Today's post is being written on my new desktop computer, Calliope. She's got awesome memory, and the latest version of Word and Excel. She also supports my ancient Microsoft Digital Imaging Suite (circa 2006) and the equally decrepit version of Adobe Acrobat I own (no date on the box, but probably about 2008). Despite the fact that I can now hook up with X-Box and Netflix and all the other bells/whistles Calliope is fully prepared to host and ring and blow for me, Word + Excel + MDIS + Acrobat is all I really need for my ghost writing gigs.
My old desktop became corrupted and unreliable a few months ago, forcing me to depend solely on my old laptop, which is actually my emergency backup computer. I was tempted to go out immediately and buy a replacement, but at the time what I could afford to spend wouldn't get me what I really needed (with a kid in college I prefer to pay cash for everything, too.)
I thought about what would be my dream computer. I wanted a lot of memory, better processing speed, and a more reliable brand, so I asked around for recommendations -- and my daughter's friends turned out to be the most helpful in that department. I researched, looked at prices, and waited some more.
It made me a little nervous to be dependent on just one old laptop, but I got into the habit of backing up everything multiple times per day, and in the meantime saved my pennies and watched for good sales. I thought I might have to wait until the holidays to find what I needed marked down. Then I spotted Calliope, marked down $180.00, at a back to school sale. She was exactly what I wanted, so I bought her. She was such a good deal that my guy also bought one for our kid to take with her to university. The icing on the cake was getting software, a printer for my kid, and protection plans at a fraction of what they usually cost, as they were also on sale (if you bought a new computer.)
While I don't like waiting for what I want, I really like getting what I want on my terms. That makes it worth the wait.
Showing posts with label tech stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tech stuff. Show all posts
Friday, August 11, 2017
Monday, April 20, 2015
Friend to the Mobiles
According to this post, Google is going to make things a little easier for mobile users:
Have you ever tapped on a Google Search result on your mobile phone, only to find yourself looking at a page where the text was too small, the links were tiny, and you had to scroll sideways to see all the content? This usually happens when the website has not been optimized to be viewed on a mobile phone. This can be a frustrating experience for our mobile searchers. Starting today, to make it easier for people to find the information that they’re looking for, we’re adding a “mobile-friendly” label to our mobile search results.
This change will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks. A page is eligible for the “mobile-friendly” label if it meets the following criteria as detected by Googlebot: Avoids software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash; Uses text that is readable without zooming; Sizes content to the screen so users don't have to scroll horizontally or zoom; Places links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped.
With more people using their mobile phones to surf the internet accessibility is apparently becoming an issue, and if you use your site or blog to promote your books you may want to see how yours will be flagged. According to Gerard over at The Presurfer, where I originally found the info and the link to the test: "This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in Google Search results. Users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results optimized for their devices."
To find out if your site will be flagged as mobile-friendly, go here to test the URL. And in case you're wondering about PBW:
Have you ever tapped on a Google Search result on your mobile phone, only to find yourself looking at a page where the text was too small, the links were tiny, and you had to scroll sideways to see all the content? This usually happens when the website has not been optimized to be viewed on a mobile phone. This can be a frustrating experience for our mobile searchers. Starting today, to make it easier for people to find the information that they’re looking for, we’re adding a “mobile-friendly” label to our mobile search results.
This change will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks. A page is eligible for the “mobile-friendly” label if it meets the following criteria as detected by Googlebot: Avoids software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash; Uses text that is readable without zooming; Sizes content to the screen so users don't have to scroll horizontally or zoom; Places links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped.
With more people using their mobile phones to surf the internet accessibility is apparently becoming an issue, and if you use your site or blog to promote your books you may want to see how yours will be flagged. According to Gerard over at The Presurfer, where I originally found the info and the link to the test: "This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in Google Search results. Users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results optimized for their devices."
To find out if your site will be flagged as mobile-friendly, go here to test the URL. And in case you're wondering about PBW:
Friday, November 12, 2010
Hold the Apps, Please
Today a nice young man helped me get my daughter a new mobile phone. It's an early 16th birthday present, plus she dropped her old phone during band practice and it now displays everything only in virulent shades of green and pink.
The process of buying the new phone took almost three hours, during which the nice young man did his best to sell me more services and gadgetry. This included something that wirelessly recharges all your gadgets; evidently putting a plug into a wall socket has become too much work.
