Tag Archives: Apple

Episode #91: Achtung, Baby & R.I.P. CreateSpace

Well, it has been quite a spell, but it does not necessarily mean that we are taking it slow this year…

Welcome back to The Shared Desk, now recorded LIVE on Twitch at Tee’s Twitch Channel. So what is the difference between the live stream and the podcast, you wonder? We’re offering listeners a compact, condensed version of the show in the podcast feed for when you may have missed the show. The live Shared Desk will go longer, and be completely raw and unedited. We will also take your comments and questions as they come in. We are enjoying the whole Twitch experience, and hope you continue to listen (and reach out to us) on either platform.

Alright then. on with the show, where we address the changes at CreateSpace.

00:00 —  Introduction

  • It’s been too long…
  • Memories of Germany
  • Did we happen to mention it’s been a week.
  • Where the heck have we been?
    • Twitch for Dummies is done!
    • Celebrating seven years of marital bliss
    • Tee reaches the Gold Edition as he turned 50.
  • Pip is recording audio. A lot of audio.
  • Oh, yeah, in September, there was an upgrade to the studio.

04:48 —  Episode #91: Achtung, Baby! (The Germany Trip)

  • Let’s celebrate the 50th birthday of Tee Morris!
  • When you’re in Germany, you’re going to mention the war.
    • Reminders are everywhere.
    • History is everywhere you go in Germany.
  • Oh, Bavaria…
  • You want to hear more about the trip overseas? Watch the full show at the YouTube video! (Yeah, catching the show LIVE means extra content!)

07:30 — Episode #91: R.I.P. CreateSpace

  • What’s breaking int he Writing World? (No, not writing advice from pretentious nitwits.)
  • The death of CreateSpace
    • We writers find ourselves, once again, here…
      Authors at the mercy of Amazon
    • CreateSpace was its own entity…until Amazon decided “We can do it better.”
    • Yeah, about that…
    • Come on, Amazon. Step up!
  • It would have been great to have books for PhilCon, but there were two things we didn’t have: a working car, and books.
  • Some concerns about this takeover beyond delivery of books
    • Some opinions about Amazon courtesy of Hasan Minaj’s Patriot Act.
    • We are hooked on Amazon. We admit it.
    • It’s hard to deny how much power Amazon holds.
  • Amazon need competition.
  • What Tee is worried about: Quality of the Product from Amazon
    • An early experience with Dragon Moon’s experience with Ingram’s Spark
    • Devil’s Advocate: Times and technology are different.
  • How Amazon is handling proof copies
    • Amazon marks proofs as proofs.
    • Tee also has a bad story about booksellers selling proofs.
    • And here is where the “marital bliss” kicks in.
    • Pip Ballantine, dealer of sick burns
  • A mini-rant on Apple iBooks and the indie author
  • So far, the quality of books is fine; but we are still early in this new relationship.
  • Amazon is not a perfected science. Here are a few disappointments from the past…
  • So what options do you have outside of Amazon?
  • So with all this — will we still use Amazon?
  • Old Man Morris rants about Facebook
  • Boycotting the ‘Zon? Good luck with that.
  • Here’s one good reason to stick with the ‘Zon…

28:08 —  Loot Crate Lookie-Loo

  • If it is possible to two-fist on a Loot Crate, we’re going to do just that!
  • Tee is opening September’s Loot Crate: INVADERS
    • The tee-shirt — Venom. Well played…but it’s black. And Tee is a little burned out on black tees. BUT IF YOU GO TO HANGRY GAMER GEAR…
    • A Predator bandana, and it makes Tee smile wide. (A favorite movie of his…)
    • There are a lot of statuettes, but this Alien statuette is a keeper!
    • Always good to have a blank journal from The X-Files so you can take notes of close encounters.
    • Tee’s pin is another nod to Aliens. Noice!!!
  • Pip is tackling October’s Loot Crate: CURSED
    • Her tee shirt lead —  Attack on Titan …which is not our jam.
    • Socks featuring the Gremlins!
    • Pip also has a statuette, and it is Evil Dead 2 so it stays!
    • There’s a room key from American Horror Story: Hotel ...and she can make the key her own!
    • The pin? A classic Ouija board cypher. Well done!
  • Wow…keeping everything but the shirts!
  • And the Venom shirt is going to our buddy, Hugh!

36:04 — The Wrap-Up

  • Wrapping up the podcast, but when you follow or subscribe to the stream, you get extra content!
  • Where will Pip and Tee be, you might wonder?
  • Tee is also working on getting podcasts back on track, including this one and Happy Hour from the Tower.
  • If you have an event and want The Shared Desk to appear there, or if you just want to share an opinion about the show, here’s where to find us…
    • 703.791.1701
    • pip@pjballantine.com
    • tee@teemorris.com
    • …and social media, of course.

Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or questions for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
We’ll talk about it!
And remember, you can find the show on iTunes or Stitcher!
Subscribe, listen, and review.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

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Episode #75: Recorded LIVE from the 2017 SFWA Nebula Awards Conference

photo from Heidi Ruby-Miller

Tee and Pip make to Steel City for the 2017 Nebula Awards, and at the en masse signing, the pace for them slowed down. That tends to happen when the SFWA bookstore doesn’t stock your books. Fortunately, Tee stocked his satchel with the iPad and a Shure MV51. Five minutes later, Tee and Pip are bringing the 2017 Nebula Awards Book Signing and passer’s-by to you! Welcome to a moment at The Nebula Awards Conference where Katie, Tee, Pip, Lauren, Piper, and Matt — the Smoky Writers Mafia — gathered amongst the best in science fiction. Give them a call at 703-791-1701, and ask about anything concerning this conference. It was quite the education!

00:00 —  Episode #75: The 2017 SFWA Nebula Awards Conference 

  • Promo: The Nerd Out App
  • LIVE from Pittsburgh!!!
  • Pip thinks she has a “radio voice” but it’s not really
  • Looks who dropped by! It’s Mel!!! And Heather is here as well!
  • What brings Mel and Heather to The Nebula Awards? Well, this is Mel’s hometown!
  • Notes from The Nebula Conference, Confluence, and Pittsburgh on a whole
    • Beer tastings happen, especially when K.T. Bryski is around!
    • Avoid food served in a bucket.
    • Pip might get in some sight-seeing…
  • Tee’s asked to sign a program. As he looks for a place to sign, have a listen to the Programming of the conference.
  • Pip recalls her panel of awesome with Mary Robinette Kowall.
  • Escape Artists, Inc. shows up in force at the Nebulas.
  • A few words on audio rights, and how important they are…
  • Tee reflects on his first panel: Other Day Jobs for Writers…
  • …then came Podcasting 101 with Piper J Drake and Pip in the Moderator’s Seat.
  • What happens when you sit down with Apple iBooks…
    • Want to visit the Mother Ship in Cuppertino? (YES!!!)
    • Changing travel plans for December.
    • Apple wants to talk to authors, and be more author friendly.
  • We get a visit from Heidi Ruby Miller (right) who is rocking this cool retro sci-fi pattern…
  • And just like that Heidi’s on the podcast.
  • Yes, there is a ball app and Tee travels with one.
  • Heidi has snuck away from the Penn Writers Conference to hang with science fiction authors.
  • What was Heidi up to at the Penn Writers Conference?
  • What Heidi and her husband, Jack, are up to on social media?
    • Check out Small Space, Big Life on YouTube
    • And Jack is shaking his backsides at the Nebulas.
    • And as Larry Connelly passes by, Tee recognizes him from Podcasting 101!
    • Larry, it turns out, is a podcasting veteran.
  • No books to sign, but we do have autograph cards!
  • Grabbing Jennifer Dawson, a Stonecoaster alongside K.T. Bryski, to clock in some time on the mic…
    • A quick opinion on Stonecoast
    • And what does Jenn write? Well now…
    • The support of a community matters.
    • Tee tells Jenn about the James River Writers, and how he found out about them.
    • Turns out Omaha has a LOT going on for writers!
    • Jenn’s favorite panels from the conference.
  • The power of podcasting: Keeping ourselves entertained when books are not around.
  • Signing off…

34:59 — The Loot Crate Lookie-Loo (with The Kelly Family!)

  • Nick, Stacia, and Brandon wanted to be around when we opened up this Loot Crate…
  • May’s Theme: Guardians
    • Q-Fig of Rocket and Groot! How about those Q-Fig creations?
    • The tee shirt is Goonies-riffic!
    • A Star Wars Coloring Book?! Tee is 7 again!
    • The Loot Crate pin is Avatar: The Last Airbender. Not his fandom, but it’s pretty sweet.
    • A Character Class Patch Set from Destiny
    • …and the box becomes your Ghost, as we talk about in Happy Hour from the Tower.
    • Here’s what it looks like when it’s done…
  • NICE HAUL!!!

45:45 — The Wrap-Up

  • Pip needs some Stark-splaining!
  • WE GOT TICKETS FOR WONDER WOMAN!!!
  • The Nebula Conference was fun! So was our visit to Balticon 51!
  • Where are we going to be?
    • 16-18 June, AwesomeCon in Washington D.C. (No, we’re not going to get that photo with Stan Lee…)
    • 30 June-July 2, BlerDCon in Washington D.C. (Wait, hold on, what’s BlerDCon? And what are Nick and Tee up to?)
    • A quick tangent on Star Trek: Discovery...
    • 14-16 July, Motor City Steam Con in Detroit, MI
  • This ain’t Tee’s first rodeo. Obviously.

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Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or questions for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
We’ll talk about it!
And remember, you can find the show on iTunes or Stitcher!
Subscribe, listen, and review.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

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