Cutting The Cable Cord, Part 3
It’s been a few months since the wife and I cut the cable cord. We’ve gotten into a new groove with media consumption and I thought I’d post an update for those who are considering making the move. Plus, everyone who comes over to our house wants to know all about the Roku, so I’ll get into that below. Not much has really changed The wife and I have always watched more films than TV shows (I’m not a big fan of lawyer/doctor/cop/reality shows). After cutting...
Read More50 Common Misconceptions Debunked (& 25 More)
Here’s a six-minute video from Mental Floss debunking 50 common misconceptions. I’ve encountered most of these misconceptions at some point in my life, mostly in elementary school. Sadly, I was taught several of these by my teachers. I don’t usually share stuff like this, but I got a kick out of it. Here are 25 more misconceptions that I wish people would stop spreading: Consuming local honey helps with allergies. George Washington wore wooden teeth. Calories consumed right...
Read MoreThe 7 eating habits that have helped me lose weight
I’ve implemented my own weight management program. Not that long ago, I spent some time on the 4 Hour Body Diet (4HB). 4HB is designed to put your metabolism into temporary overdrive through frequent ingestion of high-protein foods. That approach is great if you’re hoping drop a few pounds before an event, or if you’re using it as part of an annual weight maintenance program, but it’s unsustainable. If you’re on the road a lot, it’s nearly impossible to...
Read MoreMy 2013 To-Do List
Back in May of last year, I looked back on my resolutions for that year. I accomplished most of them, but a few tasks will carry over into this year. 2012 To-Do List Finish all of the updates to my house ✘ Will be done by spring Get the exterior of my house and yard looking sale-worthy ✔ Ongoing Get all of my media streamlined and organized ✔ Done Combine my computer and PC into one HTPC network ✔ Done Back up all of my data and make copies of my important documents ✔...
Read MoreOn Technology, Tribalism, And The Future
I’m not really an early adopter when it comes to technology. I like to wait to see which platforms look like they’ll stick around a while before investing my hard-earned dollars. To my surprise, I’ve grown to be very patient when it comes to letting the market sort out the winners and losers. I’ve done this with the cellphone market as well as with computers/multimedia. I actually kept a Startac flip phone until 2005. Cell phones today are really just microcomputers...
Read MoreOn the self-defeating snobbery of early adopters
One thing I’ve never understood is the snobbery that comes from self-styled early adopters. They go on and on about how cool something is until they convince others that they’re right. Then others start talking about it, and the early adopters think it’s not cool anymore. Nothing about the product/service necessarily changes, but somehow, in the early adopter’s mind, the thrill is gone. They deny themselves the pleasure they used to experience merely because others can...
Read MoreAn Unnecessary Rant About An Unimportant Topic
Like I’ve said before, I think the internet is one of the most useful tools mankind has ever invented, along with fire-on-demand and Scotch whiskey. I was talking with a coworker the other day about how the internet has changed the way people think and interact. We can literally conjure the solution to any problem in a matter of seconds. Does everyone realize how amazing that is? When I was growing up, if you needed a solution to a problem, you pretty much had to—gasp!—ask someone....
Read MoreSuggested Reading: Business Books
Every few years, I brush up on all of the non-fiction/non-biography books that people have been talking about. I like to let the market filter the lasting hits from the passing fads. In the past year, I’ve gone through lots of titles, some good and some not so good. I thought I’d share the ones that were most worth taking the time to read. I’m ranking these in order of quality, with “quality” meaning a good balance of readability, insight, and prescience. The...
Read MoreTom Waits’ Best Music: A Cheat Sheet
All musicians whose careers span decades go through some kind of evolution. But few have changed as much over the years as Tom Waits. It amazes me how many people know of his work through other singers’ covers, and recognize him only from his roles in film. Waits emerged in the ’70s with a unique, hybrid folk/jazz sound that was very different from the acid-rock music that was filling the airwaves. His music was seen by some as a revival of the beat movement, almost like an amalgam...
Read MoreWhy I’m Quitting Netflix
Pretty much everyone should have heard about Netflix’s customer service train wreck. Universities will cover this case study in business classes for the next generation. Shares of the company have slid around 40% since the CEO announced plans to split the DVD mail order and online streaming into separate services with separate billing. This comic strip pretty much sums up customer sentiment. As someone in marketing and public relations, I could write for hours and hours about how...
Read More100 Days On The 4-Hour Body Diet
I started the “Slow Carb” diet explained in Timothy Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Body, at the beginning of April. I weighed in at around 190 pounds with a BMI of 30. The diet is not designed to be fun, but rather to “hack” your metabolism and trick it into burning fat for everyday energy. I followed the diet guidelines to the letter for two months. Over that time period, I lost around ten pounds of fat and an inch or two on my waist. I plateaued around 180 pounds for...
Read MoreMy Experience With Charter Communications
My house is in a post-war expansion neighborhood, so it’s too old to have cable outlets in the walls. And it’s just a 2-bed/1-bath, so it flips every so many years. As a result, every owner has drilled holes through the floor to re-route the cable lines wherever they feel like putting a TV. During our first winter, I had to chop up a bunch of wine corks and hammer them into the holes in the hardwood to stop the cold air from seeping in. We’ve been using Charter...
Read MoreA Review Of Bob Dylan’s Tell Tale Signs
Tell Tale Signs is the official name of the 8th installment of Bob Dylan’s bootleg series. It pretty much picks up where Volumes 1-3 left off, meaning some of the songs and outtakes date back to the late 80s. It has plenty of fresh arrangements of pre-released songs, but there are some really great new songs on this collection as well. Bob Dylan has never claimed to be a particularly good melodist. That’s part of the reason why he constantly rearranges his older songs, which is...
Read MoreAbout The Author
Chad Chandler is a strategic marketing consultant and web developer to small businesses in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Learn more. 
As an experienced marketer and an avid social media user, I keep a hobby blog. It mostly exists as a public scrapbook for my out-of-state family. Feel free to take a look around and see what you like.
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