The use of book racks and binder racks is not just for Libraries. Our daily routine requires the use of reference books such as the Local Telephone book, a Dictionary, a Thesaurus, a Reverse Directory, and many more depending on the type of business you work in. Having all or most of our Reference books at our fingertips without having to sort through a stack of books is possible through the use of a hardwood desktop book rack or binder rack.
Fact checking is something we all do. Spelling a person's name correctly, addressing an envelope, or getting the correct phone number are examples of fact checking that occur in most workplace offices and home offices on a daily basis. Where do you keep these large reference books you use most often? Possibly you keep them on a bookshelf in your office if you are fortunate to have the room for a bookshelf. Maybe you keep them in another office, the office library or on another floor in your house if you work from home.
Desktop book racks and binder racks take up less space than a stack of books and add an elegant look to any office. At only 8 inches wide most desks can easily accommodate a book rack. You might have a crowded desk but assess the situation from the perspective of how often you must leave your desk in search of that reference book you need. The time you save will add up quickly when not leaving your desk to cross the room or go to another office in search of that elusive text. You will also notice the benefit of not having your creativity interrupted when you require the correct spelling of an obscure word or name.
Books last longer when cared for. The expense of most reference texts makes them an investment. Keeping books in a desktop book rack or binder rack rather than an unbalanced stack of books will help protect them from sudden spills or accidental falls to the floor. It will also make for a quick and easy visual of the titles because book racks and binder racks are tilted to display the spines at the best viewing angle. You no longer have to sort through that stack of books to get the right one.
Book racks work for most reference texts and will hold up to 16 inches of books. That could mean 16 one inch books or 5 three inch books, but they can also neatly hold fewer books because they have what is called a follow block or a floating bookend which slides and keeps your books standing upright when the rack is not full. The follow block can also be removed if you require the book rack to hold just one very large reference book open. This is an advantage when the book is very heavy and used often.
Binder racks work well for binders and other very large reference texts such as full size dictionaries, phone books, coffee table books, cookbooks or Atlases. They will hold up to 16 inches of binders and they are only 10 inches wide.
Regardless of which size of desktop shelving suits your requirements, they are offered in a choice of hardwoods such as Oak, Mahogany, Walnut and natural or dark Cherry. The function and elegant style of Success Image book racks and binder racks will be pleasing to the eye as well as to the productivity of the any office.
"Viral Publicity" and "Viral Marketing" are really just new buzz words for the oldest form of publicity in the world...
"Referral" or "Word of Mouth."
The Internet takes this ancient form of "buzz" and promotion and amplifies it with a global network of people connected digitally. "Word of mouth" now has an Internet version called "word of mouse" (word of computer mouse). With greatly increased speeds, people refer things to their friends and families spreading the word through the Internet and to the far-reaching corners of the world.
Many smart marketers and publicity people have learned to harness the power of viral publicity with Internet "Refer-A-Friend" promotional techniques and tools.
Examples of Viral "Refer-A-Friend" Promotions:
Viral "Refer-A-Friend" techniques can be used to promote just about anything under the sun.
For example, Audri Lanford conducted a giveaway contest at her new www.wz.com website where she gave away 4 Sony PS2's before Christmas as a website promotion. According to Audri, she gave people who had entered the Giveaway the opportunity to get additional entries and additional chances to win by telling a few of their friends on the Thank You page...
WZ.com Giveaway Promotion Thank You Page http://wz.com/ps2/indexw.html
On the Thank You page, every giveaway entrant received the following message: "Tell your friends about WZ.com, and get an additional entry for each friend you email." They are then given the opportunity to tell their friends about the giveaway at the "Tell-A-Friend" page...
WZ.com "Refer-A-Friend" Page http://wz.com/tellafriend/index.html
In return for the favor, they receive an additional chance to win for every friend they refer. This simple addition increased Tell-a-Friend results by 96 times (9600%)!, said Audri.
This is an amazing (and inexpensive) way to increase traffic and sales!
Another example of the "Refer-A-Friend" technique at work can be seen at Internet marketing guru Seth Godin's new IdeaVirus.com website.
"Unleashing The Ideavirus" by Seth Godin http://www.ideavirus.com/
"Unleashing The Ideavirus" is Seth Godin's excellent new book about viral marketing. Seth is promoting his hard copy book by offering the book in its entirety - FOR FREE! You can download the "eBook" version at his www.ideavirus.com website.
Why would Seth give it away for free?
Because offering something of high perceived value for free is an excellent way to promote something on the Internet. People are excited that they can get the complete book for free, so they naturally tell their friends. In fact, Seth Godin uses a viral "Refer-A-Friend" tool on this website as well...
IdeaVirus Send It
http://www.ideavirus.com/sendit.html
To see real-time data on how people are spreading the word with this viral "Refer-A-Friend' system, you can watch it spread at Seth's "Watch It Spread" page: http://ideavirus.gazooba.com/servlets/IVStatusReport2
This viral tool has helped Seth receive more than 100,000 downloads on website and more than 400,000 readers in just 30 days time. According to the website, IdeaVirus is "The Most Read Full-Length eBook Of All Time."
Yet another amazing example of viral marketing in action.
How To Use Viral "Refer-A-Friend" Promotions:
So how do you use this technique to leverage and increase your traffic, sales, and "word of mouse" publicity? It's simple, just "Tell-A-Friend" or "Refer-A-Friend" about everything! You can add Viral "Refer-A-Friend" forms to all of your...
> Articles
> Contests
> eBooks
> Freebies
> Giveaways
> Information
> Sweepstakes
> Thank you pages
> Etc.
Constantly think of ways that you can use a "Refer-A-Friend" pages to leverage each visitor into many more visitors (and sales).
Viral "Refer-A-Friend" tools are available for a wide range of needs and budgets.
For example:
BirdCast
http://bignosebird.com/carchive/birdcast.shtml
BigNoseBird.com offers an excellent "Refer-A-Friend" script for your website that is totally free called BirdCast. BirdCast will even log each referral so you can measure how often it is used. You may even want to have a programmer customize it to fit your own needs.
qbiquity.com
http://www.qbiquity.com/
qbiquity is a "relationship marketing company" that offers "Word of Mouth" solutions to increase online sales, boost site registrations, or extend your brand's reach. qbiquity is a solution for highly trafficked websites who want all the "bells an whistles" such as real-time tracking and convergence to other communications mediums like pagers, telephones, faxes, and direct mail.
qbiquity is considered a "high-end" solution and has a large price tag in the thousands of dollars per month. Consider online marketing guru Seth Godin's experiences with qbiquity which he used with tremenous success for this IdeaVirus book...
"When you send junk mail to 100 people, on average one person does what you ask. Using qbiquity, 50% of the people who get a recommendation from a friend visit my site, and almost everyone downloads the book. That's astonishing!", said Seth Godin.
It sure is.
Action Step:
All of the viral "Refer-A-Friend" programs that are available are based on the same simple concept. They use the power of referrals and "word of mouse" publicity to multiply how many people see your message. I suggest that you add "Refer-A-Friend" and other viral techniques into your marketing mix before someone refers your competition to this powerful marketing technique...
Matt Hockin - Intrapromote - http://www.intrapromote.com/ For more information, download our white paper: "The Proof Is In The Pass-Along - A Viral Marketing Tutorial" http://www.intrapromote.com/popups/popup_register_whitepaper.html
Spanish is one of the popular languages in the world. Some of the foreign languages are very interesting that is why many people want to enroll in a university that offers a short course that specializes in foreign language. There are also sites that offer online courses, if you choose to enroll online always keep in mind to check the legitimacy of the site.
One of the most important things that will make learning easy for you is to buy a book or listen to Spanish music. Reading Spanish books can help you spell the words correctly and also when you listen to Spanish music you will know how to pronounce the word. The question we have in mind right now is; what are the benefits of books and Spanish CD? This question is important, especially to those people who use books as their reference in studying and also to those who want to use audio CD.
When you buy Spanish books make sure that you scan some of the pages, and you understand everything that is written inside the book; example is dictionary, I recommend that you read some of the pages and look for translations. Another one is music; if you are a music lover then this strategy is applicable for you. Some singers love listening to Spanish songs because of the certain tones that makes you dance; it is like a ballad with a twist of jazz. The songs are easier to memorize at the same time you are learning how to accept foreign language. Choose the songs that have lyrics, this will make things easy for you.
These are just some of the important things that might help you in near future if you are decided to learn Spanish. I hope you find what you are looking for.
You are going to be able to speak at a restaurant, at an airport, with new friends... in basically every situation you can think of! So, whether you are interested in learning Spanish for your job, to communicate with neighbors, or if you are planning to travel to a Spanish speaking country, learning a new language online has never been easier!
Learn Spanish Online with the Best Spanish Course Online!
Every bride can use a little help planning her wedding. They are so full of customs and traditions that getting all of the wedding etiquette right can be a bit intimidating. Most brides will turn to an etiquette book at some point to help figure it all out, but there are so many on the bookstore shelf that even picking the right book is a challenge! This is a concise guide to wedding etiquette books to help you find that one volume that will be perfect to help get your wedding planning off to a great start.
