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Aussie self-publishing success wins US award

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 | 3:59 PM

Stephanie Dale's self-published books a huge success story

An award-winning journalist, Stephanie Dale sold everything she owned to have the time and resources to write what she wanted.

That was seven years ago. In 2005, she walked El Camino, the mystical road to Santiago de Compostela, and in 2007 she joined her son for part of his walk from Canterbury to Jerusalem.

Her self-published memoir of the 2007 walk, My Pilgrim's Heart: A Woman's journey through marriage and other foreign lands, was a huge success, selling out its first print run within four weeks.

Her second book, Hymn for a Wounded Man, was based on hunting experiences in New Zealand. It has won her a gold medal at the Independent Publisher Book awards in the US.

Stephanie is currently on her way to New York to collect her prize.

3:59 PM | 1 comments

Anniversary of Hemingway suicide goes unremarked

Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park chooses not to memorialize ghoulish anniversary

Occasionally I sift through lists of "what happened on this date in history" for wordsmiths, and manage to produce a post. For some odd reason, that kind of post is very popular.

What has annoyed me, however, is that invariably the date connected with some famous author is his or her death date. Why not something a lot more cheerful, such as his birth date, or the date his most famous work was launched, or lauded with a notable prize?

Accordingly, I said, hear, hear, when I read that the Ernest Hemingway Foundation has chosen to ignore the fiftieth anniversary of the great author's suicide.

As a former chairman. Allan Baldwin, remarked, "We don't consider that a particularly big event for any number of reasons. We really don't get into those types of things."

After all, there are other reasons to remember a man who lived a remarkably full life, who won a Nobel Prize and a Pulitzer, who reported five wars, and experienced many adventures.

The Foundation chooses to honor him on his birthday, July 21.

Again, hear, hear.

2:39 PM | 0 comments

Living with the rich and famous

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Sunday, May 29, 2011 | 11:39 PM

Lady Blue Eyes: Frank Sinatra's wife reveals all

It's a wonder to me that anyone even remembers Frank Sinatra -- "Old Blue Eyes."

When I was a student I used to make money by ushering at a local movie theatre that specialized in old movies. Frank Sinatra featured in some of them ... but I don't really remember the plot. But he could sing and dance, and was generally charming, so I guess he was hot in his day.

Apparently, he still has an audience. Douglass K. Daniel reviews a memoir by his widow, Barbara Sinatra, called Lady Blue Eyes: My Life with Frank (Crown Archetype), that is probably expected to do quite well.

She was born Barbara Blakeley, and had a lust for the wild side. A twice-married model and showgirl, she met Sinatra when he was in his fifties. She fell for him. An affair commenced, along with all the glitz and glamor -- and demons.

Sinatra, apparently, had a hair-trigger temper. It was part of his "dangerous" charm. One gets the impression that it paid to be happy to submit to his every whim.

She smoked -- he didn't like it -- she quit (though he never gave up, himself).

When he was drunk, she got out of the way.

Charming.

11:39 PM | 0 comments

Amazon's Kindle clear leader in eReader stakes

E-Book report: Nook improved, iPad still catching up

The New York book expo is over, and the assessments are being made.

Amazon's Kindle is seen as the dominant player in the eReader market, though Barnes & Noble's Nook got good comments and is doing surprisingly well. Apple's iPad, on the other hand, is seen as an under-achiever.

Opinions were expressed that iPad would do better if they moved their eBooks into the iTunes stores, and had a better search capability in their iBookstore. Others said that the bells and whistles (audio-visual gimmicks) were given more priority than actual book-reading.

The market is huge. Though over 20 millions iPads were sold in the past 12 months, it is estimated to have been only 10% of the market. Around 65% of eReader sales went to Amazon.

Availability is apparently a big factor. An Amazon spokesman revealed that their Kindle store has over 950,000 titles, while iBookstore has about 200,000.

I'm following developments with personal interest, not having bought an eReader yet. A friend proudly showed me her Kindle, which she loves. It convinced me that I have to buy one with a touch screen, as all those tiny knobs were too hard to see. Not only are they small, but they are lost in the frame, being the same color.

