Novel

[kl7aj]

We have a large pool of expertise here on QRZ. #I wonder if it's about time we put together a book like "The
QRZ Radio Amateur's Footbook" or something of the sort. #It could be something like our Interactive Story, but in actual print. #There are a lot of Print on Demand publishers out there that could make this very cost effective. #Is anyone interested in pursuing this?

eric

[kf4lne]

sure, why not, it sounds like a great idea and could be a great source of valueable information to new and seasoned amateurs and even non-amateurs. I'm in

[ai4ep]

...but...will any one fork over their hard earned cash to actually BUY a copy ?

THAT...I doubt. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[kl7aj]

Quote[/b] (ai4ep @ Aug. 09 2006,18:51)]...but...will any one fork over their hard earned cash to actually BUY a copy ?

THAT...I doubt. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
Of course they will, if it's a first class product. I've been giving away free advice for decades....time to cash in. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[K7JBQ]

If you can get Orv to say, "Buy the book," it just might work.

73,
Bill

[N2RJ]

I'm in... whatever I can contribute.

[kl7aj]

I've just written the introduction. See my "Well, it's official" thread.


eric

[kl7aj]

Foreword

Amateur Radio from the Bottom Up




"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

--Sir Isaac Newton






Amateur Radio has been one of the few constants in my life. I owe my career, my discovery of Alaska, and a great deal of my sanity to the world's greatest hobby. I have violated the venerable ARRL Radio Amateur's Code on countless occasions by dedicating far too much time, energy, and devotion to this pursuit, with no regret whatsoever. I am who I am, largely due to Amateur Radio. My callsign is nearly as close to me as my own name; indeed, it is safe to say that far more people on this planet know the quintet of characters, KL7AJ, than recognize my face.
I have cowered beneath the bony, scolding finger of The Old Man, Hiram P. Maxim, if only from the grave. I have held the comforting, tattered pages of F.E. Handy's Handy Handbook against my bosom as a geeky teenager, when little else made sense. I have laughed and wept at the cartoons of Phil Gildersleeve. I have beheld the original Wouff Hong with my own eyes. I have built the circuits of William Orr, I have strung the wires of John Kraus, and I have sat at the feet of Jack Troster.
Indeed, these gentlemen were the Apostles of Amateur Radio, elder statesmen and witty sages, each and every one of them. I can never thank them enough for blazing the craggy trail through the wilderness of ignorance, so that the likes of my generation might stroll along a red carpet.
Inevitably, the Wouff Hong must be passed. Amateur Radio is nigh unto one hundred years old, and the methods, if not the mindset, must change with the times.
The biggest change I see is not so much a change in the technology, but rather the change in the hierarchy of knowledge. We no longer have to rely on gurus and sages for our knowledge. Because of the Internet, as much as anything, knowledge no longer trickles down from the top, but instead is "lateraled" from one peer to another, nearly free of any theocracy. In many ways, this shift in the way knowledge is transferred is quite analogous to the Protestant Reformation. The repository of knowledge, which had previously been the exclusive domain of "The Anointed," suddenly became readily available to anyone willing to open a book.
Naturally, there are hazards inherent in such a democratization of knowledge. This new paradigm assumes that every source is equally authoritative and reliable, which is certainly not the case. At times it's really comforting to have The Old Man looking over one's shoulder. Without the scolding, bony finger, it is almost inevitable that knowledge degenerates into an amorphous "blogosphere," which is nearly as distasteful as the authoritarian alternative.
And yet, there is a certain safety in numbers. This is the premise by which we prefer a jury by peers instead of a king, at least in America.
So with this in mind, we introduce a new kind of Amateur Radio reference book, the QRZ Manual of Amateur Radio Knowledge and Lore, a tome of wisdom gleaned from countless contributions by the hams of QRZ.com.