Just as every bride is different, so is every wedding book. The book that will be the best for you will be the one that fits in with your general style and personality. For instance, if you are the kind of bride who likes everything to be "just so", with your sets cultured pearl bridal bracelets, matching earrings, and necklaces, you will enjoy the style of "Miss Manners on Weddings", which happens to be my personal favorite wedding etiquette primer. It is a short book, and by no means comprehensive, but it hits the high points, and does so in the usual amusing style of the doynenne of etiquette, Miss Manners. The witty anecdotes are a very amusing distraction from the stress of planning a wedding, and should you ever need to know the polite way to respond when someone asks to bring a monkey to your wedding ceremony, this book will have all the answers. This is one of my favorite engagement gifts to give a newly engaged friend.
If you are looking for a basic wedding etiquette book that will cover every conceivable detail from the bridal shower through the end of the reception, then "Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette" is for you. I must confess that at times I have found her advice to be a bit too relaxed, but for most brides this will prove to be an indispensable volume. It is a hefty book, and at over 400 pages, you might not end up reading the entire tome from start to finish, but it makes a very handy reference tool for all of those sticky situations that crop up during the course of planning a wedding. The Emily Post book also covers quite a few contemporary etiquette situations, such as multicultural weddings and blended families.
For brides who spend hours on the internet checking out all of the latest tips and ideas or who buy every wedding magazine at the store, there are a couple of wedding etiquette books out now from the top wedding magazine/website editors. The countless fans of The Knot, will enjoy delving into "The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World". Another fan favorite is "Brides Book of Etiquette" from the same people who write the popular magazine "Brides".
There are also more specialized wedding etiquette books available. Are you a budget bride looking to cut costs on everything from your flowers to the music to cultured pearl bridal bracelets for your bridesmaid gifts? Then check out "Bridal Bargains, 9th edition: Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic Wedding on a Realistic Budget". Or perhaps you need help fine tuning your wedding invitation wording. "Crane's Wedding Blue Book" is there to help. There are also etiquette books on topics ranging from military weddings to gay weddings to weddings for blended families. Whatever your situation, whatever your style, there is an etiquette book available to help you plan your dream wedding.
Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, etiquette, and society. Treat yourself to the timeless elegance of cultured pearl bridal bracelets.
You've sweated over your manuscript, you're finished with your re-writes, and it's time to leave the dark of the writer's solitude for the bright wide open world of readers just waiting for your book. But how will you get your book into print? How will you publish?
Not so long ago, "getting published" meant one thing and one thing only. You would somehow find a way to get a contract from a publishing house-probably located in New York City-and then wait for them to create a book from your manuscript.
This was never an easy task and, with the consolidation in the book publishing industry, continues to become more difficult with each passing year.
But now there are more options than ever. Before you take the first step down the road to publication, perhaps you should look at the map, and see exactly where that road divides, and where the path you've decided to follow will lead you. To help you choose your path, here are the four basic (very simplified, to be sure) options you have to get "published."
1. Traditional Publishing
Most books produced by traditional publishing houses are brought to them by literary agents, and many acquisition editors prefer to deal with agents on all acquisition matters. For the prospective author, then, the chief task becomes acquiring an agent who understands the book, has had experience with the market for which the book is intended, maintains contacts with the relevant editors who publish for that market, who has integrity when dealing with authors, and who will arrange a sale to a publisher that benefits the author.
Unfortunately, there are far fewer agents than there are publishing houses, or acquisitions editors. This means that it can be an arduous task to find an agent to represent you and your book. By far the best way to meet an agent who might be a good fit for you is to be referred by one of their successful authors. This is not as rare as you might think, and if you have good contacts within your field, it pays to pursue this avenue.
Traditional publishers will offer a contract and perhaps an advance against the eventual royalties your book will earn. Depending on how the contract is worded-and many are different in these regards-you will receive somewhere between 8% and 12% of either the retail price or the wholesale price.
You will have to give up the reproduction rights to the book, and you may be required to release the electronic, first subsidiary, foreign translation, and other rights to the publisher. You may or may not have any control over the development of the manuscript and the final look of the finished book. The publisher will decide how to market the book, and will rely on you, your contacts, and your own marketing efforts as an intrinsic part of the marketing plan for your book.
They will attempt to distribute the book as widely as feasible, and may be able to place your book-if appropriate-into thousands of bookstores around the country, and create public relations opportunities with major media. The publisher will decide when your book no longer warrants any efforts to market it, and may put it out of print within one to two years of initial publication, depending on the sales your book has achieved.Recommendation: If you believe your book can be a large-scale blockbuster, that Hollywood directors will line up to option your book, or you have already been on Oprah, this is the path for you.2. Cooperative Publishing
Although not as well known as other avenues to getting into print, the cooperative publishing model has a lot to recommend it for the right book. Although many publishers who produce books cooperatively don't advertise that fact, it is advantageous for the right book and the right publisher.
In this model, a publisher who is already issuing books in your market, and who knows how to sell to that market, may offer you a contract different from the normal publishing contract. They will be interested in books that complement their existing line, and will have pretty high standards in both content and writing style for the kinds of books they will consider.
You will be asked to pay a publication fee, to cover some of the publisher's upfront expenses and, when the books are printed, you will be asked to pay the printer's invoice. In exchange for this investment-and these fees and printing costs can typically run to $5,000 or more-the publisher will take over all the functions that a traditional publisher provides.
In addition, rather than receive a royalty, you become the equity partner with the publisher in the profits generated by your book. So instead of 8% or 10% of the retail price, you will earn, for example, 50% of the profit. This arrangement removes the financial risk for the publisher, since all costs are substantially covered by the author, and it gives you the cachet and the editorial, production, and marketing capacities of the publishing house.
As an author you will still be responsible for helping to market your book but, with your equity participation, this is much more like a business venture for you and can justify your spending more time and expense to sell your book.Recommendation: If you are a non-fiction author in a specific niche, and you can identify smaller publishers who aggressively service your field, you may find a great fit with one of those publishers, allowing you to concentrate on writing and selling your book, leaving everything else up to your publishing partner.3. Subsidized or "Vanity" Publishing
In this publishing model, you pay to have your book published. Although you might pay a fee to a Cooperative Publisher, you and the publisher become partners in the success of the book. With subsidized publishing, you pay for a service only, since the company you will deal with has no need to actually sell any books. Their profits are derived only from authors, and this is why they have traditionally been known as "vanity" publishers.
You will contract with a company that may appear to be a traditional publisher, or with one of the ever-sprouting "Self-Publishing" websites. These companies follow two basic models; either you will pay a fee for the design, typesetting and production of your book, or you will pay a high price for any copies of the book you purchase.
In addition, you will be offered numerous "packages" of services including manuscript editing, marketing, premium interior or cover design, press release mailings, listings in industry directories, illustration, and so on. Each extra service will accrue an additional fee, and these fees can quickly add up to thousands of dollars.
When your book is printed, you will receive somewhere between 1 and 25 copies of the book, although the publisher may claim to print more that they are "holding" against future demand.
Most of the website-centered publishing services companies that offer these services also claim to distribute your book with the aim of furnishing copies to eventual buyers through "print on demand" technology. However, this distribution usually amounts to a listing in a database and nothing more (unless, of course, you purchase an additional "package").
Since these companies derive all their profit from authors, there are no barriers to "acceptance." The actual work of these companies is much easier to understand if you think of them more as manufacturers than publishers, and yourself more as a customer than as an author.
Books produced through this option may be well written, or they may be trash. It makes no difference to the "publisher" since they are actually just manufacturing products, not publishing per se.Recommendation: If you would like to print up copies of a cookbook for gifts or fund-raising, or print a book solely for distribution within your company and you have the staff to do it well, this can be a viable option. As with all manufacturing, ignore the hype and compare on price.4. Self-Publishing
Simply put, this path to publication is when the author decides to also become the publisher of his book.
As such, the author will form a publishing company of his own. He will obtain his own ISBN range, so book databases will recognize his company as the publisher of the book. The author now becomes responsible for all the functions usually provided by the publisher.
The author will need to provide-or contract for-editorial, interior and cover design, proofreading, illustration, indexing, proofing and manufacturing, warehousing if books are produced by offset printing, order fulfillment and shipping, accounting, marketing, publicity and sales. The author has gone from a lone worker in front of a screen, to a replacement for a multi-function, complex business designed to acquire, create, produce, and sell a product.
To address this daunting challenge the self-published author will need to educate herself about all the areas mentioned above, and will need to become familiar with the practices of the publishing industry and the bookselling trade. She will need to learn where to place her advertising dollars, how best to launch a new book into the headwind of the nonstop news cycle, and every other function that bears on the publishing of her book.
