iStuff page for links to these styluses and other incredible products!

I hope all of you are doing well, and thanks for visiting my website; it really does mean a lot to me, and I sincerely appreciate the support that I’ve received, especially this year. I will continue to try to update and create compelling content and worthwhile reviews for you to read and share.

SaysBrad Blogging Update

I've been thinking about this blog, its content and structure, what I want to do with it, what I write and how often. It's time-consuming — especially the reviews and commentary. Recent events have encouraged me to write about more serious matters; it's important, but not always "fun."

I've been blogging about whatever I find interesting for about a dozen years — the problem is that I like a lot of random things and don't always know what to share and when to do it. Do I blog for me? For you? For whom? I'm not really sure... perhaps all of the above.

When I started this blog, I decided that I wanted a change of pace, something different from the ego-centric LiveJournal days and the myriad of now-defunct blogs and disorganization. In part on the advice of a few blogger/Internet friends, I stopped splitting up my blogging across various sites and dumped all of my ideas into one site... but in doing so, I've lost something and have edited away a lot of potentially great content.

I used to have a personal site about my chronic pain and disability troubles, but it felt like a chore and stopped being fulfilling. Frankly, I'm not sure many people cared to read about it — it's fairly depressing. I thought about migrating that content. I still use tumblr, and although I decided to get rid of the custom domain, I still like the service in general. Tumblr is clean, organized and simple; its usability makes it ideal for sharing links, images and videos. I've also explored Pinterest a bit.

Primarily, I've been using Twitter and Facebook for updates and links, partially due to ease-of-use — iOS' notifications drop-down tab menu has buttons for updating to either service, but because my Facebook posts are sent to Twitter, it's two birds, one shot. Additionally, Safari on iPhone/iPad has Facebook/Twitter sharing built-in; if I read or see something clever, cute, thought-provoking, disturbing or otherwise important, I can quickly send it to Facebook and Twitter feeds. I don't really consider it publishing, but I try to add diligent comments to the updates. (In particular, I like the way fb displays links)

I've been considering using Tumblr instead of Facebook (for links and quick updates). Perhaps I'll just post here — but that means restructuring and redesigning the blog and layout. Currently, Says Brad is set up for several long-form posts per month, not dozens of blurbs per day. If I leave the layout as-is and update hourly, stuff will get lost in the fray.

I still want to post app reviews, artwork, current event commentary and want to write about global issues, politics and government, America, crime and corruption; important, serious matters that seem incongruent with a blog primarily focused on iPad apps and tech toys. How should I reconcile these interests? Should I abandon one for another?

Posting to Facebook is quick and carefree — a process driven by free-form expression and quantity — it reflects the oft-ridiculous plethora of information on the Internet, and I feel less compelled to proofread and edit those posts. Writing for this blog is often laborious and intensive — but also more rewarding. How do I bridge this dichotomy; cherry-pick and consolidate these different, functionally independent updates into one thing, one site, a single blog roll?

With a miserable abundance of tragedies unfolding worldwide, these dilemmas seem insignificant and laughable... but it is, amidst more mundane and serious matters, what I've been thinking about while dealing with debilitating pain and physical disability. Blogging, this welcome distraction, is motivating and uplifting.

Except when it's more stressful — like now — when I end up worrying about it. Perhaps I'll just post more, post messy, and see what happens. Thoughts?

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Content & Thank You!

New content coming soon, I promise. I've been really sick — fever and infection for six days now, so I haven't been able to do much of anything except drink water, sleep, and a few less pleasant things... the fewer details, the better, yeah?

Talking to some friends about the blog has inspired me to streamline the content and focus on he fun stuff that I like to write about — and what's popular. That means: more app reviews, product reviews, tech insights, tips, suggestions, maybe some games, that sort of thing. My other writing will go elsewhere. Also, I'm going to try to reorganize the categories and tags to be more efficient and usable — I'm also going to make a few adjustments to the layout, so if you see something broken, please let me know!

