I had my beloved Garmin GPS system mounted in my windshield while I ran into a mall for a few minutes. And someone apparently saw it and thought it was so nifty that they just had to have one.
In fact, they liked it so much, they just had to have that particular one.
Which is why I came back to the car and found all the glass from the front passenger window inside the front seat and the GPS--Majel II, as we'd nicknamed it--gone.
Whenever I leave the car I always, ALWAYS, take the GPS down out of the windshield and put it in between the front seats, away from prying eyes...except today. Except for this one damned day where I was thinking about other things and left it where it was...this one damned time...
And someone smashed his way into the car and took off with it.
SON OF A BITCH! SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!!!!! MOTHER FUCKER!!! GODDAMMIT!
Posted by Peter David at February 3, 2007 06:21 PM | TrackBack | Other blogs commenting(Reacting to last line of blog entry) Wow. Not that I'm at all going to tell you not to react that way, but wow.
I can sympathize, Peter. Maybe the slights I've endured haven't been on the scale of the cost of a GPS (They can cost up to...what, a grand, I hear?) But right now I'm dealing with Video Professor trying to charge my credit card for their lame discs that I never asked for, another merchant harassed me the other night because his website only revealed that they only accepts COD's and not credit cards after I pressed what turned out to the be the final order confirmation button (with various credit card logos displayed on the previous screen to imply otherwise), and I was mugged in December 2005, etc. so I can sympathize with being a victim of crime.
As for knowing how popular it is, I've had a couple of people tell me words to that effect when I tell them that a color pencil illustration I did of the X-Men's Beast, using three different blue color pencils, was stolen from an art festival where it was being displayed several years ago. Their tendency is to tell me that this is something of a compliment, since the thief thought it was that good. I usually react with a sarcastic, "Gee, thanks! What a compliment!"
Perhaps Garmin should place stickers on their units that say, "PLEASE DON"T SQUEEZE THE GARMIN."
".....OR STEAL IT, EITHER."
Ouch! Sorry Peter. Our GPS always stays in the house, mostly because Robin (the one who doesn't drive) has yet to teach me (the one who does drive) how to program it...
I don't suppose the company could locate the stolen GPS? It is after all a GPS. Probably not. it would make too much sense to have that option. Under the circumstances PAD's reaction is very restrained. The only thing to do now is to insert this anonymous thief into one of the following issues of Spiderman, Fallen Angel or X-Factor so he may live in infamy for all eternity. at least in the world of comic books justice can be served.
When I was in the UK last week, one of the streets in Ealing had signs up along the streets saying, 'Thieves, get your sat-navs here!' Basically it was the local police's way of saying if you leave them in the car, expect to lose them PDQ.
Peter, I'm sorry it happened to you, but hopefully it will save somebody who reads that post from having the same thing happen to them. Not much solace, I know.
What a sorry sack of shit.
You'd think SOMEONE might have noticed a person breaking into a car window but I giess these professional thieves are quick.
Sorry to hear about this.
It appears you're overlooking the possibility that Majel II busted the window out from the inside, in order to complete its programming and return to its creators. It keeps production costs down, you know.
In all seriousity, what a pain to lose a toy with the new still on it.
--Ed
Sorry to hear it, PAD. I hope it's NOT one of the malls that doesn't have video monitoring in the parking lots. And I hope they catch the guy, you get Majel back, and you're invited to give this obnoxious little turd an appendectomy via his left nostril.
I know exactly how you feel... my sympathies. :(
http://steelaraza.wordpress.com/2006/08/28/some-bad-news-but-with-a-good-middle/
Out of curiosity since it's a gps unit can;t it be tracked? I would assume it has a specidic serial number.
Sorry to hear about that.
Not too familiar with the gadget, but being as to how it's a GPS device, is there any way to track it once it's stolen? Like Micha said, maybe in the future one can register the devices so if they're lost or stolen, they can be retrieved.
My girlfriend's jeep was broken into a few years ago. But what can I say? It's a big load of suck and hearing "it happened to me too" generally doesn't make one feel any better.
Crappy world we live in where having a cool gadget makes you thief-bait.
Wow, Peter, such language. There could be children reading you're blog! They could be having moral seisurses (sp?) right now after reading you saying the F-word!
Wait, I've just been informed that it's now official that nobody under 20 reads comic books anymore, or read Trek novels for that matter. So looks like we're safe here afterall. Close call though.
Peter, that really sucks. But your name for the unit really made me laugh.
Maybe you should have hidden the GPS behind a Mooninite giving everyone the finger. Then your car would have been safe for 2 weeks.
>I don't suppose the company could locate the stolen GPS? It is after all a GPS. Probably not. it would make too much sense to have that option.
Make sense? I suppose. If you want the company - or anyone else having access to their records - being able to keep track of your movements. I don't think I'd care for the idea. That pesky privacy thing, don't you know.
"You'd think SOMEONE might have noticed a person breaking into a car window but I giess these professional thieves are quick."
1) Yeah, they are fast. I doubt that they took more then seven to ten seconds to do it.
2) Lots of someones likely did notice it. They just couldn't be bothered to act. Ticks me off to no end when petty crimes happened just because no one feels it's worth it to them to lift a finger, raise their voice or even stick around to tell the responding officers what happened, what the offender(s) looked like or some other info (say, like, a plate #) that would help nail the bastards.
I may not want the credit card comapny to track records of my movementseither, but the fact that they do makes it easier to catch thieves. Anyway, aren't GPS's also installed in cars to prevent theft?
"Make sense? I suppose. If you want the company - or anyone else having access to their records - being able to keep track of your movements. I don't think I'd care for the idea. That pesky privacy thing, don't you know."
