There are a bunch of friends I have not seen in way too long. There are individuals I’ve communicated with via Twitter and other sites that I know, but have never met. That is why I’m declaring the month of May “Let’s Grab a Beer Month.”

While my weekends are mostly booked, I am free during the week. I’ll be at various events during Craft Beer Week May 4-13. Also with warmer weather forecast, who doesn’t want to sit outside and drink a Spotted Cow at the Terrace or another downtown bar?

So join me for a drink in May. You can contact me through the comments of this post, my Facebook or Twitter pages, or you can find my email address on the About Page of this site. I hope to see or meet you soon!

If you know me, this is not a shocking statement. Conversations with friends often derail and points are forgotten. I’m usually doing five things at once. While writing this paragraph, I’ve check my email, updated my WordPress install and messaged some friends via Facebook.

This is part of the reason when a friend reminded me that Screen-Free Week (also know as Digital Detox Week) starts tomorrow, I decided to join in. Often I’ll plan to work on projects after work, only to be distracted by a movie, Facebook and instant messaging. For one week I plan to harness my focus.

So what is Scree-Free Week? Initially called TV Turn-Off week, the concept was simple – turn off the television to focus on other projects. It’s evolved to taking a break from all screens – computer, social media, etc. From the 2011 website:

Take a week to cut back on digital stimulation as much as you can. The goal is not to dwell on the pitfalls of our electronic devices but to reflect on ourselves. And who knows, if the magic begins to creep back into your life, the digital detox may never end.

This year Screen-Free Week runs from April 30-May 6. How you participate varies by individual. My plan is to unplug my television, take a week off from Facebook, and limit my personal online time to 30 minutes a day. I plan to spend some time in front of my computer to write and learn, but will keep the wireless turned off.

I hope to focus more on individual projects and production more than consumption. Some plans I have for the week:

• Read.  I have a number of library books checked out. Time to get them back.
• Write, dammit. Turning off my wireless and turning my computer into a typewriter. I have a few blog posts to compose and some short stories to edit.
• Have a beer with friends and people I’ve never met
• Compose a musical
• Exercise
• Learn something new. Work on my video editing skills, refresh my HTML or something else fun.

Care to join me? Drop a comment on how you plan to spend your free time.

[Show as slideshow]

Bookless Floor 1

Bookless Basement

And then there was Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.

While the Biebs didn’t make the final cut, most suggested films did. I mixed in some from my Instant Queue, to complete the final film list.

14 films over three days comprise DUFF 2012. Each are listed below with Netflix links and start times. All times are CST. Also note I left some space open Saturday morning, if you have a burning desire to check out Never Say Never.

Friday, February 10

• 6 p.m. – True Bond (52 min)
• 7 p.m. – Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness (85 min)
• 8:30 p.m. – How Beer Saved the World (43 min)
• 9:30 p.m. – One Week (94 min)
• 11:15 p.m. – Best Worst Movie (93 min)

Saturday, February 11

• 1 p.m. – Dalekmania (57 min)
• 2 p.m. – Art & Copy (88 min)
• 4 p.m. – Ink (105 min)
• 6:30 p.m. – Page One: Inside the New York Times (91 min)
• 8:15 p.m. – Examined Life (88 min)
• 10 p.m. – 13 Assassins (125 min)

Sunday, February 12

• Noon – Forks over Knives (96 min)
• 2 p.m. – 16 to Life (89 min)
• 4 p.m. – The Man Who Would Be Polka King (67 min)

Discussion during the films is highly encouraged via Twitter (using the hashtag #DUFF12) or Facebook (different posts are created as each film starts).

Despite the relatively mild temperatures, a weekend on the couch in front of the television is still in order before all the white stuff is gone. Thus it’s time again for the Digital Ubiquitous Film Festival – DUFF for short.

For those playing along at home – which is the point – DUFF is an online film festival. Participants suggest movies available on Nexflix Streaming. The schedule is posted on this site the week of DUFF. Attendees watch the films in the comfort of their own homes and discuss via social media.

DUFF is in its third year and runs February 10-12.  However, DUFF needs film submissions to succeed.  What flicks are in your Netflix queue that you want to enjoy with others? What independent film or documentary did you miss at your local film festival that you’ve needed an excuse to watch? Submit your entries by Monday, February 6 at 6 p.m. The  schedule will be available on this site February 7.  We tend to focus on smaller-budget films, but try to find something for everyone.

You can submit entries in the comments section of this post or through Twitter and Facebook. Feel free to request a general time for the film as well (ex Friday late evening).