Thanks for your support; I think I'm starting to feel a little better (2013 has been one rough year!), so this weekend I hope to update. Also, if you haven't already, you can follow me at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr — all @bradtastic — I post links and photos there throughout the day.

A BIG thank you to the people using my Amazon links to buy stuff — getting a few bucks per week helps me stay motivated to write, and the Amazon credit allows me to get a few new things to review each year! If you have an app or product you'd like me to review, please get in touch!

(Estylo guys! I hope you read this, I've been trying to reach you to talk about the Estylo stylus — I hope all is well!)

My birthday is less than three weeks away — I hope I'm healthy enough to have dinner with my family!

Posted with Blogsy

Changes to Says Brad

Hey everyone!

In the coming days and weeks, my posts are likely to take a more serious tone. I still have some reviews planned, but there are very troubling things happening in our nation that I cannot ignore. From SOPA to Benghazi to the IRS scandal, Internet tax and NSA surveillance, I don't want to sit idly by while our future is shaped by a hideous distortion of our beliefs and values. Freedom is threatened.

I've been researching and writing about the unwarranted invasion of Americans' privacy by the NSA.

It's a very serious matter and each day, more evidence comes to light. Recent events have given us reasons to be fearful and paranoid; gun control and gun violence, rioting, international affairs and unrest, and the IRS' systematic targeting of conservative groups. And now we learn more about the intrusive nature of a shadowy government agency — and it feels like what's been revealed is only the tip of the iceberg.

Although more serious in tone than my normal content, I believe it's important to create an ongoing dialogue about our government's practices. As a friend recently mentioned, many people probably do care (about the IRS, NSA) but don't know what to do about it.

Stay informed, share the information and your opinions on it. For many people, politicking and partisan memes begin and end with the election. I think we need to hold our elected officials accountable to the high standards they claim to adhere to.

Posted with Blogsy

SaysBrad says Bradtastic

Just a little update about the blog and me.

This year really hasn't been good to me yet. Been really sick and over the past few weeks I've been having stomach problems and RLS. I have been trying to improve my mood with a few games and sharing content online, including new images added to my tumblr and Instagram.

Over the years I've taken a ton of photos and have created hundreds of designs that I've never shared — I feel like I might as well. I don't really know who cares to see it all, but it'll be there. Who knows how long this life will be or if I'll ever chisel into history a piece for myself. Can't spend all day and night worrying about that, though.

I'm in the process of writing up a little life hacks email guide with some stuff that I've found useful. That was going to be my next post; however, it's fairly comprehensive and time-consuming — and as such, it isn't finished. I've had some technical issues with my blog as well, so I'm looking into long term solutions and other platforms for online expression.

Hopefully I'll start to feel better, too. Right now I'm pretty nauseated and my head hurts.

Posted with Blogsy

Added Features

Hey everyone! Still plinking away at getting this website and blog updated and the way I want it. I added a few things, including search, categories and a tag cloud.

I’ve also been playing around a little bit with Squarespace 6 and WordPress (bradtastica – my test site) but haven’t managed to find themes or get them looking the way I want. Also, I’m having an issue with MediaTemple and my self-hosted WordPress install. So I think I may just backup my content there and scrap the thing, start over from scratch. I also want to learn how to use Google’s web font thing, instead of Typekit. Not that I know how to use that, either.

The best iPad apps!

I’ve started posting app icons and links here at Says Brad!

This page (saysbrad.com/apps/) will contain links to my favorite apps, primarily iPad and iPhone, but who knows, maybe I’ll add other platforms in the future.

If I post an app on that page, I consider it a must-have. These are apps I use frequently and have dedicated numerous hours to.

Got an iOS app and want an honest review, detailed analysis and constructive criticism? Message me and let me know!

Currently, my focus is on art, photography and productivity apps, but I’m open to reviewing other things as well. (I love games!) I like bringing extra exposure to small developers and indie apps, so I will promote those obscure, hidden gems before more mainstream apps reviewed by all of the big blogs and magazines.