2:07 PM | 0 comments

Facebook Profile Photos Sharing Statistics

Facebook has now become a huge hub of photo sharing website, where almost thousands of photo share every day from users all over the world. According to a recent analysis and statistic report from Pixable, about 10% of them are profile photos. Photo discovery app Pixable analyzed about 500,000 of its users� profiles to come up with some statistics about the photos we choose to represent ourselves.

Have a closer look at Facebook Profile Photos Statistics Report

12:24 AM | 0 comments

Download Opera Mini 6 for iPhone and iPad - Free Version

The most popular Web Browser for Mobile Devices "Opera" has released its latest Opera version for Apple iPhone and iPad. Now iPhone and iPad users are also able to experience world�s fastest mobile browsing on their smartphones through Opera Mini 6.

Opera Mini 5 were also a huge hit when Opera made its way to the iPhone. Like other Opera Mini version of various smartphones, Opera Mini 6 for iOS not only allows users to access web pages more quickly over slower connections (thanks to data traffic compression), it also has a number of useful features not found in the native iOS browser, Safari. These features include better panning and zooming for viewing sites that don�t have a mobile style sheet, more adaptive rendering to take advantage of the iPhone 4 retina display, and an easy way to share links or pages via Facebook, Twitter or MyOpera.

For Apple iPad users, the browser has been formatted to fit the larger device. Opera Mini 6 has a nice new UI, some enhanced features and best of all, is free. For that reason, it�s worth a download for users looking for something new, especially if you often work in areas with slow data speeds.

You can Download Opera Mini 6 for iPhone and iPad here.

12:06 AM | 0 comments

Waiter's cryptic hobby a puzzler

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Saturday, May 28, 2011 | 7:00 PM

A knack for writing cryptic crosswords

Our Wellington newspaper, the Dominion Post, has a daily page called CAPITAL DAY, "the Insider's Guide to Wellington," in which titdits of local gossip feature, along with notices of local events, many of them free.

Saturday's was the usual page of such trivia, along with a few comments about the ongoing saga of the "Wellywood" sign the airport is threatening to post on their land. (Comment: it does seem ironic that the sign should be mooted the same season that the local TV studios at Avalon, in the Upper Hutt, have been axed, along with local crew.)

Reporter Kerry McBride evidently keeps her notebook at hand, even when in the pub. Hence, she was able to produce an interesting story about her waiter, Max Hollander-Eberly (picture above, lifted off his Facebook page).

As he confided to her, he likes doing cryptic crosswords. He has a knack for them. He penetrates the meaning behind even the most obscure clues with ease. So, one day, while whiling away a leisure hour in his Mt Victoria flat, he decided to have a go at creating one of his own.

Three hours later, as Kerry McBride relates, he had written his very own cryptic crossword.

"I just have a very abstract sense of the world and can make connections where lots of people don't see them," he modestly remarked. The hardest part, apparently, is thinking up the words. Making up the clues is easy.

Mr. Hollander-Eberly plans to start submitting his puzzles for publication. Good luck to him.

Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics

Wellington has a good record of producing wordsmiths with a knack for originality.

There is Burton Silver, who with another New Zealander, Heather Busch, has produced a stream of whimsical bestsellers about cats, starting with Why Cats Paint.

And there is Simon Shuker, of "Code Cracker" and "Take 5" fame. The originator of both puzzles, he contributes to The Listener, Dominion Post, Otago Daily Times, and Britain's Daily Mail.

So popular is the code cracker puzzle with British readers, that a few US puzzle-merchants have pinched the idea.

7:00 PM | 0 comments

Google Introduced Google Wallet: Mobile Payment System

Finally Google has announced the replacement of human wallets and have introduced eWallet for transactions worldwide. Google has teaming up with MasterCard, Citigroup and Sprint to launch a new phone based Mobile Payment System. Which is officially known as Google Wallet, which will enable special chips embedded in many future Android devices to be used for payments? Instead of swiping a credit card, customers will be able to wave their Android phone in front of a reader to make a payment.

