Daniel Bradley Explores

Category: Inspiration

  • The Right Way to Incorporate Technology Into College Studies

    The Right Way to Incorporate Technology Into College Studies

    You probably know that prioritizing time, eliminating distractions, taking notes, and using friends can all benefit your studies, but what about the ever evolving world of technology and artificial intelligence? That’s a great question that scientists and education experts are going to be studying for a while, and their findings may differ. For the purpose of helping you survive and thrive in college, let’s remember something important: there’s nothing wrong with being a traditional hard-working student.

    You’re not going to find a truly adequate short-cut to success. Ultimately, where you end up will depend on the character you build within yourself. Therefore, the technology you use to improve your grades, maximize your time, really doesn’t matter in the end. What’s important is that you build yourself into the student that’s going to carry amazing skills and work ethic into your career.

    Let’s imagine two students. One is Janice, the other is Jay. 

    Janice has all the toys. Her bright white, shiny laptop and her numerous tablets make her trendy and smooth at the library. She also makes sure to maximize her use of AI, having it compile notes for her and help her brainstorm ideas. She looks and feels like a blogger dream, right up to her sweet new sublimation printed thermos that says “Future President.”

    Jay, on the other hand, isn’t so trendy. His laptop takes a half hour to start up on a good day. He usually finds himself scribbling notes in binders of notebook paper. When he has to write a paper, he stays in the library until it closes at midnight and emails himself what’s left of the paper even though people have told him he can just use the cloud. He’s behind the times but he has managed to get good grades. His teachers praise his writing voice and original thoughts.

    See that’s where Jay is winning. Originality, because that’s what his professors are looking for.

    But Janice with her toys. She starts to realize that an AI will do the work for her. She can brainstorm, format, compile, and turn in acceptable work in a fraction of the time by having a computer think for her. The only problem is, even before AI checks on her work, her writing feels stale with a hint of uncanny valley. Is she cheating? Maybe, maybe not, but she’s getting away with work that would make the old school great minds of universities past flip over and hurl in their graves.

    That’s because she forgot that she’s going to college to learn and grow herself, not just find fast ways to turn things in.

    The real case study for these two would be to see which one thrives more outside of college. Surely, both will find AI a part of their workplace, but one will have the stronger study and work muscles. Can you tell which one? Probably the person who worked harder to begin with.

    When you get to school, make sure to see what technological expectations your professor has written into your course’s syllabus. If they say no computers, just don’t use any computers. Even if what you’re doing isn’t technically cheating, shortcuts of any kind won’t do you any long term favors. Be adaptable to your school and professor’s expectations first and foremost.

    Got any more tips about technology and school? Try out the comment section.

    This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book How to Survive College by Art Ridley. Find it soon on Amazon.

  • Catching Awesome Insights from Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers

    Catching Awesome Insights from Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers

    Let me tell you about a book, but first let me tell you about why I’m reading it.

    I write, do you?

    I write a lot of science fiction. Am I published? Sort of, I have a story on Amazon’s Kindle Vella and a nonfiction dog training book that’s out there as both an ebook and audiobook, but that’s just the start of an avalanche of words I’m spilling out everyday for a novel that I really want to put out in the traditional publishing world. I’m sure it would be fine if I self-published, but I believe in this book like it were my ivy-league-bound child. I’ve often heard of stories being compared to children. This child of mine is a star athlete on the soccer pitch of sci-fi ideas.

    Great right? But now that the book is almost grown, I have to start thinking about how I’m going to publish it. Since you’ve found this article, maybe you’re someone in a similar boat. You’ve had ideas, you’ve written them down, maybe you’re like me and you’re almost done, but now what?

    Let me know about your projects in the comments, I’d love to hear.

    Dealing with an Oversaturated Market

    With the up-rise of self publishing in the book market, especially science fiction, my market, and the consolidation of big publishers, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. That’s why I bought this book that I promised to tell you about. Here it is: Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents. I apologize for how that link looks, those of us who use Amazon affiliate links have the burden of using what we’re given.

