Dalek Knitting Rules November 2013

As humans (and Daleks), we're always interested in what's popular.  The numbers below reflect which titles have shown up in other people's blogs, Twitter feeds, Facebook Home pages, and other places that drew new readers to  The Dragon's Cache last month.

 Top Ten Posts For November 2013

Post Name                                              Date Posted         Views
1. Pocket Dalek Knitting Pattern                 Feb. 18, 2013         34
2. The Cows of Seven Sisters                    Nov. 18, 2013         22
3. The TARDIS of Brighton Pier                  Nov. 15, 2013         22
4. Ray Bradbury Loves Dinosaurs               Oct. 8, 2013           19
5. Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Pt. 1    Nov. 28, 2012         19
6. A Day in Brighton                                   Nov. 7, 2013          15
7. Eating Out in Brighton                            Nov. 21, 2013         15
8. Recovering From My Seven Sisters        Nov. 14, 2013         14
9. Visiting My Seven Sisters: Pt. 2             Nov. 12, 2013         13
10. Rex Dalek & K-9 Visit Krispy Kreme      Nov. 8, 2013          13

Two of October's Top Ten Posts remained on the list for November. While "Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Part 1" fell from first to fifth, "Ray Bradbury Loves Dinosaurs" clung to its Fourth Place for a second month in a row.  The Daleks may have been shut out in October, but they surged back onto the list last month, with "Pocket Dalek Knitting Pattern" and "Rex Dalek & K-9 Visit Krispy Kreme."  Perhaps their resurgence was fueled by the Fiftieth Anniversary celebration of Doctor Who, given that my acquisition of the Doctor's time machine attracted readers to "The TARDIS of Brighton Pier."  And while travel blogs are usually popular, I couldn't help but notice that four of them--"A Day Out in Brighton," "Eating Out in Brighton," "Recovering From My Seven Sisters," and "Rex Dalek & K-9 Visit Krispy Kreme"--involved food. Mmm…Subway Tandoori Chicken Sandwiches, Cornish Pasties, Quavers, Fish & Chips, and Krispy Kreme Donuts.  Five essential English Food Groups!

K-9 & Rex visit Subway in Brighton

Two entries, "Pocket Dalek Knitting Pattern" and "Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Part 1" climbed higher on my My Ten Most Popular Posts, which suggests that not only do readers love Daleks so much that they want them in their own homes, but also that they enjoy stories about the kindness of strangers.  While it's always nice to accomplish Great Deeds and Herculean Tasks, sometimes it's the smallest of our actions--those that may never be noted or commented upon or hailed by others--that can make a huge impact on a person's life.  I may not know that cabbie's name, but I'll never forget him, and I'll always be grateful to him.  Without his help, we might never have reached Pinner, where one of my favorite British comedies, "May To December," was filmed.  

Our visit to Pinner, England, two years ago.
After eating our sandwiches in the town square behind us,
we dug out our maps,
tried to figure out where we'd gone wrong,
and how to get where we needed to go.
If only we'd had a Dalek back then to guide us!

Finally, last month The Dragon's Cache enjoyed 1,589 page views. That's one hundred more than the previous all-time high, and nearly three hundred more than the average for the past three months.  So people are reading the blog, and hopefully, in some way, it beneficially impacts their lives.

You know, just like the mere mention of dinosaurs made Ray Bradbury smile.

Dragon Dave     

October 2013 In Review

It’s always interesting to me what blog posts take off and which ones don’t.  Usually, I have no clue to a particular post’s popularity.  Perhaps I gave it an intriguing title, and people just wanted to see what I was writing about.  But some posts find a readership long after I wrote them, so I have to assume that, in some way, people found what I wrote to be of value to their lives.  So it is with the top three posts from last month, as well as the post I wrote on Jeremy Bullock's portrayal of Boba Fett in "The Empire Strikes Back" nearly a year ago. 

