by Saul Bloodworth
I just came back from the Frankfurt Book Fair, and for the first time I've spent more time in hall 4 than in hall 3. This does not sound especially impressive; however, hall 3 is where all the fancy publishing houses are, it's where you meet the famous authors, and where you get free wine and cookies. Hall 4 is for the tech freaks and used to be boring.
Now, hall 4 was pretty much in demand because everyone is afraid of that new thingy, the e-book. Google was presenting its e-book search, Amazon was showing its Kindle, albeit for one day only, and Sony was also in hall 4, passing its own e-book around (also for one day only, because the prototype got stolen).
My hunch is that we'll see a revolution in publishing, comparable with Napster and Gnutella. Because you don't need publishing houses for editing and advertisement — these people can be hired on a freelance basis anyway —, you need them for distribution. If they can be bypassed, there will be no more gatekeepers.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Aryan Pitbulling
by Saul Bloodworth
Here is an interesting fact about Sarah Palin: The Governor from Alaska was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, and had returned to Idaho to attend the North Idaho community college in Coeur d'Alene; somewhat later she attended the University of Idaho.
Northern Idaho and especially Coeur d'Alene were, at that time, the heartland of white supremacism, the headquarters of the Aryan Nations were in Hayden, a suburb of Coeur d'Alane. The Aryan Nations are a neonazi group that worshippes Hitler.
So, I don't want to assume guilt by association, after all, she just lived there. Then again, the late leader of the Aryan Nations, Pastor Richard Butler, did sound a lot like Sarah Palin. Butler was the head of the Church of Jesus Christ–Christian. The church, originally known as the White Identity Church of Jesus Christ-Christian was founded, according to Wikipedia, by Ku Klux Klan organizer Wesley Swift, the son of a southern minister.
Butler was known for his rantings against Jews, much like Thomas Muthee, Sarah Palin's pastor in Wassila, Alaska, who wanted to replace the "Israelites" on Wall Street with Christian bankers. Even more eerily, when you listen to Palin's sneers against the "East Coast liberals" or "The New York Times" she sounds like Joseph Goebbels in drag (he also hated the Times).
While Palin at least avoids to be associated with modern-day neonazis, she has no problem with their predecessors from the 1930s. During a recent appearance she quoted Westbrook Pegler, an anti-semitic Hearst columnist who wished Roosevelt had been assassinated, and said that American Jews of Eastern European descent were "instinctively sympathetic to Communism." Or, in other words, you can't trust the East Coast liberals.
Here is an interesting fact about Sarah Palin: The Governor from Alaska was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, and had returned to Idaho to attend the North Idaho community college in Coeur d'Alene; somewhat later she attended the University of Idaho.
Northern Idaho and especially Coeur d'Alene were, at that time, the heartland of white supremacism, the headquarters of the Aryan Nations were in Hayden, a suburb of Coeur d'Alane. The Aryan Nations are a neonazi group that worshippes Hitler.
So, I don't want to assume guilt by association, after all, she just lived there. Then again, the late leader of the Aryan Nations, Pastor Richard Butler, did sound a lot like Sarah Palin. Butler was the head of the Church of Jesus Christ–Christian. The church, originally known as the White Identity Church of Jesus Christ-Christian was founded, according to Wikipedia, by Ku Klux Klan organizer Wesley Swift, the son of a southern minister.
Butler was known for his rantings against Jews, much like Thomas Muthee, Sarah Palin's pastor in Wassila, Alaska, who wanted to replace the "Israelites" on Wall Street with Christian bankers. Even more eerily, when you listen to Palin's sneers against the "East Coast liberals" or "The New York Times" she sounds like Joseph Goebbels in drag (he also hated the Times).
While Palin at least avoids to be associated with modern-day neonazis, she has no problem with their predecessors from the 1930s. During a recent appearance she quoted Westbrook Pegler, an anti-semitic Hearst columnist who wished Roosevelt had been assassinated, and said that American Jews of Eastern European descent were "instinctively sympathetic to Communism." Or, in other words, you can't trust the East Coast liberals.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Polar Bears
by Saul Bloodworth
So, what can be done about Sarah Palin? I have given it some thought, so, how about this: Doesn't she shoot animals from helicopters? Wolfes? Mooses? Polar bears? Well, I would not put it beyond her that she might shoot this litte fellow.
How about putting that on a mug?
So, what can be done about Sarah Palin? I have given it some thought, so, how about this: Doesn't she shoot animals from helicopters? Wolfes? Mooses? Polar bears? Well, I would not put it beyond her that she might shoot this litte fellow.
How about putting that on a mug?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Empire Strikes Back
by Saul Bloodworth
Welcome to the wonderful world of digital publishing. When I designed this book, I had help from a friend who is in publishing, has all the necessary software and really no time at all. So, when I decided to do a few corrections I convinced myself that I could do it without his help. How difficult can it be to get and use Adobe Acrobat Pro? Because this is the program you need to turn your files into the PDF-format accepted by digital print services.
