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Think the Authors Guild really has all writers' best interests in mind?
Richard Russo, who in a previous Authors Guild letter tried to show he was attempting to win a second Pulitzer Prize, this one for Not Knowing What He's Talking About (I'm sure that's a category), is adding to his bowl of fail with this new letter, sent to Guild members.
So, contrary to what anyone could have possibly expected, Barry Eisler and I fisked it.
Russo in crazy bold italics, me and Barry in commonsense font.
Russo: The primary mission of the Authors Guild has always been the defense of the writing life.
Barry sez: One of my favorite things about Russo is the way his real priorities leak through no matter how much he tries to mask them in high-minded verbiage. Because yes, what Richard Russo and the "Authors Guild" want more than anything is to preserve a certain lifestyle -- the lifestyle that comes with being anointed by a legacy publisher, becoming a member of an exclusive club, and getting to write full-time from the proceeds. The lifestyle that's theoretically available to everyone but that is in fact doled out to only a tiny fraction. And if that sounds familiar, it's because it is. We're talking about a one-percent economy, where the one percent's lifestyle is achieved at the expense of the other 99%. I'm sure when Lloyd Blankfein argues for the merits of the system that landed him at the head of Goldman Sachs, he makes the same sorts of arguments Russo makes in all his missives to members of the Authors Guild. Because the worldviews are identical.
Russo: While it may be true that there are new opportunities and platforms for writers in the digital age, only the willfully blind refuse to acknowledge that authorship is imperiled on many fronts.
Joe sez: I would have liked it if he said something like, "authorship is sinking", which would have acknowledged he is indeed winking and nudging about how stupid that comment was.
But he isn't winking. He is, unfortunately, serious.
There is not a single front where authorship is imperiled. Not one. In fact, more people are publishing books than ever before (Bowker noted a 400% increase in the last five years). This is because every single one of those authors now has a chance to reach readers and make some money.
Richard, if you believe "authorship" is "signing your rights away for your lifetime plus seventy years to a legacy house" then use that precise definition. Because if every legacy publisher suddenly disappeared, authorship would still exist.
Last I checked, I wasn't blind, willfully or otherwise. It's interesting you use that term, because it perfectly describes your myopic confirmation bias. Barry Eisler just blogged about this very topic, namely the inability for those within an establishment (in this case, the legacy publishing industry) to rationally judge opposing viewpoints from outside that establishment due to psychological projection. You are the one who is willfully blind, Richard, and yet you are saying those who disagree with you are willfully blind. Who else but one blind would even suggest authorship is imperiled when more writers than ever are making money?
Barry sez: I just have to add… "While it may be true that there are new opportunities and platforms for writers in the digital age"...? Russo isn't sure? This is just a hypothetical possibility he's heard sing of from seers and psychics? What can you say about a person who thinks this "may" be true? It's like someone saying the earth "may" be round.
Joe sez: You may be right.
Oh, wait. I mean you are right.
Russo: True, not all writers are equally impacted. Some authors still make fortunes through traditional publishing, and genre writers (both traditionally published and independently published) appear to be doing better than writers of nonfiction and "literary" mid-list fiction. (The Guild has members in all of these categories.)
Joe sez: And some authors are making fortunes, quitting their day jobs, paying bills (take eight hours and read through the thousands of comments from writers who signed our petition), through self-publishing (The Guild also has members who self-publish as well as publish traditionally, but apparently you haven't met any of them. Or spoken to them. Or care.)
Who again is being willfully blind?
Russo: But there's evidence, both statistical and anecdotal, that as a species we are significantly endangered. In the UK, for instance, the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society reports that authors' incomes have fallen 29 percent since 2005, a decline they deem "shocking." If a similar study were done in the U.S., the results would be, we believe, all too similar.
Joe sez: I fail to see how I'm to be kept from reaching readers and making money. Perhaps because I'm not willfully blind.
Barry sez: I make this point again and again, even though I know the Richard Russos of the world will never understand it. That a way of doing things has worked doesn't mean it's the only way of doing things. An entity that has traditionally provided a function is not the same as the function itself, nor is that entity the only way the function can be provided. Again and again, Russo reifies the system within which he succeeded with success for writers generally. He's convinced that if the legacy system evolves or is displaced, success will become impossible. This is logically absurd and empirically mistaken. Other than that, of course, it makes perfect sense.
Russo: On Tuesday, Amazon made an offer to Hachette Book Group that would "take authors out of the middle" of their ongoing dispute by offering Hachette authors windfall royalties on e-books until the dispute between the companies is resolved. While Amazon claims to be concerned about the fate of mid-list and debut authors, we believe their offer—the majority of which Hachette would essentially fund—is highly disingenuous.
Joe sez: As Eisler says, what if Hachette had offered to give its authors 100% of the income their ebooks generate on Amazon? Would that also be highly disingenuous?
I've played poker, Richard, and I'm sure you have as well. When I'm sure someone is bluffing, I call their bluff.
There was a very easy way for Hachette to find out if Amazon was indeed disingenuous. They could have accepted the offer.
Barry says: Amazon has been pilloried by people like Russo for "targeting" and "boycotting" and "hurting" authors. Then, when Amazon says, "Okay, let's let those authors keep all the proceeds while we sort it out," it's disingenuous.
Okay, Richard, how about this: what do you propose? Outside outright capitulation to terms you don't even know because they're confidential, what from Amazon would satisfy you? What do you feel would protect the way of life you cherish and feel you deserve? Specifics, please.
Russo: For one thing, it's impossible to remove authors from the middle of the dispute. We write the books they're fighting over. And because it is the writing life itself we seek to defend, we're not interested in a short-term windfall to some of the writers we represent.
Joe sez: Uh, Richard, when you're referring to "some of the writers we represent" you do know that those are the ones currently suffering? Perhaps, at the moment, you worry about them, and not all. Sort of like when, in an ER, you treat the patient with the knife in his head, not the asymptomatic one.
And as for "it's impossible to remove authors from the middle of the dispute" wasn't Amazon's specific offer intended to remove authors from the middle of the dispute?
Please go and read Barry's post, then see if you can figure out who is being willfully blind.
Barry sez: The "writing life" again, and defending it. It always amazes me when professional writers are this wooly-headed. What is this "writing life"? Richard, define it, please… extract it from the gauzy corridors of your emotions and explain to your audience in clear English the elements of the lifestyle you're so desperate to preserve. If you can't, or won't do that, why should anyone take you seriously?
Also, "it's impossible to remove authors from the middle of the dispute"? AG president Roxana Robinson said the same bloviating thing a couple days ago. What does it mean? It very much *is* possible to remove writers from the middle of the dispute -- by doing exactly what Amazon proposed. Amazon's proposal would precisely result in all Hachette authors being protected from any fallout from the Amazon/Hachette impasse. Denying is like a visit to the Monty Python argument clinic.
Russo: What we care about is a healthy ecosystem where all writers, both traditionally and independently published, can thrive.
Joe sez: And I think it would be awesomely cool if I still had a Tower Records in my town, and a pet stegosaurus. But the world changed, and now there aren't any record stores, or
dinosaurs, anymore.
Bummer. But I moved on.
Russo: We believe that ecosystem should be as diverse as possible, containing traditional big publishers, smaller publishers, Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores, as well as both e-books and print books. We believe that such an ecosystem cannot exist while entities within it are committed to the eradication of other entities.
Joe sez: I'll translate for those who don't speak Legacy Archaic: We don't want things to change even though they're changing, so we'll fight for the old way of doing things--you know--the way we're comfortable with that made us wealthy and feel special.
I'm all for diversity. I love having multiple choices as an author. But that's not up to me. It's also not up to any author.
It's up to readers. They are deciding how and what they want to buy.
For over fifty years, publishers have been able to control the situation. They decided which authors to publish. They decided which books would be read. They decided on the price. They released hardcovers a year before paperbacks to make as much money as possible. And they were able to give authors unconscionable contract terms. All because they were the only game in town. An oligopoly.
But since Amazon, an outsider, came along, the shadow industry of self-publishing has given readers, and authors, a choice.
The Authors Guild should be thrilled with this. But instead, they continue to act like the "Legacy Publishing Industry Guild" bravely defending the status quo.
And Richard? For the majority of authors, that status quo kinda sucked.
Russo: Over the years the Guild has often opposed Amazon's more ruthless tactics, not because we're anti-Amazon but because we believe the company has stepped over the line and threatened the publishing ecosystem in ways that jeopardize both our livelihoods and the future of authorship itself.
Joe sez: I gotta keep going back to Barry's post, because this is such a perfect example.
Amazon, which is doing more good for authors than any company in history, including legacy authors, for inventing the Kindle and creating the online bookstore everyone wants to shop at, has stepped over the line for doing more good for authors than any company in history, including legacy authors, for inventing the Kindle and creating the online bookstore everyone wants to shop at.
I just don't see anything here other than blatant bias. Like AG President Scott Turow saying Amazon is destroying publishing by discounting books, and then Douglas Preston writing a letter, signed by Turow, saying that Amazon is hurting authors by no longer discounting books.
Look, I'm going to take a little detour and say that I really do understand your bias, Richard. I'm inclined to have a bias toward Amazon, because they've helped me make so much money, but I criticize them when they do things I don't like (marginalizing erotica on their site, removing reviews, recent contract additions) both in public and to them directly.
Why hasn't the Guild, or any prominent Guild member, criticized Hachette?
I'll opine. People tend to value rarity and exclusivity and clubs that don't allow everyone in. Clubs like legacy publishing. It makes them feel special.
Amazon is making something that was once an exclusive club into something that is no longer special. That's a beef the Authors Guild has but won't admit. It's a beef also held by the MWA, HWA, SFWA, and other writing organizations.
I can admit to feeling special and privileged when I signed my first legacy deal. I'd gotten the key to the executive washroom. I felt like I'd finally made it. And that feeling wasn't easy to shrug off.
I didn't feel special the first time I self-published, at least not in that way. Instead of feeling entitled, like I deserved success, years of legacy publisher abuse changed my mind about what was truly important in this business. Namely, control.
Control over my IP gave me a sense of empowerment that was greater than the sense of belonging I had with the legacy system.
So does this sense of empowerment make me defend my new self-pubbing business partners?
Actually, no. It makes me question everything, because I'm now the captain of my own ship.
I'm grateful to Amazon. I was grateful to my legacy publishers. But I don't feel beholden to
Amazon as I was to Hyperion or Hachette. I've become anti-establishment, and no longer fully trust anyone other than myself.
One more quick, related analogy.
How happy are we when, as children, our parents hang our school art on the refrigerator?
We're proud. We got approval. Recognition. A pat on the head. A gold star.
It's a powerful motivator, to have this honor bestowed upon us.
Now if, instead, we'd hung our art on the fridge ourselves, would it make us feel as special?
No. We wouldn't really feel anything.
That, right there, explains the difference. Some people spend their whole lives striving to get that validation, and it is tough to separate personal self-worth from what others say about us.
I'd argue that the healthier perspective is to hang your own art.
Barry sez: Amazon "has stepped over the line and threatened the publishing ecosystem"... this is Russo being unintentionally honest again. Yes, this is exactly Amazon's heretical offense: it doesn't respect the cozy club Russo loves and depends on. It insists on actually competing with that club, not joining and enabling it. This is what Russo calls "eradication" -- a refusal to collude and collaborate; a determination to do things differently and to do them better; a willingness to pay authors more and charge readers less. That's all just an evil campaign to eradicate the cozy club.
I've said it before: it reminds me of the joke: "If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?" People like Russo are so deep inside the box, they can't recognize there's a reality outside it.
Russo: There's no need to rehash our disagreements here. But it is worth stating that we are not anti-Amazon, or anti-e-book, or anti-indie-publishing. Amazon invented a platform for selling e-books that enriches the very ecosystem we believe in, and for which we are grateful. If indie authors are making a living using that platform, bravo.
Joe sez: You don't mind Amazon enriching the ecosystem. But you fear them fundamentally changing it. Even if tens of thousands of authors' lives are improved.
Russo: Nor are we taking Hachette's side in the present dispute. Those of us who publish traditionally may love our publishers, but the truth is, they've not treated us fairly with regard to e-book revenues, and they know it. That needs to change.
Joe sez: Exactly! Bravo! Which is why you wrote this letter, to finally take a stand and tell legacy publishers you'll no longer accept low ebook royalties! I now feel silly for taking you to task, since your motives are obviously in the interests of all authors and...
Oh. Wait a sec.
This isn't a letter to legacy publishers demanding higher ebook royalties.
So what are you demanding, Richard?
Russo: If we sometimes appear to take their side against Amazon, it's because we're in the same business: the book business. It may be true that some of our publishers are owned by corporations that, like Amazon, sell a lot more than books, but those larger corporations seem to understand that books are special, indeed integral to the culture in a way that garden tools and diapers and flat-screen TVs are not.
Joe sez: So you're saying that books are special snowflakes. Because of culture. And should be treated like rare, hothouse flowers in need of special love and attention.
Yeah, we already debunked those silly memes in the links above.
Barry sez: I call BS. Richard, even with an Internet connection and a hundred-dollar bet, I doubt you could even name Hachette's parent corporation or any other publisher parent corporation, much less describe what they sell, much less offer a meaningful opinion about anything they've ever done or said that would indicate they understand books are special and culturally integral and all the rest. I'm sorry to be rude, but we both know you're just making this stuff up because you like the way it sounds.
Seriously. Pause and honestly ask yourself what you know about any publisher parent company that would serve as evidence for your assertion. There's nothing. Like a man dying of thirst seeing mirages in the desert, you believe these things exist because your worldview depends on that belief. But that doesn't make any of it real.
Russo: To our knowledge, Amazon has never clearly and unequivocally stated (as traditional publishers have) that books are different and special, that they can't be treated like the other commodities they sell. This doesn't strike us as an oversight. If we're wrong, Mr. Bezos, now would be a good time to correct us. First say it, then act like you believe it. We'd love to be your partners.
Joe sez: First of all, Richard, if you want to be Amazon's partner, buy some Amazon stock. Because you are owned for your lifetime, plus 70 years, by your publishers.
Second, when you say books need to be treated as different and special, I'm guessing what you're actually saying is publishers should be allowed to control prices, and keep those prices high, since that is the stance the Authors Guild has been supporting.
Third, you asking Jeff Bezos this reveals your complete lack of knowledge of Amazon's beginnings.
After reading a report about the future of the Internet which projected annual Web commerce growth at 2,300%, Bezos created a list of 20 products which could be marketed online. He narrowed the list to what he felt were the five most promising products which included: compact discs, computer hardware, computer software, videos, and books. Bezos finally decided that his new business would sell books online, due to the large world-wide demand for literature, the low price points for books, along with the huge number of titles available in print.
Again, I ask: who is being willfully blind here? Would you demand a cheetah admit that the vegan lifestyle is better, and its spot are illusions? First say it, then act like you believe it.
Barry sez: Wow, if I made this stuff up, people wouldn't believe it. Russo wants certain companies to take… what, a Pledge of Allegiance to the Legacy Way of Doing Things? As parody, it would be funny. As reality, it's pathetic. But it is an interesting window into the mindset of an establishment insider. I wrote about this in the blog post you've been referring to. Joe. Russo believes in his bones that the legacy way is the best way, indeed, the only way, and that anything that doesn't buy into that way is inherently suspect and illegitimate.
Religious references from Preston, now Pledges of Legacy Allegiance from Russo. Seriously, you couldn't do better as parody. But this is really who they are.
Joe sez: Seriously, Richard, you're showing you really don't have even the wisp of a clue what is going on in the industry, in the Amazon/Hachette dispute, or even with what your own Authors Guild (hint: the group you belong to and wrote this letter for) is doing. You just claimed you aren't taking Hachette's side in this dispute, when AG President Roxana Robinson just said:
"Having the government step in would be one way. I don't know the legal definition of a monopoly, but when a single company (Amazon) has so much power, that would be a situation in which legal intervention would make sense."
That isn't taking Hachette's side? Really? How about:
"If they (Amazon) really wanted to benefit mid-list authors, they could have refrained from taking them off the site in the first place. Or they could have offered single-handedly to give up its revenues from e-books."
Why hasn't the Authors Guild mentioned the negotiation delays Amazon accused Hachette of?
You know, the ones Hachette hasn't denied?
Also, when did Amazon take any books off their site in this dispute? They removed pre-order buttons. Why keep insisting it's a boycott when it isn't? And you still insist you aren't taking sides?
Maybe, as Amazon recently said about Robinson:
"Given her position as the head of an author's advocacy group, it is hard to believe she could be against such an offer," the company said of Robinson. "She's the leader of the Authors Guild, not the Publishers Guild."
I agree with this. Not because I'm part of the Amazon bias club. But because it's a correct assessment of the situation.
But then, I'm not willfully blind, so I have an advantage you do not.
Coming up next: On the Internets, more willfully blind authors defend Russo without explaining why, and then call Eisler and Konrath names but won't fisk us. To those authors: take a good, hard look at why you're defending someone who can't make a coherent point, and why you despise the authors who bring that point up.


