Welcome to TWOG, New Zealand's first TWitter-blOG; it's a blog with live updates from me whenever I Twitter anything. Plenty of people have put Twitter feeds as after-thoughts to their blogs but I am incorporating my feed into the main body of my blog. I will be adding regular blog entries, but I'll also be Tweeting; an opinionated geek is a hard person to shut-up and I am, so I am! Often I get great ideas (or just ideas for comments) when I am out and about, but by the time I get back to my computer they are gone to the great >dev/null/ in the sky, so it just seemed a "no brainer" to marry up blogging with tweeting. So now I can update my blog from anywhere without having to lug-around a heavey, awkward laptop; not to mention expensive WiFi rates. All I need is my cellphone and well... me...
My E-books
All three of the E-books I have written (1012, Acient future & Paint or be painted) have ISDN numbers and are available through Apple, Sony, Barne & Noble, Kobo & soon Amazon. If you're one of the first to own an Apple iPad you'll find my ebooks on that, alternatively just follow the links above & view them directly on the Smashwords website.
Blurb: 911 was an event burned into the retina of the world's mind's eye. In this painstakingly-well researched novel; truth is mixed with hunches, hunches are mixed with theory lastly cloak and dagger is mixed with smoke and mirrors so the truth becomes less about what you can see and more about what you cannot see... and why... This novel, 1012, presents truths that hitherto have only been whispered in shadows by shadowy people...
When 911 happened, like most of the western world, it really brought home the true feelings of the Muslim world towards the West. More and more I fealt myself asking for specifics, questions I couldn't answer, but questions that needed to be answered. I set about looking for the answers to those questions. Many was the time that I didn't like what I found. Was it the mechinations of a monolithically crippled Government or was it what it appeared to be?
ISBN: 978-1-4523-4491-1
Blurb: "Based on a true story; the past meets the future. A young Maori boy saves the dignity of his tribe and in the process learns about this place in life. Fooled by the tyranny of history he is confronted with the invaluable mass of the truth. In coming to grips with his past he solidifies his steps into the future..."
In researching my daugther's Tuhoe whakapapa, I read the events surround the arrest of Rua Kenana, said to be the last Maori Prophet and his Pa, Maungapohatu in the Uruwera ranges. Maungapohatu was said to be advanced for the day with modern buildings, plumbing and sewerage. A thorn in the side of the British crown that deemed all Maori as savages. It helped even less when Kenana sided with Kaiser Wilhem in WW1 (for which the Kaiser gifted Kenana a silver-plated Luger).
ISBN: 978-1-4523-8764-2
Blurb: "Without wanting to give too much of the story away; Jim (the main character) sets out to solve a problem, a problem that had seen his Dad end up on the wrong side of the law for doing the right thing. He does solve it too, or so he thinks, and gains quite a lot of celebrity for it. But like most things in life it's often the little things trip that us up. But turning a threat into a challange, in a plot twist no-one will expect, Jim mobilises his imagination and comes up with a unique solution!"
This is my third and most recent title to be published on the Smashwords site. Unfortunately I just missed the cut-off date for inclusion on the newly released iPad (However I will make it into later releases), fortunately though, when the iPad reaches Australian/New Zealand shores I'll certainly be included.
ISBN: 978-1-4523-4028-9
As you may or may not know, one of my several hats is that of a writer, shown above, my three ebooks are published on the ebook site "Smashwords". On that site you can download, for free, a quarter of each novel to read at your own pace, at your own place. Try taking a book home to try before you buy from a bookstore!
In the existing 'bookstore model' it seems that everyone who touches the book (or even just the box it comes in) adds 10% to the price. Literary agents, Proofreaders, formaters, cover designers, printer, couriers, bookstore owners... Just a few of the people that contribute to printed books costing so much. Not to say that in some way that model doesn't have a pay off, it clearly does. Especially if the author is lucky enough to land a multi-book deal, or a production company buys the rights to the book for a movie. But compared to what it could be, the lucky few are a mere fraction of the talented writers toiling day after day.
