Promotion...

A good friend of mine, Tracy Verdugo) will be publishing her first book next year. It's based on her art classes and the techniques that she uses.
This is her specialty and she has created opportunities all over the world for her art classes - the book is a natural extension of that.
For promotion Tracy has used Social Media to it's full power - she is on her various pages on Facebook (her personal page has reached capacity at 5,000 friends and her business page is at 2,500). She is real, approachable and connects with all her friends and fans - from this she has been able to run her classes all over Australia and USA.
She has now started her campaign for her book - with preorders open (Fishpond for Australian shoppers or Amazon) already she has been able to create a buzz from her fans and gain sales.
This got me thinking about how to best promote something in this new world - this smaller world within the internet and how individuals have been able to create niches and opportunity.
I work with marketing and media however I have always been promoting something an entity bigger than an individual - mostly with the budget of an individual, however at least something that was already in the mind of the public.
I've been heavily involved in mass marketing bus, train visuals, TV commercials (with great success - see video below), online display and search advertising and print. I've managed online social media staff across several platforms and linked with major statewide and national brands. Yet always it's been a product or a place - never a personality. I've tried to use personality but it is hard to do within a corporate environment.


However I see the benefit of a more personal approach to marketing - especially in the realm of selling something that person owns or has created.
It's not something limited to the small time or the novice either - Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer are some of the bigger names out there promoting their work - I would not have known about Neil Dr Who short story if he had not tweeted it.
John Scalzi has created a suite of opportunities for his work, from books to his involvement in TV Shows and Computer Games.
Wil Wheaton sold his book Happiest Days of Our Lives from his website (hell he and his wife spent a weekend or more packing and posting them out... I know I got one). In fact most of the people I read or listen to I follow, like or read about via the internet and various forms of Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and such).
It's also not limited to the "official" pages either. The best news about The Cure is Chain of Flowers a fan channel who post songs as they are played in gigs around the world - or link to tips and bits of news.
What's common about all these things? What is it that makes them great and makes so many people follow, like or be part of them?
I looked at Charlie McDonnell - first UK You Tube account to hit 1 million subscribers and now sits at over 2 million. How did a teenage boy from Bath, England gain so many to follow and like him? It's simple - it's what Tracy does. He has been himself, warts and all, he connects not because he is a salesman or trying to be whatever is the latest fad or do whatever (think Justin Beiber here - he is a product first a person second...) This has become his job - his career. He also plays music and has commenced writing and producing short films (check out his Tea Chronicles) with a feature film in the pipeline.
So if you are looking to create an opportunity for promotion via the digital world the only advice I can see and I can give - is be yourself and let your work sell itself via you...
I also think that you need to create content and be online as much as possible - allow people to see you - post pictures and links to things you like - cross link all your bits of Social self to a central place that has the real information especially the link to how they can buy your stuff... Don't be a salesman but be someone that people want to buy from.
Handy links for those who need them...
Hugh Howey on why he favors self-publishing
Adventures in self-publishing: Why I took a year's work and tried my hardest to give it away
Self Promotion
Take Control with Independent Publishing

Bullies, #StopBullying

Wil Wheaton has this great blog post over on Wil Wheaton dot Net - check it out... read it then come back here...

It was a well timed post from Wil as today I witnessed some bullying in the playground as my daughter and a friends child were playing. Although not physical bullying and it was stopped thankfully by the mother of the bully it did raise the question of when I, as a parent, need to step in and how do I make my children strong and safe (there is a difference between them and I don't believe that it is ALL up to my child to defend themselves from bullies or me.

I'll set the scene - not as an excuse but to allow you, dear reader, the opportunity to understand this particular situation better.

We (my wife A, K 3 yr old and T 10 wk old, both girls) met with a friend (Pt) and his 3 kids (R 5 yr old girl, B 3 yr old boy, and P 1+ yr old girl) at the museum for a fun day out (and it was).

B is a vibrant and funny lad who K loves to play with and they get along like a house on fire. R is great with them and when together the 3 of them just do there own thing looking after each other and having a great time. As parents we all love this - we can watch them and of course monitor them while not needing to be hovering or controlling. Fantastic.

B (and indeed his siblings) have grown up without the typical gender roles - he has long hair and more often than not wears a dress or like today a smock style over shirt and trousers. It's his thing, he likes it and who the hell cares!