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With health care reform approved by the nation's highest court, it is time for employers to get back to work on reform-based compliance. While there will be countless efforts to repeal the law, the prudent employer will focus on the compliance tasks in front of them and not worry about long-term changes or political grandstanding from either side. To comply with health care reform, many employers will be faced with plan design changes. Employers must then ask, "how do I communicate this to my employees?" The first thing I tell my clients when making a benefit plan change is to write it down. ERISA, the federal law that governs employee benefit plans, including retirement plans and medical plans, requires that employers write it down. ERISA requires that plan terms be written in a Plan Document and summarized in a Summary Plan Description (SPD), which is the document to which most employees would refer for questions. In addition, health care reform requires a new document called the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), which is even shorter than the SPD and designed to provide employees a summary of key benefit details. (As an added tip -- these documents are not required simply for large employers, but all employers. Don't take your insurer's certificate of coverage as compliant. All employers need all of these documents.) Communicating changes to a benefit plan requires updating all of those documents where the employer originally wrote down the benefit plan details. The Plan Document must be updated with a Plan Amendment. The Summary Plan Description must be updated by issuing a Summary of Material Modifications, and the Summary of Benefits and Coverage must be updated by issuing a Notice of Material Modifications. The key to getting this right is consistency between all of the documents. And a cautious employer will not craft new summaries or letters that conflict with the ERISA-required documents. If you want to send a cover letter to employees with the updated ERISA documents, make sure it is entirely consistent with the ERISA documents. Inconsistency can be the basis for an employee lawsuit. To summarize, when making employee benefit plan changes, follow this list to communicate them effectively: 1. Ensure that Plan, SPDs, and SBCs are current. 2. Prepare an appropriate document to update each Plan, SPD and SBC. 3. Do not provide employees with inconsistent documents. We recommend that our clients talk with both ERISA legal counsel and benefit plan consultants before making plan changes and communicating them to employees. Write it down, but make sure you are right.
Guest Blogger
'Write it down': How to communicate employee benefit plan changes
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subset: commoncrawl


