Sally Ember's Blog, page 111
June 24, 2014
A fractal film noir uses a dark narrative to help teach math
What fun! Elmo teaches math in dark, animated short!
Originally posted on TED Blog:
The TED-Ed Lesson “The case of the missing fractals” isn’t just an introduction to the intricate and beautiful world of fractal geometry; it’s also a fully-realized film noir short complete with plot, drama and a smattering of ridiculous puns. This cinematic creation is the product of a TED-Ed dream team, with writing by veteran TED-Ed Educators George Zaidan and Alex Rosenthal (watch their lesson “Exploring other dimensions“) and animation by our own TED-Ed Animation Producer Jeremiah Dickey (watch his lesson, “A brief history of religion in art“). We met up with this trio to talk about the process of approaching an educational lesson with a narrative eye.
Why did you want to cover fractals? How did you come up with the idea for this lesson?
Alex Rosenthal: I started working on this when the previous lesson that George and I worked on together, which was about Flatland, premiered. A lot…
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Filed under: Writing
Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly: Call for Submissions, Cyborg Theme
#Sci-Fi #Romance short story #writers: Get on this! #SFRB Quarterly submission call!
Originally posted on 
Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly
seeks short stories for publication in online magazine focused on Science Fiction Romance.Length
1,000 to 7,500 words. For Issue #4, we are accepting SFR stories of a Cyborg theme; that is, they must include cyborgs and SF and Romance elements with an upbeat ending. We also prefer stronger heroines to passive ones.
Payment
US$30 paid upon publication, promotional biography with two links, and a complimentary quarter-page advertisement. (We’re working on increasing the rate, but it all depends on how much ad revenue we get in.)
Deadline for Issue #4
August 15, 2014.
Rights sought
Six-month exclusive world digital rights from date of publication; non-exclusive thereafter.
Other info
One short story will be published per quarterly issue, so please send only edited and polished work, with the understanding that the majority will be rejected. Due to the constraints, we are unable to give personalized feedback on…
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Filed under: Writing
June 23, 2014
I can #Meditate, Again! Ahhhh!
Good news! First time, since the fall that caused a broken nose and concussion on April 1, that I spontaneously dropped into meditative awareness/rigpa!
image of Dzoghchen “Ah” seed syllable for Rigpa from en.wikipedia.org
As some of you know, since the concussive injury to my brain, meditation was, at first, painful/impossible, then elusive/difficult and NOT recommended by the neurosurgeon (who commanded I REST my brain) (see earlier post on concussions’ effects on the brain regarding meditation and other effects from April).
This week I began returning to intentional meditation, slowly, in small sessions, coming up to the day (TODAY, 6/23/14) the doctor will (hopefully) clear me for all mental activities.
Reading a blog post in which the word “wisdom” appeared is what triggered the “ahh” moment! Thanks to fellow bloggers!
It’s like returning home. Tearfully happy today.
image from http://www.artsyshark.com (Terri Lloyd): “Rigpa 3″
As I kept reading others’ posts and perusing online sites, every slightly related word or image seems to trigger the same spontaneous meditation response!
I feel a bit like Helen Keller in Patty Duke’s depiction of her in The Miracle Worker: after Helen first realizes that the finger spelling Annie Sullivan has been doing for so many weeks has meanings, Helen runs around touching things and people and returning to Annie, asking for the spelling/word that goes with each.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUV65sV8nu0
I’m in that dashing-around phase, testing my new meditative “chops.”
It’s a kind of ecstasy!
Heartfelt and many lifetimes of gratitude to my wonderful teachers, especially my root teacher, Lama Padma Drimed Norbu.
Lama Padma Drimed Norbu at Rigdzin Ling, 2008
May all beings benefit, may all of our precious our teachers’ lives be long, healthy and happy, benefiting all beings in all lifetimes.
Filed under: Buddhism, Gratitude, Meditation, Personal stories, Tibetan Vajrayana Nyingma Tagged: awareness, Buddhism, concussion, dzogchen, Lama Drimed, meditation, rigpa
June 21, 2014
Submission Call!
LGBTQ Youth and Adults/Community Short Stories submission call, here!
Originally posted on Vampires, Crime and Angels...Eclectic Me:
Hope & Love, a Charity Anthology Charity Anthology
Submission Call
THEME: LGBTQ Youth and Adults / Community
Short story submissions must be centered on LGBTQ youth and adults. The goal is to make a place where they can fully identify & express themselves without fear of ridicule & harassment. Stories should feature happy or promising endings.
