Today we say goodbye to a good friend

     Today started just as it usually does. However as I went to my local Independent Bookstore I was greeted by a sign that read Going Out Of Business.  It was truly a sad day for me.  Sadly though this is not a new phenomena.  In the last three to five years one by one Independent bookstores have been closing and disappearing all across the country.  Replacing them is the Mega-stores and the Internet. Slowly some of the larger chains have also disappeared. B. Dalton Bookseller and Crown Books were the first to fall. Then the first coast to coast chain, Borders collapsed in 2011. The result was that consumers were pushed to a handful of places to buy books.

     In my neck of the woods I have two options if I want to go and purchase books. One is Barnes & Noble and the other is Hastings. Obviously I can still go online to Amazon.com and purchase through there as well.  The advantage to the local independent bookstore was that they cared about the customer. I could go in browse through the books open them up and read a little bit to see if I liked the story.  There were times when I would easily get lost in a piece of work and spend a couple hours sitting in the store reading a book. Customer service was also at a high because the people that worked in those stores were usually avid readers.  They could tell you about the books they sold and read.  On numerous occasions I would buy a book because the clerk behind the register was reading it between sales, and would tell me how good it was.  If you ask the clerk as Barnes & Noble about a book even one that is popular you are likely to get the standard "Ugh, I don't know" reply.

     The first thing the major retailers like to say is well you get that same treatment with us.  Sadly this is just not the truth.  Prior to 2009 all the big retailers were the same large spacious stores with lots of books and chairs and benches located through out for customers to sit on to read books.  Shortly after 2009 this all changed. In 2010 Barnes & Noble went into capital preservation mode. (they still are in that mode)  In an effort to increase sales they remodeled most of their stores and scrapped plans to open new ones.  Barnes & Noble decided that they needed to make a major changes to their stores.  The Barnes & Noble stores of today are a far cry of the Barnes & Noble stores of 2009.  Gone are the chairs and benches and wide aisles between shelves. Today shelving has increased by 40% and the only chairs are over by the Cafe/Espresso stand. The stores are now designed to get customers in and out quickly and minimize in store browsing and reading.  Customers are also highly discouraged from picking up books or magazines and walking over to the Cafe area and reading them while sitting at a table. 

     Now I am not saying that they should be letting customers sit down and read an entire book and place it back on the self but when I am shopping for a book I start in a section (Fantasy) and look at all the books there I may then pick up a book and read the back cover and maybe the first page or two at the beginning.  If this peaks my interest then I will open to the middle and read a few paragraphs and do the same thing at a couple other parts in the book.  In the end I then make a decision if I want to buy it at that time.  You might be saying Amazon allows you to do that. Yes and no, while Amazon allows you to read a little of a book prior to purchase the content is usually the first chapter or first few pages of a book.  I have read many books that start slow and become awesome. I have also read books that have started awesome and died halfway through.  If I can only read the first few pages or chapter I might be missing out on good books. Being able to open up a few chapters in or to the middle allows me to judge if a book will keep me engaged.

     Now we can't reverse time and if the trend continues there will be no more small independent bookstores by the year 2020. (This is a speculation, but considered to fairly accurate) There will still be the small hold outs that are in smaller towns that don't have the population to support a Mega-store.  The Mega-stores however will not disappear mostly because Amazon doesn't want to be a monopoly in book retail.  However, I wouldn't be surprised to see Amazon get into the Brick and Mortar  game.

     Technology has also changed the book world as well.  Thanks to the internet I now have access to every book that is published and for sale anywhere.  The advent of the ebook has also changed the landscape although we have yet to see the promise of cheaper books because of it.  Back when ebooks first came out the big promise was it was going to lower book prices because you would not need materials for printing.  The truth however is that if I were to buy Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts Paperback is $9.67 and the Kindle (ebook) version is $8.99.  Hmmm, no real cost savings there.  But yet I am going to pay almost the same price for an electronic version as I would for the paperback version.  Even if you figure that it costs $5.00 to print the book and that is factored into the price then the ebook is generating $5.00 of profit by being price so close to the print price.

     Goodbye my friend, the small independent bookstore.  You are a dinosaur of a fading era.  Your cosy atmosphere and customer service is now gone.  I for one will miss you. 

