It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us,
we had nothing before us, …
— Opening passage of “A Tale of Two Cities”
Charles Dickens’s famous first sentence — “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … " — described the era of the French Revolution. The sentiment also fits perfectly to America’s holiday season, from Thanksgiving through the first days of the new year.
While most of us are filled with joy and gratitude as we unite with our families and friends, this is also the time when many persons experience dark thoughts, depression, and profound loneliness.
If you need help of any kind, do not hesitate to tell someone: a family member, a friend, or a neighbor. You are loved and cared about far more than you imagine.
If you cannot think of anyone who can help you, you can call your local Suicide Prevention and Crisis hotline. In Ithaca, their web page says: “Are you confused, overwhelmed, upset, or need someone to listen? Call the Crisisline at 607-272-1616 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).” They offer free, confidential crisis counseling available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Pay attention to the people around you: your family, friends, students, co-workers. People are skilled at hiding their true feelings. The poem by Paul Lawrence Dunbar, titled “We Wear The Mask”, explains the problem of seeing into other persons.
WE wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
Watching the 1946 film “It’s A Wonderful Life” always fills me with strange and remarkable ideas. The remainder of this message is for those of us who are reasonably happy and are able to provide help.
I was wondering what might happen during these holidays if each one of us reached out to someone — someone who we suspect may need a friend, or need someone to talk with. Suppose we reach out to someone by saying: “Do you need anything?”; or “How can I help you?”; or “Some time soon, let’s sit down with some coffee and let’s talk.”
Ithaca has been ranked as the USA’s best place to live, largely due to economic factors. Yet what matters — more than the quantifiable and measurable — is the invisible and unmeasurable: the happiness and well-being of each one of us.
Some people will argue that there is not very much that one person can do to improve the happiness of another. It is equally true that we can help others by the simple acts of listening sincerely and by giving them words of encouragement.
And it is a remarkable fact of human existence that “No drop of kindness is ever wasted.”
Michael Pastore
Epublishers Weekly
2010 December 08
Ithaca, New York
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Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Holiday Wisdom: Pay Attention to Your Family, Friends, Students and Co-Workers
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Short Video: Disconnect to Connect
It highlights our collective addition to gadgets, and then points the way to the joy of human-to-human (H2H) genuine interactions and experience.
http://www.wimp.com/disconnectconnect/
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Thursday, November 18, 2010
Are The New Gadgets Cutting-Edge Tools or Dangerous Distractions ?
This article from the New York Times highlights the raging battle between the Internet and the Book.
Most young people today are choosing the Internet, and the many gadgets that access the Net.
The great problem of our era is the problem of education and technology:
How can use our advanced communication technology for education, enjoyment, personal growth and a deep connection with others --
instead of burying ourselves in the lonely emptiness of cyberspace ?
The image in this post is from the WikiMedia commons, here:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Addicttv.jpg
and reproduced with a CopyLeft license.
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Thursday, October 28, 2010
107-Year-Old Woman Plays the Piano Every Day
See her on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGkUWrt2RFw
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Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Dr. Michael Tobias To Speak at TEDx in Munich - 2010 June 7
Dr. Tobias will talk about "A sustainable society for a global future."
We will post a link to Tobias's talk soon after it becomes available from TEDx.
To visit the event's website, click HERE.
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Friday, May 14, 2010
Monday, March 01, 2010
Monday, February 01, 2010
Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan
This article is about Michael Pollan's book
"Food Rules", which explains 64 sensible rules for healthy eating.
NY Times article about Food Rules.Read more! ... (or go to this post's PermaLink)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Obama Delivers State of the Union Address
President Obama delivered the annual State of the Union address, focusing on the economy, and also touching on the subjects of health care, defense, climate change, human rights, and the crisis in Haiti.
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Monday, January 25, 2010
Free Ebook Tells How to Get a Summer Camp Job in the USA
Everyone looking for a summer camp job in the USA will benefit from a new free ebook: Summer Camp Jobs USA Lite.