Uh, that's *exactly* what the product is. It would be kinda silly for anyone to buy a Global Positioning device and be surprised that it keeps track of their position at all times.
Disgusting conduct, that.
May the thief responsible find themselves incapable of anything but honesty for the rest of their lives after this.
My commiserations, it's frustrating to have something like that happen. Three points that spring to mind reading the article and the comments of the other people here.
1) It's a pig to be a victim of crime, even more so when there is nothing that you could have really done to stop it - my car has been stolen six times and each time I'd rather have been mugged, because then I might have been able to do something about it.
2) I think that the reason that people don't do anything when they see petty crime is because of the fear of getting shot (in the US) or stabbed (in the UK). A semi-irrational fear but given the reward/risk ratio perhaps understandable.
3) A quick reminder that this is why you shouldn't programme in your 'home' location as a easily determined waypoint. Otherwise the thief steals your GPS, and turns up at your home knowing that you will be shopping for the next few hours and that your house is probably empty. Most car thieves operate moments after you leave the car to avoid the worry that you'll return in the middle of the crime.
/// I may not want the credit card comapny to track records of my movementseither, but the fact that they do makes it easier to catch thieves. Anyway, aren't GPS's also installed in cars to prevent theft? //
That would be a LOJACK device, which works partially because it's hidden in the car, (even the car owners usually don't know where it is). My Lojack has a special feature where it sends out a warning signal if the car is moved and it doesn't register a little signal device that's on my keychain. (The downside to this is the battery in the signal devices do die, prompting my sister, (who I live with) to go into a panic when she answered the phone one morning to hear a recorded message telling that her car may have been stolen.
PAD, as someone who has had a car stolen and another car broken into twice, I can totaly relate to your anger and frustration.
Guys, I don't know how Garmin has their system set up, but many GPS systems out there can be tracked by just putting the right numbers and codes into the company's computer. I would be surprises if Garmin really did it that different then the rest.
That is major suckage. It iss good to see someone that doesn't keep his anger all bottled up :)
Well if that ain't just about a bitch! My wife and I had our car egged twice at the building we just moved out of, as well as a rental car when our's was in the shop.
My Dad, a self employed plumber, had $500 worth of tools stolen from his van one night.
If you happen to catch the responsible party, hang 'em by the shorthairs while being fisted by a gorilla.
For reference, a news story from about a week ago...
If you happen to catch the responsible party, hang 'em by the shorthairs while being fisted by a gorilla.
I really, truly hope you mean "while they're being fisted by a gorilla."
Otherwise, take it easy on the guy. He just had his car broken into. ;)
-Rex Hondo-
GPS is a radio receiver, not a transmitter; unless it's been hooked up to a cellphone or some other transmitter, there's no way for Garmin or anyone else to track the device.
But this is why I've programmed my "Home" button with the address of my local police station. :)
Sorry to hear about that, Peter. It must be eerie and frustrating at the same time.
Given the story Stephen linked to, one would wonder whether some GPS are trackable, and others not, and if so, why they just don't make all of them traceable. It seems a pretty obvious feature to have in them, given that the natural habit is to keep them on the dashboard.
I wonder if car manufacturers will begin putting little mini "trap doors" on the top of the dashboard in the center, where the device is usually mounted, so that the driver can just slip it out of sight, or perhaps have the door automated to have it retract the device when the engine is shut off.
My boss had his stolen about a year ago, and told me how he had to shell out like, a grand to replace it.
PAD,
Sorry, bud... that really sucks - I promise I'll never point out any more cool gadgets on sale to you.
Garrett
I really, truly hope you mean "while they're being fisted by a gorilla."
Yup, sure did. Wife had some Braxton Hicks contractions, followed by a sudden craving for...something.
17 more days.
But, yeah Rex, yer right.
Did I mention no lube for the gorilla.
Given the story Stephen linked to, one would wonder whether some GPS are trackable, and others not, and if so, why they just don't make all of them traceable. It seems a pretty obvious feature to have in them, given that the natural habit is to keep them on the dashboard.
That would be because there are far too many people afraid of any technology that could remotely be used by "Big Brother" to watch or track them.
-Rex Hondo-
>It would be kinda silly for anyone to buy a Global Positioning device and be surprised that it keeps track of their position at all times.
Keeping track such that you know where you are on the map is one thing. Broadcasting it to strangers is quite another.
As for people not doing anything, can't say I'm surprised. I witnessed a car being broken into - about half a block away - roughly ten years back. I immediately called the cops (I was next to a phone booth at the time). By the time they showed up, the perpetrator was long gone. And, even though I gave a description and we did a square grid search of the area with me in their car, we never found a trace of the guy. I can understand the average citizen figuring that sort of non-result doesn't quite justify the time and effort involved. Oh, I'd do it again, but ...
I sympathize. I, too, have been the victim of robbery. At least you weren't there when it happened, and had the thieves tie you up and threaten you with a knife to your throat. Take my word for it, it isn't pleasant.
But please understand if I have a slight lack of sympathy. After all, it is an item that I can't afford, don't want and consider a profound waste of money. And not to have it permanently mounted in your car so it would take hours to remove, while setting off all manner of alarms, is not a good idea.
Think of it this way. If you had used a laptop with mapping software and a GPS unit, you could have had Lojack for Laptops installed. True, it only traces a laptop's location when it's connected to the Internet, but what else is a thief going to use a stolen computer for than getting porn from the Internet? Perhaps these Garmin people will get something similar installed for their systems...if people like you, who've had them stolen, complain enough.
Sorry to hear about the dildo who walked off with your gps Mr. David.
