Disqus - Friends of LEMills

Re: Bye-Bye, Amazon: Why I Won’t Write Reviews For You Again

PurpleCar — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:06:56 -0000

Peter, thanks for your thoughtful response.

Amazon does, in fact, sell your reviews. This is a different system than affiliate selling.

Amazon charges sites to access their catalog. Along with the catalog, they include some reviews. I'm not privvy to the formula (or what coders call "algorithms") that choose which reviews get packaged along with the catalog, but be assured that the user reviews are offered as a part of that catalog. Amazon would sell less catalog rentals if people stopped writing free reviews for them. The reviews are what set them apart from other ISBN/product code catalogs.

This really comes down to how one views the internet and how to use it. Reviews are work. Getting the "freebies" of which you speak is now a forbidden practice, as per new FTC "guidelines."

I'm not in it for free books. I can get my books from the library or buy them myself. The amount of "freebies" of stuff I don't even want or have space for doesn't compensate me for the work of reviews. You obviously don't have the same opinion about that, and that's cool. Lots of people enjoy seeing their name in the Amazon review areas, even if their reviews end up on the back pages. The thrill of that for me faded a long time ago.

-PC

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Re: Adam Slaney Facebook Warning: Real or DoS attack?

PurpleCar — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:27:41 -0000

MIke: I KNOW! Back in 2008! Isn't that a shame that this Adam Slaney hoax on Facebook is still making the rounds?

I don't watch my blog stats, but whenever I pass my Wordpress Dashboard, this post is always at the top. It's gotten, literally, thousands of views. I keep adding the new names that get put on the spam email, so people can just search on the name and find out it's hoax. Snopes is wonderful, but they can't keep adding every new name that comes down the pike. If you see any new names in the hoax, please come back to purplecar.net and let me know, or find me on facebook as facebook.com/christinecavalier/

And don't worry too much about your friends. Everyone is in a learning stage right now. It's only been 10 years or so of widespread internet access, and it's a scary place. There is very little regulation, protection or education about it. Try to have some patience with the end users. (Of course, I say this, but I rip my hair out over their inane behaviors on a weekly basis.)

Thanks for checking in!

Peace!
-PurpleCar
http://www.purplecar.net/

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Re: Quick Review: The Fattening of America by Finklestein & Zuckerman

PurpleCar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:36:34 -0000

OH! and I've seen SuperSizeMe. Awesome.

Peace!
-PurpleCar
http://www.purplecar.net/

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Re: Quick Review: The Fattening of America by Finklestein & Zuckerman

PurpleCar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:36:31 -0000

Yes I think that's on my list. There is a superfreakonomics now too.

Peace!
-PurpleCar
http://www.purplecar.net/

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Re: Bye-Bye, Amazon: Why I Won’t Write Reviews For You Again

PurpleCar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:22:17 -0000

No problem Mike! You know me (literally!). I'm a font of information. Or copied and pasted emails, which pretty much constitute "information" nowadays.

Thanks for stopping in!

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Re: Bye-Bye, Amazon: Why I Won’t Write Reviews For You Again

PurpleCar — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:14:02 -0000

Thomas, thanks so much!

Firstly, good work on the Amazon TOS. I was hoping someone like you would find the exact paragraph in all that muck. My gratitude!

Secondly, thanks for clarifying "fair use." Will think about revising my post to cut out the unofficial use of it. Can't do that right at this moment but I will look at it soon. (Not a big fan of major editing after posting, so I may just publish an "Update" of your useful information.) Again, my thanks.

Thirdly, yes, you're correct, Amazon can still publish my work even though I deleted it, but deleting it is my little form of protest. Also, it's my hope that their huge infrastructure will re-claim the dinky white (disk) space and truly delete the work, or at least remove it from the freely-referenced content. I'm not privvy to their infrastructure design, but I know as a former sys admin that it's possible that my deleting the work may keep it from being distributed again.