Published by Zorba Press, the new free ebook is in the PDF format, an can be downloaded from the Internet Archive.
Summer Camp Jobs USA LITE
http://www.zorba.us/?page_id=874
This is the free LITE edition of Zorba's paperback and ebook: Summer Camp Jobs USA.
This free LITE edition contains the first 5 Chapters — 54 pages — of the full edition.
Summer Camp Jobs USA (the free LITE edition) is packed with detailed information and strategies about how to find the best jobs at American summer camps. The book explains:
- 1] Why Bother? … Why You Should Work at a USA Summer Camp
- 2] Know Thyself: How to Express The Real You on Paper, Pixels or Phone
- 3] Paradise: Your Ideal Camp and How to Find It
- 4] Job Hunting 101: How to Find the Jobs Using the Classic Methods
- 5] Job-Hunting Super-List: 20 Websites for Finding Summer Camp Jobs
http://www.zorba.us/?page_id=874
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Monday, January 18, 2010
George Leonard (1923-2010)
George Leonard — author, speaker, lecturer, musician, akido master and teacher — died on January 6, 2010.
Leonard's dozen-plus books, which shaped and were shaped by the human potential movement, included The Transformation; Education and Ecstasy; The Silent Pulse; and Mastery.
One of Leonard's important themes is finding joy and actualization via movement, balance, and the body. Here is a lecture by Leonard, about his book "The Silent Pulse", delivered in 2005, at the age of 82.
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Thursday, January 14, 2010
Summer Camp Jobs USA 2010
Getting a job is easy; getting a good job is not.
A new 204-page paperback book, published today, is packed with detailed information about how to find and land the best jobs at American summer camps. The paperback book is released simultaneously with ebook editions, which contain all the same information as the paperback, yet sell for only four dollars.
“There are about 12,000 summer camps in the USA,” says author Pastore. “And about 1.2 million jobs available at these camps. This book will help you to find a summer camp job that matches your unique personality, interests, and skills.”
Pastore calls his ebook editions “possibly the biggest bargain in contemporary publishing. The paperback is $ 20, and the ebook — containing all the same content — is four bucks. The ebook contains everything in the paperback book — except the paper!”
The ebook editions are available in two formats: PDF and EPUB. (Customers who purchase the ebook receive both formats, EPUB and PDF, for the one four-dollar price.) The PDF format is primarily designed for reading on desktop and laptop computers. The new EPUB format is primarily for iPhones, iPods, and a number of PDAs and ebook readers. “The EPUB format is the next big thing,” says Pastore. “It’s quickly becoming the industry standard, capable of being read on more and more software programs and hardware devices.”
Pastore insists that this 4-dollar ebook price is not temporary. “President Obama reminded us recently that the American people need to make some sacrifices,” said Pastore. “Reducing the price of your products and services is a good thing to do these days. If more people and more companies adopt this notion, it will help us all to get through these hard economic times.”
Pastore says that a good quality summer camp can be an important growth experience not only for children, but for summer camp staff. “Don’t miss the fun and friendship of camp,” Pastore advises. “A summer is a terrible thing to waste.”
To buy the book or ebook, to learn more, or to read the book's Table of Contents, visit the book's web page at the Zorba Press website:
Summer Camp Jobs USA 2010
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Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year and Happy New Decade 2010
Happy New Year, and Happy New Decade, 2010.
This New Year's postcard (drawn by Frances Brundage), from the year 1910, shows Baby New Year holding a scyth (a symbol of a fruitful field) talking with Father Time, who has done his work for the year and now sits down to rest, and to share his experience and wisdom with the young child.
The old man in the card reminded me of my grandfather, who would always laugh and tell me:
Sing — like you are in the shower!
Dance — like nobody is watching!
Drive —as if you're uninsured!
This year, I have one resolution only: to follow the wise words from the poet Rumi (and the epigraph of our book, Zenlightenment!):
The One Thing
You have a duty to perform.