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Mala Mala Trip 4 and 5!
Since our last update, Mala Mala has been busy. We completed our 4th (December) and 5th trip (February) to Puerto Rico. The crew got back to NYC yesterday morning and... Read more
Behind-the-Scenes Mala Mala's 3rd Trip!
It's time...
...for a MALA MALA Update!
We're happy to share that thanks to you we've wrapped our 32-day shoot in Puerto Rico. Now we're back in New York cutting... Read more
Mala Mala Continues on Indie Gogo!
Hi friends, family, and backers!
We're prepping for our big month-long July shoot in Puerto Rico! We're very excited. We will keep you up to date with what we encounter... Read more
Dear Friends & Family!!!
You've been there with us this entire month. 30 days! Sharing our project with your friends and family, helping us with phone calls, email, & press,... Read more
Fundraiser in DC Today!
What an exciting day! $5 Mala Mala Happy Hour?
Today from 6-9PM Dan Sickles will be at The Beacon Hotel in downtown DC answering questions about the documentary and screening... Read more
The Power of We
Today one of our Facebook friends posted a TED Talk conference that struck a chord.
In it, brain scientist Jill Bolte tells the story of how her near-death stroke... Read more
Today in The Huffington Post!
"The documentary shows a life in which the line between performance and reality fades away, where fantasy and fact contribute to one's reality...A fabulous Marilyn Monroe lookalike and... Read more
Tuesday Greetings!
We have a special treat for you: a new trailer! Spend the the day at The Fair in Puerto Rico with 3 of the Mala Mala boys &... Read more
Sad news for the MALA MALA Community-Please Read.
To all of our friends, family, supporters, colleagues, and the LGBT community:
This past Thursday, 52 -year-old social worker Carlos Morales was stabbed to death Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, a major ... Read more
NEW REWARD: Hand Sown Painting by Puerto Rican Artist Chago Flores
Good morning!
We're excited to announce a new reward. Puerto Rican painter Santiago "Chago" Flores (represented by the Petrus Gallery in Puerto Rico, exhibited at Museum of the Americas, and... Read more
New Video: Friends say why YOU should support MALA MALA
Monday Greetings!
Hi friends & family! We officially have 18 days to go! Which means it's officially Crunch Time!Our amazing friends & backers sent us videos about why YOU... Read more
Mala Mala in the news! And a beautiful day.
Happy Spring Equinox! What a beautiful day.
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Entering Week 2 of the MALA MALA Campaign!
Tuesday Greetings from Dan & Antonio!
We are 6 days into the 30 day Kickstarter campaign and the documentary is 25% funded! Thank you to all 73 Backers for your... Read more
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Area colleges agree to work together
MARLBORO -- Representatives from six area colleges met Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding that establishes the Windham Higher Education Cooperative.
Under terms of the understanding students from Community College of Vermont, Landmark College, Marlboro College, School for International Training, Union Institute and Vermont Technical College will be able to take up to one course at one of the other participating institutions each semester.
"This is a momentous occasion for us to be sitting here doing this," Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation Executive Director Patricia Moulton Powden said. "This is a great day for Windham County. It is great day for higher education. It's a great day for workforce development."
Moulton Powden also was announcing the hiring of a new internship coordinator, Jan Coplan, who will work with the colleges, and with area employers, to find paid internships for the students enrolled in the six area colleges.
BDCC received a $60,000 Vermont Department of Labor grant to fund the internship program.
"This is so important in terms of putting our students in the work place, and educating the employers about the tremendous asset we have in this county in terms of smart, capable learners and workers," Landmark College President Peter Eden said. "This takes a lot of work, and a lot of cooperation, and we have to work together very closely in order to set up the infrastructure to bring our students into the work force."
The collaboration program among the colleges should be available to students in September when the school year starts.
The idea to have the six area colleges work more closely together grew out of discussions former BDCC executive director Jeff Lewis had about 18 months ago concerning work force development in Windham County.
When CCV and Vermont Technical College committed to moving to the Brooks House, Lewis said he and former Town Manager Barbara Sondag met with representatives from all six colleges to see if all of the institutions could work more closely together.
Marlboro College President Ellen McCulloch-Lovell said the six college agreement was the first in the state that joins public and private institutions under the same program.
"When I first arrived in this area I was told by many, many people that Brattleboro is a college town without a college," said McCulloch-Lovell. "Today, what we're doing is affirming that Brattleboro is a town with six colleges."
She said the cooperative will benefit students and strengthen economic development in the region.
McCulloch-Lovell also recognized the role the agreement could play in helping control costs at the colleges.
"We can build on each other and not duplicate each other's efforts toward a more robust programming," she said. "We're all very cost conscious and we are trying to find ways to combine resources and not duplicate resources."
"This doesn't happen easily," said Community College of Vermont President Joyce Judy. "You can think of six colleges competing or you can think of us holistically being better able to serve this part of the region. We've chosen to do it collaboratively."
Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at 802-254-2311, ext. 279, or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow Howard on Twitter @HowardReformer.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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Square Skate
by Peter Grabarchuk
Draw the figure as shown on the far
left in the illustration or just print it out from the PDF Print 'n'
Play Version.
Now divide this figure into four identical parts (of the same shape
and size) which may form a square - just as shown in the illustration.
Step Through:


