A Consumers View

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Have U noticed the change to print magazines lately, or is it just Me?

I read a great deal. Books, magazines, brochures, eBooks, etc. You name it and I read it. Yes. I admit it. I'm a bibliophile. Some of my favorite books are classics, some horror, some contemporary, some academia, and even some romance. I read everything I can get my hands on.

At work, at my university I read a great deal of academia and lesson plans. At home and away, everything is open game. The same is with magazines. Magazines are a big favorite of mine. I personally have a subscription to over a dozen magazine coming to me in the mail. Some I had to drop because they went completely digital. While others I've noticed have begun to simply cut the amount of pages in each issue, as if I wouldn't notice. Really? Come on guys and gals, of course I noticed. AARP, BackPacker, Money and Mental Floss all have lost some weight in their pages. Did you notice, too?

The magazines are all a bit thinner over the last several months and when I count the pages to see why, I see there's at least twenty to thirty pages or more in some magazines that are gone. Where did they go? How come the magazines didn't bother to let their readers know about the page cuts? I mean, hey, I'm still paying the same amount of money for the subscription, but I'm getting less for what I paid for. Is that fair? No. It isn't. Does the magazine publisher care? Evidently not. What do you think of all of that? Have you noticed this trend? Have you lost out on any magazines as they went completely digital? What magazines have you noticed cut pages to their issues without the courtesy of letting you know? I'd love to hear about it. Let's compare notes.

There is one magazine that I really enjoyed reading and I must admit, I miss reading it, but it went completely digital. Ironically, though it is now an e-publication, the price of the subscription costs the same as if it was in print. WTF! Why? e-Publications are cheaper to publish, so why the outrageous prices? There's no postage to spend. Nothing. Nada. That magazine is PC World. It went completely digital a year or so ago without any word to their customers until after they renewed. I know. I had just renewed when a few weeks later I received my last print issue with a general notice on the cover stating that is was going digital and for the price of $19.97 year, I could get a subscription. Funny thing is, I was paying $19.97 a year for a one year to the print subscription or $39.97 for a two year. Why would I want to pay the same price for an e-Pub? Naturally, I cancelled my subscription as I am not a fan of reading e-pubs. As I said earlier in an earlier post, I enjoy holding the periodical or book in my hands, not on an e-reader. I like turning the pages, and for the prices we pay, shouldn't we get what we want? Seems not anymore.

PC World went digital. Good bye and good riddance, it said to its loyal print readers.

Ah! The joys of reading print!

Anywhere. Any time.

That’s it for this time. Thank you all for visiting with us. Until next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey. One person, one voice can make a difference. Read a book. Review it. Share it. Pass it along.

Make adoption your first option when seeking a pet. Adopt. Don’t shop. Can’t adopt. Please consider fostering one. The animal will have the taste of home and the shelter will cover the expenses. Can’t foster? Make a donation or volunteer at your local shelter. Please, don’t hunt. Unless you’re starving down in a ditch somewhere, there is no logical reason to do so. Whatever you do, however you do it, please be a voice for the animals large and small. All it takes is one to make a difference, good or bad.

Together, you and I can make a difference. If you like what you see here, please consider signing up to become a follower. Please feel free to share this post with others.

Regards,

S.J. Francis

In Shattered Lies: "Good and bad, it's All About Family." Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at on-line retailers and independent booksellers. “Some secrets should remain that way.”

My web page: http://www.sjfranciswriter.com

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And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2015 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Mona Lisa Is Just a Painting. Isn't it?

Mona Lisa is just a painting. Isn't it. Or is it something more? Is there a certain mystery about it that make certain people obsessed with it?

Photo Wikipedia.

Do you ever wonder why so many people are fascinated with the Mona Lisa? After all, it is just a painting and nothing more. In fact, it is a painting of a rather plain and ordinary woman. Some say that it is the painter himself, Leonard Da Vinci. If so, so what? Does it really matter? Not to me it doesn’t. I saw the Mona Lisa up close, or as close to as possible seeing how it is enclosed in bullet proof glass to protect it from the masses that visit each day at the Louvre Museum in Paris, potential thieves etc. So, again I ask, why are so many so fascinated with a painting of a rather plain looking ordinary woman from hundreds of years ago? Is it the fascination that no one knows who she was? Is it the fascination that it maybe Da Vinci himself? I don’t get it. Do you?

Mona Lisa behind bullet proof glass at Paris' Louvre Musuem: By Cayetano - http://www.flickr.com/photos/cayetano/2170060100/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10860386

Today the Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world but until the 20th century, Mona Lisa was one among many and not the "most famous painting" as it is now termed. “The Mona Lisa is widely considered the greatest portrait of all time. It appears in countless advertisements, has inspired poetry, sculpture, forgeries, and theft. But seriously, why? The painting is small, only 30 x 21 inches, the color is somber, the background seems desolate and eerie, and the subject isn't anyone historically significant.” (You tube video Mona Lisa-Why So Famous?)

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Mona Lisa is an oil painting on a poplar wood panel by the Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer Leonardo da Vinci, probably the world’s most-famous painting. It was painted sometime between 1503 and 1506, when Leonardo was living in Florence, and it now hangs in the Louvre, in Paris, where it remains an object of pilgrimage in the 21st century. The poplar panel shows evidence of warping and was stabilized in 1951 with the addition of an oak frame and in 1970 with four vertical braces. Dovetails also were added, to prevent the widening of a small crack visible near the center of the upper edge of the painting. The sitter’s mysterious smile and her unproven identity have made the painting a source of ongoing investigation and fascination.

At least a dozen excellent replicas of the Mona Lisa exist, many of them by the master’s students. The proliferation of Mona Lisas reflects, at least in part, the subject’s almost immediate embodiment of the ideal woman—beautiful, enigmatic, receptive, and still just out of reach.

Over the centuries this quintessential woman has taken on a new life in popular culture. In the 20th century alone, her iconic status was mocked in schoolboy fashion—the addition of a mustache and goatee to a postcard reproduction—in Marcel Duchamp’s readymade, L.H.O.O.Q. (1919). His irreverent defacing of this best known of iconic paintings expressed the Dadaists’ scorn for the art of the past, which in their eyes was part of the infamy of a civilization that had produced the horrors of the First World War just ended. Andy Warhol too took aim at the painting’s status, in his 1963 serigraph Mona Lisa.

Mona Lisa has also been the subject in music. References in the visual arts have been complemented by musical examinations. La Giaconda’s personality and quirks were examined in a 1915 opera by Max von Schillings. Leonardo’s portrait is also the inspiration for the classic song “Mona Lisa” by American lyricist Ray Evans and songwriter Jay Harold Livingston. There even exists the Mona Lisa foundation which strictly exists for the Mona Lisa, and celebrating Da Vinci’s earlier version of the painting

Mona Lisa is a painting by Leonard Da Vinci. He has painted many works, but the world remains fixated on this one. True, it is a work of art. But is it really worth all the hype thrust upon it? Don't get me wrong. I'm a big art lover. I love to draw, but I'm not good enough to be called an artist, and never claimed to be. I love going to art galleries and admiring other's works of arts. I just don’t think there is anything special about Mona Lisa, but that is just my opinion. What’s yours? What do you think of the Mona Lisa? Do you feel that it deserves to be elevated to a position of near idolatry, or is it just another painting for you? Let’s talk….

For more information about “Mona Lisa”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa

Mona Lisa: Why So Famous? Watch the YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/IitbJszd1kM

Mona Lisa: http://lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/mona.html

The Mona Lisa - by Leonardo Da Vinci:

http://www.leonardodavinci.net/the-mona-lisa.jsp

The Mona Lisa Foundation: http://monalisa.org/

UPDATE: 3/10/17:

Do you love art? I do. I'm now a proud sponsor of the Leonardo da Vinci page on artsy. The Leonard da Vinci page provides visitors with Da Vinci's bio, over 15 of his works, exclusive articles, and up-to-date Da Vinci exhibition listings.

Recognize the Last Supper painted by da Vinci?

The da Vinci page also includes related artists and categories, allowing viewers to discover art beyond our Da Vinci page. Click here to view it: https://www.artsy.net/artist/leonardo-da-vinci

"Art is never finished, only abandoned"
-Leonardo Da Vinci

Regards,

S.J. Francis

My web page: http://www.sjfranciswriter.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419

Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325

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And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2016 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Privacy vs. Security: Which Do You Value Most?

Privacy vs. the Government: Security vs. Privacy Security vs. Privacy, Which Do You Value Most?

The murderers in the San Bernardino County, California had an iPhone. The FBI is trying to get into it, but Apple refuses to help them. Question: When is privacy more important than our safety? My answer: Never.

ISIS is a major threat now. That is a fact. Thousands of Westerners, some of them neighbors, family or friends of those we know are joining this terrorist group. Other terrorist groups are starting up in their shadow. All have one purpose in mind: Destroy the murderous Western infidels. That puts every one in danger. Every one. The husband and wife murderers in San Bernardino are believed to have ties with them. Their actions killed, slayed, murdered, cut down the lives over a dozen people for no reason except that they were Americans. The FBI wants to know for sure about those ties. So why is Apple not helping them out? Why isn't our government leaders backing the FBI's request? Has our right to privacy really become more important than protecting our lives? Never should that happen.

Advocates for privacy warn that if we let the government into our phones, etc. there will be no end to it. “Just imagine what the FBI could do with homes full of hackable thermostats, refrigerators, and security cameras.” Talk about ignorance. Just imagine what can happen if the government can’t access the electronics of terrorists that aim to murder your family. Imagine this scenario: You know for a fact that your neighbor down the street wants to murder you and your family. You overheard him in a cell phone call with someone else discuss the details, even when and how it’s going to be done. You go to the police for help, but without proof, they can’t do anything. You think about it and then realize, hey, he spoke on a cell phone. All they have to do is seize his cell phone and get the call. But wait, the police can’t do that without a warrant, and they can’t get a warrant without justifiable cause. Meanwhile, you go home, frustrated and scared. The next day, your nightmare comes through. You and your family are murdered. Another neighbor you confided in tells the police what you already said, “Seize the cell phone and check it for proof.” This is a simplified illustration, but I think you can get the idea.

Further, let’s look at the simple facts. First, the FBI doesn’t care about what most of us have to say. When it comes down to it, most of us really don’t have anything important to say on our cell phones. Second, even if they wanted to listen in on every little detail of every little phone call, or “spy”, as privacy advocates claim they’ll do, neither the FBI, CIA nor NSA together don’t have the manpower to do so. With millions of Americans owning cell phones, it just couldn’t be done. Fact is, in order to protect American citizens, the government must and should have access to our cell phones, any and every form of communication device without need for a warrant in order to protect us. I personally have no problem with the government listening in, but then I’m no criminal with nefarious intentions. Neither is the average American citizen. Now, as to the small number of people that do have sinister intentions, they have a reason to worry. As do some of our government leaders, Congressman or Senator et al that is afraid that the FBI, CIA or NSA may get a hold of something they're not supposed to be involved in. Face it, only those that have a reason to fear “big brother” is those that are planning to do something illegal. The federal government needs to know, too that in order to protect us.

I’m a big believer in privacy. I value my privacy above anything else. However, I also believe in common sense. I have an alarm system in my home complete with surveillance cameras. The alarm company knows my comings and goings and what goes on in my home. Do I care? A little. Is it possible that someone someday may misuse my alarm system for nefarious purposes? Yes, but slim. Is it worth it to me to give up a little bit of my privacy for the overall protection that I get in return? Yes. Without a doubt. As anyone can tell you, you have to break some eggs to make an omelet. Same goes for privacy and freedom. We have to give up a little to protect a lot.

Are you willing to keep your privacy, block the federal government’s ability to protect you, your family in the slight chance that they’re listening in on your phone calls? What is so important that you would risk your life to do so? That is just plain stupid. If you’re doing nothing wrong, if you’re saying nothing wrong, the government doesn’t care what you say and you have nothing to fear but fear itself.

I don’t know about anyone else, but in my house, we are willing to give up a bit of privacy in order to be safe. If it means letting the government into my phone to do that, then I’ll do it. In the overall scheme, it’s really a small price to pay in order to feel safe. Sorry, ACLU, but in this case, I believe you’re wrong. What do you think? How do you feel about it? Do you think that the government of the USA really wants to listen in on your phone calls just for amusement or invasion of privacy? How do you feel about safety versus privacy? How do you feel about the feeling safe over feeling “private”? In the end, security vs. privacy, which do you value most? That’s my humble take on it anyway. What’s yours? I'd love to hear it.

For more reading:

Congress likely to side with Apple in iPhone unlocking debate:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/congress-likely-to-side-with-apple-in-iphone-unlocking-debate-173920609.html#

The FBI vs. Apple

The White House should have avoided this legal and security showdown.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fbi-vs-apple-1455840721?ru=yahoo?mod=yahoo_itp

Encryption a growing threat to security:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/01/opinions/rogers-encryption-security-risk/index.html

As encryption spreads, U.S. grapples with clash between privacy, security:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/as-encryption-spreads-us-worries-about-access-to-data-for-investigations/2015/04/10/7c1c7518-d401-11e4-a62f-ee745911a4ff_story.html

Apple vs. FBI: A complete timeline of tech’s privacy standoff:

http://news.yahoo.com/google-backs-apple-fbi-vs-140122965.html;_ylt=A0LEV70vjNhWE2UA7MwPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--

And another take on the locked phone:

Ken Colburn: Lessons for everyone from Apple vs. FBI:

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/tech/2016/02/26/ken-colburn-lessons-everyone-apple-vs-fbi/80938216/

    Regards,

    S. J. Francis

    Advocate for the underdog, and cat, et al.

    In my debut novel, Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Available now from Black Opal Books and on-line retailers and indie booksellers.

                    “Some secrets should remain that way….”

      My Black Opal Books Author Page:

            http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis

                                                View My Shout Out:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM

My web page: http://sjfranciswriter.com

          Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419

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My Writing Blog: http://www.sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com

                             A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com

  A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com

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And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2015 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and the guest author and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

The Mighty Zon Is Watching You & No Longer Cares What You think!

I am a reader. I have been reading for so long that I can't remember how long I'm been reading for. I used to take out dozens of books from the library when I was a child and yes, I read every one I borrowed. High school and University were no different for me. I love to read. Decades later, I still read. I'm a confessed bibliophile. I own so many books that my home has one room turned into a library. One can always find me with a book on my nightstand, side table or in my hand, if not at elbow's length. I also support my local library.

I'm a writer. I've been writing since high school. In the last year, I've become a novelist. Yay! I'm an author. It's a fascinating accomplishment. Unfortunately, amazon has taken the air out of my balloon for they've launched an all-out attack on authors. Have you heard that they have begun culling reviews? They've suddenly decided in some misguided wisdom that authors can't review other authors. Why? You got me. They claim that some authors might write fake reviews to build the other author up, and benefit financially from it, or tear the author down and benefit again financially. Tell me something, readers and fellow authors, has one (1) lone review amongst others really ever swayed you from reading a book? Or made you read a book? It never did for me.

I don't know about you but as an author, I still read. I read a great deal for both enjoyment and in research. In fact, ever since I began shopping on amazon since 1998, I've bought a great deal of books from them. I've given them a great deal of business. As an author friend once asked me when I said I had a publisher for my book, why? Why not just self-publish? Where do you buy books? Amazon, right. Might as well publish there, she said. A great many people buy everything from amazon, and yet, amazon now wants us to stop. By telling friends and family members that they can no longer leave a review for a book they read because they know the author is downright ludicrous.

As a good reader, I write reviews for all those books I've read. Mostly good reviews. I know how important reviews can be for other readers. Now, as an author, I know even more how very important reviews are for authors as well as readers. I don't know of any writer that doesn't read. So why is Amazon attacking authors, who also happen to be readers and therefore, customers of bookstores including amazon? What stuns me even more is that some authors support this cock-eyed idea amazon has. Why? Are some authors so famous that they no longer need reviews, or they just no longer care what their readers believe?

Personally, I'm a reader first, then I'm an author. I'm always a reader first. If I didn't know how to read, I wouldn't be able to write. Show me an author that doesn't read. Yes, according to one author, as an author I'm a vendor now, but first and foremost, I am a reader. Hey, Amazon, if you're listening, a great many of my friends, family and acquaintances buy from you for many years past and many years in coming. However, how many customers do you think you'll retain if you continue this blindsided nonsense? Authors are readers, first. An author cannot read. As a result, we buy books. We pass them along and we borrow them from friends, family, acquaintances and libraries. When we've read them, we post reviews to share with other readers. Are you really going to penalize authors for reading other authors and posting reviews? Are you really going to penalize those that know authors simply for somehow "knowing" them? That is just plain stupid. I don't get a single penny from any review I ever wrote. I don't get a single penny from any review I ever left for another author.

And what about social media? Isn’t that a way for authors to meet with and make new readers? Reader get to meet and connect with authors? Amazon doesn’t like it. Isn’t that what social media is all about? Hasn’t amazon ever heard of networking? Isn’t that another reason for social media? Amazon has actually removed and blocked some people from writing reviews simply because they’re following someone on twitter or Facebook. What? I don’t believe it, you say. Ah! It’s true. Search for it on the internet and you will see. I actually know some readers not be able to leave a book review because they followed an author on twitter, yet they never once met the author. I know of an author whose reader couldn’t leave a book review because the reader happened to be a relative. What? Relatives are readers and buyers, yet they can’t leave reviews. According to amazon they can’t. I can only say that this new policy and anything related to it is just plain bullshit! How does any of this banning stop fake reviews?

Readers, authors, what do you think of all of this? Are you still a fan of amazon knowing that it has become a bit too big for itself? Are we becoming a communist country now? When did Amazon set them self-up as the Supreme Court? Do you agree with their new policies to destroy authors? Fake reviews may be a problem, but not as big as one as say, eBook piracy, but I don't see them making a big deal out of that? Or how about when one leaves a legitimate review but it gets deleted because it was a negative review? I know. This recently happened to me on amazon. I left a negative review for some air filters. It was a verified purchase, but it was a negative review and Amazon chose not to post it. Unless amazon is willing to allow negative reviews get posted for their products, they really need to shut their mouths and stop calling the kettle black. Who are they to decide what a true and accurate review is when they are manipulating the reviews themselves?

I will continue to post reviews. If amazon doesn't like them, I shall eventually take my reviews and my business elsewhere. I don’t know what the world is coming to. Amazon started out so great but like any money making business has turned into a greedy dictator. Is the Zon watching you? You better believe it. As for me, I will always support authors and the best way to thank an author, to let them know you enjoyed their book, or hated it is with a review.

To read more about Amazon’s review policy, lawsuit and other related news:

Amazon sues alleged reviews-for-pay sites: http://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-sues-alleged-reviews-for-pay-sites/

Disappearing Amazon Reviews: The Facts Behind Amazon's Review Purges: http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2015/11/disappearing-amazon-reviews-facts.html

Giving Mom’s Book Five Stars? Amazon May Cull Your Review-New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/technology/amazon-book-reviews-deleted-in-a-purge-aimed-at-manipulation.html?_r=0

Amazon files lawsuit against fake review providers: http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/09/amazon-fake-review-lawsuit/

Amazon files first-ever suit over fake product reviews, alleging sites sold fraudulent praise: http://www.geekwire.com/2015/amazon-files-first-ever-suit-over-fake-reviews-alleging-calif-man-sold-fraudulent-praise-for-products/

Business

Reddit user threatened with lawsuit over negative Amazon review: http://www.dailydot.com/business/medialink-mediabridge-amazon-reddit-review-lawsuit-slapp/

Amazon Changes its Review Policy (but not enough): http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/12/amazon-changes-its-review-policy/

Amazon Deletes Negative Reviews and Gets Away With It...But Can You? http://www.inc.com/hollis-thomases/amazon-deletes-negative-reviews-gets-away-with-it-but-can-you.html

How Does A Negative Amazon Review Result In Threats Of A Lawsuit? http://consumerist.com/2014/05/08/how-does-a-negative-amazon-review-result-in-threats-of-a-lawsuit/

Amazon deletes negative feedback, but only for its own shipping service: http://venturebeat.com/2013/01/09/amazon-fulfillment/

Is Amazon removing negative reviews? http://www.amazon.com/is-Amazon-removing-negative-reviews/forum/FxUR1GPOALTEHL/Tx1CUHJGFNLAR61/3?asin=0071459588

And now for the lighter side of reviews:

16 Hilarious Negative Amazon Reviews For Classic Books: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/15/amazon-reviews_n_4935607.html

    Regards,

    S. J. Francis

    Advocate for the underdog, and cat, et al.

    In my debut novel, Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family." Available now from Black Opal Books and on-line retailers and indie booksellers.

                    “Some secrets should remain that way….”

      My Black Opal Books Author Page:

            http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis

                                                View My Shout Out: http://bit.ly/1r3oynM

My web page: http://sjfranciswriter.com

          Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419

                   Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325

My Writing Blog: http://www.sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com

                             A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com

Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8423986.S_J_Francis