"Along with your mobile, you can charge your iPod, eReader, game controller, and your [Netbook or laptop. I can't remember which] all at the same time," he assured me.
I politely refused. "I don't own any of those things." I've been thinking about getting my daughter an iPod for Christmas but I'm not crazy about the potential damage it might cause her hearing. If I do, she can certainly plug it into the wall to recharge it.
He gave me the usual weird Huh? look but recovered quickly and moved on to the final phase of the purchasing process, when he explained the features of the new phone. When we got to the apps, of which there were apparently several million that could be downloaded, he asked which ones I happened to use on my own phone.
"None," I told him. "I don't use any."
Now he stared at me. "You don't have any apps on your phone?" In the same tone someone might ask, "You don't have any panties on?"
To show him I wasn't lying, I took out the disposable cell phone I've been lugging around for the last four years. It still has nearly all of the 1300 minutes I got for free when the disposable phone company forced me to give up the original phone I bought (seven years ago) because their equipment no longer supported the clunky old thing (they also gave me a newer, slimmer phone for free.) P.S., it also has another 1200 free minutes I've collected over the last four years when I renew my airtime.
The nice young man examined it with the awe of an Egyptologist discovering a lost king's tomb. "What does it do?"
"It sends and receives phone calls." I thought for a minute. "And it rings. That's pretty much it." Before he could launch into the "But don't you want a phone that can take pictures, check the internet, play music, access Twitter and Facebook, realign the Hubble" speech I added, "That's all I need it to do."
He wasn't giving up. "I could transfer this line over to your existing plan with us for $9.99 a month."
"Sorry," I said. "It's thirty bucks cheaper to buy a year of airtime from them in advance. Plus every time I do, they give me another 400 free minutes I'll never use."
He was speechless.
"It's okay. It's a great phone, and it does exactly what I need to it to do: it sits in my purse in case of an emergency while I'm on the road. Plus it costs me less to use for a whole year than I will pay you guys for my daughter to use her phone for a month." I smiled. "Isn't technology wonderful?"
I think he was still muttering to himself when I left the store.
When you pursue publication, you can be persuaded to invest a lot of money in a whole pile of gadgets and special software, all designed to make storytelling easier. I'm sure they even have how-to phone apps for writers now. You can also pay to attend conferences, workshops and seminars; you can join writer's organizations and guilds and subscribe to indy rags and what have you. For every bell and whistle out there, there is someone to convince you of how much you need it. This is because their priority is to get you to buy it.
I won't tell you what to do with your hard-earned cash; what writing stuff we buy is something we have to decide for ourselves. If it weren't for the Dragon, I know I couldn't write my novels, so there's one example. Another is the AlphaSmart Neo, which other writers tell me is as helpful as it is durable. It's only logical that some other products out there are equally worthwhile.
But before you whip out that credit card or write a check, just ask yourself: Do I need this, or am I being sold this?
The process of buying the new phone took almost three hours, during which the nice young man did his best to sell me more services and gadgetry. This included something that wirelessly recharges all your gadgets; evidently putting a plug into a wall socket has become too much work.
"Along with your mobile, you can charge your iPod, eReader, game controller, and your [Netbook or laptop. I can't remember which] all at the same time," he assured me.
I politely refused. "I don't own any of those things." I've been thinking about getting my daughter an iPod for Christmas but I'm not crazy about the potential damage it might cause her hearing. If I do, she can certainly plug it into the wall to recharge it.
He gave me the usual weird Huh? look but recovered quickly and moved on to the final phase of the purchasing process, when he explained the features of the new phone. When we got to the apps, of which there were apparently several million that could be downloaded, he asked which ones I happened to use on my own phone.
"None," I told him. "I don't use any."
Now he stared at me. "You don't have any apps on your phone?" In the same tone someone might ask, "You don't have any panties on?"
To show him I wasn't lying, I took out the disposable cell phone I've been lugging around for the last four years. It still has nearly all of the 1300 minutes I got for free when the disposable phone company forced me to give up the original phone I bought (seven years ago) because their equipment no longer supported the clunky old thing (they also gave me a newer, slimmer phone for free.) P.S., it also has another 1200 free minutes I've collected over the last four years when I renew my airtime.