The self-publisher who is serious about making the transition to profitability will usually use free-lance contractors to accomplish these myriad goals. She will hire a professional editor, a book designer, and a public relations or marketing professional. She will contract for the proofing and printing of her book, and will run her own book review campaign and author tour. She will recreate the infrastructure of a publishing company, but devote it all to one book.Recommendation: For niche non-fiction authors, authors with a strong existing "platform" from which to sell books directly to buyers, and for those who are energized by the prospect of marketing themselves and their ideas 24/7, self-publishing can be a rewarding path.So, Who Are You?
I think it should be obvious by now that these paths diverge widely, although each will lead to "publication" of a kind. What's really critical here is your own self-examination. Why did you write your book? Who did you hope would read it? How central to your life is this book likely to be? What would you define as success with your book?
It's only by answering these questions, either alone or in consultation with a book publishing professional, that you can come to a rational decision about which path is right for you.
To learn more about self-publishing, book and cover design, and the intricacies of the publishing process, please visit Joel Friedlander's blog at http://www.theBookDesigner.com for new articles five days a week. An experienced publisher, book designer and self-published author, Joel guides authors new to the publishing process with care and integrity.
The increasing need to absorb a bulk of information has led to the proportional increase in the popularity of speed reading.This skillcan help you read faster and understand better.If you want to enhance your reading speed and comprehension rate, you may consider buying some books for your reference.These books will serve as handy tools and helpful partners as you devote yourself to this aspect of personal and professional development.There are several books being sold in bookstores and in schools that you can choose from.
You can use these books as reference for techniques on that skill and enhancing your memory.Aside from the tips and tricks, these books will also teach you how to make the environment conducive for rapid reading.
Your collection of speed reading books may also include those books that you will surely enjoy reading.Learning will not bore you down because you will certainly enjoy the drills, exercises and tests in these books.You can also try out those books based on the actual experiences of the author in teaching, researching and developing speed reading programs and interventions.Someof the books also highlight salient concepts such as retention, note taking and many others.
The speed reading books that also focus on the essential highlights such as techniques on minimizing eye strain that can be caused by excessive and continuous reading are highly recommended for anybody interested in that skill. You should also look for books and reference materials that make speed reading applicable to all aspects of life.These references should offer an innovative approach to rapid reading that individuals, regardless of their field or profession, will find it easy to understand.
These are just some of the criteria you should look for in these books that you may pick out.You can check your nearest bookstore for other options.What is more important is for you to apply what you have learned from these books. These books that talk aboutthat skillare also available in different forms.E-books and audio books are now becoming more popular.
John E Laing is an Speed Reading expert . For more great information and tips on speed reading books, visit http://www.SpeedReadingCenter.com.
I will share my experiences with you and will teach you how to read better and faster. Visit my website and learn these techniques for free.
Scottsdale, Arizona, June 8, 2002 โ€"
THOT Publishing Company today announces the release of Herbs & Spices: The Complete Reference, by Susan D. Lanier-Graham, in electronic book (eBook) format. Herbs & Spices is the first offering under THOT Publishing Company's own imprint. The interactive eBook is a comprehensive guide to purchasing and using medicinal and culinary herbs and spices. In addition to direct links to online sources for purchasing herbs, spices, and related materials, the guide includes:
* Detailed information on schools and organizations with active links to websites and email addresses
* Glossary of terms with detailed cross references
* Tips and hints for growing, cooking with, and using herbs and spices
* Extensive list of additional resources with active links to enable you to purchase the books online
Available online from THOT Publishing Company at www.thotpublishing.com, Herbs & Spices: The Complete Reference is presented in eBook format to enable the reader to fully take advantage of today's information technology. Readers can enjoy the book, shop for herbs and spices, and communicate online through a single document.
Susan D. Lanier-Graham is the author of more than 75 books, including the award-winning The Nature Directory: A Guide to Environmental Organizations (Walker and Company, New York, 1991) and The Ecology of War: Environmental Impacts of Weaponry and Warfare (Walker and Company, New York, 1993). Ms. Lanier-Graham's articles have appeared in regional and national newspapers and magazines. She holds a B.S. degree from University of Maryland and a M.A. from Regis University, Denver. Ms. Lanier-Graham divides her time between Arizona and Colorado where she lives with her husband Bill and cocker spaniel, Lizzie.
Enjoy the complete interactive reference to herbs and spices today. You may obtain the book directly from the publisher in Adobe PDF format for $7.95 by visiting the THOT Publishing Company website at www.thotpublishing.com. Herbs & Spices: The Complete Reference by Susan D. Lanier-Graham. All electronic first edition, 8.5x11" format, 108 pages. $7.95. Photographs of the book and/or author are available from the Press Room at www.thotpublishing.com, Tel: 480-363-2960; Toll free: 866-267-2249; e-mail: bgraham@thotpublishing.com.
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Finite Capacity Scheduling
by Gerhard Plenert PhD and Bill Kirchmeir
I met Gerhard and talked with him for an hour at a customers office of one of our franchisees in Reno NV, which specializes in antique car restoration and maintenance. Gerhard was in the waiting room reading what may have been Steven Hawkins, so we began talking. Imagine my surprise to find he had worked with so many great companies in the early computer days and with the automotive industry and many other heavy Equipment Industries. Well since I had him there for 1 hour, I barraged him with questions from converting Space Energy (radiation and different light spectrums into energy for our planet), to taking his methods to the service industry. He too barraged me with questions on franchising, and later we talked about the status of expert and we both laughed when we found out we were both published in our fields of expertise. He admitted to writing books about his subject so I ordered one and it shocked me that it was $55.00 plus tax, after reading it, I was shocked that so much information on the reality of efficiency had ever been compiled in one place.
First off I would like to say that this book is not just for Manufacturing Executives. I believe this book should be read by our Military for infantry Logistics and moving forces into a hostile area for possible future engagement. It should be read by NASA who occasionally has missed appointments with Asteroids or launches. As NASA learns how to attain multi-dimensional space travel it will be imperative to be a the right place at the right time and to jump dimensions of space time otherwise it does not appear that travel beyond the speed of light will occur in our life time. Computers are here to stay and they can help us streamline efficiency and allow all business models to work in real-time. The new way of manufacturing will be FCS and not Infinite Scheduling Backwards Pass (ISBP). Many aspects of this book dealt with the implementing of such a system and also with the reality of change and the fear and roadblocks by conventional wisdomers.
Great Quote;
Newtons Law to manufacturing;
For every expert with a perfect solution there is an equal and opposite expert with a perfect solution.
Now, there in lies the problem. How to get there. We all want the same results in government, we want utopia. In Economics we want stabilization, in manufacturing we want the ultimate efficiency. So in US governments we have Democrats, Republicans and now we have CHADs. In Economics we have Friedman and Keynes. In manufacturing it use to be Deming and TQM vs. the old way of thinking. Today it is finite capacity scheduling (FCS) with software scenarios vs. other systems we have been taught, such as Material Requirements Planning (MRP). Supply Chain Management (SCM), Schedule Based Manufacturing (SBM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) all of which may appear to be viable on first glance and work for a limited purpose if all things are equal. However it does not appear that in the history of our Planet all things have ever been equal. In theory maybe, yet even on the most level of playing fields, they are skewed in one way or the other, by size, weight, strength, materials, wind, etc. There is always a variable or a gray area (thank god otherwise attorneys would all be out of work eyh?). Incidentally god did not make attorneys, otherwise they would still be arguing if Adam and Eve should receive belly buttons, and with no supreme court yet established to kick it back to a lower court the human race would never have come to be, during those last days before the rest. Or maybe god got so tired of dealing with attorneys he had to rest.
The book went into detail the cost to expedite a job, and to deliver on promises made by sales staff to acquire the order, which were impossible considering all the other promises, which were to be scheduled simultaneously. This caused over time and accidents and problems with compliance issues with many agencies and still did not get all the jobs done so the customer base was in constant attrition. In wartime you need to expedite everything and one of the reasons that we beat the Germans was because we built 96,000 aircraft to their 30,000 that last year of the war. It was not that we had better aircraft. They had equally brilliant minds on their side, and a hell of a head start. We of course had the desire to win. And we had the manufacturing and the resources as Germany was running out of everything. Charles Lindbergh warned us on his visit of the Luftwaffe and their incredible planes and weapons of war that the Germans already had pre-war (many called him a NAZI sympathizer, which is hard argue, but we should have still listened. He was definitely enthralled with their innovations). It truly was the manufacturing and the great American push to move mountains that won us the war. Everyone participated and helped in the war efforts. Breaking the backs of the Germans was not easy, breaking their manufacturing abilities and running them out of resources is what helped almost as much as the actual fighting. It will be hard to fight waving sticks when B-1 Bombers are flying overhead; because by the time you see them it is too late. Saddams army never had a chance since we had logistically won the war before it started. Many battles in history, even our own civil war was about train tracks, supply and troops moving and feeding armies. The South had factories but found it hard to match the output of the North. Larger Armies more guns, better stabilized currency. Innovation helped when they changed the bullets and muskets, which could shoot farther with better accuracy yet within months both sides had all the same technology. In WWII Germans were working on the hydrogen Bomb and so were we, at least Einstein in his letter to the president indicated he believed they were working on it when he asked for funding of the Manhattan Project.