Re: Bye-Bye, Amazon: Why I Won’t Write Reviews For You Again

PurpleCar — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:49:04 -0000

Sending them an invoice would just be an experiment, and ending up being an experiment in futility I'm sure. But if my review is still up on newandusedbooks.com without credit in 3 business days, I will send them an invoice.

This is a legal hole, I think. Amazon says they own the content and can sell it (I'm assuming), so newandusedbooks.com will refer me to that policy. Still, it doesn't seem that newandusedbooks have set up protection from this. I'm not a barister or a lawyer, so I don't know. It would be interesting to find out. The point of contention is that they removed the links. Amazon lets you have a link in exchange for the review, but they let their affiliates remove those links. That seems unfair.

I may call up my intellectual property lawyer friend about this.

Re: Comma Controversy

PurpleCar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:36:31 -0000

Thanks for commenting!

I think we should note that the commas separating address parts are for paragraphs only. I had a little contention with the 3rd grade curriculum this year, as they were teaching the old convention for snail mail addressing. I sent a link to the Post Office website to the teacher. No punctuation and all caps are preferred by the Post Office now. Personally I find that adding the 4 digit code onto the end of the Zip Code helps speed delivery too.

Yes I know I didn't put a comma after the first word of the last sentence or the first word of this one.

If I wanted more dramatic effect, I would've placed the commas there.

I'd say tell him to read whatever he writes out loud. That is an old novelist's technique and it truly does help with style and flow.

By the way, when did we have the same English teacher? Who are we talking about? Miss Martin? Sister-what's-her-name?

-PC

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Re: Adam Slaney Facebook Warning: Real or DoS attack?

PurpleCar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:33:44 -0000

Sarah,

There isn't any hacking risk to accepting a friend request on Facebook. You can accept any requests you like. Accepting friend requests from the people listed in this note (or any new ones that come along) won't do any harm, to you or your computer. It's just not how hacking works. A hacker needs your password, for any site that has password protection on the internet (like Facebook). Even friends on Facebook don't get to view your password, nor could they hack their way to it just because of the friend connection.

Believe me, if there were a way to hack friend connections, the hackers would have already done it by now. How would Facebook survive if they didn't code this basic security into the platform? These types of emails are just hogswash, meant as a joke or denial-of-service attack on others. They also spread TRULY unnecessary fear. So yes, friend Adam Slaney and the others. They'll be able to see everything you haven't marked private, but they will never be able to navigate to your password, let alone a totally different email account on totally different servers with totally different companies (The whole "warning" is ridiculous).

-PC

Re: Book Review: Twilight Series Is a Primer for the Mormon Religion and Is Boring.

PurpleCar — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:11:37 -0000

Michelle,

Exactly. Thanks for commenting! Come back and link me to your post when you are done.

I forgot to add the child-marriage aspect. My friend pointed out that the "imprinting" on babies thing is basically a child-marriage arrangement. We've all seen spin-offs of the Mormon church do this very thing, probably due to a fundamental belief in fate and pre-ordained couplings. With Jacob imprinting on Nessie and his other friend imprinting on the two year old girl, it supports that very fate-controlled life, especially for girls. Yuck.

I totally agree that Bella and Edward are pathetic. It was quite annoying.

-PC

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Re: To Friend or Not To Friend the Ex.

PurpleCar — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:27:08 -0000

Hi Monkey Chick!

Well, first let me say Congratulations on starting your new life. Divorce can be a beginning, too.

I usually keep my advice to online etiquette and computing issues, as I'm not a counselor, but I felt compelled to answer you.

I think you should treat this man as only a little more than a stranger. He's involved with a woman who is about to have his child. You do *not* want to get in the middle of that. Honestly, the guy sounds like he is looking for any way out of the
ridiculous yet serious situation his irresponsible behavior has gotten
him into. Don't give him that excuse.

