Blake Snow

writer-for-hire, content guy, bestselling author

Hi, I'm Blake.

I run this joint. Don’t know where to start? Let me show you around:

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Dr. Reichman of Provo, Utah: Thank you

dr-Howard-Reichman-provo-utah

Dr. Howard Reichman,

Five years ago, you sliced me up, exposed my spine, and were centimeters away from paralyzing me. All standard procedure for a neurological discectomy, of course. But I appreciate your steady hand and medical confidence as much today as I did then.

After you fixed my ruptured disc, I ran two marathons, got myself in the best shape of my life, reared more children, become a better husband, and picked up a lot of new adventurous hobbies. No longer am I the boring, unbalanced, and self-centered work-a-holic I used to be.

I couldn’t have done much of that without a healthy back.

Thank you.

Blast from the past: This ’90s album aged well; one of the decade’s best

rentals

When Return of the Rentals released, I was sixteen. I instantly fell in love.

Not only was it a five star album then, it’s a five star one today. To put my money where my mouth is, I think it’s aged as well as Weezer’s seminal Blue Album, something not a lot of ’90s albums can say. (Anyone tried to listen to Nevermind lately? Yikes!)

The reason The Rentals debut still speaks to me is because I like playfulness, groovy synths, classical music, catchy melodies, and ’70s hard rock. That and it makes me want to dance. It makes me want to play air guitar, head bang, and sing aloud. It makes me want to start a band again, even though I never will. It’s like looking at an old photo of yourself and liking what you see. That’s a beautiful thing.

And just like it did when I was 16, the song “Move On” quells any desire I have to run away from my problems. Just singing the words is relief enough to face them. That’s why I love this album.

If you’ve never listened to it, or if you haven’t in years, I highly recommend a spin. You friends with P.?

The perks of hiring a piano teacher

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLjwkamp3lI[/youtube]

As part of her piano lessons, my 7 year-old studies one piece of classical music each week, hand-picked by her teacher.

Consequently, our entire family has been exposed to wonderful music, stuff well beyond the popular Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven pieces. It’s like we’re getting a personal classical music DJ or curator, in addition to professional lessons. Score!

I plan to make a compilation of our favorite new discoveries. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this playful, beautiful, and surprising dandy by Haydn, which was the study assignment for this week.

Enjoy.

13 food strategies to combat gluttony

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Eating well is hard to do. Here are a 13 lucky food strategies I follow to keep extravagance at bay.

  1. Never order a cheeseburger. I said never. “But, Blake,” you ask, “Don’t you like cheese and beef?” Yes. Both are bursting with flavor. But there’s no sense overdoing it when each are good on their own. “I really wish this delicious burger had cheese on it,” said no one ever. “I really wish this grill cheese had meat on it,” also said no one ever. Pick one and enjoy.
  2. Hold the mayo and sour cream. Speaking of burgers, my wife and I made homemade ones over the weekend. Mine was topped with red onion, lettuce, tomato, Dijon mustard, and ketchup on a Texas toasted bun. It was a taste explosion, even without the mayo. Same goes for the tacos we had tonight. Beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, on a freshly cooked tortilla. No sour cream required. Again, sour cream and mayo are delicious, but there’s no sense in adding them to an already heavily-flavored meal. Continue reading…

Here’s the part where I finally add a proper archive, after writing 1,600 posts

Smooth Harold reader Tod from Nashville emailed this last week:

I’ve just started to enjoy your website. I was wondering if you have (or would consider adding) an “archives” link that shows the title of each post you’ve done. It seems like you have a lot of content. A feature like this would allow your users to find articles of interest more quickly in a browsing fashion. I did notice that you have an archives section by month that includes the content, but I’m referring to more a list of titles.

Here you go, Tod. Thanks for whipping my usability into shape.

Published works: 10 ways to save on tech this year

(CNN) — From Airbnb to GasBuddy to shopkick, lots of apps and websites help consumers save money.

But how do we spend less on technology itself — that digital drug we can’t seem to get enough of? How can we save money on electronic gadgets and services … so that we can buy more gadgets?

Here are 10 ways to stretch your tech budget this year: Continue reading…

Apps are guilty until proven innocent

Editor’s note: The Anti-Technologist is a new column by Blake Snow. It advocates late adoption of consumer technology (if at all) and expels the wonders of finding offline balance in an online world.

smartphone-apps-2When I said last month to ditch your smartphone, I did so with tongue firmly in cheek. I was being provocative.