Innovation in Manufacturing is important it helped Pirelli and Firestone and a few other tire manufacturers increased production and leap frogged other technologies. But in the end they all had the new technology and the real problem was who could build the most using the same technology. Cold War days, we simply out spent and bluffed our way into winning the cold war. We may have to do this again. We and the Russians both had the technology, and the resources, yet our great economic machine was too powerful, probably due to the productivity derivative of a capitalistic society vs. a communist one. Even though none of the last three paragraphs were in the book, it is necessary to further point out why this book is so important.
Another great quote in the book;
Behold the turtle who only makes progress when he sticks his neck out.
I believe that FCS is the solution to DaimlerCryslers dilemma in Europe. Many countries there and their citizens favor a customized car like a Dell computer delivered in less than 30 days. Not the one size fits all car, which has been Fords answer to profit taking in Europe. Tomorrow and todays new demands are for zero inventory and immediate delivery with maximum efficiency; this can all be achieved with FCS. It also can work in training of new Army recruits, Navy pilots, and third world dictators. I believe car wash guys can easily implement such a training version of FCS even though no one has ever done it before. I also believe that we can deliver real time services to our customers and allocate the necessary resources without wasting by GPS tracking, real time scheduling changes, labor, supplies, equipment and crews. There is no difference fundamentally between labor at a manufacturing facility and labor on a job site or multiple jobs sites for that matter. A computer does not cry when you add perimeters and does not need more food or coffee to run by the seat of its pants. It is not an emotional issue, it just is. Likewise a computer can calculate many equations simultaneously, many can easily do 10,000 possibilities per second. Still want to play chess with a computer? So does that mean the death of the entrepreneur?
Does that mean the Howard Hughes days of innovation and flying by the seat of your pants are done forever? No there will always be prototypes, with no parts available yet, but what it does mean is that the entrepreneur can see his dreams come to fruition better because they may actually make a profit. Does it mean that there will be no more defective units? No, there will always be defective parts from manufacturers who rely on sub parts, which are not built in the same way. In Taiwan many company have experienced up to 35% more productivity by only changing to the methodology of Finite Capacity Scheduling. So for America to complete its productivity without affecting its bottom line we simply produce more with the same amount of labor and manufacturing abilities. Think of it. Even if the dollar is strong a shit we can still sell for less because we are producing more with the same fixed base costs. This means we can beat everyone still.
Let the innovators innovate and the manufacturing Schedulers schedule using FCM systems and we will increase our output and win, even if we are all using the same secrets stolen from our scientific communities. The book refers to Peter Drucker who stated that the true measure of productivity is the output per unit of time given the finite resources. Yes I believe this to be and have always said the money is in the time and not the completed job.
This should be obvious to anyone who has bid a job to low and later completed the job quicker than anticipated due to a new method of operation discovered upon commencing of the job. Sometimes it takes a few times to see how to actually do the work and then refine the technique, in actuality you are performing manual Finite Capacity Scheduling even though it is the most elementary part of the actual FCS model. Now add jobs, labor, and resources to the equation and then try to factor in all the materials and times the materials, soaps, supplies, etc are needed and what do you have? A complex mess, which requires lots of thought and time.
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
"Henry loves books, but not like you and I, not quite. Henry loves to EAT books. And here is the best bit: the more he eats, the smarter he gets.
Big books, picture books, reference books-- you name it, Henry eats them up. And the more he eats, the smarter he gets. (You knew that was coming, right?) Henry keeps eating and getting smarter, knowing one day, he'll be the smartest in the world. However, all the fun catches up to him and one day poor Henry feels sick to his stomach. Eventually, all the information Henry's digested gets so jumbled, he needs to find a new way to enjoy books.
Even though the story is predictable for adults, kids will literally eat up The Incredible Book Eating Boy. I have to admit, even though the story was predictable, I still found myself wanting to read on. The clever illustrations make this book truly unique. Using old book covers, and pages from books, Jeffers' collage-style will have you oohing and aahing! The best part? When you get to the end of the book, we find out that Henry hasn't changed his ways and has taken a bite out of the lower rear corner of the final pages-- Funny!
Parents, teachers, and librarians will love the positive moral of the book about the importance of reading and children's literacy. Young readers will enjoy the cartoon illustrations and young and old will enjoy the low-key humor.
Author/ Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: Philomel, April 2007
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Lori Calabrese is a freelance writer who specializes in parenting and children in both her personal and professional life. Lori's publishing credits include Boys' Life, Odyssey, Appleseeds, Focus on the Family Clubhouse Jr., Stories for Children Magazine, and The Institute of Children's Literature's Rx for Writers. Lori is a graduate of The Institute of Children's Literature and a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
To learn more, please visit http://www.loricalabrese.com
The concept of audio books refers to the content of a book which is recorded and then used with the same purpose as the written form. This new way of learning or just having fun is very popular all over the world as it is cheaper, easier to use and long lasting.
The first audio books were used in 1933 by an anthropologist to record the stories of the Native American tribes on aluminum discs. But, since then, their usage has developed and has become more and more complex. Today the primary purpose of these discs is the study and, after that, fun - as these discs can be recorded with a great variety of audio contents.
Today, in the twenty-first century, the best and easiest way of buying anything is online, through the internet. This rule can be applied to audio books as well, as in the last years this business has developed an entire online industry. When you want to buy audio books online you just have to follow some simple steps. You don't even have to leave your computer or spend time looking through shops.
The only thing you need in order to buy audio books online is a credit card. You complete the online forms and supply the online shops with your credit card info and that is all. The audio information is delivered to you in no time.
The popularity of these study audio books has increased while the portable media players became indispensable gadgets which provided their owners with a powerful option: access to audio data. It is much easier to listen to these recordings and also perform a number of other tasks than to spend your time carrying heavy uncomfortable books and soliciting vision when your eyes can look at something else instead.
These modern recordings which you can easily buy online offer great opportunities for study, fun and most importantly give you an alternative to do something else at the same time. They can be used anywhere, without occupying a lot of space and time, and they come in various formats for any person to enjoy, regardless of his/her age.
The audio books are the best way to use your time in an efficient way. For study or just for relaxation, they are one of the many things you cannot afford to live without.
Audio books refer to human-read or computer-generated recordings of books' content on CDs, cassette tapes or digital formats. They have become more and more popular, especially among children and among people with sight problems or other disabilities. They are used both as learning tools and as convenient and exciting ways to read books. According to some recent studies, the most frequently used purchasing method is to buy audio books online, as you save both time and energy.
Also known as books on tape, audio books are usually distributed on cassette tapes, CDs or various digital formats, such as MP3 or Windows Media Audio. The more advanced portable music players, like MP3 players or iPods, made them even more accessible and more enjoyable to people. These audio versions can be either purchased, rent or download. More often than not, people rather get them online. Nowadays, there are a lot of specialized sites, which provide a real library of books on tape. It is very efficient and energy saving to buy audio books online, especially for busy persons, as they just have to enter the site, to log in and to choose their book.
Audio books are usually considered dramatized versions of printed books, as they stress upon a complete cast, music and sound effects. Depending on the recording type, there are two main categories of books on tape: human-read and computer-generated. While the human-read versions are read by volunteers and have a more personal involvement and impact, the computer-generated versions are read by computer voices and are associated with a larger variety. The computer-generated voices used in these books are very similar to those on automated systems used by the blind people, as well as some telephone automation systems.
Audio books are very appreciated, as they are not only amazing tools, but they have also a lot of advantages. They are great time savers for multitaskers, allowing people to do other things while listening, such as driving, walking, working, riding and even waiting in line at the supermarket. They are popular when driving, too, as an alternative to radio. These books on tape are also very accessible for older, ill, recovering and disabled people, as they are an excellent and practical way to fill in their boring or unproductive moments and to bring them back the pleasure of reading. More than that, these audio books are a great opportunity for blind people, giving them the chance to experience and enjoy a wide range of popular books, stories, novels or information and helping them to improve their education, to develop new hobbies, to learn new habits and to enrich their personal and professional life. Nowadays, they have gained more and more popularity among business people, acting as ideal mentoring tools on business-related topics. Nevertheless, beside their practical advantages, there is also the entertainment side.
Books on tape are also used for education. They may range from home-schooling courses and learning meditation to language training and public speaking. They usually focus on a particular skill, but they may also aim at shifting the listener's life entirely. Audio books are also considered an exciting form of entertainment and educational alternatives for children. They are great learning tools, as they provide a large vocabulary and increase their imagination and communication skills, as well as their reading comprehension. They can be easily used to stimulate literacy and a love of learning in children. Audio versions of books help children to develop a love for information and knowledge and stimulate them to start exploring the exciting world of written books. More often than not, they are used as bedtime stories, providing a calming and relaxing atmosphere.