The nice young man examined it with the awe of an Egyptologist discovering a lost king's tomb. "What does it do?"
"It sends and receives phone calls." I thought for a minute. "And it rings. That's pretty much it." Before he could launch into the "But don't you want a phone that can take pictures, check the internet, play music, access Twitter and Facebook, realign the Hubble" speech I added, "That's all I need it to do."
He wasn't giving up. "I could transfer this line over to your existing plan with us for $9.99 a month."
"Sorry," I said. "It's thirty bucks cheaper to buy a year of airtime from them in advance. Plus every time I do, they give me another 400 free minutes I'll never use."
He was speechless.
"It's okay. It's a great phone, and it does exactly what I need to it to do: it sits in my purse in case of an emergency while I'm on the road. Plus it costs me less to use for a whole year than I will pay you guys for my daughter to use her phone for a month." I smiled. "Isn't technology wonderful?"
I think he was still muttering to himself when I left the store.
When you pursue publication, you can be persuaded to invest a lot of money in a whole pile of gadgets and special software, all designed to make storytelling easier. I'm sure they even have how-to phone apps for writers now. You can also pay to attend conferences, workshops and seminars; you can join writer's organizations and guilds and subscribe to indy rags and what have you. For every bell and whistle out there, there is someone to convince you of how much you need it. This is because their priority is to get you to buy it.
I won't tell you what to do with your hard-earned cash; what writing stuff we buy is something we have to decide for ourselves. If it weren't for the Dragon, I know I couldn't write my novels, so there's one example. Another is the AlphaSmart Neo, which other writers tell me is as helpful as it is durable. It's only logical that some other products out there are equally worthwhile.
But before you whip out that credit card or write a check, just ask yourself: Do I need this, or am I being sold this?
Monday, June 08, 2009
Techno Ten
Ten Things to Help Writers with Tech Problems
Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.
Applejack 1.5 is a "user friendly troubleshooting assistant for Mac OS X. With AppleJack you can troubleshoot a computer even if you can't load the GUI, or don't have a startup CD handy. AppleJack runs in Single User Mode and is menu-based for ease of use" (OS: Mac OS X 10.2 or higher)
Damaged DOCX2TXT will "extract the text even from damaged or corrupted Word 2007 docx files where Word 2007 itself fails to salvage text. It can also be simply used as a viewer of the text in a docx file without having Word 2007" (OS: Win 2000/XP/2003/Vista)
Glary Utilities is "the #1 free, powerful and all-in-one utility in the world market! It offers numerous powerful and easy-to-use system tools and utilities to fix, speed up, maintain and protect your PC." Features: "Optimize, clean and boost the speed of your Windows; protect your privacy and security; block spyware, trojans, adware, etc.; fix certain application errors; simple, fast and User friendly interface." For personal/private use only (OS: Win 2000/XP/Vista)
Marie Stroughter's article, Getting Rid of Dust Bunnies Hiding in Your Computer
For everyone who drinks while they type, How to Clean a Spill on the Keyboard.
Undelete allows you to "undelete files that you have accidentally deleted from your drives" (OS: Win 2000/XP/Vista/7/9x/ME/NT4)
Also from Roadkil.net, Unstoppable Copier "recovers files from disks with physical damage. Allows you to copy files from disks with problems such as bad sectors, scratches or that just give errors when reading data. The program will attempt to recover every readable piece of a file and put the pieces together. Using this method most types of files can be made useable even if some parts were not recoverable in the end" (OS: Win 9x/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3)
WhoCrashed is "a comprehensible crash dump analysis tool. Whenever a computer running Windows suddenly reboots without displaying any notice or blue screen of death, the first thing that is often thought about is a hardware failure. In reality, most crashes are caused by malfunctioning device drivers and kernel modules. In case of a kernel error, most computers running Windows do not show a blue screen unless they are configured to do so. Instead these systems suddenly reboot without any notice. WhoCrashed allows you to find out which drivers have been responsbile for crashing your computer (in most cases) without requiring any debugging skills. The home edition of WhoCrashed does local crash dump analysis and is licensed for use at home only" (OS: Win 2000/XP/2003/Vista)
Microsoft has an official Windows Vista Solution Center, but I prefer checking sites like geekgirls.com that talk to me like I'm a person, not another computer.