Uploading these images and editing pages here at Squarespace is a very time-consuming process. I’ve figured out a way to do it that looks okay on my iPad (except for the standard DPI app icon badges). I’ll add more as time permits, as well as try to get website features like search, tag cloud, and category lists fully functional again.

Brad Chin uses Blogsy

About Says Brad

[Note: this entry deals with some sensitive subject matter and may anger some people. It's also a little lengthy, written late at night and edited rather quickly.]

Photo taken with iPhone 4, edited with SwankoLab and Snapseed

A few notes about my life and the blog, starting with tech.

I mostly post about technology: iOS, video games, mobile tech, accessories, app reviews. I post some art, too, and I've been messing around with photography again since pocket-sized devices can take such great photos (I never liked lugging around a Canon EOS SLR around).

I haven't written as much on society, life and disability lately — not directly, anyway. I use the iPad and iPhone as my only computers primarily because of my disability, but it's become a preference. Even if/when I get a new computer (hopefully a MacBook Pro with Retina Display), I will still likely use my iPad more.

That has a lot to do with the great apps. I love the art/design/photography apps, social apps and games for iOS, and I like having iCloud automatically backup and sync everything. So cool. Some of the mobile games are incredible, too. Console games on a handheld?! Hopefully Square will release Final Fantasy VII through X for iOS one day. As the iPad continues to improve, who knows, maybe we'll have games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on it!

The iPad mini is likely weeks away, and the iPhone 5 released, but I've been waiting. The purple lens flare issue reminds me of antennagate. Maybe Apple will quietly fix it with later iPhone 5 models. I am excited about the iPad mini. I hope it offers a cross between the new iPod Touch and iPad, with a retina display.

I will be posting a few new stylus reviews as well as some more iPad usability advice. Hopefully the weather improves so I won't feel so awful; I'd like to get a few more things done this month, and work on cleaning and packing. More on that later.

Coming soon: Capacitive touch stylus showdown; Adonit Jot Touch vs HEX3 Jaja

These styluses can't quite replicate the Wacom Intuos/Cintiq tablet experience, but they do offer functionality that the iPad lacked — and in my opinion, desperately needed. I love drawing on my iPad, but the device hasn't adequately replicated the sketchbook/slate tablet experience. This isn't critical for many people, but I love sketching, writing, doodling — insofar as I was even looking at alternatives such as the Samsung Series 7 slate tablet PC and Galaxy Note, just for the pressure sensitivity. However, after using a Retina display, there's no going back. The iPad 2 now looks like last-gen, low-res pixelated crap!

The Adonit Jot Touch is a superb stylus. I'm going to test the Jaja very soon. I intend to create some designs with each and post them here along with my review. I just wish more apps supported pressure sensitivity, and in better ways. Specifically, I'd like to see Paper by FiftyThree, Autodesk SketchBook Ink and Adobe touch apps (like Ideas) support pressure sensitivity, as well as Infinite SketchPad, Noteshelf and Remarks.

A little more with iOS

Blogging (posting entries) on my iPad is fairly straightforward and simple with Blogsy, but editing the website is a challenge. Squarespace isn't iOS friendly. I've been thinking about switching this blog (back) to WordPress — I'm just not very good at creating themes and such. WordPress offers greater flexibility for iOS users; I could post and edit pages and work within the straightforward web UI. Know anyone who could help me build a theme?

iOS6 has added the much needed ability to upload images to websites from Safari. So I can finally add images to my web gallery and sites like dribbble.

However, I'm still having issues uploading to my Squarespace gallery, and in typical, frustrating Squarespace fashion, support simply says that they'll forward a feature request to developers, that Squarespace was designed for desktop browsers, and finally, that I should update from a desktop browser. WordPress is looking a lot more attractive even with less appealing themes.

I've used both Squarespace and WordPress iOS apps — both are lacking. It's very frustrating.

Political season: impacting updates

The General Election on November 6, 2012 is so important. This decade is what's at stake. My feelings are clear; Obama has failed America and has lied about too much.

