Adidas Wilson's Blog, page 182
March 15, 2017
Windows 10 Redstone 2 update will now support 360 videos and virtual reality
Windows 10 Redstone 2, also known as the Creators Update, is said to arrive sometime in spring 2017, which is soon. According to reports, there are a few more weeks of waiting for Windows 10 users before the release of the Creators Update. Apparently, there are so many changes, including security and new native supports, that it has taken a while to fix the bugs. Furthermore, there will be a few more tweaks that need ironing out before release.
In the latest preview of the build, with build number 15046, the main feature was the 360-degree videos that can be accessed through the Films and TV app. Furthermore, a new security setting has also been added that can prevent a user from installing Windows apps that aren’t from the Windows Store. This feature is similar to the Mac OS’s GateKeeper feature. It helps to prevent malicious apps and programs from being downloaded and installed. However, this feature can also be disabled.
New features with the update
There are multiple things that were featured in the update. According to PC Advisor, Microsoft Edge, 3D content, holographic interface, blue light reduction, built-in broadcasting, ebooks, app throttling etc. will be included with the update. The Microsoft Edge will be a new and improved browser for Windows 10 users. It will be able to view mixed reality videos as well as WebVR. On top of this, 3D content can be created through Paint and can be printed straight to a 3D printer.
With the holographic interface, Windows is adding a Windows Holographic interface to support VR games or experience. Microsoft said that Windows partners such as Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus and Acer will be making VR headsets that support Windows 10 in the near future. Furthermore, these VR headsets will be made affordable. Microsoft is also said to add a blue light reduction feature that reduces the amount if a blue light in the screen at night. This feature has been making its rounds in other operating systems like Android, iOS and Amazon.
How to download the upcoming update
Personal computers (PCs) that already running Windows 10 will receive the Creators Update automatically. The can be checked manually by going to Start > Settings > Update and Security > Check for Updates. It is unknown whether the new update will be similar to the previous updates. However, users should be able to download and install it manually through this process.
Source:
How to Self-Publish Digital Manga
Aspiring manga artists often find themselves being challenged in a number of different ways. Not only do you have to come up with an idea and start drawing, but distribution and turning the final product into an e-book are huge barriers. A new tool has been released that takes PNG, JPG, GIF, CBZ, CBR and CB7 files and turns them into EPUB and MOBI formats, which are the ideal formats to submit your final product into the Kindle or other online bookstores.
One very intuitive tool that all manga developers should be using is Kindle Comic Converter. It takes all of your image files and condenses them into a proper e-book, which is necessary if you want to start monetizing with any of the leading digital platforms. The final product will not only look really good on tablets, but KCC will insure that your comics and manga are fully optimized for E-Ink displays, such as the new Kindle Voyage. This app is free and is available for Windows, Linux and Mac.
Once your manga is converted to an e-book you can start thinking about distribution. The first option to consider is Kindle Direct Publishing, which is the program Amazon runs to get your content into all of the different bookstores in North America, Europe and Japan. Submitting your content is free and they simply take a percentage of each sale. Currently Amazon controls roughly 75% of the e-book market in the US, so its an ideal platform to get immediate eyes on your finished product.
Another viable option is using the self-publishing system called ComiXology Submit. It was originally developed for comic books but does accept manga and graphic novels. When submitting your publication it will actually be reviewed by an in-house squad to monitor it for quality. ComiXology basically wants to ensure that anything that is submitted is appropriate for international distribution. Single issue comics are allowed to be sold for .99 or more. When a comic is sold, creators will gain 50% of all royalties, but if it is sold on iOS, you will see it diminish to only 35%. You may not make a million dollars, but you can gain valuable experience via the DIY approach.
One of the little known self-publishing platforms for manga writers is Kobo Writing Life. Users can publish manga and other graphic-based ePubs (including ePub 3 files) through Kobo Writing Life. It is, of course, quite more popular with their authors in Japan who are publishing through the KWL Japan version of their portal, but authors anywhere in the world can publish manga. Prehapes the largest advantage that writers have is that the Kobo catalog is not as extensive as their e-book version. The manga section is not very big, which allows self-published content to really standout.
