Troy

Utility is not subjective it serves a function, as in has a use. That said owning history is an interesting notion... High speed internet access and access to PC is not ubiquitous. I discovered this teaching during the pandemic as well. The university have out 5,000 laptop with wifi hotspots -- professors needed them too! Out side of major urban centers the challenges are greater. Much of the poverty in America is hidden, so it is easy to assume we are much better off that we truly are.

Guest poster have you studied Cuban demographics? You should consider reading this paper: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=international_immersion_program_papers if goes into some detail, but if you are actually interested in learning something it may be worth you time.

As they say, "no keys no cheese." I recommend that you hold you crypto in your own wallet. I use Trezor https://trezor.io/ . Many of the "hacks" were just outright scams. Like someone setting up a bogus bank then running off with the deposits. I would not buy any crypto unless it was listed here: https://coinmarketcap.com/ and even then I'd just stick with Bitcoin or Ethereum. Most seem to be using crypto as a get rich quick scheme rather than an alternative currency. As a result of this greed, people are getting played every day. Banks have already gone digital. I rarely handle currency and never go into a branch or use an ATM. The only exception is when I go to the casino to play poker. The adoption of Crypto would be a minor transition but unless regulators get on board it crypto will remain on the margins ripe for fleecing the gullible and greedy.

That is painfully obvious. I hope he gets the help he needs. Money can buy a lot of things, but it clearly can't buy mental health. Chris demonstrated a composure few of us, I'm sure, could have maintained. He literally saved their lame show.

Hey @daniellegfny congrats on the sale of your NFT. But did you say that when people buy the NFT they get a copy of you book too? Also I've never actually looked at the block chain to check on proof of a transaction, so I'll just take you word for it. So how much did you make on the deal. Sales price minus transactions costs and cost to create the image? What do you envision the person who purchased the image will do with it? In other words what utility or value do you think it gives the buyer? @Stefan of course this is true, but this is always the case with new technology before it becomes ubiquitous. I clearly remember many in our community strongly resisting buying things on the web. Today, just 20 years later, many of us buy things from Amazon we don't need or can easily walk down the street to buy -- even paying Amazon an annual fee for the privilege.

How Chris maintained his cool in that situation is beyond me. I’m not sure I could have maintained mind — I would have been in Will’s ass. Chris is a gentleman and Will behaved like a teenage moron. They had the nerve to give him an award, he should have been arrested. …but to answer the question: I wouldn’t do anything. If it were funny I might laugh. But it depends. Will’s reaction was simply crazy. i never watch the academy awards but this assault was all over the news, so i could not avoid it. interestingly it made me a bit angry to see a black man slap another Black man in a room full of white folk. I have nothing but contempt for Will’s violent behavior.

I am not sure you appreciate just how much smarter you are than the average bear. …. Or maybe my opinion of the masses is just too low, But I don’t think so 😉 yeah i did miss understand what you meant by hanging across currencies… i raise both Utility and usability arguments. Crypto is far too lacking in both for widespread adoption right now. These are things I’m considering for the AALBC website redesign. @Delano you worked at Wang! man you must be super smart too 🙂 no wonder you and Mel are kindred spirits. I thought so and is why I disagree with the statement. Pure hedonism is selfish. well @ProfD thanks for joining us. I’m due there are others out there like you — i just gotta find them and get them here.

oh, Okay I had not considered that…

I saw that. Black women doing everything in Star Trek; running star ship Enterprise, president of the Earth, general in charge protecting Earth … Cis Gender white makes are no where to be found in the new Star Trek no wonder they are so disgruntled to the point where they are storming the White House.

Neanderthal!😆 Man, there are new apartments in NYC where there isn't even a pretense of a kitchen -- people order, and eat, out so frequently -- there is no perceived need.,, Thank you! If you care to share what the appeal of this forum is for you maybe I can share it with others and get more participation.

Interesting conversation. Oil is generally purchased in advance, at a set price, to protect businesses from volatility in prices. The immediate change in prices seen at the pump, in airline tickets, or in your utility bill is profiteering. If the price of a barrel of gas goes up today that does not mean the price has to be immediately passed on to the consumer -- the gas has already been purchased. Again, we need to move on from fossil fuels. the idea that we would continue to use them for another hundred years knowing what we know it is doing to the planet seems insane to me. Here in Tulsa, I've experienced earthquakes and my understanding is that this is a direct result of fracking... The pandemic is largely over here in Tulsa there is little evidence outside of hospitals that we are in the midst of a "pandemic." Covid variants are seemingly part of our life now -- get used to it. Like the flu vaccine, a covid vaccine will be part of our lives, for the foreseeable future...

We trade across fiat currencies and financial institutions make a lot of money during this. And sure individuals can do this with Crypto, but again doing this is even more complicated for the vast majority of individuals. I guess it depends upon how you define "wasted" time. Drug addicts enjoy getting high; is that wasted time? Rapists derive pleasure from victimizing others; is their time wasted? I thing so, but my definition of wasted time apparently differs from that of your friend. Back to the Metaverse, @ProfD the pixelated people of LEGOLAND is not the metaverse. It will be a fully immersive digital environment which may ultimately be indistinguishable from the real world; more like the Star Trek holodeck. Except, lurking in the background, Zuck will be devising more diabolical ways to extract your wealth and time. Meanwhile, your ability to engage in the real world will be diminished to the point where you no longer productive or derive pleasure from life outside Zuck's Metaverse. And @daniellegfny I know you said it is not Zuck's Metaverse, but it is not Zuck;s Internet either ... or is it? Think about it.

From Sheila Williams, the author of The Secret Women, comes Things Past Telling, a remarkable epic that charts one unforgettable woman’s journey in a breathtaking novel that combines the epic romance and adventure of Outlander, the sweeping drama of Roots, and the haunting historical power of Barracoon. Buy Now ▶ AALBC to Publish Kalisha Buckhanon’s Next Novel I’m pleased to tell you AALBC will be publishing, Running to Fall (AALBC, Sep 6, 2022), the follow-up to Kalisha Buckhanon’s critically acclaimed novel, Speaking of Summer! “My gratitude and forever ‘Black Power’ fist to great literary friend Troy Johnson and his legendary AALBC.com, which I dreamed of being listed on when I was just a college English major, for picking up this novel as one the historic AALBC would take a chance to publish in America. Being the first Black writer and novel African-American Literature Book Club publishes actively is an honor and highlight of my career I am filled with pride and joy for.” —Kalisha Buckhanon Kalisha Buckhanon is the AALBC bestselling author of, Upstate, which won the 2006 American Library Association ALEX Award and was nominated for a 2006 Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation Legacy Award in Debut Fiction. Her novel, Speaking of Summer, was described as “An absolutely riveting thriller” by Cosmopolitan. Shondaland wrote, “This book packs a punch, so buckle in.” O: The Oprah Magazine said, “This mysterious novel is well worth the wait.” Running to Fall promises to continue the trend. Read an excerpt here ▶ Builders + Backers 20 Tulsa Entrepreneurs Begin National Accelerator Program to Turn Ideas into Reality I worked on AALBC, from my home office, in relative isolation for years. The pandemic, surprisingly enough, has been a period in which I have connected with so many other entrepreneurs and entities who are supportive of entrepreneurs. One such entity is Builders + Backers. Builders + Backers has helped me look at my business with fresh eyes, see the potential of AALBC, and provide funds to help me realize that potential. Dear Reader, I’m super excited and honored for the opportunity to publish Kalisha’s new novel. She has always been supportive of AALBC. AALBC is fueled by our community. There is no way I could have run this site for 25 years without help. There is a lot of work ahead, but the future looks bright. Always remember Reader, you are part of the help that keeps AALBC growing. Your paid subscriptions, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements help support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by Amistad. Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – March 16, 2022 - Issue #354

Sure, I am definitely and influencer, but not on social media -- at least not directly. The term "influencer" is not applied to indie platforms -- especially the black-owned ones. The social media algorithm simply does not favor older Black men you aren't talking about nonsense. IMHO. Can you think of a so called influencer who is a Black, cis-gender, male in my age range on TikTok, for example? Is he buck dancing (metaphorically speaking). Again I will give it a shot... Thanks for the information on Frank London Brown. His book, Trumbull Park is still in print. I just added a place holder for him on the site: https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Frank+London+Brown You can learn more abut Builders + Backers here: https://www.buildersandbackers.com/press-posts/tulsa-cohort-2022 it is a really helpful program.

@Milton i don’t think anything on TikTok, or social media in general media, is “Random.” There are sophisticated algorithms wishing to determine what people see and when they see it. @Mel Hopkins why do you think you were wrong about influencers? As far as sales are concerned my small anecdotal evidence still gives me cause for skepticism. I’m in book industry and I don’t know any one who uses TikToc (including the folks here) and can tell me they have generated books sales as a direct result. I appreciate I’m on my own Black book bubble free of the influence if tic tickkng kids 😉

This would comport with my experience. Any AALBC content that went viral on social does so because of someone else's efforts -- not mime. In each case I never was able to identify the person who first my content go virial.

