Saturday, July 30, 2011
Bye Bye Blogger Blog
This blog is now defunct. G+ has taken over. All future blog posts will appear on G+. You can find me here.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Play 'As' For Norway.
On September 12, 2001, my dog Maddy refused to leave my side. She knew something was up. Something awful. Instead of merely whining as I shut the garage door, she hurled herself at it. Had she been a dog smaller than the Rottweiler she was, I might have just left her there. But, I wanted to keep my garage door intact so along she came.
It wasn't the terrible things that happened in New York and other parts of the world that day that concerned my dear Maddy. It was the effect of those things on me. She knew I was troubled. She was right. I felt ill. I felt disgusted with mankind, yet oddly proud of them at the same time. The horrors we are capable of inflicting upon ourselves appalled me. The strength we show in the face of those horrors filled me with pride.
I feel the same way now. My beloved Maddy isn't with me any longer. She died several months ago and I still think of her every day. Now, my wife, my daughters and another four-legged friend Cassie fill my life with warmth and love. I consider myself one lucky bastard to have them around, especially at times like these when I need them to ward off the despair I feel when I look at the news.
What has happened in Norway this past day is beyond the scope of a reasonable mind to comprehend. I cannot put into words the complete repugnance I feel. I can only think of the wonderful people there and beyond who must now live on past this horror. It's a strange mix of worry, grief and pride I feel for them.
As I do, a song plays in my head. 'As' by Stevie Wonder is primarily a love song but it also sends us all a message that there is hope for a better world for those who will survive us.
Play it now. Play it loud. Sing along and dance (hopefully you'll do both better than I) and remind yourself that terrible things like the events in Norway give us a chance and inspiration to prevent their repetition.
It wasn't the terrible things that happened in New York and other parts of the world that day that concerned my dear Maddy. It was the effect of those things on me. She knew I was troubled. She was right. I felt ill. I felt disgusted with mankind, yet oddly proud of them at the same time. The horrors we are capable of inflicting upon ourselves appalled me. The strength we show in the face of those horrors filled me with pride.
I feel the same way now. My beloved Maddy isn't with me any longer. She died several months ago and I still think of her every day. Now, my wife, my daughters and another four-legged friend Cassie fill my life with warmth and love. I consider myself one lucky bastard to have them around, especially at times like these when I need them to ward off the despair I feel when I look at the news.
What has happened in Norway this past day is beyond the scope of a reasonable mind to comprehend. I cannot put into words the complete repugnance I feel. I can only think of the wonderful people there and beyond who must now live on past this horror. It's a strange mix of worry, grief and pride I feel for them.
As I do, a song plays in my head. 'As' by Stevie Wonder is primarily a love song but it also sends us all a message that there is hope for a better world for those who will survive us.
Play it now. Play it loud. Sing along and dance (hopefully you'll do both better than I) and remind yourself that terrible things like the events in Norway give us a chance and inspiration to prevent their repetition.
Amazon, Smashwords, The Big Freebie Fight And Me.
Here's something I've just discovered. We all know Amazon can and does discount Kindle ebooks to pricematch other retailers. Even right on down to $0.00. It happened to me with The Department and at first I was a bit 'Huh? WTF, Amazon?' until it got listed as a freebie and downloads went through the roof.
So I thought well, here's a good idea; I'll just make my next ebook Run Ronny Run! free on Smashwords, let Amazon pricematch it and then the same thing will happen. And did it? Nup. So, I emailed Amazon and asked why. The first response was just a cut 'n paste of their policy which didn't really answer my question 'How can I get my book discounted to $0.00?'
So, I asked again.
Their response was:
Bugger.
So, what shall I do? Well, since I'm not getting diddly for the freebies I'm putting out, I needn't worry about Smashwords taking their 6%. Next ebook I put out (should be in a couple of weeks) will also be free, but it'll go through Smashwords and Amazon can go hang. Eventually, Smashwords will list it on Amazon and it'll be free the way I want to be.
So I thought well, here's a good idea; I'll just make my next ebook Run Ronny Run! free on Smashwords, let Amazon pricematch it and then the same thing will happen. And did it? Nup. So, I emailed Amazon and asked why. The first response was just a cut 'n paste of their policy which didn't really answer my question 'How can I get my book discounted to $0.00?'
So, I asked again.
Their response was:
"At this time, we'll not be able to guarantee you that if your books are offered for free on other websites/sales channels, Amazon.com will also offer it for $0. Please note that our decision to price match are based on various factors, which cannot be disclosed. Further, we realize that offering free books will certainly help promote your books, but at this time, as you might already be aware of, you'll not be able to select $0 price for your Kindle book."
So, what shall I do? Well, since I'm not getting diddly for the freebies I'm putting out, I needn't worry about Smashwords taking their 6%. Next ebook I put out (should be in a couple of weeks) will also be free, but it'll go through Smashwords and Amazon can go hang. Eventually, Smashwords will list it on Amazon and it'll be free the way I want to be.
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