Then along comes the ebook. In the early days of the Internet, nothing more than an interesting sideshow for Bookstores to look at. But the potential of the new electronic medium begins to shake the existing 'bookstore model' with the seismic shift of technology. Which leads us to today, a 'sea-change' is taking place, one which will have far reaching consequences that will not only scare the existing 'bookstore modelist', but will also have newspapers, magazines and even existing television networks more than a little worried!
There are so many advantages to ebooks; Not paying printing costs, not paying for expensive retailers, not paying for freight around the country or world, not carting around heavy tomes, the ability to easily change formats, to name just a few. I believe that over the next few years (with the proliferation of devices like the ipad and the kindle) we are going to see an explosion in the popularity of the ebook. In saying that I must add that I don't believe the written word will ever go out of popularity, but the benefits of the ebook holds advantages that have never traditionally been there. consider, for example, that not only is the ebook far more environmentally sustainable than cutting down tree after tree, it also doesn't use freight companies that spew exhaust fumes into the air.
Always found reading at length off the screen a little too daunting? Well here's an idea which is highly under publicised: With a free text-to-speech reader such as Natural reader 9.2, you can easily have an ebook read to you from your MP3 player! Now that is the ultimate, having the book read to you while you are relaxing in your lazy-boy chair or on your bed!
I wrote my initial novel, 1012, in 2004 and did a great deal of research into getting it published. I contacted hundreds of literary agents and even got a few bites, but the book market is so flooded with writers, agents can pick and choose who they want to represent. That makes for a far from ideal environment for the first-time author. Their books needs proof reading, graphic design & marketing, a time consuming, costly and potentially risky process. So to reduce the risks (or more accurately; costs) the publisher "cherry picks" those books that are already polished or authors that have a proven marketability.
I considered releasing my novel as an ebook, but like most first-time authors I was way too precious about my first ever book. I had grandiose dreams and unrealistic expectations that painted me into a corner. So I basically "shelved" my book until now.
When you consider that going to a bookstore & buying a book will probably set you back about $50, paying for an ebook (and there are many for less than $1 too) is value that's hard to ignore! Give an ebook a read, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you get!
Fidelity Life better have no disgruntled customers... What am I saying; they're an Insurance company!
Advice to share owners: You might want to think about moving some shares about and diversify your portfolios a bit more.
Like BP - they're gonna find out it's not so easy to stop oil once it gets going and just like BP they'll be wishing they spent a bucket-load more on preventative maintenance!
But on second thoughts; they're probably safe. I mean, why would a small-fry blogger take on a corporate giant... it's as crazy as saying he would take on the NZ justice system about something like name suppression!
I'm not a greenie, so I'm not pushing a "Bash/Ban a farmer" agenda.
But there's one thing I really can't get my head around.
NZ farmers make a huge amount of noise about how efficient they are and that unlike farmers in other countries, they don't have subsidies.
But that doesn't sound right to me.
Whenever there's a big flood, they get a huge amount of Government assisstance, if there's a drought or some other kind of emergency... yip, assisstance.
If the market slumps or hard times hit... they use WINZ too.
And then there's the side of modern farming (especially ever since Fonterra came on the scene) that basically gives the finger to everyone they conside "townies".
They've replaced sheep with big poo-making-machines because they get more dosh for it.
Diary products are far from cheap, for the long-term cost to all of us all.
Yes we love our steaks, our hamburgers, milk, cheeses and so much more.
And YES, farmers deserve to make a profit from that.
I salute and acknowledge farmers, this country WAS built on the backs of [some of] them. But a lean, mean machine? Not without plenty of government assistance, they may flit around the law and UN conventions: but if it weren't for their gumintloots where would they be?
This is my third and most recent title to be published on the Smashwords site. Unfortunately I just missed the cut-off date for inclusion on the newly released iPad (However I will make it into later releases), fortunately though, when the iPad reaches Australian/New Zealand shores I'll certainly be included.
