The Sword and Laser discussion
FAQ - A Sword and Laser Primer for New Members
Anne wrote: "Speaking of which -- I'm not an iTunes person (we'll not digress into why not) and only new to podcast listening. Is the audio podcast only available through iTunes? I see that we don't have to pay for it (whew!) but I try and keep the numbers of programs I have to have on my computer below 6 figures. Thank you muchly, oh wise experienced members."You can use any program you want that will pull down the RSS feed of the podcast. Whatever audio listening program (i.e. windows media player) you use should be able to do it if you want the podcasts to be automatically downloaded for you.
So a question to be answered: Is there an archive RSS feed for the podcast containing all the past episodes?Given that there are 90-odd not on the feed, that's rather a lot to download manually.
Charles wrote: "So a question to be answered: Is there an archive RSS feed for the podcast containing all the past episodes?Given that there are 90-odd not on the feed, that's rather a lot to download manually."
It is available from http://www.swordandlaser.com
On the page meta information is the rss feed.
<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="ATOM"
href="http://www.swordandlaser.com/home/ato...
">
<link
rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="http://www.swordandlaser.com/home/rss...
">
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rdf+xml" title="RDF"
href="http://www.swordandlaser.com/home/rdf...
">
Nick wrote: "It is available from http://www.swordandlaser.comOn the page meta information is the rss feed..."
Those are just the latest episodes. I was asking is there an archive feed of all of the past episodes?
Sorry bout that. I thought it went back further than it did.
Mod
On the page meta information is the rss feed..."
Those are just the latest episodes. I was asking is there an archive feed of all of ..."
No, that's not possible currently due to Squarespace limitations (blerg).
Thanks for the FAQ Nick. Huge help for newbs like me. (Not newb to the show but newb to the forums - but that kind of talk belongs on another thread...)
Nick wrote: "Since I keep seeing a couple of questions asked over and over again in the forums I thought a quick FAQ would be in order. If you can think of a few more questions I'm missing let me know.If you..."
Nick, thanks for posting this FAQ, very helpful for us newbies!
Thanks. now i know what the term "Lem a book" means. I've been wanting to ask but I was afraid that everyone would of called me a newbee.
Just posting to say I'm another new member who is appreciative of the FAQ! Thanks!
I'm just curious if there is a place where we can buy an S&L t-shirt or general S&L swag?
Mod
There will be very soon!
Veronica wrote: "There will be very soon!"Cool! I shall employ patients then :)
All good things...
Veronica wrote: "There will be very soon!"Don't mess with me on this unless you mean it Veronica! I have been waiting to buy an S&L shirt for a very long time. Would love to be able to rock a t-shirt! HOW SOON IS SOON?
p.s. you actually don't have to answer this I just really want a damn t-shirt. :)
Micah wrote: "Veronica wrote: "There will be very soon!"Don't mess with me on this unless you mean it Veronica! I have been waiting to buy an S&L shirt for a very long time. Would love to be able to rock a t-s..."
I would settle for a S&L Coffee Mug. I'd put it next to the hypothetical Tabletop Mug on the "Shelf of Awesome mugs(tm)" in the kitchen next to the tea pot.
What does this mean? "A new book selection will be announced several weeks ahead of the official start date. You can begin reading whenever you want but keep in mind that you will have a full month from the official start time to complete the book so don't feel rushed to finish when a new selection is announced."
I just don't get it...
Explanations, please?
Officially, the 1st of each month is the start date for each new book that we are reading together. The last day of the month is the finish date. However, so that people have time to get hold of the book we are reading, the book for the following month is normally announced a week or two before the start date. Everyone can feel free to start reading the moment the new book is announced, but since there is over a month to complete reading it, they don't need to feel rushed.I hope that explanation is clearer for you.
"new book we are reading together", what?
Sword and Laser is, among other things, a book group, so each month we all read the same book and discuss it together on this forum. This months pick is Leviathan Wakes. We will officially be reading this until the 31st of this month, and then on the 1st of next month, we will start on a new book, which has yet to be announced. It's up to you if you want to read along, but it's fun to read and then exchange views. :)
Nick, after the discussions in the last three months about Lemmings, can we get an expanded entry on the Lem FAQ. What it is, what it isn't. Proper V&T approved ways to Lem a book, when and how to discuss Lemming a book. That sort of thing. I'm sure most of us regulars are getting tired of the fish slapping.
Jim wrote: "I would settle for a S&L Coffee Mug. I'd put it next to the hypothetical Tabletop Mug on the "Shelf of Awesome mugs(tm)" in the kitchen next to the tea pot. "Cool idea. I'd gladly shell out for a made in the USA mug with a half-n-half theme of Sword & Laser. This and a shirt will make me smile.
Nick, I just embarrassed myself on the youtube comment about "lemming." I posted how clever and new it was to me, then read this post and the "Lem" reference. =forehead smack=*Sigh* I liked "Bathtub Memoirs."
Anne wrote: "Thank you, Nick! I love FAQs, as they help me not look like a bumbling idiot when interacting with a new group or new interface.Speaking of which -- I'm not an iTunes person (we'll not digress i..."
The same feed that's on iTunes (it only goes back to "Ep. #109 Live at Dragoncon with R.A. Salvatore!") is available on Zune.
Hi there, not really new but mostly a lurker - where do I actually find next months pick? I have to admit to being a heathen and neither watching the show nor listeningto the podcast, so is there a thread or announcement here somewhere?
Mod
There are usually a few good places you can find it. It's a bit of crapshoot as to which is updated first:
1) The S&L website Calendar page
If you look down the list you'll usually see something like:
February 1, 2013
Sword and Laser Book Club Video Kick-off Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
for something that has been announced, and then
March 1, 2013
Sword and Laser Book Club Video Kick-off
for something that hasn't been
2) The group bookshelf here on good reads. This also feeds the "upcoming books" at the top of the group home page.