While pursuing the hobby of birding and bird watching, it is very important to invest in a good pair of binoculars and, of course, a good bird book. A bird book is one of the most important things for a bird enthusiast has to have at all times.
A bird book, referred to as a field guide, is the basic reference book of birding. It is usually a little book, but it contains an abundance of information about birds. There are descriptions and pictures of different birds; the book even tells you what specific details one has to look for while bird watching. It tells you the different colors of birds, special characteristics of birds that help you distinguish among birds and also the specific habitat they can be found in. In fact, it can be considered as the next best thing to a friendly expert birder at your side!
Bird books are found regionally, which means that a particular area may have bird books that cater to the birds found only in that area. Usually, it is okay to start with only one bird book, but soon you may feel that you have to have more than one field guide. This need arises mainly because no one book actually contains all the information of all birds in an area. The information found in one book may not be available in another book. And, while you have two or more books handy, it would be wise to compare the different illustrations and descriptions of the same bird from both books. In this way, you may learn how to locate the bird from different vantage points! Then, you will be ready when you do unexpectedly encounter the bird you were waiting for!
Birds provides detailed information on Birds, Bird Feeders, Bird Baths, Bird Houses and more. Birds is affiliated with Aquarium Lights.
With so many digital photography reference books in circulation these days, it may be confusing to a newcomer on where to begin and what book to choose. Of course each and every new digital camera comes with a booklet about the camera and its functions. That is a start, but not enough for the beginner who wants the best results possible for his or her efforts.
It should first be noted that many universities, community colleges, technical institutions, and private trade schools offer basic courses in digital photography. These basic courses should have instructions on equipment, techniques and processes for an excellent beginning experience.
These courses are a great start for the beginning photography enthusiast who has the time and money to invest. He or she can propel himself or herself quickly into a great hobby or profession as they advance steadily with their class.
Certainly, there are more advanced courses in photography education for the person who wants to pursue a career.
But for the newbie who prefers learning on his or her own time, not attending classes, I can tell you that there is an alternative. Actually there are many alternatives when you consider the many books available on all the aspects of digital photography. Even the career photographer has more than one reference book.
Learning on your own, self teaching or learning by doing is all the same. Some people believe it is beneficial to start on your digital photography interests this way. You learn at your own pace and develop your own style and creativity.
When purchasing your first digital camera, there are books that can help you in the process. Once you have decided on why you want a new digital camera, by acquiring this literature, you will be guided as to the proper equipment to purchase according to your preferred needs.
Once you have your equipment, decide where you want to go from there. Your decisions have no limits; however, get to know your equipment first. There are books for that.
Reference books for digital photography techniques, portrait photography, earning money with photography, commercial and fine arts photography, stock photography and most anything else to do with it are all available in the market today.
Also, for any piece of photo equipment used, there is a reference book for it. Lenses, filters, tripods, flash attachments and lighting equipment can all be referenced from a dedicated book.
In speaking to any photography newbie who is reading this, you should add a few reference books to your equipment bag. If you cannot find the one you want in a hard cover edition, check the Internet and purchase one or two in ebook form.
Photography is a super hobby and a lot of fun. Learn everything you can about it and you will be rewarded with great results from your photographic endeavors.
Dollhouse collecting is actually a very detailed and thorough hobby. A serious dollhouse enthusiast will spend quite a lot of time on their dollhouse activity. When you become deeply engrossed in creating a dollhouse, you must take on many things including decoration and in some cases even electrical work. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you keep a dollhouse record book. Though it might sound somewhat silly, a doll house record book will help to keep all of your plans clear and concise. It is also something that is worthy of passing on with your dollhouse in the future.
You can always choose to buy a book to use as a dollhouse record book or you can make your own. Use anything from a binder filled with paper to a hardcover notebook. Make sure it is something that will not become easily damaged or torn. Section the book out so that each part of the dollhouse has its own section within the record book. This will help to keep all of the information from becoming jumbled and disorganized. It is a good idea to have a section for things that you have already done as well as a section for things that you plan to do in the future.
Every time you make a purchase that has to do with the dollhouse, write it down in the dollhouse record book. You may also want to store all of your receipts in the book for safe keeping. It also helps to draw out a diagram or blueprints of the house in your book. Every time you add something to the house, add it into the picture as well. Include the day and time if you like. This is a great way of creating a timeline of your dollhouse and all of the changes it has undergone.
When it comes to the extremely important details like the electrical work, keeping a good detailed record is very essential. Keep a wiring diagram in your dollhouse record book so that you can refer to it at any time needed. You never know when you may need to look back on something or plan for something in the coming future. Make sure to keep all of your wiring diagrams easy to read and well organized. If you want to go an extra step to make sure that all of the information is safe, consider scanning your dollhouse record book on to your computer.
Draw up the blueprints of each room in the dollhouse. As you complete the room, take a photo of it and store the photo in your record book. Any time that you decide to make a change, the photo will be there for your reference. You can even find dollhouse reference sheets online for use in your record book. Keeping this record book will be very beneficial in terms of planning and keeping track of all changes to your dollhouse. Always take care to protect your dollhouse record book that it will last as long as your dollhouse.
There are as many hobbies as there are people who enjoy them. Learn more about the popular hobby of building and collecting dollhouses and miniatures. Visit our large selection of doll house accessories today at http://www.TheMagicalDollhouse.com.
You are now on a quest for violin books. You have a very specific book in mind because you heard a piece of music was in that book and you would like to play it. This article will help you find that book and explore a great deal of other information along the way. Music books are generally categorized the same way as the ancient Dewey decimal system, IE by author and by subject. There are children's categories of violin books, as well as adult selections. Violin books are also rated by their level of difficulty. The three major categories are Advanced or Expert, intermediate, and Beginner. These categories of violin books vary widely and overlap a great deal, so choose carefully.
You can also perform research to see if that particular piece you are interested in is available in sheet music form. Purchasing one piece of sheet music is generally cheaper than buying an entire book. Violin books however, protect your music and keep it together in an orderly manner.
One thing that is very easy to overlook when selecting violin books, is their readability. Most people would never try to read a newspaper that was printed with a font that is difficult to read. The same thing is true concerning the style or layout of the newspaper. Imagine conducting a search for the specific book referred to above and finding it, only to realize it is written in a style that is difficult to see and read. This scenario is played over and over again in music books so choose carefully. This concept is especially important when selecting violin books for children. Large, bold print and black ink are the color and style of choice for young eyes.
When selecting violin books for instruction, make sure there is adequate music theory training. Music theory is the study of what makes music work. Without a proper understanding of music theory, the serious student would be greatly handicapped. Rhythm, harmony, timing, melody, and many more musical concepts are explored under the category of music theory.
Violin books are also categorized by music genre. Knowing the genre of the piece you are after will help you refine your search.
There is also an exciting artistry side to violin books. The history of violin making is a fascinating subject. You will discover an incredible evolution that began thousands of years ago and continues today through the invention of the electric violin. Violin making is an extremely demanding profession, and you will find all of the related subjects covered well in good violin books. If you're needing a violin repair Manual or perhaps a guide to reputable violin technicians, you'll find them in a violin book. You can also find books selections on how to create and build your own violin. From the selection of the wood to attaching the fine tuning screws, it's all there between the covers of a good violin book.
No matter what you're looking for pertaining to violins, you can find it among the pages of your violin books.
Hailey Alton is a music enthusiast. For more great tips on Violin Books please visit http://learntheviolinfast.com/
You should become a manuscript or book author's ghost writer, copy editor and proof reader. However, if you're only starting to think about a writing career, I suggest you get a bachelor's degree in English or whatever language; perhaps in language studies, English literature, creative writing, or English in general. A master's degree or higher is even better. I myself have a combined degree in journalism, fine arts and creative writing.
Once you have that, you need to get some experience. You could be hired by literary magazines, especially at your school, or you could write articles for newspapers, perhaps starting your own column. You can also acquire writing jobs on the Internet by looking up work. I suggest avoiding the low paying bidding jobs and going for regular posted work at sites like Daylo, or other freelancer's sites - where writing work is posted for free.
Once you have a few writing credits, you can begin your ghost writing career. I would suggest trying to get hired by a book ghost writers service, as there are many on the Internet. Another possibility is you can start your own service, as I did; mine is called Rainbow Writing, Inc., and we hire people who either have a lot of professional experience, a good educational background, and/or show a lot of writing talent. I have over thirty years of experience at writing, especially as a book ghost writer, copy editor and proof reader.
Once you get on the Internet, you will need to search engine optimize your website, post lots of articles with your credit box attached to them, or hire pay per click or other services to get advertising exposure. Then you can begin to acquire clients. You may start by offering a free five to ten page rewrite of a chapter the client sends you; this is what is generally expected of a book ghost writer and copy editor. You can quote a price, and I would start fairly low early on in your career, unless you have prior writing experience. Ask the client what he or she can afford, but stay reasonable, so you can keep your costs low and pay your bills.