Very difficult, it turns out, if you work with Mac. Because Adobe does not have free trial software for Macintosh. Fortunately, I also have Windows XP on my MacBook, even though I never use in (I got it for a Sony program it refuses to work with anyway). Not only do I never use it, turning on Windows feels like watching that Alien baby worm grow inside Sigourney Weaver. Or talking to the Body Snatchers ... you get the point.
So, I downloaded Adobe Acrobat Pro, plus, as it turned out, I also needed a trial version of Microsoft Office. Because you can reach from the Windows part of your computer to the Mac part and pull files over to the Dark Side of the Force, but you can't pull over an application.
No easy task for somebody who is completely unfamiliar with the Evil Empire's operating system, however, I made it. Days later, my iPod broke down and I had to go the the Apple store and ask a Genius for help. While waiting for the Genius, a screen flashed all sorts of useful tips, such as: You can actually save any file as a PDF if you use Microsoft Work for Mac!
Back home, I tried it out. Yes, you can! turn your file into a PDF within ten seconds without going through the trouble of familiarizing yourself with two trial versions running on an operating system you hate while they keep asking for their serial number. Thanks, Steve.
So, this sounds as if I made it up, but during all these troubles I actually met Bill Gates. It was not a one-on-one, of course, he was speaking at a conference with Bill Clinton about Malaria and Philanthropy. Unfortunately, there was no Q&A. Otherwise I would have asked him why XP is not compatible with Sony applications. But I guess, that why there was no Q&A.
Welcome to the wonderful world of digital publishing. When I designed this book, I had help from a friend who is in publishing, has all the necessary software and really no time at all. So, when I decided to do a few corrections I convinced myself that I could do it without his help. How difficult can it be to get and use Adobe Acrobat Pro? Because this is the program you need to turn your files into the PDF-format accepted by digital print services.
Very difficult, it turns out, if you work with Mac. Because Adobe does not have free trial software for Macintosh. Fortunately, I also have Windows XP on my MacBook, even though I never use in (I got it for a Sony program it refuses to work with anyway). Not only do I never use it, turning on Windows feels like watching that Alien baby worm grow inside Sigourney Weaver. Or talking to the Body Snatchers ... you get the point.
So, I downloaded Adobe Acrobat Pro, plus, as it turned out, I also needed a trial version of Microsoft Office. Because you can reach from the Windows part of your computer to the Mac part and pull files over to the Dark Side of the Force, but you can't pull over an application.
No easy task for somebody who is completely unfamiliar with the Evil Empire's operating system, however, I made it. Days later, my iPod broke down and I had to go the the Apple store and ask a Genius for help. While waiting for the Genius, a screen flashed all sorts of useful tips, such as: You can actually save any file as a PDF if you use Microsoft Work for Mac!
Back home, I tried it out. Yes, you can! turn your file into a PDF within ten seconds without going through the trouble of familiarizing yourself with two trial versions running on an operating system you hate while they keep asking for their serial number. Thanks, Steve.
So, this sounds as if I made it up, but during all these troubles I actually met Bill Gates. It was not a one-on-one, of course, he was speaking at a conference with Bill Clinton about Malaria and Philanthropy. Unfortunately, there was no Q&A. Otherwise I would have asked him why XP is not compatible with Sony applications. But I guess, that why there was no Q&A.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Nextel And The Firefighters
by Saul Bloodworth
Usually, I don't watch TV ads since I have TiVo, sometimes, however, I'm to lazy to switch. So, I saw that Nextel ad where firefighters are making decisions. They make the decisions pretty quick, like Sarah Palin on steroids: water - check, housing - check, electricity, check. The point of the ad is that you have to be quick.
Why is this revolting? Because Nextel, now a joint venture with Sprint, was responsible for the equipment of the police and the fire department in New York City on 9-11. Equipment that, we remember, was to crappy to enable the police to warn to the firefighters who were rescuing people in the burning twin towers from the eminent collapse. This had caused the death of 320 firefighters who didn't excape in time. Nextel, by the way, is represented in Washington by Giuliani Partners.
The least they can do is not exploit their victims for commercial purposes.
Usually, I don't watch TV ads since I have TiVo, sometimes, however, I'm to lazy to switch. So, I saw that Nextel ad where firefighters are making decisions. They make the decisions pretty quick, like Sarah Palin on steroids: water - check, housing - check, electricity, check. The point of the ad is that you have to be quick.
Why is this revolting? Because Nextel, now a joint venture with Sprint, was responsible for the equipment of the police and the fire department in New York City on 9-11. Equipment that, we remember, was to crappy to enable the police to warn to the firefighters who were rescuing people in the burning twin towers from the eminent collapse. This had caused the death of 320 firefighters who didn't excape in time. Nextel, by the way, is represented in Washington by Giuliani Partners.
The least they can do is not exploit their victims for commercial purposes.
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