     So what about you? Did you have a favorite local bookstore you miss?  Or are you happy with how things have progressed?  Where do you think it will go next? 

Fitbit Flex Review

     Today I am starting a new section where I will be compiling reviews of products that I have personally tested. I will try to give an all encompassing review of the products. So lets get on with it.

      I have been using the Fitbit Flex for about eight months now. I have found it to be a first rate fitness tracker that is highly rated among other trackers in its field.  The Fitbit Flex's primary competitors in this area include the Jawbone UP, Nike FuelBand, Polar Loop, and others.  The Flex is not Fitbit's first foray into the wearable fitness tracker.  It is however their first wrist-based wearable tracker. Prior to the Release of the Flex the company had released the Fitbit Zip and the Fitbit One both of which are still available for sale. While both of these were wearable units they required you to clip them to your clothing and were prone to falling off and becoming lost. 

     Unlike the Zip and the One, the Fitbit Flex is designed to be worn in a strap on your wrist. Similar to a watch it is slim and stylish and has a long battery life. During the day the Flex tracks your steps, Distance, and Calories burned.  It also has a sleep trackers as well. (More on that in a moment)

     The accuracy of the tracker is among the highest of the available trackers on the market.  While the technology behind the tracker is a company secret; Fitbit does say that it is a complex algorithm that tracks several factors to produce an accurate account of information to the wearer.   

     Upon use I have found that actual information tracked is extremely accurate. The algorithm seems to take into account not just arm swing but also accelerometer information (forward movement and speed) to deliver Distance and Step count.  While it is not perfect it does a great job at counting steps even if your arm is not moving such as if you are carrying something.  I must also note here that like all trackers it is possible to manipulate your step count by standing in place and swinging your arm back and forth.

    The Flex is equipped with an LED screen, which displays how far you are towards your daily step goal. Tapping the unit with your finger and the Flex will show your progress on a scale of one to five.  The default daily goal is 10,000 steps.  The goal can be changed within the software.  Upon reaching your daily goal the device will alert you by vibrating and flashing the LED lights. warning the first time it happens i might startle you. 

    The Flex calculates your calories burned by factoring in your age, height, weight, and activity level to reach calories burned.  While this is accurate it is not as accurate as it would be if heart rate was factored in to the equation.  As heart rate and exertion increase calories burned will also increase.  Fitbit does contend that their algorithm takes this into account.

     Sleep tracking is another feature of this tracker that is popping up in many trackers on the market. The ability to track the length and the quality of your sleep as well as the number of times you are awake is of added benefit. However the actual sleep tracking seems to be a bit inconsistent.  Fitbit claims that you are actually awake whether you are aware of it or not. It seems that the tracker determines between restless sleep and awaken sleep based on how much you move. and there for provides you with a overview of your sleep pattern based on these periods.  While placing the tracker into sleep mode can be tricky at first you will easily get the hang of it. If you forget to put the tracker in sleep mode you can manually enter your time you went to bed and the time you woke up in the software and it will still figure your sleep.  The tracker also can be set up with alarms to wake you in the morning or any other time you choose. The alarm causes the tracker to vibrate and does so just enough to awake even the most sound sleeper. 

      The tracker itself is water resistant, not water proof.  Fitbit says that it is safe to wear while showering and other tasks where it might get wet but should not be submerged completely under water.  I wear mine daily in the shower and have not had any issues except for the fact that I have to on occasion dry excess water from the wrist band.  The wrist band itself has a unique closure that other reviewers has commented is very stiff and hard to close.  While it is hard to close at first if you take a few moments to open and close it it does loosen up and become quite easy to close.

      The battery is enclosed inside the unit and is unserviceable. However the battery when fully charged lasts on average of seven to ten days of normal use.  As with any electronic gadget that uses rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries it too will suffer from battery degradation.  In my use I have just started to see signs of battery decline.  Resulting in having to charge the unit about every 5-6 days. 

Software

     The software is really the difference between Fitbit and the other trackers out there.  The software it self allows you to customize your goals to match personal targets. Everything from calorie intake vs calories burned, to weight is easily customized through the software.  The companion mobile apps available for both iOS and Android allow you to easily check you progress at anytime. However the apps do not allow you to tweak your custom settings. You are only able to do this on the Fitbit web site. 