As with the my others (1012 & Ancient Future) it is available on Apple, Sony, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and several other catalogs: ISBN: 978-1-4523-4028-9
Without wanting to give too much of the story away; Jim (the main character) sets out to solve a problem, a problem that had seen his Dad end up on the wrong side of the law for doing the right thing. He does solve it too, or so he thinks, and gains quite a lot of celebrity for it. But like most things in life it's often the little things trip that us up. But turning a threat into a challange, in a plot twist no-one will expect, Jim mobilises his imagination and comes up with a unique solution!
Want a sneak peak? Well OK then; since you twisted my arm
James knew it was 'do or die'. The enraged animal was circling around to gore him. It was either make this shot or be trampled to death by 1000 kilograms of angry bull. He gently slid the safety to the 'off' position and sighted the menacing animal along the barrel of the gun. He exhaled and mentally tried to relax as much as possible, his trigger finger slowly taking up the slack around the small piece of metal that would send the bullet hurtling towards its hapless victim. When he had pulled the trigger back far enough to know it was a hair away from firing he consciously relaxed himself so as not to spoil his shot. Then the rifle fired; no fan fare, no ceremony, just the cold certainty that what was once resting in the chamber of the gun was only milli-seconds away from exploding into the beast's heart.
Itching to verify the kill-shot had gone to the precise spot he had aimed; James absentmindedly noticed a strange wet, vaguely warm sensation over his ear. A second later a playful whine exploded in his eardrum. Bemused and more than a little impatiently James exclaimed, "Wolf, STOP!" and tried his best to push away the un-phased dog. James couldn't help himself, Wolf was his Achilles heel, after first trying to push him away, James instead dropped his paintball gun, rolled over and playfully wrestled the agile canine. Effortlessly slipping out of the boy's flimsy headlock the alert young German Shepherd sprang backwards just out of reach, the dog's wagging tail revealing the lie behind its mock growl. James rolled over on his back. Sensing the end of play, Wolf resignedly walked over and stood next to the boy. James reached up and fondled the dog's silky ear. Catching a glimpse of his paintball gun his former "mission" dragged itself back into his memory.
In one deft movement he sprang to his feet, picked up the casually disgarded weapon and headed down towards his dead prey that had morphed into a 44 gallon drum with a circle drawn on the outside which, in the mind of James, was where the heart of this beast was. There was a bright splotch of fluorescent green in the dead-center of the circle where the paintball had hit the metal drum, its iridescent contents coating the immediate area of the "wound". With a satisfied grin James let his finger gently slide through the bright green "heart blood".
At that instant a voice called out "JIMMY", he instantly knew it was his mother, she was the only one who ever called him Jimmy, everyone else called him Jim or James (although he had recently decided that "James" sounded more mature and worldly). "I'm over here Mum", after a moment adding, "I'll be in for lunch in a minute". She said, "Keep Wolfie over there, I don't want him to get mud on the washing". Wolf had started walking over to where James' mum was hanging out washing. James called to the dog and it came bounding playfully back in the hopes of another round of wrestling. Resigning itself to the reality that there would be no re-match, the eternally optimistic dog fell in beside the boy, now walking towards the kitchen.
Watching the boy take his gumboots off, Wolf headed over to his water bowl.
Inside the house James said to his mother, "What's for lunch? What time will Dad get home"? Looking slightly more serious she said, "Well, first things first, sandwiches and juice for lunch, secondly your father will be late, he's got to see the foreman". James' Dad was an architect and often had to stop by a worksite to sort out an issue. James just nodded, "He knows that tomorrow is my birthday, eh?". His mother smiled and said, "Yes Jimmy, we both remember, now go and put that old paintball gun in your bedroom and wash that green stuff off your hands, when you're finished lunch'll be ready"...