As book ghost writers, copy editors and proof readers, we all need to make sure our clients are satisfied with their results. So while you are in the writing field, make sure you read copiously and on a regular basis, write short stories, poems and articles on a regular basis to refresh your writing skills, and be sure to work on a novel or two of your own. This will keep you handy when it comes to being a book writer for others as well. Another possibility is to keep a daily hardbound journal of your writing or simply comment on your daily activities, thoughts and dreams. This sort of thing can keep you really practices; I kept such a journal for over twenty years.
As to scheduling, it's a good idea to take on as many clients as you can handle. Don't overload, but you'd be surprised how much work you can do once you get into the swing of it. Try to get a book ghost writer job done in two to three months. If you charge $5000 per book at first, you can make $20,000-30,000 a year if you keep up on a regular basis. Once you have more experience, you can begin charging more money.
When you are a book author, ghost writer, copy editor and proof reader, you will find you are working a job that really consumes your time, so make sure you take the time to perform your other daily activities of family life, and set aside a one hour period every day to exercise. Book writers are one group of people who have the "sedentary lifestyle pattern" hazard, so in order to avoid getting sick, you must exercise. If you don't want to go outside and walk, purchase a cheap treadmill. Those work quite well.
Book authors, ghost writers, copy editors and proof readers all need to maintain the standards of our profession. When you are a ghost writer of any kind, chances are you won't be allowed to take credit for your work. It's supposed to belong to the works true "author," who is the person paying you to do the ghost writing. Even if you do most or all of the work, your client is the author of it and is the one who receive the credit, unless you make some other arrangement. If the client is willing, you can be coauthors with him or her, or make some other such arrangement, such as you getting credit and a percentage of book sales in lieu of upfront payment.
By the way – the method of payment for a manuscript or book ghost writer is upfront. You get paid in advance, in installments usually as the book is being written. This is the main advantage of being a book or manuscript ghost writer, copy editor and proof reader – upfront payment. You need to sound the client out on his or her budget, set a total price, and then ask for the first installment payment once you have been hired.
You might also sign a contract with a non disclosure clause with the client. The contract might be three way, if you are working for a ghost writing agency, or two way, if it's just you and the client signing it. A non disclosure clause states that you won't discuss the book's contents with anyone not designated by the client as someone with whom you may do so. Also, copyright laws in the USA and several other countries treatied with the USA, such as England, Canada and Australia, state that the author of the ghost written work retains full copyrights. You can check with the US Copyrights Office on the Internet to read the full scope of these laws.
Basically, even if you write the whole work yourself from research and you get nothing but basic ideas for the book from the supposed "author," he or she is still considered the true author of any such ghost written book, and will still hold full copyrights to all original material within it. This is, however, subject to whatever agreements you and the client make.
After the job is proof read, paid for and delivered, ask for a reference, also asking the client if it's okay to run an installment from the work on your website - with a credit that you are the ghost writer. Also, when the book is published, ask the client to include a reference to your name, perhaps within the Acknowledgements, as the book ghost writer.
You also don't have to stop as just the manuscript or book ghost writer. You may also be able to help your client set up to get his or her book published. This largely involves contacting literary agents and publishers. I would suggest contacting small publishing houses, and not the larger ones, unless you have a celebrity client with a large scale best seller on your hands. Due to confidentiality issues and ethical issues, you can't maintain contact with literary agents and publishers on a regular basis, but you can acquire lists of these people in order to contact them. Some more disreputable manuscript and book ghost writers also set up deals with literary agents and publishers where they are sent clients' work that the agents and publishers were sent, in order to edit it for them. Under the table money is made this way. It's not considered to be ethical practice.
It's satisfying to complete a client's book manuscript and then find him or her an agent and/or publisher. You can get a percentage of book sales this way, or by negotiating a deal with the book's author while you are being the book ghost writer. Sometimes a client will want you to work "on spec;" instead of paying you in advance, they will ask you to take a percentage of the book's profits. Unless you're sure the book is going to sell broadly, it's not advisable to do this, or you could end up working for free. But once you've got a book publisher's attention, anything is possible.
Lastly, be sure and enjoy your new career. Writing can be a fulfilling line of work, so if you keep at it, you can have tons of fun working for authors, getting the first time one's books written and published, and in general, having a "blast" as a book author, book writer, ghost writer, copy editor, and proof reader.
Get out there, now – and write!
I am truly amazed by the amount of cynicism directed by some readers toward e-books, as if their existence were a conspiracy to render traditional books obsolete in the spirit of Fahrenheit 451. Much effort has gone into comparing e-publishing to traditional book publishing. An Internet search for "Will e-books succeed?" brings up numerous passionate articles and blogs dedicated to the concept.
Whether individuals express preference or aversion toward e-books, there are multiple reasons related to lifestyle preferences, as well as personal views on technologies, learning methods, and pleasure reading. Some people desire a familiar kinesthetic page-turning experience, whereas others readily accept that paperbacks no longer require paper.
The problem with the e-book/traditional book debate is that e-books have evolved but common perceptions of them have not. Most people are familiar with e-books only as electronic versions of their logocentric counterparts. For example, consider Powerhomebiz's "Top Ten Reasons Why EBooks are Better than Printed Books" (http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol127/ebooks.htm). This list offers ten convincing reasons why businesses should switch to using e-books. However, one of the most critical and defining components of contemporary e-books is barely implied:
You usually get far more than just the book. Most eBooks are sold with bonuses and related information that usually don't come with the purchase of a traditional book. You might pay the same or even a bit more for an eBook, but you usually get more, too.
What does it mean to get far more? What are these bonuses? Perhaps the author is referring to hot-links to references and the ability to quickly search the entire e-book for a word or phrase (these features are noted subsequently in the list). Still, the definition of e-book seems rather limited to the traditional text-based approach.
What if we could depart from thinking about books as a collection of words? What if a book could contain video and audio? What if a book could evaluate the reader's understanding of it? What if multiple intelligences do exist, and what if we could stimulate more well-rounded learning by modifying the definition of "book"?
Before I delve any further into absurdities -- after all, everyone knows that words live in books, audio lives in radios, and videos live on TVs -- let's fathom to consider what might happen if these media could be happily married, and let's use psychologist Howard Gardner's categories of intelligence as a framework for theorizing how this might impact learning.
Verbal-linguistic intelligence has to do with words, spoken or written. Traditional books cater to this type of learning, thus it carries over to e-books. However, in e-books this kind of learning might be enhanced with audio. For example, what if a reader could click on a word to hear how it is pronounced, or roll over a glossary definition to hear it read aloud?
Musical intelligence is where a person learns aurally through rhythms. What if book text could be instantly turned into a lecture, so the reader could actually listen to the content? What if a reader could click a button to hear a clever rhyme supplemental to the text, designed to help him or her remember a concept?
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence deals with muscle memory and learning by doing, rather than by reading or hearing. Imagine if a student could read about architectural concepts, and then follow step-by-step videos to build projects (and have the ability to pause the videos when necessary). Similarly, a dance student might find it more useful to observe and follow a video embedded within a dance theory e-book than to read about all the physiological and qualitative details of specific exercises.
Spatial intelligence is similar to bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, because it involves learning through visual aspects. People with good visual memory might benefit from embedded videos in e-books just as people more oriented toward bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, since videos potentially offer more sensory stimulation than reading alone. I say "potentially" because learning stimulation is difficult to quantify and is subjective. It is possible to be emotionally or even physically moved by written text, as people more attuned to verbal-linguistic learning might attest.
Considering these four kinds of intelligences -- verbal-linguistic, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, and spatial -- and assuming that people learn through different means, it becomes evident that if we assume the purpose of a book is to instruct it is better to instruct beyond a dominant framework of verbal-linguistic or logocentric intelligence. The only traditional books I'm aware of that have embedded audio, in a sense, are children's books like Sounds of the Farm by Gail Donovan where the reader can press buttons to hear how animals sound, but the sound cannot be associated with specific parts of the book except through the possibility of textual command to the reader to push a button.
Thus far, I have argued that diverse reading experiences could be enhanced through the integration of aural and visual stimuli with traditional text-based books. However, I have only touched upon four of Gardner's original seven intelligences. If, by this point in the article, anyone still doubts that e-books can theoretically offer a more comprehensive learning experience than traditional books, I believe any hint of skepticism will be erased after exploring what e-books could do for the remaining three intelligences.
The notion of self-reflection is a dominant theme in contemporary education theories, and was identified by Gardner as intrapersonal intelligence. Interaction with others is interpersonal intelligence, in which learning occurs through discussions and participation in group activities where a person directly encounters others' perspectives. E-books have the ability to stimulate self-reflection and group interaction if they could be integrated with online learning platforms, thereby facilitating online discussions and journal-keeping. Furthermore, while students can self-reflect on a traditional book by making lengthy notes in a separate notebook, what if in an e-book it were possible to highlight text, type notes in a pop-up window, and even link notes to text?
