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Jamie

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About Jamie

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    lostboy0000
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    jamieoficaria@hotmail.com
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    http://thescrollsoficaria.com
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    jamieoficaria

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    Male
  • Location
    Bruxelles, Belgique
  • Interests
    Too many to list... but if you want to discuss a topic with me feel free...

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  1. The Pecman is correct about media moving into the digital realm. I feel the issue here isn't if some of these things will exist or not. They certainly will remain to some extent. Books won't completely vanish, neither will other forms of media. To even think so would be foolish, and overly simplistic. There will always be a place for most all types of media as long as there's technology to support them. There are still artists producing art using old polaroid technology, vinyl records won't completely disappear (and as has been stated above are having a small resurgence), some film makers still use 8mm or super 8 in commercial indy productions. So if you want to use or buy an older technology you generally can (with some exceptions - I don't see large segments of society crying about the loss of 8-Track). And just as we still have a need or desire to print the occasional email or some document for the purpose of making a hard copy, books too will not disappear. There will always be options in printing, buying, owning and storing books. What Pecman referrs to quite correctly is a basic paradigm shift in ALL media. Those of us who are a certain age will always find comfort in what we know. It's human nature. My 88 year old mother has never had an answering machine, nor has she ever opted to have a message service as part of her phone landline package. If it is part of the package she surely never uses it. When we bought her a machine for Xmas years ago, she had us return it. She either answers the phone or not PERIOD! Receiving or leaving messages is foreign to her, and I'm not going to alter her opinion. She will never change. Likewise writing a letter is right up her alley, but email... no way. But just because one group of society won't embrace a technology doesn't mean another won't. People who have never lived in a world without, computers, email, cell phones, the www, personal blogs, You Tube, Facebook and Twitter, can't imagine life without them. And often those are the people who create the numbers that drive an economic trend...and generate the $/?/?⁄? etc. At the moment newspapers, book and magazine publishers, Hollywood and the major TV networks are struggling to understand this. So too are music companies. Even government postal agencies if they are quasi independent. While it's true that the paperless society hasn't emerged as quickly as we thought, newer technologies have made carrying documents and using them much easier. I keep all my revenant documents on my flash drive and carry it with me. My copier at work not only copies, but scans them so I can digatally store them. Every office in the buildings I work in have meeting and conference rooms with large screens, or projectors and computers so all I need do is plug the flash in and viola... I can do a basic presentation. If someone wants or needs a copy it's as easy as jumping into my email and sending them an attachment of the document AND doing it right on the spot while we're still meeting face to face. Then can then immediately tell me by checking their Blackberry or iPhone if they've received it! Sure things move slow. Governments still like things in triplicate and the idea of REAL paper, but as younger people move into positions of leadership they're going to find some of that ridiculous. I worked for a guy a few years ago who INSISTED that I put a double space after a period. He was 65 at the time and that was the way HE was taught using a typewriter. But that's no longer the standard given modern wordprocessing. If I would have done that for my dissertation, my committee members would have summerly returned it to me and not so politely have told me to correct my ERROR. I for one am excited about this - at least on one level. As a writer I see the ability to get my work out there and published under less then conventional methods. Years ago even IF you decided to self-publish you had to order a minimum of books and the cost was expensive. Most self-publishing companies made money off the people paying to have their works published, while the people actually writing the books lost money. While not completely true, it was a bit of a scam and some self-publishing companies had more than a bit of a flam-flam reputation. More than a few people ended up with cartons of unwanted and unsellable books taking up space in their sheds or garages. But today on-demand or digital publishing allows more freedom. As a writer you don't have to commit to buying 500 books that UPS or FED-EX is going to deliver to your door. You Tube has made people who never would have been famous well known... likewise with stores like iTunes or various Apps stores. You may or may not like them. You may use them or avoid them in protest, but various indy artists have gotten fame and recognition from them. Likewise independent Apps writers and software designers are making money, bypsssing