• Obama said he'd close Guantanamo. Guess where my Army MP friend is going to be stationed next year?
• He said he'd cut the deficit in half. With Obama, our debt has increased by trillions, billions have been wasted on failed clean energy experiments. Obama blames America's reduced credit rating on a conservative unwillingness to raise the debt ceiling. Some people think that at one point, there was a surplus. There was never a surplus. (When has a government ever been satisfied with its cash reserves?!
• Obama said he'd reduce unemployment and get America back on track. Biden admitted accidentally that the middle class has been buried. Employment hasn't gotten easier because upper middle-class small business owners are still under an immense squeeze. Large corporations don't need to worry about offering long-term employment — careers — because they can always get new hires. The median middle class income has fallen by $4.1K over the past four years, and liberals claim that this is a recovery?!

I could go on for hours.

This entry is already getting long, and this isn't a political blog, but being disabled, I have a lot of time to study these issues and I feel obligated to share my opinions and inform people of the truth. I want to find out why people want a larger government with higher taxes, and why wealth is vilified in some parts of America, even though the majority of white collar crime is committed by poor people.

People harp on a few Republican sticking points like pro-life, supposed racism and anti-gay/homosexual attitudes. I want to address these things, and explain how and why the Democratic Party is just as racist and how they restrict and limit personal freedom more than the Republican Party.

There's a lot of misinformation because of lies and infographics on social networks like Facebook, and news networks like to sensationalize information for ratings. Most of the major news networks are liberal, ABC, NBC, CBS… yet FOX is the network constantly lambasted for being partisan. There's The New York Times and Huffington Post spreading inaccuracies as well.

For the record, I'm pro-choice, and GLBT friendly. I do a lot of things that the traditional, religious GOP member would likely frown upon. I've never belonged to the 1%. I'm a Republican because I believe in small government, low taxes, and that protected borders and military strength ensure peace and freedom. Hope is not a strategy, I'm a Reaganite. I believe in the profit motive; that hard work and innovation should be rewarded and encouraged.

(BTW, did you know that Jack Kennedy and Richard Nixon were really close friends and that JFK said that he'd vote for Nixon if he didn't get the Democratic nomination? Although JFK also preferred socializing with conservatives and took steroids to look more presidential.)

A party must be changed from within; if you believe in a conservative government but dislike the Republican Party because of its often backwards social values, join the GOP and help me change it! No Party is going to really change just because people yell at it from the outside. If you believe in a large government, high taxes and many regulations (like Nanny Bloomberg's NYC), why? Listening to Sean Hannity several months ago, I heard Occupy members and admitted socialists attempt to rationalize their views — and I just don't get it.

Politics, Sociology and Game Theory at Says Brad

People have been criticizing Romney for paying 14% in taxes, but for the past twenty years, he's also been donating 14% of his income as well. That's a lot of money going to charity! I believe in a flat tax for everyone. The government isn't a bad thing, it's just poorly run. We don't live in a true democracy, I don't think that everyone realizes that. Ever seen Hardcore Pawn? Our Democratic Republic is under fire from all sides, and needs better leadership and management.

There should be a safety net; people shouldn't starve or freeze to death in America. But mediocre, tenured officials shouldn't be the decision makers. Everything from education to health care needs to be reformed with accountability. We can't afford to continue throwing money at problems — no more blank checks to bad planners and corrupt officials.

These views are complex and perhaps controversial, so I will do my best to explain and clarify. It's so important. I would love to just ramble about iOS and games all day, but America is in trouble. Our status as the best country on Earth is in jeopardy, and that bothers me. America should be the model other countries attempt to emulate.

In this process, I will refer to many historical events and using game theory, propose alternative realities and scenarios to demonstrate concepts. This might bother some people, perhaps even moreso because I will probably still post the fun stuff, too. At heart, I'm an artist and a dreamer, I love technology and video games. Just as I can't ignore these passions, I can't ignore this nagging feeling to demonstrate reality as I understand it, either.