Ask yourself if it is really this man that you want or is it the comforting idea that you *do* have good taste in men. By getting back together with an ex, it's as if you are proving to yourself that you had it right but just got off the path somehow. After divorce, that crushing sense of failure can put false hope in unhealthy places. Keep your FB and MySpace relations strictly to girlfriends and family for a while. Update daily so your friends can comment with their support.

Find yourself a good counselor. Your insurance company will have counseling practices that they work with, or ask a friend for a suggestion. Do not make any major moves with anyone, especially not an ex, until you are absolutely sure you are doing the right thing. You aren't a failure. You *will* find a man worthy of the person you're growing into. Give yourself some time to grow into that older, wiser, more confident and more beautiful person.

Come back in 9-12 months to let me know how it is going, OK? Good luck!

-PC

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Re: Book Review: Twilight Series Is a Primer for the Mormon Religion and Is Boring.

PurpleCar — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:05:20 -0000

Calla,

that's what really got to me about the Twilight series: the abusive relationship and how no-one is talking about it. I really should have put that subject up at the top and put the religious aspect down at the bottom. But I guess the treating of women as second-class citizens is pretty rampant in conservative religions, so it's all relevant...

I'm glad you're finally done! I hope some parents do in fact read the books to make the decision for themselves what ages are appropriate. I'm shocked to find that some 10 year old girls are reading this stuff. My 9 year old girl is diving into Harry Potter now and I know I'll have some interesting conversations with her throughout the series. There's no way she'll be ready for Twilight until she's at least 14, and she'll have to be a pretty savvy 14 year old at that. I'd rather girls under 18 not read it at all, actually.

Anyway, the facts that the series is escaping scrutiny and is gathering momentum in the mom set are baffling to me. I just don't get it.

Thanks for coming by after you finished the books!

-PC

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Re: Book Review: Twilight Series Is a Primer for the Mormon Religion and Is Boring.

PurpleCar — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:23:46 -0000

Glenn,

Thanks for asking!

Edward's values are conservative, and I did make a parenthetical statement above that Edward's beliefs are aligned with any conservative christian religion. What I found to be particularly Mormon was the young marriage and the immediate procreation. I'm not sure if there is any written tenets in Mormon that dictate that practice, but it is certainly part of the culture surrounding the religion.

If you are asking about the history of Mormon, the wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesu...) says that the church was founded circa 1830, well before Edward was born (according to the fuzzy timeline in the Twilight series).

There is nothing in the books that indicates any particular religious tradition in Edward's (or any other character's) history. A religious background and conflict with belief systems are usually explored in other vampire novels, so I was actually surprised that Meyer ignored this tradition in the genre. The books and characters would have been a bit more interesting if Meyer did present some inner conflict in that light.

I'm not sure if that answers your question. Let me know if I can clarify.

-PC

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Re: Book Review: Twilight Series Is a Primer for the Mormon Religion and Is Boring.

PurpleCar — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:39:11 -0000

Mandy,

Thanks for putting that two cents in! I live in the Philadelphia area and I don't get to see this kind of culture much. It sounds pretty repressive. Actually, I'm a bit shocked to hear about the teen pregnancy rates there, but they are on the rise around the country, more in the conservative states. You'd think we'd learn about repression and rebellion at some point.

At any rate, you are allowed to be an independent person! There is nothing in the New Testament (which is Jesus's new covenant and meant to wipe away the Old Testament) that says women must be with a man to be saved. Some sects of Mormon, I think, stray away from that. My friend Curtis, who commented here, is no where NEAR like that, so it is very confusing what Mormon actually stands for. It's a shame that they feel like they can tell you how to live your life.

Keep strong. This is America. You can live where you want and practice whatever religion you like in peace. It's not only the law, but it is morally and ethically the better choice (IMHO). I'm glad you filled us in on a reason why the books have Bella totally lose herself in Edward. Thanks.

-PC

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Re: Book Review: Twilight Series Is a Primer for the Mormon Religion and Is Boring.

