I will be at the Elizabethtown, Ky., Waldenbooks in Towne Mall 5-7 p.m. Aug. 4 to discuss and sign my latest book, The Developers. The humor-fiction novel mixes the insane and obscene with technology, romance and pop culture. But while the book's web development group tries to make its mark on the virtual world, it encounters pre-eminent issues that will soon be shaping the Internet of the future: Are individuals losing their remaining privacy due to the World Wide Web? Will online social interaction eventually replace in-person gatherings as a necessary means?
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Louisville Mayhem on Friday, July 28, was a success. We had a pretty good turnout, a lot of food, people took home some nice prizes (and some silly ones) and we raised a little money for Volunteers of America. Thanks to everyone who made the evening possible, and for the great turnout.
Here's the list of winners:
Carl West - four-color pen
Eric Bailey - bingo bucket
Mary Rising - bingo bucket
Nick Ress - Integrity computer bag
Dave Plummer - tub of cheese puffs
Sharon Adams - smiley face t-shirt
Host: Ben Woods
Location: Ben Woods' House
(contact me for details)
When: Friday, July 28, 5:00pm
Objectives (What's the point?):
- Kick off five-state book signing tour
- Preview next book (Spoiler: It's about the place I worked last summer, until everyone relocated to Cincinnati without me.)
- PARTY PARTY PARTY
Goods (What we'll have):
- FOOD and DRINKS
- GAMES (Adults AND Kids)
- DOOR PRIZES
Schedule (What's going on):
5-Dusk: Outside activities, games, raffles
DUSK-?: PARTY TIME
I will be appearing at the following locations in the near future to talk about and sign The Developers. If you want to check out the book, feel free to stop by, take a look and ask questions. I won't hound you like your mom does to eat vegetables (I've noticed other authors doing that, and it's generally pretty scary.).
I change the radio stations more often than politicians change their minds. On one hand, it's great because I usually hear a large variety of songs, or at least parts of them. On the flip side, however, it's tough to hear all of the lyrics while constantly tuning different stations and wondering where all of the Social Security money is going.
I oftentimes pass along links to other news sites, but I rarely pass along sites you should bookmark. That is, unless you go ahead and bookmark every single site you visit, just to see if you can collect the whole set on the Internet.
But if you want to read interesting technology news, visit The Pulpit, which is the home of PBS' technology writer, Robert X. Cringely.
There are numerous ways to make people work. Some bosses like to give incentives, like days off, bonuses and pony rides. Others like to drive fear into their employees, perhaps with threats of being fired or a whip.
People outside of Kentucky might think it's somewhat bizarre that government officials are now blocking state employees' Internet access to blogs that are critical of Governor Ernie Fletcher.
Unfortunately, it's not that crazy. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.
The current administration has made a name of cutting off as much negative opinion as possible, and since June 23, state workers cannot resolve the Bluegrass Report and other statewide blogs.
If you have seen The Developers, maybe you passed over the copyright page, which contains random stuff that every book has. The ISBN is listed, as well as the publisher and a note that explains the book is fiction. Also nestled into this page is a little note that says "To help debug future versions of this book, please send corrections and comments to info@benwoods.com."
Luckily, some people have read this and have sent me minor errors they spotted in the book. I will list them here.
I thought about writing an article about plagarism, then I decided I would first see if I could copy it from someone else.
HA! That was supposed to be funny ... or maybe just sad.
There is a recent report from the BBC saying that the Internet has made copying sources easier. Furthermore, the professor quoted in the story says that the new generation of students see nothing wrong with copying material found online.