Do anything else, do any number of things,
occupy your time fully,
and yet,
if you do not do this task,
your time will have been wasted.
Take care of your own health, your own happiness, your family and friends — and
all good things will come to you.
—Michael Pastore
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Monday, November 30, 2009
Loneliness (book review)
Loneliness
Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection
by John T. Cacioppo and William Patrick
Paperback 317 pages, $ $ 17.95
August 2009
ISBN: 978-0-393-33528-6
Ashley Montagu, who died in November ten years ago, explained to his students and lecture audiences an insight that has proven to be not only very true, but very wise. Montagu said that the inspirations of creative individuals — poets, authors, artists, philosophers — are eventually confirmed by science. For example, when a poet such as Edmond Rostand makes his hero, Cyrano de Bergerac, shout:
I need to fight whole armies all alone;
I have ten hearts; I have a hundred arms;
I feel too strong to war with mortals —
BRING ME GIANTS!
This extraordinary courage that love inspires is glimpsed by the poet; years later the scientist can tell us that strong emotions, such as love, produce powerful physiological changes in the human body and brain.
That is the first theme of the book Loneliness: loneliness, like sleep shortages, impacts not only our emotions, but our physical health and well-being. More than 60 million Americans suffer seriously from this epidemic condition. In addition to a thorough and well-documented diagnosis, the book provides solutions that are within the reach of almost everyone.
I never imagined that a book about loneliness could be so entertaining: almost like the good cheer of the famous foot-stomping folk song, "The Ship Titanic". These pages contain many bursts of humor, and many memorable passages. It will be a long time before I forget the astounding saga of Phineas Gage; even longer before I forget the book's description about how a female chimp (page 211) ingeniously made peace between two belligerent males.
The book proposes that there are three keys to happiness: Social connections; Household income; and Age. Surprisingly — and this may be the most controversial of the book's claims, — "people get happier as they grow older."
Maximizing genuine relationships, while minimizing conflicts, is a strategy for personal and professional success. What is the cure for loneliness? ... Develop strong social connections.
From the book (page 223):
As I've suggested through dozens of examples, when we feel isolated we also feel embattled, which leads to less robust health, less enjoyment in life, and less of an ability to collaborate to find winning solutions. When we feel satisfied with our social connections, we feel safe. When we feel safe, we can think more creatively. We also anticipate and more often experience positive emotions, which, aside from their long-term physiological benefits, provide immediate and persistent psychological uplift. That boost in mood affects our subsequent behavior toward others, which, in turn, affects how others behave toward us — which, once again, encourages creative collaboration. Cause and effect cycle back and forth, and the positives continue to ripple outward in a widening circle.
This roadmap to a long and healthy life is corroborated in a book about longevity, The Blue Zones; and also in a number of my own books about child maintenance, where I have called this process, the Positive Affirmation Cycle.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "Society is poison but solitude is fatal." Loneliness does not address Emerson's concerns, echoed in works by Erich Fromm (Escape from Freedom), and Philip Slater (The Pursuit of Loneliness). What shall we do when the society around us is destructive or "inauthentic", and we are confronted with two unpleasant choices: join the masses in their folly, or remain alone?
Nevertheless, the book Loneliness by Cacioppo and Patrick, is filled with such a superabundance of subtle humor, excellent scholarship, and practical advice, it stands alone as one of the most valuable books in print about its all-important theme.
For more information, visit the book's companion website: Science of Loneliness.
— Michael Pastore
Story Links
On December 1, 2009, many major publications released in-depth articles about the theme of loneliness. Here are more resources about this theme.
