Category: administrivia

Since 1982 the Libertarian Futurist Society has published a print newsletter called Prometheus. I served as editor from 1994 until 2000, and have handled the duties again since 2004. On and off for many years I have tried to bring the newsletter online, both the archives and current issues. Getting the old issues online has been an arduous process. Years ago I scanned all the issues with OCR software into text files. Since then I have tried—in between the spare moments that I have—to clean up garbled text. All issues since 2005 are fairly clean in terms of OCR, but older issues remain in various stages. Since 2005 I have been able to use the desktop publishing software to print PDF copies. But getting the older issues to PDF has not really worked out for me, as either my scanning software doesn’t handle the job, or the files are far too huge.

Then I tried a new application, A-PDF from a-pdf.com. This is a Windows OS app, and I work almost exclusively in Mac OS X. However, I scanned an issue, which went fairly quickly, and then in one click of a button converted the images to PDF. I was simply amazed. My goal now is to scan the remaining issues all to PDF, continue to clean up the OCR text, and then publish the entire set of over 100 issues online as both PDF and searchable content. If you are looking for an app that scans documents and generates a PDF, this might be one of the best solutions out there.

As the editor of Prometheus, the newsletter of the Libertarian Futurist Society, my goal is to publish this newsletter relative on time, four times a year. Lately I have slipped a little in this schedule, with each issue running 2-3 months late. Thus, the most recent issue — Summer 2009 — appeared in early October. I’m very close to wrapping up the next issue, however, which covers the Prometheus Awards presentation at Anticipation, the 2009 WorldCon held in Montreal. As always, if there’s anyone reading this who would like to submit reviews to Prometheus, just send a note to editor@lfs.org for more information.

I am testing out writing short notes from the iPhone, which really is a small computer disguised as a phone. Not used to the virtual keyboard yet. Process seems to be to save as draft, then save for review, and then publish.

I can see from a few quick posts that links are far from obvious with my current site design. This means I’ll need to delve into the CSS and see where I can make some changes. At least I’ve replaced the default links in the “blogroll” ( a term I despise) with some of the links from my old site. I’m still going through an updating this list, testing the links and such, but the place is slowly coming together. I tried to post a draft entry from my iPhone, but it has not shown up. Maybe once I press publish it will appear. Like that ability, though, if I can get it to work.

This is the first post written in WordPress, just to plant a flag in the ground, despite the wonderfully phrased statements from Terry Pratchett’s novel Nation about flag-planting. All the other posts below are historical vestiges from Blogger, which I am setting aside for now. I am switching focus a little from just liberty and culture to a wider perspective, though in a sense also narrower, since this really consists of my thoughts and opinions.

I have not messed with WordPress since many versions ago, so changes are the only certainty around here.

I have busy with a new site, too busy really to blog things that have appeared.

I will be shutting down this site and moving to a different location once I have finished the new site design.

The new site will contain much more stuff, including items related to Prometheus, the newsletter of the LFS.

Finally, I am able to output the content of the past couple of years in one export file. Alas, the format is XML, so now I have to puzzle through the file tree and see how to bring the export into a database for local storage.

No other issue exceeded deadlines as much as this one. Two months late, but finally ready, and in the mail next week. Includes coverage of the 2008 Prometheus Awards in Denver, and reviews of books by Cory Doctorow, S. M. Stirling, Lois McMaster Bujold, Joe Martino, George Zebrowski, and Brian Francis Slattery. Looks like the next issue also will be late at this point, but not nearly as late as this one.