If you're tired of all the menus and buttons and distractions built into Word 2007, Lifehacker recommends WriteSpace, an add-on utility that makes all that stuff go away with just the touch of a button to create a less cluttered writing environment (OS: Windows or OS that can run Word 2007)
Also: for those of you interested in creating a virtual, navigable 3D panarama of your 2D photos and pics, check out Photosynth.
Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.
Applejack 1.5 is a "user friendly troubleshooting assistant for Mac OS X. With AppleJack you can troubleshoot a computer even if you can't load the GUI, or don't have a startup CD handy. AppleJack runs in Single User Mode and is menu-based for ease of use" (OS: Mac OS X 10.2 or higher)
Damaged DOCX2TXT will "extract the text even from damaged or corrupted Word 2007 docx files where Word 2007 itself fails to salvage text. It can also be simply used as a viewer of the text in a docx file without having Word 2007" (OS: Win 2000/XP/2003/Vista)
Glary Utilities is "the #1 free, powerful and all-in-one utility in the world market! It offers numerous powerful and easy-to-use system tools and utilities to fix, speed up, maintain and protect your PC." Features: "Optimize, clean and boost the speed of your Windows; protect your privacy and security; block spyware, trojans, adware, etc.; fix certain application errors; simple, fast and User friendly interface." For personal/private use only (OS: Win 2000/XP/Vista)
Marie Stroughter's article, Getting Rid of Dust Bunnies Hiding in Your Computer
For everyone who drinks while they type, How to Clean a Spill on the Keyboard.
Undelete allows you to "undelete files that you have accidentally deleted from your drives" (OS: Win 2000/XP/Vista/7/9x/ME/NT4)
Also from Roadkil.net, Unstoppable Copier "recovers files from disks with physical damage. Allows you to copy files from disks with problems such as bad sectors, scratches or that just give errors when reading data. The program will attempt to recover every readable piece of a file and put the pieces together. Using this method most types of files can be made useable even if some parts were not recoverable in the end" (OS: Win 9x/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3)
WhoCrashed is "a comprehensible crash dump analysis tool. Whenever a computer running Windows suddenly reboots without displaying any notice or blue screen of death, the first thing that is often thought about is a hardware failure. In reality, most crashes are caused by malfunctioning device drivers and kernel modules. In case of a kernel error, most computers running Windows do not show a blue screen unless they are configured to do so. Instead these systems suddenly reboot without any notice. WhoCrashed allows you to find out which drivers have been responsbile for crashing your computer (in most cases) without requiring any debugging skills. The home edition of WhoCrashed does local crash dump analysis and is licensed for use at home only" (OS: Win 2000/XP/2003/Vista)
Microsoft has an official Windows Vista Solution Center, but I prefer checking sites like geekgirls.com that talk to me like I'm a person, not another computer.
If you're tired of all the menus and buttons and distractions built into Word 2007, Lifehacker recommends WriteSpace, an add-on utility that makes all that stuff go away with just the touch of a button to create a less cluttered writing environment (OS: Windows or OS that can run Word 2007)
Also: for those of you interested in creating a virtual, navigable 3D panarama of your 2D photos and pics, check out Photosynth.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wait for It
We're having some technical issues with the blog tonight; for some reason I can't get my drafts to publish. Normally I'd stay up and retype everything, but the physical therapist worked me over today, too, so I'm pretty beat. I've e-mailed Tom (who is working swing shift this week) to see if he can figured out what I did.
In the meantime I'm heading off to see a man about some sand. See you all tomorrow when the blasted thing works again.
In the meantime I'm heading off to see a man about some sand. See you all tomorrow when the blasted thing works again.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Update
I haven't been able to solve the technical blip with the worldbuilding notebook upload, and Tom is on duty until California stops having earthquake aftershocks, so the copy on Scribd* herestill has mysterious lines running through the cover art. I don't know why but I'm guessing it's the evil Microsoft Word 2007 formatting. However, I did park another copy here, in .pdf format only, but that has line-free cover art.
Today's workshop on Styling will be posted later on in the a.m. along with the names of the winners of the VW #4 giveaway. I appreciate everyone's patience as I wing this thing alone.
**Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed my free library from their site, and no longer use or recommend using their service. My free reads may be read online or downloaded for free from Google Docs; go to my freebies and free reads page for the links. See my post about this scam here.
