TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Kin Movie. I've been watching a few movies on Netflix lately and thought I'd draw your attention to a couple of Sci-Fi & Fantasy flicks that, coincidentally, would probably make for a good double feature since they share a few similar themes. Both are well acted, have interesting stories, and are well worth your time. Kin (2018) This movie did get a cinema release but apparently did not do so well. It's a shame because it's a really great film that, almost surprisingly, tells a complete story while leaving itself open to a second film, that could be amazing but isn't essential to this movies story. Set in Detroit, a lonely kid, stumbles across a weapon unlike anything from this world, unwittingly drawing himself and his ex-con brother into a secret war, that sees them on the run from the law. I will admit Kin isn't quite what I expected. Weapon aside the story is far more about family relationships. Though there's just enough interesting fu...

The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau I'm a long time follower of Chris Guillebeau's work, first jumping onboard when he released The Unconventional Guide to Art + Money ebook back in 2009. I've been a regular listener of his Side Hustle School Podcast too (to which I also bought the accompanying book and will review in a future post). His philosophy of creating small businesses and side hustles with small start up costs is one I can easily get behind and put into practice - because I was doing just that long before I discovered Chris. However Chris has spent probably thousands of hours, at this point, researching hundreds of small businesses worldwide and how they grew out of an idea, hobby, passtime, or even just a flight of fancy. Which means any book he writes on the subject is bound to be packed full of useful information and insight. The $100 Startup is very much that. Though I will say the title is more of an approximation than an actual startup cost. ...

Armchair Entrepreneurs. Almost universally disliked. Entrepreneurs, just like Artists, seemingly have a 'snobby' section who like to draw the line of what actually constitutes an 'entrepreneur' much closer to them than near any of the riff raff, wannabes who dare suggest they might be one too. I came to the term 'Armchair Entrepreneur' independent of the knowledge that they were a real thing and, based on my research (because I couldn't believe the idea hadn't already been thought of), discovered Armchair Entrepreneurs are almost universally disliked as people who claim to know everything about business without having actually put any of that knowledge into practice. Just like your typical armchair sports person who yells at the TV during the weekend games. As I got deeper into my research I discovered the people who dislike Armchair Entrepreneurs with a passion would often go on to describe what being an Entrepreneur actually entailed, listing...

Real Artists Don't Starve by Jeff Goins I wasn't sure what to expect from Jeff Goins' book, Real Artists Don't Starve - Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age. I'd heard it was a good read, and the title was certainly targeted directly at me, as an artist and serial entrepreneur. Having read many 'self help' type books in the past I guess I thought Jeff was going to outline a step by step plan to earning a living as an artist but that's not really what his book is about. Rather it's more of an inspirational essay comparing the entrenched stereotype of the 'starving artist' to the actual reality of being a working artist, using history as far back as renowned painter/sculptor Michelangelo as a way to dispel the myth that artists have to starve. Not limited to the traditional idea of an artist (i.e. someone who paints images on canvas) the book is very relevant to anyone following a creative pursuit looking to turn t...

Paid Surveys - A good way to make money? One of the most basic ways you can earn money online is with paid surveys. It doesn't require any skills other than being able to read and fill in an online form. How much you earn is totally dependent on how much time you devote to qualifying for, and filling in surveys. Most paid survey sites use a point system where, once you earn a certain number of points, you can cash them out for actual money or other rewards. If you're prepared to fill in surveys all day every day, you could conceivably rack up a lot of points very quickly, drawing out cash in a very short period of time. But is it really the best use of your time? Check out the bold claim at the bottom of the Survey Compare Sign Up page. (Click to enlarge). I've done these paid surveys before and, to be honest, the frustration wasn't worth the money I made. However that was over ten years ago. I recently saw an ad on Facebook for paid surveys by Survey C...

Spider-Man: Far From Home My overall impression of Spider-Man - Far From Home is that it has the most, epic action, of any Spider Man live action movie to date. Every battle seems big. Maybe it's because all the villains are larger than life characters, rather than your typical neighbourhood street villains? In any case, if you want to see Spider-Man really out of his depth on every level for most of the movie, this is the one to watch. Far From Home picks up eight months after Avengers: End Game . Peter Parker is still coming to terms with losing his friend and mentor, Tony Stark, however he's looking forward to an upcoming school trip to Europe, where he can take a break from being  superhero for a week or two. Unfortunately legendary beings, known as Elementals, are targeting the Earth. Spider-Man is recruited by Nick Fury to help a new super powered being, Mysterio, stop the Elementals before they destroy the planet. Tom Holland continues to be my favorite live...

The truth about Ad Revenue on YouTube. It's rare for any YouTuber to talk specifics on the ad revenue they earn from their YouTube channel because Google didn't originally like anyone talking specifics on ad revenue earnings to the point where it used to be part of the Terms of Service not to discuss it. It appears they've changed their stance because I reviewed their current TOS and it is now says you can accurately disclose your gross earnings if you wish. Getting back to the point of this article, YouTuber and Business Coach,  Roberto Blake  posted a video detailing how much he earns just from ad revenue on his YouTube account. Before watching the video it's important to note, ad revenue isn't his only income source, or even his main income source. The point is to give you some idea of how a relatively small, niche channel like Roberto's can earn fairly decent ad revenue, potentially even out earning larger channels due to the type of content he mak...