traditional software companies. Something they would never have achieved through traditional publishing houses or music companies or softwear companies just a decade or two ago. Even an outlet like AwesomeDude allows us to write and share things that 40 years ago we would never have had the opportunity to do. That things are changing is a fact. That we love or hate them boils down to our own personal opinion, but the fact is we're not going to stop it. We can choose not to use it, buy it, support it, but we won't stop it. This whole issue has led to great confusion on the part of some of the major players. It's only going to get worse. Look at some of the battles between Apple and the media at the moment. What do you charge for something you want to place on an iPad? Is .99 too little or too much to pay for a song or TV show? Is Apple TV the future or just a gimmick to make Steve and Co. richer? The market will sort these issues out. It usually does over time. Newspapers have been closing and/or their revenues have been declining. Hollywood may have the occasional blockbuster, but they're not all that healthy these days. Music companies are batteling illegal downloading. We're no longer bound by what's "on TV" tonight since we can access, or download and play almost anything. A quick search of You Tube can get you just about anything... for FREE. Films are being watched online (illegally) weeks before they're released. And even conventional cinemas are rebelling over the price film producers are charging them. (E.g the battle a while back between cinema chains and the producer/distributor of Alice in Wonderland when they wanted to release the DVD far ahead of the usual conventional release dates set in the past.) And don't even start about countries like China who have a mega media black market that no one can seem to stop. 20 or even 10 years from now as a whole generation of first graders start school with electronic tablet devices in their back packs, what's going to be on them? Who's going to control it? As an educator I for one have always had an axe to grind with textbook publishers who charge uni students $100 or 100? for a single text book (now days even more). The author of said book usually gets pennies from the publisher. I'd be more than happy to create my own material and "sell" it to my students for a reasonable fee thorough my uni. That's already happening some places. So don't decry what's happening. It's coming. Your not going to stop it. You can choose to not support it, but that won't end the debate. What we need to do is not to try and stop the tide, but to see if we can control or work with it to some extent for the better good. I for one would LOVE to see TSOI on every person's Kindle and ipad... I wouldn't shed too many tears over that. cheers
  2. Dear TSOI Readers, I don't mind if not all (or even many) of you don't access the audio file. In fact after a quick listen many may chose to continue reading instead of listening to the work. That's really ok with me. Some readers prefer the quiet act of reading. I think it's one of the best ways to stimulate the mind and the imagination. Like adding pictures of characters, the spoken word can violate the images readers have in their minds as to the look and sound of the characters. And that's a bit of a sacred thing between a writer and their readers. I too enjoy the act of reading, but sometimes I will buy or download an audio book. This is so I can listen at the gym, on the Metro or when I'm driving. I do it out or convenience when reading isn't as practical. But most of my reading is just that... old fashioned reading sans audio. The audio files are basically an experiment; a way to present the story in a different form. I have more then a few readers who are blind or sight impaired. They use programs to read the text. These programs are great, but the voices can be rather flat. So I'm hoping a file I create might have a little more life and emotion to it. I am curious to peoples reactions. If it's something that's not really necessary that's also good to know. The first audio chapter I've posted - Chapter 33 - is almost an hour and fifteen minutes long. It took a long time to make. So I have to balance the time spent doing that against the time writing the story. If the audio interferes with the writing then I will concentrate on writing which is the number 1 priority. So if anyone is curious to take a listen to the audio files. You are most welcome to do so, but if you as one of TSOI's readers prefers to bypass the audio and go directly to quiet reading mode... that's quite alright. I take no offense or exception. I'm just happy that you are following the work... in whatever form it appeals to you.
  3. Dear TSOI readers, I am engaging an experiment in creating TSOI audio files. An audio file of The Scrolls of Icaria's CHAPTER 33 from Book 2 is currently available on the TSOI CHAPTER PAGE . BE WARNED that if you listen to it without reading any other parts of TSOI you will be opening yourself up for some spoilers. Please let me know what you think, and if it's something that you would like to see regarding past and/or future chapters. Jamie Click HERE
  4. ?& also Chapter 16 of Book 2 of The Scrolls of Icaria for TOSI readers!