Time Magazine
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1943748,00.html
U.S. News
http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2009/12/01/one-is-the-loneliest-most-contagious-number.html
NY Times
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/why-loneliness-can-be-contagious/
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/30/AR2009113003846.html
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Sunday, September 13, 2009
Living Green by Nancy Conner (book review)
Living Green: The Missing Manual
by Nancy Conner
Published by O'Reilly Media
August 2009
ISBN: 9780596801724
Paperback, 312 pages, $ 19.99
Ebook (Mobi, PDF, ePub), $15.99
Book preview: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596801731/preview
This morning I read an article about the Greek island of Icaria. It stated that one of every three persons on the island reaches the age of 90. (That is more than three times as much as the American rate for reaching nine decades.) Furthermore — and this should astound you — senior citizens on Icaria are healthy and vigorous, and almost never develop Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
What's the secret? ... A cynic might say that mental degeneration is caused by a ceaseless barrage of mind-numbing commercial messages. But more likely, these Greek islanders are healthy and alert because they are living — with a Mediterranean accent — a green lifestyle.
The green lifestyle not only helps our planet live long and prosper, it vastly improves our personal lives. Living greenly increases our health, longevity, mental powers, and happiness.
Living Green: The Missing Manual is an outstanding hands-on guide about the environmentally-friendly lifestyle.
"Nature," wrote Leonardo da Vinci, "is beautiful, simple and direct — for in her, nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous." Living Green contains 300 pages of useful ideas — there is no waste and not a page of fluff. At first glance, this book appears to be a departure from the Missing Manual series, which usually produces how-to books about popular software and hardware. Fortunately, the same clarity and thoughtful information design that characterizes this line of tech books also permeates Living Green.
The eleven chapters provide a treasure of information, a veritable encyclopedia of smart living. You'll find chapters about the green home; saving energy; recycling; raising your family; shopping; transportation; and renewable energy.
The chapter about Green Building — a hot topic these days — explains the LEED Green Building Rating System; the principles of green building design; remodeling problems; and how to finance green construction. Everything you need to know about how to begin dreaming about your dream house.
I was especially interested in the chapter about eating, because the typical American diet — so far removed from the longevitous diet in Icaria — is such a tremendous force defining the American quality of life. Conner's chapter begins with a section titled "What's In That Cheeseburger?" When you read this list of fatal ingredients — that contaminate your beef, cheese, lettuce-tomato, and buns — you will either give up fast-food eating, or give up reading.
See for yourself:
Beef. The antibiotics and hormones used on cattle (page 177) can get into the meat you consume. According to the Center for Food Safety, several of these hormones likely have bad effects on people ...
There follows some fact-filled pages about hormones in hamburgers, and the perils of factory-farmed food. After some words about GM (genetically modified) foods, the chapter concludes more optimistically with an explanation of the benefits of food that is organic.
The passionate vegetarian in me wishes that the book would have taken the final leap and fully endorse vegetarianism, since meat-eating (even organic meat) is still — as the book acknowledges — an enormous drain on the planet's resources. (And since animals don't deserve to be eaten.) Nevertheless, there is enough food for thought in this chapter, and sensible warnings, to hint that a vegetarian lifestyle is a viable choice.
The book concludes with a brief chapter titled "Getting Involved", which explores environmental activism towards the goal of greening your neighborhood and community. The personal actions in the first ten chapters are essential but not quite enough; this participation is another necessary element for transforming America into a sustainable society.
Living Green: The Missing Manual is an information-rich, factually-accurate and friendly guide to a greener, healthier, and better life. The paperback is made of 100% recycled paper, but you might consider buying an ebook version and help the environment even more.
— Michael Pastore, author
50 Benefits of Ebooks
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Monday, August 10, 2009
Abraham Maslow's Words Are Now Available in Audio MP3
Abraham Maslow's electrifying talks have now been collected into two volumes of audio.
This project, more than two years in the making, is now complete!
The Abraham Maslow Audio Collection
is now available for download in mp3 format. Volumes One and Two include a total of 28 and a half hours of Abraham Maslow's talks and workshops at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, from the mid and late-1960s.