I assume you checked out Garmin's website to see what to do about a stolen unit.
But, just in case you didn't I looked.
The only "stolen" question in their FAQ is:
Q. I purchased a unit through an online auction and Garmin has just informed me that the unit is stolen. What can I do?
A. If a unit is purchased through an online auction and that unit is found in our stolen-units database, Garmin is not obligated to release any registration or unlock code information. Also, please be aware that Garmin can request that the stolen unit be returned to Garmin without compensation and report this information to law enforcement authorities.
Which seems to imply that if you registered your unit with them, Garmin can determine if somebody tries to reregister it now that it's stolen.
Hope this helps a little.
Matt
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 4, 2007 04:08 AM
I sympathize. I, too, have been the victim of robbery. At least you weren't there when it happened, and had the thieves tie you up and threaten you with a knife to your throat. Take my word for it, it isn't pleasant.
That's awful! I'm glad you survived.
But that must've been one hell of a trauma, physically and emotionally.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 4, 2007 04:08 AM
But please understand if I have a slight lack of sympathy.
I can't speak for Peter, but I find it difficult to understand why you'd have a "slight lack of sympathy."
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 4, 2007 04:08 AM
After all, it is an item that I can't afford, don't want and consider a profound waste of money.
You're entitled to feel that way. But why should that affect your sympathy for Peter's plight?
Think of it this way: we live in a capitalist society. Publishers give Peter money in exchange for his writing, which is of substantial value to them. Each dollar he earns, therefore, represents a certain amount of hard work on his part.
Let's say the Garmin GPS costs exactly $1,000. Think of that as 1,000 "units" of Peter's labor. So, in essence, Peter exchanged 1,000 "units" of labor for $1,000, which he then exchanged for a Garmin GPS.
The Garmin GPS was stolen by some asshole thief. That thief probably spent a few seconds worth of effort to take something that cost Peter 1,000 "units" of his hard work.
Peter was doing what one is supposed to be doing in a capitalist society: trading one form of value in exchange for another. Except now he's got jack shit for that 1,000 "units" of labor. I find myself unable to be anything but sympathetic.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 4, 2007 04:08 AM
And not to have it permanently mounted in your car so it would take hours to remove, while setting off all manner of alarms, is not a good idea.
You're assuming thieves wouldn't at least try. That is an incorrect assumption. Today, many factory-installed car stereos are integrated into the dashboards in such a way that attempting to remove them will ruin them. That doesn't stop thieves from trying.
If Peter had permanently mounted the damn thing, someone would've tried to steal it anyway, leaving him with a smashed windshield and a wrecked Garmin GPS.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 4, 2007 04:08 AM
Think of it this way. If you had used a laptop with mapping software and a GPS unit, you could have had Lojack for Laptops installed. True, it only traces a laptop's location when it's connected to the Internet, but what else is a thief going to use a stolen computer for than getting porn from the Internet?
Unless the laptop has an interface that is as convenient as that of the Garmin GPS, it's not a good substitute. One does not want to be fucking around with a laptop keyboard and/or trackpad while trying to drive.
By the by, if anyone reading this thread hasn't had their car broken into, trust me, the broken glass gets EVERYWHERE and is a NIGHTMARE. When thieves smashed one of the windows of my girlfriend's Jeep, the glass got into every imaginable crack and crevice, including the gearshift.
"GPS is a radio receiver, not a transmitter; unless it's been hooked up to a cellphone or some other transmitter, there's no way for Garmin or anyone else to track the device."
I'm not sure, but I don't think that's the way it works. the function of a GPS is that a system of satellites sees the location of the device, and then that location is displayed on the GPS. Presumably the key ingredient here is the satellite system, and anybody who can access the satelites can use them to locate tyhe GPS so long as it is on. Obviously smarter thieves will find a way around it, maye dismante it, maybe keep it off until they sell it. But transmitting its location to the satellite, or having the function of being seen by a satellite is its key feature. From the article linked above it seems that some GPS have the function of being activated from a distance by someone other than the user. I doubt PAD's GPS has that function, but it's worth asking. Anyway, wouldn't it be nice if the thief was caught by something so simple. Obviously we're not talking about a criminal mastermind here.
Nope, it's a receiver. The short version from wikipedia:
A GPS receiver calculates its position by measuring the distance between itself and three or more GPS satellites. Measuring the time delay between transmission and reception of each GPS radio signal gives the distance to each satellite, since the signal travels at a known speed. The signals also carry information about the satellites' location. By determining the position of, and distance to, at least three satellites, the receiver can compute its position using trilateration.[1] Receivers typically do not have perfectly accurate clocks and therefore track one or more additional satellites to correct the receiver's clock error.
Well, it would appear this ground has already been covered but I have to admit my first thought was the thing must have a serial number and therefore is traceable (a la LoJack).
I looked at the site and noticed you can register the thing so maybe if you have that will be of some help.
Where were you parked? You’re out on the Island still, right? Just curious.
Damn, that bites hard, PAD. I hope your insurance company doesn't give you a hard time of it.
Wow, Peter, such language. There could be children reading you're blog! They could be having moral seisurses (sp?) right now after reading you saying the F-word!
Well, that's why he had it below the fold.
The fun part is that the thief probably used a rescue hammer to break the windshield. Those little pointy-tipped hammers they sell for you to keep in your car in case you're trapped and need to break a window to get out. They're like, ten to fifteen bucks, I think. And they're REALLY fast at smashing windows from either side.
