Steve Alvest

  As I was transitioning to a full-time writing career, I read a lot about it. At one point, I was reading a non-fiction book every week or two.  While most of the books I read were general books on the nebulous topic of “success,” many were explicitly about writing.  Here is a summary of the […]

  Back in 2005, Blockbuster Video was a juggernaut of a company, and a small upstart called Netflix was rapidly growing into its space.  That was also the year I tried Netflix, then enthusiastically went back to Blockbuster because they had the better deal. Netflix proved to have a more solid foundation than Blockbuster thought.  Less […]

  This powerful concoction is sure to leave your head spinning.  Careful not to stab yourself. Ingredients 2 ounces bourbon whiskey 1 ounce amaretto 1 ounce lime juice Directions Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice Strain into a small old-fashioned cup Garnish with a wedge of lime

In December 2012, John McAfee was on the run from the Belizean police. He suspected that he was about to be framed for a neighbor’s murder, so he escaped before they could arrest him. But they knew exactly where he was. Vice Magazine had interviewed him and posted pictures on their website. The pictures had GPS coordinates embedded […]

With its innovative controllers, the Nintendo Wii has already demonstrated some possibilities for combining exercise equipment with computers.  The Nintendo Wii Balance Board measures a person’s center of balance and allows games to gauge the effectiveness of some exercises.  The Nintendo Wiimote can be used to determine the location and acceleration of a person’s hand. […]

The CIA World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.  While the CIA World Factbook is helpful for finding factual tidbits of information like the average number of children born per woman in Angola (5.37) or when Kiribati will hold their […]

  I found a big can of bread crumbs that I had forgotten about in the pantry.  Not knowing what to do with them, I decided to make all the recipes on the can’s label. The result wasn’t very tasty in my opinion, except for the breaded eggplants, which were delicious. Baked Tomatoes with Garlic […]

  Computer processing has revolutionized the way we can create artwork. With current technology, we can create any conceivable image. The movie industry has capitalized on the trend by producing films with computer-generated imagery (CGI).  But you don’t have to be a big movie studio to create digital artwork.  All you need are a computer and […]

  The Daiquirí is one of the most popular cocktails around. The traditional recipe goes something like this: Add 2 ounces rum, an ounce of lime juice, and 2 or 3 dashes of sugar syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime and […]

  Scopolamine has been called “the world’s scariest drug.”  Tasteless and odorless, it is often used by criminals to put people into a zombie-like state where they no longer have memory or free will.  Scopolamine is just one of various “truth serums” that remove inhibitions or alter higher cognitive functions to make someone more easily […]