Unfortunately this makes him a target and in the cause of my daughter, upsets the general gender ideas. After the first play-date (since they were under 1) K kept referring to B as a girl (correcting us by saying "no, he's a girl!"). She has since worked out that wearing dresses and having long hair does not make you a girl and accepts B for what he is... besides he rocks a skirt like nobodies business.

So after lunch as the kids were playing on a playground Pt took P and R to the toilets and left B and K (and us watching) to play. Two boys slightly older than our two started talking to them and A and I over heard the familiar, "you're not a boy" in reference to B. At first we thought it was K getting confused again but as we watched more closely and listened we realised it was one of the two boys. B said something back to them and they commented about his hair and clothes and B was noticeably getting upset (angry). K said something as well and I was getting ready to head over and say a word or two when the boys mother (guardian?) walked up and told them it was time to leave.

They walked past us on the way out and she was telling them off saying something like it doesn't matter what other kids wear it was rude to say nasty things (one of the boys piped up as well agreeing with the mother figure).

That made me happy, I didn't have to be this defending father over-stepping the line, the mother took responsibility, but what made me (and A) happy was the reaction from B and K.

They walked off as the mother took the boys away, as they came around the play equipment they were mirror-images of defiance. Arms crossed in solidarity they marched up to the ladder daring any other kids to say anything - stern looks on their faces, united! They stood up to the boys and afterwards made an almost victory march around the play ground to show off their combined strength.

That made me proud of K for standing tall when another is being bullied and of B for fighting back and not letting them tell him how to be.

A and I (and indeed Pt and his wife) intend to bring our kids up with the sense of  self worth to be able to weather these storms but also with the decency to stand up for others and their beliefs.

Wil Wheaton is right - parents, schools, teachers, neighbours, friends and society need to #StopBullying but it is also nice to see kids sorting out some of the minor infractions and being strong enough to defend and maybe by doing that change the course of history.

I remember being bullied and thankfully it didn't last, I had good friends and more important things to do, but not so for many others. I often think about one boy who, in high school, ran away from  home and ended up on the street selling his body. I never knew what happened to him and as I write this I think about what I could have done to help him more. True there was more than bullying in his life (broken family and not fitting in with either parent) but it must have impacted on him. Could I have done something - did I bully him in anyway myself? All lost to history and the past. I only know I can make a difference and while I may not have stood up then I sure intend to now and I will make sure my daughters have every opportunity to do so as well.

Jazzmaster Guitar Project

I have talked about this project on Twitter and Facebook but I really need to put it down in a central place. Oh wait yeah I have a Blog for that...

So anyway to bring you up to speed aside from learning to play a song all the way through... (Achieved here) I have also been playing with building a Guitar.

I have dabbled with re-wiring my old Peavey (Strat clone) which while I got sound to come back out of it... I now only have 1 pickup working and that goes straight to a Volume control (no tone and two useless pickups in the guitar) - but it makes noise and that was all I needed!

My good friend Les has been more productive and had a body lying around not doing anything so he gave it and some very nice pickups to me... This was the beginning of the Jazzmaster project.

With a standard JM pickguard - which I wasn't going to use...

I didn't want the traditional JM layout so I went for two P-90's a three-way switch, single tone and volume.

This was to choose silver or black knobs - nothing had been fixed at this stage also I hadn't got the three-way switch

I liked the contrast of the black jack cover, knobs (I went for black) and pick guard against the chrome pup plate and other fittings. with the blue burst it all seemed to work.  The neck was a lovely piece of birdseye maple with a beautiful top that has such wonderful contrasting colours and shades...

Birdseye Maple is a lovely wood (same wood used in my drum kit)

The neck is lovely both to look at and touch - can't wait to play it!

As mentioned above I am not that confident with soldering and in the end I was prepared to pay someone to do it for me. When, right out of the blue, a mate at work tells me he has heaps of guitars and has built and repaired more that a few and sure he can solder the JM up for me.

So a VERY big thanks to Brett!

All parts added - still need to finish the neck with some tuners and bits so I can string it up but the body work is done! (oh and some strap buttons)

Shiny... also flash flares (sorry) but you get the idea!

All in all I am very happy with this Guitar and the way it all came together - while I didn't end up trusting myself to do the electronics I did start and I planned it all out so that was good and while I still have a few things left these shouldn't be too hard and then I can do the set up and start playing this baby!

A few weeks with a Surface Pro

So I needed an upgrade for my work PC and Laptop, I wanted something that would give me power, flexibility and be lightweight to take with me when out of the office.

