Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Medo
Bruno e Marrone
Composição: Nelson Ned
Você quer falar de amor Fale suavemente
E quando fizermos amor Faça bem docemente
Pois eu ando bem machucado Estou me curando
Agora que as marcas de amor estão cicatrizando
Por isso eu te peço não brinque com meu sentimento
Pois o velho amor me deixou um espinho por dentro
Se é só pra matar seu prazer não dê nem mais um passo
Pois o meu coração não agüenta um novo fracasso
Porque eu já passei desse tempo De amar e perder o meu tempo
Por isso eu te peço cuidado Com meu coração
Refrão
Pois eu fiquei com medo,medo
Seu amor me dá medo, medo
Acho que é muito cedo, cedo
Para eu me entregar
Pois eu fiquei com medo, medo
Seu amor me dá medo, medo
Deixe que o tempo passe, passe
Pra que eu te possa amar.
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editor chefe :josué neto
direçao : debate & conexao corporations
Daily Thoughts 9/30/2009
L. Kenzel, March 8, 2009, Gnu Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
Daily Thoughts 9/30/2009
Today has been another quiet day. I spent time removing the older books from the new arrivals section this morning, did some weeding in the 800s, and had a bookmark printed up.It was nice, quiet and relaxed. We also printed some tear sheets from Westlaw Patron Access. Tomorrow, I will hand in the monthly report. It is going smoothly.
Breakfast Around the World
Really, out of all the works I've written (17 published, some ebook and some with ezines; and countless others unpublished), only a handful of them include food:
- There was my flash piece, "A Simple Need to Eat," but do vampire meals really count?
- Frog makes -- or rather, tries to make -- himself a cup of tea in "A Slip of Wormwood," but then again, that's not really a meal.
- In "Prophet's Choice," Lyra stays in an Inn for a while, with lots of eating going on, but on second thought, I don't think she actually eats...
- "Collecting Dreams" has a lot of eating in it, supernatural and natural alike! :)
- And in my upcoming release from Quake, "Requiem," there's a scene of your typical teen breakfast of cereal & milk.
Hattie Locke has a gift: when she sings, the dead dig themselves from their graves to listen. As a death-siren, her life has always been this way.
Then the dead begin to show up in numbers far beyond expected. With each song she sings, they grow pushy and demanding, rushing the stage to reach her. Trapped in a place where her dreams of music become her nightmares, Hattie is left with nowhere to turn.
But then she meets a boy, who promises freedom from her curse.
Now Hattie wonders: is ridding herself of her voice worth losing the music she’s lived to create?
And I promise: the rest of the story is going to be a whole lot more interesting when Hattie isn't eating her breakfast. ;)
So with that, I'll leave you; the rest of this month I'm going to be traveling around the web for my Rise of Gothic Blog Tour. It should be fun! :) Next week, I'll be blogging at Echelon Shorts, so don't be shy -- c'mon over and say 'Hi.'
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
And Then There's This How Stories Live And Die In A Viral Culture by Bill Wasik
Bill Wasik
And Then There's This How Stories Live And Die In A Viral Culture
This book is by the inventor of internet "flash mobs" or groups of people who spontaneously formed when suggested to by internet messages. Bill Wasik is what might be called a memetic engineer or a person who creates quickly spreading ideas. This book is pure infotainment at its best.
Some of the different categories of idea he writes about are in politics, advertising, corporate culture, and indie rock. The writing is both critical and ironic in content.
There is a very hip, left wing slant to the politics in the book. It is genuine reminder that we don't have to buy into advertising or spin, we have the right to choose what we view on the internet.
Bill Wasik visits some of the "digerati"-- the digital elite to look at how they create spin with new media. He mentions The Huffington Post, Bzzagent, KEXP Online Radio, Youtube, and many other internet sites.
In his view we have started surveiling ourselves to create a kind of giant popularity contest where the most views win. People are absorbed into the public consumption of blogs and other social networks.
This is a fun book to read by a very erudite and funny author. It is a mix of geeky avant garde, new media and social engineering. Bill Wasik is a senior editor at Harper's and has written for Salon magazine. This shows with very smooth prose that sounds like he is talking to you personally.
Daily Thoughts 9/29/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/29/2009
Today has been kind of interesting. We moved some furniture. We have an octagonal display table which we moved near the "new arrivals" section this morning. This adds to two small display tables which are there now. We now have a lot of display area.
I did some more weeding of the 800s. It is moving along slowly.
We also had a salesperson from Sentry Technology Corporation come to visit us. He demonstrated a self-checkout machine for libraries. The design was kind of interesting. It was based on automatic teller machine technology. You could see the words up close, but not from very far away. It also did renewals for books and if we wanted returns. I would imagine having automatically generated fines would be interesting for us. The system is called QuickChek Kiosk. http://www.sentrytechnology.com/librselfcheck.htm A number of local libraries already have the system. Most only use it for checkout and renewing books. They had three handouts which they gave away.