After all, I own a smartphone. (It’s the kind that half of you love and the other half hate.) But I dumb it down by keeping it on a tight work leash, leaving my text messages on silent, and not subscribing to a data plan.

I also hold most the apps for my phone in contempt. Why? Because the words, “This app has made me a happier person,” has never been uttered. By anyone.

No, no. I can’t stand (most) apps. They’re distracting, fleeting, gimmicky, and largely first world junk. Digital versions of something you’d find at the dollar store. Continue reading…

Book review: A River Runs Through It made me cry

Screen shot 2013-01-21 at 11.53.52 AMI finished reading A River Runs Through It last week. The prose — written by Norman Maclean in his ’70s — is so powerful and poetic, it halted me on several occasions. The ending made me cry.

Among other things, Maclean dishes advice on faking it until you make it: “Many of us probably would be better fishermen if we did not spend so much time watching and waiting for the world to be perfect,” he writes. Or as his brother Paul often said, “Gentleman, you can’t catch fish with flies in the air.”

Maclean also takes aim at modernization: “What a beautiful world it was once… You could leave beer to cool in the river, and it would be so cold when you got back it wouldn’t foam much. It would be a beer made in the next town if the town were ten thousand or over. So it was either Kessler Beer made in Helena or Highlander Beer made in Missoula… What a wonderful world it was once when all the beer was not made in Milwaukee, Minneapolis or St. Louis.” (NOTE: You can replace the word “beer” with just about anything. Nostalgic.)

But my favorite passage was this: Continue reading…

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Formula for predicting successful marriages

This formula, from the ’70s of all decades, is elegantly simple:

frequency of lovemaking – frequency of quarrels = marriage success

Not sure if it’s causation or correlation, but it certainly mirrors the ups and downs of my marriage. Oh, la la!

Smooth Harold’s top 5 quotes of the year

Screen shot 2012-12-14 at 10.56.10 AMQuotes are a curious thing. They’re presented entirely out of context, so most of them go unnoticed. In the right state of mind, however, they can have a reaffirming or insightful impact on the reader.

Here are five quotes that connected and resonated with me most this year:

  1. “It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement. Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs, therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity or undue depression in adversity.”?Isocrates
  2. “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”—Old British proverb
  3. “If you see someone on a high mountain, you can bet they didn’t fall there.”—Anonymous (Very similar to another one of my favorites from last year: “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”)
  4. “If she’s amazing, she won’t be easy. If she’s easy, she won’t be amazing. If she’s worth it, you wont give up. If you give up, you’re not worthy…. Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”—Bob Marley
  5. “Everything happens for a reason. And some of those reasons are because you are stupid and make dumb mistakes.”—Anonymous

Ad of the year: “Find your greatness”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsXRj89cWa0[/youtube]

I’ve grown up with Nike. I’ve watched them stir emotion with their commercials for decades.

The above ad — broadcast during the summer Olympics — is the latest in a long line of powerful advertising. It transcends mere sales and results in the thought of: “I like the company that made this commercial.” Of course, that ultimately leads to increased sales.

Brilliant.

Doubly so coming from the global goliath of sports apparel that has acutely managed to stay cool for all these years, largely due to great copywriting.

I lost respect for the museum curator who hung this

7ILw1

I’m tired of seeing art like this in museums. Last year at my local MOA, someone staged an entire room with nothing but lighting and black pebbles on the floor against an undecorated wall.

My take: Mediocre art like this doesn’t deserve to be in museums. It’s a clunky, cliche, and thoughtless attempt to challenge the definition of art.

We get it. Art can be anything. Pollack and Warhol said so decades ago. Many others before them did the same.

Now stop displaying gimmicky art, museum curators. You’re keeping wall space from more talented and original art.

Snob rant, over and out.

Is the demise of brick and mortar stores really such a bad thing?

Media often paints the shuttering of retail stores in a negative light, as if said stores are not being replaced and restaffed by online stores and digital goods (which many are) or creating entirely new workforces (which many are, too).