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I like Lee Child. He's a generous guy, pleasant, smart, and a decent writer.
But Lee has aligned himself with the pinheads of Authors United, and though his views differ enough to be considered on their own merits rather than instantly dismissable like the majority of AU alarmism, Child's continued anti-Amazon stance is getting boring.
Yes, I know he wants to defend the crumbling establishment that has made him a gazillionaire, and suck a few more bucks out of it. But be honest that's the intent. Don't spout self-interest under the guise that Amazon is bad for readers, or writers, or the world in general.
I'm very open about my pro-Amazon bias. Amazon has allowed tens of thousands of authors who were screwed or spurned by the legacy publishing industry to make a few bucks. It has brought down the price of books, allowing more readers to enjoy them. I've personally benefited from Amazon's policies, but so have the majority of readers and writers. And the only reward I get for my pro-Amazon activism is thousands of thank yous from writers who have self-pubbed and can now pay bills with their writing income.
Who is thanking Lee? Doug Preston? Scott Turow? James Patterson? It's good to have friends. I'm sure it's rosy at the top, and those megasellers want to keep it that way. But at some point you maybe need to do some soul searching and admit your success is fueled by a corrupted, archaic machine that is ultimately bad for society and culture. And luck, of course. A lot of luck.
Which brings me to Child's piece in The Guardian, Lee Child on Amazon's real-life bookshops – and why we should be worried.
Don't you love that title? I mean, just think of how terrible the world would be with--gasp!--more bookshops!
The stuff of nightmares, it is. Let's fisk.
Child: In December, Amazon US released its 2015 in-house all-format all-category bestseller list. They also published other lists, for bestselling paperbacks on Amazon in 2015, regardless of publication year and a Kindle list too. Then the newspaper USA Today came out with its own industry-wide all-sources version. What was the difference? Two words: The Martian (good movie, but the book was better). It was number four on USA Today's list and number four on Amazon's Kindle list – but it was number 16 on Amazon's physical book list. There were other titles in the same anomalous situation. Why?
Joe sez: Don't get me started on the WTF factor of bestseller lists. USA Today compiles a list based on surveys of polled outlets. Since publishers don't release actual sales figures to the public (or even to their authors, according to the many who have called for--and won--audits), comparing paper sales of The Martian on USA Today's list and on Amazon's list is apples to oranges.
But for the purpose of this post, let's say that both USA Today and Amazon have bestseller lists that accurately reflect true sales figures.
Child: Because, even now, for most books and most people most of the time, the biggest spur to purchase a physical book is seeing that actual book in a physical place.
Joe sez: That's one interpretation. While I fully believe in the power of the point-of-purchase sale, and I personally believe shelf space and distribution are what has created the name-brand bestselling authors who have dominated bestseller lists for decades, there could be other interpretations of the discrepancy.
Maybe the publisher of The Martian didn't pay Amazon as much co-op as it paid other retailers, so it wasn't as prominently displayed on Amazon.
Maybe people on Amazon prefer buying ebooks, which is evident in The Martian's #4 standing on the Kindle List. (Which would beg the question, where did The Martian fall on USA Today's ebook bestseller list, and why?)
Maybe some publishers paid Amazon more co-op than The Martian's publisher, and so their books had better placement on Amazon and thus sold better.
Maybe some Amazon published or self-published books--which aren't tracked by USA Today--sold better on Amazon than The Martian did.
As I said, I know point-of-purchase is a real thing. Because that's how I believe I've sold two million books. Readers have no idea who I am. I'm not a name brand. But my books are visible on Amazon, and visibility sells books on Amazon the same way it does in airport bookstores.
Child: Because for most people most of the time, reading is a take-it-or-yawn-leave-it activity. Books are not quite distress purchases, but neither are they exciting enough for enthusiastic online hunting. (Again, for most people most of the time, which I'll stop repeating now, but only if the e-fanboys agree to discuss the real world, not their pretend version. Deal?)
Joe sez: No deal.
Lee, for your audience--like the audience of most mega-bestsellers--book buying may be a take-it-or-yawn-leave-it activity. I won't argue with that. But you're a rare bird. You're the 1% of the 1% of the 1%. Your books are everywhere, so you sell everywhere, and I don't doubt that the vast majority of your buyers are those who read occasionally, picking up a book while on vacation, or for a long flight, or as a gift for the in-laws.
I also have no reason to doubt that the majority of book buyers are casual readers. I can believe that a few hundred bestsellers per year sell far better than their few million competitors, and that most books sold are bought by those who buy fewer than five books per year.
But the majority of authors don't subsist on those type of readers. We make a living from the solid core of medium-to heavy readers, who go through more than a few books per year. This may be a fraction of your audience, but it's still a billion dollar slice of pie to split up among us.
As a legacy fan-boy, you seem to think that unless an author is making an eight figure deal, they're a hobbiest. That is not the "real world" as known by the tens of thousands of our peers who are making a few bucks for the first time ever. Your world is a fairy-tale that you seem to think is the norm (or worse, that you somehow earned).
Congrats. You got really lucky, and won the publishing jackpot. Enjoy it, but stop talking down to us e-fanboys who are making ends meet, because you come off sounding entitled and elitist.
Child: So why would a physical book be number four on one list and 16 on another? Nothing sells physical books better than physical displays in bricks-and-mortar locations.
Joe sez: I can agree with this. It would sure be great if I could get some of that love. Bookstores tend to boycott me, however.
But your argument hasn't even attempted to show why paper sales are somehow better sales than ebook sales for anyone other than the 1% of 1% of 1%. "We" don't need to be worried about this phenomenon. You and Patterson do. And even then, not really. You may lose your eight figure advances as the publishing industry changes, but I'll bet you'll still be able to pay the electric bill if your paper sales disappear.
Child: Millions of people passed by bookshop windows or airport bookstalls, and saw The Martian, and some vague impression clicked in and they said, "Oh yeah, that's supposed to be cool", and they bought a copy, and enjoyed it. Same for the other anomalous titles. That is still how books get sold.
Joe sez: No. Nope. Nuh-uh. This is how paper bestsellers get sold.
None of my books have sold this way. Granted, I've only sold two million, not half a billion. And I'm as much of an anomaly to most self-pubbed authors as you are to me. But you're using The Guardian to preach to the Everyday Joe (unless I'm wrong and The Guardian's circulation is limited to members of Authors United), and Everyday Joe simply doesn't have your concerns. The vast majority of writers can't relate, and readers just don't care. Both the casual and the power reader find their books however they find them, and will continue to do that even if the retailers change and the format changes.
Child: Research bears it out. Physical eyeballing is way ahead of any other prompt, be it word of mouth, spam, social media or other kinds of advertising.
Which is a problem for Amazon.
Joe sez: Sure. Except for, you know, the billions of things they sell due to people physically eyeballing Amazon.com. You may have heard the Internet terms surfing and browsing. One does not need to be standing in a shopping mall to impulse buy.
In fact, you may have noticed that Amazon is pretty good at recommending items for customers to buy. The airport kiosk has your latest, a Stephen King, a Nora Roberts, a James Patterson, and whoever took over for poor, dead Michael Crichton. This limited selection ensures that you'll sell a fuckton of paper. I'm sure you like that a lot. I sure would.
But I'm stuck with Amazon, which democratizes that limited shelf space into equal unlimited space for all writers (except for that co-op thing, which we'll get into shortly).
Amazon doesn't have a problem, here. Brick and mortar stores do. Because they have limited space.
You know this. And this is a big reason why you're concerned about Amazon opening 300 stores. Because Amazon could attempt to democratize physical shelf space the same as it has done with virtual shelf space, and that would mean readers would have more than you and six other old white guys to choose from (No disrespect to Ms. Roberts, but old white guys have dominated the bestseller lists for decades.)
Child: Classically it uses books to hook customers and then data-mine them. But it gets only dedicated book buyers.
Joe sez: I have no doubt Amazon is data mining me. Google data mines me. Apple data mines me. My own government data mines me, except they're trying to arrest people without due process rather than sell them stuff. But I don't understand your "dedicated book buyers" comment.
Amazon does get the heavy readers who buy more than a few books a year, and Amazon certainly has loss leads and incentives to get customers to shop for more than just books--they do call themselves "The Everything Store".
Sure, there are more cases of someone grabbing a Red Bull and some M&Ms in an airport and also grabbing your latest paperback at the same time than they are of seeking out a specific Konrath title on Amazon, but what's your point? You sell more so your way is better? You sell more so your way is what the Common Man really prefers?
I think you sell more because you're everywhere. And you're everywhere because you got lucky and won the Big Pub Lottery and could plug into a gigantic distribution network that allows casual readers to find you.
That doesn't make airport impulse purchases the better way to sell books, or the only way. But it certainly discriminates against the vast majority of authors.
Some shoppers look for something specific, like a predator on a game trail. Some graze and devour whatever is in front of them. Most of use do a bit of both. But there is no superior way to buy a book.
Child: Browsing on Amazon isn't great as a casual experience: fatigue sets in.
Joe sez: Have you ever gone to the mall on Black Friday? You really want to argue fatigue?
Child: (How do you make something totally invisible? Put it on page 17 of an internet search.)
Joe sez: How do you force a midlist legacy author to take a day job? Don't give her a six figure marketing budget.
You're being either myopic or intentionally disingenuous. I'll wager Amazon has allowed many more authors to reach readers in the last five years than the Big Publishing has since 1950.
True, Amazon hasn't created another Lee Child. But I think most people will settle for a hundred Hugh Howeys instead.
Child: And Kindle hasn't taken over the world. It has settled into a solid niche, like those tiny tubes of toothpaste – essential for travel, but no one uses them at home. (Down, fanboys! Real world!)
Joe sez: Ah, the real world. Do you even remember what that was like, Lee? Worrying about bills? Self-promoting to reach fans? Being paid twice a year and budgeting to make that money stretch?
I like your toothpaste tube analogy, though, even though you intended it to be insultingly dismissive. There are a lot of companies making a lot of money selling travel sized toothpaste. And it may be a niche, but I can subsist in that niche, along with tens of thousands of my peers.
Of course, I really don't believe it's a niche. I believe it's a shadow industry that is a lot bigger than you and your cronies think. It may not have hurt your bottom line, yet. It may never. But my career path doesn't require paper books to fail for me to succeed. My path doesn't require paper sales at all.
Here's a simpler way to explain it. Is it better to have ten people feast until they're stuffed, or for a whole village to eat enough to not starve?
Right there is the difference in our ideologies.
Child: So there is no way for Amazon to replicate that happy, random encounter with a physical bookstore window. Yes, there are bots and algorithms, but those casual millions of three-books-a-year people never see them: they don't buy books online.
Joe sez: You're proving my point, here. Other than incorrectly romanticizing the selling process of paper books (I debunked paper infatuation way back in 2010), you're preaching to a crowd of a hundred authors, and the bloated industry that has made them rich. The majority of writers don't agree and don't care. Neither do readers. Because those casual three-books-a-year readers will find those books elsewhere if the current paper source dries up, or they'll do something else with their leisure time, like Angry Birds.
Your argument is like saying people truly enjoy the experience of going into a 7-11 and impulse buying a Twinkie. Lots of people certainly do that. But it is far from the only way people choose to snack. And if the Twinkies were gone, these people will find something else to eat, or search elsewhere.
Child: Which is a defeat for Amazon. It prides itself on going where the customers are, and doing what the customers want. And it needs to. Its growth demands all the customers there are.
Joe sez: You have the first part backwards. Amazon's strategy thusfar has been to lead customers to it, not to go where the customers are.
Child: So now, rumour has it, Amazon plans to open another 299 physical bookstores (it already has one, in Seattle). The rumours are denied – or at least, not confirmed – and at first glance they appear economically insane. At the best of times, books are low-velocity, low-margin items, and commercial rents are geared to the opposite – clothes, handbags and other high-profit stuff. But then, for 20 years Amazon has proved willing to eat losses, and investors have allowed it to.
So, what if? And suppose those 300 stores were only the start? We'd quickly approach a de facto monopsony.
Joe sez: And here were go again. I'm so tired of debunking this one. And I'm also tired of repeatedly stating that the Big 5 are a de facto oligopoly; a cartel that fixes prices and censors books. But as much as I debunk the monopoly/monopsony argument, no one has ever challenged my accusations about the Big 5.
Child: Amazon would become the only practical route to market for 1,400 US publishers and a million US self-publishers, for either digital or paper product.
Joe sez: Currently Amazon is the only practical route for millions of self-publishers. Your point?
I've blogged about this before, but can't find the link. In a nutshell, once a company becomes powerful enough to dictate terms for consumers or suppliers, it still has powerful incentives to play fair. That's why Wal-Mart, when it opens in a new town and destroys all the Mom and Pop stores, doesn't raise prices when the competition is killed. If they did, it would allow the Mom and Pops to return and compete. So they have to keep prices low.
The same thing works with suppliers in a digital world. We're not talking oil barons owning a limited amount of land. We're talking the Internet. If Amazon starts screwing authors (you know, maybe like slashing their ebook royalties to 17.5%--who would do something so awful?) then that's just asking for competition to step up and lure authors away with better terms.
And unlike the Big 5 cartel who don't compete on terms (for us mere mortal writers they only compete on the size of advance), Amazon isn't ever going to go the oligopoly route and collude with competitors. Amazon wants to have the widest selection, and they don't want to share. They incentivize authors with Kindle Unlimited in order to offer readers the widest selection. This alarmist notion of "Amazon Will Slash Your Royalties" has no basis in reality.
Or does it? Let's see what Lee digs up...
Child: The history is worrying. Amazon has already tried to use its power in a punitive fashion, as if determined to hurt publishers financially.
Joe sez: Uh, no it hasn't. Anyone who followed the Hachette nonsense on this blog knows what that was really about; publishers wanting higher ebook prices. Which has harmed publishers, and lots of authors (though not Lee Child because he sells buttloads of paper books.)
Child: All kinds of fees and "contributions" are required. "Pay to play" was openly the name of the game, until Amazon's lawyers suggested a less explicit description. One publisher resisted, and a senior Amazon executive boasted: "I did everything I could to screw with their performance."
Joe sez: As if Amazon invented co-op. C'mon, Lee. Stop being disingenuous. Publishers have always paid to play. Hint: the reason your books are front and center at Barnes & Noble is because your publisher paid out the ass for it. I don't hear you bitching about those "contributions".
Child: Already, self-publishers have only "terms and conditions", which change capriciously – so far only to Amazon's advantage. Is it good public policy to allow one corporation to have total power over a nation's published output?
Joe sez: Give me "terms and conditions" over the greedy, moronic, inept fuckers who wanted my rights, forever.
You keep demonizing Amazon for things that Big Publishing has already done, and done to a much worse degree. They had total power, and the exercised it lockstep, and fixed prices, and kept millions of books from reaching readers, and screwed authors.
Amazon can never have total power, because they don't own rights, and they can't censor other sales outlets for authors. The Big 6 could and did censor, because they controlled distribution.
You said earlier that the Kindle is niche. So pick an argument, Lee. Does Kindle cater to only a small percentage of the book market, or does it command total power over everything published?
And why, exactly, should we be worried if Amazon opens 300 bookstores? Didn't you say that readers prefer that "happy, random encounter with a physical bookstore window"? What's wrong with 300 more windows?
Oh... wait. I know.
Those are 300 windows that your books won't be prominently featured in unless your publisher pays for it. And how could your poor publisher hope to afford that when they keep giving you eight figure advances?
My my, this is a dilemma.
As for me, who has had zero physical premise in brick and mortar bookstores since Shaken was published in 2010, I'm hoping Amazon does start opening stores and giving those casual readers a broader choice than that same handful of old white guys. And I'm not worried about Amazon having "total power" because, unlike you, I have an understanding of how Amazon works. Every Amazon imprint, every section, functions as its own company. It has to bid for co-op just like publishers do. That's how it avoids any DOJ problems. Amazon will sell used products alongside new ones, for less, via third parties. Amazon allows third party vendors to sell things that Amazon doesn't even carry. Consider that. If you're really worried Amazon will boycott your publisher, Amazon will still offer your publisher's titles on Amazon.com via third parties.
Probably not at the discount you'd like, though.
Amazon won't ever have "total power" because it competes with itself. It wants to sell everything to everyone. Even at the expense of its own profits and shareholders.
The Big 5 want to sell certain books to certain people in certain ways. They want higher prices, and will collude to get them. Except for 1% of 1% of 1%, they pay they authors much less than Amazon does. They keep rights. They demand unconscionable clauses like non-compete and next option.
Amazon has allowed me a career. But I'm only pro-Amazon for as long as they are pro-author.
I said "pro-author" not "pro-Joe."
The Big 5 are not pro-author. They are pro-Lee Child.
That's awesome for you. But--down legacy fanboy!--the rest of us live in the real world.
Friday, February 19, 2016
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A bar or tavern featuring numerous television sets and, often, projection TV systems, which allow patrons to watch a variety of sporting events.This listings are your guidelines if your searching this kind of establishments.