I'm part of a program called Builder + Backers and am hoping to do an experience in which I can test the effectiveness of TikTok for AALBC, but I need a website refresh which I hope yo complete in another 4 weeks. As far as the lack of ads on TikTok, if they are like any other social media platform, they will be coming -- trust me. The other thing I find problematic with social is that so much of what we see is advertising. Now I don't have a problem with advertising, but it is often undisclosed and gives prominence to those with the most money. This usually ends up in marginalizing Black content not cosigned by white folks.

@Mel Hopkins, Sorry, I misspoke. I know full well that people are selling, or attempting to sell, any and everything on block chain. What I meant was that we will not see, in my opinion, use of this technology for books for sometime. Buying books with NFT;s will not suppliant the traditional way of purchasing books -- certainly not in our life time. Have you or @daniellegfny (or anyone) purchased a book on the Block chain? Even the site you linked to Mel does not sell physical books Do you, or anyone else here besides Danillegfny and myself hold, cryptocurrency? I know, with tech, things can change quickly, but the adoption rate of buying physical things with crypto faces many challenges which will imped, if not stop wide spread adoption. Most notably is the proliferation of different currencies and lack of standardization, which are two problems I see with Publica -- why are they introducing another cryptocurrency and requiring a proprietary browser extension? There seems to be very little utility here for the user. It looks like the owners benefit off the transactions of others hoping to get rich.

Hey @Delano of course you came to mind when this email to help me promote audio book came in the mail today. I clicked my sign, but failed to see the connection with me or Astrology. Does anyone's list of audio book recommendations resonate with them? Click your zodiac sign below (based on your date of birth) to find your perfect picks, which you can purchase through AALBC ! Pisces February 19 – March 20 Aries March 21 – April 19 Taurus April 20 – May 20 Gemini May 21 – June 20 Cancer June 21 – July 22 Leo July 23 – August 22 Virgo August 23 – September 22 Libra September 23 – October 22 Scorpio October 23 – November 21 Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Capricorn December 22 – January 19 Aquarius January 20 – February 18 Looking for more? Find the full list of audiobook recommendations for each sign, plus the reasons why! See all the picks Need credits? Buy a gift membership for yourself in support of AALBC to get 3, 6, or 12 credits up front! Get credits Questions? Explore the Help center or contact us and a real, audiobook-loving human will get back to you!

@Mel Hopkins Are you seeing may folks in our age on TikTok? Did you discover Kendra Reads before you saw the CBS News article? It seems odd that TikTok, a video sharing platform, is still displaying user videos as mirror images. All the text in the video being reversed is unnecessary and irritating. (Am I coming across grumpy this a.m.? 🤨)

I can absolutely see this happening. Perhaps we will also use AI to read the books for us too 😜

While I do take what the CEO says with a grain of salt (because of his obvious bias). I don't doubt that plenty of people are looking at BookToK -- including the "tok" I posted above. I'm just not sure this is translating into buyers and readers. Consider the Tok in your post @Mel Hopkins, which I have embedded below. I think this is a much better treatment of a book than the one I posted earlier. I read the CBS News article and it said she gather 60K followers in less than 2 months. Somehow I don't think I could garner that type of following -- she is a 20-something and I', old enough to be her grandfather. But you know what, maybe I'll just give it s shot and see for myself.

Actually it is at least a century old LOL. I'm more confident the current model will persist for another century than I am the model being rendered obsolete by the metaverse. Man, I've played around with Crypto, NFTs, virtual and augmented reality, all of it -- I'm into that kind of the tech stuff. But for the same reason I don't spend hours of social media I will not be spending an appreciable amount of my life in, or engaging in, the metaverse. We are a long way away from selling books on block chains or building a metaverse where books will be purchased. Physical books will persists and will be sold outside the metaverse for the foreseeable future. @daniellegfny did anyone buy your NFT yet? I'll pass on downloading this apps -- it is not exactly revolutionary...

It is often suggested that I need to get on to TikTok to build my brand and draw more attention to AALBC. This article was shared with me, "How BookTok changed Book of the Month’s influencer marketing strategy" The article featured the following (see Below) BookTok post (what are TickTok posts called anyway, Toks?). Nothing about this appealed to me -- and I don't think it is my age. Sure, I can see that this may attract eyeballs (views on TickTok), but will this translate into readers or buyers of the books? Who is on TikTok anyway?