Today's workshop on Styling will be posted later on in the a.m. along with the names of the winners of the VW #4 giveaway. I appreciate everyone's patience as I wing this thing alone.
**Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed my free library from their site, and no longer use or recommend using their service. My free reads may be read online or downloaded for free from Google Docs; go to my freebies and free reads page for the links. See my post about this scam here.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Taking It with You
Writers often travel a lot, and hauling the hardware of our profession along for the trip can be a pain. A laptop is often heavy, expensive to replace if lost or stolen, and not really necessary if all you want to do is a little work on the WIP. At the same time, it's nice to have the convenience of a keyboard and memory storage when your muse kicks in while you're away from the home system. Really, who wants to write all that stuff out in longhand on the hotel stationery?
A portable word processor, aka a notetaker or smart keyboard, is a great tool for the writer on the go. Most are basically full-sized keyboards with small display screens that store your writing until you can beam it or download it to your home computer. All are designed to be lightweight (most weigh no more than 2.5 lbs.) and built to take the kind of abuse that can majorly wreck a laptop. From the prices I've seen the average cost of a portable word processor runs around $200.00-$300.00, a nice alternative if you can't yet afford a laptop.
The major disadvantage of a portable word processor is that it's basically a suped-up typewriter. You can't expect it to do all the neat things your home computer or laptop do for you. However, this can be an advantage when you want to focus on just the writing. Sometimes all the neat things our other tech does are very distracting, and often tempt us away from the work.
If you're in the market for a portable word processor, here are some products to check out:
AlphaSmart Neo -- lightweight but full size portable word processor/keyboard that can store up to 200 pages and run 700 hours on three AA batteries. Also offers a rechargeable battery pack you can purchase for working up to 300 hours on a single charge. I've heard the old AlphaSmart models are virtually indestructible, and the brand is highly recommended by every romance writer I know who owns one.
CalcuScribe is a simple word processor and interactive calculator; sends your files to a PC or a Mac, into any application.
Fusion -- a portable word processor with a text-to-speech function; good if you like to have your work read back to you.
HP iPAQ -- handheld PDA, has mobile version of Microsoft Word in addition to all the cool PDA features.
Laser PC6 -- another portable word processor with a text-to-speech function, uploads to PC or a Mac.
Palm Tungsten E2 -- in addition to all the bells and whistles of a PDA, you can use Documents To Go gives you access to your Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, and (with a simple conversion step) you can read Acrobat PDFs. I own one and use a wireless keyboard with it just to take notes when I'm away from the computer; works nicely but battery frequently needs recharging.
QuickPad -- a portable, low-frills word processor/notetaker with additional organizer features.
Before you buy any portable writing device, ask around and get opinions from other writers on the different types and models available. Check office equipment and supply stores in your area to see if they sell them and if they have a display model you can try out. Or, if you're attending a writing or biz conference and see a friendly-looking colleague using one, go over and ask if you can give it a spin.
Do any of you guys already use a portable, or know of one I haven't mentioned? Let us know in comments.
Related links: Venice Kichura's article, The Advantages of Portable Word Processors
A portable word processor, aka a notetaker or smart keyboard, is a great tool for the writer on the go. Most are basically full-sized keyboards with small display screens that store your writing until you can beam it or download it to your home computer. All are designed to be lightweight (most weigh no more than 2.5 lbs.) and built to take the kind of abuse that can majorly wreck a laptop. From the prices I've seen the average cost of a portable word processor runs around $200.00-$300.00, a nice alternative if you can't yet afford a laptop.
The major disadvantage of a portable word processor is that it's basically a suped-up typewriter. You can't expect it to do all the neat things your home computer or laptop do for you. However, this can be an advantage when you want to focus on just the writing. Sometimes all the neat things our other tech does are very distracting, and often tempt us away from the work.
If you're in the market for a portable word processor, here are some products to check out:
AlphaSmart Neo -- lightweight but full size portable word processor/keyboard that can store up to 200 pages and run 700 hours on three AA batteries. Also offers a rechargeable battery pack you can purchase for working up to 300 hours on a single charge. I've heard the old AlphaSmart models are virtually indestructible, and the brand is highly recommended by every romance writer I know who owns one.