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Notes From All Over Part VJuly 23, 2004
Thoughts on the Odeon debacle and developer workarounds for bad sites, Internet Explorer news, and a few random links to start the weekend.
There's not a lot you can say for a company that turns its back on a third of its customers on point of principle. It's understood that Odeon felt leery about allowing customers to submit personal data through an unaccountable third party; but look at the numbers. 31 percent of users to the site feel it's so bad that they refuse to use it.
Paying developer Matthew Sommerville a yearly salary to keep it running would have been a pittance compared to the business they just shut off. Starting with the numbers in this Wired article and assuming all users stop ordering Odeon tickets online (which is a stretch), that's roughly £600,000 per year. There are enough unknowns that this number is probably far too high, but even half that is high enough.
Wired picked up on it in the article referenced, and extrapolated a common theme: developers are sick of putting up with Other People's Messes. Witness the flap over Allmusic.com's redesign. They went from hideous URLs, browser-specific code, and broken functionality to…. something even worse.
Adrian Holovaty took to heart Jeff Veen's straightforward thinking on routing around the damage and wrote a Firefox extension that fixes some of the problems with Allmusic's redesign. Is this the start of a new trend?
Pre-publishing update: looks like Zeldman has summarized these in more detail and clarity this morning.
The Internet Explorer team has a new weblog. IE for XP's second service pack is available as a Release Candidate. Good to see signs of life; too bad the bar was raised so high while they were sleeping.
It's hard to make too much fuss about IE's limitations anymore though. After kicking and screaming over the long dormancy, I've come to accept that no matter what the IE team does now, it's not going to actually make much difference in my day to day life for many years yet.
IE gained its market dominance because it was bundled with Windows. The version 3 to version 6 upgrade path was relatively quick because computers were replaced frequently over the past 10 years as technology improved. Consumers and businesses aren't upgrading like they used to. Combine this with the fact that Longhorn isn't due out for two more years at best, and you have a very long period ahead where IE6 is the baseline, simply because too many older computers will continue running it.
I expect to continue supporting IE6 well into the next decade. This is what I had in mind when I wrote this prior article on the slowdown. Perhaps the frequent and critical security issues will cause a quicker migration than that; perhaps not.
Whatever the case, I've made peace with IE. High-capability browsers will receive extra layout attention and effects, IE will receive somewhat dumbed-down equivalents. Users will never know the difference, and ignoring the limitations is freeing. Armed with these two filters, CSS development with IE is a far less troublesome experience:
html>body #selector {rule;}
/* hides the rule from IE only */
* html #selector {rule;}
/* hides the rule from everything but IE */
This is the future.
And a grab bag of extra link love just before the weekend: ROI is not a silver bullet. Congratulations Jay. XML on the web has failed. HTML saves more bandwidth than XHTML.
Reader Comments
I wrote up a review of the new IE update on my site this morning after installing the XPSP2RC2.
The popup blocker does work well. I guess time will tell how much the security has improved. I am sure there is some 30 year old in his parents basement looking for exploits now.
The thing that came to my mind about this update is that it only affects those using XP. Will there be an update for IE6 on Win2k?
If not, that basically means Microsoft is saying the only way to improve your security is to upgrade, either now to XP or in 2 years to Longhorn.
In the meantime, the updates made to Mozilla Firefox aren't OS dependent. So when the vulnerability was uncovered a few weeks ago, the patch that went out applied to everyone, regardless of whether you were running XP, 2000, etc.
Good link the the IEblog, Dave. What a farce. The site doesn't even validate. I guess that pretty much sums up MS's take on standards.
The thought of dealing with IE into the next decade is not very appealing. I'm curious though, when (if at all) do you think we as a development community call Microsoft's bluff and start serving unstyled content to IE users?
What's the threshold that mozilla/opera/safari et al. have to reach in market share to make this feasible?
Apart from a handful (30-40ish) of odd "o:p" tag errors, the IEBlog has more forgivable validation than most websites. It's mostly a collection of little-known validation errors, such as IDs can't begin with underscores and block elements can't sprout under inline elements.
What should be less forgivable is the heavy use of inline CSS coupled with "span", but it's nice to note they used proper h# tags and lists and that they made more or less readable code, so it's a cheery note that, at least, they didn't use Word or Frontpage to make their webpage (an old version of Frontpage, at least).
Perhaps a renegade cell of Firefox developers will take advantage of IE's notorious security holes and come up with an IE virus that stuffs the Mozilla rendering engine into IE. This would have the neat effect of upgrading those users least likely to maintain their systems.
Then the virus should close the gate after itself, of course.
hao2lian: Are you looking at the same site I am? I caught a missing > off a </ul>, two closing tags without opening tags and more than 10 "font" tags right in their source.
Standards are standards… I don't have much faith in the future of IE if they can't code to todays standards already.
Maybe it's time to start thinking about loading in external hack stylesheets using some server side logic, instead of specific browser flaws?
1. Would make our current stylesheets cleaner and easier to understand.
2. Would mean we're ready fdor a possible future case where a browser has no parsing flaws, but still has rendering errors.
Of course you'd want your server-side logic to be up to the task, but that's not much more than a half hour effort ,including caching logic, only needed to be done once in this day and age.
Eg, your style sheet would start off
@import(hacks.php) (or asp or py or whatever), and the hacks page would send a text/css mimetype and route through the appropriate stylesheet for this UA (including a blank one if nothing extra is needed).
I guess I feel a little uneasy relying upon browser flaws to fix browser flaws.
re: "Good to see signs of life; too bad the bar was raised so high while they were sleeping."
Actually, I think it is great that the bar was raised so high while they were sleeping. As much as I want to believe the push from various organizations to upgrade to a better browser is going to have an impact, I really wonder if it will make a difference?
My heart is telling my one thing, but my access logs are telling me another… most of our client's sites seem to be running at well over 90% IE usage for the month of July. I'd suspect that most blogs within the web development/blogging community are seeing close to 90% not IE.
Is anyone seeing anything different?
What happens when IE starts supporting the child selector, so the 'filters' will stop working, but the (many, complex) issues the filter helped us fix are still unresolved in such a new version of IE?
I use this filter a lot. Will our sites suddenly break when IE supports the child selector?
Bah! Screw child selector hacks. IE conditionals all the way!
First, that's an If, not a When. It's not a for-sure thing, it's only one possible scenario out of many. There's no sense in second-guessing it now, when nothing is known about future support.
If a potential Release Candidate exhibits this behaviour there will be a very vocal outrage from developers. Not to say that it will change the situation, but there will be pressure on the IE team to make sure other issues are resolved first.
There's no guarantees when using CSS workarounds and hacks; that much is granted. But there's no point in thinking too far into the future when we're stuck with the limitations of today's browsers. They solve real-world problems that can't otherwise be solved. End of story.
"Consumers and businesses aren't upgrading like they used to."
I wonder who is then?
Just so no one here has to spend hours debugging, remember that:
html>body {hides from IE}
html > body {hides from IE *except* IE5.0 on a PC;}
Dave P Wrote: " The thought of dealing with IE into the next decade is not very appealing. I'm curious though, when (if at all) do you think we as a development community call Microsoft's bluff and start serving unstyled content to IE users?"
Now! I will be on my site, but for now I'm only serving application/xhtml+xml for the homepage, so tough luck to any IE users wanting to see it, but that's causing another problem now, since it seems that google won't recognize it, and just says "File Format: Unrecognized" when it comes up in a search.
Dave P Wrote: "I don't have much faith in the future of IE if they can't code to todays standards already."
Yes, I agree, but what motivation have the IE team got to write standards compliant pages, when they know that their browser chokes on it, especially given the fact that IE's standards mode is essentially identical to quirks mode, with just a few extra bugs thrown in for fun? Do you really think that given Microsoft's history, that they actaully care about serving valid content to others?
Lach Wrote: "@import(hacks.php) (or asp or py or whatever)"
That's a resonable idea, except you have to be aware the browser sniffing techniques are not always reliable. It's quite easy to alter the useragent string. For example, see Dav'e hilarious "Nutscrape" post:
(BTW, Dave, the image of the referral log is missing for that)
Although, it would be better to just import a file *without* the file extension.
eg. @import(/style/file); or
<?xml-stylesheet href="/style/file" type="text/css"?>, etc…
and then set up the server with Multiviews, or similar, so that the implementation can change from plain CSS, to dynamically generated with Perl, PHP or whatever. Theoretically, if there were ever a new stylesheet format as widely implemented as CSS is, it could content negotiated to deliver text/css or application/new-style-format, and the URIs wouldn't need to change. That's the way I'm doing it on my website at the moment, and may be converting to dynamically generated to send alternate style to IE, with the same URI.
Lachlan, I agree absolutely. However, I really don't care about people who alter their UA string. If they've changed it so it doesn't include at all the string 'Opera', 'Gecko' etc, then they know what they're doing. Additionally, I doubt this would count for greater than a hundredth of a percentage point of net surfers, and I'd also think most people competent enough to alter UA strings would be using browsers other than IE (which is where 99% of UA specific hacks will need to go)…
Derek Featherstone says:
"… most of our client's sites seem to be running at well over 90% IE usage for the month of July. I'd suspect that most blogs within the web development/blogging community are seeing close to 90% not IE.
Is anyone seeing anything different?"
I've seen 16 to 18% Mozilla-Safari-Opera figures for more than a year. This morning among the last 20 visits, 7 are from one of these browsers, and it has been a usual figure to get 5 out of 20 recently.
question: You mentioned
* html #selector {rule;}
/* hides the rule from everything but IE */
Does this work as a separate filter? Or only when specifying a child selector (html>body) before? If it works separatly, a IE6 filter is easy to implement, before the IE5.5 and IE5 middpass filters from Tantek.
Do you have a link describing the mentioned * html rule? It is the first time I see it.
> Does this work as a separate filter? Or only when specifying a
> child selector (html>body) before? If it works separatly, a IE6
> filter is easy to implement, before the IE5.5 and IE5 middpass
> filters from Tantek.
It works separately. Each filter is stand-alone.
> Do you have a link describing the mentioned * html rule? It
> is the first time I see it.
I can't find a specific page at the moment, but if you browse around http://positioniseverything.net/ you're *sure* to find something about it. (and probably a whole lot more you never knew either)
The advent of content altering "fixing" extentions is in my view a serious obstruction of ones freedom of expression. Just because someone delivers bad work doesn't give someone else the right to alter that content because they feel that they know what better for mankind. Intentions so far are pretty good, so far…
Thanks Dave,
It's the 'Tan hack' : http://positioniseverything.net/articles/box-model.html
In hindsight I knew about it, but never used it before.