Economic impact aside, however, the shuttering of brick and mortar stores has actually improved my family’s life. Let me count the ways:

  1. I make smarter purchases now. Before the internet, I was overcharged and burned more often than I am now. Not only does the internet liberate pricing information, it makes it easier to compare and you can check product reliability and functionality before buying. Consequently, when used properly, you can save a lot of money and purchase much better products, especially with the help of consumer ratings. In that sense, I don’t miss shuttering brick and mortar stores at all.
  2. Better convenient stores. If there’s one thing online stores will never fully replace, it’s convient and grocery stores. And as I’m sure you’ve noticed, you can get a whole lot more than groceries there now, thanks to the consolidating and shuttering of other retail stories. In addition to food, I bank at, buy stamps at, rent Red Box movies from, buy Christmas trees from, buy flowers from, and buy concert tickets from my nearby grocers. They’re my favorite stores behind Amazon and Walmart, and I suspect they’ll get a whole lot better as stores continue to consolidate and move online.

That said, there is a price we pay in closing so many retail stores. Our communities, social interactions, and face time will inevitably take a hit. That’s the most legitimate challenge I think we’ll face as stores continue to consolidate and evolve.

But overall, my consumer life is better thanks to online shopping. So is my posterity’s lives. And so are the remaining offline stores that have gotten stronger and better, too. So other than the above, I really don’t see any direct downsides. Do you?

Book review: One Man’s Wilderness a simple pleasure

Screen shot 2012-12-01 at 11.42.12 AMI finished One Man’s Wilderness recently and enjoyed its simple prose and short stories. It’s a 200 page book about one man building a log cabin in an isolated part of Alaska and living alone for sixteen months.

It’s similar to Walden, although more adventurous. It’ll compel you to visit Alaska and encourage a new appreciation for hard work and minimalism. Three stars out of four. Some of my favorite passages were:

  • “Chores are easier if forethought is given to them and they are looked upon as little pleasures to perform instead of inconveniences that steal time and try patience.”—p. 30
  • After a hard day of work chopping wood: “The grand finale! Drive the ax into the block, look around, and contemplate the measure of what you have done.”—p. 33
  • “There’s no sleeping pill like a good day’s work.”—p. 39
  • “Needs: I guess that is what bothers so many folks. They keep expanding their needs until they are dependent on too many things and too many other people… I wonder how many things in the average American home could be eliminated if the question were asked, ‘Must I really have this?'”—p. 209

See, I told you Provo is magic

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N2LwP5X2Z4[/youtube]

Just watching this reminds me of Turk Malloy’s comment, “I think you’d dig Provo. You could do well there.”

It’s been 10 years since I moved to Provo. After seeing it from almost every angle, it still stops me in its tracks. This short video is no different.

I think that’s what happens when you find a place you truly fall in love with, wherever that may be.

More movies should be four part trilogies

maryThe recent trend of making movies into trilogies — or better yet, four part trilogies where the third movie is bifurcated into two even more drawn out movies — is really the best thing to happen to cinema since at least technicolor, at most sound.

In fact, I think audiences have really missed out on a lot of epic, multi-part stories. I mean, mini series were big in the ’80s, for crying out loud! Couldn’t Hollywood see the writing on the wall? Skate to the puck a little sooner?

Even better, they should have started making trilogies a half a century earlier. Can’t you just imagine the possibilities? No?

Let me help. Continue reading…

Weight is a lousy motivator for long-term health. Find a real cause today.

blake-first-marathonIf you’re happy with your health, nutrition and self-image, skip to the next post. If not, read on.

In nine years of marriage, Lindsey and I have never owned a weight scale. Not one.

Why? Because they’re superficial, largely meaningless, and a lousy motivator of long-term health. Continue reading…

The anti-technologist: Three years later

the-neverending-commuteEditor’s note: The Anti-Technologist is a new column by Blake Snow. It advocates late adoption of consumer technology until proven useful, and dishes advice from Snow’s forthcoming book, Finding Offline Balance in an Online World.

In 2009, I had a radical idea. “What if I canceled my phone’s data plan?” This was undoubtedly a first-world problem—I get it. But for someone who had previously spent 1,300 consecutive days attached to a Blackberry or iPhone from wake until sleep, it mattered.

The catalyst behind the idea: A weeklong trip in a remote Montana cabin with family and friends. No cellphone coverage. No internet. Just a landline, a moose lick, a horseshoe pit, and a river running through it.