I would really recommend you self-publish your manga digitally before you even consider trying to get published by VIZ MEDIA or Shueisha: the publisher in Japan for Shonen Jump. Keep in mind, that getting published in a Shonen Jump, is not something you can easily do. If you are dead bent on going the traditional route you can find the phone number or editor of your favorite magazine and give them a call to setup an appointment. 99% of mangaka got their start this way. Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, Inu Yasha, Urusei Yatsura) got her start this way. Takeshi Konomi (Prince of Tennis, COOL) also did. Almost every manga artist that you’ve ever heard of approached magazines and publishers directly. If you want to start entering competitions or need writing advice, Jamie Lynn Lano has an amazing blog that is worth checking out.
Source:
http://goodereader.com/blog/indie-author-news/how-to-self-publish-digital-manga
Print Sales Increase by 3.3% in 2016
The publishing industry has faced a tumultuous year with the election cycle, the decreased demand for adult coloring books and the lack of a breakout bestseller. People still bought books in droves and the sales of hardcover/paperback sales rose by 3.3% in 2016.
Most print formats had an outstanding year, with hardcover up 5.4%, trade paperback up 4%, and board books up 7.4%. Mass market has been on the wane since the introduction of e-books, and its slide continued in 2016 with a 7.7% drop in unit sales. Physical audio, where sales were down 13.5% on the year, but digital audio doubled.
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Source:
http://goodereader.com/blog/bookselling/print-sales-increase-by-3-3-in-2016
Family Christian is closing 240 Bookstores
The largest chain of bookstores who primarily focuses on Christian books and merchandise is Family Christian. The bookseller filed for bankruptcy in 2015 and all 240 locations were operational during this period. The management had a board meeting last week and they voted to immediately close all of the retail outlets because they could not chart a path of profitability.
In announcing the decision to liquidate, Family Christian president Chuck Bengochea said the company had just emerged from “two very difficult years post-bankruptcy.”.
“Despite improvements in product assortment and the store experience, sales continued to decline,” he said in a press release. “In addition, we were not able to get the pricing and terms we needed from our vendors to successfully compete in the market. We have prayerfully looked at all possible options, trusting God’s plan for our organization, and the difficult decision to liquidate is our only recourse.”
“At its core, Family Christian is an organization with a heart for service. We are grateful for all of the millions of lives that have been impacted thanks to our guests’ and employees’ heart for bringing the light of Jesus to the darkest corners of our world. Through their efforts there is no question we have transformed lives now and for eternity,” said Steve Biondo, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development.
“Family Christian has left a powerful legacy of helping people find, grow, share and celebrate their faith in Jesus Christ. Today and always, we are grateful to God for the privilege of serving Him and look forward to finishing strong for His name’s sake,” added Bengochea.
Steve Laube of The Steve Laube Agency believes the Christian retail industry, like any other retail industry, has taken a hit by the “Amazon effect,” and he says while the closing of Family Christian Stores is “bad news, it’s not necessarily a surprise.”
“Amazon is a disruptive factor in all retail,” Laube explained. “If you have one place that creates the ability for you to buy your toothpaste, your shirts, your grocery, as well as your books, virtually anything in one place and have it shipped to you to the convenience of your home, it’s kind of hard to compete with that, especially when the prices are very competitive.”
source:
http://goodereader.com/blog/bookselling/family-christian-is-closing-240-bookstores
Life & Death
look at love
how it tangles
with the one fallen in love
look at spirit
how it fuses with earth
giving it new life
why are you so busy
with this or that or good or bad
pay attention to how things blend
why talk about all
the known and the unknown
see how the unknown merges into the known
why think seperately
of this life and the next
when one is born from the last
look at your heart and tongue
one feels but deaf and dumb
the other speaks in words and signs
look at water and fire
earth and wind
enemies and friends all at once
the wolf and the lamb
the lion and the deer
far away yet together
look at the unity of this
spring and winter
manifested in the equinox
you too must mingle my friends
since the earth and the sky
are mingled just for you and me
be like sugarcane
sweet yet silent
don’t get mixed up with bitter words
my beloved grows
right out of my own heart
how much more union can there be
Source:
http://www.khamush.com/life&death.htm
The Story Of The Sun and the Moon
“Tell me the story about how the sun loved the moon so much he died every night to let her breathe.”
