Disqus - Latest Comments for SplinteredMind

Re: Prickles and a Paunch: Israel’s Overweight Hedgehogs Go on Diet

D Cootey — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 12:46:15 -0000

This is so true. After absolutely scrumptious Thanksgiving AND Christmas turkeys this year, I’ve begun to sprout spines. So inconvenient. How will I eat my hamburgers now? If only I respected life, I could be prickly on line just like you!

Re: Indie Authors Are Ruining The e-Book Discovery Process on Amazon

D Cootey — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 05:23:31 -0000

Michael, although I can see your point, and agree that there are a ton of subpar indy ebooks out there, I don't think you understand why people feel compelled to load their titles with keywords. Many online retailers don't offer a line for subtitles. Having a short title with a long, descriptive subtitle is standard in the publishing industry, but not for ebooks. There is only the title field. Even with Kindle publishing, however, the subtitle is mashed into the book title for the listing.

I recently published an ebook called "Trading Up to Legendaries in Seven Easy Steps". Since Smashwords didn't offer a subtitle field when submitting a book, I put the subtitle into the book description. Even though that description had the word "Pokémon" in it, the title failed to place my book in any search for "Pokemon" or "Pokemon Guide" in iBooks store and Kobo. I even put in two spellings for Pokémon into the book description, with and without the accented "e", just in case that accent was preventing people from finding my book.

Today, I tacked my subtitle onto the title in Smashwords. My ebook title looks like this: Trading Up to Legendaries in Seven Easy Steps: A Pokémon Trading Guide for Parents & Gamers. What a mouthful! Yet now people using iBooks and Kobo will be able to find my book when they search for "Pokemon Guide".

Re: Did you miss me? | (Re) Focus

D Cootey — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 04:45:29 -0000

I've been ripping my hair out with Blogger. Every six months it's something new. I imagine that the Blogger department at Google is a mop closet in the basement which remains locked because somebody lost the key. I'm thinking I might give Ghost a try. It seems to have everything Wordpress offers without the clunky interface.

What made you settle on Joomla? I can't see your site, so I assume you're still moving. Good luck with that! I have almost twelve years of posts to migrate. There is something to retiring the site and starting afresh, except I'll loose all that Google linkage.

~Dˢ

Re: 4Chan, Reddit’s The_Donald May Take ‘Great Meme War’ to the Media

D Cootey — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 21:54:03 -0000

If he's eight years old, he's probably already explaining it to you.

Re: Living with Depression | Mormon Channel

D Cootey — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 20:11:35 -0000

I, too, wanted my depression to be healed and taken away. Unlike Heather here, I could not take medications for my Depression. They had no effect, gave me side-effects, or made me suicidal. I felt so lost and alone, and I wondered why the Savior would not rescue me from my hardship. I had faith. All I had to do was but ask, right? Over time, however, I learned that the Savior had never abandoned me. He had blessed me with the tools to manage my depression. He helped me change my perspective on life, and taught me how to offset the effects of depression. It was a yoke I would have to bear for the rest of my life, but Christ had made it lighter.

Thank you for sharing this video. Many people with depression feel the shame that Heather spoke of and see the blank looks of incomprehension on the faces of loved ones, friends, and church leaders when they try to explain the crushing effect of this disorder. I'm so glad that Heather found a doctor who could help her reclaim her life and find happiness again. In Christ, they can find the strength to get out of bed, take a step forward, and utilize the tools available to them to find relief.

Re: Incomplete syncing of comments

D Cootey — Sat, 21 May 2016 22:32:12 -0000

Clicking on "disable syncing" produces a box that says "[object Object]". Then, when I click on "Close", the box closes and reappears with "undefined". This is clearly broken, and it would be nice if Disqus staff actually responded to my help request. Thanks.

Re: A Splintered Mind: Disqus: Love It or Leave It? Feedback Wanted - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 19:30:47 -0000

Thanks for weighing in. I'm the same. I have a Disqus account, so logging in is painless for me. But so many people have been reaching out to me to let me know they can't even reply to this thread. LOL

Why did you switch back after using G+ integrated comments? What problems did you run into that I should know about?