CalcuScribe is a simple word processor and interactive calculator; sends your files to a PC or a Mac, into any application.
Fusion -- a portable word processor with a text-to-speech function; good if you like to have your work read back to you.
HP iPAQ -- handheld PDA, has mobile version of Microsoft Word in addition to all the cool PDA features.
Laser PC6 -- another portable word processor with a text-to-speech function, uploads to PC or a Mac.
Palm Tungsten E2 -- in addition to all the bells and whistles of a PDA, you can use Documents To Go gives you access to your Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, and (with a simple conversion step) you can read Acrobat PDFs. I own one and use a wireless keyboard with it just to take notes when I'm away from the computer; works nicely but battery frequently needs recharging.
QuickPad -- a portable, low-frills word processor/notetaker with additional organizer features.
Before you buy any portable writing device, ask around and get opinions from other writers on the different types and models available. Check office equipment and supply stores in your area to see if they sell them and if they have a display model you can try out. Or, if you're attending a writing or biz conference and see a friendly-looking colleague using one, go over and ask if you can give it a spin.
Do any of you guys already use a portable, or know of one I haven't mentioned? Let us know in comments.
Related links: Venice Kichura's article, The Advantages of Portable Word Processors
Friday, September 21, 2007
Wild Weather
We've been getting hammered with severe thunderstorms for the last two days, with so much lightning I have to keep everything shut down. Today's forecast is more of the same, so I'm going to pass on trying to post regularly or have a Friday 20 this week. I will put up the names of the winners of the RW giveaway tomorrow, so if you haven't entered, you've got until midnight EST tonight.
Right now it's quiet enough to write this and do a backup. Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you backed up your data? If your answer is longer than a week, please take time to do it today. Trust me, I have fried more hard drives than I care to count, and all it takes is one virus, one mechanical failure, or one good zap and it's gone.
As soon as the dove returns with an olive branch, I'll be back online. In the meantime, you all have a good weekend.
Right now it's quiet enough to write this and do a backup. Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you backed up your data? If your answer is longer than a week, please take time to do it today. Trust me, I have fried more hard drives than I care to count, and all it takes is one virus, one mechanical failure, or one good zap and it's gone.
As soon as the dove returns with an olive branch, I'll be back online. In the meantime, you all have a good weekend.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Anyone Order a Phoenix?
The Dragon has at last risen from the ashes of the old Windows meltdown, so PBW is back in business. You may break out the champagne or, if you started celebrating last week, you can put it away now.
I appreciate the many offers of help and the supportive comments you posted. You guys are the best.
While we were tinkering with things, Tom offered to solve a few more problems by moving the blog elsewhere. I was tempted, especially because he would do all the work. I decided to stick it out here because it is simple for me to use, and accessible to everyone. The day I have to password my blog or make it members-only, I'm shutting it down.
Not being able to blog also gave me time to think about PBW and what I'd like to do with it in the future. We'll probably discuss this again as I waffle and dither around about some of the new directions I'm considering, but there definitely will be some changes down the line. Before the Dragon blew up I did take comments off moderation so you can post freely again (I still reserve the right to bonsai any SPAM or troll comments.)
It's getting late here, so I'll catch up on posting the PBWisms winners and other things in the morning. Thanks for hanging in with me.
I appreciate the many offers of help and the supportive comments you posted. You guys are the best.
While we were tinkering with things, Tom offered to solve a few more problems by moving the blog elsewhere. I was tempted, especially because he would do all the work. I decided to stick it out here because it is simple for me to use, and accessible to everyone. The day I have to password my blog or make it members-only, I'm shutting it down.
Not being able to blog also gave me time to think about PBW and what I'd like to do with it in the future. We'll probably discuss this again as I waffle and dither around about some of the new directions I'm considering, but there definitely will be some changes down the line. Before the Dragon blew up I did take comments off moderation so you can post freely again (I still reserve the right to bonsai any SPAM or troll comments.)