Although initially apprehensive about the trip—”How am I suppose to continue my affair with work while on vacation now!?”— I was molded by it within a matter of days. As my wife said at the time, “With no online distractions, the social aspect had dramatically improved.” Continue reading…

Writer for hire, looks good in bow tie

mogul

Since wrapping up this project, I’ve recently recovered an additional 5-10 hours per week of billable time. That leaves me with two options: 1) watch more YouTube videos, or 2) fill the opening with a new challenge or assignment, alongside my existing workload.

After several minutes of deliberation, I’ve opted for the latter. So if you know of any organizations that might be a good fit, please email me. In other words, referral if you got ’em!

One of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest verses

brian-johnson

And it came to pass, that rock ‘n’ roll was born. All across the land, every rockin’ band was blowing up a storm.

The guitar man got famous. The businessman got rich. And in every bar there was a super star with a seven year itch.

There were fifteen million fingers, learning how to play. And you could hear the fingers picking, and this is what they had to say: Let there be light. Sound. Drums. Guitar.

OOOOOOHHHHHHH, LET THERE BE ROCK!!!—Brian Johnson

I listen to this song often while working on my body. It never fails to get me going.

This 60 year old movie made quite an impression on me

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbxNfsvnT9s[/youtube]

Like, “I feel horribly uncomfortable” kind of impression. As it’s hard to find, Lindsey and I streamed it in its entirety from YouTube to our TV this week.

Although based on a rotten premise, I don’t think I can name another black and white movie that emotionally affected me as much as Ace in the Hole did.

That and Kirk Douglas plays one of the most conniving antagonists I’ve ever seen. A real degenerate creature of darkness, that one. Four stars out of five.

Published works: How to fix Microsoft, suspect dental technology

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I fell behind in updating my published works section this year (there’s always Google right?). In any case, here are a couple of recent stories I’m proud to have written:

Deluxe edition? No thanks, musicians. I’ll stick with the “best of” album.

deluxe edition albumMusic consumers in recent years have no doubt noticed the growing trend of “deluxe edition” albums. They often feature 1.5-2 times the number of tracks, cost more, and feature an alternate album cover.

Here’s what they really are, though: A smart business and marketing proposition. A way to profit off throw away b-side songs, selling them to the most rabid of fans.

Thing is, I don’t even by the deluxe edition of my favorite bands. In my eyes, if a track isn’t good enough to make the original 10-12 song album, it’s not worth my time, no matter who wrote it. In fact, of the few deluxe albums I own, I can’t think of a single memorable, must-have, 4-5 star track.

So keep the deluxe edition, bands. I’m good.

How to eat well: 12 simple rules for healthy, happy eating

junkfood

Healthy food prolongs life. Junk food taketh away.

Here are 12 simple rules for healthy, happy eating, taken from Karen Le Billon’s French Kids Eat Everything, my own experience with food, and the good old Word of Wisdom (as validated by nearly 200 years of good health and a recent UCLA study).

  1. Always read the label. You are in charge of educating yourself on what you digest. When in doubt, pick food with the fewest included ingredients and artificial-sounding names (like xanthum gum)
  2. Avoid emotional eating. No food rewards, bribes for kids, or eating out of boredom or depression. Hard to do. Brushing your teeth can help. So can striking up a conversation with someone to take your mind off food.
  3. Avoid short-order or otherwise “fast” food. With exception to simple meals like bread and cheese, food that is fast (snacks, microwavable, drive-though etc) is usually filled with unnatural preservatives and additives that dilute the nutritional value of the food you consume. Continue reading…

Call that a yo-yo? This is a yo-yo

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sCb4sAoOMs[/youtube]

I like the part where he yo-yos. And slips knots. And wears really cool high tops.

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More than one way to skin a cat: Finding offline balance a different way

offlinebalance

Regular Smooth Harold readers and those closest to me already know I take a hardline to offline balance. With exception to the rare 2-3 emergencies per year, I don’t open email or answer work-related calls on nights, weekends, or during mini vacations. I killed my phone’s data plan three years ago, and I quit Facebook two years ago.

Furthermore, unless its for leisure, educational, shopping or correspondence reasons, I try to stay away from my iPhone, Chromebook, iPad, desktop or any other internet-connected device as much as possible during down time. The strategy has made me a better person, worker, husband, father, recreationist, adventurer, brother, and friend. I’ve even managed to increase my income, despite working fewer hours.

