And on we go...
Wow has it been a long time. I am going to go through a few things in no particular order. Some you may care about, others not.
1. Got a Kindle for Christmas and I am loving it. I was not sure if I would be really impressed or not, but so far it has yet to fail me. I don't think the current technology could replace books. Don't worry libraries, you still have your purpose! I would not want to use it for reference books (books that I read only small sections out of and I have to use a glossary or index to find the necessary information). For books that I am just reading front to back, though, it is great. Never has it given me eye strain, it is lighter than a book, and the interface is simple and logical. My only complaint is the price of books. Many are still pretty high. Now I will admit that I am not an expert on book publishing so if someone (*cough* Conna *cough*) knows more and would like to add or correct something, please do. I feel that the prices for an e-book should be substantially less. Aren't we skipping the cost of physically producing the book, transporting, and storing it before I buy it? My guess is that since Kindles (and other e-readers) have become so popular that stores like Amazon will lower their prices as they find that e-books can (and quite frankly will) be pirated. I think the average person would rather have it legal if it is reasonable, but won't mind finding their book through "unofficial channels" if the prices remain where they are at.
2) I submitted my resume to the store director (who until then still could not remember who I am). I told him that when a position as a Team Leader (a better paying job) became open, I wanted to be considered. He did seem impressed by my credentials, so here's hoping that something opens up in the next month or two.
3) Twelfth Night in Cynnabar was great fun. I have never had that many people in a heraldry class. The room was packed! Afterward three different heralds from the Midrealm talked to me about projects they were thinking about and how they wanted me to help out. It seems that vocal heraldry is not as big here as in Calontir, but some want to see that change. Apparently having heralds staff tournaments that aren't Crown (or other large tournaments) is rare. I am so excited about the prospects that are out there.
Now some aspects of the event were... bland. If you were not in the mood for classes, than you had four hours to just sit around. But the class selection (I thought) was pretty good. From felt to root beer to media policies, there were enough options to go around. I sat in on a round table discussion on how to retain members that was very informative and thought provoking. Feast... was mixed. I had volunteered to serve back when volunteers were first called for. Apparently I was forgotten... so were several other people. so we had 16 people for 12 tables. Somewhat over kill. And on top of that there seemed to be no real plan at first. Eventually someone who knew things were not proceeding well started asking questions to the head server that ensured that a plan got laid out. Still there were too many of us.... at least the food was good.
1. Got a Kindle for Christmas and I am loving it. I was not sure if I would be really impressed or not, but so far it has yet to fail me. I don't think the current technology could replace books. Don't worry libraries, you still have your purpose! I would not want to use it for reference books (books that I read only small sections out of and I have to use a glossary or index to find the necessary information). For books that I am just reading front to back, though, it is great. Never has it given me eye strain, it is lighter than a book, and the interface is simple and logical. My only complaint is the price of books. Many are still pretty high. Now I will admit that I am not an expert on book publishing so if someone (*cough* Conna *cough*) knows more and would like to add or correct something, please do. I feel that the prices for an e-book should be substantially less. Aren't we skipping the cost of physically producing the book, transporting, and storing it before I buy it? My guess is that since Kindles (and other e-readers) have become so popular that stores like Amazon will lower their prices as they find that e-books can (and quite frankly will) be pirated. I think the average person would rather have it legal if it is reasonable, but won't mind finding their book through "unofficial channels" if the prices remain where they are at.
2) I submitted my resume to the store director (who until then still could not remember who I am). I told him that when a position as a Team Leader (a better paying job) became open, I wanted to be considered. He did seem impressed by my credentials, so here's hoping that something opens up in the next month or two.
3) Twelfth Night in Cynnabar was great fun. I have never had that many people in a heraldry class. The room was packed! Afterward three different heralds from the Midrealm talked to me about projects they were thinking about and how they wanted me to help out. It seems that vocal heraldry is not as big here as in Calontir, but some want to see that change. Apparently having heralds staff tournaments that aren't Crown (or other large tournaments) is rare. I am so excited about the prospects that are out there.
Now some aspects of the event were... bland. If you were not in the mood for classes, than you had four hours to just sit around. But the class selection (I thought) was pretty good. From felt to root beer to media policies, there were enough options to go around. I sat in on a round table discussion on how to retain members that was very informative and thought provoking. Feast... was mixed. I had volunteered to serve back when volunteers were first called for. Apparently I was forgotten... so were several other people. so we had 16 people for 12 tables. Somewhat over kill. And on top of that there seemed to be no real plan at first. Eventually someone who knew things were not proceeding well started asking questions to the head server that ensured that a plan got laid out. Still there were too many of us.... at least the food was good.