Last but not least is logical-mathematical intelligence, which deals with logic and reasoning. Traditionally, instructors have been responsible for assessing students' understanding of course concepts. But what if a student could take e-quizzes and get immediate feedback on his or her comprehension? This would certainly help students know what they needed to review before class or prior to an exam.
So, let's stop thinking of e-books as electronic versions of the same book you could pick up at your neighborhood bookstore. What if instead they were dynamic learning environments that addressed all seven of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, and thereby provided a more engaging and meaningful learning experience to readers? Xplana Learning has assumed a leadership role in the development of interactive e-books and online learning platforms. In the above examples, Xplana answers the question "What if e-books could?" as "Yes, our e-book can." (See http://www.xplana.com/products/products_xb.php).
In the great e-book debate, it's time to stop worrying whether e-books will to replace traditional books. Individual preference for reading medium is largely dependant on lifestyle. E-books are venturing into a new realm that oversteps the limitations of traditional text-based books. We should be able to appreciate what e-books can add to the learning experience, and consider how we can continue developing e-books in relationship to contemporary educational theories in order to maximize learning outcomes.
I had already sampled Joels work when I read his original ebook "What Google Never Told You About Adsense", so I had high expectations of this physical Adsense training book. I have to say Joel didn't disappoint me this time either.
To start with The Adsense Code begins with the basics which anyone just starting out with Adsense will find useful as a quick reference to get them up and running. As someone who has been using Adsense for a while I found this section could be skimmed, although there are some tips you may still find useful even if you have used Adsense on your sites for a while. Some of the stuff in the first few chapters will jog your memory and remind you of somethings you already know but forget to use.
After the initial setup Joel gets right on with the stuff you bought the book for, the correct way to implement Adsense for maximum profits. His tips are all backed with his real life testing and tuning, but even so he is ready to admit that there is no one size fits all when it comes to ad placement and colour usage in the adblocks, think blending in the Adsense blocks to not look like ads and you are getting close. He also reveals what Adsense blocks work best and where, as well as caveats when this advice doesn't quite work out to be true.
After the initial setting up, and placement, The Adsense Code goes further into testing and tracking to get the maximum CTR (Click Through Rate) for your Adsense blocks. Joel mentions some of the tools he uses for tracking and gives you a more in depth knowledge of how to use the tracking Google has already given to Adsense publishers with the "Channels" you can use to track your Adsense effectiveness with. This is a useful read for anyone who wants to make the most of every block of Adsense ads.
The other parts of the book briefly (sometimes it seems a little too briefly) cover the topics of content sites, search engine optimisation and using your website stats to help you increase your traffic. The section on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) could have been a little more in depth, although this is a huge subject which deservedly has more than enough books and ebooks written about it, it could have had a little more than the 8 pages devoted to it, but then this book isn't about getting traffic, it's about making the most from what you already get.
In summing up, The Adsense Code by Joel Comm is an ideal book for the beginner to intermediate Adsense publisher, and will help improve their Adsense earnings. If you are already earning a living from Adsense this will offer only a little backup reference information for you. The Adsense Code covers the core subject for which it was written in great detail, in an easy to understand way without being patronising. My advice is if you are earning less than a few hundred dollars a month from Adsense but would like to do better then this is the book to buy, and keep referring back to as you improve your earnings.
Copyright (c) 2008 SharpBrains
Dana Press kindly sent us a couple of books. One of them, The Dana Guide to Brain Health: A Practical Family Reference From Medical Experts, is our topic today.
We are impressed by what Dana is doing to insert neuroscience findings and implications into the public discourse.
No big surprise then, to find out so much quality content inside a 700-page one-of-a-kind guide.
The guide is really 4 books inside a common binding. Priced at a reasonable level, and with superb in-depth text and images in all relevant areas, the book can be used as a 1) Brain 101 tutorial, 2) brief summary of the basics of Brain Care and Wellness, 3) description of the stages of brain development, 4) reference guide for around 70 brain-related conditions.
In my personal opinion, every neuroscience, medical and psychology student, clinician and researcher should have this book in their hands to keep abreast of many recent developments, and also be exposed to professional development courses based on it. Many families and individuals interested in the brain should consider buying it too.
Given the focus of our blog-brain fitness for healthy individuals-, we particularly enjoyed the sections
- on intelligence, with sentences such as "It is extremely unlikely that an "intelligence pill" will be discovered in the near future" (P. 215)
- on "The Brain-Body Loop" which explains, among other things, the effects of stress,
- "Taking Advantage of New Findings and New Finding About the Adult Brain", with gems such as "Recent research on the brain has established two great principles. First, far from remaining static in adulthood, as we had long assumed, the human brain continues to grow and develop throughout our entire life span. This development takes place in two ways: by ongoing adjustments in signaling pathways and by the addition of new brain cells. Knowing this means that you should try, as you would with any fine, high-powered machine, to practice good maintenance to give it the best chance to provide peak performance...in many respects we can make a material difference in how it ages, and even induce it to perform better over time...Just as we may choose to strengthen our muscles with challenging workouts, we can encourage brain growth by keeping engaged in many different mental activities".
- and, above all, the one on "Basic Brain Care: Protecting Your Mental Capital" (Pages 31-41), where we are all recommended to
---- Sleep: at least 6 hours a day, making sure we don't make a habit of "cutting sleep short"
---- Eat well: the general rule here is that what is good for the body is also good for the brain, and to be wary of "diets advertised as "brain food"
---- "Protect the fortress" (our skull), by making sure we use security belts and helmets whenever there may be a risk
---- Exercise regularly
---- Keep Stress in Check (stress can inhibit or reduce the creation of new neurons, among other things)
---- Stimulate our minds through life, by ensuring a flow of novelty and variety that enhances the creation of a "cognitive reserve". If is fascinating for us to see how Brain Fitness helps integrate "Brain Health" and "Lifelong Learning", Health & Wellness and Education. Of course, these categories are human conventions that the brain itself probably doesn't care too much about...
In short, a great reference book for professionals and for people interested in the brain. And a great starting point (the only one we are aware of) for a really useful and practical guide to Brain Health that every family should have. In a bit more creative terms: great quality marble looking for a consumer-oriented Michelangelo.
When you're working on a book or ebook—any writing project you intend to sell—the question, "Will people actually want to buy this?" inevitably comes up. Although in most cases this is your inner critic trying to sideswipe your creative efforts, the question is valid. Will people actually see the value in the information you're providing? Will they want to spend their money on your book?
The answer to these questions often lies more in packaging the material than the material itself. You can add value to your book or ebook, and enhance its marketability at the same time, by adding features that can't easily be found anywhere else, and then using them to appeal to your audience. In most cases, these added features aren't hard to find and create. You probably have the information ready to go; you just need to know how to work it into your book.
To make your informational product more marketable, consider the following seven ways to add value to your book or ebook.
1. Add a list of online resources
Compiling a list of online resources that pertain to your topic and supplement the information you present in some way will give your readers a place to go to find more. For example, if you're writing a book about dieting, add a list of Web sites that post healthy recipes. This strategy is simple enough to do because you probably know of several resourceful sites that relate to your topic, and it adds value to your manuscript because it saves your readers the time of searching recipe sites online.
2. Add a list of books that supplement your information
This strategy works in the same way listing online resources does; it adds value by saving your readers time and guesswork, and it's easy enough for you to do because you probably read all the books on your topic while you were researching your material.
Even creating a bibliography of all the sources you used in your research increases the perceived value of your book because readers can see where you formulated your ideas and concepts. It makes you and your expertise more trustworthy. And a bibliography or list of additional books makes your book more resourceful.
3. Add diagrams
Not all people learn and retain information in the same way. Some people can read and understand new information, but some learn best through visual aids and representations. You can add value to your book and make it easier to use for a broader audience by incorporating graphs, charts, diagrams, and other visual aids that clarify and reinforce your main ideas. If you want to include visual elements in your book, talk to a graphic designer about how to create them and incorporate them into your material.
4. Add profiles
People add color and character to every story, therefore adding profiles of people who either work in your industry or have successfully implemented your strategies to your book is a great way to make the information come alive for your readers.
If your book is about running an online business, then profile successful online entrepreneurs. Ask about their inspirations, successes, failures, and advice for your readers. To find anecdotes for your book, search your client database first—satisfied clients will be happy to help. Then you can advertise online for more stories by posting an inquiry on your Web site for viewers to submit their personal experiences.
5. Add checklists at the close of each chapter
If you really want your information and ideas to stick with your readers, then adding a checklist of main points at the close of each chapter, or even at the close of each subsection, is a great way to accomplish that goal and add value at the same time. To create a checklist, just identify your main points and assemble them in a list using bullet points or numbers to designate each item. Aim for three to five items for each chapter.
Checklists are easy to create and work into your manuscript. Plus, they are a marketable feature in a book because people like to receive new information in an easy-to-swallow format. Checklists that summarize your main ideas also make it easy for readers to refer back to your book later.