Some bloggers might be upset that their current month’s posts don’t rank higher on their monthly statistics.  But I’m glad that all my work is out there, and people are finding it--and enjoying it--regardless of when I wrote it.  I’m also beginning to think that the statistics only record those who, whether as a search result or following someone’s Twitter feed, actually went to that particular post.  If so, then the statistics area (and my post list) doesn’t give an accurate picture of how many readers are going to www.dragoncache.blogspot.com, on a regular or occasional basis.  That means that some of the days when I get a lot of page views, readers are actually enjoying some of the current posts more than the older posts.  That’s also a good feeling.

Hey, I’ll take a ray of sunshine whenever I can get it.

 Top Ten Posts For October 2013

Post Name                                              Date Posted         Views
1. Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Pt. 1   Nov. 28, 2012          49
2. Norman Clegg's TV House                      July 30, 2013         29
3. Terry Brooks Definitely Doesn't Suck    February 8, 2013       26
4. Ray Bradbury Loves Dinosaurs              October 8, 2013       21 
5. Internalizing Hulk & She-Hulk Pt. 1      October 22, 2013       18
6. Ninetine Days As Boba Fett                    Nov. 26, 2012        18
7. Drawn Back to Laupahoehoe Point        October 14, 2013      17
8. Conan the Barbarian on Difficult Family   October 16, 2013     16
9. Mark Twain on Good (or Bad) Gov.         October 17, 2013     16
10. Reviewing Old Movies                          October 6, 2013      16

If you look at My Ten Most Popular Posts, you’ll find that some of those listed above have landed on that list.  To a certain extent, this has to do with the weird algorhythm Blogger uses.  In some cases, the page views listed in the Statistics section for some posts have fallen to the extent that they no longer show!  (How can you have a negative page view?) But if nothing else, My Ten Most Popular Posts gives you an idea of any recent trends in reader interest, and again, it’s nice to see that some posts have, in some ways, affected people so strongly that they shared them with their friends.  Again, that’s a nice feeling.

More Reasons To Smile

You know, I guess I have a lot of reasons to smile.  How about you?  What do you have to smile about?

Dragon Dave

Reflecting on my Present Greatness

The Dragon's Cache was a place to spread my wings, so to speak.  At least, with regard to gaining a level of comfort and familiarity with the Internet.  It's been an incredible journey, and writing, revising, and publishing a post each day has helped me mature enormously as a writer.  So I've occasionally found it interesting to look back, assess how far I've come, and thereby reflect on my present greatness.  

At least my wife thinks I'm great.  I'm not sure why...

If you're interested in how I got started, and what I've learned along the way, here's the post that started it all, plus an assessment I made one year later.  Enjoy them, or don't, as the case may be.

I'm not sure where I'll take this blog from here.  Writing this blog is a lot like life for me: every day is a new discovery.  I just hope that, through what I post, I can make all our lives a little more interesting.  

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries
The Blogging Wars: My Hope
One Year Later: Part 1
One Year Later: Part 2
One Year Later: Part 3

September 2013 In Review

September 2013 saw some notable trends in readership, and I thought I'd share the results with you.  

Top Ten Posts For September 2013

Post Name                                              Date Posted         Views
1. The Conan Chronologies                      April 4, 2013             77
2. Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Pt. 1    Nov 28, 2012          52 
3. Learning from Roald Dahl's Stories        August 19, 2012       49
4. Jane Johnson's Wild Road                September 4, 2013       45 
5. The Dalek Invasion of Punalu'u        September 27, 2013       31
6. August 2013 In Review                    September 5, 2013        27
7. The Madness of Peter F. Hamilton    September 26, 2013      23
8. Peter Hamilton: Reality Dysfunction   September 24, 2013     21
9. The Exclusive Punalu'u Club             September 17, 2013     21
10. Failure at Punalu'u                         September 10, 2013      21

As in August, "The Conan Chronologies" again claimed the top spot. The popularity of "Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Part 1" not only continued, but surpassed last month's 9th place ranking. "Learning from Roald Dahl's Immortal Stories" also returned to prominence, which was nice to see.  "Jane Johnson's Wild Road" garnered the most attention among September 2013 entries, but this was only fitting: the author has lived an interesting life, mixing hard work and determination with a willingness to take big risks in her career and personal life.  "The Dalek Invasion of Punalu'u Bakeshop" was my first and only Dalek blog to reach the top ten this month, but its ranking as of September 30th is notable as it garnered so many page views in three days.  Peter F. Hamilton is another noteworthy author, so I'm glad two of his entries reached the top ten this month.

