Destination Infinity's Blog, page 70

November 3, 2014

M. Visvesvaraya – The First Eminent Engineer of India

Nowadays, Engineering mostly means time-pass in college, and every second person is an Engineer! But there was a time when Science and Technology was not omnipresent (especially in India) and the few people who studied Engineering were passionate about the advancement of society. One such Eminent Engineer from India was M. Visvesvaraya.

He was born on 28th October, 1860, in Muttehalli, 40 KM from Bangalore, Karnataka. He was the first rank holder in both High School and in College. Since Visvesvaraya was not from a well-to-do family, he taught tutions to other kids while he was still studying and had to walk for 16 KM daily for that! He was able to do LCE (Engineering) from Pune University because the Mysore Kingdom sponsored his education.

Since he came first in College too, he was placed immediately in Public Works Department in Nasik. He executed many challenging flood relief projects, water supply projects, construction and maintenance projects, etc. successfully, and he got his first promotion just 21 months after joining. He designed a system called ‘Automatic weir floodgates’ for which he was awarded a patent. But he refused to take royalty because he did it for his job.

Even though Visvesvaraya had all the qualifications and experience to become the Head Engineer, he was not appointed to the position as it was offered only to British Engineers those days. So he resigned from his job and went for an educational foreign trip. In no time, the Nizam Government in Hyderabad appointed him as a Consultant. He was responsible for planning and construction of two dams on Moosa and Eesa rivers that not only prevented flooding of Hyderabad city, but also supplies drinking water to the twin cities even today.

Visvesvaraya was requested to serve his home State (Mysore) shortly afterwards and he was pivotal in setting up KrishnaRaja Sagar Dam across Cauvery river, which had the highest water catchment area in Asia, then. Recognizing his efforts, the Mysore Kingdom appointed him as the Diwan (equivalent to Chief Minister).

Once he became Diwan, among others, he initiated the establishment of two technical colleges and created the Mysore University. Even after he resigned from his official duties, he continued contributing to the development of the economy. He believed that development of India was dependent on the development of technology and manufacturing within the country.

Even in 1952, at the age of 92, on the request of PM Jawaharlal Nehru and Home Minister Gopalaswamy Iyengar, Visvesvaraya agreed to head a committee to determine the best location to construct a dam on Ganga river which was contested by three states. He personally traveled across the river (by air) to survey even at that age!

If you travel to Karnataka, you’ll find a number of organizations and educational institutions named after him. The British Government awarded him the Knight Commander of the Order of Indian Empire (KCIE), and the Indian Government awarded him the Bharat Ratna. He died in 1962 at the age of 102. He is first among the eminent Engineers India ever had/will ever have.

Destination Infinity

References: Wikipedia article on M. Visvesvaraya; “Nattukku Uzahitha Nallavar: Visvesvaraya”, Palaniappa Brothers Publications (in Tamil).

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Published on November 03, 2014 07:08

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (Movie Review)

Movie Trailer:

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, is a humorous movie released in 1995 starring Jim Carrey. I am not sure why a few ppl. don’t like this movie (online reviews), but I liked it. Have a look at the above embedded trailer – you will get a taste of how funny the movie is!

Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) is a pet detective specializing in recovering lost animals. He also loves animals so much that he climbs Mt. Everest (or some similar snowy hill) to save one animal, but ends up losing two!!

He is commissioned by a Western Consulate in Africa to help find a white bat that is sacred to two native tribes. If he doesn’t find the bat, the two tribes will fight and there will be a lot of blood. Thus he begins his great search, and in the end will have to take a much larger responsibility than what he initially anticipated! Is he ready for it? Can he achieve it?

Even though the hero overacts and there is not much of a logic in this movie, I found the movie hilarious almost throughout. The movie mocks many serious concepts (and people), so there is some food for thought too. The antagonist(s) are not frightful but since the hero is a comedian, it’s still fine!

I liked this movie. Do see it once, you’ll not be disappointed.