According to Stephanie Tilenius, Google's vice president of commerce;

"We believe the shopping experience has not yet been transformed by technology or by magical experiences. Now, your phone can be your wallet, you just tap, pay, and save."

Google Wallet is being tried out first in a very limited release in New York and San Francisco. At the moment it will only work with Sprint�s Nexus S 4G phone but more Android based phones will be added in the coming months. It will also only work at the moment for people who own a Citi MasterCard or a Google Prepaid card with support for Google Wallet. A number of retailers and merchants have pledged support for Google Wallet. In addition, Google also announced a second related project today called Google Offers that will give you a special offer per day from a merchant that you can make use of via Google Wallet.

4:12 AM | 0 comments

Manually Activate Microsoft Office 2010: Activation Key Genuine

As I told you before about the two different ways of Microsoft Office 2010 Activation in my previous post. Where we have already discussed how you can Activate Microsoft Office 2010 by using KMS Activator software, but some people are still not able to activate their Microsoft Office 2010 copy by using KMS Activator. So for those people who are not able to make their Office 2010 copy genuine by using KMS Activator, they don�t have to worry about it because they can also Manually Activate Microsoft Office 2010 by using manual method without any cracks.

How to Manually Activate Microsoft Office 2010:

Follow the simple following steps to Manually Activate Microsoft Office 2010 and make it genuine without using any Cracks or Software.

The following notes are based on using Ms. Office Word, but any other Office 2010 application can be used (phone activation takes less than 2 minutes).

01. Disconnect internet, and start Word.

02. If the activation window appears close it.

03. Go to menu File, Help, Change Product Code, and then enter key:

828CH-G4FPY-HMH4R-32GCK-6D9BH
-or-
3W3MQ-H7M6X-3WYP7-TPCH6-8G8T2

04. Untick the "Activate over internet" box at the bottom, and click "Next".

05. In the window that appears click "Install".

06. When finished the Install process, close word an then reopen Word.

07. An activation window will appear (if not, go to menu File, Help, Activate).

08. Select the "Phone Activation" option, and click "Next".

09. Pick your country, then ring the number and follow the instructions.

10. When asked for your ID, input the code given in the Word activation window.

11. When asked which edition, choose business/volume use, used only on 1 pc.

12. A code will be given back, and enter the code into the activation box.

13. Click "Next", and Office will say that it's permanently activated.

14. Close Word (and any other Office 2010 application).

15. Restart Word, and go to Help to check the subscription status.

16. Hurray! Now your Micorosft Office 2010 is Geniune and fully Activated!

Note:
- If you don't get the automated system when calling then phone back in the evening or Sunday.
- If you are put trough to an operator then just lie and they give you the code.
- If you had used a kms activator previously for 180 day activation then just use the same activator to uninstall the kms process and any scheduled reactivation. You don�t need to deactivate Office.

2:17 AM | 0 comments

KMS Activator for Office 2010: Genuine Activation Key

As we know Microsoft has already launched its new Office version Microsoft Office 2010 and every office users are switching to this new version and they are not aware of how to activate Microsoft Office 2010 and they are getting trial period of 30 days of product activation and also facing Microsoft Office 2010 Genuine Activation problem. So today I am going to share how you can activate Microsoft Office 2010 and avoid 30 days trial period and make your Office 2010 copy fully genuine and activate for a life time.

Now you don�t have to crack your Microsoft Office 2010 and also you don�t have to search Genuine Keys for your Microsoft Office 2010 because no serial keys and cracks will helps you to make your office 2010 copy genuine accept the license serial keys and working activation crack. After a lot of research on internet I have finally found Two Ways to Activate Microsoft Office 2010.

One way is to use working genuine crack which is known as KMS Activator for Microsoft Office 2010 and the other way is to Manually Activate Microsoft Office 2010 copy and makes it permanently genuine. So I am going to share both method of activation. But in this post I will let you know how you can activate Ms. Office 2010 with KMS Activator.

