Agent Palmer

We can all use a little help. Sometimes from our friends, sometimes from ourselves. Whether or not we admit to needing help, to others or to ourselves, will make it all the more apparent that we need it.

For nerds, self-help books are everywhere, because learning comes from everywhere – from video games, from that tabletop dungeon crawl from eight years ago, or from the many experiences in between. A good self-help book for nerds is a bit like the Highlander: “There can be only one.” That one is The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) by the Nerdist himself, Chris Hardwick.

Beginning with the heart-wrenching bus accident that claimed the life of Cliff Burton and then chronicling the band and its many players through the release of Death Magnetic, Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica by Mick Wall is brilliant.

Who better than Mick Wall, as classic a name in Rock journalism as there is, to chronicle the life and times of one of the biggest bands in the world.

Almost two years ago, I wrote a post titled “Twinkie and the Hostess” where I lamented the loss of the Twinkie. Well, two years later, the Twinkie is back from the dead and I feel it’s time to revisit how Twinkie’s resurrection took place. It’s quite the capitalistic underdog story dubbed, “The Sweetest Comeback in the History of Ever.”

The savior of the Twinkie is, the new owner and chief executive of new Hostess Brands, C. Dean Metropoulos. He’s done this before, turning struggling brands around, with Chef Boyardee and Bumble Bee tuna.

On January, 18th, 2014, the Los Angeles Times Entertainment Section ran an article that was titled, “Paramount stops releasing major movies on film.” I’m very aware of the new technologies that exist – digital media players have made physical albums a thing of the past and streaming video services have made DVDs virtually obsolete – so the fact that Paramount is “the first big Hollywood studio to embrace digital-only U.S. releases” should come as a natural progression.

But I, for one, don’t really know how I feel about this. Sure, I consume music and watch movies and television shows through various streaming services, but I’m not ready to go completely digital.