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Great question! I am at my best friends house for Thanksgiving
where are you in your avatar picture
I am at a store up by Estes Park in Colorado (USA). I don't know what the name of the store is though. They had some really neat and unique things there. We just happened to be driving up that way one day. Like many of you say, this is one of my few better pictures of myself, but still not good. I am not at all photogenic!
I like knowing where everyone else is too. I am surprised at how many people from other countries are here, it is so cool!
Don't know if you really want to know...
In my bathroom, making a picture of my new hairdress...
Mine was taken outside of my church.
Hi - there's not much background to mine either but it is in my garden late last summer and I think it was supposed to be a picture of my hair to send to my Mum as it had recently been recoloured but the colours did not show so well. As a rule I take the pictures and do not appear in them
This picture was took in a bird park I went there with my bf last year on my birthday...
Interesting to read everyone's!
Mine was taken in a park, under a pavilion in Cedar City, Utah at a little mini 10 year High School Reunion with my good friends this past fall. The man in the picture behind me is my husband. They say behind every great man is a great woman. The saying goes the other way too.
that's a good question, mine was taken on my wedding day, at the local zoo I know, we married at the zoo.
In my living room. Pretty boring.
But I will agree, the 'mountains' in New England are really just hills.
Just uploaded a picture of...yes...me. That's my dear hubby Drew at my side. We are outside of a country church having just experienced our nephew's wedding. And yes, it was a few years ago but it's one of my favorites. It was either that or a wedding picture from 29 years ago.
I like the yellow on your shirt Elizabeth!
And, no matter how old/new your picture are, real life pictures help this forum to be a community Mine also isn´t that new, lol... I guess it was taken almost 3 years ago... But I more or less look like that today :p
At my dinertable, drinking a cup of tea, my daughter took the picture
Meridy - LOL!
Mine is at the old Tanjung Pagar Railway Station in Singapore, my hometown. The building is about a hundred years old, dating back to the British colonial days. For decades, by some strange arrangement the station and the land belonged to neighbouring Malaysia, where i'm living now. In the middle of last year, the station and land were officially handed over to Singapore. Before the official ceremony, EVERYONE went down to the station with their cameras to capture the architecture with its British colonial charm, before the profit-driven developers of Singapore got their hands on it and turned it into some glitzy cash-churning machine...
(Hope the photo linking works, this is the left side of the double-spread i made of the event.)
Mine was taken 40 years ago in Switzerland. It is one of my favourite pictures of my childhood because of the colours in it. Especially the red tulips and the yellow suit I am wearing. My mum did nearly all my children cloths for me and she always used very cool colours. I am so glad to have inherited some of her creative talent.
I was at work in the break room.
My two little girls were in Taiwan when the photo was taken. It was their first trip on the aeroplane.. First time experiencing cool weather (Dec) compared to all year summer in Singapore, and also their first time (and only time coz Singapore is seriously too hot!) wearing sweaters I've sewn for them! It was my first trip with the girls too. Many firsts!~
I love Taiwan!
I was sitting at a fountain in Washington D.C. last spring during a family trip there. I think my daughter took the photo. I am usually behind the camera, not in front of it!
I was in my sister's back yard at my dad's 70th birthday party. It was originally a picture of me, my dad and sister that i cropped so i could have a recent picture of me for it.
Mine was taken home (I think...)
Bosphorus/Istanbul. We were rent a boat with friends to watch the sunset view and to have some drinks.
Like Judy, Shelly, and so many of us, there aren't a lot of pictures of me. I used to joke that the reason I bought expensive cameras was so that I could stand behind them instead of in front of them. But I had a new manager who insisted that I e-mail a photo to him to go into a book for his secretary. I didn't have a recent photo, so hubby and I went downtown and I sat on a bench outside the public library with my laptop to see if their new Wi-Fi signal could be picked up from outside the building. Hubby walked across the street and took a couple of pictures of me sitting on the bench.
@Elsi: I can relate.... I hate having my picture taken. I'd rather be the one behind the camera. My mother hates having her picture taken, too. Probably the only thing I have in common with her. LOL
It's hard to see the background in mine, but we were heading to KS for Christmas at my mother-in-law's home. We stopped at Pizza Hut in Guthrie and my husband took my picture, telling me he couldn't believe how young I looked. (I was 41 when it was taken; 43 now.)
Im in my room, in front of my computer.
@Lisa Z: You really doesn´t look like 41 in the picture, but younger
This is me teaching a Lego birthday party at work! I have an awesome job.
Mine was taking in my old bedroom before an evening out
I just changed my profile picture so I thought I would comment here again. This picture of me was taken by a railroad bridge in my home town.
This is such a brilliant thread! Love it!
I am in the (almost) middle of Sweden, in the countryside near a town called Karlstad.
It was taken by a friend of mine while we were visiting her family a gorgeous summer three years ago.
Can't see much of it though but it was breathtaking!


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text:
I write to protest the utterly vicious way that Pakistan has treated Mukhtaran Bibi.
She is a truly heroic woman. After having been publicly gang-raped by men of her village at the order of a tribal council, she testified against her persecutors and had them put in prison. She used the money she received as compensation to start schools in her village. When her case became known to the rest of the world and people sent her more money, she expanded the schools, set up an ambulance service, and worked to protect women from violent abuse.
Shortly after she was invited to speak in America, your government put her under house arrest, cut her phone lines, released the men who raped her, and imprisoned her at a secret location. At this point, nobody can contact her. I am among the many people who are concerned for her safety.
I will telephone my Congressman and Senators tomorrow to express my fury at the imprisonment of Ms. Mukhtaran. I am also doing what I can to make more people aware of her plight. A country that mistreats one of its heroes in this horrific manner deserves no support from America.
--Neil Sinhababu
If you write an email, feel free to mention it in the comments section. I'm wondering how many of my readers will take action here.
[New Update]: Things are looking better for Mukhtaran Bibi. (That link now points to Tom Watson, who's been leading the charge on this issue. He's probably the person to go to for updates.) I'm holding off on the phone calls for the time being.


text:
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Lady Gaga Brings Back the Hair Bow
The hair bow was one of Lady Gaga's most talked about styles early in her career, and while she's not one to go backwards and do too many repeats, the singer did revisit the look while in Estonia.
The Mother Monster shared a photo of her Louis Vuitton brown hair, with a big bow fashioned at the crown. The bow was paired with heavy, curled bangs. And check out those arched eyebrows. It's a more mature look for her. More like "classic," in more ways than one, and Old Hollywood glam.
Gaga posted the photo on her LittleMonsters.com site, writing: "Estonia! On the way to show! With a brown hairbow!"
The hair bow is really one of Gaga's cutest looks, but it's also fashion forward, since she pretty much uses her hair as an accessory. Everything has a fashion purpose in Gaga's world.
What do you think PopCrushers? Do you like the brown version of Gaga's hair bow? Are you excited that she revisited one of her early period hair looks?
Watch the Lady Gaga 'Born This Way' Video


text: BRISTOL – A Bristol woman was cited on 21 counts of forgery on Saturday, July 21 after she allegedly stole 21 of her mother's checks and cashed them over a two-week period for a total of around $894, according to Vermont State Police. Cassandra J. Fraser-Brown allegedly forged her mother's signature and cashed the checks at various locations in Bristol, police said. She is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at the Addison County Courthouse on Aug. 27, according to police.