  5. Very nice work TR, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It?s amazing how the truth is much more incredible then fiction. I?ve always been amazed that many gays don?t know this true story and I?m glad you brought it to light. The fictional Wizard?s Imperial Legion of Icaria that appears in TSOI is based 100% on the real fighting unit who fought so valiantly that they had to be completely slaughtered in order for them to be defeated. I?ve always held the story of the formation of the Thebian fighting unit and their bravery in high regard, it?s one reason I ?modeled? my own fighting troops on them. It is said that after they were defeated and their bodies lay across the field of battle, Phillip of Macedonia (their conqueror) looking out across the battlefield paid them the highest of compliments saying that he?d never seen such a brave army and one that not only fought for their country, but also for the honor and protection of their lover ? each fighting as a pair to protect the other ? for if they failed they would lose their mate. And he could think of no greater and fiercer motivation. BTW loved the artwork you choose to illustrate it with. One scene is a relief carved on the ?Alexander Sarcophagus? it depicts scenes of Alexander the Great?s life although he actually never was interred in it. Today it sits in the Turkish National Museum in Istanbul. I got to see it in person this summer during a trip to Turkey. It is very impressive in real life. Again great job! I hope everyone coming to AD reads it.
  6. I enjoyed all of the special and well written Halloween stories in this weeks Awesome Dude posting, but this story was my absolute favorite. Maybe it appeals to my activism, but I thought it was the BEST of all of them. Thank you for writing it and sharing it with all of us. Jamie
  7. Here?s how I look at the issues of ?scrolls? that you bring up. When I first envisioned writing this story the mental image I gave myself was as follows: I set up my mental construct based on the assumption that many years have passed since the time of the original story. In the far distant future, Jamie returning from one of his long voyages visits one of the scholarly academies of Icaria. While there, a young scholar doing research on the formation of Icaria and it's history cautiously approaches him. Although slightly fearful and not wanting to appear bold and forward, the young Icarian nevertheless asks Jamie with some trepidation to tell him some of the facts from the wizard?s point of view. He also asks about some of the famous heroes of that era, along with some of the villains and questions what really happened so long ago. At the end of their brief encounter, the young Icarian gathers up his courage and suggests to the legendary wizard that he should tell the story in his own words ? thus setting the record straight and separating reality from the myths and legends that have grown up surrounding those early formative years. Jamie returns to his palace and thinks on the young Icarian?s words for quite some time. A few weeks go by and the young scholar receives a summons to the wizard?s palace. When he arrives he is ushered into a private study ? a small space, candle lit, that is quiet and reflective. The room is filled with books, art, interesting objects and personal mementos. He can?t help notice a sword lying on one of the shelves ? it markings indicating it once belonged to Duet Lizard the legendary ?first duet? of the original gladiatorial pairs. He sees a child?s ball carefully preserved under a small domed jar and can?t help but wonder if the legend of King Niklas retrieving the ball for a young Jamie really is true. On another shelf is a small gold and silver flute ? could it be the famous Marzotti flute, Barsetba had in his possession when he first met the Icarians? Forgetting where he is he reaches out to touch a miniature portrait of an old knight with one eye and jumps when Jamie tells him that yes, it is miniature of his dear friend Brotus. Looking to the center of the room he sees a table upon which are piled stacks of parchment, a few bottles of ink and a sheaf of fresh quills. Jamie tells the young Icarian to sit and that while he can?t tell him the full story of Icaria from every perspective, he will tell the young angel his personal story through his eyes. Amazed over this, the young Icarian is paralyzed, but Jamie ushers him to the table, makes him sit, and hands him a quill. Moving to a comfortable low rising chair, the great wizard sits back and begins to reminisce. Occasionally he is interrupted by the young scholar asking a question or seeking clarification on a point, but for the most part Jamie talks and the younger man writes. Weeks pass and the process continues as the Icarian scholar fills parchment after parchment ? creating The Scrolls of Icaria. Does that answer you question? Think of them as a great bundle of reminisces, filling hundreds of parchments, rolled up into scrolls that eventually get catalogued and make their way to the great Library of Donas at Eagles Rock. As I write this Bronze (of interlude 4) is in it's first edit. Silver is being composed by the author and Gold is finished and also in first edit. Jamie
  8. Jamie

    Hosanna

    Thanks for the feed-back everyone. It makes me glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I did this a while back as a Christmas piece. It was fun to write and although it doesn't have any Icarians in it, it does feature a little boy with wings... funny I always seem to find a way to put wings on my characters.
  9. A delightful and heart warming story. Well written. Just the thing for the holiday season. A great plot twist. Artfully done so the twist wasn't easily guessed or an immediate give-away. I throughly enjoyed it. Thank you
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