Both of my ebooks have internationally recognized ISBN numbers and are available through Apple, Sony, Barnes and Noble, with negotiations currently underway with Amazon. This is just to name a few retailers that currently list them (Thanks must go to Smashwords, the publisher of my ebooks, for their consistent & methodical efforts on my behalf).
Point of interest - With the newly released iPad, retailers are now finally showing intense interest in ebook titles. Instead of asking, "Why bother with an ebook" a more pertinant question would be to ask, "Do you want a 50+ year old free ebook from sites such as Project Gutenburg or do you want to pay for a new, up-and-coming author?". I admit I'm biased, but I'd rather read something current.
Blurb: 911 was an event burned into the retina of the world's mind's eye. In this painstakingly-well researched novel; truth is mixed with hunches, hunches are mixed with theory lastly cloak and dagger is mixed with smoke and mirrors so the truth becomes less about what you can see and more about what you cannot see... and why... This novel, 1012, presents truths that hitherto have only been whispered in shadows by shadowy people...
When 911 happened, like most of the western world, it really brought home the true feelings of the Muslim world towards the West. More and more I fealt myself asking for specifics, questions I couldn't answer, but questions that needed to be answered. I set about looking for the answers to those questions. Many was the time that I didn't like what I found. Was it the mechinations of a monolithically crippled Government or was it what it appeared to be?
ISBN: 978-1-4523-4491-1
Blurb: "Based on a true story; the past meets the future. A young Maori boy saves the dignity of his tribe and in the process learns about this place in life. Fooled by the tyranny of history he is confronted with the invaluable mass of the truth. In coming to grips with his past he solidifies his steps into the future..."
In researching my daugther's Tuhoe whakapapa, I read the events surround the arrest of Rua Kenana, said to be the last Maori Prophet and his Pa, Maungapohatu in the Uruwera ranges. Maungapohatu was said to be advanced for the day with modern buildings, plumbing and sewerage. A thorn in the side of the British crown that deemed all Maori as savages. It helped even less when Kenana sided with Kaiser Wilhem in WW1 (for which the Kaiser gifted Kenana a silver-plated Luger).
ISBN: 978-1-4523-8764-2
As you may or may not know, one of my several hats is that of a writer, shown above, my two ebooks are published on the ebook site "Smashwords". On that site you can download, for free, a quarter of each novel to read at your own pace, at your own place. Try taking a book home to try before you buy from a bookstore!
In the existing 'bookstore model' it seems that everyone who touches the book (or even just the box it comes in) adds 10% to the price. Literary agents, Proofreaders, formaters, cover designers, printer, couriers, bookstore owners... Just a few of the people that contribute to printed books costing so much. Not to say that in some way that model doesn't have a pay off, it clearly does. Especially if the author is lucky enough to land a multi book deal, or a production company buys the rights to the book for a movie. But compared to what it could be, the lucky few are a mere fraction of the talented writers toiling day after day.
The along comes the ebook. In the early days of the Internet, nothing more than an interesting sideshow for Bookstores to look at. But the potential of the new electronic medium begins to shake the existing 'bookstore model' with the seismic shift of technology. Which leads us to today, a 'sea-change' is taking place, one which will have far reaching consequences that will not only scare the existing 'bookstore modelist', but will also have newspapers, magazines and even existing television networks more than a little worried!
There are so many advantages to ebooks; Not paying printing costs, not paying for expensive retailers, not paying for freight around the country or world, not carting around heavy tomes, the ability to easily change formats, to name just a few. I believe that over the next few years (with the proliferation of devices like the ipad and the kindle) we are going to see an explosion in the popularity of the ebook. In saying that I must add that I don't believe the written word will ever go out of popularity, but the benefits of the ebook holds advantages that have never traditionally been there. consider, for example, that not only is the ebook far more environmentally sustainable than cutting down tree after tree, it also doesn't use freight companies that spew exhaust fumes into the air.
