What's Up Wednesdays: No Foolin' Edition

You’ll need to be extra skeptical as you make your way around the Internet today. Rather than mess around with an April Fools’ Day gag like I have done in previous years, there’s no foolin’ around today. Instead, it’s business as usual with another weekly speedlink. We start off with Ashley Beolens as he talks about his unhealthy fast food habit. He knows all too well that the mysterious pink goo isn’t good for him or his family, “but damn it tastes good.”

Switching gears over to the world of business, Richard Eriksson tells us about an online tool called Slack. Just like Twitter in its early days, Slack is a little difficult to explain to those who haven’t used it. It’s been called everything from an email killer to a group chat with link previews, integrating with a variety of other online services for better communication and productivity. Some have called Slack a “real-time company knowledge base” too.

If you want other people to respect you for what you do, you have to respect yourself first. That is really at the crux of what Kristen Lamb has to say about what it means to be a real writer. She argues that you are not an “aspiring” writer, so stop apologizing for your career choice. A professional writer is not unlike a lawyer or an HR manager. It is a real job, so treat it as such and stop foolin’ around.

Looking for what might be a healthier choice than the fast food burgers Ashley has been eating? Stacey Robinsmith is running a fun giveaway over on his foodie blog where you can win a year’s supply of Catelli pasta. They’re defining a year’s worth as 60 boxes of pasta, giving you just about a box a week to consume. Entering is easy enough: just say how you like your pasta and choose a lucky number between one and 500.

And finally, Simon from Man vs. Pink continues his battle against pinkification by offering five awesome alternatives to Disney princesses. I’ve written before about the pervasive princess culture among little girls. Rather than teach girls to wear pretty dresses and act as damsels in distress, Simon wants to “inspire and empower your little girls” with characters from Studio Ghibli, Star Wars and Katie Morag.