How to Activate Microsoft Office 2010 by using KMS Activator:

Download KMS Activator Software for your Ms. Office 2010 Now and get rid of 30 Days trial period and make your Office 2010 fully genuine and download updates directly from Microsoft without any interruption and also bypass your activation pop-up window and get all your Office 2010 Update without any problem. Simply follow the following steps to activate your Ms. Office 2010 and make it genuine.

Installation Instruction:

First Disable your all kind of Anti-Virus/Security Software. (Recommended)
Run KMS Activator Software.
Click on Install/Uninstall KMService Tab.
Then Click on Activation Office 2010 VL.
Follow the instruction inside the window.
Your Microsoft Office 2010 is genuine now.
Check the status of your Ms. Office 2010 by click on Activation Check Office 2010.
Hurray! Enjoy Genuine Ms. Office 2010.

Note:
If above KMS Activation Method doesn't work for you, than you can also try to use Manually Activation Method of Microsoft Office 2010.

1:59 AM | 0 comments

Relic of infamous pirate retrieved

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Friday, May 27, 2011 | 11:55 PM

Blackbeard's anchor hauled up off US coast

An anchor from what is supposed to be the wreck of Blackbeard's flagship has been retrieved off the coast of North Carolina.

Weighing in at over 2,000 pounds, it is about the largest relic yet of his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge.

The ship sank in 1718, about five months after Blackbeard was despatched by British tars.

And why mention this on a blog devoted to words?

At last counting, more than fifty books have been devoted to the story of this flamboyant buccaneer, some of them written for children, others quite serious, and a lot of them just for fun.

According to the story told in 1724 by his original narrator, Captain Johnson (who may or may not have been Daniel Defoe), in A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates, Blackbeard -- real name, Edward Teach -- was a ladies' man. So gallant was he, that he refused to be served by tavern wenches, gallantly waiting on the girls himself.

Then, at the end of an evening's roistering, he would pick out the prettiest and take her back to his ship, where the mate would "marry them," and the "honeymoon" would commence.

Once he had finished with the girl, he would hand her over to his men -- or so Johnson/Defoe claimed. Kinder chroniclers aver that to be known as Blackbeard's wife meant a lot of prestige in certain circles of the Caribbean.

Who knows? They were rough times, back then, and no one asked the women for their opinions.

11:55 PM | 0 comments

Six stores miss out in Whitcoulls buy-out

Photo by Don Scott

Three stores too quake-damaged for repair

The James Pascoe group, owned by Anne and David Norman, has decided not to include six stores in the purchase of Whitcoulls and Borders in New Zealand.

One is the Upper Hutt store, near Wellington. Three others are earthquake-shattered buildings in Christchurch. A fifth is in the town of Papamoa, near Tauranga. The last is in Auckland's Albany Mall.

This leaves staff unsure whether they will be job-hunting soon. There is a good chance, however, that they will be offered positions elsewhere.

I was talking to a friend who works in JPL-owned Farmers department store today. Anne Norman is a "lovely person," she said. "She calls in quite often," and is very friendly, happy to stop and chat to the staff.

Isn't it nice to hear that rich people can be nice?

9:51 PM | 0 comments

Blog which became bestseller now TV sitcom

My Formerly Hot Life to become television comedy

My Formerly Hot Life: Dispatches from Just the Other Side of Young

Stephanie Dolgoff penned a blog about what it felt like not to be young any more, called "Formerly Hot."

It struck a chord with the forties set, and the blog was a huge hit.

In August 2010 it metamorphosed into a book, My Formerly Hot Life, beguilingly subtitled Despatches from Just the Other Side of Young, which became a bestseller.

Now ABC, hoping to cash in on this blogging success story, have commissioned what they call "a single-camera comedy," whatever that means.

3:10 PM | 0 comments

JFK Library announces restrictions

Unless you are researching Hemingway, it is going to be difficult to access material at the JFK Library

Due to the need to update its archival storage areas, access to text material will be limited during the northern late summer and fall at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

During that time period, currently estimated to last from August 12 through Nov. 15, 2011, only a select number of collections will be physically available to researchers and to Archives staff members. These include:

--the National Security Files;

--the Ernest Hemingway Papers; and

--the Audiovisual collections (still images, moving images, and audio recordings).