“ There once was a moon, as beautiful as can be, only the stars could fathom, but the sun could not see. The sun so radiant, he burns so bright. The moon so luminous, but only shows her face during the night. Wounded and raged, the sun cries and cries, so sad he hides from the skies hoping to see her. The days become dark, because the sun will not shine. The waves crash so harsh on the shoreline because there is a storm breaching on the inside. If the sun couldn’t see the moon, he would find another way to display his love. While the sun was thinking, the moon was astray.
You see..the moon loves the sun so much, that when he is away, she chooses not to take a single breath, because not seeing him today, is a pain worse than death. the sun can not see but he can hear, he can feel her soul and it soon became clear. The sun would die each and every night to let his true love breathe, for it would put an end to all her misery. ” “ a tale like this should be heard and seen.” “And no one will know it is the story of you and me.”
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MAKAYLA ELIZABETH ALLGIRE
March 14, 2017
Apple Floating Solar Island Will Bring Renewable Solar Energy To Japan
Apple is not just about iPhone 6 or iPhone 7. The company is very much committed to using renewable energy source for powering its factories and supply chain. Apple will set a new milestone this time. The company will bring Apple floating solar island for powering Apple Operations. Apple collaborated with iPhone and iPad maker and supplier Ibiden to use 100% renewable energy for manufacturing Apple components. Ibiden is the first partner of Apple in Japan to do so.
Japan does not have much space because of its mountainous terrains. Due to lack of space, it’s hard for Japan to establish too many power plants. But Apple will help Japan with the Apple floating solar island to bring the renewable energy in the country.
On 9th March, the iPad and iPhone maker and supplier committed to using 100% renewable energy for manufacturing Apple components. Apple already mentioned, “this move is a significant step in the company’s efforts for helping its manufacturing partner’s transition of clean power”.
Investment plans of Ibiden on Apple floating solar island
In the course of time, Ibiden will invest in more than 20 renewable energy facilities prepared by Apple. It will also include the Apple floating solar Island which they will construct on the “Converter lumber yard”. It will allow Ibiden to deal with the space problem in an innovative way.
According to Apple, more than 12MW of solar power is produced from their renewable power sources. Now, this much power is more than enough for covering the Apple manufacturing process in Japan. At present, Apple is powering their operations with renewable sources in more than 23 countries and 93% of the worldwide operations. Apple already extended their renewable energy pledge to the suppliers in China.
For this, they constructed solar farms designed in removing more than 20 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gasses from the air. It will also assist the Chinese government to radically reducing the air pollution in next five years. Apple said, at the end of 2018, the company and its partners will generate more than 25 billion kilowatt hour per year in clean energy. The power can run more than 400000 cars off the road.
Source:
The Alkaline Diet CookBook: The Alkaline Meal Plan to Balance your pH, Reduce Body Acid, Lose Weight and Have Amazing Health
Acidic and Alkaline levels are indicated in your body through pH scales. Alkaline levels in your blood should be maintained ideally at or between the pH ranges of 7.35 – 7.45. At the ranges of 7.35, your body is highly acidic and prone to a variety of illnesses. Consumption of highly acidic foods strains minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Sodium from the bone deposits by regulating the acid levels. One of the best books you will find on amazon. Great health starts with knowledge, this book will help reduce acid levels and help anyone on their weight loss journey.
World’s first 3D-printed skyscraper to be built in UAE
A construction firm based in Dubai has announced plans to build the world’s first 3D-printed skyscraper.
The company, called Cazza, has confirmed that it will be erected in the United Arab Emirates.
It says it will use a new technique called “crane printing” to create the building.
“When we first thought of implementing 3D printing technologies, we were mostly thinking of houses and low-rise buildings,” Cazza CEO Chris Kelsey told Construction Week Online.
“Developers kept asking us if it was possible to build a 3D printed skyscraper. This led us to begin researching how we could adapt the technologies for taller structures.”