     The real strength of the Fitbit system is its online data analysis tools. Both the Fitbit mobile app and web interface let you sift through your stats in views of days, weeks, months, and a full year. You can look at your entire month of data to recognize trends. 

The web interface allows you to customize it to see just the information you want to see.  It also allows you to also connect with the Fitbit community where you can find other Fitbit users. You can even find local groups that you may have things in common with such as a local running group. The advantage of the community is that is gives you a wealth people to challenge and compete with for bragging rights mostly.  If you have friends or family with a Fitbit you can cheer for each other, you can also compare stats and see how your progress stacks up.  The leader board refreshes regularly so you always know where you rank against friends. Another item that Fitbit has included is badges.  While kind of juvenile they do work to motivate you to do just a little bit more.  You will receive badges for daily, weekly, and lifetime achievements.  Each time you achieve a new goal, (such as 20,000 steps in one day) you get awarded with a badge.  Your friends will also be able to see these badges as well.

     Fitbit also allows you to track calorie intake as well as other things like Fat and Carbs.  This is done through a large large food database to log meals.  While it is not as easy to use such as one you would find in say MyFitnessPal's Calorie Counter It is still very useful.  The true test is trying to figure out how the item you are looking for was entered into the database.  For instance if you are looking for Cherry Pop Tarts you could search for Poptarts and not find it.  But if you search for Kellogg's Pop-Tart Cherry it will pop right up. You also fave the ability to create custom foods, and have often-entered meals stored for fast entry. It does make the task of calorie counting easier. 

    Over all the Fitbit Flex is a wonderful all around Fitness tracker.  Towards the end of last year Fitbit released the Fitbit Force which took the Flex and added a altimeter to track stairs climbed and a digital watch face.  However the Force lacked a removable band. The Force as of the time of this writing has been pulled from sale and has undergone a voluntary recall due to owners reporting issues of developing a rash from the device and band.  To date there have been no rash issues with the Flex.  Also the ability to change bands to allows people to give some flair to their device. You can get Flex bands in Black,Slate, Teal, Tangerine, Navy, Lime, Violet, and Pink. 

     The Fitbit Flex is a great fitness tracker at a great price.  Overall 4 out of 5 Stars... 

Getting Caught Up with Others Descriptions

Like most people my age I was introduced to the world of Fantasy literature while I was in elementary school. I cut my teeth on what I regard as a classic and that is The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien which was quickly followed up by the Lord of the Rings series. Of course I still have my original copies that I acquired in the 70's and they have been read many times in the years past. What I loved about fantasy literature was how the world of magic, Dragons, and Hero's all combined together to make a truly wonderful story that you could get lost in.  You could find qualities in the hero's that you saw in yourself. Or you could find characters that appealed to your darker side that were still lovable in their own way.

Then in 1977 20th Century Fox released a movie only because they had agreed to in a contract for another movie.  Most people know that movie was Star Wars, and it started a pop culture phenomenon.  I am going to make a statement here that is a personal belief not intended to be a fact. But I believe Star Wars ushered in the advance of Science Fiction. It took a genre that was struggling and helped it explode virtually overnight.

Like Tolkien, Lucas who wrote Star Wars created the cannon that has permeated science fiction or at least space based science fiction ever since. Now what I mean by that statement is that there are elements that cross over from Star Wars into almost every piece of Sci-Fi work out there. The most recognizable one is the Blaster. The Blaster is the most easily recognizable because it has become an iconic part of most Sci-Fi literature to date.

Now Tolkien has also had the same effect on Fantasy literature.  Now I will use trolls here and yes I know Trolls were used in Literature before Tolkien wrote the Hobbit.  But Tolkien's description of a Troll vastly differs from what was common place at that time. Trolls up to that point were Green skinned, ugly humanoid creatures that hid under bridges or in caves.  Tolkien described his trolls as being almost twice as tall as a human, fat, Live in caves, and eat anything.  They also had one characteristic that was different from Trolls up to that point. Tolkien's Trolls would turn to stone and die if they were caught in sunlight.

