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Ready Player One

Ernest Cline’s “ Ready Player One ” is a book filled with references to video games, virtual reality, ’80s pop-culture trivia, geek heroes like E. Gary Gygax, and funny-sounding cult items like Frobozz and Raaka-Tu. Yet it works for people who like books without pictures too. Mr. Cline is photographed on the jacket standing in front of an open-flapped DeLorean, like the one in “Back to the Future.” He looks a bit like the filmmaker Kevin Smith, one of the few people on the planet who may be capable of catching all of Mr. Cline’s geekoid references. (Mr. Cline himself wrote the screenplay for the 2009 film “Fanboys,” about unusually fanatical “Star Wars” devotees.) Another is the science-fiction writer John Scalzi, who has aptly referred to “Ready Player One” as a “nerdgasm.” There can be no better one-word description of this ardent fantasy artifact about fantasy culture. With its Pac-Man-style cover graphics and vintage Atari mind-set “ Ready Player One ” certainly looks like a genre ...

Why I Love Reading Real Books

Why I Love Reading Real Books I read novels online every 2 weeks or so, which adds up to about 25 books per year. As a rule, I always read at least free books online every day. Often it is a lot more than that. I squeeze reading in whenever I can?—?primarily weeknights before bed and then throughout the weekend. Of course this pales in comparison to some notable voracious readers, such as Bill Gates (50+ books per year) and Warren Buffett (500+ pages per day). I read books primarily to learn, grow, and feed my curiosities. This means that I mostly read non-fiction books about my passions of personal development, healthy lifestyle, and business/marketing. While I certainly learn every day on the job, books are a gateway to deeper knowledge within my profession and a way to dive into areas unrelated to my day job. My personality is best-suited to deep exploration of a limited number of subjects, rather than casually flipping from topic to topic. Therefore I greatly prefer reading full ...

Why Reading Books Should Be Your Priority, According to Science

When was the last time you read free novels , or a substantial magazine article? Do your daily reading habits center around tweets, Facebook updates, or the directions on your instant oatmeal packet? If you’re one of countless people who don’t make a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing out: reading has a significant number of benefits, and just a few benefits of reading are listed below. 1. Mental Stimulation Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it” is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation. 2. Stress Reduction No matter how much stress you have at work, in your persona...

Books Should Be Your Priority, According to Science

More than a quarter--26 percent--of American adults admit to not having read even part of a free novels online within the past year. That's according to statistics coming out of the Pew Research Center. If you're part of this group, know that science supports the idea that reading is good for you on several levels. Reading fiction can help you be more open-minded and creative According to research conducted at the University of Toronto, study participants who read short-story fiction experienced far less need for "cognitive closure" compared with counterparts who read nonfiction essays. Essentially, they tested as more open-minded, compared with the readers of essays. "Although nonfiction reading allows students to learn the subject matter, it may not always help them in thinking about it," the authors write. "A physician may have an encyclopedic knowledge of his or her subject, but this may not prevent the physician from seizing and freezing on a diag...

The Basic Principles Of Effective Auto Repair

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The Basic Principles Of Effective Auto Repair Whenever your car breaks down, it just makes you the happiest person in the world, right? Of course not, and you would like to know more about what to do in this situation. You would like to know what to do before this situation occurs again. Continue reading to find out some great tips on auto repair. An emergency kit is a must for your car. You can make your own; include things that you will have to have to put on a spare, add gas or charge the battery. Should your car break down in the dark, it is helpful to have extra batteries, a flashlight, and some blankets. Check the fluids in your car regularly. Check the oil level with the dipstick you can find under your hood. The dipstick should have a mark on it to indicate the ideal oil level. Add a quart of oil if you need to and check the level again after letting your car run for a few minutes. When it comes to auto repair, cheaper is not always a good thing. You want someone who is knowled...

Getting Your Car Repaired: Tips And Tricks

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Getting Your Car Repaired: Tips And Tricks How do you feel when you realize that your car is in need of repair? It is not fun, and you might think that there is no good road to take. However, you're just misinformed, and you need the right information to help guide you along. Continue reading to learn more about what you can do. Do you have a hard time starting your car? Your battery probably needs to be recharged or replaced. You need to check the state of charge of your battery. You can use a hydrometer or a voltmeter depending on the type of battery you have. If you have been regularly recharging your battery, it might be time for a new one. When taking your car to a repair service, make sure that you have all documentation handy. This is important as you do not want the mechanic to do tasks that have already been performed on your car. This can help you save a lot of time and money with your repair. Always ask lots of questions when you take your car to get repaired. Don't ...

How To Fix Your Car Without Breaking The Bank

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How To Fix Your Car Without Breaking The Bank Do you need vehicle repairs but like to avoid hassles? Getting the right work done on your car can be exhausting before you ever see a mechanic. It's hard to know the right place to take your car, or to know if you can do the repair yourself. Take some time to read the tips ahead to learn what you can do for your vehicle. Make sure you get quality parts to fix your car. You can usually get better prices if you get used parts from a junk yard but there is no way of knowing how long these parts will last. Do not hesitate to spend more on brand new parts that come with a guarantee. Before you let the mechanic work on your car, make sure that you have all of the prices down. Ask about any additional fees that may come up during the repair and any charges that you may not be aware of. This will ensure that you are not surprised when the bill comes for your car repair. Read your owner's manual thoroughly if you want to save money on auto ...