A Modest New Year’s Resolution (8 Minutes a Day)

Of my too many New Year’s resolutions, perhaps the most important one is to write at least eight minutes a day.

You might have noticed a lot more posts with the “writing” tag since the fall. Much of my writing recently has been by hand. Though, make no mistake, I still feel most agile and fluent with a keyboard.

So far I’m 4-for-4 with eight minutes a day! There’s plenty of 2016 left for me to change my mind, lose interest, give up, etc. But I have already found an eight-minute-a-day habit easier to keep up than other daily goals I’ve set for myself in the past.

Another resolution that hurts a lot more but takes just as little time: 50+ push-ups a day. I hope to work up to 100 by spring.

New Star Wars: A Spoiler-Free, Bullet-Points-Only Review

I saw the new Star Wars film (The Force Awakens) last night. It was fantastic. Here’s a bullet-point, spoiler-free, in-no-particular-order reaction:

The new characters were stellar. They were written and developed well, and their acting was top-notch
There were lots of female heroes: Rey (played by Daisy Ridley: above, left), the General of the Resistance, Resistance fighter pilots, etc.
Another lead was a man of color: Finn (played by John Boyega: above, right)
This is to say–they really did a good job with diverse casting, more so than with the George Lucas films
The first scene is action-packed, and the movie is exciting and compelling all the way through
THE MUSIC. Whoa. So good
There are some good surprises that, even halfway through, you can’t see coming
Even if you haven’t seen previous movies in a long time (or ever), The Force Awakens makes sense on its own

There’s a lot more to say, but I’ll leave that to the Star Wars bloggers. I already want to see it again.

Notebook Review: Northbooks 5×8 Dot Grid, Softcover

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to write 8 minutes (or more) every day. At least three days a week I plan to write by hand. Less than 10 minutes seems doable, modest even, but also enough to build on itself. Yesterday, without really meaning to, I wrote for an hour. This morning was just 10 minutes.

I’ve got at least these two other notebooks to fill up, but for every-day writing I’ve been using a nice 5″x8″ softcover dot grid notebook from Northbooks. I know this is psychological, but that its softcover means I feel more free to just jot things down quickly than I would in a leather or even hardbound journal. So it’s been perfect for my 8 minutes.

It looks like this:

I love the size. It will fit into a large jeans pocket and is easy to stash in a satchel or purse. I really like the look and feel of it.

The cover logo is minimalistic. If you have a ruled notebook, you see lines instead of dots. A nice touch. You could easily title your notebook and write it on the cover.

And I’m a big fan of the dot grid pages:

These will also be sketch-friendly.

The acid-free paper is of high quality and made in the U.S.A. The paper is 50% post-consumer, smooth but not too smooth, and the perfect thickness. There is no significant bleed-through, even when using a fine fountain pen. I was impressed by this.

Northbooks’s product page touts a lay-flat binding:

Lays Flatter Than Most Notebooks: Binding is not attached to the external cover, so our notebook opens flatter than a typical glued binding. Makes for fuss-free writing/reading.

The binding is plenty secure, as is the cover:

But binding and cover are intentionally separate, as seen here:

This does, of course, mean flatter opening than a cover and binding that are glued together, but I still had to hold down one side of the notebook to be able to write in it. It does not lay flat on its own. (I’m not sure anyone would expect a softcover notebook this size to lay flat anyway.)

There’s plenty of room, even in this compact and portable notebook–96 pages (48 sheets)–for ideas, plans, to-do lists, art, and anything else.

You can learn more about the notebook here. One pays perhaps a higher price than expected for this notebook, but it is, of course, more expensive to make everything in the U.S. And this is a notebook that looks ready to stand the test of time. The 5-pack is significantly discounted, compared to buying a single one. You can see more Northbooks notebooks here.

Many thanks to the fine folks at Northbooks for the notebook for review! Check them out here.

You Read It Here First: 2016’s Word of the Year Will Be…

My wife taught the word to me. And then I saw it in a super-nerdy, super-awesome Bible software forum I frequent. The word is…

Grok

That’s right. Grok. It will be 2016’s Word of the Year, I predict… or if the world isn’t ready, 2017, for sure.

Here’s how I saw it in the Accordance forums:

Working with the Help system and especially the Training components, I was able to make sense of the approach Accordance takes. In my two previous rounds with the Demo in 2014 and early 2015, I just did not grok the system. Bottom line: Time with the Demo and the training tools and the December discounts enabled me to build a package that nicely does what I have always wanted Bible software to do….

(I commended this user for such a fluid use of the word.)

Oxford defines it thus:

Understand (something) intuitively or by empathy: because of all the commercials, children grok things immediately

My 15 seconds of Google research for this blog post (just kidding, it was three minutes) tells me that the word comes from an early 1960s sci-fi novel by Robert A. Heinlein, called Stranger in a Strange Land.