Dear Peter,
In my life I have heard several people drop the F Bomb that I would never have suspected.... among the list are
1) Mister Peppermint (local dallas host)
2) Buffalo Bob
3) Jim Henson
4) Frank Oz
5) Roger Staubach
But You sir? I am ashamed and from now on I will only wait 1/2 as patiently for anything you write to hit the shelf... if it happens again that will make it 1/4 then 1/8... and so on till eventualy I will be looking as forward to one of your books as much as I look forward a new book by Dan Brown.
Dear god would I not want to live in a world like that!!!! So please as you choose the soap to clean out your mouth, that in the words of Ralphie "lifeboy is just nasty"
To Bill Meyers: First, I do apologize for sounding rather crass. But I'm pissed that something so apparently useful is so stealable and pawnable, and with those extremely negative factors, that people are still buying the damn things. All that does is assure druggies a continued supply of money.
Also, I like Mr. David and his work. It hurts me to point out that he spent his hard-earned money...money that will shortly disappear, as writing will soon no longer be a paid profession...on a very stealable gadget. A gadget whose destiny is to be stolen, in our current economy. It pains me to point out to a good man that the Garmin was a bad idea.
Second, it is true that stupid thieves will try to steal anything, and as a result may wreck a hardened dash-mounted unit. But in that case, car insurance (perhaps with an added-cost rider) will cover the cost of replacement. Insurance won't cover something loose left in the car.
Third, a laptop can be more than just a GPS device. It is a universal tool for information management. You could write articles on it that you could sell...that is, until publishers stop paying writers completely, which should be any day now. You shouldn't need to buy an expensive gadget if you already have a laptop, into which you can plug some low-cost cables, software and a GPS receiver, which will do the job. Awkward? Maybe. But if it's ease of use, a printed map - maybe even printed from the Internet - is easier, cheaper and is much less desireable in a snatch-and-grab. Better to use what you have than to buy something new, especially a thief magnet.
Bill Myers
"By the by, if anyone reading this thread hasn't had their car broken into, trust me, the broken glass gets EVERYWHERE and is a NIGHTMARE. When thieves smashed one of the windows of my girlfriend's Jeep, the glass got into every imaginable crack and crevice, including the gearshift."
That's what I was thinking. On top of everything else, you're stuck with finding glass in your car for the rest of the time you own it, no matter how much you vacuum.
I had the pleasant experience of heading out to work one day only to find my driver's side window all over the inside of the car, along with the chunk of concrete someone tossed thru said window.
And they didn't even try to steal anything - it was just someone who felt like throwing rocks thru windows. I still have the rock (there's a picture on my personal site somewhere) on the off chance I ever find out who did it. I'd like to give it back to them.
Sideways.
There are, basically, two kinds of GHPS, though they overlap.
One is the kind Peter, i'm sure, had, which is designed to tell drivers where to go.
The other is the kind you buy your kids a cell phone with it built in (or a company puts it on their vehicles to tell them that the driver is goofing off in a rest area and then driving faster than the speed limit to get in on time).
The first type just reads its own position from the GPS satellite constellation and tells you where it (and, consequently, you)is (are?), and then consults its little internal records and tells you where to go. It is a receiver only.
The second type checks its location, and then either phones home and tells you where it is, or else it waits till you ask it and then it tells you. It is a transmitter or a transponder.
Very few of the ones sold for civilian road navigation have the "phone home" feature; if nothing else, they don't have any way to do so.
====================
As to having stuff stolen:
Way back in '92, i went to see Cirque de Soleil for the first time, when it was down on Twelfth Street, here in Atlanta. (Mrs. David will probably remember).
I parked up behind the High Museum.
Great show.
When i came back to my car, i discovered that the driver-side window had been smashed, and my radar detector, which (in my hurry, running late to meet my mother, brother and sister-in-law) i had left in place on the widshield (something i never did) had taken flight.
The expense of the broken window and the lost radar detector was one thing; the loss of five (literally) irreplaceable CDs (two of them discs that officially didn't even exist) which the bastard probably wouldn't even have noticed if he hadn't already been in the car was the real pain.
Also, I like Mr. David and his work. It hurts me to point out that he spent his hard-earned money...money that will shortly disappear, as writing will soon no longer be a paid profession
What...when did this happen? Why do I NEVER get the memos?
Posted by: Bill Myers at February 4, 2007 07:37 AM
By the by, if anyone reading this thread hasn't had their car broken into, trust me, the broken glass gets EVERYWHERE and is a NIGHTMARE. When thieves smashed one of the windows of my girlfriend's Jeep, the glass got into every imaginable crack and crevice, including the gearshift.
Not to mention he's short a window in the dead of frelling winter.
-Rex Hondo-
" Why do I NEVER get the memos?"
You got the memo. You've just been too worried about fruitcakes.
Thomas E. Reed--first off, since I'm writing several things currently, mind telling us first, why writers will no longer be paid, and second, where you got this information? And second, I might be completely obtuse(oh, be quiet, Bills) but why does your ability to have a unit yourself and your lack of desire to own same affect your feelings over someone else having something stolen? And just as an aside, using your laptop while driving is kind of like juggling while trying to escape from a straightjacket. REALLY hard, and you're bound to do neither very well.
But please understand if I have a slight lack of sympathy. After all, it is an item that I can't afford, don't want and consider a profound waste of money.
Bill Myers already said what I was thinking about this--the fact that someone has something I might not be able to afford in no way mitigates my sympathy toward him when it is stolen--but I'd also point out that this is kind of the attitude that makes stealing easy. The thief probably also has little sympathy for people who have more than they do and doubtlessly feels that his theft is no great moral crime.
Please understand that in no way am I suggesting that you are encouraging or enabling criminals. It's just that we are all in this together and we can't start deciding that some of us are less deserving of living free from criminal scum than others, which is how your comments came off.