Destination Infinity

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Published on November 03, 2014 06:56

October 28, 2014

How I Spent Rs. 5000 on Quikr.com

Quikr.com and BlogAdda gave us Bloggers five thousand rupees to buy something on Quikr and share our shopping experience. Obviously I grabbed the opportunity

First, I had to sort through many products/categories to decide what I wanted – that was an experience in itself. Then I had to contact sellers, fix up a convenient time, visit them, and purchase the products. While doing that, I learned a few shopping lessons too.

So here’s what I bought (and learned) ~

1. SUNCA Emergency Light & Fan :: 2 Nos :: Rs. 1000/- each :: Total – Rs. 2000/-

Quikr category: Home & Lifestyle.

I like the concept of integrating emergency lights and battery fans into a single product and selling it at an affordable price. So I bought two of them, one for our house and another for my grandmother’s house in Kanchipuram.

In Chennai, power cuts are not that frequent, but in Kanchipuram, power is cut for a few hours in a day, especially during summers. This product can be useful even otherwise as it is portable and we can keep it on the desk, on the kitchen platform, near the sewing machine, etc.

The battery is quite large and will last for 4 hours if we charge it for 6 hours. There is a provision to insert another battery (not included) to increase backup time. The lights are bright, but the fan is not so fast – battery fans are never fast!

There were two issues we faced with this purchase – the price was initially mentioned as Rs. 1000/- on the site, but after we went there, they raised it (maybe the model was different or the wholesale price was advertised). But we still bought it because we thought the product was worth the new price. Lesson learned: Confirm the pricing on phone before going.

Some on/off buttons were loose (although they work). We checked if the lights and fan were working, but we didn’t check the buttons. Also, the button arrangement makes it difficult to operate – the off switch is in the middle, and two levels of on switch (like high/low) is on the top and bottom. Lesson learned: Check everything before buying, especially if it’s a non-standard product.

2. Tupperware 4-Liter Container :: 1 No :: Total – Rs. 590/-

Quikr Category: Household.

Even though Tupperware products are over-priced, they are of good quality. This is a four-liter container for dry storage – the product is fine. But the dealer, even though she had enough stocks for us to choose from, let us down on one crucial thing – telling us the way to her home!

We were not familiar with Perambur, forget Moolakkadai where the dealer is located. So we went round and round that area and we almost gave up! At last, her husband guided us – that’s why we reached!! Lesson learned: To save time, select the vendor from an area near you or in an area with which you are familiar.

3. Tupperware Sipper Bottle 750 ml :: 1 no :: Total – Rs. 225/-

Quikr Category: Household.

This is another interesting but over-priced product from Tupperware – Sipper bottle! You can remove the cap entirely to fill up water, but you just need to flip the cap to drink the water. It saves time and contributes to the cause of laziness We bought this too from the same person mentioned above.

The issue is this – we wanted 1 L bottle, but only 750ml was available. So we bought it on impulse. Now we feel 1 L may have been a better choice! But I guess a few more trips to the water filter will give us more exercise!! Lesson learned: If the size/product you want is not available, don’t settle for what is available. Wait or buy elsewhere.

4. Titan Leather Wallet :: 2 Nos :: Rs. 500/- each :: Total – Rs. 1000/-

Quikr category: Bags – Luggage.

This is an interesting buy. The price for this Titan wallet in Flipkart was more than thousand rupees, but one person who knew some employees working in the company was able to procure it cheaply (at employee discount) and advertise it on the site. I checked if the product was new and of good quality before buying, and it was. I thought the travel to Adyar to buy was worth it.

When I went near his office and tried calling him on his mobile, his phone was not reachable. Fortunately, I knew the name of the person and the office, so I went up and called him from the reception. Lesson learned: It’s important to know other contact details of the seller, in addition to the mobile no. It helps in situations like these.

5. Leather Shoes :: 1 No :: Total – Rs. 1000/-

Quikr category: Fashion Accessories.

I postponed buying a shoe all this while but decided to buy a pair of leather shoes now. The advantage with this seller was, they were a direct factory outlet and the quality/price was good. This shop is relatively nearer to my house and they also sell new branded leather wallets for the same Rs. 500/- (similar to the above product) here.

Had I known that, I would have bought the wallet from here instead of traveling all the way to Adyar. Lesson learned: Get to know what other products a seller (located nearby) is selling. It could save time and petrol.

