Publishing Evolution #82: Print on Demand

I knew there were self publishing authors but I never knew how they got their books published, the quality of some of the books I've seen are questionable but other seem to look really well done. I would have to say I like Authorhouse the best, it seems to give aspiring offers more of a choice and their content is clear and concise, they know what they are getting for the price they pay. It seems more established as a company, and does not leave the consumer guessing. You know to click on the "bookstore" tab to see the available selections and some of them appear very appealing.

I have not read any of them because majority that I have seen so far and they are of the urban fiction genre. Let's just say that is not my kind of reading material and the editing seems questionable at times. However, there may be one day where I come across another self published book that isn't urban fiction and I may end up reading it. Some of the undiscovered talent are pretty good, I find alot online though.

My opinion on self publishing? Well I like the idea, but I think books that go through the actual book processes, like editing and revisions end up being better quality. Some people have trouble organizing there thoughts and if they were to publish a book, it might be in all sorts of order making the reader somewhat confused. I find that the ones that have gone through the process, have gone through revisions and have been looked at by numerous people. So I guess I prefer the traditional route.

The Future of Media #81: Get Out Your Crystal Ball

I think the development of 3D technology will have more effect. Visual meadia has changed drastically since it first started out, we had silent movies, to movies with color, to special effects, to computer generated movies, high definition, and now 3-D. My husband and I went to watch Avatar in 3D and the experience is recommended. The parts that had 3D effects made you feel like you were actually in that environment. One part was the destruction on their home and ash particles were flying everywhere, I felt like I could reach out and catch them in my hand. I am not really an early adopter of new gadgets, it just depends on what it is I suppose. I would have to say the DVD player is my favorite media gadget so far, MP3 players are nice but not all can play a video. DVD players play the video and the sound, and have interactive menus that you can use. I love the fact that you can skip around in movies and go to certain chapters where with a VHS the only option you had was the Rewind and FastForward buttons and you had a chance of missing your stopping point if you didnt know the "timing point" in which you stoppied at. Blue Ray is new and nice but I don't find it too practical for those budget minded.

The Future of Media #80: Movies

I love watching movies on my computer, whether it be a DVD in the actual console or online. My husband and I watch movies on the computer at least 4 out of 5 times when it comes to home entertainment. I prefer the TV so we use a special connection to hook up the computer to the tv. The screen is much bigger and allows us to watch the movie on a larger screen. We have watched "Band of the Hand" and "The Lost Boys" through one of the websites my husband found. Hulu had a trailer for The Karate Kid II, that seemed pretty interesting. Normally when we are watching streaming movies, trailers come on, and I find that pretty cool and it definitely lets you know what is coming up. The Last Airbender is coming out and my husband was very excited when he saw the trailer for that movie , I was pretty intrigued when I found out M. Knight Shyamalan was going to take part as well. We like watching "Avatar:The last airbender." We have also used Netflix; I love the availability of online movies through them. We have tried Redbox before but sometimes found the selection rather bland or uninteresting so we stick to online services. Netflix is a great service but the extra cost does not fit into our budget so we just use the free websites available on the net.