Micha:
Nope, a GPS is a 100% passive device; it's a receiver for very-low-frequency radio transmissions from the overhead constellation of GPS satellites.
In a nutshell: the GPS listens for transmissions from the satellites. Each one broadcasts a round-the-clock digital signal that says "I'm Satellite #18 and my internal clock says that it's now 8.892 seconds past 7:51 AM" or somesuch.
Your GPS receiver can figure out how far away satellite #18 is by comparing that time with its own clock at the moment the timecode is received. It's exactly the same as calculating how far away a lightning storm is, from the amount of time between the flash and the arrival of the BOOM! If you know the speed of sound, it's simple math.
The GPS receiver knows where satellite #18 was at that precise instant because it has a built-in almanac that tells it where #18 ought to be in its orbit at this precise time of day. If the receiver can pick up transmissions from at least three satellites, it can calculate your precise location from simple triangulation. If it's picking up at least four, it can calculate your position and your altitude.
It's a common misconception that The Gummint (which owns the GPS constellation) or Big Business can track you via your GPS receiver. Again, unless it's a device specifically designed to transmit your position somewhere (like a tracking GPS in a fleet vehicle), they'd have better luck using Google Earth. At least they have a shot at finding out where you were three years ago...!
Bill Mulligan, in case you haven't noticed, YOU'RE writing for free. Right now. In fact, if you're writing on your own Internet connection, you're paying to have your words read.
The greatest fiction created by the WGA and the SFWA is that "money flows from the publisher to the writer." The time when writers are paid for writing is coming to a close. No one will buy a book when they can read it, pirated or not, on their home computer. And no one will pay to read anything that is available on the Internet. (Witness how the New York Times attempt to get people to pay for reading their content failed.)
As for other venues, Hollywood has been doing its level best to eliminate the writer from the production process for decades. And given the quality of movies for the last few years, it's easy to see that no writers were involved. Todd McFarlane insisted that writers were not necessary, and his comics sold well without anyone writing them. He just drew whatever violence he wanted and people snapped up the books. And as we all know, Todd's brother Seth McFarlane has his series "Family Guy" written by manatees, who aren't covered by any possible union.
Mr. David is making money now, and I think he'd agree that it's not enough money, but the cloud no bigger than a man's hand is on the horizon. Pretty soon, to pay for the privelege of writing, he'll have to get a job at McDonald's like us other former members of the American middle class. I'm glad I could clear up this matter for you.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AM
Bill Mulligan, in case you haven't noticed, YOU'RE writing for free. Right now. In fact, if you're writing on your own Internet connection, you're paying to have your words read.
People have been writing letters to their local newspapers long before there was an Internet. The conditions are the similar: you write for free, and if you want a copy of the newspaper in which your letter was published you have to pay for it. This did not result in throngs of paid writers losing their livelihoods and being sent to the poorhouse. Nor will the Internet.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AM
The greatest fiction created by the WGA and the SFWA is that "money flows from the publisher to the writer."
As long as writers are paid for manuscripts, this is not fiction but fact.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AM
The time when writers are paid for writing is coming to a close.
Ah, yes. And the Millenium Bug will cause society to grind to a halt and the end of the world is nigh.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AM
No one will buy a book when they can read it, pirated or not, on their home computer.
Really? Because having an Internet connection is becoming nearly as ubiquitous as owning a television. And yet I continue to see bookstores doing brisk business.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AM
And no one will pay to read anything that is available on the Internet. (Witness how the New York Times attempt to get people to pay for reading their content failed.)
Witness how the Wall Street Journal's attempt to do the same succeeded.
Besides, the New York Times online edition derives revenue from advertising (hence the advertisements you see there). Circulation revenue has never been the main source of revenue for newspapers -- in fact, historically circulation revenue hasn't been enough for newspapers to break even. That's deliberate. Rather than charge an arm-and-a-leg for the newspaper, publishers derive the bulk of their revenue from advertising. That keeps the papers cheap enough that people will want to buy them, ensuring a large enough audience to justify premium ad rates.
So a lack of circulation revenue isn't necessarily that big of a deal for the New York Times' online edition.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AM
As for other venues, Hollywood has been doing its level best to eliminate the writer from the production process for decades.
And failing. The vast majority of movies and T.V. shows still utilize paid writers.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AM
And given the quality of movies for the last few years, it's easy to see that no writers were involved.
You mean stuff "Battlestar Galactica" and "The Sopranos"? I have to imagine writers were involved with those and the myriad of other quality shows over the last several years.
"Survivor" and its ilk aren't the only game in town. Not by a longshot.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AM
Todd McFarlane insisted that writers were not necessary, and his comics sold well without anyone writing them. He just drew whatever violence he wanted and people snapped up the books.
Much of that was driven by a speculator bubble that has since burst. Todd McFarlane is no longer the force in comic books that he once was. So that example serves to undercut your thesis.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AM
And as we all know, Todd's brother Seth McFarlane has his series "Family Guy" written by manatees, who aren't covered by any possible union.
Which was a joke written by paid writers.
Thomas, at the risk of repeating what my evil twin Bill Myers has already said (I'm currently operating on Eastern Sickly Time), the bookstores sprouting like weeds would seem to call into question whether or not people will pay for books. The number of magazines is huge and it seems as though there is at least one magazine for every niche market out there.
I do indeed write for free here (and y'all are getting your money's worth) but there are a lot of people who have gone from writing on the internet to writing for paid gigs.--some of them ON the internet. Those captions at the Stolencelebritysextapes.com website didn't just appear by themselves. The internet has provided a means of exposure for aspiring writers that was unheard of a few years back.
