Especially fun if you have kids. Here’s what you do.  Make some popcorn.  Spray it with butter spray. Then sprinkle on salt and some paprika.  The paprika and butter spray make it look creepy and bloody… and tastes great. If you take a picture before I do, send me a link to your pic and […]

Popularity: 9% [?]

Why pay $5 or $6 for a caramel apple treat when they’re this easy to make?

6 small apples
14 oz package caramels
1/2 - 1 cup chopped nuts
6 popsicle sticks

1) Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Divide nuts into six equal piles.
2) Wash and dry the apples. Twist off the stems and push popsicle sticks into […]

Popularity: 9% [?]

When I was compiling stats on complexity and sentence length in bestsellers, I noted one other detail that I found interesting.
Amazon lists the The Flesch-Kincaid Index for books that have a preview.
The Flesch-Kincaid Index  is a score that relates readability to a U.S. grade level. For example, text with a Flesch-Kincaid score of 10.1 would be […]

Popularity: 17% [?]

I just checked email, wondering if I’d find spam, a client needing help, an email from a sister… and lo and behold, I found an email from Sylvie at FuelMyBlog.com  letting me know I’m the blog of the day. Where’s a shocked smiley when you need one? Thank you so much!
If you’re not familiar with […]

Popularity: 2% [?]

Yesterday, Seth Godin wrote a post called “The secret of writing to be read” in which he linked to interesting research by Steven Johnson on the work of a few writers. Steven had discovered Amazon.com’s text stats and compiled a chart on the stats for 7 authors.
Text stats tell us things like how many complex […]

Popularity: 16% [?]

Several months ago, a short video clip of Anna Nicole Smith in clown makeup and drugged out of her mind was circulating on the Internet. Turns out that clip was rather deceiving. Anna was having a private birthday celebration with the 9 year old daughter of a friend whose birthday party Anna had missed. 
When the […]

Popularity: 9% [?]