John Passarella Author Blog

• Trying to limit computer time today to give my eyes & mouse hand (RSI) a break; working on spring "honey do" list items instead. #
• DVR'd Dark Relic on SyFy last night. Can anybody tell me if it's worth watching? Or is it another SyFy cr@pf3st of a movie? 🙂 #
• @DarkWoofer I figured it would be. IMDB is still waiting for 5 reviews to post an average. in reply to DarkWoofer #
• IPad could be Kindle's first big threat in e-books – #
• Proud of my 3rd grade daughter who will be one of the students representing her school in this year's Doodle 4 Google contest. #
• Free Desktop Wallpaper Calendars: April 2010 (Easter Edition) – Smashing Magazine #
• Amazon Agrees To Let Publishers Set Prices for E-Books – #
• Just finished working up some comp logo samples for a client. #
• Trying to come back from 2 blue screens of death in the past 3 hours. Sigh… #
• @wordpress I'm a web designer who uses WordPress for multiple website clients. #
• As as a web design, this made me laugh. And could apply to many MySpace pages! (Dilbert 4/1/2010) #
• Working in some income tax prep in between client website updates. #
• Hope my brother-in-law has fun with his new iPad! And Happy Easter to all my Christian followers. #

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• Installed Turbo Tax Home & Business, and that always fills me with anxiety, thinking of all the time I'll lose doing taxes. #
• Busy MON, worked on client's mass emailing, bunch of errands, picked up dog from vet, another mass email on deck, another errand or two. #
• Google Strikes Back, Claims Viacom Secretly Uploaded YouTube Videos – Publishers Weekly #
• Debut Author Lands Deal with Help of AgentInBox – Publishers Weekly #
• Amazon Kindle Apps for Tablet Computers, including iPad: #
• Can Google Chrome only remember one user name & password combo per site? Tried to save a separate login & it forgot the first saved one. #
• Now that's it's all but over, I can honestly say today was one of the most frustrating days I've ever had in terms of getting work done. #
• @comcastcares Any way I can use my picture in picture (Sony TV) if I go through newly installed set top box & Comcast remote? #
• @ComcastBonnie Looks like I've lost PIP & the ability to use VCR on different channel, unless I split line, then only get basic channels. in reply to ComcastBonnie #
• @ComcastBonnie Is this switch to digital adapters & set top boxes going to affect everyone with PIP TVs? in reply to ComcastBonnie #
• @ComcastBonnie Do you know if the DVR boxes support PIP? They are $15.95 vs $9.95 for set top boxes. #
• YA Hot, Digital Not at Upbeat Bologna – Publishers Weekly #
• @ComcastBonnie I thought they might since they have two tuners built in. At least our HD DVR has two tuners. Don't have a non HD one. in reply to ComcastBonnie #
• A Supernatural "horsemen" episode with an absentee horseman? Obviously, it felt like something was missing. #
• Scholastic's Robinson Calls for Global Literacy Campaign – Publishers Weekly #
• '24' to end after current season – Yahoo! News #
• Anybody know how to check which Blackberry app may be running the battery down extra fast? Ubertwitter set to NOT run in b'ground. #
• @DarkWoofer The battery drain seems much more egregious lately. in reply to DarkWoofer #

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• 'Angelology': Supernatural thrill ride USATODAY: At Amazon [Kindle too pricey]: #
• Created a twitter acct for my family's pediatric brain tumor awareness event: @MMFundRaiser – Our walkathon benefits ABTA. #
• Baldacci says he has 'enriched' e-book on the way – Yahoo! News #
• Grisham releases 'The Firm,' 22 others as e-books – #
• Was going to re-watch all of LOST before we got to the end of the line, but now realize I'll never make it. Only 9 episodes left. #
• Writing some marketing copy for an author client has got me in a fiction-writing mood. Reminds me I need to get on track with the new novel. #
• Just wrapped up a bunch of client website updates. Time to switch from hot to cold caffeine. IV drip optional. #
• Eagles cleaning house: release Darren Howard & Kevin Curtis #
• Authors Guild Warns Again on e-Book Royalties – Publishers Weekly #
• RT @mashable Apple vs. Amazon: The E-Book War Rages On #
• What's Happened To Torchwood? – io9 #
• Spring has (practically) arrived and the bicycle pump attachment is missing. Compressor attachments also missing. No joy in kid-town. #

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• Did Tom Hanks have a plane to catch when he announced last night's best picture Oscar winner w/o mentioning the nominees? #
• @pinkelephantpun Good for you. Have you ever needed any serious care for you, or for your children? Or just doctor & rx co-pays? in reply to pinkelephantpun #
• Amazon graphic novel deals were too good to be true. Glitch Offers Super Discounts – PW #
• @SOCMusic Weirdly rushed. He almost jogged to the podium to blurt out the winner. in reply to SOCMusic #
• Energizer Bunny's software infects PCs | Security Central – InfoWorld #
• What to expect from HTML 5 | Developer World – InfoWorld #
• Amazon Drops Colorado Associates Program – Publishers Weekly #
• HP’s Windows 7 Slate Strikes at the iPad – Wired.com #
• Just worked up an email safe HTML newsletter for a client. We'll be doing an e-mailing any time now. #
• Got my copy of @sitepointdotcom 's JQuery: Novice to Ninja today. Started reading… #
• Profits Jump at Hachette; December E-book Sales Soar – Publishers Weekly #
• Vodafone HTC Smartphone Ships With Malware – #
• Our shelter dog underwent final treatment for heartworm today. Pick her up later, after observation. Week from now, they'll check for worms. #
• RT @TechCrunch TechCrunch Friday GiveAway: An Apple iPad #CRUNCH http://tcrn.ch/dva2yw #
• Wrapped up some billing work plus a client's mass mailing. Conditions outside are equal parts monsoon & swamp. "Spring" version of blizzard? #
• Re: Dinoshark. Should have followed my rule about never watching SyFy channel movies about underwater monsters. #

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• Tried to take it easy today but it was too much work. #
• My time has been scattered over various clients' website updates. I've decided I need to put more weekend in my weekend. #
• Just noticed in Audacity that one of the MP3 export ID3 tag options for genre is Porn Groove. Guess that means it official. #
• Just noticed in Audacity that one of the MP3 export ID3 tag options for genre is Porn Groove. Guess that makes it official. #
• Making the Case for iPad E-Book Prices – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/9RxYVk (The final quote by Anne Rice is telling.) #
• Now that I've read 11 books on my Kindle 2, it feels strange to be reading a "traditional" paperback book again. #
• I'm downloading the "fastest browser on earth": http://www.opera.com/ (finally out of beta) #
• @jessicamcminn Barely looked at it. Downloaded & installed some widgets. Chrome is closer to becoming my dev browser. Needs No Script though in reply to jessicamcminn #
• Google toolbar keeps offering to translate pages from Italian, Portuguese, etc. for me. Problem is, the pages are already in English. #
• @jacobhaddon Not sure iPad will hold up for novel reading: LCD vs e-Ink. Are Nook eBooks DRM'd? Can you convert to mobi & read on Kindle? in reply to jacobhaddon #
• @jessicamcminn Opera decided to make itself my DEFAULT browser. I hate when programs change file associations. I just changed it back. in reply to jessicamcminn #
• Publishers Weekly SF/F/H Reviews for 3/1/2010 – SF/FAN/HORROR Web Exclusives #
• My Blackberry Facebook app msgs won't OPEN in messages area. Tried reboot/reset. Still won't work. Reboot usually fixes quirky behavior. #
• @DarkWoofer Yep. Yanked battery. That fixes the bug where a chat stream won't open (usually Twitter's 40404 but always); didn't fix this. in reply to DarkWoofer #
• @jessicamcminn Maybe it's a server problem. Hope so. Because other than yanking the battery, I'm out of tricks. Guess could reinstall. Ugh. in reply to jessicamcminn #
• @DarkWoofer Good point. Facebook w/ Firefox has been a nightmare lately. in reply to DarkWoofer #
• Hulu, RIP…? Charging fees for Hulu comes with its own problems – #
• Barnes & Noble to Test Bundling e-Books, p-Books – PW: #
• Having son with inoperable brain tumor, this story interests my family. Vaccine may shift odds vs. deadly brain cancer #
• Burn Notice season finale was bad-ass. Great seeing Garret Dillahunt of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles. New BN season starts June! #
• Harper Teen Pays Seven Figures for Debut YA Trilogy – PW #
• @jacobhaddon Seems to be working today. in reply to jacobhaddon #
• After the buzz saw that went through the Eagles' linebacking corps last year, I'm surprised they released Will WItherspoon #
• @twignest Yep. I watched it again with my sons, who missed the first airing. in reply to twignest #

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• E-Book Sales Jump 176% in Flat Trade Year – 2010-02-22 | Publishers Weekly #
• Had to remove (removal tool) and reinstall Norton Internet Security 2010 twice in two days; three time in the past week! Getting old fast. #
• Save those comic books, kids! Superman's debut comic book issue sells for $1M – Yahoo! News #
• @amy_grech I've had even worse trouble with McAfee. Comes free w/ Comcast…and you get what you pay for. in reply to amy_grech #
• Just finished work on a fund raising graphic for a Web client. Next up: converting a site comp to a layout. #
• Hmm… Black Magic Sanction (Rachel Morgan #8) out now in h/b $13.50 (48% off) – or I can wait for Kindle – 4/6, $8.65 #
• Will really miss Brian Westbrook this season. Thought he'd be with the Eagles for a few more years. Concussions are hell. #
• @DarkWoofer I have the other 7 in mass market. Need to decide if I switch to h/b for this one, or wait for Kindle. in reply to DarkWoofer #
• My Web Developer & Weather Bug add-ons for Firefox have been playing peekaboo. There, then gone next time, then back later. #
• Can't believe I forgot to watch 24 yesterday. Catching it on Fox's site now. Better late than never. #
• Working late, late night on client's web layout. Yawns per minute has exceeded my maximum tolerance threshold so it's time to call it a day. #
• German Court Grants Injunction Against Rapidshare: Amount of theft of copyrighted works "astonishing." #
• Lower Merion school to students: you must permit us to spy on you at home – paraphrasing, only a bit: #
• Top-rated cell phones high in radiation emissions (includes my BlackBerry Bold, Droid, Nexus One, etc) #
• Solid day of web work today. Building pages and a style sheet for one recent client, while 2 new clients wait in the wings. #
• Chrome's closer to a Firefox web dev replacement for me: RT @mashable 10 Essential Chrome Extensions for Web Developers #
• Another busy day of web work, mostly for one client. We avoided part 1 of the latest snowpocalypse. Part 2 locked & loaded. #
• Another week in this long winter, another day of shoveling snow. I'd wave the white flag already, but I don't think anybody would see it. #
• Batman beats Superman! Batman comic fetches $1.075 million, rewrites record – #
• Watching USA vs Finland hockey (Olympics) and the US team looks like they're on a power play even when it's 5 on 5. #
• Wrapping up a bunch of client web updates, a podcast & mass mailing. #
• My wife's aunt is on a Cruise ship off the coast of Chile. THU-TUE. We're trying to get in touch. Think she's at the south tip now. #
• I thought Hurt Locker was good, wasn't blown away Expectations too high. 'Lockergate'? Producer apologizes for emails – #
• Wish Seesmic for Blackberry had Trending Topics option. Like the ping.fm integration but will stick w/ UberTwitter for everyday use. #

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• Does the Kindle for PC application not have a search feature? #
• UK novelist and former jockey Dick Francis dies – Yahoo! News #
• If it's not too busy at county location, I may be getting a reg flu plus H1N1 flu vaccination today. For my daughter, H1N1, part two. #
• @amy_grech Yeah, it's only a guess they make about which flu variant will be the problem of the season, not a universal vaccine. in reply to amy_grech #
• Went through the vaccination cattle chute: seasonal flu shot in my left arm, H1N1 shot in my right. Now working on revisions to Kindle file. #
• Opera 10.5 becomes the world's fastest browser | Applications – InfoWorld #
• Figured out how to add Table of Contents & Chapter (waypoints) to my book formatted for Kindle. Proof in free conversion. My win for the day #
• Roger Ebert has been through some hard times! 'Esquire' profiles Roger Ebert – from Pop Candy #
• Published revised SHIMMER for Kindle. New cover, added TOC & waypoints, item to ACK pg. 48-72 HR WAIT! #
• Don't know is if SHIMMER (Kindle) will be unavailable during the 48-72 HR review period. If you want updated version, I'll post when up. #
• S&S Debuts Digital Author Widget – 2/17/2010 8:50:00 AM – Publishers Weekly #
• You get my S&S author widget here, if you want to help promote my novels! http://authors.simonandschuster.biz/John-Passarella/1792609 #
• Security bug opens Google Buzz to hackers | Security Central – InfoWorld #
• I put my S&S author widget up here: (Wither on separate widget for "J.G. Passarella.") Wither's Rain cover is missing. #
• Will Apple's Safari fall first in hacking contest — again? | InfoWorld #
• Revised Kindle SHIMMER update: Your content is being published. Most titles take between 24 to 36 hours to become buyable. #
• Kindle Publishing Q: If an author/publisher revises book, do past buyers automatically get revision? Free? Or do they have to buy again? #
• Amazon shows my revised SHIMMER Kindle cover, but revised book isn't live yet. Maybe later today…? #
• Rootkit to blame for Windows Blue Screen of Death | Security Central – InfoWorld #
• The revised SHIMMER for Kindle is LIVE! (New cover, now has TOC & waypoints, addition to ACK page.) #
• Really enjoyed the book Shutter Island but – knowing the reveals in the story – may not see on film. DVD maybe. #
• Google Settlement Gets Day In Court – Publishers Weekly http://bit.ly/ao8KXF #
• @jessicamcminn Got 3 out of 4 stars in our paper. Leo's supposedly good. in reply to jessicamcminn #
• @brendamantz Hey, Brenda! Glad you're enjoying WITHER. in reply to brendamantz #
• Revised SHIMMER for Kindle is LIVE! (new cover, now has TOC & waypoints, fixes omission to ACKNOWL pg) #
• Grossly uninformed Twilight fan or snarky email prank? Wolfman rips off Twilight http://bit.ly/9yh4YN (thx Mark, Horrorlit) #
• Tried Netflix streaming for only the 3rd time and it completely locked up my PC. Couldn't even open task mgr to kill process. #

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• Getting ready for Battle of the Snow Part 2. This time, it's personal. #
• Was hoping Linksys monitor was source of my Blue Screens of Death, but just had a BSOD and the mon hasn't run for days. #
• @temporus another round of digging out: 200+ feet of sidewalk and mailbox access. Did driveway yesterday. in reply to temporus #
• Medallion Debuts Action Interviews – Publishers Weekly #
• I was interviewed by Creative Writing Help. Read it here: #
• I've seen all of these 80s teen films! You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried. Review: Amazon: #
• Quote: The publishing industry's grand strategy for e-books: discourage people from buying them: #
• Another snow storm coming this evening. We're in 10-12" band. If Philly gets 10" it will be all time record for 1 winter. #
• Completed one round of shoveling snow (during a lull in the blizzard). Now more is piling up. We should break the winter record going away. #
• @ordinary_girl84 When you hear thunder during the snow. Thunderstorm in the middle of the snow storm. Up high, extreme temp turbulence. in reply to ordinary_girl84 #
• Reporting from Ice Station Zebra: ordered new pair of winter boots online. Current pair won't survive 3 blizzards in 2 months. #
• I was expecting a little more out of the ending of "9". Seemed to fall flat at the end. #
• Finished yet another round of shoveling. Path in sidewalk subsequently filled with water! Winter wonderland? Hah! #
• Watching helplessly as Symantec tech support takes control of my desktop. What fun… #
• @amy_grech I'm back. Hoping problem fixed. I had partial NIS2010 going. Download Checks & background scan, but no console or taskbar icon. in reply to amy_grech #
• Google staunchly defends pact to digitize books – Yahoo! News #
• The Cost of an E-Book Will Be Going Up – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/9hQuM5 #
• The Great Thing About YA Fiction Is, There Are No Genre Boundaries – Books – io9 #
• @ESpotlight Problem is contracts are already in place w/ existing royalty rates. Publishers get short term $$. Readers balk..? Piracy up? in reply to ESpotlight #
• Book Buzz: 'Mockingjay' completes 'Hunger Games' trilogy – USATODAY.com #
• Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins. Pre-order at 53% off cover price: #
• How Google Buzz for mobile will change your life #
• Today is Peter Gabriel's 60th birthday. I'm listening to Peter Gabriel #3, the "Melt" album while I work on client's podcast & mass mailing. #
• 🙂 #
• Ack! My Blackberry going a little haywire, even after I yanked the battery out to reboot. #

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• Looks like FEBE isn't completely compatible with Firefox 3.6. Seems to run and never finish. Canceled, restarted, canceled again. #
• Amazon Caves To Macmillan’s eBook Pricing Demands http://tcrn.ch/bvrBLX #
• This has been a really disjointed day. Feels like I've done a lot but accomplished little. Par for the course for a Monday…? #
• Macmillan, Amazon Dispute Nearing Resolution – Publishers Weekly #
• And… Agents Largely Support Macmillan; Some Angered by Amazon – Publishers Weekly #
• More Agent Pendergast novels FTW! Grand Central in New Deal with Preston/Child – (Publishers Weekly) #
• Just finished an email interview for "creative writing help." Will post link when I have it. #
• Did Lost really need to add a parallel/alternate time line to all the craziness? (Maybe so the cast can spend some time in clean clothes.) #
• Problems with my wireless connection today (can't get IP address); have 50-foot cable running down hall to router. Wife will love it. #
• R.I.P. Philip José Farmer – io9 #
• Spent 9+ hours trying to get my wireless back. Numerous installs/uninstalls. Finally uninstalled Linksys monitor and XP saw the network. #
• @DarkWoofer I don't know. Was that a Mark Twain moment? in reply to DarkWoofer #
• @DarkWoofer Yep, that puts the "perma" in permalinks, alright. in reply to DarkWoofer #
• Bummed about Macmillan's price hike on Kindle books? You can still get SHIMMER for $3.99! #
• Preditors & Editors anthology poll results: The Stories In Between places 7th: #
• Big genre night on TV: Bones, Fringe, Vampire Diaries and Supernatural, topped off with a Burn Notice chaser. #
• Amazon gives the self-published a second life – USATODAY.com #
• Authors Guild new service for members to monitor suspicious Amazon behavior: Who Moved My Buy Button? #
• Just completed a client's mass mailing… waiting for the snow storm to arrive. 12 to 16 inches of snow expected in the next 24 hours. #
• @temporus Well, the site did just go up TODAY. 🙂 in reply to temporus #
• Weather update. Looks like we could be in the 14"-20" or 20"-24" zone. Yikes! #
• SPECIAL: P/back WITHER is sold out. Have a few hardbounds (1st ed'n; signed by both authors!) on sale: #
• Taking care of client's weekly podcast & mass mailing, then on to shoveling our 24 to 30 inches of snow, whatever the final tally is. #
• @twignest It was rough, powder on top of wet snow on packed icy stuff. I slipped and fell, pulled something. Didn't even get to sidewalk. in reply to twignest #
• Amazon bracing to compete on touch screen with Apple iPad? Amazon Buys touch-screen co. NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/9sq8HZ #
• Neil Gaiman Confirms That He's Written An Upcoming Episode Of Doctor Who #

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• It was right there at the end for the Vikings and Favre, but the Saints made the home crowd happy. Glad the late game had some excitement. #
• Anybody having trouble logging into Amazon's Digital Text Platform? Login screen is different, sign in just returns me to login screen. Loop #
• Kindle experiment: dragged tagged PDF to Kindle, works like Desktop PDF, no line reflow. Sent via email for free conversion: same result! #
• Anyone buy Kindle insurance and have occasion to use it? Or not buy it, but wish you had? My month to decide is running out. #
• The First Tweet From Space and Other Twitter Firsts – PC World #
• @twignest Thanks. I plan to take care with it – as I take care of all the regular books I read. Wondered about longevity, though. in reply to twignest #
• @RoseLamatt Glad to hear it's still going strong. in reply to RoseLamatt #
• Harper Debuts Writing Site for Teens – Publishers Weekly #
• Apple tablet could write a new chapter for e-books – Yahoo! News #
• Kindle users: Any Whispernet outage going on…? Getting zero bars. #
• Looks like a restart got Whispernet working again on my Kindle 2. First time I've had that "dead" wireless situation. #
• Why it pays to have a student in the house! New MS Office 2010 price list. Infoworld: winners & losers #
• @DarkWoofer Figured it would be Sprint. Haven't had a problem in my first month till now. in reply to DarkWoofer #
• @brendamantz Really? Haven't had a problem in my first month till now. Guess it depends on Sprint's signal strength in your area. in reply to brendamantz #
• Sent out an email test for a client's mass mailing tomorrow. Calling it a day — our dog's put a serious crimp in my night owl tendencies. #
• It takes a Cameron to beat a Cameron: 'Avatar' passes 'Titanic' on worldwide chart – Yahoo! News #
• Trying to watch Apple's iPad video: brutal experience. Curious to hear how it is for reading entire novels at its weight & eyestrain factor? #
• Watched Surrogates with Bruce Willis. Not bad, but I wanted it to be a little more. Running time less than 90 minutes. #
• Wrapping up some client blog & website updates. Dealing with headache all morning, so taking a break now. #
• Kindle tally for JAN: I've read 6 books this month. Four on Kindle, 2 on paper. Current book is on Kindle. #
• Sad to hear about J.D. Salinger. Makes me want to read Catcher in the Rye again. #
• Thanks to Scott Nicholson for putting Shimmer on his Amazon list: "Kindle books by spooky writers" #
• Big Dollhouse finale tonight… was hoping it would be 2 hours, epic with room to breathe. Worried it will feel rushed. #
• @angiebatgirl Is Sherlock a book title? Author? Or character, as in Holmes. in reply to angiebatgirl #
• 10 Reasons We'll Miss Joss Whedon's Dollhouse – io9 #
• Dollhouse: Wow! I really wish I'd been able to rewatch Epitaph One again before the finale. This one bears repeat viewing. #
• @nilvento Hell yeah! But watch in order. in reply to nilvento #
• Final Kindle tally for JAN: Read 7 books, 5 on Kindle, 2 on paper. #
• PC MAG recommended Viigo and Poynt for Blackberry devices. Downloaded both. Poynt looks really cool for local (GPS-location-based) search. #
• @KevinBreaux I wonder about the people who hadn't seen Epitaph One! Those "previously on" scenes would have had them scratching their head. in reply to KevinBreaux #
• Dollhouse Finale Recap: Dollhouse Isn't Really Over – #
• Former Eagles star Tom Brookshier dies at 78 – NFL – Yahoo! Sports #
• @CowboyPoet Thanks for the Follow Friday rec! in reply to CowboyPoet #
• More on the MacMillan vs Amazon dispute: Books pulled from Amazon.com in pricing dispute – #
• Steve Jobs Says Publishers Not Happy with Amazon – #

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