PurpleCar — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:24:20 -0000

Milosa,

thanks for writing!

Yes the series does go downhill, as Bella is literally kidnapped and held against her will in a following book. Edward bribes his sister with a sports car to capture and retain Bella for a weekend. Bella has to be cunning in order to slip out. Animosity abounds on both sides from her friend Jacob and from Edward. They each tell her repeatedly how the other is bad for her and how she should dump the relationship. Bella is threatened both by the friend and her lover that she will be forced to sever all ties with the other. It's ridiculous.

The scariest part is that the 4th book has it all working out in the end. What kind of message is this?

I just wish Bella had more of a sense of self. We all know what it is like to be consumed by a relationship, but 99.9% of us have the perseverance to move on after the end of it. Not Bella. She lets it consume her.

Besides all of this, the characters are awfully selfish... I don't know. I think a series like this would have been able to have good messages in it for girls. I shudder to think what 10 year olds are learning from it.

-PC

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Re: 5 Ways to Get More Sex from Your Wife

PurpleCar — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:18:16 -0000

Amen, Brother!

Re: 5 Ways to Get More Sex from Your Wife

PurpleCar — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:01:24 -0000

Thanks Bill & Zen Mom! Seems like I gotta state the obvious, but you know, whatever works! :)

Re: Book Review: Twilight Series Is a Primer for the Mormon Religion and Is Boring.

PurpleCar — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:07:33 -0000

Curtis, you should read the books. You can skim it mostly, trust me. But I can tell you right now that the posters, the books, etc., don't coincide with your religious beliefs entirely. I definitely think there are parallels and that Meyer was overly influenced by the Mormon teachings, but the controlling nature of Edward in the story is definitely in contrast to what you believe. You should read the books and then talk to your daughter and wife about how the message of the characters and story aren't totally in sync with your beliefs. I remember being influenced by what I read when I was a teen, even though I didn't realize it was shaping my beliefs.

But you can't talk about the books with them if you haven't read them. It will only take a few days, because as I said, you can skim them and not read them as carefully as I did. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to allow any media of this story in my house. Just an FYI.

By the way, I love that you gave me a bunch of websites to check out. I'm going to do that. I think Mormons shouldn't be so secretive, though, it makes you look cultish. I know some things are "sacred" but that just seems scary to people. Look at the whole exorcism thing with the Catholics. They needed to talk about that and make it clear because people were afraid and skeptical. I've read the first-person account/ cult-watch websites/print about Mormon, and I'll look at the sites you listed too. Thanks.

-PC

Re: Book Review: Twilight Series Is a Primer for the Mormon Religion and Is Boring.

PurpleCar — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:36:35 -0000

Hey Annie! Thanks for commenting!

Well, Jodi Picoult is considered "YA" (Young Adult) and she writes so much better. Or Judy Blume. Think of those authors and then compare. John Knowles wrote A Separate Peace for young people and that is now a classic in Literature. There are many, many titles from our youth, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, To Kill A Mockingbird, Jacob Have I Loved, for example, that show good writing for Young Adults. It's possible. Meyer didn't get close to that. But who cares when you are making millions of dollars, right?

I think teens like this series because 1. Edward is a superhero/perfect man 2. They aren't experienced enough to recognize a harmful obsession. 3. They fantasize about being in love and/or having sex. 4. They dream about money and ultimate freedom. Bad writing shan't get in the way of that.

Stephenie Meyer is just getting started. She will drag this out as long as she can. I hear there is another book in the works. I won't be reading any more of them, though. Meyer got slightly stronger as a writer with each passing book, but only by miniscule amounts. I think you can portray teen angst without repeating conversations constantly, which is what she overdid in the first book especially. It was very boring. The characters are extremely selfish, too, and there isn't many redeeming qualities to keep one interested in the characters' fates.