Hopefully I can change a few minds, open a few doors, and learn a few new things along the way. This is life as a highway, driving, but that sunset is just out of reach. Says Brad.

Brad Chin uses Blogsy

Status Update

Hi. I have a lot to cover here.

Also, please excuse the 2009-2010 layout/colors. I'm setting up a new one... it just takes awhile because I can't do it laying down (literally, laying down).

Note: this may not be interesting/relevant if you don't know me on some kind of personal level. Feel free to browse other things. Enjoy picture of cats in boxes, or look at this inkblog post. Or these assorted images including Hipstamatic iPhone 4 pics (more soon). And join Zurker, a social network you can own so we can become friends.

Miscellaneous personal stuff:

• I think the satsuma mandarin orange season is at an end. Thanks to Chow Lafayette, I've managed to get almost 30lbs of oranges per week since December. Luckily, California has a lot of raspberries!

• This crazy Bay Area weather has been giving me daily migraines. Sometimes lasting up to 20 hours, I haven't had much relief. I think my migraines have been triggered by barometric pressure changes.

• I've been studying/trying to play Chess. Until recently, I hadn't had much interest in the game, but I played Go, then Gomoku, and that led me to Chess.

• I dig Shortmail. Using their iPhone app and my Twitter, @bradtastic, I setup simplified email in one minute. This format is based on the Email Charter — principles to eliminate email overload — found here.

Blog consolidation; goodbye, TypePad.

I've wanted to like TypePad since using MovableType at AIS, years ago. I just... don't. I want to like it; it's got a good team behind it, some interesting features, but poor layouts and themes. I don't know enough programming to make my own, and with time constraints and constant pain, I won't be learning anytime soon. Learning programming isn't just reading, it's trial & error — and not accomplished easily on the iPad.

So unless SAY:Media or someone is willing to pay for my disability blog, I'll be moving the content here. This isn't ideal, but it'll be easier to maintain. It also means gaming info and iOS app reviews will be mixed together with information on my condition.

For now, I'll keep the domain names — they're paid for — I'll just point them here.

Squarespace vs WordPress

I've been reading some blogging guides about setting up WordPress and other things (including Posterous and Tumblr). I want to keep writing and sharing — it's therapeutic — but I also want to keep costs down. Some blogging concerns are stability, aesthetics, typography, and file management. My goal is to share my photography, illustrations and design alongside writing. I love Squarespace's themes and CMS, but I don't care for the blogging/editing UI — it isn't touch and small-screen friendly. I adore their customer service, however.

A real iPad blogging tool, Blogsy, by fomola.

I found this app called Blogsy — subsequently communicating with it's developer/owner — and am now convinced that blogging from iPad will continue to be viable, if not someday preferred. Blogsy doesn't support Squarespace yet, but I've been told that that's a planned addition. I've used each of the services that it does support, and I'm starting to question my Squarespace convictions.

I hope to continue learning about technology and tools while I practice and strengthen my writing. I've been reluctant to share my fiction attempts, but perhaps it's time for more change.

This is a big year with Olympics, elections and Mayan doomsday predictions myths. Hopefully I can learn to better manage my disability and life, and share some of that — you know, before the world ends.

Some changes to "Bradtastic Defined."

Things change, life changes… I’m old now. Damn it. What I wouldn’t give or do to repeat childhood… 

That’s impossible, but it’ll be okay, because I have other things in mind. I’m old now, but I’m not terribly, horribly, “face-all-wrinkly” or “falling-off-entirely” old. I stated before (more than once… oops) that I wanted to write more — that I was going to — and now, I kind of, actually, can! Exciting! 

Surprisingly, I’ve settled on fiction. Serendipity or insanity, time will tell, but inspiration struck violently and unexpectedly, and I can’t ignore it. Since, I’ve worked on my narrative prose, grammar (I’m close to knighthood in the Order of the TweeterGrammarton) and style. Style, because today, it’s about style over substance. Word. 

Been thinkin’ and thankin’

I’m considering writing serialized short stories. I’d post a new “chapter” each week on a (my) blog… dunno which one. Maybe this one. Maybe not. I have some unused cool domain names. 

