The Art of Shameless Self Promotion

The ability to read and write regardless of race, creed, or level of education is paramount in today's society. Literacy has long since replaced oracy as the acceptable societal norm in modern civilized peoples and as such a large portion of our media (including the blog you see here) requires you to be literate to take full advantage of what the Internet has to offer. That being said, the concept of being able to store entire libraries of literature on a single handheld device has had an appeal since the days of HG Wells, and Ray Bradbury. It is an exciting time that we live in where we get to see such fantasies becoming reality. Moreover, the advent of these "eReaders" as they are called, has opened new doors for break through writers in the industry of self publishing.


I am one such hobbyist, and while it would be a simple task for me to turn this blog into a "buy now" plug for my work, I would first like to take the time to plug a couple other people's works that I find compelling. The first student of the craft I would like to introduce you to, has been a friend of mine for many years and has only recently begun her journey as a professional writer. She is the author of the blog United By Books which caters to writers in the romance genre. I have had the pleasure of editing a number of her posts, and have personally bore witness to her transforming into a brilliant writer who I hope will one day expand her craft beyond the blogging community, and compose a novel of her very own. Check out her latest post where she hosts award winning author, Terry Spear. You can read her post by clicking the banner below.


***Warning Strong Sexual Content***

Another of my favorite hobbyists goes by the name "Vain Ziler". Vain is the site director, and project manager for the nerd culture site, finalsmash.com. While Vain's primary role within the site is that of a manager, he still finds time to write out some truly amazing reviews and podcasts covering the latest games, movies, manga, board games, music, and whatever else seems to be a good idea at the time. Essentially, if its nerdy or obscure, Vain probably has something to say about it. He is a truly amazing writer who has a bright future ahead of him in the industry. Check out his review of Battlefield 3: Back to Karkland for the PS3 and leave some comments HERE.

And finally, I present to you a small sampling of my work:

RJ and his friends loved to dabble in the dark arts, but when they discover that the long sought after Book of the Dead is hidden in their Sleepy Town of Star Grove, they quickly learn that some books are best left unread. After opening a gate to Hell, it is up to RJ to reverse the book's dark magic and regain his place in the world of men, lest the world be consumed by an everlasting and impenetrable darkness.

Nothing is what it seems. Scout often heard these words, but never paid them any heed, until the day they landed on Earth and destroyed everything he held sacred. John Evans in his new book, The Fallen, details the life of Scout "Striker" Carleson and his struggles against the sinister alien intelligence known as the "Fallen". However, he soon discovers that the old adage is true; nothing is as it seems. Now he must confront a far greater evil, and accept a destiny that could spell the end of not just the universe, but the infinite number of realities that surround it. The Fallen is filled with good humor, brilliant imagery, and a philosophical/religious approach that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

When Samuel, a young Psychology major at UCLA has a horrific nightmare the night before the most important test of his life, it looks like his day is going to go from bad to worse. But when he discovers that his two best friends have been plagued by similar dreams, Samuel begins to suspect something strange in the works. That, coupled with a barrage of waking dreams, prompts Samuel and his friends to go on an adventure that will find them facing evil itself.

Reviews make the writer; be they positive or negative. If you do happen to purchase any of my works, I would appreciate you posting your honest opinion to Amazon. Your feedback helps me to improve my craft, and in doing so, allows me to continue weaving works of art throughout the pages you treasure.

2012- The Year of Open Courseware

As we near the end of 2011, I reflect on the fact that many high school students will soon be embarking on their journey to college. They have painstakingly worked their way through twelve years of public school for the sole purpose of receiving a piece of paper that demonstrates that they can successfully regurgitate "facts" to their school district's satisfaction. From there, many of them will choose to pursue a four year degree, and perhaps even graduate school after. Others may choose to crawl their way up from the bottom rung of the societal ladder, working minimum wage jobs until their department overseer decides that he or she has proven him or herself worthy enough to join the ranks of the corporate elite. Still others may rise above the system, and redefine it by their own terms, perpetuating their name into immortality. There are those that may embark on a path of self destruction, and those who may embark on a path of self sacrifice. Regardless of the instrument of one's path through life, one truth remains abundantly clear; scientia est potentia.


Confused? Don't be. The phrase above is a Latin phrase that simply means "knowledge is power". It is something that those that I've looked up to have always emphasized. But it begs to question: Just what is the cost of the pursuit of knowledge? The world of academia would have you pay thousands of dollars, and plunge yourself into debt and despair in the name of the pursuit of knowledge; however, we all know that knowledge and the pursuit thereof is, and always has been, free to those who seek it. Thanks to the advent of the social network, learning can be achieved in ways that our parents and grandparents could only begin to imagine.


Enter the world of the Open Courseware Consortium, a massive conglomeration of educational institutions with a single goal in mind, feeding the pursuit of knowledge free of charge. Thanks to OCWC there are now entire degree programs available from some of the most prestigious universities in the world to audit free of charge. The following is a sample list of courses that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers through OCWC:

I chose MIT because of their prestige, but also because of the fact they have helped to spearhead this new era of open courseware. The Internet has exploded with open courseware resources, and now MIT has chosen to take this to the next logical level with its announcement of MITx which will allow users to earn certificates opposed to just auditing courses. You can read more about MITx HERE


In addition to the institutional movement towards open courseware, there is also a massive social movement towards the open learning environment. A prime example of this is "Khan Academy", a website whose video library boasts more than 2,700 videos covering a broad variety of subjects that you can watch completely for free. Moreover, Khan Academy offers practice exercises, and even awards badges and achievements to registered users and yes, registration is also COMPLETELY free. Here's a sample lesson from Khan Academy explaining diffusion and osmosis:





Thanks to social networking we now spend more than six hours of our day online. Perhaps social learning will encourage us to spend at least half of that time in the pursuit of that most valuable commodity, knowledge.

And so the Game Begins

Good Evening/Morning/Afternoon everybody. If you're reading this, then it means that you've temporarily abandoned the realm of rational thought, and stumbled (either willfully, or under duress) onto my blog. Who am I? I am a pursuer of knowledge, a purveyor of intellectual resources, and a pontificator of wisdom. I live in Hawaii, but I'm an import from the mainland. I've wandered this Earth for 26 long years, and in doing so I have had the opportunity to accumulate knowledge and wisdom that far surpasses a typical 26 year old. I am a published author, an accomplished Information Technology Specialist, a teacher, consultant, critic, student, friend, lover, fighter, hunter, conqueror, and king. I am all this, and so much more. Simply put, I am John. Accept NO imitation.


So what's this all about? Given that this is my first post, I'm not entirely certain. Writing, by its very nature, is a fluid and organic practice. As the breath of life is breathed into one's work, their work takes on a soul and mind of its own. It grows and changes, becoming something both beautiful and terrifying. I do know that whatever I post shall be relevant and useful in some way. It shall serve to benefit mankind, and encourage you to abandon the ideologies of mainstream media. To turn your attentions away from the drama in your life, and instead turn your attention to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. In short, to forsake reality, even if it is but for a fleeting moment.


Regardless of what becomes of this blog, I thank you all in advanced for reading, subscribing, and providing your feedback. Mahalo! And while I'm at it...