Another book came in for me to read, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Sometimes, I like to just browse through images in books. If you want to look at gadgets, Design Revolution 100 Products that Empower People by Emily Pilloton is kind of interesting. It includes images of things like a one handed tourniquet, a mobile water purification truck, spider boots for anti-mining, and zipcars. It is rather interesting.
Web Bits
This is a very interesting article from The Guardian in the UK. It is a plan for a national library card which links all libraries in the United Kingdom together. This is a major step forward for them. In the United States, it is hard to even get interlibrary loan from outside our county. We have a countywide library system. In Manhattan, New York there are three library systems, New York Public Library, Queens Library, and Brooklyn Public Library. Imagine if you could go to any library in the United States and check out a book using your library card. It would be a tremendous step forward. It would open up learning a lot.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/28/every-library-a-local-library
A new term from John Clute for fantasy and science fiction. A little turgid but interesting. I have a signed copy of the Science Fiction The Illustrated Encyclopedia by John Clute at home. I like looking through it for the signatures of many different authors as well as pictures of book covers. http://www.locusmag.com/Perspectives/2009/09/john-clute-fantastika.html
Monday, September 28, 2009
A faixa que dá nome ao novo trabalho de Leonardo, Esse Alguém Sou Eu, é uma das três músicas inéditas que o cantor sertanejo interpretou no show gravado em São Paulo, e que deu origem ao CD. Além das inéditas, há também regravações de músicas da época da dupla Leandro & Leonardo e uma homenagem ao cantor Valdick Soriano. Não deixe de conferir!
BAIXE AGORA NO DEBATE & CONEXÃO !
O MAIS NOVO CD LEONARDO ! 2009
CLICK AQUI :
http://www.easy-share.com/1907287497/1497.zip
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EDITOR : JOSUÉ NETO
Maybe I Should Get a Dog Named Snoopy
I love hats and admire anyone who can wear one with panache. This is because hats do not love me. I don't have an especially round face, but once I put on a hat, I look like Charlie Brown. Style does not matter. I can try anything from a cowboy hat to a Fedora, a stylish beret to the All-American baseball cap, and the result is the same. All I need is the yellow shirt with the zig-zag stripe along the bottom.
Hats seem to come in and out of fashion, and after looking at this year's threads-to-be-seen-in, especially at the junior high and high school level (because isn't that what everyone emulates in the end, anyhow?) I'm not sure hats are in this year. Nevertheless, I know that right now, except while in the classroom where I have a feeling all headwear is banned, someone out there has something for his or her head to be clapped on when the dismissal bell rings. And it will make him or her look positively dashing. I would have been green with envy in high school and still am now.
Come winter, because my ears freeze and my head hurts if I don't, I will be wearing something on my head when the temperatures drop below freezing and the wind-driven snow takes my breath away. A few years ago, my nephew (the one who does works in the video gaming industry) was sporting a knit cap with a bill on it and I fell in love with it. His mother (my sister) gave me an identical cap for my birthday. My nephew promptly stopped wearing his. I guess skater caps aren't as cool when your aunt puts one on to shovel snow.
At any event, I haven't given up on hats. I just ordered one from my wonderful Avon lady (no kidding) and a picture of it is at the top. It looks comfortable, it looks fairly warm at least for autumn, and it matches nothing I own. Although I suppose it would go just great with a yellow shirt that has a zig-zag stripe on the bottom.
Daily Thoughts 9/28/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/28/2009
This morning I started reading The Cost of Bad Behavior How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business and What To Do About It by Chris Pearson and Christine Porath. So far the book is about how being civil reduces performance, lowers concentration, and decreases employee retention. It even gives statistics on the specific effect that incivility has on work performance. Want to lose 12% of your workforce due to attrition, create an uncivil workplace.
I started writing my monthly report today. It is due in a few days. It is mainly about creating displays, putting in the new cd racks, adding display tables, updating bookmarks and marketing materials, and similar things. Displays have a large impact on circulation in my opinion. They are very important. This is also true of patron requests. This makes a lot of difference to people. We are ordering a lot more books that patrons request.
Today, I printed out a flyer that lets people know that requests to order material are available. It is on the circulation desk and near the "new arrivals" section. Hopefully, it will be noticed.
I also did some more weeding in the 800s which is moving along every single day. It is an incremental process. I try to do it every single day for an hour. It is like me spending time every day on making sure the displays are up to date as well.
One of the displays that we do is a current events display. I try and find books about topics that are in the news. I generally go to Yahoo news, pick out the headlines and search for a few of the subjects in the headlines. I do this regularly to refresh the display. My main aim is to display newer books that are in the news as well. It is more than books, I also try to display audio and video with the current events display. I have to create a sign for the current events display. This is something I will do tomorrow. A little self reflection sometimes gives you new ideas.
Today went pretty well.