DUFF 2011
DUFF 2011 – The Lineup
DUFF 2010 – The Stay-at-home Film Festival
DUFF 2010 – Start Your Netflix

SOPA and PIPA are laws designed to protect the rights of copyright holders. However, the laws are poorly structured.  Tech-savvy pirates could easily circumvent the law while technology start-ups could be destroyed by the legislation.  Companies against SOPA/PIPA include Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia.

Recent articles have stated that PIPA and SOPA are dead in the water. The White House has come out against the bills and creators of the legislation in the Senate say changes are needed. Still, it is important to let your elected officials know that these laws are not acceptable.

To find out more about SOPA/PIPA, check out the links below. Otherwise see where your member of congress stands on these bills and tell them to vote no.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future.

So How Does this affect you? Read a FAQ by Cnet.

SOPA: Bad for the Internet, Bad for America

Dane101 will go dark to protest SOPA January 18

For Wisconsinites:

Contact Ron Johnson

Contact Herb Kohl

Contact Tammy Baldwin

Contact Gwen Moore

Contact Sean Duffy

Author and friend Matt Forbeck announced his plan to write 12 novels – one per month – in 2012.  From his website:

It may not be as insane as it sounds. By novel, I mean a work of fiction that’s at least 50,000 words…I’m a full-time writer — this is my day job — and disasters aside, I write fast, often between 3,000 to 5,000 words per day. That makes 50,000 per month eminently doable. Toss in the other freelance gigs I don’t plan to give up, though, like writing the Magic: The Gathering comic for IDW, and that makes it a bit more of a press.

Matt’s idea inspired me. Still, working a full-time job, starting a large-scale nonfiction project (more to come on that, stay tuned) and random acts of journalism limit my free time in 2012. So I decided a “shorter” project was appropriate.

So to keep my fictional juices flowing, I will write a short story each month in 2012.  Some (maybe most or all) will be posted on this website once edited. Since I’m a last-minute writer, don’t expect them to show up on the first of the month. These stories could find their way into an e-book at the end of the year.

I will announce any stories posted here on my Twitter and Facebook accounts, so if you’re interested keep an eye on those. For my writer friends, I’m always looking for a good theme. If you know of any contests or outlets looking for short stories, let me know.

Follow Matt Forbeck’s 12 for 12 quest.

I completed Project365 in 2010 thanks to encouragement from a few friends. After taking this year off, I’m ready to try again in 2012.

I’m looking for others to join me.

You don’t need a fancy DSLR to take part. With the advances in cell phones and photography apps, Project365 is easier than ever. Photographs are snapped an uploaded in seconds. Still reluctant? Here are some tips from those who joined me for P365 in 2010.

So join the adventure of photographing 2012. I’ve created a Flickr group for those participating. If Flickr’s not your thing, I’ll also be posting to my Tumblr account.

Project 365 set from 2010.

A perfect week to geek out.

When friends mentioned they had off from both work and family obligations, I decided to join them for some needed gaming time. A day off turned into a week. With a stack of new games, movies and books from Santa, spending the week in full-on geek mode seemed appropriate.

G33k W33k was born.

Apart from consuming my newly acquired stack of media, my plans include writing (check back for some game reviews), web design (this site needs a redesign) and some beer sampling.

So join in the G33kW33k festivities. Post your plans below, or on Twitter using #G33kW33k. Join in the fun with family and friends, if even for a day.

In past years I have participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), where the goal is to create a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I originally planned to do this again this year – to produce another half-assed written novel with no background research that would sit on my computer for a couple of years until I got ambitious enough to try to sort through all the bullshit and edit it. Then I came up with a better plan. Write something – anything for 30 days.

Journalism. Short stories. Novels. Haikus. It doesn’t matter. Just get back int the habit of putting pen to paper (or more likely fingers to keyboard) and producing content.

So by writing this, I’ve accomplished day 1. Will likely do some more today, but at least I’m off to a good start.

Follow-up 30-Days, 3000 pages

Three hours. Roughly two minutes per page.

Before starting my quest to read 3,000 pages in a month, I was uncertain how long it took me to read the 100 pages per night that would be required. I started with some simple books and was able to complete my daily task in a little over two hours.

Then I decided to read some real literature.

While I love spending some serious time reading, committing this much time – especially when I was also going to the gym each night left little time for anything else. Luxuries like making dinner and keeping a clean house would not be allowed if I continued my pace.

I finished the month just shy of 2000 pages (1894). I used the month of October to finish off my goal of 3000. Better late than never.