A.C. Flory's Blog, page 100
September 7, 2017
How to vacuum your desktop…safely!
[image error]I wish you could have heard my desktop computer an hour ago. It was making a nasty wheezing noise that did not bode well at all. Now, it’s humming with the soft, barely-there sound you’d expect from a brand new pc! And yes, I did vacuum it. Read on to find out if I’m crazy or not. 
September 5, 2017
Dear Mr Turnbull – India is leaving us behind
Originally posted on Climate Denial Crock of the Week: India charging ahead on renewables. Vying with China for global leadership in the growth industry of the new century. Meanwhile, Washington looks longingly to the 19th century. Watch for new video on this topic coming very soon. Meanwhile, Denmark has decided to offload oil interests, and…
India is surging ahead with renewables because the India government recognizes that renewables will be cheaper in the long run than fossil fuels. China is doing the same, and both countries are positioned to become the power houses of industry in the coming decades.
But where does that leave Australia? Fumbling in the dark, that’s where. We could have become world leaders in solar technology, but the lack of political vision and will sent our innovative companies offshore, and now we import the technology from…China.
All that potential, wasted, because our politicians are ‘scared’ of upsetting the apple cart. So instead of leading, we follow, and in the process, we get left further and further behind.
Ten years ago, the Australia people voted with their wallets when they installed record numbers of rooftop solar panels. But instead of rewarding us, successive governments have tried to slow or stop small scale solar altogether.
And then there’s Adani…taxpayer dollars to fund the hope of short term gain. Pathetic.
Meeks
Filed under: My soap box, Uncategorized Tagged: Australia, China, climate-change, India, Malcolm Turnbull, politics, renewable, rooftop, solar-panels, technology, wind
September 2, 2017
UBI – Universal Basic Income
The difference between a social welfare handout and a universal basic income is that the former is seen as a handout to the hopeless while the latter is an acknowledgement that the jobs provided by the industrial revolution are fast disappearing. And they’re not coming back.
https://futurism.com/new-report-claims-ubi-would-grow-the-u-s-economy-by-2-5-trillion/
The interesting thing about this article from Futurism is that it suggests a UBI might actually be good for the economy itself, not just for the people displaced by technology.
As a recipient of social welfare myself, I believe that the jobs of the future will be small scale and entrepreneurial. People will provide services to each other based on a local need. In a way, this is exactly what companies like AirBnB and Uber are already doing. In twenty years time though, social media may allow me to request a homemade cake for my birthday and have it baked and delivered by my neighbour down the road.
Such micro-transations could add up to trillions of dollars if everyone did it. But everyone can’t do it [now] because of two things:
lots of red tape associated with being a small trader,
and a social welfare system that is punitive rather than supportive
I can’t see a UBI being introduced any time soon because the political mindset is simply not there. Politicians have to stop thinking of their citizens as a drain on the government purse before any true change can occur. But at least the idea is gaining ground, if slowly.
cheers
Meeks
Filed under: My soap box Tagged: automation, cottage-industry, future, Futurism, government, jobs, social-welfare, technology, UBI
August 29, 2017
Printing Resources for Melbourne Indie Authors
[image error]My thanks to Michelle Lovi, David Prosser, and Suzanne Newnham for all the wonderful information they shared with me. Armed with this information, I went researching and found some resources that may be of use to others as well.
The following are by no means all the POD printers there are in Melbourne, but they are the ones that seemed to provide the best match to my needs.
In order of discovery:
Bookpod
http://www.bookpod.com.au/book_printing.html
This printer is based in Melbourne and requires a minimum 10 books.
Print on Demand
http://www.printondemand.net.au/content/books-manuals-reports-training-materials
This printer is based in South Melbourne. No info. on costs or shipping.
Blurb Australia?
This company rang a bell, but when I investigated further, I discovered that you have to use their own proprietary software and fonts. And they only seem to offer one trim size : 6 x 9
Shipping – Express only. Cost in AUD 14.99 [that was for shipping only; no idea what the print costs would be on top of that].
The shipping cost is pretty much the same as for CreateSpace so I was disappointed.
