Another Reason To Love Wikipedia

Today as I was researching on Wikipedia, I was preparing to click on the print menu on the side and create a pdf of the page to load on my kindle.  When you click on the little arrow next to print you get a list of tools.  You can create a book, download page as a pdf, or get a printable version. Wait a minute.  Create a book?  Why have I not noticed this before?

When you click create a book you will see this:

Add this page to your book
Adds the currently viewed article (page) to your book.
Show book
Opens a new page which will show a list of all articles (pages) that you added to your book. On that page, you can change the order of the articles in your book and structure them using chapters. Further, you can download the books as a PDF or ODF, or order a printed book.
Suggest pages
This tool analyzes the current set of pages in your book and suggests articles that might be also relevant to the overall topic of your book. This tool allows to create books quickly.
Disable
This will disable the Book creator and delete your book (unless you saved it first).
Adding pages without visiting them
A quick way to add pages is to simply hover on a linked article. If you wait about one second, a small box will pop up with the message “Add linked wiki page to your book”. Click on this link, and the linked article will be added to your book.

Hovering your mouse over links is a convenient way to add pages to your book
Adding whole categories
If you are viewing a category page, you can add all the pages in that category at once. The Add this page to your book link will have changed into Add this category to your book. Click on this new link, and all the articles in that category will be added to your book. Relevant categories may be found at the very bottom of Wikipedia articles. Categories can also be added by hovering category links.

Each successive page will now have this handy link at the top:

When you have completed adding pages to your book, you can download the entire thing as a pdf.  Very nice for my Kindle
Click Show Book and the following page pops up.  You can tweak your title, sort your pages, preview, order a printed copy if you like, or simply download your book. Then if you are me, you convert it for your Kindle and read at your convenience.

Caveat: I do not advocate the use of Wikipedia at school as teachers have very strong feelings about the website.  I suppose the fact that even I can edit the site could be cause for concern but there are people constantly checking and fixing errors and misinformation.  Try looking up Hurricane Katrina in the set of Funk and Wagnalls I bought when my son was born.

Because Wikipedia is a massive live collaboration, it differs from a paper-based reference source in important ways. In particular, older articles tend to be more comprehensive and balanced, while newer articles more frequently contain significant misinformation, unencyclopedic content, or vandalism. Users need to be aware of this to obtain valid information and avoid misinformation that has been recently added and not yet removed (see Researching with Wikipedia for more details). However, unlike a paper reference source, Wikipedia is continually updated, with the creation or updating of articles on historic events within hours, minutes, or even seconds, rather than months or years for printed encyclopedias.

You should always check more than one website when you are doing research, but Wikipedia is a great place to start.

Book contest on Confessions of a Wandering Heart

There is a contest on “Confessions of a Wandering Heart“.  The prize is a copy of “Deception” the first in a new YA paranormal series by author Lee Nichols.  The protagonist is Emma Vaile who according to Suzie Townsend’s review, “It’s the perfect combination of prep school Gossip Girl-esque drama and paranormal suspense and mystery.”

Sooo I get 1 for being a new follower. plus 1 for linking to the contest on my blog, 1 for twitter, 1 for facebook. 2, for adding her to my blogroll, and 3 for posting about her contest here.  Give me loving please Ms. Townsend.  If I win a copy, I will read it and then donate it to our high school library!

now I’m torn between telling you to run on over and enter and wanting you to stay away so I can win

Congratulations Ann!!

Maelstrom is available for download as an e-book from FictionWise!

“When a genie grants you a wish, you don’t expect to return the favor. Struggling promoter Ricky Landon is on the verge of giving up his dreams when he dumps sexy genie Kalila from a junk store lamp. She grants his wish to manage a talented band, but she has a wish of her own?”

Congratulations Ann (BunnyGirl) – can’t wait to read it!

Kindle Fodder – ShapeShifter Demo Tapes

I woke this morning to a yard covered in snow and more falling.  The wind is blowing what is already there and I plan to keep my nose and all other parts inside in the warm today.  Spring?  Who knew?

Read an e-book week is over but I am still getting to know my Kindle and checking my mailbox for my prize from Nara Malone.  I filled my Kindle queue with several books from authors that sometimes hang out at some of the same places I frequent, such as Sunday Scribblings and Three Word Wednesday.

I just finished reading ShapeShifter, The Demo Tapes Year One and Year Two.  The Author, Susan Helen Gottfried, blogs at West Of Mars and I “met” her through Sunday Scribbling. I loved them!