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It's time to post the winners of the stamps by Suzi Blu for Stampavie from last week's giveaway! Three Scrapbook Update readers are lucky winners who will have some new stamps to play with soon!
The winner of package #1 is April W, who posted:
These are absolutely fabulous!!!
The winner of package #2 is Lynnscraps, who posted:
I love the quotes on these cute stamps. I am always looking for quotes like these, which are perfect for me.
The winner of package #3 is Ann, who posted:
I like the idea of the complete multimedia package. For me, I would consider it a class and book purchase. Being able to refer to the "class" at anytime, would be great. So many times I come home from a class with samples and directions, only to forget exactly how we did something 6 months later.
Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to our sponsor Stampavie for sharing their products with our readers for the prizes! Winners, you will get an email in a moment with instructions on collecting your prize! Thanks for reading Scrapbook Update!


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In Germany, transgenic plants are grown only for research purposes. Experience with commercial cultivation of genetically modified maize in 2004 - 2008 has been used as data in scientific investigations on co-existence and has aided the development of co-existence guidelines. GM maize has been grown pre-commercially in Germany since 1998.
Of all the GM plants with EU wide approval for cultivation, only the Bt maize MON810 could be commercially cultivated in Germany. Eleven maize varieties derived from MON810 were approved for unlimited planting until 2009.
Since 2005, farmers in Germany have had to register all land on which genetically modified crops are grown in an official site register, so the exact cultivation figures are known. (see site register). The area of land under Bt maize cultivation increased from 350 hectares in 2005, the first year, to 3171 hectares in 2008. For the cultivation season in 2009, 3600 hectares were registered but were invalid since the veto of MON 810.
The total acreage of maize (GM, conventional, and organic) planted in Germany is about 2 million hectares. Most GM maize is used as animal feed on the same farm. So far, there have not been any cases of economic losses on neighbouring conventional farms due to unwanted out-crossing.
The first field trials with GMOs in Germany were conducted in 1990 with petunias. In the following years, field trials with several GM crops were conducted including transgenic maize, potato, rapeseed, pea, sugar beet, grape, poplars and tobacco.


text:
At a time when rookies usually slow down, Raiders defensive tackle Stacy McGee is just getting started.
McGee, a sixth-round draft pick out of Oklahoma, has become a key part of the Raiders defensive line rotation and had his biggest impact play of the season in a 28-23 win over the Houston Texans.
With defensive end Jason Hunter ruled out of Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans at O.co Coliseum, McGee could get even more work as starting tackle Vaughn Walker gets some snaps at end.
McGee's first-quarter hit on quarterback Case Keenum as he was attempting to pass resulted in an interception by linebacker Nick Roach, which the Raiders eventually turned into a touchdown and a14-0 lead.
It was a popular highlight in McGee's hometown of Muskogee, Okla.
"I heard from a lot of people who saw it on TV,'' McGee said. "I think they were proud to see me doing something.''
McGee was a controversial selection given his background and the Raiders stated preference for character players. His four years at Oklahoma included a DUI, a citation for marijuana possession and suspensions for breaking team rules.
Raiders coach Dennis Allen, who called McGee's performance a "pleasant surprise,'' believed McGee was a good guy who made some errors in judgment.
"Is that a young kid making some young mistakes, or is it an issue or a problem?,' '' Allen said. "We were convinced it was something we could deal with, that we could manage. And he's been great since he's been here.
"Obviously that's something you want to continue to monitor, but we've been pleased with what we've seen on and off the field with Stacy McGee.''
McGee said he wants to pay back the Raiders for having the faith in his character.
"I accept the things that I've done. I know I messed up,'' McGee said. "I don't have a chip in my shoulder because I put myself in those situations. All I can do is move forward.''
In a football sense, McGee's ability to move forward _ with raw power _ is his defining characteristic.
"He started off slow with some nagging injuries when he came to camp, and now he's just starting to get really healthy,'' defensive line coach Terrell Williams said. "He's getting better in practice and he's obviously getting better in games.''
The so-called "rookie wall'' has yet to be in evidence with six games to play.
"I actually feel like I'm progressing and the games are getting more and more fun each week,'' McGee said.
Williams said McGee's football intelligence is high and that he enjoys working at it.
"He loves it,'' Williams said. "He studies tape, and when you ask him questions about what he's supposed to be doing up front, he knows the answers.''
— The Raiders announced the Tennessee game is a sellout and will be televised locally. All six home games have sold out this season with capacity reduced by approximately 11,000 fans by putting a tarp on the east structure as well as third-deck sections near the structure.
— Wide receiver Denarius Moore (shoulder), running back Darren McFadden (hamstring), defensive end Jason Hunter (foot) and safety Tyvon Branch (ankle) were ruled out against Tennessee.
Moore is the Raiders' leading receiver with 37 receptions for 569 yards and five touchdowns. Andre Holmes will start in his place opposite Rod Streater.
Quarterback Terrelle Pryor (knee), linebacker Kaluka Maiava (ribs), defensive tackle Daniel Muir (knee) and wide receiver Juron Criner (shoulder) were listed as questionable.
Allen said he wants to see Pryor again Saturday before determining whether he will be available as the backup quarterback against Tennessee.
Guard Mike Brisiel (ankle/knee) and Holmes (shoulder) were listed as probable.


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Hatco Specialty Equipment
This specialty equipment can streamline your kitchen operations and make life a little easier for staff. Hatco lighting provides an energy-efficient solution for illuminating your kitchen work areas, while a Hatco oven provides a space-saving way to heat and finish small portions, freeing up your larger equipment. Hatco hot water dispensers give staff convenient access to hot water for cooking and making drinks. Other specialty equipment, like Hatco heated wells and heated holding cabinets, can round out your food holding equipment so you can keep virtually any food product at the right serving temperature.


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There's good news and less-good news in the latest report on retirement security from the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. The good news is that, according to EBRI's latest computer modeling, there's one group of workers that has an 83% to 86% chance of saving enough money to provide them with an adequate income in retirement (when combined with their Social Security benefits). The less-good news is that in order to attain that level of probability, a saver would need to have at least 30 years of 401(k) participation before the age of 65 – and that's a bar that many people won't clear.
As we've noted often here at Encore, 401(k) plans have plenty of drawbacks, and they certainly weren't ever intended to become America's de facto retirement savings system. But they do offer some significant advantages to savers, including the ability to sock away large amounts of pre-tax dollars; the availability of corporate matches; fees that are often, though not always, lower than those in IRAs; and the fact that automated deposits turn the act of saving itself into a no-brainer.
The problem: The majority of households don't have access to a 401(k). Only about half of all employers offer one (most small businesses don't), and one recent Pew Research Center report found that only 39% of households with a net worth of under $500,000 had a 401(k) account. Self-employed people can put away a lot of money tax-deferred with the help of a so-called SEP IRA, but other wage- and salary-earners are at a relative disadvantage, especially since the contribution limits on traditional IRAs are low, at $6,500 a year for savers age 50 and over.
To keep things in perspective: There are plenty of options for saving outside of 401(k)s, and people disciplined enough to save diligently for 30 years ought to have a high likelihood of hitting their retirement targets, whatever savings vehicles they use. But it's worth noting that the structural advantages of 401(k) plans give their account-holders an edge that many other people don't enjoy.
The EBRI study defined an "adequate" retirement income as an income from savings and Social Security that was equal to 60% of a person's wages and salary at age 64, adjusted for inflation. It also ran scenarios for "replacement ratios" of 70% and 80%; success rates at those levels, of course, were lower.
EBRI's analysis also assumes that Social Security benefits will continue to be paid at their present rates. But the researchers also run a scenario in which Social Security benefits are cut 24%--roughly what the program's shortfall is estimated to be starting in 2033, the year in which its trust fund is expected to be depleted to zero. If a cut of that magnitude were to be implemented, the odds of folks with 30 years of savings in a 401(k) having an adequate income dropped by 7 to 13 percentage points, with lower-income earners seeing the steepest drop.
Also in Encore:
An old-school pension lures young recruits
Secrets of the 401(k) millionaires
Matthew Heimer covers retirement for MarketWatch and edits the Encore blog. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewHeimer.


