Ahem… fighting the machine, ignoring the machine, and eventually succumbing to the machine…
Posted: 30 January 2012 07:12 PM   [ Ignore ]
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Ni Hao,

To our Mandarin brethren and sistren (?) and all other members out there in litmock world. Hope the holidays treated you well, or, at least, that you survived them. Playing Santa Clause (AKA Kris Kringle, the G-Mac $ pimp) has put me in deeper debt than the American Congress. And if I have to eat even one more cookie, so help me, I`ll explode quicker than Newt Gingrich on a debate host.

Anywho, now that all the eXessmass cripe is out the way, we can get onto more serious business, like dealing with the fricking cold that dominates the dead of winter and continuing to make changes to try and improve this here place.

But first, a few notices from the conscience police. I`d like to touch on some issues that affect all writers, anyone who uses the Internet, anyone in search of truth, and anyone forced to pay taxes. Let`s start with SOPA, PIPA, and some other legislation aimed at taking away even more freedom, specifically freedom of speech. My agent forwarded me an excellent piece by a fellow writer, Michael Connelly. I have pasted it below.

`I have posted an new Legislative Alert on my blog. It deals with five important pieces of legislation pending in Congress… the board of the Constitutional Law Alliance (CLA) feels that it is imperative that copies of the booklet, “Our Constitution” be immediately distributed as widely as possible. A single copy is only $6.00 and we are
encouraging people to order at least three copies so they can keep one, give out two others to friends or relatives, and then encourage them to order at least three more copies to distribute. If everyone who reads my blog and/or listens to my radio
show does this, we can have thousands of copies distributed in just a matter of weeks. Go to the CLA website to read a review of the booklet by renowned radio talk show host Kevin Lehmann and to get ordering information.`

These links provide excellent information on the underhanded, fascist nature of this proposed legislation, which, thanks to grassroots efforts by many people and organizations like Wikipedia, have been shot down for now. FOR NOW, I repeat, for those who are hearing impaired (What??? I can`t hear you, it`s too dark in here). Suffice it to say, this legislation has only been slowed. We must be vigilant and proactive if we are truly to defeat this evil nemesis, the thieves of freedom. I`m sure more legislation is underway as you read this, so stay alert.

Also, here at Litmocracy, we are trying to do our best to improve the world and restore freedom, not just to improve this site. To that end, we have designed Form CO69, a proposed amendment to the tax code that would allow conscientious objectors to abstain from paying taxes that go towards killing people, dominating other countries, and general looting. Shortly, we wish to adopt a contest here that will pay $100 to the winner. That contest will revolve around whomever best gets this proposed document in front of elected officials and reports their reactions. We expect them to be worthy. Currently, I`d like ideas on how to best run this contest because I want it to be fair, easy, and I want someone to win big! So answer away below, we`ll all kick it around and then commence a very lucrative contest!

In the next few days, I`ll post the actual mock up of the form here on the site so everyone can see it, make comments and so forth. We`ll be issuing some press releases and doing some other online stuff as well, so any suggestions will be helpful.

As for the site, we`d like to make some changes with Literal Translations. It looks like we want to do a once a year e-book with all winners instead of a quarterly. I am on the fence on the matter, and would appreciate ideas. What I want to do, though, is take 2 or 3 of those winners per quarter and make animations out of them, be they a poem, short story, or catching non-fiction piece. How cool will it be to see your work become an animation, eh? And you get paid for it to boot. So keep posting and let me know what you think.

Till next time,

Au Revoir

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Posted: 01 February 2012 10:30 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]
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I think it would be a disaster of immense proportions if Literal Translations only came out once a year.  I haven’t had a hard copy for three years now because I’m in Cambodia, but I used to love getting them.  Have you stopped printing them? 

Even if it’s all only e-, now, I still think it would be a gargantuan catastrophe if Literal Translations only came out once a year.  People have short attention spans and won’t be thinking about it all year if they only think about it once a year.  I like the animations idea better.  Animations are so much more animated than the alternative! 

Please listen to me, oh please, fall off the fence… oh boo hoo.  Eek.  Thát’s what I think.  Well, you asked.

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Posted: 01 February 2012 02:22 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]
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I tend to agree with you Julia, but I’m not the only voice here. We’re looking to hear from more people in regards to Lit Trans. I love the animation idea, quite a bit. Your thoughts are duly noted and we’ll see what others have to say!

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Posted: 02 February 2012 02:21 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]
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Tell Dave will arrange for new fridge magnets if it keeps being a quarterly.  Heh.

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Posted: 02 February 2012 03:42 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]
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I like the quarterly as well; I think it helps me stay more engaged as a writer as well as a reader. What if there were a quarterly e-zine version of what we have now, and then an annual print copy showcasing the best stuff of the year?

Yes, yes, yes to animations, though.

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Posted: 02 February 2012 04:05 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]
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Sounds like a nice compromise?

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Posted: 02 February 2012 04:08 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]
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If an annual one came out, like, say, once a year (heh heh) I would even spring to have it sent to Cambodia!

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Posted: 02 February 2012 05:09 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 7 ]
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I think a quarterly PDF (everyone knows what that is by now, right?  Like “hot dog”?  I hope so!) available on the site plus a printed copy once a year sounds good.  The final decision is never really final, as I have an open mind grin, but that’ll be the plan for 2012 on.

Thanks!

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Posted: 02 February 2012 07:22 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 8 ]
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Okay, so one annual print copy, likely January I suppose, a regular quarterly online PDF, and a few animations taken from the quarterly winners beginning in April of 2012. I’ll announce that contest shortly. There we have it.

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Posted: 02 February 2012 09:02 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 9 ]
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What kind of circulation has the print quarterly had, by the way? I want to say I read that it was around twenty, but I don’t remember when that was from.

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Posted: 02 February 2012 09:06 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 10 ]
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Far more than that because I’ve distributed dozens or more myself.

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