Susan’s SS blogposts are outtakes that revolve around the story of ShapeShifter, a fictional rock band, the characters and their relationships and the situations they find themselves in. I had already been introduced to Mitchell and Trevor and the others but this it was fun to get to know them a little better, to see a bit of backstory, and catch up without having to scroll backwards through multiple blogposts. From her website:

The Demo Tapes were born out of the demand of the groupies who hang around the Meet and Greet. They are collections of short fiction that introduce you to Trevor, Mitchell, and the rest of the fictional band, ShapeShifter — as well as the world in which they inhabit.

Susan’s book, Trevor’s Song has not been published YET but I hope it will be – the Demo Tapes were enough to whet my appetite and make me want the full meal deal.  If you are a wanna-be band groupie or would just like to hang out from a distance click the picture of the books to go to a page that will show you how to get them for yourself, either in print or on your favorite e-reading device.

Now where did I put my ShapeShifter t- shirt?  It’s almost time for the concert….

If you can’t see the image – go here:  http://westofmars.com/west-of-mars/the-books/

Sunday Scribbling Springing Forward

Beautiful Sunday even with the silly clock changing mess.  Early service with a wonderful speaker, Gayle Erwin. If you ever have the opportunity to hear him it will be a joy.  After lunch a walk around the track, sun shining, families playing soccer, and trees budding out.  There was just enough of a cool breeze to keep from breaking a sweat.

The prompt at Sunday Scribbling is a life changing book or collection of words.  There have been too many books over the years to choose just one.  The first book I can remember reading is The Witch on Blackbird Pond which makes the list because it made me fallin love with books. The Bible, The Stand, Alas Babylon, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values mentioned by Solitary Panda is on the list, and so many more.  Those are just a few that gave me joy, epiphany, a good cry, and just became good close friends. The Twilight Series.  Yes I know, you now have absolutely no respect for me, right?  It was my introduction to YA literature.  When I was a YA, either it was limited or I just skipped it somehow.  I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in high school.  A friend loaned it to me saying she knew I would never give it back.  I didn’t really understand what she meant but over the next three years I bought four copies, loaned each one out and never saw it again.  It was that kind of thing.  So YA lit was a revelation to me and it came at a time when I had been entirely too serious for entirely too long.  I woke up and now I’m trying to learn to write it. It has been a gift that keeps on giving because of the wonderful “online” friends I have made and the thump on the head that said if your feet will no longer dance, you can still dream and that is what being young in your heart is all about. You can check out some of these talented people by taking a stroll through my blogroll.  You will not be disappointed!

I have begun to feed my Kindle ebooks by authors that I have “met” online.  I’m planning to post about each as I read it. I just finished Paschal‘s Scarred Angels.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I was reading it on my kindle. I absolutely LOVED it – hear that Professor?  You need to publish that thang.  I grew to love the characters  and realized – REALLY realized how incredibly important character is. I knew it, I did.  I now KNOW it.  I just have to learn how to do it. I really enjoyed the book and it was only near the end that I had my ah ha moment. By then I had already gone over the edge.  This merits much more than a paragraph – it has it all going on, relationship, betrayal, redemption, sex, and a little bit of murder thrown in.  I would buy this and pay extra to have a signed copy! Most of all, the author has a deep love for humans – especially the broken and it comes through the words on every page. If you would like a romp through words that are bent and tangled and dancing to their own kind of music you can click the Paschal link above or look for Murat11 on my blogroll.

Now if I have embarrassed Professor P enough I have a couple of shout-outs to some local bloggers.  One is a lovely young woman, mother, and student who shows off her photography at LifeStylesPhoto.  Stop by and give her a little encouragement.

The next is the North Texas Food Bank blog.  The blogger is smart and tough and compassionate (and went to high school with my son).  She is presently at SXSW learning about building online communities. The following is from their about page:

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a nonprofit hunger relief organization that distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of feeding programs in 13 North Texas counties. The NTFB supports the nutritional needs of children, families and seniors through education, advocacy and strategic partnerships. Close the Gap is the NTFB’s 3-year initiative to unite the community to narrow the food gap by providing access to 50 million meals annually.

Founded in 1982, the NTFB is a certified member of Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network). Last year 26 million meals were distributed. Each month agency pantries distribute food to more than 50,000 families and on-site meal programs serve 435,000 meals/snacks.

Every dollar donated to the NTFB provides four meals for the hungry. Out of every dollar donated, 97 cents goes directly to hunger relief programs.

You want life changing?  Those words could change a life if you follow up with action.  If you are in the area, donate, participate, or at least pass on the info.

Now I’m off to write another chapter for Night Wings. To end this post, I will leave you with a favorite poem.

Blessed Lord, what it is to be young;
To be of, to be for, be among
Be enchanted, enthralled
Be the caller, the called
The singer, the song, and the sung

David McCord

Namaste

What’s On Your Kindle?

I am a Kindle newbie and as with anything new, I have been searching the web, joining groups, and generally learning about my new toy.  I will be sharing resources once a week here.

I am not promoting one e-reader over another.  I chose the Kindle because of the ease and large selection of available books, and because a friend was selling hers and the price was right.

My very favorite feature on the Kindle is being able to enlarge the font size and I was excited to learn that you could read PDF files on it.  The first time I loaded a PDF and found that the whole page was shrunk to show on the screen, I was very disappointed. What good is a PDF on my kindle if I can’t make the type large enough to read comfortably?

I found an Open Source Application that solved my problem. AutoKindle is available from the link below.  It will be a file that needs to be unzipped.  I also created a folder on my desktop for the files it converts.

This is the icon you will need.  Double click it and the first time you run it you will be asked for an input source and an output location.  The output location will be the folder you created.  Your file will be converted to a .mobi file.  Connect your kindle to your PC with your usb cable.  The Kindle will show up just like a flash drive.  Drag your .mobi file into your documents folder on your kindle and it will then show up on your home/contents page.

There may be a few weird formatting things going on and I have not tried this with a pdf that is graphics heavy. I have no desire to view pictures on my kindle – I just want to read and so far AutoKindle has worked wonderfully for me.

The app is only available for the pc.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/autokindle/

Presently reading on my Kindle:

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer
Scarred Angels by Paschal
Content by Cory Doctorow

I just received an email telling me I am the first drawing winner of an e-library preloaded on the cutest jump drive. Thank you Nara, what a wonderful Monday morning surprise!  Nara Malone has a contest running on her blog and more information about Kindles.  She is starting an email newsletter so you might want to swing by and sign up!

Win A Bookcase And Check Out Some Book Discussions

There is a contest going on over at Just Your Typical Book Blog.  You can enter to win a new bookcase.

About Them:

“Our names are Cheryl and Amber and we read read and read some more. We love discussing our favorite books; and even the not so favorite. We read and review Young Adult Fiction and sometimes even Adult Fiction. We have some authors that we adore and other that we are just starting to know.”

Check them out

Bookcase Contest

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Description from Amazon

“Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, “The Hunger Games.” The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat’s sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.”

The boys and girls who are chosen are taken to the capital and fed, dressed, interviewed, and the entire games are televised – the ultimate in reality tv.  I found myself unable to hate some of the characters who were part of the cruelty and at the same time, disliking some of the “tributes” as the boys and girls are called even though they are the victims.  Like real life, the lines are not sharp – and the good have the ability to do evil while the evil have moments of good.

Katniss is strong and fearless and intuitive where her survival is concerned and you will be cheering her on.  I can’t wait to read the next one.

For a much better review than I could possible write see here:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/90029009.html

and here:
http://professornana.livejournal.com/173630.html

I’ll be passing this one on to my daughter and later donating it to the school library.

Twilight Update

I finished the entire series and to my shame I have to admit I am anxious for the next movie to come out.  I would be worried about myself but some people are addicted to “Desperate Housewives” and “Sex In The City” and I never could see the appeal.

So I’m hooked on stories about teenage vampires in love – go figure.  If you have just started reading I encourage you to finish because “Breaking Dawn” – the last book, is the best and ends with the resolution of all the conflicts that began in the first book.

What is there not to attract when you would be forever young, you can’t get sick, you don’t need sleep, you’re rich, and you are forever in that state of having just fallen in love.  You don’t have to eat, you are very strong and fast, you don’t have to worry about making a bed or washing dishes.  If you are like the Cullens, you only hunt where the wildlife needs thinning out, and you don’t have to worry about the weather (except of course you can’t go out in the sun.

The characters mature in their relationships and good triumphs over evil if you can use the word good to describe a vampire fantasy story.   That last sentence is strange given the context but there is actually great deal of discussion about values.  Marriage before sex, self-contol, putting someone else’s needs ahead of your own, bravery, family, friendship, cooperation for the greater good; all are present.  The vampires seem more human than humans at times.

Maybe that is finally what held my attention.  I REALLY like happy endings and I would like to live in a better world.  Edward is at rock bottom, concerned for Bella’s soul and Bella believes that Edward might still have one.  The entire Cullen family has created a lifestyle that allows them to exist in the world with concern for not hurting humans.  They spend more time worrying about that than we humans do.

