December is Charity Month. Patrick Rothfuss just closed his Worldbuilders Fundraiser with the Heifer Project. But Hank and John Green of vlogbrother and Nerdfighter fame have launched Project for Awesome on YouTube.
If you're on this blog, you probably know Project for Awesome already. It's a day where YouTubers from all over post videos about their favorite charities. The point is for people to comment and rate and favorite as many p4a videos as they possibly can so that tomorrow, when people log onto YouTube, all they see on the front page are videos about charities.
There's a lot going on for this so check out the p4a2010 YouTube channel for more information on donating and raffles.
Don't forget to be awesome and donate to a good cause (whichever one you pick).
17 December 2010
16 December 2010
Possible Idea and Hitler Parodies
There is an idea that may or may not fall through within the next few days. I'll keep you updated and send you a link to said idea. And when you do find this idea, please spread the word on it.
I am also going to point out that I love these Hitler parodies. This one is about vuvuzelas at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. But I've seen one about the band selection at the 2009 Freak Fest on State Street in Madison. And I've seen one other but I can't remember what it was about, only that it was funny. So here is your starting point for your enjoyment. Go surf and tell me where you end up in an hour.
I am also going to point out that I love these Hitler parodies. This one is about vuvuzelas at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. But I've seen one about the band selection at the 2009 Freak Fest on State Street in Madison. And I've seen one other but I can't remember what it was about, only that it was funny. So here is your starting point for your enjoyment. Go surf and tell me where you end up in an hour.
09 December 2010
Across the Universe Contest Announcement
My goodness, two posts in one day? What can this mean?
It means that I found a contest that I love and want to share with everyone reading this! Beth Revies is the debut author of anticipated YA novel Across the Universe (a link to her blog is to the right of this post). In anticipation of her upcoming release in January, she's holding an EPIC CONTEST OF EPIC that is so grand I want to be able to do something like that.
The EPIC CONTEST OF EPIC will give away 100 prizes to people at random. So of course I entered my name and address. The catch is that winners are notified with the prizes arriving on their doorstep; Ms. Revies isn't going to announce the winners on her blog.
In order to win the GRAND PRIZE featuring a plethora of cool swag, you must do one of three things. 1). become a fan of the book on Facebook; 2). blog about the contest (like what I'm doing now), or 3). pre-order the book from B&N.com, Amazon.com, or your local indie bookstore.
Here is a link to the contest and the list of cool prizes. So go check it out! It's so awesome!
It means that I found a contest that I love and want to share with everyone reading this! Beth Revies is the debut author of anticipated YA novel Across the Universe (a link to her blog is to the right of this post). In anticipation of her upcoming release in January, she's holding an EPIC CONTEST OF EPIC that is so grand I want to be able to do something like that.
The EPIC CONTEST OF EPIC will give away 100 prizes to people at random. So of course I entered my name and address. The catch is that winners are notified with the prizes arriving on their doorstep; Ms. Revies isn't going to announce the winners on her blog.
In order to win the GRAND PRIZE featuring a plethora of cool swag, you must do one of three things. 1). become a fan of the book on Facebook; 2). blog about the contest (like what I'm doing now), or 3). pre-order the book from B&N.com, Amazon.com, or your local indie bookstore.
Here is a link to the contest and the list of cool prizes. So go check it out! It's so awesome!
NaNo Congrats
This is a late congratulations to those who participated in NaNoWriMo 2010.
If you finished your draft, AWESOME JOB! COOKIES FOR YOU!!
If you stopped halfway through: DON'T GIVE UP NOW! You can still finish!!!
If you completely and utterly failed: KEEP GOING! Continue your NaNo experience into December and January! (January might be best, but I don't know your own personal schedules, so it could very well not be.)