Re: A Splintered Mind: Disqus: Love It or Leave It? Feedback Wanted - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:02:08 -0000

Thanks. When you have a chance, please vote in the poll accordingly. I'm not sure how to avoid logins if I want to filter out spam, but whatever I decide to do will be in the best interest of this blog and its readers.

Re: A Splintered Mind: Disqus: Love It or Leave It? Feedback Wanted - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:01:01 -0000

Thank you, and thanks for your feedback. I incorporated it into my latest blog.

Re: A Splintered Mind: Writing in a Fishbowl: Day Twenty-Two - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 06:38:12 -0000

Thank you, Sean. You may not be excited when you hear of what the book is about. Haha. It's very different from this blog's content, but within the realm of my freelance work.

Re: A Splintered Mind: Writing in a Fishbowl: Day Twenty-Two - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 06:36:59 -0000

Nah, not ready to give a hint. I can say that it's a guide for parents to something completely unrelated to anything I have ever written about on this blog.

Re: A Splintered Mind: Are You Cool Enough for the Suicide Club? - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 17:42:29 -0000

You gave me a scare at first. You buried the lede, as journalists like to say. But I'm glad that you can see that PROVING that you are suicidal isn't necessary. It truly is enough just to deal with suicidal ideation. Suicidism is bad enough without lasting scars. Diabetics don't need to hang needles around their necks to prove they have the condition. They don't need to show each other their needle marks, patches, monitors, and prescriptions to prove that their struggle is real. Just like them, your struggle is real. Don't ever listen to anybody who tells you differently.

Re: Nintendo Denies It Is Halting Wii U Production

D Cootey — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 20:37:55 -0000

Love my Wii U. So many great games for it. Love the gamepad, too. The eShop indy scene is bustling with new software all the time. I can't afford the time or money to buy all the games for it. I understand that it's not a system for everybody, especially since third party games are in short supply for it due to it's non-PC architecture, but my daughters and I have enjoyed the console immensely. I think it gets a bad rap in the states. Although I am intrigued by the news of the NX, my next console was going to be the PS4.

However, the Wii U has now sold more than the Dreamcast (Another under-appreciated system). That's something at least. ;)

Re: A Splintered Mind: Are You Cool Enough for the Suicide Club? - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 03:53:20 -0000

Why are you picking fights with survivors of suicides? Who made you the authority to dictate what is true and not true in the hearts of other people? By what crystal ball do you know the minds of those who have taken their own lives? I can't figure out what your game is. My impulse is to try to reason with you, but I think you might have a borderline personality disorder. You have designated yourself a speaker for the dead and you've up voted all your own comments. I sincerely hope you're seeing a therapist on a regular basis. You need a lot of work on your empathy skills.

Re: A Splintered Mind: Are You Cool Enough for the Suicide Club? - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 03:26:44 -0000

Derinick,
I'm glad that I blog. It has been a large part of my therapy. I have also had wonderful conversations with many readers over these past eleven years because of this blog. They don't always comment in public, preferring to send me an email. I'm also glad that you have commented on this post, so that readers can see how those in the suicide club stigmatize others. You again assume that everyone who is suicidal must be suicidal the way you are—that your feelings are the only valid ones—that your world view is the only valid view. The world is a far more diverse place than you can, apparently, imagine. By evidence that I post opinions that you disagree with already proves that others think differently than you.

You do me a great disservice, however, by dismissing my experience because it doesn't match yours. Since you still claim to speak for all suicidal people, you don't do a very good job representing me. But then, I'm not suicidal anymore. I've overcome it. I've learned to control it. And I will continue to post on this blog despite your disapproval, helping tens of thousands of people every year as I have been doing for over a decade. I hope that you get the help that you need, but more importantly, I hope that you learn compassion for others. Not everybody will experience suicidism as you do, and unless you learn empathy, you won't be able to help them with your lectures and disapproval. You'll just push them away, or worse, be one of those people who make the suicidal feel alone.

Re: A Splintered Mind: Are You Cool Enough for the Suicide Club? - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 01:42:54 -0000

Thank you for adding that. More often than not, the suicidal person is convinced that nobody loves him or her, but it is usually a lie told to them by their depressed mind. I've been there. I know how logical self-death can seem, but I was able to reason myself out of it because I felt a duty to my wife at the time and my child. In that dark hour, I found something to live for. I wish more people could experience that. They're lives are more precious than they realize.