Mostly, I’ve been sharing stories about dealing with pain and disability, and I’ve been educating others, raising awareness, and communicating with other people with problems. Specifically, I get that everyone has problems. Generally, I know that most people are doing okay. Life is a lot easier when your body works (somewhat) properly. 

Sometimes, I’ll try to pick something up and I’ll end up knocking it over, or I’ll want to make a fist, and instead, my arm starts shaking. My damned shoulder is hurting so bad at the moment. (Accidental “bang” — or bump or poke or whatever you want to call it — yesterday) 

Because it’s separate, and well, because I want to, I post my other stuff over there. Or here. But mostly at Bradtastic Defined, or www.bradchin.com (note: the ‘www’ is necessary, because TypePad says so. I know, it’s lame. Tell that to SAY). Because things are different now, I’ve changed the description and intent of the bradchin, a domain that used to host my inkblog. *(I used to love ink blogging… sigh) 

So here it is, from “Bradtastic” Defined, personal blog (with disability stuff):

The mostly accurate drama of the life of Brad Chin, presented in dramatic fashion in full-HD, 1080p, 3D on an LED TV without LSD, PCP or PVC… no MSG, not for sale on QVC or available on DVD, and I can guarantee — that that’s N.O.T. what she S.A.I.D.

If you want to know more… go there and read some. If you like it, you can help fund my first novel by sending a gift via Amazon (my wish list)! Also, my birthday is in 34 days… also known as “twenty five weekdays from today,” or “four weeks, six days,” or “one month and three days from today,” or expressed more ‘l33t,’ 1m3dr1zzleF1zzizzl. *(minus the 1zzles) 

Okay, that was odd. I get weird when I’m tired and hurting more than I do normally. I’m going to stop. I set this entry to post at 1:11 (afternoon), so make a wish… at 11:11 — because it’s likely past 1:11 now.

Say "goodbye" to Superfloo.us!

Originally, I was going to post a piece of artwork to commemorate this entry (as well as make it more visually appealing), but chances are, the Squarespace iOS apps wouldn't handle it properly anyway, and I'd either end up with: an entry with image and without text — or vice versa. Besides, how many "Dear John" letters come with attached graphic design and imagery? Not that that's what this is...

It's been a few years since I'd registered this domain and setup this blog, and a lot has changed between now and then; for me, probably for you, America, and our planet. Entropy is a fact of life; and I suppose, in some sense, so is blogging.

Blogging is definitely changing, but did we change it, or is it changing us? Years ago, I remember telling people that Twitter was going to be the next big thing — I got replies like, "why do I need this?" and "but I already have Myspace!"

'Superfluous' begins.

Originally, I just wanted something funny — a catchy name, something self-deprecating and light — and a play on the word "superfluous" seemed to fit. After all, blogs are somewhat superfluous in general, and I felt... something like "pride," using a "dot us" domain name.

But here we are, in 2011, on the precipice of world annihilation according to the Mayans and some other honey crusted nut bars. Re-registering a dot us domain is expensive, and none of that money really goes to making this country better (I think).

All I've done is fund Bob Parsons' hunting trips. Some large game had to die — because I wanted to be funny.

So, I'm going to change the name of my blog — that'll teach him and President Obama a lesson! Yeah! A whopping few dozen people read my blog; in case you weren't aware, they're the keys to the hearts and minds of America — my readers. Bless you all.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure about what to call my blog; if not "(not) superfluous," then what?

By the way, I just want to mention quickly: Damn you, Bono. I write many entries on my iPad, and when I use HTML for "Header 2" (H2), iOS decides to auto-correct, because I must've meant U2. Why can't you learn, damn it?! Someone get on Apple about this, stat.

Got any 'new blog name' suggestions? I'm actually interested in what you think — yes, I know how unusual that is. I see the irony; people usually come to me for advice, and here I am, using my blog to try and talk about renaming my blog.

