How do I ...... ?

[Taylor514ce]

I live in airplanes and hotels. A modern, technical, troubadour.

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

Hello Smoutie, I live in the UK too (Cheltenham).

I'm curious. Did you get out to any of the events at the Cheltenham Literary Festival this week?

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

I live in airplanes and hotels. A modern, technical, troubadour.

Me too, but since I'm actually going to be at home for the entire next week, I'm trying to forget about the airplanes & hotels part. I leave home on 2 November and don't return to Texas until December 1 or 2. I'll be working in Atlanta, Birmingham, Columbus, DC area (District/MD/VA), and then spending Thanksgiving week with my sister in Richmond.

[ShellShock]

Originally Posted by Elsi

I'm curious. Did you get out to any of the events at the Cheltenham Literary Festival this week?

Yes indeed. Perhaps the highlight was seeing Tony Curtis today (although Roger Moore was very good too, last week). Some of the locals could not believe that such a famous Hollywood star as Tony Curtis would come to a relatively small town like Cheltenham. My wife overheard someone insisting that he would only be appearing by satellite link. I did wonder myself when we were all seated in the hall beforehand, waiting for something to happen. There were two empty seats on the stage, until a stagehand came on and removed one. So, I thought, does this mean just one chair for the interviewer, and Mr Curtis would only appear on the big screen above the stage?

Then the interviewer walked on and introduced Mr Curtis, who duly appeared - in a wheelchair. But he did stand to take some bows, and a much deserved standing ovation. He had the warmest reception of all the talkers I have seen. He talked for about 45 minutes, mainly about his early life and meeting Marilyn Monroe. The first day they met he persuaded Marilyn to accept a lift in his Buick convertible. She was wearing a skirt, and despite it being a sunny day Tony put on the heating fans, and imagined the warm air blowing up her skirt...

Afterwards Mr Curtis signed copies of his auto-biography, and I felt very sorry for him as the queue stretched well outside the book tent. I would not want to sign so many books, and he is almost twice my age (he's 83).

I guess am I a bit star struck now. We are very fortunate to have the literature festival here, and the science festival in the summer, as we get a lot of very interesting speakers. Next year, my wife and I have decided to take the week off work so we can attend more of the talks at the literature festival.

I bought my PRS-505 a couple of weeks ago, and I have decided that I will not buy any more paper books (mainly to save house space). So I felt a bit of a traitor this week at the festival, where all the speakers were trying to sell their latest works, and were signing them, and we were surrounded by paper books. In the coming age of ebooks, what will replace book signing? There are probably not many current authors who would understand what an ebook is, or how to personalize it.

[Taylor514ce]

You might be surprised how many authors are aware of e-books. How could they not be, as it represents a potential new market? The problem is many do not have control of their electronic rights, so can't do anything about e-books even if they wanted.

With touch screens on the rise, I think authors will sign books in the future just as they do now, by scrawling a signature on the book.

[ShellShock]

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

You might be surprised how many authors are aware of e-books. How could they not be, as it represents a potential new market? The problem is many do not have control of their electronic rights, so can't do anything about e-books even if they wanted.

With touch screens on the rise, I think authors will sign books in the future just as they do now, by scrawling a signature on the book.

An e-signature can be copied with perfect fidelity, unlike ink. Does this make the e-signature less valuable? Would an author want to physically sign e-signatures, when they could be created electronically, and be indistinguishable?

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

An e-signature can be copied with perfect fidelity, unlike ink. Does this make the e-signature less valuable? Would an author want to physically sign e-signatures, when they could be created electronically, and be indistinguishable?

Ah heck -- even ink signatures can be reproduced mechanically. I have been told that there's a signature machine in use in the White House so that the president can send out signed certificates and cards. (Every couple celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary is eligible to receive a card of congratulations from the President, for example.) See https://app1.whitehouse.gov/greetings/home