Category Archives: computer technology

Book Covers and Fonts

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Like all forms of design, visual design is about problem solving…~ Bob Baxley

So, an author friend of mine is getting ready to have her next release published. Last week, she posted images of several cover designs that she is considering. I let my opinion be known only because she asked for some feedback and I understand the value of feedback with regard to publishing.

It got me to thinking of the cover design of my 2nd publication, Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul. I decided that it was time to make a change to the cover. I love the cover image but the font of the title has been problematic in a digital format. I didn’t foresee the kinds of problems I am having with it. For the title I had chosen a font that is in script. Esthetically it looked good with the cover image but it was not a good decision on my part because it is not very readable digitally.

So there has been a slight revision to the appearance of the e-book cover of Short Stories: Lessons in Heart & Soul. Here is a before and after.

Below – Initial Font Used in Title on Cover Design

Lessons of Heart V4 Cover

Below: Revised for Better Readability of Title in Small-form Digital Formats

V5 Cover revised font 4 15 15

You’ve gotta love e-books, it’s so easy to make changes. Download a new version of a cover or revised text and you are all set. Not much more than a click of a mouse and very little expense.

Chalk up this necessary revision to lessons learned in digital publishing! Since e-books are still undergoing tweeks in development I’m not the first to encounter this problem. Here is a good article about e-books and fonts. 

See you back here tomorrow. This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Love Indomitable Seniors

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“Spirit…has fifty times the strength and staying power of brawn and muscle.” ~ Unknown

On this Thirsty Thursday the topic is curious seniors who are opening themselves up to a whole new world of information by learning about computers.

In the documentary film, Cyber-Seniors, teens pair up with elderly people to teach them the most popular ways of communicating digitally, how to search the internet for information and about Facebook and You Tube. It open ups new avenues to explore and things to talk about with their grandchildren and family. As you will note, for most seniors the only challenges in using computers lies between their ears in their attitudes.

But, that’s no different than all of us, is it? No matter what stage of life we are in!

On this Thirsty Thursday, meet some Cyber-Seniors who are bridging the gap between generations and having a little fun doing it.

You’ll enjoy these one minute videos and the full length documentary is available here.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Are You Tweeting with Happiness?

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what-is-emotional-intelligenceA few weeks ago as I drove 388 miles south along I-25 between Denver, Colorado and Albuquerque, New Mexico I heard a story on National Public Radio’s (NPR) All Things Considered about human behavior and social media that peeked my interest. It was a timely delivery of a story because it gave me something to ponder in my boredom.

Did you know social scientists are studying the mood of the planet through individual’s activity on Twitter?

Rises and falls in biochemicals which affect circadian rhythms may have something to do with how we feel throughout the day. Scientists say by reading an individual’s tweets, they can follow people’s mood changes throughout the day. There is a rise in positive tweets first thing in the morning and then late at night .

If the research proves to be correct, pollers and marketers will find this information valuable – “as a great way to get a pulse of what’s going on in the country,” says Scott Golder at Cornell University. Golder and his colleagues look for positive and negative words used in the tweets such as “awesome, outgoing, pleasing” or negative kinds of feelings such as “afraid, fury or fear.”

Do you think reading people’s emotions through their activity on Twitter is constructive or destructive or just a time waster? In my opinion, also tracking seasonal differences in atttitudes would make the research more credible because seasonal affective disorder has very real symptoms.

I’d like to hear from you about the validity of a study about Twitter “tweets.” Post a comment.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Between Spaces and Relationships

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“Irish blessing – May the memories that you hold be your precious true pot of gold.” ~ Tom Baker

My dad was a custom home builder, as was my grandfather, my great grandfather and now my two brothers and my nephew.

When I came across these vintage home pictures from the 1950s and 1960s, they stirred nostalgic feelings of an era past. The images reminded me of all the times my Dad came home with a new set of blueprints, and unrolled them on the kitchen and dining room table and explained the layout of the different styles of houses to us kids. I was always interested in seeing them and tried to envision the houses when completely constructed.

I came to know what markings were used to show where the doors and windows would be placed and whether they’d swing in or out. Other sets of plans showed where the beams and the roof trusses ran, and kitchen layouts. It makes me happy that my Dad took time to explain all that, because now I have a basic understanding of what I am seeing when I  look at a set of building renderings.

Back when I was a child then there were no CAD (computer assisted designs) or drawings. Each set of blueprints were painstakingly hand sketched using drafting tools such as protractors, rulers, t-squares, tracing paper and more. Trying to make changes to features in rooms and design was so tedious.

The reason I am sharing this information today is because many baby boomers might find fulfillment in seeing these home designs of the 1950s and 1960s.You or a neighbor may have lived in a house just like them!