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Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University Athletics
Department will honor its 2009-10 recipients of the Dean Davenport
"Bulldog of the Year" Award throughout this Friday's
(Dec. 3) Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) home contest
versus Michigan State at the Ewigleben Ice Arena.
The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. (ET) and the three honorees will be recognized during various timeouts in the contest.
FSU's 2009-10 recipients of the prestigious award included men's basketball player Justin Keenan (Grand Rapids/Ottawa Hills) along with Tina Muir (St. Albans, U.K.) of the women's track/cross country program and Eric Lilleboe (Okemos/Lansing Catholic Central) of the men's golf team. Muir will not be in attendance on Friday as she will be representing FSU in this weekend's NCAA-II National Cross Country Championships on Saturday (Dec. 4) in Louisville, Ky.
The award winners were selected by a FSU Athletics Department committee. All three were first-time recipients of the prestigious award.
The Dean Davenport "Bulldog of the Year" Award, which was reinstated in the 2002-03 season following a seven-year absence, is presented annually to the most outstanding Ferris State male and female student-athlete. Award criteria consists of strong athletic achievements (must be a letterwinner and achieve outstanding athletic accomplishment), strong individual character and academic achievement.
The award was renamed in honor of former Ferris State Athletics
Director Dean Davenport, who served in the position from 1979-93.
During his tenure at Ferris, Davenport was instrumental in the
planning of the FSU Sports Complex, the growth of women's
intercollegiate athletics, the emergence of Ferris' NCAA Division I
men's ice hockey program and the development of the athletics
scholarship program. He also led the athletics department to 14
consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC)
President's Cup Championships. Davenport founded the "Bulldog of
the Year", "Pete Peterson Pride" and "Jimmy Swears Courage" Awards
at Ferris State.
Keenan was tabbed as the men's basketball squad's Most Valuable Player Award recipient for the third consecutive season in 2009-10. He became the school's first-ever men's basketball All-America pick at the Division II level and the first Bulldog player in 36 years to claim All-America accolades at any level last season. The 2009-10 State Farm® Coaches' All-America First Team selection was also honored last year as the winner of the prestigious Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year Award for the 2009-10 season, becoming the first Bulldog men's basketball player in 20 years to attain the recognition.
A consensus All-America honoree and two-time first team All-GLIAC recipient, Keenan averaged a league-leading 21.1 points per game in 22 conference regular-season contests last season and held a 20.1 points per game average for all games. Additionally, his 465 points in league games finished only six shy of matching the league's single-season scoring record of 471 points set by Saginaw Valley State's Michael Williams in the 1993-94 season.
The 6-6 Keenan also broke two GLIAC single-season records with his 176 made free throws and 253 total attempts in league regular-season play last season while becoming the school's all-time leader in career made free throws (562) along with topping his own single-season record with 215 makes in all games at the charity stripe. He shattered the previous league records of 132 free throws made and 196 attempts.
Lilleboe, a 2009-10 Division II Men's Golf PING All-America First-Team honoree, paced the 24th-tying ranked Bulldogs with a career single-season best 73.00 stroke average (2,409 total strokes) last season in 33 rounds. The two-time (2008-09 and 2009-10) PING All-Midwest Region pick was also honored as the GLIAC Men's Golf "Athlete of the Year" for the 2009-10 season. Last campaign, Lilleboe compiled 11 top 20-place finishes with seven being among the top five placings. He was also recognized as the GLIAC Men's Golf Athlete of the Week four times (Sept. 15, 22, 29 and Oct. 7) in the 2009-10 season. A three-time (2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10) All-GLIAC First-Team performer, Lilleboe attained the GLIAC Men's Golf "Athlete of the Year" in the 2007-08 season.
Lilleboe claimed team Most Valuable Player Award laurels last season after sharing the honor with Kurt Valley in 2008-09 and being the sole recipient in the 2007-08 campaign. He concluded his four-year (2006-10) career at Ferris State averaging 73.67 strokes a round (7,588 total strokes) in 103 rounds. Lilleboe accumulated 29 top 10-place performances for his career, highlighted by 18 among the top-five finishers.
Finally, Muir capped off a stellar cross
country season in 2009 by being named to the United States Track
and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II
All-America Team following her performance in the 2009 NCAA-II
National Championships (Nov. 21) in Evansville, Ind., where she
claimed All-America accolades for the second consecutive campaign
with a second-straight 12th-place performance in helping the
Bulldogs run to a 11th-place team finish while tying for the
second-highest finish in school history. Muir led the Bulldogs at
the national championships by completing the 6K course in a time of
21:11.0 among 184 runners in the field.
Muir, who was last year's NCAA-II Midwest Regional Cross Country Athlete of the Year by virtue of her regional individual championship performance, won all five of her races last season prior to the national championships and was also selected as the GLIAC Runner of the Year after winning the conference title. Twice last fall, she also attained the GLIAC Runner of the Week honor.
A two-time cross country All-American, Muir also earned the
prestigious GLIAC Commissioner's Award for the 2009 fall semester
and was a league all-academic team selection in both cross country
along with track and field. She made her second-straight
appearance at the national indoor track and field championships
last winter where she came up just short of earning All-America
kudos in the women's 5,000 meters with a 12th-place overall
(17:28.90) performance.
Keenan's selection marks the sixth time a Bulldog men's basketball player has been honored as a winner of the "Bulldog of the Year" Award while Muir is only the sixth women's track and field/cross country participant to claim the honor. Meanwhile, Lilleboe is the first-ever Ferris men's golf student-athlete to earn the recognition.
This past year also represented the first time in school history two male individuals have shared the "Bulldog of the Year" honor. Prior to last season, the only previous times three student-athletes were honored for this award were in the 1982-83, 1986-87, 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, with two female student-athletes being recognized all four times. Bruce Faccio (football), Monta Ware (women's basketball) and Linda Spicer (women's volleyball) were 1982-83 award winners while Brad Morris (wrestling), Patty Theis (women's volleyball) and Karen Kramer (women's basketball) were the award recipients for the 1986-87 season. In 2006-07, Rachel Folcik (women's basketall) was joined by Mike Klobucher (football) and Kristie Smilanich (women's soccer) as award honorees. The 2007-08 recipients included Folcik, Jake Visser (football) and Becky Hoffman (women's golf).
The other male student-athlete nominees for the 2009-10 Dean
Davenport Bulldog of the Year Award were Jack Swan
(Milwaukee, Wis./Arrowhead) in tennis and Blair
Riley (Kamloops, British Columbia) in ice
hockey. The other female student-athlete nominee was
tennis' Amy Ingle (Battle
Bulldog of the Year Recipients:
2009-10 - Justin Keenan (Men's Basketball), Eric Lilleboe (Men's Golf), and Tina Muir (Women's Track & Field/CC)
2008-09 – Jake Visser (Football), Mikinzie Stuart (Women's Track & Field/Cross Country)
2007-08 – Jake Visser (Football), Rachel Folcik (Women's Basketball), and Becky Hoffman (Women's Golf)
2006-07 – Mike Klobucher (Football), Rachel Folcik (Women's Basketball), and Kristie Smilanich (Women's Soccer)
2005-06 – Dennis Springs (Men's Basketball), Jenny Irwin (Women's Cross Country and Women's Track & Field)
2004-05 – Carlton Epps (Men's Basketball), Karla Fairbanks (Women's Volleyball)
2003-04 – Derek Fudge (Football), Lucy DeMartin (Women's Basketball)
2002-03 – Chris Kunitz (Men's Ice Hockey), Kathryn Bobbie (Women's Golf)
1995-96 – Bill Love (Football), Theresa Luciow (Softball)
1994-95 – Bill Love (Football), Shelli Gaul (Women's Track & Field)
1993-94 – Ed Philion (Football), Kathy O'Connor (Women's Volleyball & Women's Basketball)
1992-93 – Monty Brown (Football), Jodi Raab (Women's Basketball)
1991-92 – Dan Hutcheson (Wrestling), Monica Ferguson (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field)
1990-91 – John DePourcq (Men's Ice Hockey), Karen Volkers (Women's Volleyball)
1989-90 – Paul Cochran (Men's Track & Field/Football), Karen Volkers (Women's Volleyball)
1988-89 – Jarvis Walker (Men's Basketball), Penny Bailey (Women's Track & Field/Cross Country)
1987-88 – Dave DenBraber (Football), Patty Theis (Women's Volleyball)
1986-87 – Brad Morris (Wrestling), Patty Theis (Women's Volleyball) and Karen Kramer (Women's Basketball)
1985-86 – Scott Kelly (Baseball), Patty Theis (Women's Volleyball)
1984-85 – Paul Jungck (Wrestling), Sharon Sanders (Women's Volleyball)
1983-84 – Terry Schumacher (Wrestling), Leigh Feenstra (Women's Volleyball)
1982-83 – Bruce Faccio (Football), Monta Ware (Women's Basketball) and Linda Spicer (Women's Volleyball)
1981-82 – Tim Smelser (Wrestling), Vicki Williams (Women's Basketball)
1980-81 – Rick Baillergeon (Men's Basketball), Terri Fraser (Women's Volleyball & Women's Basketball)
1979-80 – David Sall (Football), Roxanne Abramouski (Softball)
1978-79 – Tim Herman (Men's Basketball), Sharon Lipinski (Women's Basketball)


text: On 24 Apr 2002, John Hearns wrote: > On Wed, 2002-04-24 at 15:10, Worsham, Michael A. wrote: > > Has anyone attempting to create a beowulf cluster using extreme methods of > > cooling, such as the liquid cooling? > > > > Example sites: http://www.koolance.com/, http://www.senfu.com.tw/, & > > http://www.overclockershideout.com/ > > > > Well, I think Robert Brown has FINALLY been beaten here. > You're not going to install Freon tanks, complete with plastic > fish are you Bob? > I just have this bizarre vision of Bob in an aqualung visiting > a Freon-flooded machine room... Oh no, this has all been discussed before on the list before (many times, actually -- look back at the archives with google to find some of them) and MY favorite solution is to build a really large computer room in, say, Antarctica and just put fans in the windows. Liquid solutions (no pun intended:-) tend to be expensive, messy, environmentally nasty (if you don't use water), risky (water and electricity don't mix well) and, as you note, servicing the machines in a full immersion rack can be, well, "involved". ;-) rgb -- Robert G. Brown http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/ Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305 Durham, N.C. 27708-0305 Phone: 1-919-660-2567 Fax: 919-660-2525 email:rgb at phy.duke.edu