Buildings have been 3D-printed before, with the key benefits being low costs and speedy completion.
“Through our technologies, we will be able to build architecturally complex buildings at never-before seen speeds,” added Mr Kelsey. “It is all about economies of scale where the initial high technology costs will reduce as we enter the mass-production phase.”
Cazza is yet to disclose the building’s planned height or any commencement or completion dates, but the Encyclopedia Britannica describes a skyscraper as a building “of unusual height, generally greater than 40 or 50 stories”.
Concrete and steel will be two of the materials printed by the company’s cranes.
“The crane printing system can be easily adopted with existing cranes which means we don’t have to build cranes from scratch,” said Fernando De Los Rios, Cazza’s chief operating officer.
“We are adding new features to make it adaptable to high wind speeds along with the use of our layer smoothing system that creates completely flat surfaces. You won’t know it’s 3D printed.”
Plans for the world’s first rotating skyscraper, meanwhile, were detailed in February.
Set to be built in Dubai by 2020, it will stand at 1,375 feet tall, with each of its 80 storeys capable of rotating individually around a concrete core.
Source:
The Indie Authors Guide to DIY Audiobooks
So you want to enliven your self-published book with a rousing audio edition? To hear your work performed is an exciting prospect, but, before you get too deep into the weeds, understand that creating, marketing, and distributing an audiobook on your own will require a considerable commitment. In other words: it can get really expensive really quickly, and the return on investment isn’t guaranteed because audio editions can be difficult to sell. If you’re like most authors, you need serious support for every facet—from narration through production, all the way to marketing and distribution.
“It’s a big endeavor,” says Tyson Cornell, the founder of the small press Rare Bird Books and the boutique marketing and promotions shop Rare Bird Lit. Cornell’s background in the music and literary industries gives him familiarity with the worlds of publishing and audio production. “It’s more than setting up a mike and doing a podcast,” he says. “People get into their own heads really quickly. They think: I don’t need expertise, and if I have someone helping me, I’m getting scammed.”
Seek Out Services
There are many companies and individuals that offer some or all the services needed to self-publish an audiobook. Whatever you decide to do—whether to let a single company produce and distribute your audiobook or to enlist the talent and expertise à la carte—depends on your needs, your budget, and sometimes even the genre of your book. Certainly the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), hosted by Amazon-owned Audible, is the go-to marketplace for finding talent to help narrate, produce, and distribute self-published audiobooks.
“Of course, the ACX site is the prevailing way for a self-published author to hire a narrator,” says Debra Deyan, cofounder of the Deyan Institute, a school to train audiobook narrators, and head of the production company Deyan Audio Services.
ACX connects authors to three tremendous buying platforms: Amazon, Audible, and Apple’s iTunes. And while it’s true that ACX is still the go-to for indie authors interested in creating audiobooks, many e-book publishers have developed audio production services. Here’s a look at some notable providers.
Deyan Audio Services
The name Deyan is legendary in audiobook circles. Deyan Audio—which was cofounded by Debra Deyan and her late husband, Bob Deyan—offers complete audiobook production at $500 per finished hour (i.e., an hour of fully produced audio) and offers over 1,800 actors.
For authors who simply need help with editing and mastering, Deyan Audio charges $100 per finished hour for editing and $25 per finished hour for mastering.
Dog Ear Publishing
“Dog Ear is a small business,” says Miles Nelson, cofounder of the Indianapolis-based company. “We take the approach that we’re the high-end boutique guys.”
The same can be said for the company’s audiobook production arm, which Nelson concedes is still a small part of Dog Ear’s overall business. For $1,600, the author can read her own work. Dog Ear provides a recorder and direction over the telephone. It also provides the editing and mastering services in-house as well as the ISBN and distribution services.
It gets a bit pricier if the author wants to use one of the professional narrators Dog Ear sources from the Indianapolis area: the rate can be north of $4,600 depending on the length of the book.
eBookIt
eBookIt’s initial foray into audiobook production simply meant running a book through a text-to-speech offering. Clients—mostly nonfiction authors—liked it. But the company changed its model after founder Bo Bennett had his book professionally narrated. “Once we heard that, we couldn’t listen to the computer-generated ones,” says company president Ryan Levesque. “We scrapped that and went with the human narration.”
