Free Image Editing
by | posted in: Photography, The Tools | 2

Long-time readers of my blogs will know that I’m a cheap bastard.

So, with that in mind, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m an advocate of free software.  I’m especially in favor of free software that can replace, or mostly replace, expensive, high-end software.
As a photographer, I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Adobe and their flagship product, Photoshop.  I love the tool and all the amazing things it can do, but I hate the price.  I’ll grant that they do an amazing amount of work to include every last tool and functionality that anyone might possibly need in Photoshop, but I think they charge a little too much for it.  Now, I could pirate it, which I know many do, but I also know that it’s wrong and, frankly, there’s an alternative.  Of course, I’m talking about GIMP – The GNU Image Manipulation Program.

Okay, sure, it may not be an exact replacement.  Menus are in different places and sometimes things are called by different names.  And, in some cases, functionality in the latest versions of Photoshop are only available via plugins in GIMP.  For instance, the Content Aware Fill feature that has been such a popular addition in recent versions of Photoshop has been available as a plugin for GIMP called Resynthesizer for a surprisingly long time.

And, yes, of course, both of those are free and available for a variety of operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.  And, uh, as I can’t seem to keep from repeating over and over; FREE!

So, hey, why not save a couple of bucks and go download some fantastic, and free, image manipulation software?  It’d be a great way to edit those Fourth of July fireworks and party photos you all probably took yesterday!

More Free eBooks
by | posted in: The Infinite Library | 1

So, I’ve kind of been on a big ebook, Nook, freebie kick this month and I figured I might as well just go ahead and continue with that.

There are actually a lot of places to search up free ebooks, but I found a great list of places to get free books specifically for the Nook at EBookFriendly.com.  They have quite a long list there that’s worth checking out, but I want to point out two particularly good sources from that list.
First, there’s the free ebook search on the Barnes and Noble store.  Sure, it’s pretty specific to the Nook, but, hey, that’s my chosen platform and, as huge as Barnes and Noble is, they’ve kind of become the underdog in the ebook world.  Besides, I really root for anyone who can stick it out and go toe-to-toe with the biggest, baddest of them all and come out swinging.  And, competition keeps everyone sharp and innovative, so I’d hate for Barnes and Noble to go under.
Secondly, there’s Project Gutenberg.  Yes, that wonderful, old project is going strong and it’s still a great source for classics of all kinds, including some older science-fiction!  Not every book is available in every format, but they do have the epub, which is the native format for the Nook, for many of the books.  And, yes, they have Kindle and other formats, too.

And that’s just my two favorite sources from that long list, so, hey, it’s Friday and you can’t be busy if you’re reading my blog, so you might as well check them out for yourselves!

425 Free eBooks
by | posted in: The Infinite Library | 1

Wow, what a busy week!

I’m sorry that my weekly post of something fun and free isn’t more than this or more in keeping with a theme for the month, but, well, it’s the best I can do this week.  I’m not absolutely sure that I haven’t used this link before, in fact, but, if I did, I’m sure they’ve since added more material to their site.
This week, I’ve got a link to 425 free ebooks!

They’ve got everything from classics of literature like The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald to Howl by Allen Ginsberg and I, Robot by Cory Doctorow, not to mention short stories by Neil Gaiman, Phillip K. Dick and David Foster Wallace.  They may not have everything in every format, but, for free, what do you expect?

So, there’s some free reading for your weekend pleasure.
Enjoy!

Spam Comments
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor | 0

I’m always a little torn when my comment spam goes up.

Like most people, I hate spam, whether it comes in email form or comment form.  I hate the way they mercilessly assault my blogs with every kind of advertisement known to man, and machine, in the case of spam.
But, I have to admit, there’s a part of me that likes it a little, too.  Because, as the level of comment spam increases, I know that my rankings in the search engines are ticking up, too.  Granted, there may be other ways they find my blogs, too, but, considering the vastness of the internet, I have to assume that at least one way, the most significant way, that the spammers find their targets is by searching for them.  So, when my spam levels increase, that must mean I’m doing better in the search results!

But, enough is enough.  So, as of this post, I’ll be turning on some additional anti-spam measures.  In this case, it will be a “CAPTCHA” plugin, forcing a greater level of interaction to post a comment.  So, far, as inconvenient as it may be for my few human readers, it is the best way to cut the spam traffic.

Short Fiction for the Nook
by | posted in: The Infinite Library | 1

Can you tell I’m really enjoying my new Nook HD+?

I hadn’t really intended for this to be my focus this month, my personal choice of ereader, but, well, sometimes these things just happen.
I love my Nook and I enjoyed my last one, too, which, honestly, is a surprise to me.  I used to be one of those hipster snobs who “preferred actual books” to these new-fangled, science-fictional tablety reader things.  And, now, here I am.
Another reason I love it is because it supports competition to Amazon.com.  And, if Barnes and Noble dies, then so will the last large chain of bookstores.  I think that would be truly tragic for a whole host of reasons.

