Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Thanks Julie. Alex is a sometimes super sarcastic political writer at
Salon, and the e-book is his rendition of a Tea Party history text
book. It's available at Amazon and at B&N so far, and soon at iTunes,
for use on the devices that go with those places.  

(It also works on the free compatible software versions of their
various nookish and kindlish systems for those who read on phones or
laptops or the like. I didn't even know that until the recent
discussion with WELL authors who have published e-books. Makes whole
books cost around what shipping a hardback costs, without having to buy
hardware. Sheesh.)
  

    

I was a bit shocked at the book title until I read, on the B&N web page:

  A Tea People's History is the real story of America, as told by a person
  who wasn't there but who has watched a lot of Glenn Beck. From the
  betrayal of our Christian Founders by ACORN agent Aaron Burr to our
  nation's salvation at the hands of Saint Reagan, this rigorously
  opinion-checked history is an ideal guide for any home-schooled student
  turned off by the liberal bias of traditional textbooks.

  
  

    
that is precious
  

    
>>> ACORN agent Aaron Burr

Imagine if Tim Geithner tried getting mouthy with him ...
  

    
I was surprised to learn of the connections between Woodrow Wilson and
the Black Panther Party.  Clearly there's a lot my liberal professors
did not tell me!
  

    
THis is gonna be fun!
  

    
Can this book definitely be read if you don't own a Kindle?  Online it
suggests that it can only be read on certain expensive devices.  I'd
want to just print it out and read it offline.
  

    
amazon does have a free reader application available for download -
not sure you can print anything out with it though
  

    

Both Amazon and B&N offer free readers that you can download to your
computer, phone or tablet. If a user has the software on multiple
devices it will sync between them so the books you get can be read on
any or all of them. It'll even retain bookmarks while syncing so you can
pick up in the same place. But, no, I don't think any of them have a
print function. Kinda defeats the purpose of the e-book.
  

    

Slippage.
  

    
Free readers for kindle format:
"The Best Reading Experience... Browser" -- that's their cloud
subscription service) -- "PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, or Android
Phone"
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_ipad_mkt_lnd?docId=1000493771>

Free readers for nook format:
"Your Library Everywhere:  iPad iPhone Android NOOK PC Mac"
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/free-nook-apps/379002321/
  

    
Startingon Nov 10th we will be duscussing Philip Fradkin's book:

Everett Ruess
His Short Life, Mysterious Death, and Astonishing Afterlife

More info at:
<http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520265424>

If you would like a free (regular, hold it in your hands) book, please
email me at julieswan@aol.com
  

    

I am reading this book now.   It's thoroughly researched and beautifully
written, with Ruess's own words woven directly into the text (set off in
italics).  Ruess's story ends with a mystery, but it's not about that:
it's about a young man who goes wandering in the west in the 1930s,
with pencils and paintbrushes and a journal in hand.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everett_Ruess>

<http://everettruess.net/>
  

    
And anyone who has been in our house has seen a Ruess print on the wall!
  

    
Ah, OK, I remember who this guy is. Fradkin is one of my favorite authors,
and Reuss is right down his alley. Email sent.
  

    
Novelist Lewis Shiner will be our guest December 22, discussing his
latest novel _Dark Tangos_. You can download the book as a pdf:
http://boingboing.net/2011/09/19/lewis-shiners-new-suspense-novel-dark-tangos-
as-a-free-download-the-action-packed-ugly-history-of-argentina.html
  

    
We will be interviewing Cyrus Fahrivar about his book "The Internet of
Elsewhere." Not completely sure of the date yet, but it might be as
soon as Nov 28th. The books are in, if you would like to receive a free
copy and then participate in the conversation, please email me at
julieswan@aol.com. If you would like more info on Cyrus and his book,
please check out <www.internetofelsewhere.com.>
  

    
We will be interviewing Howard Rheingold about his book Netsmart: How
to
Thrive Online, April 26 to May 10. The books are in, if you would like
to receive a free copy and then participate in the conversation,
please e-mail Julie Sherman at julieswan@aol.com

For more information on Howard and his new book, go to
<http://www.rheingold.com>
  

    
I realize, I already BOUGHT the book! Yay!
  

    
:) If you bought it on Amazon, please be sure to write a review.
  

    
We have journalist/activist Rebecca MacKinnon coming for an
Inkwell.vue talk May 24-June 7. We're looking for readers - the deal
is
that we send you a review copy of the book, and you agree to read it,
show up, and be part of the conversation. If you're interested, please
email me, and include your snailmail address so we can send the book. 

Rebecca's book is called _Consent of the Networked_:
http://consentofthenetworked.com/

"Many commentators have debated whether the Internet is ultimately a
force for freedom of expression and political liberation, or for
alienation, and repression. Rebecca MacKinnon moves the debate about
the Internet’s political impact to a new level. It is time, she says,
to stop arguing over whether the Internet empowers individuals and
societies, and address the more fundamental and urgent question of how
technology should be structured and governed to support the rights and
liberties of all the world’s Internet users."
  

    
May 10-24, Mark Dery will be our guest at <inkwell.vue>, talking about
his new collection, _I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts: Drive-by Essays on
American Dread, American Dreams_.

From Bruce Sterling's preface: "Dery...brandishes a Diogenes lantern
as the the smoke thickens on every side. ... Beset with Google
erudition, [these essays] tackle a dizzying set of topics--even within
the essays, within the very sentences, there are dizzying arrays of
topics. ... He's very good at going into areas of culture you wouldn't
care to visit yourself, and performing autopsies. He assesses each bone
and organ in detail. Not in a crowd-pleasing way--he doesn't prettify
it, culture-industrialize it and build a gift-shop at the door. Mark is
like a Martian probe. He is high-tech. He is way out there, on his
own. He came equipped with an onboard set of lenses and abrasion
tools."

We have copies we can distribute to readers who are willing to join
the two-week conversation. Email me if you're interested!
  

    
I like to read the book.  emailing.
  

    
I will MARK my calendar for DERY and search for my copy...he is so
brilliant...and hey, jonl-back-on-the-Well!
  

    
Would love to do MacKinnon, but will be on the road and highly
unreliable. But I have to say, having met her at some gathering years
ago, I can still remember how her insight was sharp and clear so I am
looking forward to the book. And Ted, as soon as I read Rheingold's
book, I'll post a review!