It’s a Martian word in that book. But if an emoji can win Word of the Year, why not a non-human word? Feel free to comment below if you grok what I’m talking about.

Not to Shill, But… (Last Day of Logos Bible Software Discount)

I have mixed feelings about Logos marketing–some criticisms expressed here–but I still do, at least for now, participate in an affiliate program of theirs. This helps, among other things, to pay for some of this blog’s minimal expenses and has even in the past funded seminary coursework.

I have no intention to shill, but I do want to share for interested readers that the rate of 15% off any base package in Logos is changing as of tomorrow (12:00 a.m. PST) to 10% off. So if you’re thinking of upgrading, you can do it for cheaper today than tomorrow. If you don’t have money to do it, don’t sweat, pour yourself a cup of tea, and read this post instead. If you do purchase, Logos feeds a percentage of the purchase back to me. If you’re interested, you just order a base package (new or upgrade) through this Logos landing page.

Or use the promo code ABRAMKJ6 when you check out with a base package in your Logos cart. My review of Logos 6 is here.

2015: Hundreds of Books, Thousands of Apps Reviewed!

I wasn’t going to post this, but then realized I’ve done this same sort of post every year since Words on the Word began–which was 2012! Blog years are like dog years, so I officially consider this blog really old.

It’s a little cheesy, but WordPress.com compiled a 2015 report for Words on the Word.

Here are a few fun facts from the report:

April 9 of this year was the blog’s most-visited day ever (4,081 hits). This was the post
My longest streak was 12 days of blog posts in a row in mid-July
This post from 2012 (though a bit dated now in its specifics) is still the most popular one
I reviewed 382 books but have 2,153 still to review; I reviewed 823 apps but still have 6,321 more app reviews to write
The above bullet point is untrue
I asked, Is 2 Samuel 7 About Jesus? and quite the discussion ensued!

Click here to read the full report. A guaranteed cure for boredom and maybe even insomnia.

Saddleback Pen Case: Leather of the Year

As much as I like a good app for writing, I’ve become even more enamored lately of good paper, pens, and related writing gear.

You don’t know this, because I haven’t finished and posted the review, but I’ve been using some sweet fountain pens from Kaweco in Germany. Where shall I put these newfound friends?

In this lovely case from Saddleback Leather, of course:

It’s technically a “Soft Sunglass/Pen Case,” but it’s way too cool for me to not use for holding writing utensils, which I use every day. (I think one of the kids ran off with my last $5 pair of sunglasses.)

I’ve only reviewed a little bit of leather at Words on the Word, but the case is easily the most beautiful piece I’ve seen or held. Here’s what it looks like stocked:

It can easily fit three good-sized pens and three pencils, and still close comfortably.

The (removable) tie closure is awesome, too–you can wrap it around and thread it through the hole, or just wrap it around a few times to keep the case closed.

Here’s the view from the back:

And a look inside:

The Saddleback logo on the front is subtle and classy, certainly not a kind of branding that will bother the user.

And these folk live and breathe quality craftsmanship. Here’s a close-up of the stitching:

The case could easily fit in your back pocket, or go into the pouch of a messenger bag. It looks great right next to a notebook or journal, too.

I’ve been accused of smelling books before (but only because I smell every single new book I get). But this case I smell and softly press against my cheek to keep me warm and happy. It might be my favorite single piece of gear I’ve reviewed so far.

* * * * * *

Saddleback was also kind to set me up with some cord wraps, an item I honestly thought was cool but superfluous… until I started using them every day to wrap my actually-long-enough iPhone charger cord:

There is a 100-year warrantee on these bad boys. Here’s the image from Saddleback of the three sizes you’d get in a set of three:

I’m using them for charging cords of three different sizes at the moment.

Saddleback’s site is here, with a ton of products that will make you want to convert to an all-leather lifestyle. You can purchase the above pen/sunglasses case here, and the cord wraps here.

Many thanks to the wonderful people at Saddleback Leather for the case and cords for review! I’m really grateful they sent them, though that did not influence the objectivity of the review.

Alto’s Adventure, Reviewed (and Currently $0.99)

I don’t know what your New Year’s Resolutions are, but if one of them is to play more video games (uh…), you should start with Alto’s Adventure.

Four traits especially stand out that make the game enjoyable:

It’s what reviewers call an “endless runner” game, which means you could go a gazillion meters on your run with Alto, which of course you never will, since you’ll hit a rock or get knocked down by an elder or fall into a ravine or ____ first.

But that won’t keep you from tapping “Play Again” multiple times.

The main stat to go for is “distance travelled.” But you can boost your trick store through a series of bunting grinds, flips, and the like. There are coins to collect (with magnets to help!), llamas to chase, and chasms to jump.