In any case, Barnes and Noble still has been lagging behind their chief competitor in a number of ways.  But, they’re starting to catch up.
One very cool thing that Amazon started was “Kindle Shorts”, which are shorter and less expensive than a full ebook.  Cheaper and quicker to read, I think they cater quite well to our digital, short-attention-span society.  Now, according to this press release on Engadget, Barnes and Noble has their own short digital offering; Nook Snaps.

“Insightful and witty, the NOOK Snaps program features high-quality short fiction and narrative non-fiction hand-picked by NOOK editors offering fresh perspectives on modern life, all in an easy-to-enjoy length and at an attractive price. The program offers 3 to 5 new NOOK Snaps selections of at least 5,000 words every other month for only $1.99 each.”
(Marketing text from the press release.)

So, now, there’s some more reading material for you, if you own a Nook.
And, incidentally, even if you don’t.  You can download Nook apps for your PC, tablet, or phone, too!

Picking New Fiction
by | posted in: The Infinite Library | 1

I like to read.

In fact, I like to read a lot, as anyone who’s spent time with me can tell you.  I have to admit, I read a lot of trash, but, still, at least I’m reading.  And, since getting my newest Nook HD+ back around Mother’s Day, I’ve been reading more than ever.  I cannot tell you how much I love this thing.  I suppose the Kindles are the same way, but since Barnes and Noble has upgraded their Nook HD series to access the Google Play store, I think the Nook is definitely the superior technology.  Because, now, I can download the Kindle app for my Nook and I’m not locked into either ebook store.  And, when you add to that my Dropbox and Pogoplug access combined with the Nook’s ability  to beautifully display Adobe PDF files, well, the sky, dear readers, is the limit!

But, it leaves me with a bit of a dilemma.  Choosing my next book to read.
Amazon has a fantastic suggestion engine that makes really good, interesting suggestions based on what other books you’ve bought, reviewed or put into your Wishlist on Amazon.  And, therein lies the rub.  If you bought a book somewhere else, or haven’t reviewed all your books on Amazon, well, it can’t factor that into a suggestion.  And, as much as I love Barnes and Noble, let’s face it, they are lagging behind Amazon in the suggestion arms race.  So, what to do?  Well, on my other blog, Diary of a Network Geek, I’ve reviewed Whichbook and, for the science-fiction geeks, I’ve reviewed BestSFBooks, which are both great, but, they may not be to everyone’s taste.  So, I was thrilled to see that Apartment Therapy of all sites had a list of book pickers and reviews of said book pickers!

Not only do they cover the previously mentioned Whichbook, but also WhatShouldIReadNext and the always popular Goodreads, as well as several others that I haven’t ever heard of before, but that I’ll be exploring in greater detail.  (Incidentally, I’m on Goodreads as JKHoffman, too, though I’m a little behind on listing and ranking books.)

So, you know, go ahead and give one of them a whirl.  Who knows?  You may just find a great, new book to read!

Writerly Advice
by | posted in: On Creativity, Stimulus and Production, Truth and Consequences | 1

There is no shortage of advice for writers.

And, honestly, the advice you like least is probably the best for you.  Why do I say that?  Because the advice that rankles you the most is probably digging at the precise issue that you have as a writer and are trying to ignore.  Or, is that just my Freudian slip showing?
I hate to admit it, but I fall into the classic traps of wanna-be fiction writer all the time.  My biggest failing?  “I never have enough time to write!”  Even I know that’s total bullshit, because all I have to do is stop watching any and all television and suddenly I have enough time to write [amazon_link id=”1400079985″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]War and Peace[/amazon_link].  The truth is that I just haven’t made particular kinds of writing a priority.  After all, I did manage to find the time to write all the Friday posts for this month, didn’t I?

As it turns out, that is the first of Twenty-Five Lies Writers Tell Themselves (And Start To Believe), as outlined by Chuck Wendig at his blog, TerribleMinds.  Sadly, it’s far from the only terrible lie that I’ve told myself.  The one I have internalized so hard that I ended up with a degree in Marketing and working in the computer business is number 24; “Writing Is Not A Viable Career / I Can Never Do This Professionally!”  If I had only believed in myself and all the critical voices, albeit well-meaning ones, coming from all corners, I’d be an author by now.  Well, I console myself with the thought that there’s still time.