    Anyway, of everything I’ve read so far from blogs, etc. this book has the most concise, easy-to-read, no nonsense answers to how to break into the world of publishing. Jeff says that about 1 in 1,000 books submitted to publishers will get published. That’s why you have to play the game more aggressively than you might think. Jeff says:

    “As a writer with an unpublished manuscript, your destination is blocked by a cabal of trolls generally referred to as editors and agents. First, you must get them to read your work. This is done by pitching them, which means you must convince them to actually look at your work without summarily assigning it to the abyss.”

    Jeff Herman

    Herman gives the magic number of 10 for the number of agents to pitch to at a time. To be honest, I would never have guessed that, so I’m glad I’ve read his book.

    Up to Date Information

    Herman’s book is up to date and full of a fantastic directory of agents and publishing editors to start pitching. I haven’t begun that part of my journey yet, but I will soon. It’s exciting and thoroughly daunting all at the same time. I think I felt less intimidated meeting my drill sergeants for the first time.

    Never mind, that’s a lie.

    But the list is more than names. Each agent introduces themselves and what they’re looking for, saving you a lot of time. I’ve already got a few that I’m planning to reach out to here soon.

    The up to date information combined with Herman’s years of expertise makes for a very interesting read. He talks about starting out back in the days of everything snail mail. Oddly enough, he says that snail mail is still a good way to go because it can help you stand out from the hundreds of email submissions that your work might otherwise have to climb out of. However, I’m sure every agent is different.

    Saving Time and Effort

    Researching publishers and their submission requirements can be time-consuming and frustrating. Jeff Herman’s Guide streamlines this process, putting all the essential information in one place. By investing in this guide, you can save countless hours of research and focus your energy on perfecting your manuscript and submissions. That’s what it seems like. I’ll let you know once I’m published in ten years. Just kidding, sort of.

    But I feel like that with this access to insider knowledge, detailed profiles, and expert advice, I’ll be better equipped to make informed decisions.

    Showing My Work

    If you’ve followed the progress of my blog, you know that I’ve written on multiple topics. I want this website to be mainly where I show my work, where my creative journey can be documented with a sense of community. So, on that note. Have you read this book? Do you have any others you would recommend for authors looking to “break out.”

  • Ways Border Collies Can Actually Make the Best Family Dogs

    Ways Border Collies Can Actually Make the Best Family Dogs

    This is Arthur.

    He’s an adopted Border Collie from the county animal shelter. I rescued him in 2019 on National Dog Day when he was 10 months old. I didn’t know it was National Dog Day, but the coincidence was convenient because the shelter waived a whole bunch of fees and I could actually afford him. Let me tell you, don’t be fooled by what you read online, Border Collies like Arthur make the best family dogs.

    Not all dogs are the same, even within a breed, so you should evaluate each dog you meet individually. I’ll just tell you about Arthur.

    Great with kids

    I don’t know if you knew it, but raised properly Border Collies can be fantastic, protective, and loyal to children. They’ve even been known to want to heard them together like sheep in their care. When he was first adopted, Arthur would get nervous when kids would touch him, but after playing fetch with my nephews, he learned that kids were even more fun than adults because they’d play fetch for as long as he wanted to, or even longer, which is insane if you know the endurance of Border Collies.

    Built for Adventure

    Border Collies are made for the outdoor lifestyle. They love open fields and long hiking trails. Being very obedient dogs, you can take them with you off-leash (where it’s allowed, of course.) They’ll love to go with you almost any place you can imagine. Go ahead and read my article about off-leash hiking for more information. In addition, as herding dogs, they’ll likely see children as sheep they need to keep together, so they’ll help make sure the family stays accounted for on long expeditions.

    Well Behaved in the House

    As natural working dogs, many people have the misconception that Border Collies are bad house/apartment dogs. My dog Arthur had a hard time settling down at first indoors, but he’s since learned to be very comfortable. We’ve lived in both houses and apartments together, and he knows how to behave. I would recommend crate training, at least for young Border Collies at first because they tend to get extra bored when you’re not around. They’re little smart escape artists and food finders.

    Border Collies are extremely attached to their families, so they want to be wherever you are. If you are in the house, they want to be in the house. If they want to be outside, they’ll want you outside with them.