All other collections will be unavailable for research during the approximately 12-week period and Archives staff members will be limited in their ability to respond to offsite requests.

This is one of the great benefits of digitization -- all digitized collections, including the President's Office Files, the John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection, and the White House Photographs, will remain accessible via the library website.

Whatever library or museum or historical society you want to visit, it is always a good idea to phone or write ahead, even going to the extent of making an appointment. Believe me, it can save a ton of trouble. The partial closure of the JFK Library is a case in point.

Their phone number is 617.514.1629 or you can email them at: Kennedy.Library@nara.gov

2:14 PM | 0 comments

Borders creditors talking tough

Creditors Oppose Borders Bid For More Time

Perhaps heartened by news of the sale of Borders in New Zealand, Borders' unsecured creditors committee have objected to the bookseller's bid for more time to come up with a plan to exit Chapter 11.

They are "gravely concerned" that extending the exclusivity period up to 120 days "could be detrimental to the interests of the debtors’ general unsecured creditors." The unspoken agenda, they accuse, is to "file and solicit a plan at any time," most probably to ask for liquidation.

Instead of fiddling about with a reorganization, the committee wants a sale. Asserting the "absolute necessity" that Borders' assets "will be sold to one or more buyers" in the next 30 to 60 days, they say Borders "should not be allowed to control the plan process by their ability to file their own plan through extended exclusivity because, to date, they have not shared any plan with the Committee."

The creditors also worry that Borders has "reported losses at an alarming rate," dropping more than $180 million in just ten weeks.

Which tends to indicate that something major will be announced within days, not months.

1:40 PM | 0 comments

New Whitcoulls owners unworried by e-Books

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Thursday, May 26, 2011 | 3:26 PM

David Norman unconcerned about rising global sales of eBooks

Anne and David Norman. Sarah Ivey photo

Rich-list stalwarts Anne and David Norman, new owners of Whitcoulls/Borders in New Zealand, dismiss the threat of electronic books.

"The future of books has been vigorously debated, with the conclusion reached that, yes, e-books are a competitor," said David Norman; "but so is e-commerce with all of our other divisions."

In other statements, he said he hoped to avoid any closures of the 57 Whitcoulls and five Borders stores, but it depended on talks with landlords and so forth. He also went to some length to reassure worried staff, saying that their company (James Pascoe Ltd.) had a long history of takeovers, and would offer jobs to all staff except senior management, which JPL would replace with their own.

JPL has a good record of reviving businesses, and is strongly committed to investment in their stores, stock, and staff.

Elsewhere, optimism has been expressed that vouchers and book tokens will be honored at full face value. When the chain first hit problems, there was widespread fury at an administrative decision to honor book tokens only if goods to twice the face value were bought.

3:26 PM | 0 comments

Wellington's free WiFi may beg legal problems

Wellington's Free WiFi may lead to collision with file-sharing law

This week, to general joy, the Wellington City Council announced a revolutionary move -- to provide free wireless internet access to anyone in the CBD (central business district).

Costs are supposed to be relatively minimal, predicted to be $80,000 for set up, and then $216,000 per year, subsidized by advertising on the access page.

The National Business Review warns, however, that the elephant in the bedroom is the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act, which comes into force on September 1.

This new law makes the account holder responsible for the actions of anyone using their internet connection.

This means that if any tourist or citizen illegally downloads a commercial song, movie -- or book, the Wellington City Council will be in the gun.

3:10 PM | 0 comments

Whitcoulls back in Kiwi hands

Whitcoulls and Borders bought by Anne and David Norman

The owners of Farmers, Pascoes, and other chains of stores have acquired the Whitcoulls bookstores and the ever-failing downunder versions of Borders from parent company REDgroup for an undisclosed sum.

This was after an undisclosed hitch in the agreement (see previous post) was resolved.

Ian Draper, former managing director of Angus & Robertson-Whitcoulls and then of the REDgroup (after quitting when ARW bought Borders), will be appointed to run the business. At first glance, this seems odd, considering the problems that have beset the chain. The local literati will certainly have questions, as the administration was roundly criticized for focusing on cards and wrapping paper, rather than books.