Even in the niche market of comics--which is by no means in a healthy situation--there are a lot of writers making a living. Looking back at classic 70s Marvel, how many writers were there? And other than Stan Lee how many were doing well?
To me, this is like saying that the use of CGI will throw all actors out of work. Don't think so.
I stand corrected on the GPS thing. Thanks to everybody who has an understanding of the device.
------------
I think even writers who write bad Hollywood scripts get paid for their work.
Oh, one addendum: it is hardly likely that Peter would end up forced to sling burgers at Mickey D's should your prediction come true (which it most assuredly will not).
I work in sales and I can tell you that my writing skills have been invaluable and one of the biggest reasons for my success. Because I can write, and write well, I have been able to get appointments with busy high-level executives by sending them persuasive e-mails.
People who know how to write will always be in demand because in business communication is and always will be vital.
Andy--it MAY be a complete fiction, but it makes some DANDY tense moments in stories.
Just to add something to the Bills' point--my esteemed friend Mr. Mulligan, while clever and verbose, doesn't write anything here LOOKING for reinbursement. Somewhat a different situation than Mr. David coming out of his writing room with more manuscripts per day than the sky has stars and sending them in to see them packaged and published.
"I think even writers who write bad Hollywood scripts get paid for their work."
Micha, my friend, I bloody well hope so, or I've wasted 16 years on this damn thing.
The time when writers are paid for writing is coming to a close. No one will buy a book when they can read it, pirated or not, on their home computer. And no one will pay to read anything that is available on the Internet.
Cory Doctorow of BoingBoing, who comes from writing family, makes his published work available on his site -- reserving only the creative commons license (you can pirate it as long as you credit him, with profits only allowed from third world markets).
His reasoning is that people who are too cheap to give him a try aren't going to read him anyway. By making his published work available online, a relationship can be established with potential buyers that would not be established conventionally.
This policy has worked so badly his publisher has stooped to hiring Dave McKean to illustrate his covers.
At the top of Cory Doctorow's personal homepage, he links to a service pirating his first novel for free email serialization. Check out his outrage: http://craphound.com/?p=1756
My Garmin (sounds like the same model... oddly, I named mine Geordi) was also stolen the ONE time I didn't stash it in the glove compartment. I'd bought it for when I moved to Boston to ease the transition from Dallas. It almost always worked like a charm, except when you'd get right in the city, where the buildings seemed to confuse its reception. But as far as general travel, it was a charm.
The fault was all mine, as I'd made two trips to my vehicle to retrieve groceries, and accidentally left the passenger's side door open when I left, so this time there was no broken glass to deal with. However, the theif did pass up some more lucrative stuff, such as credit card bills and a blank checkbook that I'd left in the front seat. I feel lucky.
Geordi served me well for the six months that I had him, and was well worth the price I paid on Amazon. I'm familiar enough now with Boston to get to most places I need to get to, so I haven't replaced him yet. But I do miss the little bugger.
-Ken
Posted by: Bill Myers
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at February 5, 2007 01:14 AMAnd given the quality of movies for the last few years, it's easy to see that no writers were involved.You mean stuff "Battlestar Galactica" and "The Sopranos"? I have to imagine writers were involved with those and the myriad of other quality shows over the last several years.
I remember Harlan talking about the girl who got all upset and just about called him a liar because he was claiming he wrote those incredibly wise words that Spock and Kirk spoke, implying that they were just actors reading a script...
"Survivor" and its ilk aren't the only game in town. Not by a longshot.
And, judging by some recent lawsuits, the "reality" shows have writers, too - they just call them seomething else and pay less.
Posted by: Bill Mulligan
Thomas, at the risk of repeating what my evil twin Bill Myers has already said (I'm currently operating on Eastern Sickly Time), the bookstores sprouting like weeds would seem to call into question whether or not people will pay for books. The number of magazines is huge and it seems as though there is at least one magazine for every niche market out there.
The number of magazines may appear huge, but is not at all large compared to what was on the stands forty, fifty or sixty years ago...
I do indeed write for free here (and y'all are getting your money's worth) but there are a lot of people who have gone from writing on the internet to writing for paid gigs.--some of them ON the internet.
Indeed, i know of at least one person who gets paid for writing online reviews for Amazon - which i do for free. (And which i'd better get busy on again, 'cos i'm about to slip out of the Top 1000.)
Which is not to say that Amazon passes his reviews off as regular customer reviews; they g into the "Editorial Reviews" section.
Posted by: Bill Myers
I work in sales and I can tell you that my writing skills have been invaluable and one of the biggest reasons for my success.
As i recall, Peter started in sales at Marvel.
Sorry for the misspelling of "reimbursement" up there. Misspelled words are one of my pet peeves.
Mr. David is making money now, and I think he'd agree that it's not enough money, but the cloud no bigger than a man's hand is on the horizon. Pretty soon, to pay for the privelege of writing, he'll have to get a job at McDonald's like us other former members of the American middle class. I'm glad I could clear up this matter for you.
I heard that every time Peter receives his share of a book's sales, John Byrne chews the wings off of an angel. That kind of money spends twice as good money earned.
Thomas E. Reed,
"I do indeed write for free here (and y'all are getting your money's worth) but there are a lot of people who have gone from writing on the internet to writing for paid gigs.--some of them ON the internet."
Hell, I'll throw out at least one example. I picked up a book that Chris Rock was praising to the moon in one interview. It's called The Broke Diaries. The thing started as a series of online blog postings by the author about her daily struggles of being dirt poor in the city and some of the things she did to get by. The postings displayed humor and style and got a following. The following generated buzz and got her a book deal. The book sold well and got featured as "book of the month" by several book clubs. She got paid to collect her online work in book form and it sold to more people then had ever heard of her blog postings.