It's getting late here, so I'll catch up on posting the PBWisms winners and other things in the morning. Thanks for hanging in with me.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Pardon Our Dust
Tom and I have been trying to iron out some communication problems and last night I had to uninstall the Dragon and my IP software. Which now will not reload. I can do a few things from my handheld (like this post) but until we resolve the problems PBW will also be down for a time. We'll figure it out and get things up and running as quickly as possible. In the meantime, thanks for your patience.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Technical Difficulties
Comments have been down for a while and don't appear to be coming back any time soon. I apologize for the inconvenience, folks.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Off to the Repair Shop
Added today to the Win What PBW Reads This Week box: FreeMasonry and its Ancienty Mystic Rites by C.W. Leadbeater, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (this one is audio book read by Hugh Laurie on CD; I've been listening to it in the car) American Artist magazine July/August 2007 issue, Discover magazine July 2007 issue, and The Writer magazine July 2007 issue.
I won't be having the Friday 20 today because this computer has to go into the shop first thing in the morning, my laptop Phillip does not like the wireless system, and the internet is not allowed on my work computer anymore (which has had no software or hardware problems whatsoever since I banned the internet from it.)
I should be back online tonight or tomorrow -- talk to you then.
I won't be having the Friday 20 today because this computer has to go into the shop first thing in the morning, my laptop Phillip does not like the wireless system, and the internet is not allowed on my work computer anymore (which has had no software or hardware problems whatsoever since I banned the internet from it.)
I should be back online tonight or tomorrow -- talk to you then.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
From PBW
Tom here, with a note from Lynn:
Folks, we're still working to get the blog back online. Archives may or may not be accessible, but I have them all backed up, so if they disappear don't worry -- we'll recover them. Due to technical difficulties, Reader Wednesday and Friday 20 for this week are cancelled.
A couple of announcements:
This week through Saturday, June 16th, Shop.HollyLisle.com is having a 10% off sale on everything, including Holly Lisle's wonderful series of books on how to create a plot, character, language and culture, as well as my own how-to book Way of the Cheetah. Stop by if you have a chance and check out the available titles.
The second book in the Raintree trilogy is out -- Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones hit the shelves this month -- and is selling out fast. I know Silhouette titles only stick around for a month before they're replaced by new ones, but this one has vanished from the stores like hotcakes. Once we get the blog back online, I will be giving away what copies I was able to grab before they sold out in my area.
Hope to be back to talk to you soon -- PBW
Folks, we're still working to get the blog back online. Archives may or may not be accessible, but I have them all backed up, so if they disappear don't worry -- we'll recover them. Due to technical difficulties, Reader Wednesday and Friday 20 for this week are cancelled.
A couple of announcements:
This week through Saturday, June 16th, Shop.HollyLisle.com is having a 10% off sale on everything, including Holly Lisle's wonderful series of books on how to create a plot, character, language and culture, as well as my own how-to book Way of the Cheetah. Stop by if you have a chance and check out the available titles.
The second book in the Raintree trilogy is out -- Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones hit the shelves this month -- and is selling out fast. I know Silhouette titles only stick around for a month before they're replaced by new ones, but this one has vanished from the stores like hotcakes. Once we get the blog back online, I will be giving away what copies I was able to grab before they sold out in my area.
Hope to be back to talk to you soon -- PBW
Monday, June 11, 2007
While We're Tinkering
I'm having some problems with Blogger at the moment that are preventing new posts from showing up on PBW. Tommy is going to post this one for me so everyone doesn't worry.
While we're working on a fix, I was able to post the short story I promised over at the fiction blog:
Familiar by Lynn Viehl
A .pdf version of the storywill also be available later today; Tommy or I'll post a link when FTP is working. can be downloaded by clicking here.
Thanks for your patience.
While we're working on a fix, I was able to post the short story I promised over at the fiction blog:
Familiar by Lynn Viehl
A .pdf version of the story
Thanks for your patience.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Smart Pens
It seems as if technology will soon make the pen as extinct as the e-mail did the letter, but maybe not. There are still people who prefer to write by hand, and certainly plenty of places where it's not convenient or permitted to take a laptop. With all the gadgets we have to carry, portability and multifuction capability is becoming an issue.
Digital "smart" pens may not be as sexy as the iPod or Chocolate, but they've come along nicely in the five years since Wired reported on the hunt for markets for the new technology (created by Anoto, a Swedish company.)
Sony Ericsson's CHA-30 ChatPen is a fully integrated digital pen that allows you to send handwritten e-mails, doodles and more. According to one article I read, smart pens like this one are being used to post entries to weblogs. On the other hand, PLANon's DocuPen is not a pen, but a pen-sized handheld scanner with many nifty features. I can't lug my scanner to the library, but I could definitely take this one with me.
