Thursday, December 7, 2017

How IoT Can Make Your Life Easier


Some of you can probably read the title of this post and are probably wondering, "What is an IoT?"

IoT stands for "Internet of things" and refers to the network of devices (home appliances, vehicles, etc.) that are embedded with a network connectivity which gives them the ability to connect and exchange information. "Things" can also refer to other devices, such as live streaming cameras and heart monitoring implants.  These types of devices uses ad-hoc reporting and self-reporting in their software application. Many scholars suggests 'things' as an "inextricable mixture of hardware, software, data and service."

How is this beneficial for you?

Well, for starters, IoT will reduce day to day to human intervention, which will save you time, energy and money.

Here are three ways IoT Can Make Your Life Easier:


Smart Robot Vacuums

Not everyone has time to drag out the vacuum cleaner and clean your floors after a long, hard day at work. This is when owing a smart robot vacuum can come in handy. A robot vacuum can be programmed to clean your floors even when you're not even at home.

How does it work?

Robot vacuums have multiple sensors which helps it scan the environment around it. The vacuum will send the environmental data to its microprocessor. You can control a smart robot vacuum through an app that can you download onto your smartphone or tablet. Additionally, you can run a diagnostics to check the status of vacuum's cleaning tools.


Smart Refrigerator

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Winter Reads: Christmas at Grey Sage


Gilead Publishing; 224 pages; Buy Link; Blog Tour
I'm not only read two books today, but both of the titles have are set around Christmas. I read the novella The Gift of Christmas Past by Cindy Woodsmall & Erin Woodsmall early this morning (read my review here), and the this afternoon I read Christmas at Grey Sage by Phyllis Clark Nichols.

The novel centers on a retired doctor, Silas, and his wife, Maude, who run the Grey Stage Inn, which is nestled in the snow-covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Santa Fe. Normally, they close down the inn for two weeks around Christmastime and take a trip, but this year they agree to host a few visitors who are visiting Santa Fe for Christmas.

Out of the blue, an unexpected snowstorm hits Santa Fe, causing Silas, Maude, and all their guests to be stuck inside the inn for Christmas. As the storm gets worse, tension and fear mounts all around them.


Nichols pin1

Final Thoughts

"The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories" Unboxing

Interview with Charles O'Keefe, the author of Chaos Stories



Now available to purchase on Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble is the novel The Chaos Stories by Charles O'Keefe.



The author has taken a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk about his newest book.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

I think it started for me when I was 13, back then I had this crazy idea that I could write the script for video games (and my friend would do the art). I think we did up at least one game, maybe two. It helped that year that I had a teacher I really liked who got the class to do some interesting writing assignments, showed me how to be a better writer and used to lend out comic books for me to read. The other big encouragement was I start playing Dungeons and Dragons then as well, which is a great way to stimulate anyone's imagination.

What was your first book/story published?

It was a long time before I got motivated enough (and organized) to do any serious writing. My first book was published in April of 2012 (I was 36). This was with Penumbra Publishing (who are sadly now gone) and I had been working on the book off and on for about 8 years. Even once it was accepted I was still waiting about 7 months for it to be published, I used my time wisely and had the rough draft of book 2 done by then.

What inspired you to write "The Chaos Stories"?

I had always loved to read short-stories and I had written a few before (I was lucky enough to even have one published at the back of a novel that Penumbra published). I had been reading a lot of short stories beforehand (along with Stephen King's book on writing) and to be honest I find I need to write, With three books published (all vampire) I was ready for a change. I know it sounds corny but my own life and my desire to write is all I need for inspiration.

What character in "The Chaos Stories" is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

That's an easy one for me. About 40% of the book is deleted scenes from my vampire books and one those characters, Joseph, is a younger version of me. That doesn't mean he's identical to me, I'm in my 40s and Joseph will be forever in his 20s physically (since he's a vampire). Joseph also makes different choices than me, never takes over the family business, never gets married, doesn't age, drinks blood and of course often has fights to the death with other vampires. Seriously though, Joseph does have most of the same ideas and principles I do, he's just a little more extreme and outspoken than me, I've mellowed out somewhat as I've gotten older. I agree with him on lots of things, we're both vegetarian, both against animal cruelty and hunting, both big geeks, we both enjoy nature, love women, always been fascinated with red heads, both love literature and both have strong family ties. Also, like Joseph, I often felt alone in my early 20s and longed for companionship, the big difference is how I met my girlfriend (now wife) and how now I enjoy time to myself more than I ever did in my 20s. He represents ultimately what my life could have been if I had made different choices and if vampires were real.

What is your favorite part in "The Chaos Stories"?

There is a moment in "Footprints Part 1" where Marlon, one of the main characters, makes two impossible shots with a rifle. He is blindfolded and still manages to hit two cans hundreds of feet away. I loved how it was something that actually could happen but is so unlikely that it means his skill is beyond human. It's a small thing in the story but it means a lot, when Marlon makes these kinds of insane shots he is indeed using a supernatural power. This supernatural power comes at a cost, when he uses it evil energy follows him and bad things can happen. It is also something that was originally not in the story and a great example of why you need to a good editor to make a story even better and more cohesive.

What was the hardest part to write?

Winter Reads: The Gift of Christmas Past: A Southern Romance


Woodsmall Press; 250 pages; Buy Link; Blog Tour
There's nothing better to get yourself into the Christmas spirit than reading a Christmas themed book, which is exactly what I did this morning when I read The Gift of Christmas Past: A Southern Romance by Cindy Woodsmall & Erin Woodsmall.

The novel centers on Hadley, a twenty-seven-year-old who's being weighed down by her past. She had entered into the foster care system at the age of five when the courts took her way from her birth mother, who was addicted to drugs. Though her mother visited her a few times, she just simply disappeared from Hadley's life. At age seventeen, Hadley got arrested for arson, which she claims wasn't her fault.

Now as a adult, Hadley is working as a speech therapy specialist. Out of the blue, she happens to run into an ex-boyfriend, Monroe, who is also a speech therapy specialist. Despite his feelings for her, Monroe, had abandoned her after she was arrested ten years ago, leaving Hadley with a lot of anger feelings towards him. No matter how they feel about each other, they must put everything aside to help a four-year-old girl who hasn't talked since she was rescued from an apartment fire.

Woodsmall - Gift pin1

Final Thoughts

Holiday Gift Guide: Mary Reilly Blu-ray


Mary Reilly Blu-ray


Studio
Mill Creek Entertainment

Discs
1

Retail
$14.98

Where to Purchase
Amazon


Description

The classic horror story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde gets a chilling new twist when seen through the eyes of Dr. Jekyll's devoted maid, Mary Reilly.

 My Thoughts

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

'All Things Now Living' Blog Tour and Kindle Fire Giveaway

While on a scavenging trip with her father, Amy is accidentally trapped in New Lithisle in Rondi Bauer Olson's All Things Now Living. At first her only goal is to escape, but when she meets Daniel, a New Lithisle boy, she begins to question how less-than-human the people of New Lithisle are. Amy's feelings grow even more conflicted when she learns she didn't end up in New Lithisle by mistake. Her father is secretly a sympathizer. Time is running short and Amy has to decide if she will bring the computer program her father wrote to his contact or save herself. Installing the program could prevent the dome's collapse, but if Amy doesn't find her father's contact in time, she'll die, along with everyone else.

Stay up all night reading this thrilling new book from Rondi and enter to win a Kindle Fire!


One grand prize winner will receive:
  • A copy of All Things Now Living
  • A Kindle Fire
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on December 14. The winner will be announced December 15 on the Litfuse blog.