I'm only giving that as an example because I can remember that one right off the top of my head. There have been a number of other books that started life as online blogs and gotten the blog writer a publishing contract. That trend seems to be the direction things are moving still and not the other way around.
Some websites do give you content for free, but many of the writers there also have pay for print gigs. Some magazines are going to the digital format only, but the reason most of them are going online only is because their sales weren't getting them the profit they needed to survive. Most successful magazines use their magazine as their main format and just offer the online reader "exclusive" content that, when free, isn't that big a deal. You want the really good stuff, you pay at the news stand or you whip out your credit card.
Are there websites or trends that, taken by themselves, might back up Thomas E. Reed's theory? Yes, but only in the short term. There are sites that are part of larger businesses that are losing money each year in order to launch the next wave of online publishing. They're kind of like the Fox News Radio. Right now, Fox News Radio is growing as the big syndicated news thing for radio stations to have as their top and bottom of the hour news provider. This isn't solely due to popularity. They are under selling themselves and losing money, much as many new ventures from larger corporations can do, to get on as many stations as they can. Once they're numbers are better, they'll start charging the rates they need to make a profit.
Same thing here. There are a lot of websites out there that are operating in the red or just at the break even point. Some are trying to grow as is and some are holding out with crossed fingers for that big change in the market that Thomas says is coming. Well, lets say that Thomas is right and "free" online publishing washes away the paperback industry. People gotta make a living. People wanna make some $$$$. The year that paperbacks and magazine racks disappear is the year that you start paying premium bucks for a hell of a lot of today's "free" content on the web. Businesses will always get money from the consumer, CEO's will always find ways to get rich and good writers will always get paid for there work. And guys like me will just keep tapping away and blogging on their sites.
seems to me the unit should be trackable if you have the ESN #. As soon as they plug it in in should be able to be pinged somehow.
To me, this is like saying that the use of CGI will throw all actors out of work. Don't think so.
Bill Mulligan, you are wrong! Look at movies like the LOTR trilogy, where they use CGI to portray one of the most complex and interesting characters in the series, Gollum! Do you see any actor there? All they need was some fancy CGI, and then a motion-capture suit worn by an, uh, actor... well, he only did the motions, and then they did those fabulous facial expressions based on, the... uh, same actor... but what about that voice? Yeah, his voice! That was done by, uh, the same actor again. Rats. Never mind. ;)
Sorry to hear about the GPS, PAD.
I wonder how long it is before porno producers--always the folks on the cutting edge of turning technology into profit--start using CGI to make x-rated entertainment with dead actors. Humphrey Bogard and Ingrid Bergman in the scenes tehy could never show from Casablanca, that sort of thing.
True, cgi characters do not have the ability to show the normal range of emotions that a real human can but the same is true of porn actors so this seems a nice fit.
"I wonder how long it is before porno producers--always the folks on the cutting edge of turning technology into profit--start using CGI to make x-rated entertainment with dead actors. Humphrey Bogard and Ingrid Bergman in the scenes tehy could never show from Casablanca, that sort of thing."
I saw (part of) this documentry about the famous directors that started in the 70's. and one guy claimed that George Lucas -- who did not like to direct -- told him the thing to go into is porn, since it requires less effort. and this guy said that George Lucas might have gone into porn and would have become even richer.
Didn't the movie Sky Captain use CGIs of Lawrence Olivier (spl?)?
Humphrey Bogart porn?
The power fantasy of Rick taking advantage of Ilsa may be potent enough for interest in a computer-generated encounter in Casablanca.
But a happy, naked Humphry Bogart, with his big head, his skinny arms, and the box he has to stand on so Ingrid Bergman won't look down on him? Why don't you ask for Charley Allnut porn while you're at it?
"Didn't the movie Sky Captain use CGIs of Lawrence Olivier"
My impression was that they just used old footage of Olivier, spiced up with some cgi hoodoo.
Itw ould actually be quite simple to use motion capture on a real actor and replace their features with that of anyone you choose, though it is much much harder to make realistic humans than a fantasy character like Gollum. we are so used to seeing real people that any slight difference in the way the computer renders them becomes apparent and looks disturbing--the creepy Tom Hanks from Polar Express gives me the Flying Monkey willies.
(I read an article a while ago--wish I'd saved it--that postulated something tot he effect of that this is why robots will look robotic instead of human. The more they look like us the more creeped out we are by them, while a totally robotic Robby The Robot or Lost in Space Robot are less likely to inspire fear.)
"I read an article a while ago--wish I'd saved it--that postulated something tot he effect of that this is why robots will look robotic instead of human. The more they look like us the more creeped out we are by them, while a totally robotic Robby The Robot or Lost in Space Robot are less likely to inspire fear."
I dunno. Cheney got elected, he's pretty damn robotic. Scary too.
Human-like robots freaking out humans?
Jeez, I can think of about twenty Sci-Fi shows and movies without even trying that have played with that concept. Isaac Asimov touched on that in his Robot novels as well.
If you read the bit online, you may have read it on MSNBC or BBC. They've been doing a lot of stuff around the "Sculptor roboticist" David Hanson's work (as he's pushing the designs and concepts a bit) and the Japanese Female Robot Q1Expo.
Q1Expo. That's the one that freaks me out the most. It almost does look human in photos and it doesn't look a whole lot less real on video footage unless it has to do large movements.
After typing that bit, I had to find a link for anyone who has never seen anything on Q1Expo.
