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The self-publishing revolution is in full swing because we’re at a great time when tablets have reached critical mass, connectivity is ubiquitous, and people want to spread, not horde, their knowledge. Thus, the time for every author to consider self-publishing is upon us.

Here are some strategies to get you started writing your own book:

1. Write for the right reasons
2. Write every day
3. Start with a Kindle ebook
4. Build your marketing platform

Full article on Bare Essentials digital magazine

Looking for more self-publishing tips?

Photo credit teal typewriter By Amanda Schutz

Chemical changes in two genes reliably predict if a woman will develop postpartum depression.

A simple blood test foretelling depression after giving birth would give a woman and her doctors an opportunity to intervene before symptoms become debilitating.

“Postpartum depression can be harmful to both mother and child,” says study leader Zachary Kaminsky, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “But we don’t have a reliable way to screen for the condition before it causes harm, and a test like this could be that way.”

Full story at Futurity.

More research news from top universities.

Photo credit: Bridget Coila/Flickr

In the aftermath of yesterday’s devastating Oklahoma tornadoes and with sincere condolences to all who have suffered, Slate has taken a look at the US to discern where it’s safest to live. They asked:

Students at Humboldt State University in California examined 150,000 tweets that were coded for location, and that contained racist, homophobic, or otherwise offensive terms. They then plotted the data on a map that describes were the most bigoted people in the US reside.

Or, as the article says:

…at least, where they’re the most open about displaying their antisocial views.
The picture doesn’t look good for the Eastern states, although admittedly the bulk of the population is there as well. Areas in Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, and Alabama show up bright red on the map, as do areas in more central states Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota.

Factoids:

• this map is part of a larger project by professor Dr. Monica Stephens
• taken from tweets posted between June 2012 and April 2013
• offensive words included: dyke, fag, chink etc
• students looked at each and every tweet that was pulled in by the algorithm built to capture them.
• to protect the identities of the haters, locations were “aggregated” up to the county level
• small towns registered more hate-tweets

Read more at Venture Beat.

More stories about tech.

Photo credit: Geography of Hate Map, from Venture Beat

They come in logos as well as phrases such as “LOL,” “WTF,” and “OMG.” This one is my favorite, though.

As we stand on the cusp of summer in the northern hemisphere, a season full of breathtaking panoramas are waiting on the horizon to be immortalized on film.

There’s a trick to capturing the beauty you see, though, or in the case of Digital Photography School‘s Joe Decker, six of them.

1. Get Close!

Because wide-angle lenses take in a bigger angle-of-view than other lenses, using a wide-angle lens at the same distance from your subject will render that subject smaller than it would otherwise. To compensate for this, you’ll have to move closer to your subject. Don’t be bashful about getting close, particularly with super-wides&mash;it’s almost impossible to get “too close” to your subject with a 14mm lens. This emphasis in size that wide-angle lenses give nearby objects means that …

2. It’s All about the Foreground

Contrary to what you might expect, this means that the most important element of your wide-angle landscapes is the foreground. While wide-angle lenses do capture the wider landscape, they also (almost inevitably, because of their wide field-of-view) capture quite a bit of foreground as well, and this foreground is emphasized by the wide-angle perspective. As a result, if your foreground isn’t interesting, your photograph won’t be interesting. This leads us naturally to the Josef Muench idea of the near-far composition, an image which uses a wide-angle lens to not only show a broad vista, but also to show one detail of that landscape in an up-close, intimate way. When you’re photographing wide, be sure to spend some time looking for the most interesting foreground available to combine with your grand vista.  (If there isn’t an interesting foreground, you might want to consider using a longer lens to leave out that less interesting foreground.)

Full story at Digital Photography School.

Getting the perfect shot.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Let’s face it, when most of us giggle at a pommel horse routine, it’s not in the best taste seeing as it usually contains a touch of malice at the stumbles of Olympians, preferably from a country other than our own.

Feel free to laugh out loud at this routine from the Japanese talent show Masquerade, though, without the least bit of guilt or risk of causing an international incident.

Full story at YouTube via Neatorama.

Fun and games.

Dr. Maya Angelou has healing words and inspiring messages that bring hope when people need it. Through her life’s work as a performer, poet, writer, and most importantly teacher, Dr. Angelou is a calming voice in times of need and a spark to the spirit at just the right moment to ignite the flame. Take what you need from her beautiful words and saver them like a tasty tidbit.

Full article on Oprah

More inspiration on Alltop

We point out plenty of articles discussing the various aspects of starting up a business around here, but sometimes, nothing gives a clearer picture of the process than, well, a picture, particularly when it comes to the ever-important issue of funding.

The picture is only part of the story provided by Funders and Founders, so after checking out the chart above, head over to the original article to read more about each phase of the process.

Full story at Funders and Founders via Bit Rebels.

Funding and the entrepreneur.

Who says those who wield a hammer don’t have an artistic touch?

Not anyone who’s seen the work of Japanese artist Kumi Yamashita, whose materials include thousands of nails and continuous lengths of thread artfully wrapped over months to create the amazing detail one sees in his portraits.

His work will be on display until June 1st at Scott White Contemporary Art, in La Jolla if you happen to be passing through.

Full story at Design Boom.

Winding one’s way through the art world.