The only one I quibble with, at least in the sense of it being a “problem”, is number 7; “My Characters Are In Control!”
I think most authors would kill kittens to have their characters come to life to the point that they take control of the story!  (I know I would!)
But, this leads me to some completely different kind of advice.  This advice comes from Cory Doctorow, author of [amazon_link id=”0765323117″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Little Brother[/amazon_link], [amazon_link id=”0765333694″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Homeland[/amazon_link] and one of my favorite story collections [amazon_link id=”1560259817″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Overclocked: Stories of Future Present[/amazon_link], writing for Locus magazine, in an article titled, Where Characters Come From.  He suggests in this article that we have internal “people simulators” who we use to, among other things, predict our friends’ and acquaintances’ behavior.  Think about what your best friend might say to you if you asked them for advice about, say, writer’s block.  Can you picture them and hear their advice?  Well, Doctorow thinks we use that same mechanism to create characters.  And, when we really get to “know” them, it’s because we can picture them and hear them the same way we can our friends.   He goes on to say that when the characters “come alive” it’s because we can fully imagine them using our “people simulators”.
And, I have to agree, since I’ve done exactly what he’s writing about!

So, there’s enough fuel to get your writing fired up, I hope, for the weekend.
Now get to it!

Rainy Coffee Shop
by | posted in: On Creativity, Stimulus and Production | 1

Remember two weeks ago?  When I was talking about ambient coffee shop sounds?

Well, now someone has come out with an improvement, at least in my mind; rain.
So, really, this one is even simpler than the last one.  There’s just two buttons; one to turn on the “cafe sounds” and one to turn on the “rain”.  That’s it.  Though, I assume if you want some music, you can just go ahead and play your regular MP3 player of choice as well and get the volumes all worked out by hand.
So, yeah, that’s it.  Go check out “Rainy Cafe” and get back to writing.

Draft – Version Control For Writers
by | posted in: Stimulus and Production, The Tools | 1

I am a geek.

This may be self-evident based on the fact that I work in IT and maintain several websites including two blogs, but the implications of that may not be clear.
In software development, of which I have done very, very little, there’s a concept called “version control”.  In brief, it’s about keeping track of the latest revision of your written source code, so that you can revert, if necessary, to an older version for part of the code, when something goes wrong.  Also, it can be used to see the progression of improvements done to the work, which is useful for a long list of things.  Back in 2008, on my other blog, Diary of a Network Geek, I mentioned the revolutionary idea, at least to me, that writers might use version control in their work.  Well, apparently, other people have been playing with that idea more than I did and produced something beautiful, at least beautiful to my geek mind; the web app, Draft.

So, here are the main features of Draft.
It lets you share a copy of your document while maintaining a “master copy”.  In other words, you can share your document, but roll-back any changes that anyone else may make to it.
It lets you compare your older drafts with your current draft, so you can decide if your brilliant revision is really all that brilliant after all.  (And, if it’s not, revert to the older version.)
A nice feature is that it will help you import all those bits and pieces of writing you have scattered around through Evernote and Dropbox and GoogleDrive, so you can gather all those tiny slivers of ideas into one place for easy editing and revision control.
The last feature, which I assume will incur charges, is that Draft offers the “Ask a Professional” button, which will get you access to a staff of reviewers who will suggest edits to your work, whatever it is.  I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that, but the idea of having essentially proof-readers for a novel does sound just a little interesting to me.
And, as for output, well, you can publish your final revision to WordPress, Tumblr, or Twitter, as well as just save it for your own uses later or elsewhere.

Oh, and yes, this is all free to try.  No word on any fees, yet, but after signing up myself, I couldn’t see any.  So, give it a whirl!

 

Coffee Shop Sounds
by | posted in: On Creativity, Stimulus and Production | 1

A relatively recent study says that the background noise of a coffee shop can boost your creativity.

I tend to subscribe to the attitude of one of my favorite authors, John Scalzi, espoused in his book [amazon_link id=”1596060638″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]You’re Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop To A Coffee Shop[/amazon_link].  And, actually, the title of that book is pretty much how he feels.  I have to agree.  When someone takes their laptop to a coffee shop to “write”, let’s face it, their looking for attention, not a good place to write.  Or are they?

As I mentioned, studies done not too long ago seem to indicate that the background buzz in a coffee shop environment can actually aid our creativity.  So, maybe Mr. Scalzi and I are wrong.  Or, at least not quite right.  I still think you’re really just begging for attention when you “write” at a coffee shop, but, now, you can get the same creativity boost without leaving home, thanks to Coffitivity.  This webiste lets you play a kind of randomized ambient soundtrack of a coffee shop on your computer, while you work.  You can adjust the volume and even play your own music to add to the background noise and make it feel comfortably familiar.
I can’t promise that you’ll get the best results on any creativity scale, but, hey, any little bit has got to help, right?

So, no more excuses!  Pop over to Coffitivity and then get back to writing!

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