The individual programs include:
Volume One:
- Self-Actualization (1 mp3 file, total playing time 1 hour)
- Psychology and Religious Awareness (1 mp3 file, total playing time 1 hour)
- The Aims of Education (1 mp3 file, total playing time 1 hour)
- The B-language Workshop (5 mp3 files, total playing time 5 hours, 35 minutes)
- Weekend with Maslow (9 mp3 files, total playing time 4 hours, 25 minutes)
Volume Two:
- The Eupsychian Ethic (6 mp3 files, total playing time 5 hours, 45 minutes)
- The Farther Reaches of Human Nature (10 mp3 files, total playing time 9 hours, 45 minutes)
Samples of the recordings are available via:
http://www.abrahammaslow.com/audio.html
For more information, visit the web page:
http://www.abrahammaslow.com/audio.html
or contact the publisher, Maurice Bassett:
ReinventingYourself@gmail.com
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Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Senator Bernard Sanders is Fighting for Credit Card Reforms
Vermont Senator Bernard Sanders is fighting for reform in the Credit Card Industry. He has introduced legislation that would limit the interest rates on credit cards to 15 percent.
Sanders writes, on his website:
Credit Card Rip-offs ... People in Vermont and throughout the country are outraged by skyrocketing credit card interest rates. At a time when the taxpayers in this country are bailing out Wall Street financial institutions, these very same banks are charging them 20, 25, 30 percent interest rates on their credit cards.
Sanders has put together a collection of letters from persons who've had unpleasant experiences with credit card companies. You can read these letters online, from Sanders's website. And you can add comments of your own. http://www.sanders.senate.gov/qa/creditcards.cfm
Thanks to the Huffington Post for alerting us about this story:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/testimonies-on-credit-car_b_197151.html
For more information about Credit Cards and Debit Cards, visit Clark Howard's website.
Also of interest is today's New York Times's story about Bank of America needing 33.9 billion dollars:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/business/06stress.html
Watch the Sanders video, on YouTube, here:
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Friday, April 24, 2009
An Interview with Indie Author and Publisher Joanna Penn
Joanna Penn is an author, speaker, consultant and blogger based in Brisbane, Australia. Her most recent books are How to Enjoy Your Job, From Idea to Book, and From Book to Market. Penn’s website and blog The Creative Penn (www.thecreativepenn.com) is part of the Alltop blogging network, and provides information and inspiration about writing, self-publishing, print-on-demand, and book sales and promotion on the Internet.
The site is filled with useful ideas, links to resources, original articles and reviews, podcasts and videos written and narrated by Ms.Penn.
This interview was conducted by email from April 20-23, 2009.
— Michael Pastore, Epublishers Weekly
1. Let’s start by setting the scene: what’s it like living and writing in Brisbane, Australia? From looking around the web, it seems to me that there is a thriving community of writers and publishers in Australia. And how is writing and publishing in Australia different from doing it in England, where you have also lived?
I am English but left in 2000 to pursue adventures down under. I lived in New Zealand for 7 years and have been in Brisbane, Australia for 2 years now. Brisbane has brilliant weather and is on the coast by the river. It is paradise really, although Melbourne and Sydney have a lot more going on in the literary scene. It is quite different here to being into the writing scene in the UK. I lived in London where I could go to many and varied events with big name authors regularly. There is not so much opportunity here in Australia for that – although there are a number of festivals which are great! If people are interested in some of the writers down here, here is a link to the Top 50 writing blogs in Australia.
2. Your website has an interesting page about your writing history. Can you tell us about that?
I wrote the post in order to show that you don’t have to be a prize winning published author in order to be a writer. I talk about the journals I have written over the years, poetry I had published, the technical writing I have done, compilation books I have been in and finally my self-publishing journey. It is encouragement for people who may feel under-confident about writing, as it proves we all have a lot of skills under our belts. We all write a lot in our lives. It just needs to be taken further to become a book.
3. Your book “How to Enjoy Your Job”, seems to be very timely: I don’t know very many people who actually do enjoy their work. What is the secret to employment enjoyment? ... And how can a person tell if he/she should try to enjoy the job, or leave it?
