You've stumbled upon Kyle Eslick dot Com, the online home of Kyle Eslick. I am primarily known for being the founder of Apricot Media, a digital media company that focuses on developing domain names into profitable websites/blogs, affiliate marketing, and doing SEO analysis. Among the websites operated by Apricot Media are WordPress Hacks, Blog Tuts, Slick Affiliate, and the Gluten Free Media network.
Due to the number of projects I am personally involved with at any given time, it can sometimes be difficult for people to figure out how to reach me. As a result, this website was created to provide a little information about me, as well as to serve as a hub for discussing my personal interests via my personal blog.
Please feel free to look around and let me know if you have any questions. I can be reached via email using my contact form. (Due to the daily amount of e-mail received, please allow 48-72 hours to respond)
In the meantime, if you'd like to read what I'm up to, here are a few of my recent blog posts:
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Best Standup Comedians of All Time
August 14, 2011 By Kyle Eslick 3 Comments
My wife and I have been huge supporters of standup comedians for well over a decade now, supporting our local Funny Bone comedy club whenever possible and purchasing comedy albums when they are released by comedians. Over those years we’ve probably found 30-40 comedians which we are big fans of, but a few have risen to the top of the list for me.
Below I decided to share my favorites, ranked by personal preference:
- Dave Chappelle
- Dave Attell (got to see him live in person and it was incredible!)
- Louis CK
- Daniel Tosh
- Greg Giraldo
- Jim Gaffigan
- Russell Peters
- Whitney Cummings
- Willie Barcena
- Iliza Schlesinger
Notables that either just missed the list or simply don’t have enough material out there to make the above list:
- Alonzo Bodden
- Amy Schumer
- Aziz Ansari
- Christian Finnegan
- John Heffron
- Kurt Metzger
- Kyle Cease
- Lisa Landry
- Steve Byrne
- Tommy Johnagin
So that is my list. What does your list look like? Any glaring omissions from my list? Leave a comment below!
Why Facebook Users Should Support Google+
July 24, 2011 By Kyle Eslick Leave a Comment
Over the past two weeks as I’ve had a chance to play around with Google+ and really had a great experience. Who knew Google could do social and do it so well? Guess they learned from the Buzz/Wave disasters and seem to be on to something this time.
Unfortunately probably the most important ingredient to having a great experience with a social network is the ability to find and connect with the people you want to interact with. As a result, I’ve spent two weeks now struggling to get friends and family to setup their own Google+ accounts and was met with a surprising amount of resistance. “Why not just stick with Facebook” they ask? “Where is the value?” “Where is my Farmville and other games?” When I stepped back to look at it from the average person’s perspective I can see their point, why should someone bother setting up a Google+ account?
Why Switch From Facebook to Google+?
First and foremost, I need to point out that you don’t need to “switch” to Google+ unless you want to. Signing up for Google+ doesn’t do or change anything with your Facebook profile so there really is no down side. Secondly, Facebook needs competition and Google is one of only a couple of companies (if not the only one) who could seriously compete with Facebook. Competition brings innovation and their are plenty of examples out there of situations where there wasn’t competition and as a result there wasn’t innovation (Internet Explorer 6 jumps to mind). Besides, the more successful the initial launch of Google+ is, the more likely Google is to continue to place their valuable engineer resources into improving this product and making it a true competitor to Facebook.
Am I pro Google+ or just anti-Facebook?
This is something I’ve put a lot of thought into over the past two weeks and I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a little bit of both. I truly love the innovation put into Google+ with the hangouts, circles, and even the sparks feature has some potential. With that said, I admit to being more scared of where the Internet is heading with the growing dominance of Facebook and I think the internet needs to support a competitor.
Firefly’s Nathan Fillion on Swamp Ass
July 12, 2011 By Kyle Eslick Leave a Comment
To be a credible geek in this day and age possibly the most important rule is that you love the Firefly series (since cancelled but unavailable for instant watch on Netflix). Of course the lead character is played by Nathan Fillion, giving him a lot of influence over geeks around the globe. I have to see I was pleased to see him using that influence to get the world with the following Public Service Announcement:
Good Reads: Social Networking for Book Readers
May 13, 2011 By Kyle Eslick Leave a Comment
As social networking has continued to grow in popularity over the past couple years I’ve often found myself conflicted when looking at where the internet was heading. Do I want one social network for everything (ie Facebook) or would it be better to several smaller niche social networks? Both of course have their advantages but I often found myself leaning towards the Facebook hub having one account and social experience to cover everything. This was mostly due to having an overwhelming number of social websites on the internet leaving me with accounts all over the place.
The above still seems to be true most of the time, but I have to admit that when I discovered GoodReads.com I realized the true value and potential of smaller niche social experiences. For those unfamiliar with the service, GoodReads.com is a social website designed for people who like to read. Whether you are looking to find a book recommendation, write a book review, or interact directly with fellow readers and even the authors themselves, Goodreads.com has you covered!
I have to admit that although I think I still prefer the Facebook approach for the most part, GoodReads.com gives me an experience that Facebook never could and I highly recommend it for anyone that enjoys reading or listening to audiobooks. If you are a GoodReads.com member and would like to be friends, you can find my profile here.
Oh, and while on the subject of books, I recommend buying books through Amazon (either paperback or Kindle ebooks) and Amazon’s audiobook website, Audible.com. I’ve been using Amazon for my book needs for over a decade and now Audible.com allows me to continue to absorb books while commuting, working out, etc.
Best Fantasy Novels of All Time
April 20, 2011 By Kyle Eslick Leave a Comment
Those who know me well know that I’m a bit of a book reader and a huge fan of the Fantasy genre as a whole, which is often referred to as “Sword and Sorcery” books. In my youth I grew up with the core Dragonlance books and moved to the RA Salvatore’s “Drizzt” books within the Forgotten Realms setting.
I remember these books very fondly, however as I transitioned into adulthood I was left with a strong desire for a more epic tale and have spent the past decade trying out other Fantasy novels. Here are some of my favorite sword and sorcery series:
- A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin (7 book series) – Probably my favorite series of all time, although it is hard to say as the series hasn’t yet been completed yet.
- The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erickson (10 book series) – This series starts slow but really picks up in Book 2 and is believed by many to be one of the greatest series of all time.
- Farseer Trilogy and Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb (both 3 book series)
- Prince of Nothing by R Scott Bakker (3 book series)
- Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (multiple books in this setting but not technically a series)
- Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks (3 book series)
- The First Law by Joe Abercrombie (3 book series)
- Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (3 book series)
I’ve read other stuff as well but those are probably my favorites off the top of my head. I know several of you also enjoy this genre so I’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments below!
Update: Great post by NPR covering the best Fantasy/Science Fiction books of all time!