Escape reality for awhile and visit Forks where things are not as they seem.  Have a Caramel Macchiato, a couple of chocolate chip cookies and curl up by the fire.  Real life will be waiting.

Twilight

Friday night I joined a large percentage of the female population and went to see Twilight with my daughter and some of her friends.  I have NEVER waited in a theater for an hour to get in to see a movie before.  Not even StarWars, Harry Potter, or Indiana Jones.  We were probably in the first dozen or so people let in so we were able to sit near the back which I prefer – I hate getting a stiff neck.  There were a LOT of teenage girls in the theater so I was a little concerned that they would be talking and texting and the usual throughout the movie.  I needn’t have worried though – the minute it started they got quiet and except for the places where they laughed out loud at the movie the only noise I heard was an occasional comment about how something was different from the book.

Those comments made the whole thing a little surreal to me.  When is the last time YOU went to see a movie and heard a lot of teenagers commenting on the differences between the book and the movie?  I have always told my daughter that I would just as soon see a movie first and read a book second because if I reverse the process I am always disappointed. I like my imagination better than Hollywood.

My daughter and her friends had read the entire series.  I have only read the first book and it is a nice romantic story with some violence and vampires thrown in.  I know if I had read it in high school I would have been more enthusiastic – still it was fun to read, fun to watch the movie, and even more fun to listen to the girls who were all completely in love with the “totally perfect amazing, have to see it over and over again”, characters.  I was actually surprised at the amount of grown women sporting “real men sparkle” tee shirts.  I will read the rest of the series and will more than likely go see the rest of the movies as they are made.

This is not a movie for children.  There is violence and the “forbidden love” aspect and while I have heard some comparisons to the Harry Potter series I completely disagree.  Harry Potter does not have sexual overtones and there are messages throughout the stories that promote honesty, loyalty, and kindness.  While Harry Potter is science fiction and talks about magic, there is always this underlying confrontation of good versus evil and good always wins, even though there are trials.  There is a growth process that happens in the main characters as they mature.  Twilight is not about maturing – it’s about sexual tension, and the completely perfect (mainly because it is absolutely unattainable) romance.

It’s a teenage chic flick.

Thinking About Change?

I always like hearing or reading what Lawrence Lessig has to say. I don’t always completely agree with him but I admire his presentation technique and he always makes me think.

Watch for this quote “they will purchase the voice of the people, and make them pay the price.”
Presentation

I was unable to embed it so I hope you will click on the link and watch – it is a little bit over 12 minutes long.

Book Lover’s Meme

Stolen from Robin….My favorite escape….
1. Do you remember how you developed a love of reading?
I started to love stories before I could read.  We had the classic fairy tales on albums and I would beg my mother to play them. I fell in love with reading very young.  The Witch of Blackbird Pond is the first book I really remember loving but I just always read.  When I was in elementary school my best friend had an apple tree in her front yard and her dad read science fiction periodicals.  We would grab a handful and find a good limb and pass them back and forth while we read and snacked on apples.

2. What are some books you loved as a child?
I remember when the library started in our town and every time they got a new Nancy Drew book in the librarian would call and tell me.  I also read all the Clara Barton Nurse books.

3. What is your favorite genre?
Fiction – crime, mystery, and some science fiction

4. Do you have a favorite novel?
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

5. Where do you usually read?
Bed

6. When do you usually read?
I read every night to go to sleep.  I have been doing it so long that if I try to read during the day I will find it hard to stay awake!  I read online all the time.

7. Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
Always.

8. Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
I usually read a little bible, a little non-fiction, then pick up the novel to fall asleep.  I also read non-fiction on a kind of as-needed basis and I read non-fiction a lot online.

9. Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?
I buy a lot of paperbacks used and non-fiction used from Amazon.

10. Do you keep most of the books you buy?
I keep a lot of the non-fiction and some of the fiction favorites.  I trade paperbacks or give them away.

11. What are you reading now?
Now You See Him by Stella Cameron – murder mystery/romance heroine has sad background, stalked by killer, strong guy woos and protects, lightweight but it takes place in Louisiana on the Bayou Teche with a hurricane coming in any moment.  We have family in the area so it adds a little.

12. Do you keep a To Be Read list?
I have a wishlist of Amazon and a To Be Read PILE next to the bed

13. What’s next?
A Voice in the wind by Francine Rivers

14. What books would you like to reread?
1984, Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, Once and Future King

16. Who are your favorite authors?
Too many to list, J.D Robb, James Patterson, John J. Nance

Denise – I’m tagging you!