Why Cat Videos Get Millions of Views, A Free eBook About Evernote, and More

Have you ever wanted to know how those cat videos get millions of views? Or maybe you want a free ebook about Evernote?

Here are some handy-dandy articles and links I’ve found in the last week or so, plus a little blurb at the end about a couple things I’ve been thinking about recently.

» In Search of the Living, Purring, Singing Heart of the Online Cat-Industrial Complex

[At Wired]

I have to admit that this is one of the more entertaining articles I’ve read recently. The author talks about why cat videos are so big in Japan. If you ever wanted to know how exactly those cat videos can rack up millions of views, the article touches on that.

Here’s the Musashi Christmas song that the article talks about at length. And on a related note, this is by far the best cat gif ever (here’s the direct link if you can’t see it):

» How To Use Evernote: The Missing Manual

[At Make Use Of]

Evernote is one of the most valuable tools that I use on a daily basis. It’s how I keep track of pretty much everything, from ebook ideas and ebook drafts (yes, I often start writing ebooks in Evernote) to passwords and people’s contact info. I use it every day, but I only use a handful of the features that Evernote has. That’s why I was pretty excited to see Make Use Of’s free ebook, How To Use Evernote: The Missing Manual. You do have to like, share, or tweet about the ebook before you can download it (or you can sign up for the Make Use Of newsletter), but the ebook is 100% free. PDF, ePub, and Kindle formats.

I haven’t read the whole thing yet, but I’ve skimmed it and it looks great.

» 50 Best Internet Marketing Blog Posts of 2012 (So Far)

[At Search Engine Journal]

I ran across this roundup post earlier today and am still making my way through the list. It’ll be a great resource of mealtime reading material for me for the next little while, though.

» Other stuff

I’m now happily ensconced in a small studio apartment in Mexico City. The city is pretty neat—there’s a ton to do, but I’ve been busy finding an apartment and catching up on some work. I’m in a cool location, though.

I also want to turn people on to one of my favorite blogs: TechDirt. Don’t let the name fool you; it’s not so much of a TechCrunch-esque technology blog as it is a blog about issues like freedom of speech, piracy, digital publishing, and Internet security.

And finally, I’ve published 14 Kindle books in the last few weeks (under a pen name). Yep. I’ll probably talk about it at some point in the future, but I just wanted to say that I. Love. Kindle. Publishing.

• What are some interesting articles, tools, websites, or other things that YOU have come across recently? Feel free to share in the comments.