And if you're unsure of what to do with your finished manuscript, there is a plethora of things you can do. My personal favorite is printing out the entire thing and dropping it on a table. The thump of the landing papers is very satisfying no matter how much you think it sucks. The second thing would be to take a small break and start editing it. It will call for a lot of rewriting of the scenes and reworking of dialogue and character development, but that's what writing is all about. The magic happens with revisions, I say. You can also forget you wrote the thing entirely, but that's completely your choice. But why waste the idea and the month, you know?
Whatever you choose, I hope you succeed in completing that task. Good luck on revisions and don't forget to be awesome.
If you finished your draft, AWESOME JOB! COOKIES FOR YOU!!
If you stopped halfway through: DON'T GIVE UP NOW! You can still finish!!!
If you completely and utterly failed: KEEP GOING! Continue your NaNo experience into December and January! (January might be best, but I don't know your own personal schedules, so it could very well not be.)
And if you're unsure of what to do with your finished manuscript, there is a plethora of things you can do. My personal favorite is printing out the entire thing and dropping it on a table. The thump of the landing papers is very satisfying no matter how much you think it sucks. The second thing would be to take a small break and start editing it. It will call for a lot of rewriting of the scenes and reworking of dialogue and character development, but that's what writing is all about. The magic happens with revisions, I say. You can also forget you wrote the thing entirely, but that's completely your choice. But why waste the idea and the month, you know?
Whatever you choose, I hope you succeed in completing that task. Good luck on revisions and don't forget to be awesome.
01 December 2010
Reposting and Fundraisers
There is an award that's in the works that sounds very interesting. Every year, there are speculative fiction translated into English from other languages from throughout the world. The purpose of this award is to acknowledge the best book from the books translated into English. John Scalzi better explains the awards and what they're offering on his blog.
Meanwhile, there is a call for donations to help with the prize money. Because if you're awarded a prize, some money would be beneficial. For more information about donating (and the prizes that might come your way), check out this link here.
Meanwhile, I'm going to look into these speculative fiction books that are translated into English. Some of them might be really interesting.
Meanwhile, there's only a few more weeks left to donate to Patrick Rothfuss's Worldbuilders Fundraiser. (The link will take you to his blog homepage, so if you click it after December, you won't be reading about Worldbuilders.) Check out the prizes in the lottery, the store, and the auctions going on, and donate to his cause!
Meanwhile, there is a call for donations to help with the prize money. Because if you're awarded a prize, some money would be beneficial. For more information about donating (and the prizes that might come your way), check out this link here.
Meanwhile, I'm going to look into these speculative fiction books that are translated into English. Some of them might be really interesting.
Meanwhile, there's only a few more weeks left to donate to Patrick Rothfuss's Worldbuilders Fundraiser. (The link will take you to his blog homepage, so if you click it after December, you won't be reading about Worldbuilders.) Check out the prizes in the lottery, the store, and the auctions going on, and donate to his cause!
30 November 2010
Marketing Harry Potter
As I was walking out of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 last Saturday, I had this crazy vision that involved the marketing strategy Warner Brothers might use. Immediately after thinking this, I thought "My Dad should not fall into this trap!" I don't want to fall into it either. You can fall into it if you want -- that's entirely your choice. But this is the strategy *I* would use if I were in charge of marketing the latest Harry Potter movies. This is to say that this entire post is speculative and is in no way associated with the real marketing plan for Deathly Hallows.
First, they're only going to keep the movie in theaters for a few months. Perhaps once the hype has died down, they'll take it out. In June, they're going to release the DVD for Part 1. This way, everyone will buy it right before they see Part 2 coming out in July. Part 2 will stay in theaters until they start to lose money from it. Then they're going to release Part 2 on DVD. For the holidays next year, they're probably going to release both movies together on one DVD with two extra discs loaded with special features and the like.
My plan: wait until both movies are on one DVD.
I wanted to wait to buy Avatar because I had heard they were going to re-release it in theaters and then probably re-release the DVD too. But, really, no one knew what else to get Dad for his birthday. And now look what happened: there's the Geek-Version of the DVD with all the extra stuff they cut out and deleted scenes and you can watch the whole thing, including the deleted scenes in one go! I want that version for Christmas! (It shall be mine, as in, it will be with me in Madison and not with my parents.)
So Dad and the rest of my family, don't fall into this marketing trap. Be patient and wait until the entire Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is on one DVD. It's so much more cost effective.
First, they're only going to keep the movie in theaters for a few months. Perhaps once the hype has died down, they'll take it out. In June, they're going to release the DVD for Part 1. This way, everyone will buy it right before they see Part 2 coming out in July. Part 2 will stay in theaters until they start to lose money from it. Then they're going to release Part 2 on DVD. For the holidays next year, they're probably going to release both movies together on one DVD with two extra discs loaded with special features and the like.
My plan: wait until both movies are on one DVD.
I wanted to wait to buy Avatar because I had heard they were going to re-release it in theaters and then probably re-release the DVD too. But, really, no one knew what else to get Dad for his birthday. And now look what happened: there's the Geek-Version of the DVD with all the extra stuff they cut out and deleted scenes and you can watch the whole thing, including the deleted scenes in one go! I want that version for Christmas! (It shall be mine, as in, it will be with me in Madison and not with my parents.)
So Dad and the rest of my family, don't fall into this marketing trap. Be patient and wait until the entire Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is on one DVD. It's so much more cost effective.
24 November 2010
News Updates
Six more days until the end of November. Do you know what that means? It means that NaNoWriMers should be putting the finishing touches on their novels (or loosing sleep the rest of the week to do so if they haven't given up already). Keep going NaNoWriMers! You can do it! Don't give up now!
Speaking of aspiring authors and their exploits, Patrick Rothfuss is auctioning off critiques for manuscripts on his Worldbuilders fundraiser going on now. If you're an aspiring author with money to spare, bid on an editor and get your manuscript critiqued by a professional! And while you're at it, donate to Worldbuilders and get your name entered for a chance to win one of many awesome books and swag. There's even a store this year in case you want something specific (like a tee shirt or poster).
If you're unfamiliar with Patrick Rothfuss and his book The Name of the Wind, then go read it. It's great; trust me. I love it. It's a wonderful frame story about a hero telling his tale to a historian. And that's all I'm going to say on that because I discovered what it was about as I read and it made the experience even more enjoyable for me. So check it out!
In other news, hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer is being rebooted for the big screen without Joss Whedon. Since I just heard about this, I don't have much of an opinion. I got through four and a half seasons before I stopped watching it (only because my roommate took the DVDs back to New Jersey for the holidays and didn't bring them back). But I would be willing to start up again if only for corny teen-hero goodness. Even so, Buffy without Whedon is about as sad as a Firefly reboot without Joss Whedon. Makes you really upset about the whole thing, no?
Speaking of aspiring authors and their exploits, Patrick Rothfuss is auctioning off critiques for manuscripts on his Worldbuilders fundraiser going on now. If you're an aspiring author with money to spare, bid on an editor and get your manuscript critiqued by a professional! And while you're at it, donate to Worldbuilders and get your name entered for a chance to win one of many awesome books and swag. There's even a store this year in case you want something specific (like a tee shirt or poster).
If you're unfamiliar with Patrick Rothfuss and his book The Name of the Wind, then go read it. It's great; trust me. I love it. It's a wonderful frame story about a hero telling his tale to a historian. And that's all I'm going to say on that because I discovered what it was about as I read and it made the experience even more enjoyable for me. So check it out!
In other news, hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer is being rebooted for the big screen without Joss Whedon. Since I just heard about this, I don't have much of an opinion. I got through four and a half seasons before I stopped watching it (only because my roommate took the DVDs back to New Jersey for the holidays and didn't bring them back). But I would be willing to start up again if only for corny teen-hero goodness. Even so, Buffy without Whedon is about as sad as a Firefly reboot without Joss Whedon. Makes you really upset about the whole thing, no?
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