I wrote “How to Enjoy Your Job” after 11 years as a business consultant working in Europe and Australasia for large management consultancy firms. I worked with many people in IT and finance and just saw so much misery. People are trapped by their own expectations, financial commitments and just not knowing what else to do. There were also a range of self-destructive behaviours that people were using to just get by.
I was one of these people for many years and was determined to change my own life. I wrote the book that I needed the most, because I wanted to enjoy my own job and my life. The book talks about the realities of a miserable working life and the damage it can cause, and then looks at ways to change each of the most common working problems: boredom, stress, other people, feeling trapped, being undervalued, financial issues and the job being a mismatch with your personal values. I then go through the career change process and how to identify what you really want to do. I may re-release it with another title because many people have said it is more a life-change book than just one about jobs.
The secret to loving your job is to identify what you want and then move towards that over time. Life is too short to be miserable for the majority of your week. I am still going through the process myself as it is not an overnight change. I now work 2 days per week as a consultant and then work on writing, my blog and internet products for writers the rest of the time. Funnily enough, this “global financial crisis” seems to be helping many people reassess. If you tighten your belt and can live on less money, do you need that high stress job?
I needed to write this book to save my own life. Seth Godin has said “the book you write will change your life” and this has been true for me. My husband also changed his career because of proof-reading the book and we are both very happy in our new life. For me, this is reward enough, but it is also for sale on Amazon.com in print and the ebook is available for free on Smashwords here! You can also get a free workbook at http://www.HowToEnjoyYourJob.com
4. This was your first full book: how were you able to make the great leap from just thinking about writing, to actually completing the book?
I am a huge reader and I love books. I love buying books and having bookshelves full of them. I even shipped several thousand to New Zealand from England, and then on to Australia! I probably could have re-bought the entire collection for that money, but I couldn’t bear to lose them! So I have always hero-worshipped authors and set them on a pedestal. I thought I wasn’t good enough to be like that, and so never even tried to write a book.
I spent 22 years thinking about writing a book and I had many false starts because of these feelings. I finally wrote the first book when I discovered two things. Firstly, that non-fiction is a valid genre and I didn’t have to be a fiction writer to be an author. That might seem obvious but I always thought I had to write prize winning fiction!
The second was discovering self-publishing options. I saw that if I couldn’t get a publisher, I could still hold a copy of my own life-changing book in my hands. I did send a traditional query off when the book was finished, received one rejection and then dived straight into self-publishing it. I didn’t want to wait any longer! Now I am addicted to it and have so many ideas for more books!
I now understand that my writing is my opinion, and if it helps someone, then that is brilliant! If it doesn’t, then no worries. My books have already helped people and that validates what I write. I tell new authors this as well – don’t fit into what others want you to be, write what is on your heart.
5. Your next book, From Idea to Book, offers sensible advice about planning and writing. What is that book about?
I wrote the next 2 books together as I wanted to share everything I have learnt with new authors. This book takes people through the actual writing process as well as publishing options. I tackle the psychology of writing as well as tips for getting the words down, goal setting and organising. There are also sections on self-publishing, print-on-demand, ebooks and also traditional publishing queries and submissions. The book is ordered in a Q&A format which makes it very easy to find the answers to the most common questions new authors have. It will be on Amazon soon and is currently available for $1 in ebook format here.
6. I’ve always thought that the most difficult and interesting part of the writing life is the need to develop four separate skill sets: writing, learning, book production,and marketing. The marketing is the most confusing for new writers. And you’ve written a whole book about that, From Book To Market.
Marketing is so important and I have discovered that I LOVE this side of things! I learnt this the hard way because I self-published, ordered copies and then sat looking at them! I didn’t know what to do next.
So I spent a year learning everything about marketing both traditionally and on the internet. I have done all sorts of programs, read a lot of books and then have been trying it all out. My blog documents a lot of these experiments – for example, the press release that got me on Australian National TV with my (self-published) book!