Tomorrow is the day the Banned Books Week displays go up. All of my displays are going to be cleared out and we are going to put in displays of banned books. Think hard of what it would be like to live in a society where books were banned. Imagine if the world of Fahrenheit 451 were real. There is so much which is said in that book which is so close to what is happening now.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Daily Thoughts 9/27/09 Resting
Daily Thoughts 9/27/2009
I was going to write a bad review of The Whuffie Factor Using The Power of Social Networks To Build Your Business by Tara Hunt. I thought it was mediocre. There are better books to read on this subject, but I decided to rest instead. Find another book to read on the subject. There are plenty of books on social media.
I also finished reading And Then There's This How Stories Live and Die In A Viral Culture by Bill Wasik. This was a very entertaining and interesting book. He made a few comments on the philosophy of Epicureanism versus Stoicism at the end of the book which caught my attention.
Anyways back to resting.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Tiggy and Selection Day
She's quite elderly but I am greeted with such enthusiasm by both her and her 'sister' Abby.
I just love Tiggy's whiskers and the way she looks so poised, almost as if she was deliberately posing for the photograph.
It all went very well even though it was a long day and we had just short of 600 paintings submitted, a record. The judges were put through their paces, and it was a fascinating experience watching their marks. There are three judges and each judge gives his or her own mark without knowing what the others are doing. Apparently this works in England and we have adopted it here.
I was lucky enough to have one painting submitted, my still life, but the other two didn't make the cut. Maybe next year.
01 - É Bão Demais
03 - Espelho
02 - Pirraça
04 - Um dia te levo comigo
05 - Pra Nunca Dizer Adeus
06 - Voa Beija-Flor
07 - Mistérios
08 -Pout Pourri: Bandeira Branca / Empreitada perigosa / Vou Tomar um Pingão / Tchau Amor
09 - Saudade
10 - O Mundo é Tão Pequeno
11 - Amor Covarde
12 - Se Eu Pedir Cê Volta?
13 - Só Eu Sei
14 - Não Sai da Minha Vida (Part. Alexandre Peixe)
15 - Louca Paixão
16 - Quebre o Silêncio
17 - Só Falta Você
18 - O Que os Olho Não Vêem, O Coração Não Sente
19 - Tudo ou Nada
O NOVO REPERTÓRIO MARÇO 2009 A DEZEMBRO 2009 !
BAIXE AQUI :
http://rapidshare.com/files/210935307/Jorge_e_Mateus_2009_Audio_DVD_2009_www.baixetudoakieagora.blogspot.com.rar
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DEBATE E CONEXÃO .ORG
Daily Thoughts 9/26/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/26/2009
Here I am today. I have The Cost of Bad Behavior, How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business and What To Do About It by Christine Pearson and Christine Porath in front of me. There is an introduction by Warren Bennis. I also put another book on hold, The Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. It is the first book in a trilogy.
Today is rather quiet. I ordered some promotional material from Westlaw Patron Access yesterday so we can market the database as well as had some bookmarks which we designed printed. The display on graphic novels is doing quite well. A lot of books are being taken out.
I am looking at a novel by Maggie Estep, Alice Fantastic. I usually think of Maggie Estep as a slam poet, but there it was. A novel set in Queens, New York.
I read some more of And Then There's This at lunch time. I had a greek omelette for lunch and my usual two cups of coffee. I am on the third chapter. The author is writing about memes. He writes that one of the common factors that determine if a meme is successfully viral is if it is social in nature and people can relate to to it on a personal level. I was talking to one of our patrons about the book and he commented that this may be due to people being lonely and a bit disconnected.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Where The Wild Things Are
In this digital age, I can only imagine the fun of bringing Sendak's illustrations to life. Here's the trailer for a sneak peek.
Mary Cunningham
I'm proud to announce the release of Book Four in the award-winning series, "Cynthia's Attic" will be released by Quake (Echelon Imprint) DEC 2009! Buy the first three books on Amazon and pre-order "The Magician's Castle." Echelon Press
Você é forte.
25/09/2009 — mensagens de esperança
Não se prenda aos problemas.
Não se apequene, nem reduza a sua alegria,bondade e esperança por causa de um problema.
Ponha-se no lugar dele, considere-o umacoisa que logo deixará de existir.
Lidar com um problema é lidar consigo mesmo.
Um avanço na confiança que você tem em si mesmo,ainda que seja pequeno, produz grande mudançano jeito de você ver o problema.
Você é forte.
Não se entregue ao desespero, por falta de solução.
O problema passará, mesmo que pareça eterno.
Problema superado, lição aprendida.
imagem : debate & conexão
Culture in Writing
Using different cultures in stories is one of my favorite parts about writing. As a writer, it makes the story exciting for me and therefore I hope you as well.
In my first novel, "Thomas Riley", the countries of West Canvia and Lemuria are at war. As you get into the story, and if you've ever visited Europe, you might notice that West Canvia bares a striking resemblance to The Netherlands and that Lemuria shares some traits with Germany. If you read the story, note what characters are drinking, what the buildings look like, their clothing, armaments and flags... There are little clues about the different cultures spread throughout the story.