August 28, 2017
For Australian Indie authors – National Library of Australia
I only found out about this five minutes ago, so I suspect I’m not the only one who doesn’t know that all printed books published by Australian authors [whether Indie or Traditional] must be deposited [donated for free] to the National Library of Australia within 1 month of their publication.
This is a legal requirement.
Luckily, digital books – i.e. ebooks – only have to be deposited ‘if requested’. The following infographic was taken from the National Library of Australia website:
[image error]
I was a little panicked until I looked carefully at that infographic. ‘Offline’ basically means anything physical – like a hardcover or paperback etc. ‘Online’ means anything digital – like an ebook.
This means that when I finished proofing all my books, I’m going to have to send a copy of each one to the library. And that means I have to find a local POD printer as a matter of urgency as the transportation costs from CreateSpace are steep.
Does anyone know of a POD printer in Melbourne? Actually, forget that, anywhere in Australia would be nice.
cheers
Meeks
Filed under: Innerscape Tagged: book, deposit, ebooks, legal, National-Library-of-Australia, NLA, print, publication
August 24, 2017
Just a little bit famous :D
I’m kidding. I’m still not famous, dammit, but it was rather nice to have my books feature on the DVLC Facebook page. [DVLC is a community house/learning centre where I’ve volunteered for close to four years].
This is a screenshot of the Facebook article:
[image error]
The lovely people from the Writers Workshop allowed me to come over and give a talk about publishing today. I was hoping to debunk some of the myths surrounding publishing – both traditional and Indie – but as it turned out, the discussion ranged much further than I expected and the time just flew.
To say I had fun would be an understatement. I’m used to chatting with all of you about writing related issues, but it feels so much more immediate when you can see your audience smiling back at you. Being able to hand my books around for the first time was also an amazing experience. I’m still on a high.
Have a great weekend 
August 22, 2017
Innerscape update
In my ‘They. Have. Arrived’ post, I mentioned that I wasn’t completely happy with how the covers had turned out. It’s taken me the whole weekend to fix them, and I’ll have to re-upload all the cover files, but I’m finally happy with the ‘final final‘ versions. Yes, I know, don’t say it.
August 21, 2017
Fossil of Tassie Devil-like marsupial in Turkey
Originally posted on Dear Kitty. Some blog: From the University of Salford in England: ‘Euro Devil’: Fossil of carnivorous marsupial relative discovered in E Europe August 17, 2017 Scientists have discovered fossil remains of a new carnivorous mammal in Turkey, one of the biggest marsupial relatives ever discovered in the northern hemisphere. The findings, by…
For some reason I always thought that Australian marsupials – such as the kangaroo and Tasmanian Devil – were unique to Australia, but apparently not. The discovery of this marsupial fossil in Turkey indicates that marsupials were much more widespread than originally thought.
I hope the efforts to save the Tassie Devil succeed and it doesn’t join its ancient relative in the extinction record.
Filed under: Uncategorized
100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #96: The Moody Blues, The Swallow
Chris James is my sci-fi writing buddy, and I had the great pleasure of being a beta reader for his latest book – Onslaught.
Sorry, it’s not out yet, but you can pre-order it already. Well worth it!
cheers
Meeks
Feeling wrung out, run down, fed up, or just plain done in? Then this is a track for you. The Moodies will feature more than once on this list, and The Swallow is the perfect accompaniment to soothe feelings of failure, frustration, resentment, anger and bitterness. Of course, self-publishing authors don’t have any of those feelings, ever, oh no. (Subs pls check: Does James have sufficient meds to get through this list? Ed.)
Onslaught is available for pre-order at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, and in the UK here.
Filed under: Uncategorized
August 19, 2017
Vibrant Mushroom Arrangements Photographed
I’ve always loved beautiful things, but these photographs of /mushrooms/ are so lovely and so unusual, they literally made my jaw drop.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Have a wonder Sunday, Australia.
cheers
Meeks
Artist and educator Jill Bliss lives on a small island in the Salish Sea, an intricate network of coastal waterways that stretches from British Columbia to the Pacific Northwest.
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Filed under: Uncategorized
