Thoughts on Blade Runner

The 1982 film Bladerunner flopped when it opened in theatres, but various hands have permutated the original into about half a dozen versions available on DVD and BluRay, with bonus material and such. After 35 years, director Ridley Scott produced a sequel directed by the French-Canadian auteur Denis Villeneuve. It flopped in theatres, albeit not as badly as the first film. 

I did not like the first film, but I did appreciate the greatness of Rutger Hauer's death scene at the climax. I do like the later versions with the contrived happy ending deleted. 

I like the new film, Blade Runner 2049, despite its many flaws. I see plot holes and problems with the story, as well as a conflict between the first two hours of artistic exposition and the last half hour of violent action. 

Learn more about my thoughts in an interview this evening on Blogtalk, hosted by Karl Kaefer. The show starts at 5 P.M. Pacific, 8P.M. Eastern, and you can watch it later, as an archived show, through the same link.

 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ksdadradio/2018/05/16/karl-kaefer-presents-phillip-k-dick-1-tessa-dick

Learn even more when my next book is published.

People Are Reading More, Prints Books Alive and Well

I just got this press release:

ThriftBooks inaugural Reader Survey offers insights into the mind of a reader.

Seattle, WA, April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ThriftBooks, the world’s largest online used bookstore, commissioned a study of 1,000 readers to learn about reading habits. Praxis Research conducted the inaugural annual survey, and respondents were a mix of ThriftBooks customers and a panel of readers from both Canada and the United States.

According to Marcelo Nacht, Praxis Research Partners, “The robust sample size employed yields results which are highly projectible to the entire US reader population (+/- 3% at the 95% level of confidence).  Further, the incidence of reading by specific formats (print, e-book, audiobook) are consistent with other recently published studies, adding additional credence to these results.”

The results showed a variety of differences. To share the learnings, ThriftBooks is publishing a series of infographics highlighting some of the most interesting insights.

Key learnings:

• Women enjoy Mystery more (37% citing as their preferred genre)
• 2% of men admit to reading Romance as a preferred genre
• 70% of respondents prefer print over e-books
• Women prefer reading in bed, and 13% of people read while they commute (hopefully not while driving)
• Men and women were equally likely to read in the tub

“A hot topic among readers is adaptation of books to movie or television. It was fascinating to see just how deep the rift is among the responses we got in the survey,” said Nicole Cox, VP of Sales & Marketing. “Only 35% of respondents always read the book before seeing the movie, 16% claim to have read a book when in fact they’ve only seen the movie, and a big surprise was 23% of people said that watching a movie is the same as reading the book.”

• 55% of audiobook listeners listen during a commute
• 52% listen to audiobooks while they exercise, and 27% while they work
• 81% of people with kids read at bedtime
• 12% of men with kids say they never read aloud to their kids
• 92% of kids ages 10-17 borrow books from the library
• Only 22% of respondents dog-ear the page to keep their place
• 73% of readers never write in a book

The large number of people who never write in books could explain books being shared after reading; 16% said they gift their books, 15% donate them, and 8% sell them. Finally, 2% are recycled (after reading in the tub, perhaps?).

• 48% of readers indicated they are reading more than they were 5 years ago
• Average annual spend is $162 on books, 80% of that on print books
• On average we read 8.6 hours per week and 23 books per year
• The average backlog of books to be read is still a staggering 15

“Of course, we liked confirming that 70% of respondents prefer reading print books,” said Nicole Cox, VP of Sales & Marketing. “It was also encouraging to see that people are reading more, with 28% of people reading 2 or more books at a time.”

• 30% indicate they utilize a study guide instead of reading the book
• 1-in-10 admits to lying about having read a book
• 75% have re-read a book they enjoy
• 66% will pause reading at the end of a chapter
• 81% of people will make a recommendation

We’re looking forward to next year’s results to see how the state of reading will change.

Learn more about the reader survey results and check out the infographics at http://www.thriftbooks.com/b/2017readersurvey/
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About ThriftBooks Global, LLC
Based in Seattle, WA, ThriftBooks is the largest online seller of used books in the world, having sold more than 100 million books since its inception. Founded in 2003 and backed by KCB Management, ThriftBooks employs more than 750 people and operates 9 fulfillment centers in the US that purchase, grade, and distribute used and collectible books. ThriftBooks relies on proprietary software to identify and list books, as well as a sophisticated pricing model that dynamically prices books across a variety of online platforms, including ThriftBooks.com, Amazon.com, eBay, and others.