Always found reading at length off the screen a little too daunting? Well here's an idea which is highly under publicised: With a free text-to-speech reader such as Natural reader 9.2, you can easily have an ebook read to you from your MP3 player! Now that is the ultimate, having the book read to you while you are relaxing in your lazy-boy chair or on your bed!
I wrote my initial novel, 1012, in 2004 and did a great deal of research into getting it published. I contacted hundreds of literary agents and even got a few bites, but the book market is so flooded with writers, agents can pick and choose who they want to represent. That makes for a far from ideal environment for the first-time author. Their books needs proof reading, graphic design & marketing, a time consuming, costly and potentially risky process. So to reduce the risks (or more accurately; costs) the publisher "cherry picks" those books that are already polished or authors that have a proven marketability.
I considered releasing my novel as an ebook, but like most first-time authors I was way too precious about my first ever book. I had grandiose dreams and unrealistic expectations that painted me into a corner. So I basically "shelved" my book until now.
When you consider that going to a bookstore & buying a book will probably set you back about $50, paying for an ebook (and there are many for less than $1 too) is value that's hard to ignore! Give an ebook a read, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you get!
My brother, Wayne Watson (better known as Oswald Bastable) Showed the usefulness of this website (Smashwords) With his ebook, "Meddlers in time"
Blurb:
You cant change history, can you? No- but you can make a new reality, when you alter events. Meddlers in Time explores the shaping of a parallel earth, by altering events in 9th century England. Some were lured by money, other by the adventure- a few just wanted a new chance at life. One thing remains constant- time travel changes all who follow that path
Pretty cool, not a scratch on Avatar, but it was still good enough to want to buy the DVD when it comes out.
It was like comparing apples with oranges. Hurt locker was gritty and had an already existing storyline, the characters were fairly rich, but had the weight of an existing violent and depressing reality to overcome. They (the characters) tended to slot into well-worn charactrer 'templates'.
Now on to my soon to be patented Sore-bum rating system: The better a movie is the longer it takes me to realise that my bum is getting sore, on my scale, 1 bum is pathetic, 10 bums are excellent.
I have been on this planet for 39 years; survived a brain tumour, had a daughter, have had more hits and misses than I care to remember and I'm continually pestered by someone who lacks the mental insight to move on (yes that's right, YOU)...
But, to those with the ability to control their lives, I offer these pieces of advice:
1. Learn to relax (seriously, conciously learn it),
2. Give and receive love,
3. Turn threats into challanges,
4. Share your life with someone important to you,
5. There are people worse off than you, enjoy what you have,
6. Value family while you have them, one day they might be gone,
James Cameron, writer/director
Sam Worthington
Zoe Saldana
Sigourney Weaver
Stephen Lang
Michelle Rodriguez
Giovanni Ribisi
Joel Moore
CCH Pounder
Wes Studi
Laz Alonso
Dileep Rao
Matt Gerald
Sean Anthony Moran
Jason Whyte
Scott Lawrence
Without wanting to give too much of the plot away, the movie is set on the far-away planet of Pandora which has large deposits of a very rare and valuable mineral.
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a US marine that has become disabled, yet is uniquely suited to "stepping" into the role left by his recently killed brother.
Made possible by a kind of virtual reality, Jake inhabits the consciousness of a 20 foot blue alien.
The plot has a lot of typical elements, yet the surreal graphics take suspension of belief to a new level and what was once stayed and cliché becomes once more enchanting and endearing - BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER DOWNTOWN CINEMA!
The major disappointment of the movie was not the movie itself, but the cheap-ass Palmerston North Downtown cinema that only had a 2D camera, so couldn't play it in the glorious 3D - which was one of the main attractions of the movie. Despite, just a hour before on the evening news, we were shown Avatar watchers in HOKATIKA that saw the movie in the full 3D it was intended to be shown in.
In my view this took AVATAR out of the realm of "Ground-breaking technological spectacular" and made it just another fascinating sci-fi epic. If I were Peter Jackson I'd be seriously pissed at Palmerston North's Downton Cinema.
