I got a bad shock a couple of weeks ago...took me a while to get over it.
A year or so ago, I discovered that Amazon was allowing people to publish their blogs on the Kindle. People who did so receieved a 30% commission.So, if a person's blog cost 99 cents to subscribe to, the author would receive 30 cents for each one. If the blog cost $1.99, the blogger would receive 60 cents.
However, the blogger has no control over how much Amazon charges for the blogs. And they ALL start at $1.99.
After a while, some blogs drop to 99 cents...no one knows why, while some stay at $1.99.
So it was with me. I had established somewhat of a blog publishing empire. I published 10 blogs...indeed, more than that, as I figured quantity of blogs would help my income.
I had three successful blogs. After about 5 months, one of them had 70 subscriptions. It cost 99 cents, and had done so for about a week after I'd started it, so I was quite happy with getting 30 cents per sub.
Of my other two blogs, one had over 90 subs, and was $1.99. THe other had over 160 subs, and also cost $1.99
So, to recapituatle, I had 2 successful blogs that were earning me 60 cents a piece, and I continued to get subscriptions every single day.
Then, a week or so ago, mid-month, I saw to my horror that my two very successful blogs had been reduced in price to 99 cents. So my income was reduced in half. For the month of September, I earned $170, in October, my income will be $90. I'd anticipated getting 1000 subs by early next year, which would have earned me $600. Now, it will be $300. That's a loss of $300.
Well, I was mad enough to spit. The more so because my 7 blogs that have 1, 2, 3 or 4 subs...still cost $1.99!!!!!
I emailed Amazon's "help desk" and requested, astringently, that my blog prices be put back to $1.99, but I was refused.
So, it's taken me a week or so to recover from my fury. I'm still in the process of shutting down my blogs - I'm not going to help Amazon - at least the Kindle portion of it - earn any money. (The more so because they've also cost themselves money by reducing my prices!)
My one very popular blog, The Rush Limbaugh Report, continues to get subscriptions. I am allowing it to continue for a while - hell, I need the money, even if it is half of what I should be getting - but as soon as my desktop publishing books take off, I'll dump these things.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Update on Colorado's Road Workers
I'd meant to amend this entry several days ago, but time got away from me.
I'd posted how Colorado road workers were out on a Sunday, blocking a 6-mile stretch of road, despite the fact that the road looked quite fine.
Well...that's because it was fine. It had just been laid, as I found out the next day. I encountered more delay going up the highway on the holiday Monday, but this was road workers pouring concrete in another lane.
So I came to the conclusion that the lane closure that had irritated me the other day must have been because "they" want a newly poured concrete road to set undisturbed for 48 hours or more, before trucks start driving over it.
Now, as Terry Pratchett puts it in Thief of Time, (although I'm paraphrasing because that book is now hiding somewhere in my new house), New information calls for a new conclusion, but does not render incorrect the old conclusion, based on the knowledge had at the time.
In other words, just because I was wrong in the previous case about road workers being paid triple time for no good reason, isn't to say that they don't on average get paid a heckuva lot for standing around doing very little. (3 supervisors to 1 worker, etc.)
I'd posted how Colorado road workers were out on a Sunday, blocking a 6-mile stretch of road, despite the fact that the road looked quite fine.
Well...that's because it was fine. It had just been laid, as I found out the next day. I encountered more delay going up the highway on the holiday Monday, but this was road workers pouring concrete in another lane.
So I came to the conclusion that the lane closure that had irritated me the other day must have been because "they" want a newly poured concrete road to set undisturbed for 48 hours or more, before trucks start driving over it.
Now, as Terry Pratchett puts it in Thief of Time, (although I'm paraphrasing because that book is now hiding somewhere in my new house), New information calls for a new conclusion, but does not render incorrect the old conclusion, based on the knowledge had at the time.
In other words, just because I was wrong in the previous case about road workers being paid triple time for no good reason, isn't to say that they don't on average get paid a heckuva lot for standing around doing very little. (3 supervisors to 1 worker, etc.)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Brett Favre
Brett Favre has not said, "It's a lie" when asked about the allegations made against him by a few women in New York. So, although I had initially hoped that it wasn't true, I'm beginning to think that it is.
(How fascinating that the women involved didn't decide to complain until two years later. Had Favre refused to pay blackmail to them?)
Anyway, his actions aren't as bad as Tiger Woods, as far as having relations with over 30 women, but they are as stupid.
Here's a guy with a wife and kids, in the public eye, making money in endorsements, and he sends text messages and photos to women in the New York Jets organization? And he doesn't expect this to come out and tarnish his image.
It's just stupid!
(How fascinating that the women involved didn't decide to complain until two years later. Had Favre refused to pay blackmail to them?)
Anyway, his actions aren't as bad as Tiger Woods, as far as having relations with over 30 women, but they are as stupid.
Here's a guy with a wife and kids, in the public eye, making money in endorsements, and he sends text messages and photos to women in the New York Jets organization? And he doesn't expect this to come out and tarnish his image.