Of course, you can review any of the posts by clicking on the title.

While I'm sure the Daleks would have loved a greater presence, it was nice to see the entries about authors and their stories dominate in September.  The desire to discuss the stories that entertain and inspire me, as well the talented people who wrote them, were the reason I started this blog in the first place.  Additionally, I'm happy to report that the page views for all the top ten exceeded those of August. Hopefully, that means I'm on the right track.

Before I sign off, allow me to mention that one of the top entries for September reached My Ten Most Popular Posts.  To see which post made it, and how high it climbed, you can follow the link above, or visit it from the Page Menu to your right.

As always, thanks for reading, and sharing The Dragon's Cache with your friends.

Dragon Dave

August 2013 In Review

I didn't do much tweaking to the blog in August, but I thought I'd share with you which posts drew the most interest.

Top Ten Posts For August 2013

Post Name                                              Date Posted         Views
1. The Conan Chronologies                      April 4, 2013             60
2. Daleks Love Doctor Who Breakfasts     August 23, 2013       36
3. Postcards from San Diego Airport         August 12, 2013       29
4. Daleks & the Judgment of Solomon      August 16, 2013       22 
5. Norman Clegg's TV House                   July 30, 2013            22
6. Red Dalek Builds Lego Star Wars         August 1, 2013          21
7. Another Way to Train Your Dragon        August 5, 2013         19
8. Catching a Glimpse of Norman Clegg      May 24, 2012         17
9. Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Pt. 1    Nov 28, 2012          16 
10. Ruining Frank Thorne's Red Sonja Art   August 8, 2013       16

"The Conan Chronologies" really caught people's attention. This post covered how Robert E. Howard wrote the Conan stories out of sequence.  I thought many casual fans might not be aware of this, as our concept of Conan is largely structured by several chronologies that were worked out for the barbarian's life.  L. Sprague de Camp and others used this to organize the Conan stories in the landmark twelve-book paperback series.  Then again, readers might merely have liked it because I provided a link to an online Conan comic audio/visual adventure.  While Blogger lists it as having over 80 page views (and climbing) on my total posts list, it hasn't yet added the post to my Top Ten in the Statistics section.

As of yesterday, "Norman Clegg's TV House" had gotten 52 views, which meant it would have placed higher on the list, had I posted it a few days later.  Amazingly, no Last of the Summer Wine fans have snapped up his house in Holmfirth yet.  Come on, folks: this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to own a piece of precious TV history (and support your favorite fictional character).  If you all don't get with the program soon, I may have to have another talk with my wife. After all, I've been assured that British Matter Transmissions (BMT) will build a station in Holmfirth in the near future.  (Oh, and by the way, my dearest, most beautiful wife, we could always add a bathroom to the first and/or second floor).

"May To December" was created and written by Paul Mendelson,
produced by "Doctor Who" producer Verity Lambert,
and originally starred Anton Rodgers and Eve Matheson.

British comedies in general fared well in August, with three of the top entries related to "Last of the Summer Wine," and the final one related to "May To December."  I wrote three entries on our visit to the English village of Pinner, where the series was set.  (The other two entries were "Looking for Alec & Zoe Calendar: Part 2," and "Verity Lambert's Other Great TV Show.  They rounded out November, 2012).  I know why people love my "Last of the Summer Wine" entries: the series proved so popular it lasted over thirty years.  Sadly, "May To December" remains a little known (or remembered) show, but I'll love it until the day I die.  Ironically, the post didn't actually talk about Pinner, or what I loved about the TV show.  Instead, it focused on how surprisingly difficult it was to find Pinner, and the difference between the English and American road systems.  Ah well, I suppose anyone who's ever gotten lost while driving, or felt lost on the great journey of life, can relate to that.