    They Love to Cuddle

    The heading speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

    Photo by Undine Tackmann on Unsplash

    Get Down to the Shelter and Adopt

    Of course raising a dog from puppy on up is a wonderful experience, but remember to consider adopting from your local shelter. Border Collies are often left in rescues by their owners who don’t understand what kind of amazing companions they can become. Adopting Arthur was the best decision I ever made. So, if you’re on the fence, head down to the shelter and take a Border Collie mix into the playroom. I bet you’ll like what you find.

  • Where the Seed of Creativity Grows

    Where the Seed of Creativity Grows

    Today, as part of my church’s home-study program called “Come, Follow Me,” we read about the parable of the sower. Without trying to reword a powerful and very old story, here it is as written in the Book of Mathew:

    “Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

    Mathew 13: 3-9 Holy Bible: King James Version

    In the parable, Jesus speaks about seeds that fall upon different types of soil. Each seed is identical, a potential for growth and life within its core. The ground the seeds fall to, however, differs in receptivity. He offers an interpretation for the different types of ground after the parable. In short, the ground represents the how a person receives His word, if they are willing or not to cultivate it. Today, I am most intrigued by the common theme of superficiality in the types of soil where the seed fails.

    I believe that God wants His children to not only feel faith, but to use it. For me, I choose to express myself through creativity. I perform in shows that tell positive stories, and in my downtime, I love to write. In my novels, I weave in themes found in old religions and mythologies. I hope that by including elements of classic literature, such as the Bible, Legends of King Arthur, Greek Mythology, or even Shintoism, I can capture a magnified sense of humanity. The stories, though fantastic, feel real to me, and their moral elements feel like the offspring of a plant that’s grown out of the seed of my faith.

    So, back to the soil. What can stop the seed of my faith from producing wholesome, creative works? Right now, my thoughts are sketching the image of nasty thorns. These thorns can represent any number of obstacles. Some are the shape of negative emotions, doubtful of my potential for success. Others are thoughts saying that unless I’m earning money, my creativity is worthless and justifies no sort of time consuming effort. The worst and sharpest thorns, though, are distractions: a phone left open on the table next to my keyboard, a show I keep watching during hours I’ve set aside to work, or hours I stayed up late for no reason and slept away a perfectly good morning.

    Maybe I’ll till the ground of my soul a little more, believing in myself and my capabilities for creation and other means of using my faith. It’s time to prune a few thorns.

  • Our Tevye, Chaim Topol

    Our Tevye, Chaim Topol

    What a man, right? Israeli actor Chaim Topol once estimated that he played the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof more than 3,500 times. As the face of Tevye in the movie, many of us claim Topol as our Tevye, the one that got us to fall in love with the story, the face of the simple milkman that people of all cultures can relate to as a parent and person of faith.

    Topol’s recent passing has me thinking a lot about the meaning of the story. Currently, I’m in a local production of Fiddler on the Roof. I’m a semi-professional actor. That basically means that I work a day job but my evenings are all spent on paid and unpaid stages. I’m especially drawn to classic musicals that celebrate times and cultures gone by. Fiddler has been especially meaningful.

    I grew up in a culture of faith, not as strict and orthodox as the faith of Tevye, but similar in how central our traditions are to our identity as children of progenitors who sacrificed more than everything. We talk to God in prayer and perform our sacraments in ways that make us unique as a people.

    So, I really like Tevye. I like the way he talks and laughs with God, how he complains and then reconciles. I laugh at how he flirts with the idea of vanity, that if being rich is a curse, “then may God smite me with it! That I may never recover!” On the other hand (see what I did there) I tear up when he laments for his daughter Chava, “If I bend that far I will break.” He’s a wonderful character.

    Topol’s baritone voice is the quintessential Tevye, the one that sticks to my head whenever I quote “Tradition!” on the regular. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes him so iconic, but in the light of his death I got to thinking about where Topol comes from. His father was from Russia, born a generation after the Pogroms. Topol was born not long after the Holocaust. Surely he must have carried the generational pride and trauma with him as he played out the scenes, carrying the cart and mourning his lame horse. I don’t think I can even begin to pick up all the symbolism in his performance.  

    We’re lucky to have Topol’s performance as Tevye frozen in time in the movie. He’s our Tevye, and though he may be gone, I’m sure the character he helped bring to life for millions of us will live on forever.