It's just stupid!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Colorado Road Workers
It's Sunday.
Earlier this afternoon, I drove into Colorado from Texas, on North 287. A little ways into the state, I came across traffic ahead of me come to a complete stop. Fortunately, I'd just filled up the car with gas and both my mom and I had had our bathroom break (hint: any time you have the chance to go to the bathroom, do so!) so it wouldn't have mattered how long we would have had to sit there, it was just annoying.
Suddenly cars zoom past us on the other side (it's a two lane road)...and I'm thinking...what is this, is one lane blocked off or something? In other words, I had an intimiation of what was going on, but I couldn't believe it was going on on a Sunday.
Finally, we got to go forward, and my suspicious proved correct. A 6 and 1/2 mile lane of traffic was blocked off, and so there were stop/go flagmen at each end. Pressumably they'd hold up one side for 30 minutes ,then the other side for 30 minutes, to let traffic on either side go through.
On a Sunday.
But it was more than that. Down the center of the road were large orange barrels, marking off the lane into which we were not supposed to go.
And that lane was pristine. No one was working on it then, and it had not been worked on. People could have driven over it easily. (Indeed, I could see no reason for them to repair it if that indeed was what they were planning to do, it looked perfect.)
So. The road was not dug up. There was no reason in the world why both lanes couldn't have been open on a Sunday. Today's modern drivers are perfectly capable of avoiding the center median with large orange barrels running down it.
Yet the lane was closed off and drivers were being inconvenienced, and for what? So about 20 highway "workers" could get Sunday overtime (or is Sunday double time) pay for standing around doing nothing?
On this 6 mile stretch of road, there was 1 flagman at the point where I started, and we passed two flagmen, one at about 2 miles each, and I had no idea why he was there with his little stop and go sign since obviously no one was going to stop driving. But perhaps it's union rules, if flagmen are used they have to be deployed every two miles whether they are needed or not.
At the end of the lane where we were allowed to get back into our own lane in order to continue on normally, there was a flagman, there was a flagman relaxing in a truck, and a flagman talking to him. All these guys getting paid needlessly on a Sunday.
In addition, there was no equipment anywhere. If the road was going to be torn up, why wasn't the equipment sitting on the side of the road, ready to roar into use on Monday? (And what exactly was wrong with the road, anyway!??? Because it looked great - brand new, not a pothole to be seen.)
It just makes no sense.
Earlier this afternoon, I drove into Colorado from Texas, on North 287. A little ways into the state, I came across traffic ahead of me come to a complete stop. Fortunately, I'd just filled up the car with gas and both my mom and I had had our bathroom break (hint: any time you have the chance to go to the bathroom, do so!) so it wouldn't have mattered how long we would have had to sit there, it was just annoying.
Suddenly cars zoom past us on the other side (it's a two lane road)...and I'm thinking...what is this, is one lane blocked off or something? In other words, I had an intimiation of what was going on, but I couldn't believe it was going on on a Sunday.
Finally, we got to go forward, and my suspicious proved correct. A 6 and 1/2 mile lane of traffic was blocked off, and so there were stop/go flagmen at each end. Pressumably they'd hold up one side for 30 minutes ,then the other side for 30 minutes, to let traffic on either side go through.
On a Sunday.
But it was more than that. Down the center of the road were large orange barrels, marking off the lane into which we were not supposed to go.
And that lane was pristine. No one was working on it then, and it had not been worked on. People could have driven over it easily. (Indeed, I could see no reason for them to repair it if that indeed was what they were planning to do, it looked perfect.)
So. The road was not dug up. There was no reason in the world why both lanes couldn't have been open on a Sunday. Today's modern drivers are perfectly capable of avoiding the center median with large orange barrels running down it.
Yet the lane was closed off and drivers were being inconvenienced, and for what? So about 20 highway "workers" could get Sunday overtime (or is Sunday double time) pay for standing around doing nothing?
On this 6 mile stretch of road, there was 1 flagman at the point where I started, and we passed two flagmen, one at about 2 miles each, and I had no idea why he was there with his little stop and go sign since obviously no one was going to stop driving. But perhaps it's union rules, if flagmen are used they have to be deployed every two miles whether they are needed or not.
At the end of the lane where we were allowed to get back into our own lane in order to continue on normally, there was a flagman, there was a flagman relaxing in a truck, and a flagman talking to him. All these guys getting paid needlessly on a Sunday.
In addition, there was no equipment anywhere. If the road was going to be torn up, why wasn't the equipment sitting on the side of the road, ready to roar into use on Monday? (And what exactly was wrong with the road, anyway!??? Because it looked great - brand new, not a pothole to be seen.)
It just makes no sense.
Don't put Super Glue Near Your Eyedrops!
Winnipeg Free Press: US woman mistakenly uses super glue instead of eye drops
I'll have to track down a Phoenix report on this, because some details are left out. My dad had cataract surgery on both eyes. And 24 to 48 hours after the operation, he could see just fine. So this woman must have had pretty bad eyesight for some other reason, if she'd had cataract surgery a year ago.