In a remarkable blend of historical fiction and horror, Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams is a thrilling novel about biracial twin sisters separated at birth and the reckoning that comes when they reunite. Twin sisters Charlie Yates and Magnolia Heathwood were secretly separated after the brutal lynching of their parents, who died for loving across the color line. Now, at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, Charlie is a young Black organizer in Harlem, while white-passing Magnolia is the heiress to a cotton plantation in rural Georgia. Buy Now ▶ Recently Reviewed Books Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora by Bryant Terry “Each chapter and verse, each poem, photograph, painting, think-piece, and recipe is a portal to beloved communities of plants and animals, food and pleasures, leisures, tastes, and cultures across many eras,” Terry writes. 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Currently, he adds another gem to his literary crown: Look For Me And I’ll Be Gone, another surprising grouping of his groundbreaking short stories. Read More ▶ The African Lookbook: A Visual History of 100 Years of African Women by Catherine E. McKinley While McKinley’s photo book is a rich visual feast (1870-1970), it serves to focus on the feminine beauty, cultural physicality, and innate resourcefulness of the African woman. Witness this magical, mythic photo album! Look at the lovely girl and the majestic women in the work of Seydou Keita, the Mali stylist. Check out the pair of hip kitties with dark glasses and cool garb by another Mali shutterbug Abdourahmane Sakaly. Dig the sleek hair-do of Eva from Ghana’s James Barnor. Take a gander at the tinted photos of the mysterious Dunau. Examine the solo and group figures of the Dakar and Saint-Louis Studios. Read More ▶ North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books Seventh Annual North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books Delores Lowe Friedman of Bayside, New York received a First Prize in Mainstream/Literary Fiction for her novel Wildflowers. “Delores Lowe Friedman's Wildflowers is an emotionally rich and intimate novel that follows a decades-long friendship among three Black women in New York City. Their complex and shifting relationships encompass crisis support, joys and secrets shared, estrangement, and jealousy. This story celebrates the power of women's bonds, but also shows how intimacy can be shattered by projected insecurities. A lost friend can be as life-defining as any romantic breakup. Wildflowers explores this truth in honest detail.” —Jendi Reiter Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd US Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers Susan Taylor “Susie” Baker King (August 6, 1848 – 1912), teacher and nurse, achieved many firsts in a lifetime of overcoming adversity and helping elevate others out of slavery. As the author [in 1902] of Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers, she was the only African American woman to publish a memoir of her wartime experiences. Read an excerpt from her memoir, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd US Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers ▶ Website Dedicated to Black History Tops a Million Visitors From Black Past’s Founder, Quintard Taylor “I am pleased to announce that as of midnight last night (Feb. 23), BlackPast.org (www.blackpast.org) crossed the one million mark for visitors in the 23 days since February 1. Specifically, the count was 1,016,614. This is an all-time record and we are going to have our first one-million-plus month in the fourteen-year history of BlackPast.org. 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On the brink of sinking even deeper into lonely dementia, Ptolemy experiences a seismic shift when he's given the tremendous opportunity to briefly regain his memories and uses this precious and fleeting lucidity to solve his nephew's death and come to terms with his past. RSVP and let them know AALBC sent you! You’ll also receive a free promo code from AppleTV+ to continue watching the series when it premieres on AppleTV+, on March 11, 2022. Use the RSVP link, in this Newsletter, and be entered to win an autographed copy of the book. Award-Winning Illustrator Ashley Bryant Passed Ashley Bryan (July 13, 2021 – February 4, 2022) grew up to the sound of his mother singing from morning to night, and he has shared the joy of song with children ever since. A beloved illustrator, he has been the recipient of the Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; he has also been a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer, a Coretta Scott King Award winner, and the recipient of countless other awards and recognitions. “He had turned 98 on July 13, 2021, and continued to recite poetry from his vast repertoire — especially Shakespeare’s sonnets — up to the very end.” Dear Troy, I urge you to sign the petition to exonerate Marcus Garvey and encourage the members of your communities to do so too. We now have only hours remaining to get one hundred thousand (100,000) signatures needed within the February 1- March 2nd 30-day period. Reaching this goal will result in an official response from the White House. Always remember Troy, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscriptions, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements help support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by Kelly McWilliams Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – March 1, 2022 - Issue #352