Re: A Splintered Mind: Are You Cool Enough for the Suicide Club? - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 00:51:14 -0000

You're mistaken about a few things, Derinick. I clearly stated that I called the hotline because I was curious to know what would happen. There was no breakdown in my support system.

As for answers, why do I have to prove my opinion? It's an opinion. Did you mean to say that you don't understand my reasonings and would like me to explain them better to you? You say you don't understand why life is precious to me, but I have written many times on the subject. I see life as a rare gift of beauty amidst a storm of entropy and destruction. Life and its experiences are irreplaceable. I want people who are suicidal to learn to see the positive, wonderful things that are around them, especially because their outlook is so corrupted by the maelstrom of black emotions within their mind. This is MY viewpoint, and I share it with the world to help people who might need it.

You don't speak for all suicidal people, Derinick. You certainly don't speak for me, or the people who appreciated that article. You fail to see that suicidal depression often twists the perspective of the victims. They see hatred and misery where it sometimes, and I emphasis *sometimes*, doesn't exist. That was certainly the experience for me. Suicide does cause pain for the survivors. I have met so many survivors whose hearts ache with loss for a loved one who never reached out to them, who kept their pain private.

You demand I prove myself, but I believe you are too proud of your suicidal tendencies to see viewpoints like mine as valid. You arrogantly act as if you speak for others and can dictate what true suicidism is, but you only speak for yourself. Prove to my readers otherwise.

Re: A Splintered Mind: OverDrive Drive - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 12:32:44 -0000

A reader has submitted a purchase request for King County Library System in Washington state. http://kcls.org. If you've done the same, please let us know here. Thank you for your support.

Re: A Splintered Mind: OverDrive Drive - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 10:08:40 -0000

Thanks for the input, Nate. Glad to hear from you.

I wasn't aware of the local content option. I will definitely look into it, but I'm not sure *my* particular library will be interested. They have a long list of criteria for ebook submissions that is clearly designed to weed out the riffraff. They want books with professional reviews, which means that I'd have to pay quite a bit of money to get my library's approval since there is an entire cottage industry of paid reviewing to capitalize on authors in just my particular position. I think I'll push the "have local residents request the book" angle first.

Re: Re-enabling comments in bulk?

D Cootey — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 00:04:20 -0000

A script sounds better, but still more than I have time for. I do appreciate you letting me know I can unlock from the Discussions tab. It didn't occur to me, but I have over 800 posts. It might be easier to just remove Disqus code from my blog.

Re: Completing my To-Do List with Adult ADHD – Without Panicking

D Cootey — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 12:47:40 -0000

Glad to help you not feel alone! Hang in there.

Re: Re-enabling comments in bulk?

D Cootey — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 10:44:10 -0000

Do you mean I have to write my own app for that‽

Re: 12 Days of Christmas to Christ

D Cootey — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 11:09:03 -0000

Thank you for pointing that out. It's a common misunderstanding.

Re: Lifetime Access to Stolen Netflix Accounts Being Sold on the Deep Web

D Cootey — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 21:18:41 -0000

This article conflates the deep web with the dark web. It is factually inaccurate. The McAfee report refers to the dark web, not the deep web. Check your own source. The deep web is any website you need a password to get into. Your bank, for instance, is an example of the deep web. It sits on the web, but in a deeper layer that is not openly accessible without authority. Other instances would be old articles on news sites that no longer show up on Google. They exist on the web to anybody with the patience to find them, but they are forgotten. The dark web is the nefarious underbelly of the internet, only accessible by encryption. It is where CP, drugs, credit cards, and Netflix accounts are sold. Install Tor on your computer and look for a spider that trolls the dark web and you will find some shady stuff.

Re: A Splintered Mind: Are You Cool Enough for the Suicide Club? - Douglas Cootey

D Cootey — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 12:07:41 -0000

What a wonderful comment! Thanks for taking time to add your input to the discussion. Very good advice. I'm glad you found activities that helped you boost endorphins, improve your morale, and help you turn your mental state around. Fighting depression and suicidal ideation is hard work. It's best done with a positive attitude and learned optimism, not with bleak imagery that weighs down the heart. Some people find relief through anti-depressants, but I blog about alternatives because people like you and I don't react well to those medications. They make things worse.