I don't know how easy Squarespace will make the renaming process. I haven't asked them about it, but I hope it's simple, because I've had enough Squarespace trouble. There is a lot that I like about Squarespace, most of it is awesome, actually — but for me, the little things are often most upsetting.

Presently, I have a special Squarespace rate plan — I was grandfathered in... can you believe that? I'm a grandpa! If I were to simply open a new account and close this one, I'd have to first migrate the content somehow, and I don't know how many (if any) links will need to be recoded. Maybe it's more trouble than it's worth.

I just thought that, if I were to rename my blog, perhaps I should do it sooner rather than later. I would've just used "Bradtastic," but I was warned that my unprofessional content might bite me in the ass one day if directly associated with some kind of "business website..." though in my mind, it's not too hard to figure out whom wrote what.

Lastly — because this blog is random superfluousness, I guess it doesn't have to exist. I can always "write for me" and not share it. Every now and then, someone will send me an email or say something, making it clear that they've been here and read my ramblings — and every once in a while, someone will benefit (somehow) from this blog. I have too many other projects to work on, and another blog that I do want to do more with, so maybe I actually kiss Superfloo.us goodbye, archive all of the entries, and move on.

I won't be shutting down or renaming immediately, so let me know what you think. My domain expires soon, however. Also, "no reply" is a valid enough response.

Update on 2011-06-30 00:34 by Bradtastic

I’ve created a support ticket on this “issue” to learn more of the details — and consequences — of my impending decisions, as well as to determine alternative solutions. I will most likely follow-up on this via Twitter (@Bradtastic)

Update on 2011-07-01 16:12 by Bradtastic

I was contacted by Squarespace support within minutes of creating my ticket. Essentially, I can change my account name (aka domain.squarespace name), and it won’t effect my legacy plan. This, I might do.

For whatever reason though, (not) superfluous is not popular. Anymore. It used to do okay… in fact, earlier this month, when I was writing about iPad software, I had visitors. At the moment though, it seems like no one really cares. 

I already know that my readers don’t comment, and I kinda get that. I usually don’t comment, either. To solve this, I think I’m going to install DISQUS — because (if I understand this right) the service allows people to “comment” via Twitter entries. People love Twitter. 

Well, that’s that — for now. The world will go on just fine without something superfluous or not, and I will have just that much more free time to work on… well… another blog, I guess.

superfloo sign off

New "superfluous" logo concepts

Another glimpse behind the scenes; here's an iPhone 4 camera phone pic of my conceptual logo work for this website, Bradtastic's (not) Superfluous (Blog... or journal).

Phase two is a move from an iPhone 4 snapshot of my Brookstone "Boogie Board" (really cool, and inexpensive; Bradtastic Approved) to the iPad 2 — first Penultimate, then Autodesk Sketchbook Pro. From there, it'll be vectored.

The tools are basically all mobile technology now... and I think that that's awesome.

Something more than superfluous

I've been thinking a lot about blogging, writing in general,

Trying to figure out whether or not I want to continue publishing and sharing thoughts and feelings conveyed through words posted on a blog somewhere for friends and family to read and spammers to post inane sales-pitch ad comments on. I think I may have doomed myself, trying to be cute and clever, calling this blog not superfluous even when it is.

Now I don't know if I care enough to continue.

There are a few people, who's opinions mean enough to me to share my writing with — for everyone else, why bother? I've been working, in semi-secret, on an amazing thing; if it works, it'll be game-changing. Perhaps world-changing. What's this little blog in comparison?

Then again, I have some fun sharing thoughts, in general. I've been living in my own mind so much recently — and the nature of dreams, is that they're always more exciting to live in than hear about — some connection beyond the people I see in one reality or another is nice to have.

But who cares to read any of this, anyway? I know some people, for I have no clue what reason, follow my journals, even when I don't post. People are so lazy, in general... they'd rather be told what's up — they don't want to read. Reading is work.

Lost loves.