*All proceeds from this charity anthology will be donated to MKE LGBT Community Center*
Short Stories: 3k – 10k words. Manuscripts shorter or longer will be considered but will have to be extraordinary.
Deadline: August 1st, 2014.
Heat Level: YA, NA, Adult (must have plot, no explicit content).
Genres: Any
Pairings: GLBTQ (couples & poly) No previously published work, from new and established authors. Send all submissions to Áine at apmassie@gmail.com. List the anthology title in the subject line of your e-mail. Ex: LGBT Anthology submission. While there is no guarantee that your work…
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Filed under: Writing
#60for60 Starts Today! 6/21 – 8/22/14
Read about my plans to engage in acts of kindness and gratitude in the 60 days leading up to my 60th birthday.
image from ulovesomethingmore.com
Pick one or more and engage in them yourself!
image from meetville.com
Comment on my blog to wish me “Happy Birthday” and tell your stories by 8/22/14.
Enjoy! 6/21 – 8/22/14
Filed under: Gratitude, Life lessons, Personal stories Tagged: acts of kindness, Sally Ember
June 20, 2014
#60for60: 60 ACTS OF #KINDNESS AND GRATITUDE– each of the days before my 60TH
#60for60: 60 ACTS OF #KINDNESS AND GRATITUDE– each of the days before my 60TH (birthday)
June 21, 2014 to 8/22/14
I may not do these in the order listed, but I do intend to do them by August 22. I plan to blog about any that merit mentioning. Otherwise, just assume the following are occurring, somehow. I hope this inspires YOU!
Those with a $ next to them require some money to be expended (not much, usually).
1. $
Give a very good tip
2. $
Pay for someone’s gas.
3. $
Pay someone’s fees to foster a dog or cat from shelter
4. $
Leave change in a vending machine
5.
Volunteer
6. $
Donate a random amount of money to a homeless person
7.
Open doors for people
8.
Give genuine compliments to someone’s very unseen blogs
9.
Donate supplies I don’t use
10. $
Donate to classrooms at local school.
11. $
Give someone an umbrella
12.
Let someone behind me go in front of me in a line
13.
Clean a neighbor’s curb area or put their garbage cans back after pick-up
14. $
Buy someone’s groceries in the checkout or provide what someone on assistance is “missing” to complete a purchase
15. $
Pick up the tab for a random family/person
16. $
Buy some carry-out lunch and deliver it to a homeless person
17.
Give compliments to at least two people.
18. $
Buy some toys a child might like and leave them on their porch.
19.
Post about something useful to others
20. $
Go to the bank and deposit money into someone else’s account
21. $
Pay off someone’s layway at a store
22. $
Cook lunch for someone I know and bring to them
23. $
Buy a college student’s textbook or lunch
24.
Leave a thank -you note at farmers’ market vendor’s stall (or more than one)
25.
Collect coupons and leave at laundromats
26.
Leave Buddhist magazines at homeless shelters
27.
Donate clothes, coats, shoes
28. $
Reserve a coffee at coffee shop
29.
Read someone’s writing and give constructive feedback
30.
Send a thank-you note to a family member (or more than one)
31.
Send a thank-you note to a friend (or more than one)
32.
Offer to edit, rewrite, or help write something for someone for free
33.
Respond to someone’s comments with positive statements in FB, LinkedIn, Google+ groups
34.
Thank group moderators in above groups
35.
Tweet about someone else’s writing, music or art
36.
RT or repost someone’s great quote
37.
Vote up someone’s submission on Reddit, StumbleUpon, Youtube
38.
Thank every cashier and waitron I can’t tip
39.
Offer to help someone who seems to need help at stores, farmers’ market, library
40.
Donate books to library book sale
41. $
Donate food to food bank
42.
Offer a ride to someone with burdens walking to the BART or bus
43. $
Buy a BART (public transportation) ticket and give it away
44. $
Leave tips in tip jars even when I don’t buy anything
45. $
Donate to my spiritual teacher even when I don’t see him
46.
Get and give coupons for free ebooks to teachers
47.
Write positive reviews for books and rank them on Amazon or businesses on YELP or other sites
48. $
Visit one church or temple per month and donate to charity tray/basket
49.
Send thank-you notes to musicians, writers, artists whose work I appreciate
50.
Send thank-you notes to teachers or their children/spouses
51.
Scan then post/email photos from albums for friends, family and let them know
52.
Make youtube vids thanking writing support groups leaders/members and cover artist, Willowraven, reviewers and beta readers, then post
53. $
Pay someone’s parking meter or give a hard-to-find space up to someone else
image from: http://offhandcomics.com
54.
Compliment a parent on their parenting in public place
55.