My article on Marvel Comics' "Red Sonja" Issue 2 didn't generate as much interest as my posts on Issue 1, but I now realize I should have given you folks a summary of that story, so that you could better appreciate readers' reactions to it, and then commented on that. (Maybe I can do that in September).  Still, for one Conan blog and one Red Sonja post to reach the Top Ten Posts for August: that's not a bad reflection on the enduring impact of Robert E. Howard. 

Finally, I must cheer the fact that three out of five Dalek posts in August made the Monthly Top Ten.  What can I say, people love Daleks.  (And Daleks--at least my Daleks--love you).  Three cheers for Daleks!  Hip hip exterminate!  Hip hip exterminate!  Hip hip exterminate!

Dragon Dave 

"Hold on, Dragon Dave!
You forgot about your dragon entry!"

P. S.  Oops!  I can't sign off without mentioning Cressida Cowell's novel How To Train Your Dragon.  It's a fun book, so different from the movie, and yet a story that should be read by all serious dragon lovers.  (And perhaps all non-serious ones too).  Her book reminded me that it's okay to loosen up in your storytelling style, as long as you entertain them.  Like her unconventional story, her illustrations demonstrated the power that even the simplest artwork can wield.  Truly, we're never too old to learn to learn from others' achievements.

P.S.S.  I did add one new feature this month.  At the end of each post, you'll find a line called reactions.  There you have three ways to rate my post, as either funny, interesting, or cool.  So if you've been dying to share your reaction to a particular post with me, but had trouble boiling that down into words, all you have to do is check a box.  That's it, just tick a little box.  It's like voting...actually, it is voting.  It's Democracy in action.  It's your chance to voice your opinion, to make yourself heard, and in so doing make a lasting impact on your world!

P.S.S.S.  I've updated My Ten Most Popular Posts.  If you'd like to read to, you can reach it from the Pages section, or by following the above link.  

Psssst!  I'm through pestering you with the postscripts now, so you can get on with your busy--and hopefully fruitful--day.

The Wooden Sea Serpent of Libbey Bowl

When I spoke with Kevin J. Anderson at Stan Lee’s Comikaze, I told him I’d been enjoying his blog.  He told me that he mostly used it as an excuse to share his travel photographs.  Of course it’s much more than that: the written descriptions of his journeys offer just as much value as the photographs, and his pieces on up-and-coming projects pique my interest in the stories he’s written.  But I understand his attitude.  He’s a professional author, and spends most of his time hard at work writing stories he can sell.  While he uses his blog to appropriately trumpet his stories, sometimes it’s nice to share some of your more memorable journeys with others.

On that visit to Ojai, as I climbed the bleachers to watch those playing tennis in Libbey Park, I couldn’t help but notice the activity going on behind me in Libbey Bowl.  I’m not sure what production they were setting up for, but I could envision sitting in this comfortable, outdoor venue and enjoying a concert with my fellow residents (assuming I resided in Ojai).  It had a nice homey feeling to it, which I liked.  I don’t often attend concerts in San Diego, but if I lived in Ojai…well, maybe I would.

The forms that nature offers up often intrigue me.  I don’t know if it’s one or two trees (or more), but it looks like a single tree that some accident forced back down to the ground.  Unlike lesser trees though, this one declared, “No, I won’t be cowed, I won’t allow you to defeat me,” and it defied the elements and rose back up again.  While it reminds me of a sea serpent, the tree makes a statement about the importance of determination and not giving up, regardless of what life throws your way. 

Maybe that's why I've always liked sea serpents.  Oh, and trees, too.  Trees are pretty neat.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

About Libbey Bowl

Libbey Bowl welcomes Amateur Astronomers

A cool, evening photo of Ojai