Grand Total (all products combined): Rs. 4815/-

So that’s it. I thank BlogAdda and Quikr.com for giving us this opportunity.

You can find both new and used products, from individuals and shops/dealers, on Quikr – the Online classifieds website for India.

Destination Infinity

This post is a part of Quikr.com activity at BlogAdda.com.

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Published on October 28, 2014 21:18

Sathuranga Vettai – Tamil Movie Review

Movie Trailer:

Sathuranga Vettai is a Tamil movie released in 2014 directed by H. Vinoth and starring Natarajan Subramaniam. This movie is about how one man cheats many people using his brain (and a little capital), how he eventually realizes his folly, and how his past actions keep haunting him.

Of course, this is not a new concept, but the innovative ways in which the hero (yes) cheats people kept me glued to the screen. Although some methods are not believable, the innovation and the fresh ideas that went into the planning of all those con-methods makes it interesting. I liked the movie – I may watch it again!

The hero tries his hands at various fraud schemes like MLM marketing, selling a snake at an exorbitant price, Emu farm scam, jewelry store scam, etc. The 100 crore rice pulling scam at the end is a gem. Of course, these scams seem too easy to pull off (according to the movie) which makes the movie a bit unrealistic. However majority of the scams have been taken from real-life.

Secondly, the inner transformation of the hero has been shown well. Many movies rush with this and finish the transformation within a couple of scenes. But in this movie, the consequences of the crime have been brought out well and hence the transformation feels realistic. The transformation of the other character (who becomes the brother of the heroine) is rushed and there is not much rationale behind his change.

The Hero’s action and characterization is very good. He is like a captain who navigates the ship with finesse. The character of the heroine is too good to be true. The saint-like characterization, I mean. The movie is somewhat predictable in the end, but the innovative con-concepts kept me hooked. The philosophy behind human desires and how crime flourishes has been explained very well.

This is an offbeat movie, in a sense. The dark comedy and satire didn’t make me laugh/smile, but I liked it nevertheless. The movie feels pacey, to the debutante director’s credit. The screenplay is strong, which is what makes the movie tick without relying on too much melodrama, unnecessary emotions, etc.

See it if you understand Tamil, you won’t be disappointed. Of course you can learn some con-jobs and tricks of the trade, and be careful

Destination Infinity

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Published on October 28, 2014 21:07

October 19, 2014

Why Do People Cage Birds?

Let me try and guess some reasons why people catch birds and lock them inside a cage.

Birds (like pigeons and parrots) are harmful, hence people want to protect themselves by locking birds in a cage.
Birds are soooooo beautiful and soooooo cute. In order to permanently immerse their eyes in all that beauty, people lock them in cages and keep it close to them. By keeping the caged birds in balcony or foyer, others can also immerse in all the colors and finery.
Since the house is silent, birds help add some sound. The constant chirping of birds is like music (to their ears).
Caged birds are a status symbol. If they can afford more birds, they will seem rich.
Even if they are not rich, they showcase birds so that others can get fooled by assuming that the inmates are rich.
Birds are decorative pieces like curtains, statues, etc.
People want to protect birds from dangerous prey like eagles, vultures, kites, and more importantly other humans by locking them in cages.
Since kids/spouse/parents have left, and they are alone, having birds gives them some company.
Symbolically, they are telling everyone that this is how they will treat other creatures, and more importantly other human beings.
Since other people are controlling them in office, homes, etc. they take revenge by caging birds and feeling a sadistic pleasure of controlling the destiny of (at least those) birds.
By feeding birds with food and water, they feel as if they are parents. Or better, they think they are philanthropic. Besides, birds cannot run away like kids as they are caged.
People can talk to birds as long as they want – birds are good listeners, unlike other people. And they don’t argue back.
People want to make a statement of their superiority over birds.
They have nothing better to do in their life. And their imagination has totally failed them.

What else?

Around my street alone, there are three houses that display many birds locked inside small cages. I wonder what kind of sadistic pleasure they must be getting – a remnant of our feudalistic system?