Compliment/thank a public servant in person or online
56.
Write letter to editor of local paper thanking honest, dedicated local politicians
57.
Blog about gratitude to my/one’s ancestors
58.
Share positive stories about people I knew who are now dead to their living descendants
59.
Thank Buddhist sangha members and/or support one’s retreat
60.
Find someone else whose birthday is today and wish them “Happy Birthday!”
Filed under: Buddhism, Gratitude, Life lessons, Personal stories, Support for Good Causes Tagged: 60th, Birthday, donate, Gratitude, help, kindness, volunteer
June 17, 2014
10 Ways to Celebrate #Indie #Authors
So many #Indie #Authors, so little time! However, WE Indies deserve and need your attention for all our hard work!
Please take a few minutes, maybe every day during these LET’S CELEBRATE INDIE AUTHORS event organized by Julie’s Book Reviews, hosted here: http://juliesbookreview.blogspot.com/, July 1 – 14.
AND please do one or more of these supportive actions:
1) Visit, comment, follow, subscribe to the author’s website/blog.
Here are mine: http://www.sallyember.com and http://sallyember.tumblr.com
2) Go to the author’s books’ sites and CLICK to them on your Wish Lists or download them or buy them on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes & Noble’s nook, Smashwords, other sites that sell ebooks and print books by Indie Authors. All of my books’ links are available to the right of this post and on my main website (if you’re not there, now).
3) LIKE/1+/become a Follower (“Friend” or “Fan” the author’s and/or book’s or series’ pages) on Facebook, Google+, Amazon, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Shelfari, etc.
Most authors’ websites, like mine, have places for you to link to, click on, or do this right there, or the sites’ links will take you there. Add our books to your “shelves” such as “to read” or “currently reading” and post about them on your social media sites: “I’m reading…. by….” is a great Tweet! So is “I just bought/downloaded… by …..!”
BTW: if the author’s site has a “Tip Jar” or “Donate” button, especially when s/he has offered free books/ebooks or other content, please consider leaving a donation, however small. Much appreciated!
4) Leave comments, reviews, rankings, ratings!
Vote our books UP on Listmania lists on Amazon, Listopia lists on Goodreads, Booklikes’ lists: EVERYWHERE you can help us shine, please do! You can find what lists a book is on by scrolling down on its book page on that site.
5) Admire and comment on our series’ logo and/or cover art.
Visit the cover artist’s page and comment (if you know who it is). Aidana Willowraven is mine, and she ROCKS!
Now PERMAFREE everywhere ebooks are sold!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KU5Q7KC @$3.99
The Spanners Series logo and cover art by Aidana Willowraven
6) If we Indie Authors post excerpts, read, comment on, review, “Shelve,” “Like” them.
Join free sites to do this, such as Wattpad, Authonomy, Bublish, many other sites. Some, like me, post excerpts on our own websites or Facebook, G+ or other sites. Go on a hunt by author’s name/pen name and become a critiquer/beta reader/fan!
7) Whether or not you’re a blogger or “professional,” you can become a reader/reviewer by commenting, rating, reviewing every Indie book you read, whether it’s from a library or your own download. We LOVE seeing what you think as long as it’s fair and honest, of course. Please give reasons, even if you LOVE the book. Also, even if you don’t become a reviewer, you can read and LIKE/vote up others’ reviews.
8) If you are also a writer, join a writers’/authors’ support network, such as an online group or social media boosting group on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Goodreads, Booklikes, Kindleboards or blog/site OR (shocking, I know), attend an in-person support, critique, sharing group via your local library, your state/regional writers’ clubs, MeetUp: SO MANY! You can do more than one!
Shout out from me to Clean Indie Reads, Rave Reviews Book Club, Enovel Authors At Work, lots more.
9) Talk Indie Authors up!
Tell your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, gym or walking buddies, dog walkers, babysitters, postal carries–EVERYWHERE, EVERYONE–about your favorite, most recent or all-time beloved Indie Author! End every text, phone call, party, visit or work day with some comment about an ebook or print book you recommend. Inspire more readers!
10) Join/participate in Indie Authors’ Blog Hops, Facebook or Google Hangout Events (Cover Reveals, Launch Parties, Events of many types, such as THIS ONE).
Enter to win prizes, receive giveaways (such as a $5 Amazon Gift Card from MY site!) and make connections/friends!
Click on THIS Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for your celebrating and supporting Indie Authors today and every day! Share!