However, the Normans have full confidence in him.

He has "demonstrated both passion and zeal that we know will be welcomed back by the team at Whitcoulls and Borders," they said.

Closures would be avoided wherever possible, according to the announcement. However, see Graham Beattie's prediction that the Borders stores, white elephants since the day they opened, will be discarded.

2:24 PM | 0 comments

Harvard fosters the most readers in America

Amazon.com reveals the most well-read cities in America

Cambridge, Mass., tops the list with the most books, magazines and newspapers purchased per person (Kindle as well as print).

To keep the bean-counters busy, perhaps, Amazon decided to find out which cities with more than 100,000 citizens bought the most reading material -- from Amazon.com, presumably, though they don't mention the source of their figures.

Anyway, here is the list:

1. Cambridge, Mass.
2. Alexandria, Va.
3. Berkeley, Cal.
4. Ann Arbor, Mich.
5. Boulder, Col.
6. Miama, Fla.
7. Salt Lake City, Ut.
8. Gainsville, Fla.
9. Seattle, Wa.
10. Arlington, Va.
11. Knoxville, Tn.
12. Orlando, Fla.
13. Pittsburgh
14. Washington, DC.
15. Bellevue, Wa.
16. Columbia, SC
17 St. Louis, Mo.
18. Cincinnati
19. Portland, Ore.
20. Atlanta

Cambridge bought the most nonfiction books.
Boulder, Col., bought the most cook books.
Alexandria, Va., bought the most children's books.

Mari Malcolm, managing editor of Books, Amazon.com, said, "We hope book lovers across the country enjoy this fun look at where the most voracious readers reside."

2:04 PM | 0 comments

I Am Off To Paris :-)

Today I am leaving to go to the French Open & I will not be home until after the final. I will try my best to keep this Blog going hilst I am away but please understand that it might not be every day.

5:38 AM | 0 comments

Whoops -- award-winning book not available

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 | 11:32 PM

You have to wait to buy the Moon and Farmer McPhee

Not very long ago at all, the winner of the Children's Book Award was announced.

It was yet another much-loved Margaret Mahy book.

Well, you have to tide a bit to much-love this winner.

As BeattiesBooksBlog reveals, it's not available, right now.

11:32 PM | 0 comments

Create your own catalogue

Free digital publishing for the iPad

Producing that glossy prospectus for the likely client has never been easier, apparently.

Silicon Valley-produced app for the iPad provides a publishing solution for all those marketers who were reliant on copyeditors, designers, and printers in the past.

Given a couple of hours, and anyone who wants to sell, sell, sell can cut and paste material into a template for free, and lo, a catalogue is created.

Scary, isn't it?

11:21 PM | 0 comments

Navy SEAL book benefits from bin Laden killing

Eric Greitens's The Heart and the Fist rushes up the bestseller lists

Sometimes landing on bestseller lists depends as much on luck and current events as it does on the quality of the book.

One such is The Heart and the Fist by Eric Greitens, which tells the story of a Rhodes Scholar with a PhD in politics who became a Navy SEAL because as a child he had dreamed of heroes like Hercules.

The book, which debuted in April, did reasonably well. Then on May 1, a team of Navy SEALS raided a compound in Pakistan, and killed the most wanted man in the world. Public curiosity was huge, but the participants in the raid, their names unknown, are unable to tell their stories.

So the public turned to this reflective study of what it is like to serve in the elite fighting corps.

And sales rocketed. It was on the top-ten list of NYT bestsellers last week, and in the top 100 on Amazon.com

3:00 PM | 0 comments

Conde Nast signs $2 billion lease

Publisher Conde Nast pays $2 billion to move to mid Manhattan

A deal has been approved that will see magazine publisher Conde Nast take over 1 million square feet over 21 floors of the landmark tower rising at the World Trade Center.

Conde Nast is the publisher of Vogue, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, among other magazines.

The first tenant to sign a lease was a Chinese real estate firm. This deal is guaranteed to create a lot more buzz.

2:01 PM | 0 comments