To me, creating a mythos in writing is crucial to the story line. Being a huge fan of the TV series Lost has been inspirational in the deep and sometimes cryptic plot devises that I use. Who says you can't learn from television? I love the idea that a reader can look up a name, a place or a character and get additional hints on what the real meaning might be. This is of course geared toward the more hard core fans of anything, but to me it completes the story as well as gives the story limitless options and depth.
What inspires you to add other cultures in your writing? I want to hear what inspires you.
Nick Valentino wrote a Steampunk novel called Thomas Riley, which will be out on Echelon Press in October.
Check out the blog here.
Click here to enlist as a Canvian Sky Pirate and get free stuff.
Daily Thoughts 9/25/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/25/2009
Right now, I am sitting at my local library. I have the day off and am working tomorrow. I am using their computer to type away. I found one book that looks very interesting; And Then There's This How Stories Live And Die In A Viral Culture by Bill Wasik. I am fascinated with social networking and the internet. I am reading a lot about it lately. It is relaxing to be anonymous sometimes.Bill Wasik is the inventor of flash mobs, creating instantaneous crowds using the internet. It makes the book quite interesting. The book is quite eclectic. Right now, I am reading about the indie rock music scene on the internet.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Daily Thoughts 9/24/2009
Mulher Bunda Mole
Fez um supermercado rápido, brigou com a empregada que manchou seu vestido de seda, saiu como sempre apressada, levou uma multa por estar dirigindo com o celular no ouvido e uma advertência por estacionar em lugar proibido, enquanto ia, por um minuto, ao caixa automático tirar dinheiro.
No caminho do trabalho batucava ansiedade no volante, num congestionamento monstro, e pensava quando teria tempo de fazer a unha e pintar o cabelo antes que se transformasse numa mulher grisalha.
Chegando ao escritório, foi quase atropelada por uma gata escultural que, segundo soube, era a nova contratada da empresa para o cargo que ela, Belinha, fez de tudo para pegar, mas que, apesar do currículo excelente e de seus anos de experiência e dedicação, não conseguiu.
Pensou se abdômem definido contaria ponto, mas logo esqueceu a gata, porque no meio de uma reunião ligaram do colégio de Clarinha, sua filha mais nova, dizendo que ela estava com dor de ouvido e febre.
Tentou em vão achar o marido e, como não conseguiu, resolveu ela mesma ir até o colégio, depois do encontro com o novo cliente, que se revelou um chato, neurótico, desconfiado e com quem teria que lidar nos próximos meses.
Saiu esbaforida e encontrou seu carro com pneu furado.
Pensou em tudo que ainda ia ter que fazer antes de fechar os olhos e sonhar com um mundo melhor.
Abandonou a droga do carro avariado, pegou um táxi e as crianças.
Quando chegou em casa, descobriu que tinha deixado a porra da pasta com o relatório que precisava ler para o dia seguinte no escritório! Telefonou para o celular do marido com a esperança que ele pudesse pegar os malditos papéis na empresa, mas a bosta continuava fora de área. Conseguiu, depois de vários telefonemas, que um motoboy lhe trouxesse a porra dos documentos.
Tomou uma merda de banho, deu a droga do jantar para as crianças, fez a porcaria dos deveres com os dispersos e botou os monstros para dormir.
Artur chegou puto de uma reunião em São Paulo, reclamando de tudo.
Jantaram em silêncio.
Na cama ela leu metade do relatório e começou a cabecear de sono. Artur a acordou com tesão, a fim de jogo. Como aqueles momentos estavam cada vez mais raros no casamento deles, ela resolveu fazer um último esforço de reportagem e transar. Deram uma meio rápida, meio mais ou menos, e, quando estava quase pegando no sono de novo, sentiu uma apalpadinha no seu traseiro com o seguinte comentário:
- Tá ficando com a bundinha mole, Belinha... deixa de preguiça e começa a se cuidar..
Belinha olhou para o abajur de metal e se imaginou martelando a cabeça de Artur até ver seus miolos espalhados pelo travesseiro! Depois se viu pulando sobre o tórax dele até quebrar todas as costelas! Com um alicate de unha arrancou um a um todos os seus dentes depois lhe deu um chute tão brutal no saco, que voou espermatozóide para todos os lados!
Em seguida usou a técnica que aprendeu num livro de auto-ajuda: como controlar as emoções negativas. Respirou três vezes profundamente, mentalizando a cor azul, e ponderou.
Não ia valer a pena, não estamos nos EUA, não conseguiria uma advogada feminista caríssima que fizesse sua defesa alegando que assassinou o marido cega de tensão pré-menstrual...
Resolveu agir com sabedoria.
No dia seguinte, não levou as crianças ao colégio, não fez um supermercado rápido, nem brigou com a empregada.
Foi para uma academia e malhou duas horas.
De lá foi para o cabeleireiro pintar os cabelos de acaju e as unhas de vermelho.