Filed under: Blogging and others' content, Indie or Self-Publishing, Marketing Tagged: cover art, ebook, indie authors, Sally Ember, self-publishing, The Spanners Series, This Changes Everything, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever
June 13, 2014
Link to 6/11/14, Barry Eva’s A Book & A Chat, live #interview with #author, Sally Ember, Ed.D., 7 PM EDT
If you missed it live on 6/11/14, Barry Eva, A Book & A Chat, interview with #author, Sally Ember, Ed.D., 7 PM EDT, you’re in luck!
You can listen to the show ANY TIME: http://www.newvisionsradio.com/index.php/en/2014-02-26-19-59-03/a-book-and-a-chat
Also, Barry’s previous shows are archived: http://abookandachat.blogspot.com
We discussed. laughed and exclaimed about MANY topics (with a few surprises), including Volumes I and II of The Spanner Series, her background, inspirations, dreams, meditation, multiverse timelines, future memory, quantum physics and interspecies research, utopian science-fiction, speculative fiction, romance’s place in science fiction, paranormal stories without werewolves and vampires, plans and much more.
http://www.newvisionsradio.com/index.php/en/2014-02-26-19-59-03/a-book-and-a-chat
Who is Barry Eva and what is this show?
http://abookandachat.blogspot.com/
“A Book and a Chat has proved a hugely popular radio program with people of all ages. With over seven hundred shows already recorded, Barry’s format of ‘a chat over a cup of tea’ has received nothing but rave reviews from guest and listeners alike.
“The writer of a successful young adult romance book, Across the Pond, Barry has himself appeared on a large number of radio and TV programs.
“A Book and a Chat is a program for writers and readers, not so much a literary show, more like… let’s sit around have a cup of tea and a few laughs.”
More about Barry Eva (from his website):
“Born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Barry, also known as ‘Storyheart,’ left his beloved England in 2000, moving to the USA. Better known for his short romance stories on the ‘net and in his book, Stories from the Heart. Barry is popular for narrating his stories on local TV or as a guest on other media stations,where his whit, oratory, and old-fashioned English charm make him a popular interviewee.”
His shows are usually on Tuesdays and Sundays at 6:30 PM ET and Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET
Want to listen to earlier shows?
Barry used to be on Blog Talk Radio, so here is that link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/across-the-pond
If you do get to listen, please comment there or here: http://www.sallyember.com
Filed under: Interviews with Sally as Author, Marketing, The Spanners, Themes from The Spanners, This Changes Everything, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, Volume I of The Spanners, Volume II of The Spanners Tagged: Author Interview, Sally Ember, sci-fi, The Spanners Series
June 12, 2014
The Trouble With Time Travel
Two other books to read if this topic interests you (and you can get my favorite parts from my Goodreads’ review pages and tweets @sallyemberedd about these books): Michio Kaku’s “The Future of the Mind,” and Max Tegmark’s “Our Mathematical Universe.” Enjoy!
Originally posted on Tonya R. Moore:
Time travel is what we call the notion of moving from one point in time to another, by means other than simply existing throughout the passage of time. If my present self were to somehow physically visit the past or the future, I would have achieved time travel.
Popular science suggests that time travel should be possible in some way, shape or form but the truth is, humans know too little about time itself to claim with much confidence that time travel is either possible or impossible.
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Filed under: Writing
June 11, 2014
Hugh Howey on Indie Publishing and Marketing
Love this: “‘It isn’t like my books go stale. They’re all e-books and print-on-demand paperbacks. They are brand new and always in print, just waiting to be discovered. I firmly believe that if a well-read author commits to honing their craft and writing two novels a year for ten years, they will be able to make a career out of writing. The beauty of self-publishing is that you can give yourself that ten-year chance. You don’t have to rely on being discovered by an agent. You don’t have to waste your time querying and spending the two or three years it can take to get a single book published. And you aren’t limited to the narrow window in which your book will be displayed on a store shelf. You can publish now and publish forever. That’s a huge benefit, one that I recognized very early on.’”
Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
For those unfamiliar with Hugh Howey, he’s a very successful hybrid author who’s been behind the Author Earnings revolution – the publication of estimates on the financial side of Indie publishing. His main contribution was to help find reliable data on the self-publishing side of things. This has made him a darling of the Indie scene, as his data supports the feeling that self-publishing is here to stay, since it’s much more successful and profitable than usually realized. It has also made him a hate figure for many supporters of the traditional publishing model.
In his interviews and comments, he comes across as a very sweet and gentle guy, keeping his cool even when flamed to a crisp. In a recent interview on Tech Crunch called “Making it Big in Self-Publishing”, he shares his views regarding book writing, book publishing and book promotion. Since he is one of the most…
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Filed under: Writing