That said, I’m not the only one to have found offline balance. In fact, my approach would largely only work for similar extroverts with similar compulsion disorders. Simply put, there are other ways to find offline balance. Continue reading…

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You can’t look away: Here’s why people still watch NBC’s criticized Olympic coverage

nbc-fail

A lot of rabid olympic spectators in America are understandably upset. NBC has spoiled the tape-delayed results on more than one occasion, either with an evening newscast or even a promotional commercial in between events which announce interviews with eventual gold medalists that still haven’t won on tape delay.

Worse still for cord-cutters like me, authentication of a cable subscription is required to watch events live online, even though NBC is a free broadcast channel. Even still, the live stream app reportedly crashes a lot.

At the same time, the number of people watching NBC’s olympic prime-time and tape-delayed coverage is off the charts. Record ratings even. NBC’s tape delayed approach is even boosting they’re revenue, so they’re approach is obviously working, even if it upsets a lot of people.

So why is everyone so pissed off, and by everyone I really mean just a loud vocal minority? Continue reading…

Teeth beware: Dental diagnodents are shady

diagnodentYou know those handheld beeping laser probes that some dentists use? They are a scam. At least that’s been my experience with them. And I’ve had 10 fillings!

Here’s how they work: Four years ago, after acquiring his first “diagnodent,” my old-old dentist said my x-ray and visual tests came back negative, but this newfangled beeping pencil-like thing said I had a cavity. Confused, I asked him: “Is this the same as an x-ray verified cavity.” No, he replied, but it did mean decay was starting. I asked if we could watch it with regular check ups. He agreed. Then retired later that year before I could follow up.

So I went to a new dentist. He too used a diagnodent. And each and every year, he would find more and more cavities with the device, while the xrays and visual tests all came back negative. Still doubtful, I pressed him on the issue each and every time. He always dodged my questions and politly replied, “If I were you I would get them filled.” He did this for not one, not two, but three consecutive years with an increasing amount of beeping teeth.

(As an aside, this dentist also said my root canal tooth should be replaced, as it could “crack and break at any time and injure my mouth.” Yep, I have a weaponized tooth, people. Keep your distance. It may attack at any moment.) Continue reading…

Bo Jackson: A childhood hero of mine

Bo-Jackson

I owned my fair share of Air Jordans growing up. But as a jack of all trades, I always had a soft spot for Bo Jackson, his amazing talent, and his cross training shoes. In fact, I probably owned more Bo Jacksons than Air Jordans. I certainly drew more cross trainers than basketball shoes.

Unfortunately, Bo Jackson was only superhuman for four years until he suffered a hip injury. But for those four years, he was arguably bigger than even Jordan, as this wonderful profile of him suggests. Bo, it turns out, really did know.

How to get “rich”

harley

I was searching for “internet authors” last week and stumbled on this man’s webpage, who dubs himself “the best-selling Internet author of all time.” I chuckled a bit upon reading his claim and seeing his photo, until I realized he knows what he’s talking about on at least one subject, How to get rich:

In the long run, it’s what you do day to day, over many years, that makes the difference. When you fall in love with what you do, and you work hard for a long time, you are offering the world your very best.

Think of the economy as a huge complex organism. If you learn to contribute in the right way, the economy will reward you. If not, you will be poor. The recipe for success and wealth is simple. Find the work that is best for you. Spend years engrossed in your work. Do a bit of long-term planning.

If you follow these guidelines, I can’t guarantee you will become a millionaire. What I do guarantee is you will live a useful, productive, happy life. And, over the years, that will be your very best chance of becoming rich.

I couldn’t have said it better myself, Harley. Although less than a third way through my planned 100 year life, I’ve found this to be the case for me. Do what you love, and monetary wealth will often find you.

At the same time, I’ll one-up what Harley said: Although millions can never be guaranteed, an enriched life can be guaranteed by following your passions. So you can get “rich” doing what you love in life, with the bonus being the best chance at finding monetary riches as well.

Either way, that’s how one gets “rich” in life.

Awkward photos with big furry cats totally optional.

Keep telling yourself excessive work hours are a noble endeavor

workaholicWhen I was younger and dumber, I used to work 11 hour weekdays, half-day Saturdays, and was mentally distracted with work for much of the rest of time. Although I work for myself and have a ridiculously flexible of schedule, I vacationed very little at the time. I was seeking fortune and professional notoriety. I thought 60+ hour work weeks would get me there faster.

It did’t. It made me counter-productive, short-sighted, and less money on a per hour basis. In fact, Henry Ford discovered this 100 years ago, according to Inc.

Continue reading…