>[blip.tv http://blip.tv/play/AfeIe5CKFg]
>Piggy Contest Winners
>Well, I had a contest to win a hardcover copy of JOLTED: Newton Starker's Rules for Survival and here were a few of the entries. The tough, mind bending question was: how do truffle pigs find truffles?
By dining at the world famous Truffles Restaurant in Saskatoon, SK Canada. Google map attached --Arla G
Truffle pigs find truffles as they truffle along to Buffalo where they can get a copy of JOLTED.--Pat R
I don't know about you but I eat them both and then they find comfort in my tummy.--Louise
Truffle pigs find truffles in the pigtionary and therefore don't do any sniffing or digging. There are no words or letters in the pigtionary. It contains only sounds. Our truffle pigs find the truffles somewhere between troubles and trifles. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? But really, take it from me, it's no truffle at all.--Dave C.
Truffle pigs find truffles by scouting about with their snout,
sniffing in and out,
finding the treasure,
they give out a shout.
OINK!--Debbie S
The truffle pigs ears twitch when they are near truffles, then they use their nose to smell out where exactly the truffles are.--
Nathalie K
and the winning entry, chosen by Josephine the truffle hunting pig, was:
Truffle pigs find truffles
With the ease a nose finds snuffles
Not a squabble, no kerfluffles
Then they stuff them into duffles
For you see, these pigs are nosey
In the woods they often mosey
Seeking truffles, though, not posy
And they root them ‘til they’re dozy.--Valerie S
Fun stuff! If you want to join in on the excitement, wit, and other stuff, just sign up for my cheeky e-mails. I only send out 4 e-mails a year, so your inbox won't be flooded.
Thanks to all the entries!
>Virtual Visit: My Floating Head
>Well, I did my first virtual visit using Skype! It was with Carman Collegiate in Carman, Manitoba and I must say that it was a highly enjoyable experience and there were relatively few technical glitches.
First we had a test visit the day before, just to be sure that Skype would work and that the projectors and the sound system were also working properly. It is very important to go through all this before the actual day of the visit, just because there is always something that can go wrong. But they had some tech wizards on their side that made everything go smoothly.
The setup on my end was fairly simple. I had my Macbook (which has a built-in web cam), Skype, and a wireless microphone (these mics are rather expensive, my wife is a musician so I borrowed hers). I could have used the microphone on the Macbook or my USB mic, but I wanted my voice to be as clear as possible and I wanted to be able to move away from the laptop and gesture and do all sorts of antics. I have wireless internet (500k upload, 10mb download, in case you're interested) and that seemed to be fast enough to run everything.
This is what I saw on my screen: 
In the upper right hand is the Skype window. There's the classroom, the students, the tech wizard (who is running the laptops and projectors on their end). On the left hand side of my screen are PDF's of the images they are projecting on their second projector (I had sent these files to them earlier). I have my "Sound" preferences open, just so I can be certain they are still hearing me.
This is what they saw on their end:
They had two projectors (one to project my image on Skype, and one to project the images of my slideshow). They also had a sound system and a microphone (for asking questions). That's Jeremy, the tech wizard, who is running the whole show.
The whole event lasted about an hour. I spoke for forty minutes, including brief readings from several of my books, then answered questions at the end. For the first part of the presentation it was difficult to tell the students' reactions because their microphone was turned down to prevent feedback in their sound system. The students were a little blurry and distant, so it was also hard to read their faces (but thankfully techwiz Jeremy laughed at my jokes, so I knew at least one person was getting my sense of humour). But once the mic was turned up and it was Q&A time I was able to get a much better read on their reactions.
Overall it was a relatively painless experience. Skype dropped out once, but that was before we began the presentation and we reconnected right away. I was able to get back to my own work within a few minutes, which is far different from when I travel to schools out of province. And, hey, the only carbon I produced was while I was talking (much smaller than the amount I'd produce if I'd flown there).
My thanks goes to Library Lady and all the staff and students at Carman for testing this out. I really appreciate it!
P.S. My thanks to Elizabeth O. Dulemba who blogged about her virtual visit and inpsired me. Read her experience here.
>Treadmill Desk: Make Millions and write more!
>Well okay, you won't make millions.
But about a month ago I became a geeky treadhead. Yep, I'm officially one of those people who uses a treadmill desk. I'd read about Dr. James Levine from the Mayo Clinic whose theory was that we humans are designed to be upright and walking for most of the day. So he developed a treadmill desk (here's a video from Good Morning America about it):
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPjN07JyVjo&hl=en&fs=1]
Since I, as a writer, tend to sit for hours and hours and hours, this idea of a treadmill desk kept coming back to me. Finally, I decided to take the plunge. Dr. Levine's desk is $4500 or more, so I frugally made my own (for about $500). I'd read about home built treadmill desks (just Google "treadmill desk" if you want to learn more about treadheads) and followed several fine examples (here's a great blog). I bought a Tempo Evolve treadmill from Canadian Tire, and, oddly enough, the arms on it were perfect for attaching a shelf. It runs quietly and fits nicely into my office. Here's me walking and writing at the same time (no juggling though):
[blip.tv http://blip.tv/play/AeqxDgA]
Anyway, I've been using the desk for 25 days straight now. I walk at 1.6 KPH (1 MPH) and do all of my writing, web surfing, gaming, and other work (really gaming is work, kind of) on the treadmill desk. When I talk on the phone, no one notices that I'm walking because my treadmill is so quiet and I'm moving so slow (so I don't sound like a breathless maniac). I've kept track of my "walking" time and my calorie intake (also known as eating) on a website called The Daily Plate which has been very handy. I've walked 83.9 kms (52 miles) in 25 days, averaging 3.3kms (2.05 miles) a day. I've lost 3.17 kg (7 lbs). Yes, I have charts and all sorts of data tracking. I'm a geek. I admit it.
The drawbacks? A bit of soreness in the hip occasionally and some neck pain (I seem to have the monitor in the right place now).
Many people with treadmill desks pick a virtual destination and walk towards it (say a trip across America). Me, I decided to walk across Alexander the Great's empire (yes, I just saw the movie).
[googlemaps http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?dirflg=r&hl=en&daddr=Montreal-Canadiens+Bell+Centre&ie=UTF8&moduleurl=http:%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fintl%2Fen_ca%2Fhelp%2Fmaps%2Ftransit%2Fmontreal%2Fmapplet.html&mapclient=google&date=09%2F02%2F03&time=11:56&ttype=dep&noexp=0&noal=0&sort=&source=embed&s=AARTsJpsHeqUHnrIF-Qt7Ousa1zId3H8JA&msa=0&msid=102173903521552929443.000461ba9118172bafad6&ll=40.740494,22.586861&spn=1.997792,3.515625&z=8&output=embed&w=640&h=480]
Anyway, this new way of writing is working for me. I certainly am feeling a lot healthier and, oddly enough, I spend more time walking outside instead of driving my car. Now if I could only get my treadmill to power my computer...
>Two Headed Edits
>
Ah, I just finished the last revision for The Hunchback Assignments. It was a curious process this time because I was working on the copy edits from both my American and Canadian publishers. I placed them side by side and went through them page by page. It made me feel a little two headed.
I discovered that if both copy editors saw a sentence or a situation as confusing, I knew that I should change it. But if one copy editor pointed some change out that I didn't agree with I'd check the other copy editor's notes. I felt like I had someone on my side. Then again, at other times I felt like they were ganging up on me (can two copy editors be a gang?). One used a green pencil, the other a red pencil, so I made my marks in a purple pencil. The book looked like a Christmas tree! One liked using Post it notes. There's nothing more exciting than a manuscript decorated with Post it Notes! Whew, at least most of the questions were easy to answer. And none of the notes said, "nice try, but why don't you just start the novel over again?"
Did I mention whew!? It's out of my hands now. Until the galleys come back that is....