I wrote the book to share everything I have learnt and put into practice myself. I actually won a prize for my own book marketing plan which is also available for free download here. It was 9 months after my publication – but hey, I had to learn sometime!
“From Book to Market” is full of Q&A style chapters on how to sell and promote your book including how to make book trailers for free, build your website and blog and how to use social networking. Once again, you can get it for $1 here (and it will soon be on Amazon.com as a print book)
7. Writing was once considered a solitary profession, with the writer cut off from the world, living in an isolated ivory tower or alone in a cabin in the woods. How are things different in our Internet era?
I am so excited at the moment with what is happening in the creative world of writers! The internet makes it seamless to connect with people all over the world who are interested in the same things as you. I found you via a blog and we connected. I am interviewing brilliant and creative people on my podcasts, all of whom I met online. I physically network in Brisbane a few times per month, but most of my writing buddies are online. We are on Twitter, we blog. It’s such a fantastic, connected world now! If writers ever feel lonely, then come join us on Twitter for some encouragement and support.
8. Your books have two dimensions: information and inspiration. How important is the “inspiration” facet of the writing game?
I am a non-fiction, self-development author so I want to be helpful to people as I have been helped by other writers. My personal goal is to be someone like Jack Canfield who offers fantastic informational content in his coaching and books but also inspires people to achieve their goals. All the practical information in the world is not enough without knowing that others have made it too. They can inspire you! In my blog and also in my writing, I try to encourage people to give things a go and see what happens and I share my experiences when I try something new.
9. There is a term floating around the Internet: "Indie Publishing." What is that all about?
Indie is short for independent and it essentially describes a group of authors and small press publishers who are doing things differently to established, traditional publishing.
It is similar to the music industry that was dominated by big name artists and record labels and new bands struggled to make an impact. Then along came mp3 files, GarageBand software, mySpace and iTunes. Independent bands and labels sprouted up everywhere selling over the internet, liberated from the dominating parties in the industry. The music industry is now dramatically different.
In the book world, indie authors are self-publishing, creating ebooks, using print-on-demand, podcasting and selling their work over the internet. They are trying all kinds of new ways to be creative, sell and promote online that bypasses the NY and London publishers. Many are disillusioned by traditional publishing and believe the market should decide what books are bought, rather than the publishing houses. It is not necessarily anti-establishment and many indies would still like a book deal. However, it is more a positive way of getting creative work out there, as opposed to being rejected and then giving up.
Interestingly, “Indie” is becoming a badge to be proud of, as it is in the music industry. As the large publishing houses suffer in the recession, these indie authors and small presses can survive and even thrive with cheap and free creative models.
10. Your upcoming project looks very interesting: tell us about Author 2.0.
Author 2.0 is an online course that teaches how to write, publish, sell and promote your books using Web 2.0 technologies. The aim is to help authors build their platform online and either sell themselves through self-publishing or help to attract a publisher by building a following. Now, more than ever, publishers want authors who have fans ready to buy their books, and of course self-publishing means you have to distribute and promote yourself.
The course features 12 modules: Writing in a digital market, Self-publishing and print-on-demand, Website building, Blogging, Ebooks, Social networking, Press releases, Video and book trailers, Podcasting, Traffic tactics, Amazon.com marketing and becoming an Author-Entrepreneur.
Each module is a “How To” practical course featuring a mini ebook, a video, an audio from an expert and a transcript. All of these help the author build an online platform themselves by implementing each module. Most of the tools are free or cheap and the videos show you exactly what to do.
The expert interviews include John Kremer (1001 Ways To Market Your Books), Penny Sansevieri (Red Hot Internet Publicity), Mark Coker (Smashwords), April Hamilton (Indie Author), Yaro Starak (Top blogger Entrepreneurs Journey), Sheila English (COS Productions book trailers), Dan Klass (podcaster extraordinaire), and Chris Knight (CEO, EzineArticles).