I hate to rip up other writers. But this deserved ripping and discussing because it is so popular, and mostly popular with the 12-18 set. Why adult women are reading it and loving it is a mystery. Our own mom's club is having a book club meeting about it in a few weeks! They've had movie-watching parties! These are 40 year old women (none over 50, not many under 30, I may add).

I haven't read any Sweet Valley High. I'll have to take a look at them.

-PC

Re: Book Review: Twilight Series Is a Primer for the Mormon Religion and Is Boring.

PurpleCar — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:47:28 -0000

Thanks Lindsey and DrM for coming and commenting.

Yes, the more important issue is that the characters are ridiculously selfish and self-motivated, and the relationship between Bella and Edward is a horrific example for young girls. I shudder to think that any young woman is reading this series. Parents need to discuss it thoroughly with their kids.

As for getting people to read, Lindsey, I hear you, but this isn't the answer. Read the article I linked above, from the LA times. Here is the link again: http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-caw-wo...

Your nieces are way too young for this series. I'm glad you are reading it so you can talk to them about it.

-PC

Re: Book Review: Twilight Series Is a Primer for the Mormon Religion and Is Boring.

PurpleCar — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:37:14 -0000

Hey Curtis.

You know I love you, as you are one of my long-time real-life friends. Let me say a few things.

I don't want to offend Mormons, or any religious people for that matter. I said I have no issue with the beliefs. But no reviews are talking about this aspect, and I thought that I'd bring it up for discussion because the references are so clear. I did make a parenthetical statement in the post that it could be any conservative christian religion. I chose Mormon because Ms. Meyer makes no bones about how her religion influences her writing. You and I have talked about Mormon, and I've read a bit about it as you know I am curious about world religions. I've read more than the average non-Mormon person about Mormon, I'd guess. Like all religions, there are some basic and yet more secret tenets. I'm not as privy to the secret tenets, so that's why I ventured in the direction of "I'll bet there are even more religious references in here that I even know."

I think Meyer has betrayed your religion, actually, by portraying such a destructive relationship. I really, really want you to read the books, Curtis. I've seen the movie and it was the worst screenplay I've ever seen adapted from a book. The book is boring, no doubt, but I think a high school student could have written a more faithful account of the book.

As for my beliefs, which you are right to question (always question!), I'm not particularly religious as you know. And I avoid putting down any rules for people. Getting married early and having children early in marriages seems to work for a lot of people, especially if you have a small community that supports such things. I wish there was more support for marriage and commitment in our general society, including marriage for gay people. Marriage and family units are the basis of our society, so anything we can do to encourage that commitment between people will make our society stronger. It's as simple as that. (I don't believe in polygamy or marriage for those under 18.)

I didn't say I agreed or disagreed with Meyer's views. I have a feeling, though, that pointing out the religiosity alone is enough to offend the sensitive.

I should have put the stuff about the destructive relationship at the top. You are right about that. It really is the more important aspect of the warning. Kids under 13, probably under 16, shouldn't be reading these books. See this article here: http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-caw-wo...

Thanks for writing, Curits. Read over the review again, please. I mention the religiosity but I don't judge it. I just wanted to point it out.

love, PC

Re: “The Mommy” Mystery

PurpleCar — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:47:55 -0000

Thanks Stu!

I'd love to hear your theories about why "The Mommy" happens. Theories are all we got!

-PC

Re: The Seven Gates of Hell

czar — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:41:12 -0000

approvw

Re: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Mission to read all the winners.

PurpleCar — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:26:12 -0000

Jim,
Thanks so much for this thoughtful and informational reply. I want to spend some time discussing this with you. Hopefully I can respond in more detail tomorrow. I'm not a big short story collection fan either, actually. The genre seems to be gaining in popularity though.
-PC

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Re: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Mission to read all the winners.

PurpleCar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:13:21 -0000

Reuben,

What made you want to read all of the Pulitzer fiction novels? After I get done the two I have, I'll move on to your favorites, Lonesome Dove and the Confessions of Nat Turner. Thanks!

Peace!
-PurpleCar

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