Ligou para o cliente novo insuportável e disse tudo que achava dele, da mulher dele e do projeto dele. E aguardou os resultados da sua péssima conduta, fazendo uma massagem estética que jura eliminar, em dez sessões, a gordura localizada.
Enquanto se hospedava num spa, ouviu o marido desesperado tentar localiza-la pelo celular e descobrir por que ela havia sumido. Pacientemente não atendeu.
E, como vingança é um prato que se come frio, mandou um recado lacônico para a caixa postal dele. - A bunda ainda está mole. Só volto quando estiver dura. Um beijo da preguiçosa...
(Extraído do livro: Este sexo é feminino /Patrícia Travassos).
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Daily Thoughts 9/23/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/23/2009
I have been weeding in the 800s in the humor section. There are a few early books by Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite authors and cartoonists. There were also a few books by Milt Gross who was an early cartoonist who looks stylistically similar to Dr. Seuss in some ways. Dr. Seuss's early works were very commercial in nature. He also did war and political cartoons.
I am still reading The Whuffie Factor. This book is definitely written with the "Digerati" in mind. There are many references to Dell and Chris Vaynerchuck. This may be new to some people, but it is told repeatedly in many other books. There is a definite whiff of the dot com days in this book. Remember to pick up your glow in the dark pen and your squeeze brain toy from the convention floor. The term whuffie is starting to remind me of the old song, "Woof, Woof, Who Let The Dogs Out." This book definitely has that fluffy, lighthearted feel to it.
Inbetween the fluff and the dot com babble there are some useful insights. Tara Hunt quotes Google saying "The simplest design is the right design." Then throws in a few statements like create feedback loops to keep your customers.
The book runs between digerati and consultant talk like the 80/20 rule and useful insights. I am about half way through it.
While reading Publishers Weekly this morning, I found an article entitled Freemium Free E-books Spur Sales At Kensington. This was on P.11 of the September 21, 2009 Publishers Weekly. Kensington gives away quite a few galleys on the http://bookblogs.ning.com/ I think they are using the Ning Bookblogs social networking group as a platform to spread reviews for their books.
I picked up a copy of Taylor Mali's What Learning Leaves. It is a book of poetry by the four time National Poetry Slam winner. I liked watching him in the film Slam Nation.
Today has been another steady day. I have two books on hold right now. The first is The Other Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi which is a science fiction novel. He also wrote an excellent short storie called The Calorie Man. This is his first full length novel. The second book is The Cost of Bad Behavior How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business And What You Can Do About It by Christine Pearson and Christine Poroth. This was reviewed on the blog, The Thin Red Line. The review made me want to get the book.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Kaylee and Killer Kali
I've been in love with the strange and unusual all my life so it's no stretch for me to delve into cultures and myths beyond those I was raised with. In fact, I find learning about all the fun creatures that populate fables and fairytales around the world to be pure entertainment, and inspiration.
When writing School's Out 4Ever, the sequel to DFF: Dead Friend's Forever in the Extreme Hauntings series, I knew this time I wanted the haunting to reflect the different cultures represented in the melting pot of our nation. Anyone who's ever had a history class knows the whole world helped settle the U.S. back in the day.
This time I borrowed architects from Europe and a pretty awesome creature from Hindu mythology, Kali. In my book, she's a misunderstood goddess of destruction and death. It was fantastically fun to merge this belief with Kaylee's world of angels and demons.
What are some of your favorite creatures?
J.R. Turner is the author of the Extreme Hauntings series. The first book, DFF: Dead Friends Forever is available at Amazon.com, Kindle, Fictionwise, and Echelon Press.com
Daily Thoughts 9/22/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/22/2009
Today, I have been working on various things which are designed to boost circulation. We have been putting up more displays lately. We currently have a display of graphic novels, a display of current events, a display of books on Africa and Egypt from our storage section, and a display of oversize art books. This is in addition to the "new arrivals" section. It is something which we have to keep up every day and make sure there are fresh materials added. Displays seem to work best when people can take the materials directly. I spent some time this afternoon moving the Playaways to the "new arrivals" section. Playaways are a form of preloaded electronic audiobook. They are very easy to use.
I also spent some time going through the purchase alerts list which is what our patrons have been putting on hold. The more requests there are for an item, the higher it is on the list. It has been changing considerably since we put in the new arrivals section and started ordering more books for the job information center and many new books. Some of the sections of books which are doing well are graphic novels and manga , urban fiction, job information center books, young adult series novels like the Vampire Diaries, cookbooks, diet books, and martial arts.
I also have been copying down requests from our patron request sheet where we track what we don't have that our patrons ask for. This makes our library a little more responsive to what people need. I have been thinking about how to better advertise that patrons can request what they are interested in having us purchase for all formats of materials.
This afternoon I spent some time filling requests for different books to go to the book mobile; books about Maine, toy trains, and Norman Rockwell. The book mobile serves a lot of people in nursing homes and the material we send out is often very nostalgic. I also sometimes pick out large print books, mysteries, and biographies for them as well.