Eric Nichols, KL7AJ
August, 2006[CODE]

[kl7aj]

Later this week I will be sending the manuscript for my Sci-Fi novel, Steel Stonehenge, to my literary agent in New York. This is a good thing, as I can hardly stand to look at the manuscript any more. (This is normal for any novelist whose worked on a serious project for a LONG LONG time.)
So, my desk will be cleared to allow me to put my full concentration on this 'ere new handbook.
Aren't y'all glad? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

eric

[W3MIV]

Quote[/b] (K7JBQ @ Aug. 09 2006,23:18)]If you can get Orv to say, "Buy the book," it just might work.

73,
Bill
Orv's advice, though sometimes reminiscent of a dose of castor oil, has always proven solid in my experience.

Don't mistake his curmudgeonly discourse for the half-baked chatter that so often passes for knowledge on some of these threads.

That he makes a questioner hold his feet to the fire and read is more to newbie's benefit than a facile response misunderstood.

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[WA2ZDY]

Absolutely correct. Making one think is a wonderful exercise. How does the biblical passage go about giving a man a fish versus teaching him to catch his own?

[kl7aj]

Yeah! I guess we need to put a disclaimer on the book, in light of our litigious society:

Danger:
Reading this book may cause expansion of your cerebral matter, causing undue pressure on your cranial cavity. Do not read if you are narrow-minded, subject to fainting spells, or unable to handle sharp objects. The editors of the QRZ Handbook of Amateur Radio Knowledge and Lore are not responsible for loss of stupidity.

[ab8ma]

Quote[/b] (kl7aj @ Aug. 22 2006,16:58)]Later this week I will be sending the manuscript for my Sci-Fi novel, Steel Stonehenge, to my literary agent in New York. #This is a good thing, as I can hardly stand to look at the manuscript any more. #(This is normal for any novelist whose worked on a serious project for a LONG LONG time.)
So, my desk will be cleared to allow me to put my full concentration on this 'ere new handbook.
Aren't y'all glad? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

eric
I am on page 27 of Plasma Dreams, and I am hooked.

[ab8ma]

Quote[/b] (WA2ZDY @ Aug. 22 2006,17:38)]Absolutely correct. #Making one think is a wonderful exercise. #How does the biblical passage go about giving a man a fish versus teaching him to catch his own?
Has something to do with beer, if I am not mistaken.

[kl7aj]

Quote[/b] (ab8ma @ Aug. 22 2006,10:51)]Quote[/b] (kl7aj @ Aug. 22 2006,16:58)]Later this week I will be sending the manuscript for my Sci-Fi novel, Steel Stonehenge, to my literary agent in New York. #This is a good thing, as I can hardly stand to look at the manuscript any more. #(This is normal for any novelist whose worked on a serious project for a LONG LONG time.)
So, my desk will be cleared to allow me to put my full concentration on this 'ere new handbook.
Aren't y'all glad? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

eric
I am on page 27 of Plasma Dreams, and I am hooked.
Glad to hear that! Well, if you want to write a review on the Amazon site, feel free. I can use all the help I can get!

Eric

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (ab8ma @ Aug. 22 2006,10:52)]Quote[/b] (WA2ZDY @ Aug. 22 2006,17:38)]Absolutely correct. Making one think is a wonderful exercise. How does the biblical passage go about giving a man a fish versus teaching him to catch his own?
Has something to do with beer, if I am not mistaken.
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...beeeeeeeeer"
-Aesop

The ancient expression is,

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you've got a pain in the a** who wakes you up at 4:30 AM to go fishing."

[ab8ma]

Quote[/b] (WB2WIK @ Aug. 22 2006,21:06)]Quote[/b] (ab8ma @ Aug. 22 2006,10:52)]Quote[/b] (WA2ZDY @ Aug. 22 2006,17:38)]Absolutely correct. #Making one think is a wonderful exercise. #How does the biblical passage go about giving a man a fish versus teaching him to catch his own?
Has something to do with beer, if I am not mistaken.
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...beeeeeeeeer"
-Aesop

The ancient expression is,

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. #Teach a man to fish, you've got a pain in the a** who wakes you up at 4:30 AM to go fishing."
Except on the East Coast. The sun has already risen at 0400. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif