Folks, it is with a proud and heavy heart that I announce the launch of my 1990s-era dream, http://jeffreywdern.com!
Now, one thing you may notice is that http://jeffreywdern.com (also accessible via www.jeffreywdern.com and www.jeffreywdern.com when I've tried it) is not hosted by Blogger/Blogspot. It's powered by Wordpress, which as I've mentioned before, I've been playing with for a few weeks now. http://jeffreywdern.com is the culmination of that decision process.
Which isn't to say that I don't like Blogger/Blogspot. I do. I've gotten used to it, gotten accustomed to wrangling it. We've had some really good times. This week, the site reached over 1000 hits since its inception, which I honestly never thought I'd see. But I decided to go with Wordpress for one very simple and overwhelming reason:
I just like it better.
There's a whole host of factors that went into the decision, but on the whole, what Wordpress has given me is a cleaner, neater looking site that's easier for you to navigate and me to edit. So I think that we'll both be happier with http://jeffreywdern.com.
What this all means is that I'll no longer be updating this site. It won't go away entirely -- I wouldn't do that, I'm much too nostalgic. If you get lost, this update (the last and topmost) will be there to redirect you, since Blogger/Blogspot doesn't allow for 301 automatic redirecting. (If that ever changes, I'll implement it gleefully.) I'll even check back here semi-regularly to check out and reply to comments. I will look back on breaking the 1000-hit milestone with fondness. But all the new stuff's going to be on http://jeffreywdern.com so that's where you should go for reviews and other musings.
http://jeffreywdern.com. I'm excited. Can you tell? I think we're going to have a lot of fun with it.
Showing posts with label spread the word. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spread the word. Show all posts
Friday, April 1, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Ranting Dragon 2011 Locus Challenge
Before I call it quits for the week, one more thing:
You should totally participate in Ranting Dragon's 2011 Locus Challenge. Ranting Dragon is some good people, and I reckon they've got a good thing going here to promote excellence in science fiction and fantasy literature.
Me, I'll (hopefully) be doing a guest spot review for them, so be on the lookout for that in coming weeks.
If you're not on board already -- get on board! What are you waiting for?
You should totally participate in Ranting Dragon's 2011 Locus Challenge. Ranting Dragon is some good people, and I reckon they've got a good thing going here to promote excellence in science fiction and fantasy literature.
Me, I'll (hopefully) be doing a guest spot review for them, so be on the lookout for that in coming weeks.
If you're not on board already -- get on board! What are you waiting for?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Border troubles
I'd read a while back that Borders, the US's second-largest bookseller, was having some financial trouble during this time when everybody else is, too. So it didn't really surprise me yesterday to learn that the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, nor did it surprise me that President and CEO Mike Edwards had sent (or commissioned) a mass email reassuring everyone that Borders is "open for business" both in meatspace and online and that, while a few underperforming stores were shutting down, everything would proceed as normal, please keep shopping here, keep calm and carry on.
I really hope that the company pulls through. Yes, they're a big-box business, the plague of mom-and-pop shops and surely the plague of all life on Earth. But back when I worked in DC, I spent almost every night after work at the 18th and L St. store while waiting for the bus home. I spent lazy Saturdays at the Friendship Heights, Pentagon City, and Bailey's Crossroads stores, sometimes with friends and sometimes on my own. I read whole books there that the local libraries didn't have, and nobody ever bothered me that I wasn't, you know, buying the book first. I ate their carrot cake; it was delicious. While the chain isn't nearly as prolific in my corner of Ohio, I still shop at Borders.com every so often. So, while I don't normally root for big business, this isn't just a faceless corporation for me: it's my old haunt, and I'm guessing that (due to sheer proximity to one another) at least one of the four stores that I've mentioned above will be going out of business soon.
Call it the tempores and mores if you want. Say that bookstores should see or should've seen this coming from miles away. Say that the industry is changing, that e-readers are the wave of the future, and that pulp paper books are going the way of the dinosaurs. SAy that this is karmic justice. I don't care. Borders' financial upheaval puts several hundred or several thousand jobs in jeopardy during a time when too many people are unemployed or underemployed. But more to the point: they sell books. They make literature available to the masses for a nominal fee. Sure, Ohio's got an absolutely stellar library system and I can get most of my reading material for free. But not all of it! And not everyone can say the same about their library. And if (like me) you don't have an e-reader? Suddenly, the world of literature is shut off to you.
What then?
So, I really hope that the chain restructures and rebounds. I hope that Chapter 11 works for them, because it would be a tragedy if the whole chain went under -- not only for its thousands of employees and investors, but for the country as a whole.
_______________
DISCLAIMER: Jeffrey W. Dern is not an economist. In fact, Econ 190 was his worst class in college. So this is purely a personal reaction and should not be taken as a doom-and-gloom prediction of economic volatility. For that, he refers you to the words of J.P. Morgan when asked to predict the stock market's next move: "It will fluctuate."
I really hope that the company pulls through. Yes, they're a big-box business, the plague of mom-and-pop shops and surely the plague of all life on Earth. But back when I worked in DC, I spent almost every night after work at the 18th and L St. store while waiting for the bus home. I spent lazy Saturdays at the Friendship Heights, Pentagon City, and Bailey's Crossroads stores, sometimes with friends and sometimes on my own. I read whole books there that the local libraries didn't have, and nobody ever bothered me that I wasn't, you know, buying the book first. I ate their carrot cake; it was delicious. While the chain isn't nearly as prolific in my corner of Ohio, I still shop at Borders.com every so often. So, while I don't normally root for big business, this isn't just a faceless corporation for me: it's my old haunt, and I'm guessing that (due to sheer proximity to one another) at least one of the four stores that I've mentioned above will be going out of business soon.
Call it the tempores and mores if you want. Say that bookstores should see or should've seen this coming from miles away. Say that the industry is changing, that e-readers are the wave of the future, and that pulp paper books are going the way of the dinosaurs. SAy that this is karmic justice. I don't care. Borders' financial upheaval puts several hundred or several thousand jobs in jeopardy during a time when too many people are unemployed or underemployed. But more to the point: they sell books. They make literature available to the masses for a nominal fee. Sure, Ohio's got an absolutely stellar library system and I can get most of my reading material for free. But not all of it! And not everyone can say the same about their library. And if (like me) you don't have an e-reader? Suddenly, the world of literature is shut off to you.
What then?
So, I really hope that the chain restructures and rebounds. I hope that Chapter 11 works for them, because it would be a tragedy if the whole chain went under -- not only for its thousands of employees and investors, but for the country as a whole.
_______________
DISCLAIMER: Jeffrey W. Dern is not an economist. In fact, Econ 190 was his worst class in college. So this is purely a personal reaction and should not be taken as a doom-and-gloom prediction of economic volatility. For that, he refers you to the words of J.P. Morgan when asked to predict the stock market's next move: "It will fluctuate."
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