But the main point is - why does she keep her superglue in among her eye drop bottles?
Tip: Keep SuperGlue out of the reach of children and people who can't see very well.
PHOENIX - A woman accidentally glued an eye shut when she mistook super glue for her eye drops.
KSAZ-TV says Irmgard Holm of Glendale had cataract surgery a year ago. She was reaching for what she thought was one of her half-dozen eye drop medications. The burning sensation told her immediately something was seriously wrong.
Holm says the eye drops and the super glue bottles are nearly identical.
After putting super glue in her eye, Holm says she tried washing it out. But the quick-drying substance did what it was supposed to and sealed her eye shut.
Holm got to the hospital and staff cut off the hardened glue covering her eye. Once the eye was opened, doctors washed it out to prevent major damage, KSAZ-TV reported.
I'll have to track down a Phoenix report on this, because some details are left out. My dad had cataract surgery on both eyes. And 24 to 48 hours after the operation, he could see just fine. So this woman must have had pretty bad eyesight for some other reason, if she'd had cataract surgery a year ago.
But the main point is - why does she keep her superglue in among her eye drop bottles?
Tip: Keep SuperGlue out of the reach of children and people who can't see very well.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
It's always something
I learned further details about our little house problem today.
Originally, we were scheduled to close Oct 1. That got pushed back to Oct 8. So the woman who owned the house had an extra week to finish moving out of her house - but she didn't.
In addition, the reason why the closing is now pushed back 2 WEEKS is because the woman owed back taxes on the house, and she needs a form from the IRS proving that she's going to pay them - or that she'll give partial proceeds of her payment from us to the IRS, or whatever.
(Seems to me, we should have just been able to pay the back taxes and take over the property!)
Anyway, that's also something we didn't find out until yesterday. So fortunately the garage is clear, and my da has started unpacking tings into the garage, but whn my mom and I arrive we are going to have to stay for 2 weeks in BAQ (military quarters for retirees) because of this delay.
I think the woman should have to reimburse us for this extra expense, but apparently taht's not going to happen.
But I must say I am not impressed with the efficiency of this woman or her realtor, or our realtor come to that!
Originally, we were scheduled to close Oct 1. That got pushed back to Oct 8. So the woman who owned the house had an extra week to finish moving out of her house - but she didn't.
In addition, the reason why the closing is now pushed back 2 WEEKS is because the woman owed back taxes on the house, and she needs a form from the IRS proving that she's going to pay them - or that she'll give partial proceeds of her payment from us to the IRS, or whatever.
(Seems to me, we should have just been able to pay the back taxes and take over the property!)
Anyway, that's also something we didn't find out until yesterday. So fortunately the garage is clear, and my da has started unpacking tings into the garage, but whn my mom and I arrive we are going to have to stay for 2 weeks in BAQ (military quarters for retirees) because of this delay.
I think the woman should have to reimburse us for this extra expense, but apparently taht's not going to happen.
But I must say I am not impressed with the efficiency of this woman or her realtor, or our realtor come to that!
Friday, October 8, 2010
A closing date should be a closing date
My dad arranged to buy a house in Cheyenne, WY. He did it long distance - my sister lives in Cheyenne and she scoped out houses and talked with the realtor, etc. My dad decided on one, and we've had such a hassle getting the loan. I won't go into that, except to say that the process of buying a house, even when you have the money to buy it flat out, is just a pain.
But, the closing on the house was supposed to take place on Oct 8. And the people from whom we've bought the house have known that we've bought the house and were expecting to move in on Oct 8.
So you'd think that they would have had all their furniture and other stuff out of the house at least a week ago.
But, not so.... they are still moving out.
That may not necessarily be stupid as just inconsiderate....but, no...really, it's stupid as well. Unless they needed the downpayment money that wouldn't be delivered until the 8th to fund their move, I suppose....
Nevertheless, it's annoying, as my Dad showed up on Oct 8 with a truck full of our household goods from VA, and he can't start unpacking them yet. And each day he has to keep that truck is costing him money.
So I'm hoping he'll be able to deduct the daily cost of keeping that truck from his payment to the original house owners, because it's their fault that he's paying extra money each day.
But, the closing on the house was supposed to take place on Oct 8. And the people from whom we've bought the house have known that we've bought the house and were expecting to move in on Oct 8.
So you'd think that they would have had all their furniture and other stuff out of the house at least a week ago.
But, not so.... they are still moving out.
That may not necessarily be stupid as just inconsiderate....but, no...really, it's stupid as well. Unless they needed the downpayment money that wouldn't be delivered until the 8th to fund their move, I suppose....
Nevertheless, it's annoying, as my Dad showed up on Oct 8 with a truck full of our household goods from VA, and he can't start unpacking them yet. And each day he has to keep that truck is costing him money.
So I'm hoping he'll be able to deduct the daily cost of keeping that truck from his payment to the original house owners, because it's their fault that he's paying extra money each day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)