Better. Go to Wikipedia and put Actroid or Q1Expo into the search.
Human-like robots freaking out humans?
Jeez, I can think of about twenty Sci-Fi shows and movies without even trying that have played with that concept. Isaac Asimov touched on that in his Robot novels as well.
I finally remembered what it was I was thinking about--"Uncanny Valley" theory. Basically it states that as robots become more and more human-like in appearance they will be more warmly regarded--until a certain point is reached, where the robot is almost identical to humans but not quite their. Then a level of revulsion sets in. Further refinements to to design will eventually return the positive emotional response to the robot's appearance.
Yeah, read about that one. Getting past the Uncanny Valley point is the thing people who see Hanson's work have the most problems with. He talks about it in most of the things that I've read about him and his work.
Strangely, I don't see too much about it in the stuff about the Japanese people's reactions to their human-like robots.
Aw, crap. I work with a guy that's obsessed with Asian women, and he's always said if he could have a living Asian doll....
Aw, crap.
Remember when the Final Fantasy movie came out? Our local paper ran a full page article on it, with the main character rendered not in her spacesuit or whatever she wears(sorry, didn't have time to see the movie) but in a bikini. You know, because they could. And as much as photorealistic CG is pretty cool, I still kinda prefer pen and ink for animation.
"And as much as photorealistic CG is pretty cool, I still kinda prefer pen and ink for animation."
Oh, yeah. I will fight to my last breath over how well done, traditional animation, or animation that has been, at most, just tweeked by computer animation, is head and shoulders better then computer animation in 9 out of 10 cases.
...and that tenth case would, I'm guessing, be either The Simpsons or Futurama, both of which are and were digitally animated while looking like traditional cel animation...
As for the idea that the time of writers getting paid to write is coming to an end, here's something to consider: Most of us who write, but not for a living, have to do other things to support ourselves and our families. This is part of the reason that not everyone sits down and writes that novel or comic or TV series they've had in their head for years (another part of it is that a lot of people don't want to write something as much as they want to have written something). If it becomes impossible to make a living by writing, then a lot of people who currently support themselves that way will have to stop writing (or cut way back, perhaps limiting themselves to blogs)and find other employment.
Also, many animation companies, particularly in japan, have moved to the use of "digital cels," scanning the douga/genga and digitally inking, coloring, and then animating them, saving considerable time and material.
-Rex Hondo-
"...and that tenth case would, I'm guessing, be either The Simpsons or Futurama, both of which are and were digitally animated while looking like traditional cel animation..."
Actually, I was going to go the other way and praise some top notch CGA work. I was a big fan of some of The Mind's Eye DVD's animation back in the day and there has been some CGA films that looked really good. Even the Simpsons and South Park look good because the animation style fits the show. Most of the CGA that I dislike has been from things done on the computer, seemingly, just because they could.
I believe that they used the technique that Rex mentions on Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and the new Appleseed to differing degrees. Bloodlust's just seemed to fit better. It's all personal taste, though. Even if mine just happens to be right.
:)
It really sucks to have your shit stolen. It's one of the worst forms of invasion. I remember visiting a friend at Columbia Presbyterian hospital in New York. I parked my car on 169th street and Broadway (in a housing area owned by the hospital and lived in by hospital employees).
As I was walking back to my car, I saw a guy leaning all the way into my vehicle-- through the passenger side window he had just broken. He was stealing my stereo (and no, to this day I do not know why he just didn't open the passenger door... I am guessing he didn't want to sit in the shattered glass).
This is during the middle of the day and dozens of people were literally walking right past the guy as he did his dirty work.
I walked up to the guy and punched him hard between the ass cheeks-- causing him to slam his head into the bottom of the dashboard and stun himself. I then reached in and grabbed his shirt (a button down one) and violently ripped it apart and pulled it behind his back-- temporarily locking his arms to his side.
I then pulled him out of my car by his belt.
I am proud to say that his head bounced off the hood of my car just like stuntmen's heads bounce off cars in the movies.
I have two comments about the incident:
1) Thanks, Dad, for making me watch all those Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson movies.
2) Even though I know I "made the days" of (2) NYC cops when they came to collect the "master thief"-- I still hated the fact that someone had violated my privacy and screwed with my stuff.
Sorry to hear of your loss, Peter.
P.S. Apartment residents and/or city dwellers: If you park in a "secure" garage, take your personal shit (papers, documents that can identify you and your vehicle with your social security number, etc.) AND your garage door opener OUT of the car with you EVERY TIME you park your car. Yeah, it's a hassle...BUT GET USED TO IT.
Otherwise, I'll be forced to write about the time I had my car parked in a "secure" garage in Los Angeles-- then had it stolen, then had the thieves call ME five days later... threatening to KILL both my girlfriend and I if I didn't give them $5,000!
Otherwise, I'll be forced to write about the time I had my car parked in a "secure" garage in Los Angeles-- then had it stolen, then had the thieves call ME five days later... threatening to KILL both my girlfriend and I if I didn't give them $5,000!
You should have given them the number of the last guy who tried to steal stuff from you. They would have seen that they were lucky.
Damn, man, who are you in real life, Chuck Norris? If it had been me telling this story it would have ended with the line "the next thing I heard was the team of surgeons..."
I love how I read this and thought "Fuckin' New York!" and then proceeded to leave my car unlocked at my girlfriends apartment while I slept over only to come out in the morning and here her say, "Shawn, why is your door open?" to which my only respnse was, "Oh, so someone could steal my IPOD." That damn ipod cost more than my ghetto-ass car.
Grantedd, it was still only half the price of one of those garmins, but it's still a pisser, and I totaly relate to the pissedoffness.