Here’s the score screen (for all images in this post, click to enlarge):

And a couple looks at the game:

The background changes from sunny and clear to dark and rainy, which adds a level of challenge (and fun) to the gameplay:

If you accomplish three goals (smash three rocks, land two triple flips in one run, and so on), you move up a level. Move up enough levels and you unlock new characters:

You can use your coins to buy workshop items:

The gameplay is smooth and responsive. (Though flying with the wingsuit is tricky.) You only have to tap to jump, so the controls are easy enough to learn, but staying up for a long run is no easy feat.

Alto’s Adventure is currently $0.99 (on sale) at the App Store. It’s easily one of the best games for iOS.

Thanks to the makers of Alto’s Adventure for the review copy of the app, given to me for this review but with no expectation as to its content.

Children’s Book Review: Daniel’s Grr-ific Stories!

Daniel Tiger (a.k.a., “D. Tiger,” according to our three-year-old) continues to be a hit around here. I expressed some skepticism two-and-a-half years ago toward a tiger replacing Mr. Rogers (see here). And of course no one could ever fill those shoes and that sweater. But Daniel Tiger–both the character and the show–has turned out to be pretty awesome.

Now… Books!

Yes, we enjoy the show. And the music is a favorite soundtrack at home. Last year our three-year-old (then two) got the toy trolley and some character figurines for Christmas.

I wonder whether the franchise has been slow to merchandise since heavy consumerism isn’t exactly a Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood value. However, I have wished on numerous occasions for D. Tiger books to read to my daughter. Now Simon & Shuster and The Fred Rogers Company are releasing a slew of volumes for children.

Daniel’s Grr-ific Stories! (6 of Them!)

One such release is the surprisingly affordable six-book boxed set: Daniel’s Grr-ific Stories. It includes six short stories (22 pages of story text in each) with full-color illustrations:

Welcome to the Neighborhood!
Daniel Goes to School
Goodnight, Daniel Tiger
Daniel Visits the Doctor
Daniel’s First Sleepover
The Baby Is Here!

As with the show, each book uses an interesting (and, let’s admit it, cute) narrative to help children deal with the many and diverse feelings that life throws their way.

Daniel is a big helper with the new baby–he helps get her room ready, holds her when she’s born, and even helps change a diaper! Smoother sailing then one might expect when a new baby comes and shakes up a family dynamic. (This may be one reason Honest Toddler does not like Daniel Tiger.)

The books are true to the show, which is nice–you’ll see, for example, familiar songs here:

Daniel is not sure what he’s going to do at the sleepover. He sings, “When we do something new, let’s talk about what we’ll do!”

Daniel and Prince Wednesday have a pajama dance party and brush their teeth together, but then Daniel gets scared:

Now it’s time to turn out the light and go to sleep. But wait! There is a great big shadow on the wall. It looks scary to Daniel! What could it be?

But, lest you worry our own child should get scared, the authors are on it:

Daniel remembers, if something seems scary, “See what it is. You might feel better.”

Sure enough (spoiler alert), “It’s just Mr. Lizard!” It was only a stuffed animal.

“When we do something new, let’s talk about what we’ll do!” comes up, too, when Dr. Anna sings it to Daniel in his check-up. Nothing to fear. He’s growing stripes just as he should!

All six of the books are of the quality you’d expect. (Though, be advised: they’re paperback.) Your kid may want you to read all six before going to bed, but one or two or three will probably fill 10–15 minutes easily enough. There’s a lot of good content here.

The illustrations are well-done, too:

Plus, A Super-Cute Growth Chart

Also included in the six-book box is a full-color growth chart parents can put on the wall. It starts at 17 inches (so you hang it 16 inches above the floor) and goes up to 59 inches. Daniel, Miss Elaina, Prince Wednesday, O the Owl, and Katerina Kittycat are all there cheering for your growing wee one. A nice touch is that at three parts there is, “Now I’m big enough to _” that you can fill in.

Where to Get It

Here’s what the whole thing looks like:

You can find the boxed set at the publisher’s page here, and here at Amazon.

For how much is here, both the list price and the discounted price on Amazon make it easily worthwhile.

Thanks to the good folks at Simon & Schuster for sending the boxed set for review, though that did not influence my opinions.

First Typo I’ve Ever Found in a Bible… and It’s a Good One!

Seriously–check it out. In Luke 11, the crowd demands… a hymn sing!

I found it in Zondervan’s lovely UBS5-NIV11 diglot, though it also exists in the UBS5 stand-alone version.

I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it must be to proof an entire Bible and get it all right–so no judgment here, just a funny image of a crowd getting tired of Jesus’ preaching and asking for a hymn sing instead!

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Now… Books!

Daniel’s Grr-ific Stories! (6 of Them!)

Plus, A Super-Cute Growth Chart

Where to Get It

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