The company now maintains a stable of eight voice actors, whose prices range between $150 and $350 per finished hour. For a $149 services fee and 15% of net sales, eBookIt manages the entire project, which includes providing an ISBN, developing the actual audiobook files, and creating an audiobook cover image from the e-book.
Because the final price varies based on options the author chooses, eBookIt has an online calculator to help authors figure out the services they want and the associated costs in advance.
Infinity Publishers
When Arthur Gutch started at Infinity Publishers, its AudioBrite arm did production work for large publishing houses such as Hachette. Gutch, now the chairman, wanted to focus more on indie authors, and Infinity offers two services catering to that smaller group. The first is unabridged audio production through Infinity’s Audio Books Publishing unit, which releases both CDs and digital files via Audible and iTunes.
The basic services include script preparation and contact with the narrator, plus recording, editing, proofing, mastering, publishing, and distribution. Depending on word count, the cost can run $4,000 to $5,000 or more. Additional services include abridgment ($599 per 10,000 words), sending audio copies to reviewers ($25), and hour-long phone consultations ($250).
For $649, Infinity’s One-Hour Audio option will abridge a book, distilling it into an hour-long listening experience. “It’s more attuned to nonfiction work, but, for shorter novels, it also applies,” Gutch says.
Finding Your Narrator
These high-touch services naturally aren’t for everybody. Many authors would prefer to handpick their own talent. ACX remains the most comprehensive tool for this, allowing authors to listen to recorded samples of prospective narrators and request auditions.
“Choose the audition selection from your book wisely,” narrator P.J. Ochlan says. For instance, it shouldn’t be longer than five to seven minutes or 1,000 words. “And it may be good to pick something that features dialogue between key characters,” he adds. “And if your book requires special skills such as accents, make certain they’re in the narrator’s wheelhouse.” Additionally, as both Ochlan and award-winning narrator Johnny Heller point out, narrators on ACX double as audiobook producers—which is why authors need to assess production quality as well as performance.
This leads to another important consideration: payment. That is, deciding whether to offer a royalty share or a flat per-finished-hour fee. And it’s up to the narrator to decide whether to accept. “If your book is already out there in an e-book or something, you should be able to tell the narrator what your sales are like,” Heller says. “Not free downloads: sales. Is there profit potential for the narrator?”
If sales aren’t great—or if an e-book hasn’t been released—it might be difficult to convince a professional narrator to agree on a royalty-share model. Narrator Jeffrey Kafer says there is no solid cutoff: “If the author is selling a thousand a month on Kindle, yup, I’ll do a royalty share. But is 500 a month a good number? Probably. Two hundred? It depends how much risk a narrator wants to take.” Other considerations, Kafer says, are an author’s social media presence, promotion efforts, and prolificacy. New releases, after all, can spur sales of the back catalogue.
Of course, paying on a per-finished-hour basis is a different story. “Get a realistic estimate of the total running time,” veteran narrator Robert Fass says. “That’s critical.” Running time should be based on word count because the variability of margins and font sizes makes page count unreliable. “It you’ve got 100,000 words, you can count on a 10-hour finished audio product,” Fass says, adding that it often takes a professional two hours to create one finished hour.
Another thing to keep in mind is that there’s a pricing floor for hiring members of SAG-AFTRA as readers. The minimum rates are negotiable but typically begin at $200 per finished hour, according to a union spokesperson, plus a 13% contribution to the guild’s health and retirement fund. “That said, narrators are free to set their own, higher rates,” the spokesperson says.
Additionally, Kafer urges indie authors to relax and let the professionals do their jobs. “One of the big things that authors do is they feel they need to direct or micromanage,” Kafer says. “I’ve heard horror stories where the narrator submits the book and gets a spreadsheet of a thousand things the author didn’t like. That’s the worst thing an author can do. I understand this is your baby, but you hired the narrator for a reason. You have to let go of your baby and let the professional you hired do their job.”
Source:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/67327-diy-audiobooks.html