There were a few options open to me and our IT Department took me through the usual suspects they had in the system - basically a laptop with dock all of which where heavier than I was really after - also I already had a laptop and desktop I just wanted one device! On device to rule them all!!!!

OK let me get this straight up front, yes I could have just gone with the normal procedure and got a laptop - a Dell Inspiron or similar and yes it would have been fairly light and as powerful as the Surface Pro - but really why settle for just the usual when there are so many new options available, and on top of all that work was looking for a guinea pig to try the tablet hybrid world!

Firstly as a tablet/laptop hybrid

As you can see from this first image the screen gets a little messy with finger prints and such however as you will see it really doesn't matter as when on as you really can't see the finger marks when it is working - and yes I am working with it so it's going to get finger marks - it's a touch screen!

Finger marked

Once turned on they seen to disappear

One note - this is a work machine so it is covered in work ID stickers - I have blurred them out - not that they mean anything outside the IT inventory but hey I guess I should be good and not show them off to the world!

We got the Type Cover, which is the more keyboard like cover with mouse touch pad and the usual keys that you would find in a laptop - this cover basically turns the Surface Pro into a 10 inch laptop and I don't have too much trouble typing in it - even with my big hands. The keyboard are sold separately to the device and they are essential to the unit - without the keyboard this is an expensive tablet (MicroSoft please just bundle them together!!!)

I needed one hand to take the picture (where are my Google Glasses?) but you get the idea I have easily type two handed on this thing!

Alternatively you can use the on screen keyboard or the script to text using the pen/stylus (more on that later)

Both work OK for times you are without the Type Cover (or in full tablet mode) - not something I'm likely to do for long stretches but useful at times.

I found this very similar to the iPad keyboard - only downfall is screen area is greatly reduced

I was VERY impressed with the script to text function and the pen is easy to use - even has an eraser!

The Look and Specs

Microsoft call it a Dark Titanium colour... and who am I to argue? It certainly looks the part of a futurist piece of computer hardware - it feels solid and has enough weight to it so you are reminded that this is an expensive and solid device.

From the spec sheet on MS.com it's packed with a 3rd Gen i5, Intel HD Graphics 4000, 4 GB Ram, 128 GB SSD HDD, 10.6" ClearType Full HD Display 10-point multi-touch, two 720p HD LifeCams (front and rear), Microphone, Stereo speakers, USB 3.0, mirco SDXC car slot, Heasset Jack, Mini Display Port, Cover Port.... and more - see it all here 

Basically it is a powerful little machine for something under a kilogram

Dark Titanium Colour (or black as I called it!) the rear camera is angled so that when sitting open with the kick stand it still points straight ahead - neat addition...

Here you can see the USB 3.0, volume and headphone jack

The microSDXC card slot, power and Mini Display Port - the power uses magnet to hold the lead in which also serves as a place to put the pen... which means I had better get some extra pens for when it falls off...

Pen in place....

And all set up ready to go...

 I have yet to use the mini Display Port - work are getting me a lead to use the in house projectors etc... in the mean time I had to borrow a laptop at the last presentation - kinda defeats the purpose of the all in one machine but we are working out the bugs...

Work Use

So I got this thing for work - but what do I do and what do I need it to do...?

Well the Microsoft Office suite for starters! We use the usual suspects, Word, Excel, PowerPoint,Outlook, Project etc and they all work really well. What I have found to be the MOST useful is OneNote.

Here is a program that I had not used previously which I find myself using all the time. Print PDFs to OneNote and suddenly I really can be paperless at meetings - using the pen or Type Cover I can make notes straight to the PDF. Create historical documents for all my various meetings and programs in one place and with my handwriting!!!

The stylus/pen makes all this possible and the power of the software that seems to be learning my handwriting and adjusting - script to text in OneNote and the native Surface (Windows 8??) is brilliant - so much better than I expected!

 Desk Setup

This is the real power of this device. When I am at my desk there is NOTHING different from using a normal desktop machine - I sit down to two 19" monitors, a normal sized keyboard, mouse and just get to work. Currently I have set up with only the two monitors, once more programs become available through Windows Store I might change to use the Surface Pro as a third monitor for things like Social Media or news but for now this is the perfect setup.

We have gone with the Toshiba Dynadock USB 3.0, this provides me with MORE than enough features and is powered by one USB from the Surface.

The DynaDock is a versatile little unit - perfect for most office or home uses where you want to take your device with you and use it as a desktop machine... Yes I need to tidy up the cables... I'm still not certain this is the 'right' position for it..

