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Old Cars Are Better than New Ones

Cars are getting too complex with technology. Older and less expensive cars are better than new ones because they don’t overly rely on computer technology to function. What’s going to happen to these new computer cars in 20 years? They’ll be in the junkyard, as the computer was too expensive to fix. What’s worse, in 20 years, the oldest cars on the road will be around 20–30 years old — i.e., the new cars now! That means all cars will have too much technology built in — every non-manual digital function from the computer can go out and stop working, while manual issues are easier to fix. Another main reason why I like older cars is to have more freedom from control. Newer cars with computer junk can be shut off remotely from anywhere, hacked into, and governments and corporations can deny access to use. Why would I pay the exorbitant cost of owning a new car when: It will be in the junkyard in 15–20 years Can be controlled remotely It is expensive Are difficult/expensive to repair or ge...
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Same Articles Published on NewsBreak vs. Medium 2024

These sites are very different, yet how do they compare stat-wise with the same articles? I discovered how to publish my non-news articles on NewsBreak; I just put   Opinion   in front of the title. Now I can put the same articles I write on Medium on NB and see how they compare. NB pays an estimated $4.50 per thousand views on average. I’ve published 15 articles on both sites since this change. NewsBreak articles have been published in the last 36 days. Let’s look at 7 examples: Writing is Hard For Two Reasons Investing in the writing piece and the unknown results. medium.com (published 4 days ago on M and NB) Medium: 2 NewsBreak: 199 4 Toto Songs That Sound Like the Beatles One of their biggest influences. medium.com (published 6 days ago on M and NB) Medium: 8 NewsBreak: 886 How Different Would We Be Walking In Another Person’s Shoes? Biological vs. environmental influences in a person’s makeup. medium.com (published 11 days ago on M and NB) Medium: 8 NewsBreak: 111 Stay Tr...

Writing is Hard For Two Reasons

Investing in the writing piece and the unknown results. Unknown Results of Writing Piece If, for instance, I knew every article would reach 10k views and 7k reads, my approach would probably be different — I can hear some say, just visualize and believe, act as though it already happened, yet it hasn’t and that ends up being a powerful truth even with an optimistic attitude. Having confidence in the performance of an article is different than having confidence in the content within the writing piece. The writer could very well feel the piece was worthy and done well, even if it doesn’t do well according to their set performance standards when published. Let’s say this, writers on all levels are generally dealing with the unknown when publishing a writing piece. For those who are not assured a decent result because of status, position, and level in the industry (those who haven’t “paid their dues” maybe), the unknown can become a detriment to writing for any monetary gain or accolades. ...

4 Toto Songs That Sound Like the Beatles

                                    One of their biggest influences. Toto came out with their first self-titled album in 1978. Their first 4 albums were with singer Bobby Kimball and bassist David Hungate. After the fourth album,  Toto IV , these two original bandmates left Toto. During these early years (1978–1984), Toto sounded more like the Beatles in some of their songs. They had a British feel to their music, especially, with their first two albums,  Toto  and  Hydra . Here are the four songs I think sound the most like the Beatles from these first 4 albums: “Rockmaker” ( Toto ) singer/songwriter David Paich 2. “Manuela Run” ( Toto ) singer/songwriter David Paich 3. “Lorraine” ( Hydra ) singer/songwriter David Paich 4. “St. George and the Dragon” ( Hydra ), singer Bobby Kimball, songwriter David Paich Summary These are also four of my favorite Toto songs. Interestingly...

How Different Would We Be Walking In Another Person’s Shoes?

Biological vs. environmental influences in a person’s makeup. If we walked in another person’s shoes, how different would we be from them? The old adage asks an important question; one that may have more than one answer. The crux of it is related to the psychological discussion on what is the most influencing factor in a person’s personality and psychological makeup: biological vs. environment. I think the prevailing belief among the masses leans toward the biological side, yet the truth leans toward the environmental side. Both are important in the ultimate makeup of who and what a person is and how they behave and think. It makes sense that the environment a person is around will have the most impact on their makeup. Who their parents were, if they had both parents, siblings, etc. The factors are endless, yet their culmination is a uniquely influenced person, a societal creation, a manifestation of social mores. The main factors are: Parents/guardians Siblings Friends/acquaintances F...

Will drones be used to control humanity?

