The Weekly Write-Up #32
A Newsletter That Can Change Your Life!
No, this is not clickbait! All the topics in this newsletter could literally change your life (with the exception of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 review). The book I’m reviewing certainly can, a Kindle is a fantastic purchase that will change how you read, and getting free college courses can save you a LOT of money! So read on to find out why I say that these topics can change your life!
In this newsletter…
A book that changed how I view the world and worldviews!
Is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 worth watching?
Why you should buy a Kindle if you haven’t already!
How to get college courses in Indiana FOR FREE (no catch)!
Literary Picks
THE UNIVERSE NEXT DOOR
This year, I took a worldview class at my school, and during second semester, we took a look at other worldviews and what people who accept these worldviews believe about the world, humans, ethics, etc. During this study, we went through and read The Universe Next Doorby James W. Sire. This book examines 8 (give or take) of the most common worldviews found today. All the way from Christian Theism to Nihilism and everything in between.
What I like most about this book is how structured it is. With each worldview, Sire explores how each worldview answers what he believes are the 8 questions that sum up a worldview. These questions tackle subjects like reality, the universe, God, human beings, knowledge, ethics, etc. The answers to the questions give you a broad overview before he goes deeper. He elaborates on each of the answers to these questions and explains what this looks like. The way that he breaks this down is very helpful and ensures you gain a more profound understanding of each worldview. I was honestly fascinated by most of these worldviews, and James Sire did an impressive job of presenting them. The other aspect of this book I appreciate is the lack of bias in the book. This book is written from a Christian worldview, but Sire didn’t just go through the book saying that all the worldviews were all bad. He explained the worldviews and let them speak for themselves before giving any bias or criticism. I really appreciate this because I wanted a book that broadened my understanding of other worldviews, rather than one that just condemned every worldview other than Christianity. There was still some bias in the book, but Sire usually left it for the end of each section after explaining the worldview. Even when there was bias, he explained why the worldview is inconsistent or doesn’t satisfy our human desire, rather than just saying it is stupid or wrong.
Understanding other worldviews is important, regardless of what worldview you hold. If we don’t understand other worldviews, we can’t know what other people believe. And if we don’t know what other people believe, we can’t talk to them about their beliefs and teach them about ours. That is why understanding worldviews is essential because everyone has one, and it affects every part of their life. This book is a great resource to understanding many of the most common worldviews in society today. I highly recommend The Universe Next Door, especially to Christians. Even for those of other worldviews, this book is great to gain a more in-depth understanding of Christianity and worldviews other than yours. Since this book deals with complex and challenging topics, those under 14 might have a hard time comprehending and understanding the dense material found in this book, since it certainly isn’t a light read. But for those who are over 14 (both teens and adults), you must gain an understanding of the people of the world that you live in and interact with daily. I highly recommend this book to accomplish the task. You can buy it here (I recommend buying this RIGHT NOW because it is 50% OFF!)
Watchlist Wonders
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
In a previous newsletter, I talked about 3 movies that I really wanted to see in the upcoming months, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being one of them. In that review, I said I was expecting to be disappointed, since the second movie of the franchise was pretty bad. After seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 this week, I will say I was surprised by this movie. It was better than I expected it to be. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is another post-Endgame movie, showing the characters trying to rebuild and work together. After an attack from a mysterious enemy, Rocket is severely injured, but they cannot heal him because there is a “kill switch” on his heart that will instantly kill him if they do so. They must find the “High Evolutionary” and attempt to get the passcode to save Rocket, or else he will die.
Let’s suffice it to say this movie exceeded my expectations, which, let’s be honest, were pretty low after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It was actually a decent movie, and although it wasn’t Marvel’s best movie, it certainly wasn’t the worst either! The plot was pretty standard for the recent Marvel movies (evil villain tries to create his own universe, heroes fail at first, but then work together to defeat him). So, it certainly wasn’t their best plot, but like a standard Guardians of the Galaxy movie, you watch it as much for the humor as the actual plot line. There was certainly humor in this movie, and it wasn’t as dirty as in the second Guardians movie, which is good. I was also disappointed on a few different levels by the way in which the movie ended, but that is just my opinion. Overall, the movie was just okay, nothing super special, but also not terrible. This movie was rated PG-13, but like most of the recent Marvel movies, it is on the shadier end for a PG-13 rating. There was a lot of violence and animal abuse, but the main issue is the amount of language in this movie! There are countless instances of most of the standard cuss words, including the first f-word in a Marvel movie. The good news is this movie didn’t have as many inappropriate jokes as the second Guardians of the Galaxymovie. Nonetheless, this movie is probably not a good choice for kids under 12.
So, what does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 mean for the MCU going forward? Both Marvel movies of 2023– this movie, along with Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania— show that Marvel has most likely run its course. The only excellent post-Endgame movie (excluding the Spider-Man movies), was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The rest were just okay. While Marvel is certainly still making money from their movies, they just aren’t producing quality movies like they used to. I still plan to continue to watch Marvel movies, but what I’m saying is I don’t expect them to be as good as they used to be. I think this movie is certainly better than the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie and close to the level of the first one. If you enjoyed the slap-stick humor from the previous Guardians of the Galaxy movies, then I think you will enjoy this movie! You can watch the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 here or buy tickets here.
