Friday, July 12, 2013

Bells and Whistles


"We probably could have saved ourselves, but we were too damn lazy to try very hard . . . and too damn cheap," (Kurt Vonnegut, 1993).

Opening his book by quoting Kurt Vonnegut's bleak assessment of the fate of humans dealing with rapid climate change was a bold and powerful kick off to a bold and powerful ebook addressing a mind-boggling subject. Reading Al Gore's Our Choice on my iPad has been one brain blowing experience. Kudos Al, you and your team have published one hell of an impressive ebook (must have cost you a bundle).

Please, no matter how you feel about the man politically, don't fool yourselves. We best kneel down and pray; first, that his science is flawed; and second, that the Lord please give us the willpower to correct our flawed ways. Myself, I've eaten the magic mushroom, and believe the science. It looks like there's a storm coming and it's going to be a hot one, if you know what I mean. Pardon me, I digress.

This is one impressive ebook loaded with all the bells and whistles. If only for the technical side, it is a digital publishing masterpiece. Al's ebook comes with striking options an animated global map, touch activated embedded videos and moving graphics. I particularity enjoy the index slide bar that instantly delivers any chapter or page to my finger tips.

I purchased Our Choice on a suggestion from our Little Pond Publishing's Creative and Marketing Director, Naomi Mayhue. I can't recall ever being more satisfied with reading anything on my iPad. Reading Gore's ebook has ignited a spark of desire in me to publish multimedia ebooks. This masterpiece is not only a must read for its vast information and insight, but also reset the bar in the digital publishing world. As a storyteller, I can tell you that seeing, reading and using this ebook shows how the world has changed in such astonishing positive ways for all of us.

From here on out, the toolbox of all digital storytellers will include words, images, sounds, videos, graphics, maps and other tools not yet established.

The future is here!

Until next time ... Fodder Away!