Destination Infinity

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Published on October 19, 2014 09:57

God is a Gamer – Bitcoin Thriller (Book Review)

God is a Gamer is a Bitcoin Thriller, written by Ravi Subramanian, the Banker-writer. This is the first book written by him I’ve happened to read and I liked it. Just one issue: The second climax in the end didn’t appeal to me or wasn’t realistic. Otherwise, this book was interesting.

Bitcoins, if you are wondering, is a virtual currency system which converts normal money into virtual currencies and helps pay anonymously for purchasing products/services online, where they accept Bitcoins. One can also store money as Bitcoins. As you can guess, it can be used for illegal money exchanges, and the story is wound around it.

A senior senator is killed in the US, there is a bank ATM robbery, there is a secret online network that sells dangerous items like drugs and accepts bitcoins as payment, there is a game vendor who wants to make it big on Facebook, there is computer virus/malware let loose. All these elements combine to give a good police-procedural/mystery and a Thriller.

The story is new and good. The book drew me in right from the first page and kept me turning pages. The pace of the book increased in the last hundred pages or so. The first climax (yes there are two, one after another) was totally unexpected and took me by surprise. The book could have ended with it – somehow I prefer the first climax.

But the author introduces a second climax where there is another twist. For twist’s sake, it’s good, but I thought this second climax made the plot quite complex. Maybe I should read it again to understand clearly, but it sort of took away the clear and simple writing/narration followed until then. It was difficult to understand the complete picture of the crime and close the gaps presented in the earlier scenes.

Also, I felt the antagonists could have been stronger and more powerful. How can people, who are technically sound, make simple mistakes like not covering their online activities, that gives away their identity to the cops?

At 300 pages, I appreciate the author/publisher for keeping it short enough to be completed over a weekend. Some books are unnecessarily long and I hate to stretch my reading beyond two days of the weekend.

They could have used a larger font-size for the text. I am used to reading in the Kindle where the font size is adjustable so I found the small text a little uncomfortable on the eyes.

I think I will read the other books of this author sometime in the future. This book made a good enough impression on me to try more. Even though he introduces a lot of new technical concepts, I wish he could also introduce us to a few new banking concepts and scenarios that we are unaware of, that maybe useful.

Destination Infinity

Disclaimer: This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

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Published on October 19, 2014 09:51

The Secret Garden (Book Review)

The Secret Garden written by Frances Hodgson Burnett is one difficult classic to read! I managed to finish it. No doubt it’s a well written book (as it is a classic), but look at this -

“Iris and white lilies rose out of the grass in sheaves, and the green alcoves filled themselves with amazing armies of the blue and white flower lances of tall delphiniums or columbines or campanulas.”

Did you notice it? If you don’t live in England, try imagining even a couple of flowers mentioned in this small paragraph. The entire book contains plants and trees we have never heard of, let alone seen!

The second issue is, not much happens in terms of action. I know I am not reading a thriller or action suspense or anything, but even in literary fiction genre (that I love), there is some action, exposition, conflict, resolution, etc.

In this book, a child called Mary wakes up at her home, goes to the garden, comes back and talks about it to her cousin brother (who has some health issues), then she goes, comes back, meets another boy there, takes her cousin to the garden, comes back home, goes back, comes back home . . . aaarrrggg!!

That’s it! Imagine reading couple of hundred pages like that. I was expecting some kind of antagonist to up the ante – the doctor who comes to treat Colin was an excellent potential antagonist, but there is none! Everyone in this novel are good and only positive things happen. Ok, there is some negativity to begin with, but even fairy tales for kids are more realistic than this book.

However, what this book gets right, is the imagery and a sublime message. If you live in England or anywhere nearby, you may appreciate the former. The message is fine, but does the author need so many pages to convey it?

The previous two classics I read were good (1, 2). But this one bored me. You may like it still . . . Next up is The Tale of Two Cities. I have read Oliver Twist by the same author, and hence hope this book will also be good. Fingers crossed

Destination Infinity

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Published on October 19, 2014 09:41

October 12, 2014

Three Movies I Like

This is a guest post by Manogna who blogs at Bee After You.