About Praxis Research Partners
At Praxis, we bring pragmatic marketing insight to state-of-the-art research tools and methods. Our guiding principal is to measure and create growth opportunities for our clients, through:

• Revenue driven targeting
• Positioning and communications guidance that leverage dimensions that drive purchasing
• Brand extension that measures where a brand has viable growth opportunities    
• Product development focus to maximize return, not just appeal

We offer hands-on, partner-level involvement in every engagement, throughout the duration of each project, from initial study design, questionnaire development, data analysis and implications. Praxis Research Partners (praxis-research.com)provides research and consulting services to some of the biggest and most established companies/brands in the world

Win a signed copy of Conversations with Philip K. Dick

I'm holding drawings for three signed copies of my latest memoir, Conversations with Philip K.Dick. Every time I get a total of ten donations of at least $5 each, my neighbor will put the names in a hat and draw out a winner. If you are in the United States, postage is free. If you are in Europe or the United Kingdom, you need to pay postage. If you are in Australia, you REALLY need to pay postage.

You can send your donation to the following link, even if you don't have Paypal. Or you can find my fundraiser at You Caring. 

Paypal Me 

If this drawing turns out to be popular enough, I will get two more copies of my book and hold two more drawings, in addition to the three drawings that I have scheduled. The first drawing will take place on April 15, or when I have ten donations, whichever comes first. The second drawing will take place on May 20, or when I have an additional ten donations, whichever comes first. The third drawing is scheduled for June 30. 

 

Available now: Italian translation of Conversations with Philip K. Dick

My Italian publisher has issued the Italian translation of my memoir Conversations with Philip K. Dick. You can buy it now at the following link: 

https://www.amazon.com/BLADE-RUNNER-1971-PREQUEL-Italian-ebook/dp/B07BBLB2F4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521062441&sr=1-1&keywords=tessa+dick+blade+runner 


Kindle or paperback. 

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Coming soon to Italy, Conversations with Philip K. Dick

My latest memoir, Conversations with Philip K. Dick, will soon be available in Italy, in both the original English and in Italian translation.

My novel The Darkening of the Light is also being translated into Italian.

Meanwhile, you can get all of my books on Amazon, some on Barnes & Noble and some on Smashwords.

Enjoy!

  ~~~~~ 

Marygrove Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Contemporary American Author Lecture Series with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Colson Whitehead

I got this press release this morning,and it might be of interest.

Detroit, MI, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marygrove College announces National Book-award recipient and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead as the featured guest at its 2018 Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series (CAALS) on Friday, April 13. The 8 p.m. Lillian and Don Bauder Lecture and book signing are free of charge and open to the public.  

In addition to the public reading, Mr. Whitehead will teach a class for high school students on April 13 at 10 a.m. “This is a milestone anniversary for the Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series,” said Marygrove College President Dr. Elizabeth Burns, “and we are honored to celebrate it with one of the most ambitious, talented, and thought-provoking authors of our era.”

Whitehead is an author of six novels, including The Intuitionist and The Underground Railroad, works for which he received the National Book Award for Fiction and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, respectively. He has authored several essays, two works of nonfiction, and is the recipient of the Carnegie Medal for Fiction, the Heartland Prize, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Hurston/Wright Fiction Award, and many others.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities for the 2018 event or to attend dinner with the author, contact Dennis Howie at 313-927-1451 or dhowie@marygrove.edu. You may also visit: https://www.marygrove.edu/caals

Established in the city of Detroit in 1927, Marygrove College is an independent Catholic college sponsored by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) and guided by the values of human dignity; community; social justice; ecological justice; excellence; innovation; and diversity. The campus is situated on 53 wooded acres at 8425 W. McNichols Rd., Detroit, MI 48221. Visit www.marygrove.edu. 

Get $3 when you sign up for Swagbucks in February (US)

Want an extra boost to your budget in February?? 

If you haven't tried Swagbucks before, you can get a bonus $3 for signing up as my referral this month. Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash. 

When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a $3 bonus! Here's how: 

1. Sign up using this link 

2. Earn 300 SB total before 3/1/18. You'll get a $3 (300 SB) bonus for it! 

3. If you want even more bonuses, you'll get a $10 (1000 SB rebate) bonus for making your first shop purchase! That's in addition to the SB you earn for every dollar you spend.  

That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned lots of Amazon gift cards and Paypal cash!