Enjoy, and do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow. We often dig into the archives and find things to talk about that stir fulfilling memories for other people. Whether your childhood was spent in a big home or a little home – what unites happy families are the relationships that exist between the spaces.

vintage house 4

 

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vintage house2vintage house1vintage house 7This blog brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For more information on her memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, please visit this link. http://amzn.to/1vFJw1u

Toys of Yesteryear

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“If you are yearning for the good ole days, just turn off the air conditioning.” ~ Griff  Niblack Nostalgia Quotes & Sayings (Being Nostalgic, Good Old Days, etc)

 

etch a sketch Where is your tech support person when you need him? Weeks ago my husband and I moved,and getting digital equipment reconnected is time consuming.

We are not so technologically challenged that we’d confuse an Etch-a- Sketch with an i-pad. But sometimes I think I’d rather return to the days  of the Etch-A-Sketch  since there are only two knobs and no wires or portal interfacing. Trying to connect some digital devices are challenging even though they are reportedly “user friendly.”

I remember when the Etch a Sketch came on the market in the early 1960s – it immediately went to the top of my Christmas list, and Santa fulfilled my wishes. The Etch-a- Sketch was our traveling companion. It  kept us kids entertained and from fighting on road trips.

car trip toyThe other toy that was a saving grace in the car were these number puzzles. Remember them? We also had a larger one with a U.S. Map on it that you had to unscramble- that was very challenging.

It’s fun to look back on old toys from my childhood. Some of them make me wonder if kids today would even know what they are or take interest in them. If you are from the baby boomer generation, what was your favorite plaything that you wish you could still locate today? Search, you might find it here http://www.vermontcountrystore.com.

computer as a kid

 See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of “Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.”Sue’s memoir

 

Roads toward Building Community

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Tomorrow it’s time to head to Denver for Saturday’s monthly CIPA meeting (aka Colorado Independent Publishers Association). This month’s educational focus will be on social media marketing – attendance should be high. There are so many authors and publishers who want to know more about selling and marketing books effectively over the internet. I will be heading up a roundtable discussion on Taking Facebook to the Next Level, beyond the basics of using Facebook to promote independent publications on the world-wide-web. I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge.

I’ve got my work cut out for me on the three hour drive from where I live to Denver. I will be listening to my own audio book recording of “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.” The recording has been edited but I’ve not had the chance to listen from beginning to end for any glitches.

helping othersThis is a good time to give a shout out to ColoradoMountainCollege student, Bryan Dow,  who was so helpful to me throughout the recording process. He edited my audio recording quicker than I could have ever expected. It was his first job at editing an audio book, but he has a wealth of experience with the program. Among his already deep curriculum vitae “c.v.” is the title” musician” so uses the software frequently. I enjoyed getting to know this college student a little bit. Someday I hope he tells his own story through an independently published book, film or music or perhaps a multi-media publication. He is working on a fascinating project, while trying to balance a busy schedule of work, study and building a future for himself.

It’s a wonderful thing to have people in this world who are whizzes with technology and can do great things with their hands, creativity and intellectual talents. Thanks again, Bryan, for lending me a hand, and helping me with the production of my audio book (in MP-3 format) “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.” You are a person who can help build community in many different ways with your diverse talents. I am glad our paths crossed.

See you back here on All Things Fulfilling on Monday! This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

e-Book Extravaganza

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Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. ~ Kofi Annan

cipa logoOn Saturday I made the very worthwhile three hour trek into Denver from Steamboat Springs, Colorado to attend Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) monthly meeting. The September agenda was an e-Book Extravaganza. Here are just a few things that were discussed throughout the day:

  • The e-book industry now represents 33% of book sales. How about that?
  • People like having a choice of formats, so offering books in print, as well as an e-book version is wise marketing.
  • There is still a viable market for books-in-print but there is a certain part of the reading population who are clamoring for e-books due to their convenience.
  • Surprisingly, people who are 55 years of age and over ARE BUYING e-books, contrary to what was expected. It is not just the young generation that are interested in the digital format.
  • We discussed pricing of e-books and how you can leverage your intellectual property.
  • E-books make it easy to offer samples, providing potential book buyers the  opportunity to see if they like an author they’ve never read before.
  • A big advantage to e-books – there is no printing involved, thus it removes the need for physical space of inventory.

If you are a writer who wants to get on The Fast Track to Independent Publishing, here is a short webinar that will introduce you to the basics. http://bit.ly/10cCp1Y. 

Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, we will be discussing the next best step if you are a person who is considering independent publishing and you are in need of knowledge. I will tell you a quick but valuable story from this weekend.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com .