There's something lacking in our world of advanced technology. Some element of the human spirit has become jaded, some facets entirely deceased. Eloquence as an art, with words in any form, requires practice. People will go to the gym to exercise all muscles other than the most important one: the brain. Where is Gold's Gym for the thinkers? I don't mean MENSA, I mean, the every man (and woman). When did this happen?

I read old (I know, this is a relative term) writing of mine (three to five years old) and hardly recognized it as my own. It was pithy, and funny, and perhaps slightly arrogant, but still... I wished at that moment that I could know my current abilities exist beyond those handwritten words in my private journal.

Listen to FDR speak in old recordings. Read letters and communications from the American Revolution or pioneers headed to California for the gold rush. Read the love letters written by young adults fighting in the Civil War — do we (as a society) maintain one-tenth of that attention, energy and care?

The handwriting says it all.

Look at the average person's handwriting. The ability to write and speak well has been lost like Latin; we can see it in old texts and attempt to recreate it, but its true nature has been lost. Handwriting isn't taught anymore, probably because of keyboards. It's as if no one stopped to realize that QWERTY isn't always the most effective solution.

The point.

Perhaps I'll continue to just because someone should. I haven't had the energy and fire to blog passionately since LiveJournal days, and I doubt I'll get that back. But I haven't shared much recently, because whatever I write seems either: too good, or too unimportant, to post.

The Cult of the Amateur really messed me up. It made me want to hold everything back. I don't want to be a member of that cult, that club — whatever you want to call it. It's sickening, disgusting... thinking about it makes me miserable.

But I've been reading a lot, and looking at a lot of words on paper (or e-ink screens), retina display and LCD, and I guess I see the point. At least the point I want to make.

How annoying would it be if I didn't share that point, that insight right now? I guess you'll find out.

Until next time...

Update before Christmas (text)

My text for this post got deleted by my Squarespace's iPhone app! Damn.

Well, here's the nutshell version:

I'm writing about my disability and chronic pain, and disabilities in general at BradChin.com — I hope some semi-dark grit will shed light on a subject often avoided (more than politics and religion) and clear up some misconceptions.

I'm scrapping Bradtastica because my Wordpress install isn't working right.

"Superfluous" will be lighthearted and semi-casual; my design, art and creative work and projects will be at Bradtastic.com after I fix it.

Website mods.

Making some changes to this website and a few others…

Bradtastic Premier 2010

From the desk and TabletPC of Brad Chin: “Bradtastic 2010” Premier site logo, rough draft. Like I’d really let you see the final thing!

Superfluous? I don’t think so. 

This is to let everyone get a glimpse of some of what’s coming. I’m going to move Bradtastic… however, I don’t know what to do with all of that old content. There’s a lot of it that I’d like to keep — but I also like the idea of starting over, fresh, since so much is different. 

What do you think?

Please… let me know. Also, please leave a link if you happen to know of a high-quality questionnaire/polling system online. I liked that Livejournal had a system built in; but for many reasons, I’m not going to go back to LJ. Unless they paid me… I suppose a free permanent account would suffice. 

About the art and one of my obsessions

I’ve been trying to utilize my Tablet technology as much as possible. Unfortunately, my device is more than five years old now; the battery-life is less than 35 minutes with full-conservation settings, it’s bulky and hot.

My inkblogging has garnered more attention than expected, and I’d like to continue with the format. I think it’s a perfect medium for discussing writing instruments and paper as well. I even have the perfect domain name for such a review site!

I’m still compiling my thoughts on the Levenger Ledgerdomain notebook… I think that it’d be pretty cool to start-off a paper and pens review site with a “Bradtastic Approved Notebooks” feature! (Or is it, “featurrette?”) 

Meanwhile… some real-life wondrousness!

In digital-life form — Check out (and add or bookmark) Bradtastic Antipresto for links and images. I post iPhone art, skyline shots, funny stories, and sketchbook glimpses on a regular basis. [Note: if you’re not particularly fond of Antipresto’s DISQUS comments handling and style/theme, rest-assured, neither am I. My tumblr will be modified — improved.]