6. Add exercises or worksheets
If your material warrants doing so, you can take the checklist idea a step further by closing each chapter with a quick list of questions or activities for your readers. These can be activities you use in your own work, strategies you teach your students, or exercises that you create especially for your book. Readers will like the ability to apply and practice your information and concepts immediately after reading it. Then, you can compile the entire list of exercises into a bonus download that drives traffic to your Web site, or expand it into a workbook later.
7. Add an index
How many times have you been relieved to find an index at the back of a reference or how-to book? An index is a very user-friendly characteristic for a how-to, educational, or business book to have – it makes your information easier to find and apply quickly and without a long search. If you want your book to be perceived as a resource, then an index is a worthwhile addition. Some computer programs can create indexes, or you can hire an indexer to do it. The extra step will pay off for your readers and for you.
Your Book's Value
If your goal is to create a valuable resource that your readers can easily use, then these seven strategies will help you accomplish that goal. Although they may not all be appropriate for your material, you can choose the strategies that best suit your and your readers' needs.
When your information is easy to find and apply, readers will refer back to it time and time again. Incorporating one or more of these seven features contributes to your book's perceived value and marketability. And when readers see value in your informational product, they willingly open their wallets and buy.
What is an antiquarian book ?
The origin of the word antiquarian is derived from the word antique, which simply refers to something that is old, and from a former time. In it's most common usage, it may refer to either a person who studies, or collects, or deals in old objects, or it may be used as an adjective when referring to the object, itself. For example, a collector of antique lamps, could be called an antiquarian, in general, or an antiquarian lamp collector, while the lamp itself could be called an antiquarian lamp.
For the purposes of this article, an antiquarian book is simply an old, or antique, book.
If you ask 100 people at what age a given object becomes an antique, you'll probably get a 100 different answers. Exactly what constitutes old is up to debate.
When does a book actually become an antique ? I've seen books published in the 1950's that were touted as being antiquarian, yet, to me that seems too current to be an antique. In my mind, if a book is still part of current, living history, then it shouldn't be considered as being an antiquarian book. Of course, my living history would be different from the someone else's living history, so.. the debate continues. (Of course, I have a personal bias here, because I don't like the idea of something, anything, being classified as an antique, that was new in my own life time.)
For the sake of this essay, I have somewhat arbitrarily decided a book is an antiquarian book if it was published prior to 1923. In the year 2008, that would be about 85 years old. This date coincides with current copyright law that generally removes copyright protection from books published prior to 1923. Since the book protection is expired, I figure it must be old, and antiquarian.
That is not to say that there are no antiquarian books after 1922. There are plenty, I'm sure. For me, it would depend on it's subject matter. For instance, a nonfiction book about astronomy would be outdated, and eligible to be called an antiquarian book; while a work of fiction would not.
A distinction must be made between books that are collectible, and antiquarian books, in general. Collectible books are not necessarily old books. First editions, signed editions, rare books, often fall far short of being old enough to be called antiques.
Antiquarian books can also be collectible books, too, for a variety of reasons, but they are also collectible for simply being antique. Like so many antiques, their value is in the eyes of the beholder. In order to understand their value, or even the desire to own any antique, per se, is not clearly understandable unless you-yourself like to have antiques.
Generally speaking, antiquarian books really aren't practical antiques to own. They are usually delicate because of their age, and are often not really suitable for reading, per se. Mostly, they are meant to sit on a shelf, and to be relished by the owner. In some cases, they do require special handling, and environmental storage to maintain their condition, and prevent further deterioration. Obviously, this would apply expensive books.
If you own a very old book, you probably won't sit down and read it for fear of destroying the book; they are not sturdy enough to read. I speak from experience. I have several books that are over 200 years old that I only occasionally peruse; I would destroy them if I were to sit down and read them.
Even a moderately aged antiquarian book in good condition, with sturdy binding, and pages, will wear quickly when they are opened, and read. Pages tear easily when they are approaching the 85 year old mark. A book in poor condition, such as might have been a library copy, will wear-out much faster.
Are Antiquarian Worth Reading ?
This is actually the subject of another essay in itself, however, in brief, many antiquarian books are still valuable sources of information, and enjoyment. Many of our classical fiction books are antiquarian books. They have been reprinted and repackaged into a more modern form. Many fiction works are in the Public Domain, i.e., their copyright protection has expired, so publishers are free to reprint, and sell them as new. And many have been digitized, and are available as electronic books, i.e., ebooks, for reading on your computer, and various other devices.
Non-fiction books are less likely to be reprinted, though there are many that have been reprinted. It depends on the subject matter. For example, American era history books with subjects such as history of the Civil War, or World War I, etc, would be good antiquarian history books to reprint, or recycle. Since the history of War doesn't change; the information in the older books are just as valid as a newer book. A good example is the antiquarian book The Civil War Through The Camera, by Henry Elson. The fact is, many current history books rely heavily on antiquarian books as resources.
Generally, antiquarian books that are reprinted are meant more for general public use, rather than for students. For instance, I am a history buff, particularly American history, and American era History, but I'll read almost anything that is non-fiction that suits my interests. In my opinion, many of these books could serve as text books suitable for students, at a substantial savings in costs, yet they are largely ignored by educators.
The Now and Future of Antiquarian Books.
In my opinion, right now, antiquarian books, are an excellent investment if they were published before 1923. Many of these books are in demand by collectors, and publishers who would like to use them for commercial such as reprinting and selling them, or producing movies, or creating ebooks, etc.
In the past, before the copyright laws were revised, new books would enter the Public Domain every day. Now, because of revised copyright protections there will be few new books entering the Public Domain, for many years to come.
This is not absolute; there will be some books entering the Public Domain, but, because of the complexity of the laws, you need to research each one on a case-by-case basis; the point is, prior to the revision of the laws, many more books would have entered the Public Domain on a regular basis, than now; that will not resume until approximately 95 years after 1923, or about 2017.
More and more antiquarian books are being digitized, and reformatted, and therefore becoming available to the general public. Digitizing antiquarian books, i.e., creating ebooks, has many advantages, such as:
1) Cost and availability. Antiquarian books will no longer be hard to find, or rare.
2) You can actually read them; they won't be destroyed by using them.
3) Obviously, they won't wear-out, or degrade with time.
4) They are easy to store.
5) Their information is still valuable.
6) The original printed book version can be enhanced with modern multimedia effects.
7) Readability is enhanced; and the publication can be colorful, and soundful, and printable, and bookmarkable, and searchable. It can include slideshows, and music, and video, and audio, and can include additional information and resources.
The cost of an ebook, whether antiquarian, or newer, can vary widely. There are many antiquarian books that are free. Others, while not free, are still much lower in cost than most printed books.
Of course, there are always disadvantages to ebooks. For example, you need a computer, or some kind of electronic device to read the ebook. If your ebook is designed for a computer, then you need to read it at a desktop computer, or a laptop. Unless you have a laptop, it would be difficult to sit in your easy chair and enjoy your ebook.
There are handheld electronic devices for reading ebooks. Some are designed specifically for ebooks, while others are for more generic personal devices. These are convenient because they can go wherever you go, much like a printed book. These are not portable computers, and do not have all the capabilities that a computer-based ebook has, therefore, they are only suitable for certain types of publications; for example, a fiction book would be a good candidate because it is text-only. In my mind, a major drawback is the size of the text, and the readability.
Computer-based ebook publications are better suited to books that contain multimedia enhancement capabilities, rather than text-only publications. For example, a publication with 100's of images could include slide shows, and captions, music, videos, audio, etc. While handheld devices are better suited to text-only applications, such as novels, or news feeds, contracts, etc.
I'm sure in the future their will be an electronic device that has all the multimedia capabilities of a desktop computer, packaged in a device that can be easily accessed while you're sitting in your favorite chair, or sitting on an airplane, etc.
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As previously mentioned, a big advantage of having an antiquarian book in an ebook format is that you can, in fact, read the book without damaging, or destroying the book. And the ebook is preserved for many years to come; you'll never have to worry about the pages fading, or curling, or becoming damaged, etc.
I am a History Buff; a permanent Student; I love to read about history. When I read history books, I love to study the associated pictures, and illustrations, and photographs, etc. Ebooks allow this with ease; the text is easier to read, and I can jump to associated images/pictures, with captions, and then easily return to the text.
I can bookmark as many pages as I like, and return at a later time. And, I can word search the publication, and then jump directly to a desired page; a researcher, or a student would find this a valuable tool. And then, once found, the information can be easily printed; this is a very handy feature for the researcher.
The Future is heret for Antiquarian Books
The future is here, and bright for antiquarian books. I don't think it is outrageous to predict that, eventually, every book that was ever printed will be digitized, and therefore will become readily available to anyone who has access to our growing knowledge base.
I would image that many of these books will be translated into other languages, opening-up yet another source of antiquarian books for the masses.
The computer age, and digitization and creation of ebooks has extended the life of every book ever written, and will become an important resource of the future.
Digitization of antiquarian books is the Gutenberg Press of the current era.
The End