Drinking Words

By Mark W. Danielson

Pick any restaurant and you will notice that nearly everyone there has a beverage of some kind.  This is not unusual, of course, but soda and coffee at most dine-in restaurants ranges between $2.50 and $3.00.  Nearby, drive-through coffee shops are packed with caffeine hoarders paying four bucks on up for their brew.  Inside, many clients prefer to coddle their electronic devices than speak to the person sitting across from them.  And thus is the irony of where our society has gone.

As someone who frequently dines alone while away from home, such observations often lead to conclusions.  Although I could certainly dwell on how electronic social media sites now substitute for social interaction, the topic I’m addressing today is about the financial choices people make – specifically how they prefer drinking words over reading them.  You see, for less than the cost of a beverage, these same people who sip their drinks, tuned into their smart phones and iPads, could be reading a book on those same devices.  Interesting, no? 

With so many e-books available for between one and three dollars, why haven’t e-book sales tripled since those new Christmas e-readers were opened? Smashwords.com offers an expansive array of inexpensive books, so for a minimal investment, why not check out authors you haven’t read?  Of course, Amazon and Barnes and Noble also have plenty of e-books for three bucks or less.

Considering how dine-in restaurants are thriving, cost cannot be the reason people aren’t reading.  More likely, it’s our infatuation with reality TV and social media.  If this is actually the case, then our society is in serious trouble, for words anchor civilization.  The next time you think about giving a gift card, consider giving one from a book store rather than Starbucks.  In the long run, the recipient might thank you.       

e-Revolution

By Mark W. Danielson

Depending upon your frame of reference, the word “revolution” may spark images of riots, banners, blood, and death, or perhaps spin the Beatle’s tune in your head. But for writers, the e-publishing revolution is as significant as Gutenberg inventing the printing press.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be passing on what I learned at the 2011 San Francisco Writer’s Conference. Of course, there is no way I can sum up everything, but I will attempt to share its key points. First and foremost, I must say this is a very professionally run conference, and I encourage anyone able to dedicate the time and money to consider attending this event in the future.

E-readers have increased exponentially in the past three years. While the iPad, Kindle, and Nook lead the pack, more readers are on the way. E-book sales increased 190% last year while bound book sales decreased 5%. The repeated message from Writer’s Conference speakers is e-publishing has empowered authors like never before. The up side of e-publishing is authors receive a much higher royalty. The down side is there is no quality control filter that literary agents normally provide. While e-publishers such as Smashwords.com will gladly publish your work, they publish whatever is sent to them, good or bad. And while this makes it enticing to e-publish, authors must realize they will be judged personally as much as they will on their work. So, before sending your manuscript to a literary agent, self-publishing, or e-publishing, make sure you hire a reputable editor to ensure it's as good as it can be.

It’s both interesting and encouraging that 80% of the e-books sold are fiction. That’s great news for fiction writers because it shows that people are still reading for entertainment and escape. My two out of print books will be e-published this year. I’m proud to say that Danger Within and The Innocent Never Knew are as pertinent now as when they were written.

It is up to every author to produce quality work. Without quality, there is no credibility or repeat sale. The e-revolution may be here, but if you’re going to wave your author’s banner, you’d better have something worth reading.

Computerize Your Hand's Palm

By Chester Campbell

If you think iPads and iPhones are the coolest things around, you haven't run across the Skinput. It's the brainchild of Chris Harrison, a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University and a former intern at Microsoft Research. It can turn your hand and your forearm into a keyboard and screen.

Yep, you read that right. Want to answer a call? Just tap your thumb and middle finger together. Maybe touch your arm to go to the next track on a music player.

Sounds as far out as Dick Tracy's wrist radio did back in the old days. Hey, that's nothing now. Dan Morris, a Microsoft researcher working with Harrison on the project, says it could become commercially available in two to seven years.

These hand and finger movements would register with a device in your pocket using a Bluetooth connection. Working with a pico-projector, the Skinput system could display a full keyboard image on your forearm. Type out a text message by tapping your finger on the "keys."

Skinput users wear an armband that's lined with sensors. The sensors pick up inaudible sounds made by ripples through the skin and bones that result from the tapping. Each move makes a different sound that can be detected by the device.

The major hangup that's going to take more time is refining the accuracy. Initial tests used only five buttons. Now they're working on a full keyboard. "The accuracy is good, but it's not quite consumer-level yet," Morris said.

If you'd like to read the full description of how the Skinput works, it's at this CNN link.

The Apple Pies Are A Nice Touch

By Pat Browning

Distributing the New Testament in more than 400 languages is a Texas project of the Baptist General Convention. Some church members are going door to door, delivering the Scriptures along with freshly baked apple pies.

That’s according to an AP story by Linda Stewart Ball. Read all about it at:
http://tinyurl.com/yck2b6l.

Meanwhile:
As the world huffs and puffs over the Amazon/Macmillan/Apple iPad kerfluffle, Amazon calmly goes about its business of being The Big Cheese. Nick Bilton of the New York Times reports that Amazon has acquired Touchco, a start-up specializing in touch-screen technology. It’s said that Touchco screens can tell the difference between the touch of a finger and the pressure of a pen.

Watch for a super Kindle down the road apiece. Read the story at:
http://tinyurl.com/ygt8ghz.

Already beating iPad to the draw is Joojoo, ready to launch late this month. Quoting from The Tech Chronicles at sfgate.com:

“CEO… (Chandrasekar) Rathakrishnan said JooJoo will carve out its own audience with its bigger 12-inch screen, Flash support and full web experience. … ‘There's no question, Apple will take a good chunk of market share but the market is big enough for a number of players.’”

Read about Joojoo at:
http://tinyurl.com/y8po645.

Last, but far from least, the much maligned print-on-demand technology has finally come into its own, in books and now in magazines. Print your own magazine – niche publishing for specific groups. According to the PBS web site, “Media Shift tracks how new media – from weblogs to podcasts to citizen journalism – are changing society and culture.”

Read the details of publishing your POD magazine at:
http://tinyurl.com/ydhqfx9

In the world of technology, every day is Christmas. Who knows what the next goody will be?