I finished reading The United States Constitution A Graphic Adaptation. It is a flawed, but interesting graphic novel. I found the artwork to be rather bland. The colors were in rough earth tones which I did not like. Also, I found the drawing to be not that well defined. It was a little better than what you might find in a comic like Classics Illustrated. There were some interesting gimmicks in the art though, like having a supermajority in Congress represented as a superhero with an American flag on its chest and the head being the congressional building. Every page had a different visual gimmick on it..
The text was far better than the drawing. It was well done. The story was presented in a chronological order from the first constitutional convention, bill of rights, and each of the amendments. This covered a complete history of the United States as seen through the constitution. Numerous prominent Supreme Court cases were briefly described including Brown Vs. Board of Education, Miners School District V. Gobitis (1940), and many others . There was also coverage of the Emancipation Proclamation and many more important events in American history. I have to say the writing was better than the pictures. Read it for the history. I think I learned a few things.
Agradecimentos
Muito obrigada à Sandra, Ida e Janice pelas dicas de compras em BH. Consegui quase tudo o que eu queria, só não consegui tudo porque cheguei tarde, quase na hora de fechar... Mas com o que eu comprei já conseguirei fazer muita coisa!
Beijos!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Old House in Lisbon
I struggled a bit and feel it's not quite as I would like it, but I've sent it off anyway.
Another problem is the photography! My trusty old camera died. So now I've had to use a 'cheap and nasty' that my sister has. But that's no excuse, I just took lousy pictures! So if it seems a little bit blurry, it is, don't check your specs.
Daily Thoughts 9/21/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/21/2009
I needed a break on Sunday from writing and reading. Somtimes, it just happens that way. I slowed down a bit last week. I'll start picking up again this week.
I read some more of The Whuffie Factor. This book very much ties in with the ideas of Chris Anderson in his book Free. It is about social capital or the amount of ties you can build with other people specifically through things like Facebook, Myspace, and other internet resources.
Social capital is more than just the internet; the book describes how social capital moves from the internet to the real world like workspaces listed on internet sites, and concerts promted through the web. There is a description of how a musician or other person who produces digital material might make money not from the original music online which would mostly be free, but from concerts, t shirts, appearances, and related merchandise. It is quite interesting.
Today has been interesting. I took some time to update the display of graphic novels and make sure the "new arrivals" section was in order. I also tried to find some books on military medals, patches, and insignia. These books are quite expensive. One of our regular patrons asked for them.
There is a graphic novel I am intersted in reading, The United States Constitution A Graphic Adaptation written by Jonathan Hennessey, art by Aaaron McConnell. This graphic novel is by the publishing imprint Hill and Wang. Hill and Wang is an imprint of Farrar, Strauss, and Giraux recently published the official graphic novel adaptation of Fahrenheit 451. It looks like they may be publishing some very good literary comics.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Amigo leitor veja que exemplo maravilhoso para aqueles que querem ser bem sucedidos: Felizes são aqueles que não se deixam levar pelos conselhos dos maus, que não seguem o exemplo dos que não querem saber de Deus e que não se ajuntam com os que zombam de tudo o que é sagrado!
Pelo contrario, o prazer deles está na lei do SENHOR, e nessa lei meditam dia e noite.
Essas pessoas são como árvores que crescem na beira de um riacho; elas dão frutas no tempo certo, e suas folhas não murcham.
Assim também tudo o que essas pessoas fazem dá certo.( Salmos 1.1 a 3)
Tudo que essas pessoas fazem dá certo. Isso inclui tudo: família, filhos, casamento, negócios, emprego e saúde.
Que você possa ser feliz de verdade meditando dia e noite nessa lei que é a Bíblia Sagrada.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Daily Thoughts 9/19/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/19/2009
While I was walking to get some spinach pies at the local deli, I came across a garage sale. They were selling hardcover books. Among the books was Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg with an Introduction by William Carlos Williams. It cost me $1. This book was very interesting. It is beat poetry dedicated to Jack Kerouac. It was the source of a major obscenity trial. Quite, frankly, I did not find it to be that obscene. It was more interesting than anything else. I found the poetry might be offensive to someone with conservative moral values.
I also walked up to the library today and checked out two books. The first was Dean Koontz's Frankenstein Prodigal Son, the graphic novel. I liked the color artwork. The story was horror in the grotesque sense. Victor Helios's creations are stalking New Orleans killing people. The Frankenstein monster is the hero in this story.
The artwork is in full color.It looks like it was done with a digital palette. The use of panels is very interesting. They are in a variety of different shapes and sizes with very few gutters. This makes the graphic novel arresting to look at. The coloring is excellent, especially the use of shading which brings out light and darkness in the panels and highlights the actions of the villains.
I also read Frankenstein Prodigal Son in paperback. It is very close to the story in the novel. It only makes the novel much clearer. It is escapist reading telling a different twist on the original story of Frankenstein.