*****

Movie Discussion: When writer and fellow blogger Rajesh (Destination Infinity) gave me movies as a topic for my guest post, I decided to write about a movie each in the three languages that I love.

Telugu – Being my mother tongue, I chose Atharintiki Daaredi (roughly translated to English as ‘Road to my aunt’s home?’) starring Power star Pawan Kalyan, directed by Trivikram Srinivas as a latest addition to my list of favourites.

The story is about a young man millionaire who returns to India to unite his aunt and her family with his ailing grandfather, in the process falling in love with his aunt’s daughter played by Samantha. Yesteryear heroine Nadia plays the aunt. (Whoever her stylist is, I want to add, is a gem! Great sarees)

Plus - Pukka commercial entertainer, dialogues which are witty and clever at the same time, fresh pairing, good songs and plenty of comedy sprinkled through-out the movie. Especially the mini drama of Ahalya, from Ramayanam.

Minus – Just because the hero saved the life of the long lost aunt’s hubby, he is hired as a driver! The hero was supposed to be a millionaire! Bit too much to believe. (I still don’t understand why Boman Irani had to play grandfather to Pawan Kalyan? But it is a director’s call.)

Overall it is a family entertainer worth watching with family. I already watched it more than twice. (I generally don’t watch movies more than once.)

Hindi – Being my first language in school and my favourite at that, I enjoy Hindi movies. My favourite Hindi movie among many others is Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (roughly translated in English to ‘We live only once’), starring Abhay Deol, Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Aktar, directed by his twin sister, Zoya Aktar.

Three friends decide to go away to Spain before one of them is getting married to enjoy last stages of Bachelorhood. What they learn by the end of the movie forms the rest of the story.

Plus – Fabulous story (about overcoming ones fears ,living without regrets and celebrating the life as there is no other), acting by lead actors, direction. I never knew movie can be so enthralling. For the first time ever, I could completely relate to the movie in spite of having nothing in common with the leads except being able to feel their pain and enjoy their happiness as if it was mine. At some places, even the lack of dialogues doesn’t stop the flow. Even silence speaks!

Minus – Bet you guys to find out anything lacking in this script

Especially loved the sky dive scene – excellent, and the scene where Abhay Deol tells his friends about his love proposal!

Tamil – With some of the best actors and my personal favourite Tamil Matinee Idols being Rajnikanth, Kamal Hasan and Vikram, Tamil is another of my favourites. So here I select Anniyan (Dubbed as Aparichitudu in Telugu – roughly translated to ‘Stranger’ in English).

A sincere lawyer who hates corruption is helped by a stranger (Anniyan) to end corruption. Who is that stranger? Where does he come from? How are the lawyer and the stranger related?How does the stranger punish the corrupt people?

Plus – Superb acting by Chiyaan Vikram, direction by Shankar – excellent songs, music, story (Though inspired from Sidney Sheldon novel, Tell Me Your Dreams). Watched the movie to see how the director had handled the tough subject and I should say he was successful in his attempt.

Minus – I had this doubt of how a calm lawyer suddenly developed washboard abs and biceps (or triceps is it?) to fight villains.

I particularly love the climax scene and the scenes between a police officer played by Prakash Raj and the Anniyan Vikram.

P.S:

1. Since I am a movie fanatic; I have many more favourites in my list. But I have selected the most memorable movies which had captured me. Out of these three, my all-time favourite is Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

2. What are you favourite movies? Have you seen these movies? If not…go for it.

*****

I have already written about my top three favorite movies here.

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Published on October 12, 2014 09:29

October 6, 2014

V.O.Chidambaram Pillai – Kappalottiya Thamizhan!

‘Kappalottiya Thamizhan’ means ‘The Tamilian who Sailed a Ship’. What makes V. O. Chidambaram Pillai’s sailing, a feat, is – he was the first Indian to form a shipping company (and provide commercial shipping services for Indians), breaking the monopoly of the British India Steam Navigation Company in the seas (during early 1900s).

Born in 1872, in Ottapidaram, South Tamil Nadu, V. O. C was a lawyer by education. Being a nationalist at heart, he wanted to do something beyond law, and decided to form a shipping company (Swadeshi Company) to carry people and goods between Tuticorin and Colombo. His main aim was to break the British monopoly in this trade. He tried leasing ships, but the British company blocked it. So he decided to buy ships.