Population of Hokatika (2009): 4500
Population of Palmerston North (2009): 79300
So, despite charging $14.00 for a ticket, to a sold-out screening (obviously only one of many that day) they "couldn't afford the upgrade", yet Hokatika could. It's handy to know Downtowns true motivation: definately not the enjoyment of their patrons, but getting as much as they can for each ticket. It would be a little better, I guess, if we didn't have to sit amongst popcorn & wrapper strewn seats.
Next time there is a premier in Palmerston North's Downtown Cinema 8, I reccomend you shell out the extra few bucks and time and go to a center like Wellington (or Hokatika!) and get a proper screening, not just a profit-making con.
It's the kind of practice you expect from a dodgey Chinese trader on Trademe, not a New Zealand business forgoodness sake!
God I hope someone from Downtown reads this!
Ok, disappointmentS aside, onto the movie rating:
Now on to my soon to be patented Sore-bum rating system: The better a movie is the longer it takes me to realise that my bum is getting sore, on my scale, 1 bum is pathetic, 10 bums are excellent. Avatar scores 9!
[PS - I went to see it in 3D at Lower hutts huge Westfield (Queensgate) mall]
For those of you living under a rugby ball shaped rock, I'll give you the good oil...
The All whites were playing Bahrain. At stake was no less than a place in the FIFA World cup to be held in South Africa. The All whites have failed to qualify for the world cup for over 20 years.
From a corner, Rory Fallon (son of Kevin Fallon) headed in a goal, scoring the only goal of the match, the All whites winning 1-0 and going through to the World Cup
The crowd were on their feet so much that I missed out on photographing the winning goal and feet were being stamped, drinks drunk and animated conversations made prolonged attempts to focus rather difficult, so you'll have to settle for the kick that started it.
A sight to behold as thousands of wobbling bellies exposed themselves to the wintery harshness of the caketin. In a coordinated act, white tops were shed to acknowledge the last 10 minutes of the match.
In the hard light of day and temperature of their bodies no longer being regulated by alcohol, I bet there are a few sick people today!
There were several hand-made signs around the stadium, but this (from the opposite side of the stadium) tickled my funny bone.
One of the many little sideshows that were going on is when a Bahrain player pulled a "hollywood" and threw himself to the groung writhing in pain. The All white supports would chant,"She fell over, she fell over..."
Actually that reminds me of another point. The player in this photo was taken off the field on a stretcher, his team received a free kick for the "foul". Bahrain made a burst towards the Kiwi goal line. Seeing this the formerly "dying" stretcher-bound player sprang to his feet and raced down field to help out his team.
Even though I was getting the occasional nose bleed from sitting up so high (all Ginger Diamond's fault of course), it did allow for some pretty spectacular sights... case in point.
I hadn't been to the Caketin (Wespac Trust stadium) before, so this was an excellent oppotrtunity. Television replays the game but it can't begin shown the atmosphere in the stadium.
For example, there were Mexican waves and a giant NZ flag sent overhead, by hand to hand around the stadium. But probably most impressive was the sheer weight of support for the All whites. Before the match the Bahrain supporters were fairly loud and I thought, "Uh oh, I think we might just get shown up". But I needn't have worried. I was a little disappointed that the All white supporters "Boo-ed" the Bahrain team without cause, but that seems to be the nature of sport at the moment.
My brother, Wayne Watson (better known as Oswald Bastable) Showed the usefulness of this website (Smashwords) With his ebook, "Meddlers in time"
What a game, what an atmosphere... Fantastic!
From a corner, Rory Fallon (son of Kevin Fallon) headed in a goal, scoring the only goal of the match, the All whites winning 1-0 and going through to the World Cup
A sight to behold as thousands of wobbling bellies exposed themselves to the wintery harshness of the caketin. In a coordinated act, white tops were shed to acknowledge the last 10 minutes of the match.
There were several hand-made signs around the stadium, but this (from the opposite side of the stadium) tickled my funny bone.