Tech Thoughts
KINDLE BUYERS’ GUIDE: 2023
Earlier this week, I was talking to someone about how much I love my Kindle, and why she should buy one. This led me to think I should write a post about why you should buy a Kindle. If you recall correctly, I have already discussed my Kindle in The Weekly Write-Up #10(thanks to Hyperlink Index for helping me find that post). Why am I talking about it again? Well, a few reasons: 1) Last time I only talked about my specific Kindlerather than some other Kindles you can purchase, 2) I think there is more to be said in the regard of why you should buy a Kindle, and 3) It is just a great device that deserves to be talked about more than once!
The 5 things that I think define a Kindle are the intense focus capabilities, the convenient versatility, the endless customization, the unparalleled portability, and the massive library. First, the reason I say “intense focus” is the only thing you can do on this device is read, which is actually a good thing. This ensures that you focus on reading, rather than watching YouTube, scrolling Facebook, or looking at your Instagram feed. Many people say that they “don’t have the time to read,” but I would argue that you just don’t make time to read. The Kindle helps you do this by eliminating distractions that you would normally have by reading on a smartphone or tablet (which many people think is no different from reading on a Kindle). The next great aspect of a Kindle is the convenient versatility, allowing you to read anywhere. You can read in the dark because of the lights in the Kindle, but unlike lights in your phone, these won’t damage your eyes or give you headaches since they are embedded beneath the side of the Kindle, rather than shining right up at your eyeballs. On the opposite end, you can also read in direct sunlight because the screen isn’t LED, creating no glare. The Kindle also offers endless customization, allowing you to change brightness, font, text size, etc. There are many other options to tailor your Kindle experience to you. Fourth, Kindles aren’t huge, and you can take them anywhere. They are very portable and many of the models are waterproof, allowing you to read at the beach or pool. This is much better than carrying a book (or books) around. You can also hold a Kindle in one hand, which is much nicer than having to hold a book open! Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Kindle has a HUGE library of digital books from a wide range of authors. You can find most books on this device and purchase them, or use the Libby app (you can find it on both the App Store and Google Play) to borrow digital books from your local library! One final option is subscribing to Kindle Unlimited, which is a monthly subscription that allows you to download tons of free books!
So, I hope you are convinced to buy a Kindle, but which one should you buy? Well, Kindle currently offers 4 different models (3 of these I have tested), which I will explore and link each below:
Kindle ($99): This is the base Kindle model, which was recently updated with USB-C and a better screen resolution. Nothing fancy here, but I think this is a really solid option to buy. It isn’t waterproof like some other models, which is a slight con. The other differences are just slower processing and lower screen resolution. This is a great Kindle, though, and the one that I own and would recommend to most people.
Kindle Paperwhite ($139): The Kindle Paperwhite is the slightly upgraded version of the base model. It has higher screen resolution, a faster processor, better battery life, and thinner bezels. Finally, it is waterproof, so you can read at the beach or at the pool!
Kindle Oasis ($279): The Kindle Oasis is the “luxury Kindle” and has a larger display, page-turn buttons, is waterproof, and has basic upgrades. The main difference, and reason to buy, is the astonishing display and the convenient page-turn buttons. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who is buying a Kindle for the first time, but if you really enjoy using a Kindle, then this device is something to consider.
Kindle Scribe ($419): Finally, the Kindle Scribe, which is the newest Kindle and the only one of these four that I haven’t tested out. The Kindle Scribe takes reading to a whole new level by allowing you to take notes with an included stylus. My main critique of this (besides it not being waterproof) is the price because purchasing a 9th Generation iPad and Apple Pencil 1st Generationwill cost you just $10 more and allow you to do much more! But, if you want the dedicated note-taking and reading device found in the Kindle Scribe, without the distractions, this is an expensive but most likely worth-it purchase.
I hope this very long review shows how much I love Kindle! In reality, I hope that it shows you how great Kindle is and gave a good comparison of the different Kindle models. To purchase a Kindle, click the links above or go here (I would suggest waiting for a sale because they have them frequently, so look out for that).
Wild Card
IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE SUMMER COURSES
This summer, I will be taking college courses from Ivy Tech FOR FREE! How is this even possible, though?! Well, if you are a High School student or just graduated, you can take free college courses this summer for college credit. These are full college courses and after you complete them, you get college credits. You can take a wide variety of courses to complete the Indiana College Core. Courses can be taken in-person, online, or a mix of both. For example, I’m taking English Composition online, so I can get started on the Indiana Core requirements and possibly pursue a career in writing or a similar field. These credits can be transferred to all public Indiana Colleges, some private colleges, and even to some colleges outside of Indiana. Personally, I haven’t started taking any courses since I just finished the school year. Nonetheless, I wanted to get this info out before the deadline to register, which is Friday, June 2, 2023. Classes begin Monday, June 5, 2023.
But, of course, the best part is it is 100% FREE! As far as I can tell, there is no catch! I’m assuming that Ivy Tech is probably getting money from the state government to do this or just establishing loyalty with those who start free classes. I’m not certain why they are doing this, but I am confident that it is totally free! This can save you thousands of dollars in college courses that you will have to take in the future! At first, I wasn’t fond of the idea of doing school in the summer, but once I heard that it was free, I was all in!
I think this is an excellent opportunity for high school students to get a head start on college! All you have to do to get started is complete a short form, and a representative of Ivy Tech will email you about what to do next. Go here to learn more and register for the Summer 2023 term.