All of this is based on my own experiences and I use all the methods I teach in the course myself. I am still learning, but it is such an exciting time that I wanted to bring other authors along for the ride! You don’t have to be very technical either as the online tools are all pretty easy (and I show you how to use them!)
The course will be US $297 and all online so will be available globally. It will be launching in late May 2009 and people can find out more here. There is also a 50% affiliate program. This means that anyone can join up, recommend the course with their own special link and receive $148 back at the end of the month. This affiliate marketing is common in other online markets but is relatively new in the author scene. I will also be looking to work with writing schools as I think their clients would benefit. My aim is to empower and excite a whole new crop of authors using web 2.0 to build their platforms!
11. How can readers contact you, and find out more about your works?
My main site is http://www.TheCreativePenn.com and there are lots of free articles as well as podcasts and my “How to be an author” free eworkbook. I also use Twitter to send out links to useful publishing, writing and book links daily. You can follow me @thecreativepenn . I’m also on Facebook here.
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Monday, April 13, 2009
Books (freeware book cataloging for Macs)
Books is the name of a freeware book cataloging application for Mac computers. It's free, simple to use, and filled with useful features.
You can download Books after visiting the project's home page, here:
http://books.aetherial.net/wordpress/
Installation takes almost 8 seconds: unzip the downloaded file, and then drag the icon into your Applications folder. (I always take another few seconds to make an alias, and then drag this "shortcut" to my desktop.)
You can immediately begin to add books. I typed in some titles by hand, but there are other options: you can import book information in many ways: from Amazon.com, from the library of Congress, from a .csv file, or from Delcious Library — a shareware book cataloging tool with pinache: whenever you delete a book the book bursts into flames.
You can add book covers by simply dragging an image onto the Books interface.
Once you have some books listed, the fun begins. Now you can create "smart lists" for sorting your books, similar to the tagging system used in Delicious.com. For example, you can create a smart list for books you want to read next; or for books by a certain author; or for books written in the Greek language; or for books loaned to your Aunt Fanny, and so on.
Books has many other features: export your book list; create your own custom fields; keep track of books loaned; link to reviews of the book, and much more.
Now that ebooks are getting more and more popular, you'll need a way to catalog your ebooks. Books can do it admirably. From the Books main screen, I made a separate list for my ebooks. Then I tagged each ebook with useful tags of my choice, for example: ebook file format, genre, source (where I acquired the ebook) and location.
For the ePub ebooks that I keep on Bookworm, I make a note in Books to help me to remember that fact. My PDFs are stored in a file called "My Ebooks 2009". Books lets you add a file link to every listing: so my PDF ebooks (and text and HTML ebooks) can be opened and viewed in two easy clicks. Books uses Apple's default PDF viewer, Preview, which is my favorite way to read PDFs on the Mac.
I haven't yet tested Books when thousands of books are entered, but I have a feeling that it can handle large libraries. (I will report back here with an update).
The Books development team will cheerfully accept your donations, here: http://books.aetherial.net/donate/ You might also want to donate time and skills, either developing software or translating into other languages.
Books is a great answer to the problem of organizing your book collection, not only because it is specifically designed for book cataloging, but also because it gives you all the power and flexibility of a database application, with none of the cost, and only a fraction of the learning curve.
Michael Pastore
50 Benefits of Ebooks
(Thanks to Teleread for alerting us to this great freeware.)
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Tuesday, January 20, 2009
And There Was Great Rejoicing - Obama is Our President
Joy comes to America, as we end an 8-year reign of error, and a new president leads us into a brighter future. Everyone I meet is smiling, singing, dancing on the street. At last we have a leader with intelligence, integrity, compassion -- and a vision for a sustainable (green) society. And at last we -- all Americans -- have an opportunity to make positive changes in our world.
Shown in the photo is a Halloween pumpkin carved in the shape of Mr. Obama. (Photo Copyright (c) 2009 by Michael Pastore.)
And here is the great, historic speech by President Obama:
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
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