I can use the Surface as a third monitor at the moment I don't but I might when there are more Windows 8 touch capable apps that meet my work needs

As a desktop unit nothing has changed and it looks just like any other desk at work... 

Downside

Because with everything there is a downside.

My one big thing screen resolution.

At under 11" the Surface is small - I already have glasses and I don't want to be bent over in front of a tiny screen when working away from my desk. In that case when using the Surface and a Tablet/Laptop I upscale 150% size (it's simple to do and has three levels of preset 100%, 125% and 150%).

However to change resolution you need to log-out, maybe this is due to the security that we have at work, (log-in is something that we just do all the time to our machines and phones) but if I want to jump out to a quick meeting I have to adjust screen and log-out - losing all my open work, files and webpages only to do that in reverse when I come back to my desk...

Maybe I have this wrong but I would say that is my one big gripe at this early stage...

Conclusion

I would have to say that for me and many in my position this is a perfect device for work - for the moment it does everything I need it to and as Windows 8 develops with more "metro" apps the true potential will shine. For the average desk jockey this has no advantage over a desktop machine but for someone in my position who if often in and out at meetings being able to simply unplug and go bringing everything with me it is perfect.

4/5

Eclectic Readers Challenge 2013

As I enjoyed the challenge of the Eclectic Readers Challenge for 2012 I thought I should give the 2013 Challenge a go as well. Book'd Out has a great variety for this year so that should keep me on my toes... It is very different and has a lot of different styles of books to those that I would normally read - but hey lets give it a good ole try!

So check back here and see how I am going!

Categories

1. Translated Fiction - Umberto Eco - The Name of the Rose or Koushun Takami - Battle Royale TBR

2. Historical Mystery - Ellis Peters - one of the Brother Cadfael Mysteries TBR

3. Romantic Suspence - Nora Roberts - Sea Swept TBR

4. Made Into A Movie - Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange TBR

5. New Adult - ?

6. Urban Fantasy - Patricia Briggs - Moon Called or Susanna Clarke - Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell TBR

7. Dystopian - Aldous Huxley - Brave New World TBR

8. Memoir - ?

9. LGBT - Poppy Brite - Liquor TBR

10. Action Adventure - 

11. Humour - Terry Pratchett - a new one!!!

12. Published in 2013 - ?

Ready Player One, Ernest Cline - Review

Ready Player One

This is the final in my Eclectic Readers Challenge for 2012, and as a last hurrah it is your favourite genre time...

I went for Science Fiction (this could also be classed as Young Adult and I think it easily could be both) as this is a genre I go back to an awful lot when choosing books to read. I had also heard alot about Ready Player One and I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about.

Ready Player One is set in 2044 and the real world is not a nice place to be. High level of unemployment, slums and desperate people trying to live out an existence. However, there is a good side to this world the Virtual World that almost everyone is part of and lives in OASIS. Designed by James Halliday (who I'm not sure is based on but it could be a Bill Gates or Steve Jobs cast from a different mold) OASIS is everything and nothing. Children go to school via OASIS only virtually meeting their classmates but school here is free and obtainable by anyone - all you need to do is jack in to the school world (for free) and you have the same chances and abilities and everyone else.

Most of the rest of OASIS is monatised to some degree i.e. to transport to different worlds you need virtual money (fully exchangeable with real world money).

The protagonist Wade Watts is from the poor end of town, with no parents being cared for by a disinterested Aunt his escape and only chance at a real life is through OASIS and his one passion is to win the prize setup by Halliday before his death. The prize is all his fortune and control of OASIS and all the questions, clues and challenges are deeply routed in Halliday's obsession with the 1980's. 

This sets the tone of the book, it is an adventure set in the virtual world of OASIS against the real world bad guys out to seek control of OASIS. Can Wade and his friends win through and who will find the final clue to open the last gate and win the prize.

Not only is this book a great adventure story set in a fantastic future it is a great ride down memory lane into the pop culture of the 1980's. John Hughes films, arcade games and many many other references bring this world and story to life.

The writing is fairly basic (hence why I think it sits defiantly in the Young Adult genre) it still is a great read especially as a child of the 80's (born in the 70's, grew up in the 80's started drinking in the 90's...)

I would recommended this book.

4/5

Suede - Dog Man Star, 1994

1994 was a significant year for me. I had finished high school the previous year, moved out of home, enrolled in the University of Canberra in an Environmental Science degree (never finished), met a bunch of new friends - forged some better relationships with old friends and generally started on the journey of adulthood. But that year also saw me form some of the foundations of the things that interest me and made me... well me.