What I am really trying to say here is that writing a fantasy book or a Sci-Fi book is not reinventing the wheel. Every book I have read has always contained something that I have read somewhere else before, and that is perfectly OK.  It is all in how you deliver the story to the reader that makes the story good. The other thing to keep in mind is that just because one person has described a character type one way you do not have to conform to that type.  A perfect example would be Vampires. Now whether you love it or hate it in the Twilight Saga Stephenie Meyer to the concept that Vampires cannot survive in the sun and changed it so that here Vampires (and i hate this) Sparkle.  I'm sorry if I see you sparkle in the sunlight I'm gonna grab a stake and ram it through your heart.  Prior to Stephenie Meyer all vampires died in sunlight and either burned up or turned to ash.

Many authors run into road blocks when writing because they try to make their story fit their characters or the genre. They lock themselves into the belief that they need to conform to the previous description of the character or genre.  If you need to change something to make your story work change it. Now obviously this does not work if you are say writing something that builds off of the same characters such as Fan Fiction. That aside you are free to create what and how you want to tell it.  As a writer you should always feel free to tell your story your way.  

Emotion sells

There is one charity I support more than any others, and that happens to be the ASPCA. OK, sure I have others that I give to as well. The Salvation Army, Alzheimer's Research, just to name a few. By far I give the most to the ASPCA. Personally I believe in what they do for animals, and I have also researched them and have found that 75% of money donated goes to their mission and the other 25% goes to operations.  People always wonder how that can be possible when they have commercials and other things that cost lots of money.  The simple fact is a lot of that is returned to the ASPCA as donations. In return the donating company gets to take a tax write-off for the cost of the donated service.  The point being is that I feel strongly in what these organizations are doing that I am willing to donate to help them.

Just for information sake I donate all proceeds of the sale on my book So You Want To Be A Nursing Assistant to Alzheimer's Research. I also donate 80% of the sales from my other books, Men: The Handbook, Politics 101, and 72-Hour Bag. To the ASPCA, Salvation Army, and Red Cross.

So what does that have to do with today's topic.  Simply put there is one basic principle in marketing and that is "Emotions Sell Product."  If you watch much TV you have probably seen advertisements for Christian Children's Fund, UNICEF, and the ASPCA.  All these advertisements incorporate the same elements. Usually this includes slow melancholy music, pictures of children or animals in cages, and a celebrity spokes person. It finalizes up with a usual your donation is just __ cents a day.  I personally have to change the channel when these commercials come on because they pull at my heart strings.  These charities know this and that is why they design their commercials that way.  If they can reach your emotional core they can usually get you to part with a little bit of money.  By breaking it down into as small an amount as possible they increase the chance that you will pick up the phone and make a donation.  After all someone will say 60 cents is not a lot of cash, but 18 dollars a month is a big step.

As an author the same rule still applies. If you can get your readers emotionally invested in your characters then you can keep them turning pages till the end of the book. However it is harder to get that emotional investment in just a marketing blurb.  For authors a marketing blurb is the first thing your customers read after looking at the cover.  It is usually about a paragraph or two long and contains a brief synopsis of what your book is about.  For an author this is the first and often last chance you have at convincing your prospective reader to open his wallet.  If you can put in your blurb enough to get your reader emotionally connected to it they will hit that buy button like a mouse going for cheese.  If you can't build that emotional connection then your reader will pass your book by to find one that does.  The problem is emotionally connecting with a reader is hard to do in one or two brief paragraphs.

Inside your book it may take you two or three chapters to get that emotional connection with your readers. I have read a number of books that try to throw it at you in the first chapter and while it is not impossible to do it does tend to seem unrealistic to me as a reader.  To truly build that emotional connection that makes a character real takes time.  If you can't build it and get the reader emotionally invested then you are going to lose that reader.  This probably one thing that writers find the most difficult to do.  Quality characters take a lot of effort and time to develop.

But the payoff in the end is worth the hours and the effort you put into it.  What help build that emotional connection is not just one thing but often a number of things.  If a character is perfect then readers get bored quickly. Characters that are flawed or have issues are easier for people to become emotionally connected with. This is probably because readers can relate with characters that remind them of themselves.  Characters that have struggles are more easy to relate to than a character that doesn't have any struggles.

In the end the author that can create a story that gets the reader emotionally invested will sell more.  No matter what genre you write emotion sells books.  As a side note if you wish to contribute to the ASPCA please click the picture above.