In this case you'll see that while the calendar lists Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was, but it hasn't been added to the shelf yet.
Mod
There is a list of all books read and (if known) to be read.
They are in reverse chronological order from first book read (at the bottom of the page) to future picks and most recently read (at the top of the page.)
http://swordandlaser.wikia.com/wiki/B...
Great, thanks a lot to both of you for the quick answer!
Anyone else snicker quietly to themselves when they click "Group Home"? Just me? *sigh*
I am frowning and trying to figure out why 'Group Home' might be snigger-worthy. I know explanations of such things tend to render them unfunny, but for the sake of my curiosity...
Well, sometimes group homes are used as halfway houses for people coming out of prison, rehab, or mental instutions and not ready to mainstream.So maybe all of us who click to go to "Group Home" are nuts.
I see. I have never heard the term 'group home' before; just halfway house.
Just in case anyone else had the same problem with iTunes and podcasts as me.Problem:
I couldn't subscribe to the S&L podcast on iTunes. The subscribe button was disabled.
Solution:
Go to the iTunes preferences. Look at the parental control preferences and make sure that podcasts are not disabled.
Thanks for this, I now mostly know what i am doing.
Updated as requested by moderators with new "Forum Conduct" section.
Nick wrote: "Updated as requested by moderators with new "Forum Conduct" section."Thank goodness. It has gotten a little personal in a few threads lately. More REDDIT than S&L.
Nick wrote: "Updated as requested by moderators with new "Forum Conduct" section."Nick, you're a spineless coward who does whatever Josh tells you to ;-)
Jane wrote: "Great thread nick, Im a newish member and this thread will be useful to me thankyou :)"Funny - you don't look newish to me!
Hi, I'm Eoin, I'm 30 and I'm from Ireland. My main genre of choice are Sci Fi TV show tie ins, especially the Dctor Who universe. I prefer audiobooks.
Hi,Anyone know why every time I want to comment or post something I have to re-join the group?
Mod
Anyone know why every time I want to comment or post something I have to re-join the group?"
No. That sounds like a bug. I'd bring it up in the feedback group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
*VERY* nice FAQ.Does anyone have an approach to actually keeping up on the various threads in this forum? When I go to the main page, I see the sections and the threads in each section with the last time something was posted.
I guess I'm hoping for an RSS reader-like interface that just shows me what I haven't seen and marks it as read once I've looked at it.
Any suggestions?
Mod
Personally I use the unread page to view the activity.
As a new member that page will be overrun. I'd suggest you look at the posts that interest you, refresh the unread page, then choose: "mark all as read" at the bottom.
What this does is not actually the same as if you viewed the thread, but simply removes it from the unread page.
What does this mean?
Let's say there are two unread threads:
1) SFF TV Show A 101(101 new)
2) Book B 2(2 new)
If you go into the less intimidating (based on post count) "Book B" thread then go back to the unread page and refresh you'd see:
1) SFF TV Show A 101(101 new)
Now you hit "mark all as read". Once you confirm this action you'll see:
There are no discussion topics in the unread folder. Start a new topic »
Now let's say a little while later some users posts to both topics. You refresh the unread page and you see:
1) SFF TV Show A 102(102 new)
2) Book B 3(1 new)
Notice how the thread you read about Book B show's only 1 new post, while SFF TV Show A shows 102. This is because you didn't actually read the first thread, but marked it as read. When it shows back up it will maintain the actual post count.
As far as an RSS/Push type notification, the site does allow you to subscribe to various email notifications including getting one for every post/thread and Digest emails. Personally this group is so large that I only turn on notifications for threads I post in and/or am interested in and simply use the unread page several times a day.
In other smaller groups I make use of notifications for every post.
Perfect! Thanks, Rob. That's what I was looking for.
Bruce wrote: "Perfect! Thanks, Rob. That's what I was looking for."You can also follow important or interesting threads using notifications or email. Unless you change the default settings, you will automatically be following any conversation on which you post. That means you'll receive emails and notifications for it.
Manage your notifications by clicking on the dropdown menu next to your profile pic at the top of the page. Select "Edit Profile" and then the "emails" tab. Adjust the settings there to suit your needs. (The RSS link is only for friend updates and not discussion threads.) At the bottom under the group name it will show how many discussions you are following. You can change the settings for the entire group or, by clicking on the "following # group discussions" link, for each thread. Selecting "none" will unfollow that thread.
You can also change notification settings from within any thread by clicking the "edit" link just above (or below) the comment box. On mobile, that link will be labelled "Topic Notification Settings" and will appear right at the bottom. That gives you two simple on/off toggles, one for that thread only and one for the entire group. You cannot change email settings from mobile unless you open up Goodreads in a browser.
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
Bridge of Birds (other topics)Neuromancer (other topics)
Freedom™ (other topics)
The Gathering Storm (other topics)
Memoirs Found in a Bathtub (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
William Gibson (other topics)Daniel Suarez (other topics)
Robert Jordan (other topics)
Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
Stanisław Lem (other topics)
Speaking of which -- I'm not an iTunes person (we'll not digress into why not) and only new to podcast listening. Is the audio podcast only available through iTunes? I see that we don't have to pay for it (whew!) but I try and keep the numbers of programs I have to have on my computer below 6 figures. Thank you muchly, oh wise experienced members.
Also? I am so envious of your Veronica Love Achievement. Way to go, Nick!
ETA: Ha HA! I found the http://www.swordandlaser.com site and see I can listen to the podcasts there. Yay, perseverance!
Nick, maybe add a listing of all the S&L related sites?