Science Fiction: through watching marathon sessions of Star Trek the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and meeting some other fans and devotees (I wasn't the only one and I wasn't strange or weird)

Education: Sure I never finished my first degree but I learnt that this was a world I wanted to return to at some point... and I did and still do now and then...

Music: Collecting (buying) new CD's, Mix Tapes from a very good mate, hanging out with bands as a very cheap roadie and mostly listening to it for "hours and hours"

One album that really defines 1994 to me is Suede's Dog Man Star

I had heard some of the tracks from there initial self titled album Suede and enjoyed them. However, for me Dog Man Star will be my first Suede album and the songs are embedded in my mind as quintessential Suede. Which is quite strange as this album is probably not as raw as Suede and saw the departure of Bernard Bulter - who I still associate with that Suede sound (even though they have produced a hell of a lot more songs since Bernard left then before it still IS the sound of the first two albums) that captures (to me) the original spark that mark them as one of my top bands.

I suppose I haven't really thought too much about Suede and the music and sound and feeling of 1994 for a long time. Then a friend posted a link to an article by Brett Anderson (singer/songwriter and main man of Suede) all about Dog Man Star and his thoughts on each of the tracks. 

Reading Brett's thoughts on the album and each track both brought back the memories of that time and place for me and the realisation of what a completely brilliant album this was and is. 

I remember the rough concrete ceiling of my room in ressies, the cell like den where I could put on Dog Man Star plug in my head phones and drift off into Brett's world of speeding cars, the streets of London and observations of life mixed in with the piano and guitar riffs that add gentle touches of beauty. I remember walking through the Uni grounds as one of the New Generation searching for my place in the world.

I would lay on my bed starring up at the beer bottle lids I had pressed into the roof in the shape of my favourite things Star Trek, The Cure, The Wall and Suede. Drifting off to a world where all my wishes and dreams came true. The room where I discovered more about sex then anywhere else, where I drank, ate and experimented with drugs. The place where I became a young man and left my boyhood behind.

Some of my best memories around this time are through music and friendship (both near and far) girl friends and mates, lovers and drinkers and getting letters and parcels from Zles...

Zles - a friend from early high school days, a musical partner (both playing and sharing), joined (in a state of what can only be described as insanity) the Navy and moved to Melbourne for training. We started letter writing to help each other stay sane in our journey into the world, swapping stories, dreams and music (through mixtapes) and many practical jokes and tom foolery.

I remember walking to class, via the mail room, with a very Christian classmate. I collected a fat envelope from Zles, imagining the usual 20-30 page letter and eager to see what would await me later in the day when I could grab a cold beer, quiet space and plug myself in for the read I opened the letter. Peering in I noticed something strange between the pages, not quiet knowing what it was I pulled it out. A soiled condom! 

My classmate gasped and I shoved the offending item back into the envelope and muttered something about a crazy mate and shoved the letter into my backpack hurrying to class saying no more on the matter.

When I did finally get to read the letter (and on the last page I might add) Zles told me the condom was filled with shaving cream and put in as a joke... well at least that's what I will believe to this day!

Music was important to me before 1994 and it remains long after, but this was the year I went to bars with  bands, I hung out at rehearsals and real band members asked me what I thought of this or that song. This was the year I had to go on stage - mid song - and hold the lead singer/guitarists mic stand together (after he broke it) so he could play the lead break and pound out the last few notes of the final song. The year I watched the Far Gone Beauties with Bronwyn Bishop (yes that one) at the Uni Bar. The year I wrote most of my lyrics in a dark room with a multitude of new and old music pounding in my ears, a sweet drop of liquor on my lips and dodgy ball point in my hand.

1994 was a good year, thanks for the memories Brett and co...

Dog Man Star has played constantly in my ears while I wrote this dredging up the memories and visions from some many years ago - 18 to 36, twice a life-time and so much more and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am what I am because of years like 1994.

This still life is all I ever do
There by the window quietly killed for you
In the glass house my insect life
Crawling the walls under electric lights
I'll go into the night into the night
She and I into the night

Is this still life all I'm good for too?
There by the window quietly killed for you
And they drive by like insects do
They think they don't know me
They hired a car for you

To go into the night, into the night
She and I into the night

And this still life is all I ever do
There by the window quietly killed for you
And this still life is all I ever do
But it's still, still life
But it's still, still life
But it's still, still life