Considering drones in our future. Drones are remote-controlled, battery-powered flying machines basically. Usually controlled by a human, sometimes automated by bots. They have become popular in recent years for their use in the Ukraine/Russia war. Drones in a Future Dystopian World I’m not an expert on drones, nor have I researched the technology or uses in-depth. Exploring the potential they offer with a larger perspective doesn’t require this expertise, rather, it requires a knowledge of revisionist history more so. I realize the average person doesn’t have much say in the proliferation of drone technology, any more than we do with wars started for reasons unknown. With this said, consider the potential of drones being used to control people in a future dystopian world. Drones powered by AI and smart technology, used for surveillance and enforcement with weapons; with heat-seeking sensors, long battery life, and hooked up to the internet and apps. Think about it, drones built in var...

Stay True to Your Art and Not the Trends

Writing as an art provides valuable expression for society. While everyone has different reasons for writing, true artists shouldn’t write what others want. Some say, “Write what people want to read according to the trends,” which might expedite making money, yet isn’t a true artistic expression. What Art Is Art is an expression the artist wants others to understand or experience. True art expresses a unique and original message or meaning to others, as this is the artist’s work and contribution to society and community. Writing can be an art form, expression through the written word; an article is a piece of art, expressing the artist’s unique creation to others in society and humanity. Notes on AI Art Some may specialize in AI art as though it were written word art, yet without human expression, it can only be AI art at best. The imitation of art by robots doesn’t express what a unique human would, rather, it expresses the culmination of all human information and knowledge — see the ...

Generation Alpha is the first to always know smartphones

They have never been in a society or world without smartphones. Is it a coincidence that the names of generations have just reset and begun again? From Z to A; have we as humans changed to a new alphabet and a new definition in sync because of the smartphone? Generation Alpha are the first humans to never know a time before the smartphone. They were or will be born from 2010 until 2025 . At most, they are 14 years old. Coming from someone who was around before the internet was in the public sphere, I would say the smartphone has changed people and our lives more than any other technological advance, compared to the radio, television, cable TV, and household internet. Memory has the rollout of the smartphone to the masses around 2008. My wife and I got our first smartphone around 2010. So, younger Gen Z, all of Alpha, and those coming have never known a society or world without smartphone technology. It just happens that the new alphabet distinction started right at this technological t...

6 Ways to Make Money from Articles/Content

Original content with your byline. There are 6 basic ways to make money from your content. I will call them content articles, but they can also be videos, photos, podcasts, and artwork. Affiliates Writers can market affiliates on their websites or add links to their articles or posts on writing platforms or social media. Affiliate marketing isn’t as easy as it seems, yet it can work if the product or service is relevant to the article. These products and services can be sourced through broker platforms like ClickBank or just found individually by the writer. Most products or services have an affiliate program. Ad/Membership Revenue Revenue-sharing platforms like NewsBreak and HubPages give writers a cut of the ad revenue; the amount depends on how many views the piece gets. Membership revenue gives writers a cut of the money coming in from people subscribing to the platform, like Medium and Vocal. Vocal gives a certain amount per view while Medium gives according to membership engageme...

Writing Success Comes from Volume and Quality in Balance

Our success is up to us. Success, as a general term to describe the results that constitute a success in a writer’s mind, as it meets or exceeded our expectations. And volume is how many articles/content pieces it takes for each writer to succeed with various levels of quality involved. Each writer will have their personal goals and ways to measure the results achieved through writing an article. Each writer has differing perspectives on what constitutes quality with a finished product. With these important variables in mind, let’s explore how many articles it might take with a theoretical estimation based upon experience and what I’ve seen in my decades-long online writing journey. Most writers can’t expect to attract a lot of views when writing only one article a month, or 12 a year. They may be able to stay in the game at the base line level and maintain some trickle of income, yet it isn’t the volume needed to reach that level of success to maintain. Still, we must first appreciate...

Where is Humanity Going?

Conversations Part 1 In the near future, a middle-aged man (Seth), from America, found himself talking with his mentor in a dystopian land full of deception. His mentor was a gray-headed and bearded man just past middle-aged called Pastor Nick. Seth had many questions for his mentor and the ongoing conversations are what ensued. What is the purpose and direction of humanity? Seth asked. Well, Seth, the obvious answer involves technology, as it is the main purpose of modern man. See, the so-called progress of humanity is culminating with a technological tyranny, giving the elite total control over everyone within the system, which is built and controlled by technology. Everyone involved in the system, as it is transitioning into this hive mind, is helping to build and support the reality of this technological future. They perceive it as progress, yet it is being built for only one reason — to control every human within the system. Is everyone going to be within the system? Seth asked. N...