Raul with Safety Sam

It’s Wednesday, so to help you get over that mid-week hump, it’s time once again for the weekly speedlink here on Beyond the Rhetoric. Let’s see what the bloggers have been blogging about.

We start with Raul Pacheco, who most people around here know better as Hummingbird604. Well, it looks like the “604” part is changing, because Raul has moved out of Vancouver and back to his home country of Mexico. He’s there spending more time with his ageing parents and he’s also taken on the opportunity to teach at the Mexican equivalent of Harvard. Raul, we wish you all the best with your new adventure.

Google is known best for its search engine, but it has expanded into the hardware market with the Nexus family of smartphones. More recently, John Biehler provides his first impressions of the Google Nexus 7 Android tablet. It’s not without its shortcomings, but with impressive specs and the price starting at just $199, the Nexus 7 is one of the best tablet buys on the market today.

There is certainly something to be said about putting your ideas down on paper. It’s therapeutic and can provide some great insights. Cheryl Craigie agrees, describing five tips for how to journal. Perhaps the most important tip is to choose a journal that feels right for you. If it doesn’t feel right, you won’t stick with it on a consistent basis.

There are many people out there who are still astounded that I can make a full-time income from freelancing. LaToya Irby addresses the issue of when people ask about your income and you’re not comfortable being too specific. My opinion is that how much money I make from freelancing should be just as public or private as how much money other people make from “regular” jobs. If a friend of yours gets hired somewhere, do you think it’s appropriate to ask about their exact salary? The answer should be the same for freelancers in your life.

And finally, we turn to Melody Fury for some good eats. I don’t recommend you read her post on her meals and dishes in July if you’re sitting on an empty stomach. Do you like smoked brisket? How about zaru soba, Vietnamese beef stew and jalapeno compressed watermelon salad? That chilled avocado cucumber soup looks great for a hot summer’s day!