Book publishing and financial advice that cuts to daily life

Posted on by
Reply

Food for thought in BookExpo America - Column - New York Times as I prepare to publish my first book and contemplate future books:

    Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired magazine who made his own splash last year with his book “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More,” returned to the convention to talk about the possibility of giving away online his next book — which he fittingly intends to title “Free” — to readers who were willing to read it with advertisements interspersed throughout its pages. (He still intends to sell the book traditionally to readers who’d rather get their text without the ads.)

Though the financial advice in More Advice Graduates Don’t Want to Hear - New York Times is aimed at graduates, the article is useful for people like me, who is currently living off savings as I pursue the life of a self-employed author and consultant:

    I also suggested cutting out the latte habit, which was my symbol for those little things in life that when turned into a habit, add up to money that could have been spent on something worthwhile and memorable. Other people, my wife among them, pointed out that I may have been too draconian on that point. Consistent savings is a lot easier if there are small rewards along the way; otherwise, life seems as if it is just one bowl of cold grass porridge after another.

I rather enjoy my writing times sitting in cafes. I think of that time as paying rent for a home away from home.

The importance of narrative — and redemption

Posted on by
Reply

This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It) - New York Times:

    By contrast, so-called generative adults — those who score highly on tests measuring civic-mindedness, and who are likely to be energetic and involved — tend to see many of the events in their life in the reverse order, as linked by themes of redemption [emphasis mine]. They flunked sixth grade but met a wonderful counselor and made honor roll in seventh. They were laid low by divorce, only to meet a wonderful new partner. Often, too, they say they felt singled out from very early in life — protected, even as others nearby suffered.

The work redemption caught my eye since it very much fits with the way I have seen my own past.

Scum who scam elders and how we can fight them

Posted on by
Reply

Bilking the Elderly, With a Corporate Assist - New York Times got my attention as someone who volunteers once a month for TeleCare to call the elderly to make sure they are ok. It's a report on the criminal scum who prey on the vulnerable and the commercial entities that profit from helping them:

    Richard Guthrie, a 92-year-old Army veteran, was one of those victims. He ended up on scam artists’ lists because his name, like millions of others, was sold by large companies to telemarketing criminals, who then turned to major banks to steal his life’s savings. Mr. Guthrie, who lives in Iowa, had entered a few sweepstakes that caused his name to appear in a database advertised by infoUSA, one of the largest compilers of consumer information. InfoUSA sold his name, and data on scores of other elderly Americans, to known lawbreakers, regulators say.

What can we do about this situation? At the very least, we can learn to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and the many around us about to avoid being scammed. Some links that seem to be helpful in this area come from various government agencies:

The AARP naturally has a page concerning how to avoid various types of fraud as a retired person. I would guess this info is useful for people of all ages.

The fact that infoUSA is a publicly traded company made me wonder how to easily figure out the reputation that any given corporate entity has. I know that you can look up basic financial info on sites like Yahoo! Finances (e.g., IUSA), which cover headline news. I have to do further research on this topic. For instance, do any of the "socially responsible" investment funds rate various companies and present that info in a publicly accessible form?

I will say that what I'm writing here is based trusting the New York Times. As a simple start, I can also do a search on Google News to see whether this coverage is vouched for by other news sources: infousa - Google News or Yahoo! News Search Results for infousa. I don't see a lot of other coverage of this topic yet; I am curious as to how infoUSA will respond.

A very happy class open house!

Posted on by
Reply

I'm feeling very satisfied with the way the "Mixing and Remixing Information" (Spring 2007 edition!) ended yesterday with the Class Open House. My students did great, as they handled with poise the many questions of the interested crowds! Thanks to the members of the ISchool and campus community at large for coming to the Open House. Thanks especially to Laura for making signs for the students, arranging the food, and encouraging my students!

Now on to a deep focus on the book....

Westminster House in the NY Times

Posted on by
Reply

It's nice to see an implicit mention of Westminster House, a Presbyterian campus ministry on whose board I served for six year, in Matters of Faith Find a New Prominence on Campus - New York Times:

    At Harvard, more students are enrolling in religion courses and regularly attending religious services, Professor Gomes said. Presbyterian ministries at Berkeley and Wisconsin have built dormitories to offer spiritual services to students and encourage discussion among different faiths. The seven-story building on the Wisconsin campus, which will house 280 students, is to open in August.

“MacArthur Maze Meltdown”

Posted on by
Reply

Overpass Near Oakland Collapses After Truck Explodes - New York Times:

    The crash, which occurred at approximately 3:40 a.m. Pacific time, sent flames soaring hundreds of feet into the air, according to witnesses. The overpass carrying eastbound lanes of Interstate 580 overhead quickly buckled, causing it to collapse onto part of Interstate 80 below. The accident occurred near the approach to the Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco with Oakland, Berkeley and other cities on the east side of San Francisco Bay. Several major highways converge at that spot, a complex multilevel interchange known as the MacArthur Maze.

Note THE MAZE MELTDOWN / First commute day: Free rides as transit leaders work on plan:

    All transit systems are offering free rides today to ease the congestion anticipated on the region's freeways following the collapse of a major section of the MacArthur Maze.

Useful links: