Fake news. Alternative facts. It's weird to think that these are now part of our regular vocabulary in 2017. You would have thought that the information age would have ushered in an era where everybody could keep up with the latest and greatest information. Turns out that is only partially true: we're getting the latest information, but it isn't always the greatest. It certainly makes sense why this is the case. News organizations have to make money, and with subscription models like newspaper falling to the wayside, that means these news organizations have to get your attention somehow, even if that means exaggerating or straight up lying. Ryan Holiday does a great job of explaining this in more detail in his well-written book, Trust Me, I'm Lying . The good news is that there is a silver lining. At least for folks like me.

I like to tell my friends that I lost the weight but not the appetite. And my appetite for pizza is never satiated. Thin crust, thick crust, it's all good to me. Well... not all of it. I honestly can't say Little Caesars is disgusting, but it is definitely not favorable. If I had to choose between Little Caesars and pretty much every burger place on the face of the earth, I would go for the burger, for sure. Clearly, I am not in Little Caesars' demographic. Still, I have to hand it to the company. They have changed their business model and marketing plan in a way that has made them once again a key player in this over-saturated industry. Let's take a look at how this sub-par pizza maintains relevance in today's modern society.

If you asked me last year if I was a creative person, I probably would have said no. The last time I took an art class was probably in eighth grade, and the reason I didn't continue in high school was because I was not particularly good at any of the art projects in grade school. Even with my musical ability, I was still told that I was not a creative person. Merely, I was just good at replicating what I could hear from something else or from reading sheet music. I believed it. For years.

Running was a big staple in helping me lose weight and remains important in helping me maintain that weight loss. I'll be honest: I don't necessarily find running fun like some people do, but I can't overlook the fact that it's certainly effective. I was never a runner before losing all my weight, and it still surprises me how far I've come in about two years. Where I couldn't run a full mile before, I'm now training for my first full marathon. That's insane to think about. If I can do it, you can certainly do it, too. Here are some tips to help you get started with running.

It should come as no surprise to you that I'm struggling to see how the church (or faith) as a whole can do a better job at connecting with our postmodern society. In an attempt to eliminate the word "can't" from my vocabulary, I am doing what I can to contribute to a new movement to help re-integrate or re-introduce faith to folks. To that end, I reached out to some people in the church about literature regarding this, and there sadly isn't much. However, there is still some. In particular, I was recommended to check out this series of books called FRAMES. This series of nine books analyzes different topics regarding modern society in short, concise books. Books that contain a lot of information portrayed in neat graphical forms.

Let's take a step back to 2007. Hard to believe it's been a decade ago now! The first iPhone was just being released to the public. YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter were still in their infancy. Tablets and smartwatches didn't exist. And MySpace was still a big thing. Today, pretty much the opposite is true of everything mentioned above. The Apple Watch has more than double the processing power of the first iPhone. YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are going strong along with new folks like Instagram and Snapchat. And while MySpace still exists, it is only a mere shadow of its former self. Things change. The IT industry is easy to point out because of its rapid, tangible growth, but this isn't to say other things have changed. Music artists and book authors no longer need major publishing deals to share their work. Uber and Lyft have created a whole new industry out of ride sharing. And who else remembers when McDonald's used to only have one drive thru and breakfa...

I'm a tech enthusiast all the way. I frequently visit tech blogs, keep up to date with the latest stuff that I don't own myself, and adopt the latest stuff that my budget affords me. If I could afford it, I'd always own the top of the line computer, smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch. My friends and family look to me to help them troubleshoot through any issues, and I'm almost always consulted by those same folks when they're about to make a tech purchase. So you might find it weird that I've recently moved back to using paper for some things. Technology is great, but I've found that it's not appropriate for every scenario. That said, this post is definitely more geared toward my tech-savvy, younger crowd who are apt to use tech for everything. I hope the insights shared here give you a refreshed perspective on the ol' paper and pen.