TWITTER TIPS FROM NEW YORK TIMES

On May 6, the global online edition of the New York Times carried an article providing new users of Twitter with insight into some of the more advanced capabilities of the applications and some of its various spinoffs.  Even I learned a few new tricks, even after using Twitter for several months now.  As Twitter’s reach expands, this facility will become increasingly useful to writers, whether you are only in the research phase for a new book or or the pomotional stages of winning readers to your work.

USB KEYS

Have you ever lost a USB flash drive?  I have — and it’s made me very conscious how easy it is to do.  LaCie, a hardware storage company, has come up with an ingenious solution.  It offers a 4-gig and 8-git USB drive in the shape of a door key, perfect for lincluding right on your key chain.  Well, I’ve lost keys too — but only once in my lifetime, so I’d feel more secure with this USB key.  Someday I’ll get around to writing a series about setting up a special USB key for writers — and then you will truly understand why a design like LaCie’s can be so valuable.

NYTIMES FEATURE ON PIRACY OF BOOKS

The New York Times [and IHT for international readers ] today carried an interesting piece about the increasing problem of current printed books being digitized and uploaded to various document sharing sites.  Now with the Kindle and Sony Reader stoking interest in digital books, such piracy is growing.  This will, I think, lead to anguish among writers similar to that experienced by musicians and film-makers, who got very steamed up about piracy before finally discovering that people are willing to pay for online product, if it is reasonably priced.  The article concluded with a reference to writer Cory Doctorow, who normally releases free digital versions of his books on the same day that his prnt books come out.  Doctorow observes:  “I really feel like my problem isn’t piracy.  It’s obscurity.”  Sage advice, in my view.

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