Since V. O. C didn’t have the required capital, he decided to raise Ten Lakhs by issuing shares for the company. As the amount raised in Tuticorin was not sufficient, he went to Bombay to raise the remaining money. People were impressed with his nationalistic agenda and bought shares enthusiastically (almost donated to this cause!). He not only succeeded in raising the money, but also came back with a ship. His company bought another ship from France.

The British were enraged that an Indian was effectively competing with them on the seas, and hence they dropped their fare. When that didn’t work, they offered tickets for free and disallowed Govt. employees from boarding Indian ships. In spite of it, people and merchants mostly used Swadeshi Company’s ships in that route!

V. O. C was also involved in political activism. He opposed British rule before Gandhiji’s mass freedom movement gained traction. He organized mill unions and made workers fight their British bosses for nominal wages and a weekly holiday. Mentored by Bal Gangadar Tilak and influenced by patriot Subramaniyam Siva, he organized rallies and spoke vehemently against the British rule.

For these patriotic activities, he was arrested by the British in 1908 and was awarded a 40-year jail term. Many Indian publications and even British newspapers wrote against the harshness of this verdict. The famous poet Subramaniya Bharati had to shift his press to the French Territory of Pondicherry as a result of supporting V. O. C. The jail term was then reduced to 4 years by the Madras High Court and Privy Council.

Within these four years, the authorities of Swadeshi Shipping Company buckled to the pressure from the British. They not only closed the company, but also sold one of their ships to the British! This enraged V. O. C, but he couldn’t do anything as he was inside the prison.

After his release, he joined the Congress, but left it as he was not convinced with Gandhiji’s ideologies. Before his death in 1936, he rightly predicted that India will achieve freedom as a result of an impending world war that could begin anytime. This shows his strong political acumen, even in those early years!

Even though he didn’t live to see a free India, he always knew that freedom was on the horizon. Thanks to the thousands of Patriots and Brave-hearts like him, we are able to live in a Free India today. The Tuticorin Port has been renamed as V. O. Chidambaranar Port, in his honor.

Destination Infinity

References: Wikipedia Article on V. O. Chidambaram Pillai; ‘Nattukku Uzhaitha Nallavar – Va. Vu. Chidambaram Pillai’ by Palaniappa Brothers publications (in Tamil).

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Published on October 06, 2014 09:48

3 Excellent Books on Fiction Writing

Over the last one year, I have been reading a few books on writing fiction. For guidance on writing non-fiction, I found an excellent book. But so far I have not found one comprehensive book that covers most of the required topics in the art of writing fiction. So I recommend three books, each good in a specific aspect of fiction-writing. However, if you want to read only one book, go with the second book mentioned below.

1. Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee.

This book maybe intended for screenwriters, but is an excellent reference for novel writers, as well. This is THE BOOK if you want to understand how to evolve the overall structure (plot outline) of your story/novel. It mostly deals with the broader/global aspects of the story and gives many relevant examples from popular movies. Extremely well written and engaging, this book is a must-read.

2. Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time by Jordan Rosenfeld.

This book deals with the specifics of what is to be written in . . . each scene! Think about it – your story is actually multiple scenes woven together. There are many types of scenes and each has its own considerations. Writing these individual scenes effectively constitutes your novel, and that is what this book explores. The examples given from popular novels are appropriate and effective. This is the best resource to learn the nuts-and-bolts of writing fiction.

3. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Brown and Dave King.

There was a time when I thought editing was proofreading. No, there is much more to editing than proofreading, and this book outlines them all very well. Written by two professional editors, this book, I feel, is a must read for all authors, as it will help us to write better fiction from the editor’s point of view. I think authors can read this book once they finish the first draft, but it will also be useful to read it before writing that novel. This book will save some work/time for the editor, and if you’re charged by the hour for editing, some money for you, as well!

Destination Infinity

PS: These recommendations are only from the books I have read, and found useful.

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Published on October 06, 2014 09:37

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