I also picked up another book, The Whuffie Factor Using The Power of Social Networks To Build Your Business by Tara Hunt. Whuffie is a term invented in the science fiction book, Down And Out In The Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow. Whuffie is a form of social currency which increases ones standing. You might call it, ones ranking in social networks. I rather like the idea that Whuffie is taking on a real world use.
Friday, September 18, 2009
BAIXE AGORA O NOVO CD AO VIVO DE CHEIRO DE MENINA
& VICENTE NERY
CLICK E BAIXE AGORA !
PARTE 1 :
http://www.4shared.com/file/127447677/62722e19/1PARTE-CHEIRO_DE_MENINA-SITIO_DO_ZE_ALMI-MANEL_CDS.html
PARTE 2 :
http://www.4shared.com/get/127487840/18552872/2PARTE-CHEIRO_DE_MENINA-SITIO_DO_ZE_ALMI-MANEL_CDS.html;jsessionid=C5A0EFDE287D12801277D4ECAB1AE844.dc115
Daily Thoughts 9/18/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/18/2009
I enjoy using Wikipeda a huge amount. I like the photographs, the images, the content. I also realize that it is not always accurate. This seems to be most true around politics where different politicians try to rewrite each others content. I think of it as primarily a secondary source. You look at it to get a general outline of a subject but don't assume it is authoritative or even completely accurate.
Generally, I will read the articles, then go to the places which the Wikipedia article sited and check those to see if they are a more primary source. Quite often the documents point to a government website like NASA, or a depository of primary source material like Project Gutenberg with original works. This is one of the reasons I like Wikipedia so much. Not for the content, but for the materials cited.
Today I took some more time to relax. No reading today, except for the news on the internet.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Daily Thoughts 9/17/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/17/2009
Google is going to sell the public domain books which it has on google booksearch for $8 each. They are doing this in part with the Espresso Book Machine which is a print on demand device which can print a trade paperback in five minutes. I have seen this more than once at conferences. It can print in full color and the paperback is for the most part indistinguishable from a paperback you might buy in a bookstore. It is kind of fun watching the book being printed. The only waste is a few tiny scraps of paper. The machine at the convention I saw had a clear plastic case so you could look inside while the book was being printed. Google is going to give away the proceeds to charity. Still, they will make money on people using the search engine indirectly through advertising.
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090917/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_google_book_publishing
I don't know why this is. Sometimes when you feel the most dry, is when you seem to have the most to say. Cory Doctorow has another article on selling books online. It is a little bit of history of his writing and how he was one of the first people to release books as creative commons. Plus he is one of my favorite writers. I am in an odd mood. This is a link from Locus Magazine. I did something unusual today. I did not read any books at all. It is a first in a while. I also did not read any books yesterday. This is a long dry spell for me. I am a bit information obsessed. Anyways here is a link to the article.
http://www.locusmag.com/Perspectives/2009/09/cory-doctorow-special-pleading.html
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Daily Thoughts 9/16/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/16/2009
Today has been a quiet day. We did a reference meeting discussing different reference books. I discussed the 2008 New York State Statistical Yearbook which gives a lot of useful information including information on many of the agencies in New York as well as county crime statistics. I also discussed our meeting with a local publisher with one of the technical services people. Hopefully, we should be getting some very interesting books.
On the way to work, I finished reading Free The Future of A Radical Price by Chris Anderson. It has quite a bit of relevance to libraries. As books start out in the digital form, they become increasingly sought after as ebooks, they also become pirated and available as torrent downloads. People prefer to have books in digital format for free and it is very easy to get them this way; or at very low prices. Many people would like to pay $4.99 for an ebook.
I have read a variety of books in the digital format for free, many of the from the Baen Free Library, Creative Commons, or through Project Gutenberg. There is a lot of material out of copyright which you can get very easily.
Today books start out as ebooks, maybe they are not sold initially as ebooks, but the editing and manuscripts are usually done and stored on a computer. This file is what is sent to the publisher to turn it into a variety of formats, pdf, ebook, audiobook, physical book, and other formats. A physical hardcopy has become a value added service. People still prefer to read their books in paper. I am not sure how long this will last as digital readers become better.
A lot of authors are giving away their books for free in a digital form, following the idea that giving away a free ebook drives the sales of the print book. Many people find reading a print book preferable to ebooks. Two very prominent authors who do this are Paulo Coelho and Cory Doctorow. I enjoy reading Cory Doctorow quite a bit.
Chris Anderson gives a reason to why this works in his book and why it is going to grow and continue happening. If you want to understand why companies bundle free products with pay products, this book does a good job. It is also very entertaining.
I was a bit under the weather the last couple of days, so I spent some times updating the book displays, and making sure the new arrivals section was in order. I think tomorrow I will get back to my weeding.
I really should get back to reading the Egalley of The Case for Books Past, Present, and Future. There is an article on it in Publishers Weekly. I have been distracted.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6696290.html
Você que é de BH, pode me ajudar?