Back in 2005 I included the Logitech IO in a pen ten list I wrote, but with the IO2 the company is offering a variety of software, specialty digital paper and other bells and whistles. For portable multifunction pens, I still think nothing beats Brando's USB MP3 Pen + FM Radio + Voice Recorder (try fitting separate devices that perform the same functions in your shirt pocket.)
One that may be perfect for the old-fashioned wroter, the Nokia Digital Pen SU-1B will remember up to 100 pages of handwritten notes for you. No more worrying about losing your notes in the shuffle, either -- you can store them on your PC in their orginal form (nice if you draw schematics or maps.) If you enjoy writing in bookstores and cafes but need a wireless connection for your laptop, Informatica's Wi-Fi Pen detects wireless internet signals and writes, too.
The smart pen has yet to make a significant impact on the publishing industry, but the potential is there. For writers, smart pens are the obvious bridge between the legal pad and the computer. Editors might someday might use a smart pen to add editing marks to an electronic manuscript and send revisions only via e-mail (no paper involved, so we'd save a few forests that way.) Agents negotiating deals with publishers could keep their authors in the loop during the meetings by writing their notes with a smart pen and transmitting the data simultaneously to the author and receiving their feedback just as quickly.
More is on the way. Companies like Fruits and Maxell are continuing to develop new applications for the Anoto technology. Digital paper is still in its infancy; it might become the bridge between the traditional print and electronic novel (I'm thinking of paper or paper-like pages implanted with programmable text. You'd have the feel of a book but you could change the story to whatever you want to read by downloading a new text.)
Speaking for the handicapped writers out here, I'd like to see a pen built along the lines of an optical mouse (or one that is operated by one.) People who can't hold pens or who can't write legibly with one can usually still roll a mouse.
What sort of functions would you like to see in the next generation of smart pens?
Digital "smart" pens may not be as sexy as the iPod or Chocolate, but they've come along nicely in the five years since Wired reported on the hunt for markets for the new technology (created by Anoto, a Swedish company.)
Sony Ericsson's CHA-30 ChatPen is a fully integrated digital pen that allows you to send handwritten e-mails, doodles and more. According to one article I read, smart pens like this one are being used to post entries to weblogs. On the other hand, PLANon's DocuPen is not a pen, but a pen-sized handheld scanner with many nifty features. I can't lug my scanner to the library, but I could definitely take this one with me.
Back in 2005 I included the Logitech IO in a pen ten list I wrote, but with the IO2 the company is offering a variety of software, specialty digital paper and other bells and whistles. For portable multifunction pens, I still think nothing beats Brando's USB MP3 Pen + FM Radio + Voice Recorder (try fitting separate devices that perform the same functions in your shirt pocket.)
One that may be perfect for the old-fashioned wroter, the Nokia Digital Pen SU-1B will remember up to 100 pages of handwritten notes for you. No more worrying about losing your notes in the shuffle, either -- you can store them on your PC in their orginal form (nice if you draw schematics or maps.) If you enjoy writing in bookstores and cafes but need a wireless connection for your laptop, Informatica's Wi-Fi Pen detects wireless internet signals and writes, too.
The smart pen has yet to make a significant impact on the publishing industry, but the potential is there. For writers, smart pens are the obvious bridge between the legal pad and the computer. Editors might someday might use a smart pen to add editing marks to an electronic manuscript and send revisions only via e-mail (no paper involved, so we'd save a few forests that way.) Agents negotiating deals with publishers could keep their authors in the loop during the meetings by writing their notes with a smart pen and transmitting the data simultaneously to the author and receiving their feedback just as quickly.
More is on the way. Companies like Fruits and Maxell are continuing to develop new applications for the Anoto technology. Digital paper is still in its infancy; it might become the bridge between the traditional print and electronic novel (I'm thinking of paper or paper-like pages implanted with programmable text. You'd have the feel of a book but you could change the story to whatever you want to read by downloading a new text.)
Speaking for the handicapped writers out here, I'd like to see a pen built along the lines of an optical mouse (or one that is operated by one.) People who can't hold pens or who can't write legibly with one can usually still roll a mouse.
What sort of functions would you like to see in the next generation of smart pens?
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