 

RMPBS StoryMakers Contest

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“Encourage your kids because you have no idea what they are truly capable of.”
~ Unknown

Parents, it’s that time of year. Author and radio personality Dom Testa is beginning to appear on Rocky Mountain PBS to announce this years StoryMakers contest for children. This year things will be a little different. Aspiring writers in grades 6, 7 and 8 are asked to submit their narratives digitally, rather than on paper.

And remember, as usual, there is no entry fee.   Submit your child’s 700 to 1,000 word short story by October 11, 2013 so they can compete in this wonderful chance to become an award-winning author. Three winners and five runners up, in each grade, will have their narratives published on the PBS website. The lucky finalists will be entitled to attend a storytelling workshop and take a tour of the PBS television studios. Kindle Fires are among the prizes awarded. On January 4, 2014, the top contenders will meet and have lunch with radio personality, and founder of the Big Brain Club, Mr. Dom Testa. http://www.bigbrainclub.com/

Storymakers%20260If your child hasn’t started writing, encourage them. Have them sharpen their pencil or turn on the computer today and get going. There is still about six weeks left – enough time to craft an original tale to be proud of!

Where does your student submit their story? Go this link, and don’t forget to read and follow the contest rules. They are important. http://www.rmpbs.org/storymakers/.

Your student can’t win if you they don’t submit and participate!

All Things Fulfilling is brought to you by http://www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Film Friday: Comeback of an Era

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“Any good comeback needs true believers.”  ~ Unknown

drive-in-movie-theaterDo you remember going to the drive-in movies? I love looking back at those nostalgic times of going to the movies with my parents in my pajamas, car packed with snacks, and watching the big screen outdoors, with excitement, till I finally fell asleep in the back seat of the station wagon.

Most drive-in theatres have been demolished. There are only 355 left nationwide according to Las Vegas-based Drive-ins.com, which tracks the industry. In the State of Michigan there has been a resurgence of drive-in theatres. Think about it – with jumbotron screens, like those you see in sports arenas, at concerts, and in Times Square, reviving outdoor movie viewing may make sense in more ways in one!

Reliving a bygone era makes for a fun bonding experience with family and friends. Using land that has been sitting vacant, for drive-in theatres, must be cheaper than building behemoth buildings to house cinemas. Downside is the short season for outdoor movie viewing in some climates.

Zhivago2Imagine watching Dr. Zhivago with snow falling all around you (the real thing) as you watch the ZhivagoDVDmovie!

Interested in rewatching an old classic, Dr. Zhivago? Click for info & ordering

That would be a unique experience. Perhaps there is an untapped niche of people, like the “polar bear club” who would find going to drive-in movies year round fulfilling. Social networking groups, enthusiasts who appreciate the art of the drive-in movie experience, in all conditions, might be the next big thing to spring up. You never know in this creative and interesting economy, perhaps we shouldn’t put drive-in movies in the museum of dying giants yet! http://bit.ly/12GKFTK .

When was the last time you went to a drive-in movie? In Michigan there are people who might answer that question, “very recently.” To read about the comeback of drive-in theatres in Michigan, visit this link. http://on.lsj.com/13QDldB.

Come back on Monday to All Things Fulfilling, the space for independent thoughts, words and views from CFS (www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com). For information on author Sue Batton Leonard, Click for info on her memoir

Film Friday: Time Travel Movies

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Once confined to fantasy and science fiction, time travel is now simply an engineering problem. ~ Kaku Michio, Wired Magazine, Aug. 2003

time-machinePeople who have lived 100 years or more have seen vast changes in culture over the course of their life times. I have witnessed, in merely a half  century, so many developments in technology. Over the course of about 125 years, moviemaking has gone through huge transformations from the silent movie era to a time when many visual effects are less often created by man-made stunts.

And imagine it, audio sounds are even created digitally through the use of computer technology. This has allowed for unbelievable creativity; providing the ability to pull things off visually that would be too unsafe, too expensive or not logistically possible otherwise.

Sometimes I feel as if I am living in a world that is alien. Because my livelihood depends upon it, I attempt as best as I can to keep up with new advancements in digital technology. Time travel movies help me realize that although sometimes this world seems to change at too rapid a pace and it is strangely different from the times of my youth, we have yet to go through truly apocalyptic times. That ‘s reassuring.

Feel like taking a trip this weekend to a different time and place? www.totalfilm.com has featured 50 of the best time travel movies on their website. http://bit.ly/12G7DKw .

Take in one of these movies. I’m warning you. Nostalgic feelings may set in when you read the titles of some of the films and you will probably see difference in the way visual effects are produced in this day and age, also. Remember Planet of the Apes from 1968? http://bit.ly/ViZw6F. To rewatch this old movie Click here for info and ordering

For more information on Michio Kaku, mentioned in the Wired Magazine quote, Click for info on his publications

Return on Monday to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.