No próximo fim de semana vou a BH e quero aproveitar para comprar algumas coisas. Como o tempo é curto, não dá pra ficar andando, procurando e pesquisando onde achar tudo o que eu quero. Mas, como eu sei que posso contar com as dicas das minhas amigas virtuais, vai aí uma lista do que eu preciso:
- Material para velas (parafina, formas e pavio)
- Tinta vitral
- Tinta relevo
- Tinta para tecidos
- Verniz spray
- Verniz vitral
- Guardanapos para decoupage
- Decalque
- Peças de madeira (caixas, porta-chaves, porta-recado, bandeja)
- Puxadores de gavetas
- Tecidos
- Aviamentos
- Cestos
- Lanternas japonesas
- Ganchos para parede
- Suporte para prateleira
- Rodízios (aquelas rodinhas para gaveteiros móveis, carrinhos)
- Pastilha de vidro
- Seixos
- Grampeador (para forração de cadeiras)
- Boleador
- Pincéis
Eu sei que a lista é grande... Vou ficar na Floresta, então se alguém tiver um endereço no centro me facilita muito.
Conto com as dicas de vocês! E desde já, obrigada!
Beijos!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Pop Culture
For me, I guess the question is how pop culture is derived. I mean, how does a person, or a song, or a fashion statement suddenly rocket to the top of everyone’s list and become a part of our pop culture? Is there a magic touch? Is it totally random? Is it simply a matter of people trying to keep up with the times and following a trend?
Pop culture defines who we are. It reveals what our current likes and dislikes are as well as our previous likes and dislikes. And it is everywhere around us. Magazines, books, movies, songs, artists...
So here’s a question I want to pose: What do you think describes pop culture? Suppose someone comes up to you and asks you that question, what immediately jumps into your mind? A face? A definition? A song? Something else entirely? For me, it’s music that pops into my mind, but everyone one is different. So what about everyone reading this?
Uma visita inusitada
E hoje de manhã, quem é que marido encontra no banheiro? Um dos filhotes!
Passado o susto, tratamos de ajudar a corujinha, que tentava sair pelo basvulante.
Daily Thoughts 9/15/2009
Daily Thoughts 9/15/2009
I am still reading Free The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson. It has some pretty interesting ideas in it.
Cup Cakes
But these cup cakes were irresistible! To paint, that is. I don't really like cakes of any kind to eat - I find them too sweet. I prefer salty and spicy foods and love the food of the East, from India through to China.
I know many of you are going to think I'm nuts for not liking these sugary delicacies, but that leaves all the more for you out there!
Monday, September 14, 2009
The King is Dead … Long Live the King
When Michael Jackson died, it only marked the temporary death of a culture that thrived longer than most. The Pop Culture was always trivialized as being trivial, bubblegum, if you will. But it resonated with people because well, we’re trivial too. Just call us bubblegum people.
And when I say pop, I’m not talking about Dad … or soda-pop … or soap bubbles. Pop was about popular, in that the masses identified with it. Fun, not too intellectual, pop culture was people, so its music, its ideals, its essence was that of the people. Pop was us, and we won’t go away.
Sure, we couldn’t all dance like Michael Jackson … we couldn’t all sing like Michael Jackson, but he was all of us. He was black, he was white, he was male, he was … uh, maybe something else … who knows really. But he typified the times with fun, catchy songs that stayed in your mind until your brain was ready to bleed.
And we couldn’t get enough. When the tributes to his live started pouring in, sales of Michael Jackson stuff soared, as we remembered, or in some cases, discovered his ground-breaking songs, videos and trends. We all threw away a glove, and pulled out sequins so we could emulate our fallen idol.
Well, maybe you did – I didn’t. But I would have if … well, no, I wouldn’t have worn a sequined glove on a bet. Or maybe I would, if the bet was high enough, but I wouldn’t have let anyone witness it.
As writers, we have to take culture into account. When I wrote my first young adult book …
… what young adult book, you ask? Thanks for asking, Fang Face – get your humor vampire goodness now!
(sorry, commercial break over).
… anyway, when I was writing Fang Face, I had concerns about the culture of teenaged kids, which overlaps almost seamlessly with popular culture. Was I writing a book they would identify with? Was it a slice of their lives? Kids aren’t stupid. If the book didn’t resonate with them, they’d know it and would respond as kids will - by ignoring it and letting it die.
So I asked a teen to read the manuscript, and this turned into an entire school studying Fang Face as a class project. I was invited to come in and talk to them about the story, characters, plotting and other stuff.
Can you imagine a better think-tank for a teenaged book?
You can’t ignore culture when you’re creating for the masses, be it bubblegum pop music, books or that green stuff growing in your tub. More specifically, you can’t ignore teenaged culture, which epitomizes what’s popular in society as much as anything. Teens drive the commercials you see on television, placement of merchandise in stores, art and music more than any other demographic of society.
So when you say Long Live the King, I say long live the Teen.
Norm
Norm Cowie