Digital Books Now Available

[finescalerr]

You're not totally off topic so I'll answer. First getting DVD contents onto a tablet or smartphone:

1. Pop DVD into computer.

2. If necessary copy contents onto hard drive.

3. Use WiFi or USB cable to copy the content to your portable device. That last step may require placing the content into a specific folder so your portable device can find it and, if it's an Apple device, you may have to use their iTunes program to transfer the content by "syncing". (Using iTunes the first couple of times can be, uh, annoying.)

As for why your favorite publications disappear (and it's coincidental that a former straight-talking now retired advertiser reported to me about this topic today):

1. The hobby industry is incestuous, political, cliquish, and incredibly stupid. I have never dealt with such morons in any other field except maybe broadcast news and entertainment. The industry supports those it likes (i.e., idiots who mindlessly follow their orders) and that is more than half the reason why some publications receive ads and others don't. Those that don't soon fail.

2. Today's average hobbyist is 70 years old and dropping out of the hobby at a rate of 10-percent a year. He is more shallow, lazy, childish, clumsy, uncreative, and unintellectual than hobbyists at any other time in the past 60 years. (In the 1950s the average model railroader, for example, was 35 years old, white collar with a decent income, at least partly college educated, devoted about an hour a day to his interests, and wanted to learn about modeling and the full size subjects of those models.) Magazines like Mainline Modeler are too sophisticated and intelligent for today's average hobbyist so he doesn't read them. Lack of readers results in failure.

Q.E.D.

Clearly, an independent hobby related full time business focusing on integrity and quality cannot survive in today's climate.

The good news is the mainstream hobby industry is so dimwitted that it is killing itself and its magazine cronies help to tighten the noose. So, one day, the toymakers and their spokesmen will dwindle to a handful of inept greedy nincompoops catering to another handful of inept greedy nincompoops. Real hobbyists long ago will have turned their backs on that commercially focused dungheap and use the Internet, technology, artistry, skill, integrity, and friendship to help one another create the finest models ever.

Russ

[marc_reusser]

Bloody Christ!....this topic is like friggin groundhog day!  People need to lump it or leave it. You can't please everyone...and who the heck would want to....you just end up being a slave to mediocrity. If someone doesn't want to see the cool models and projects and articles because it's digital...then they don't need to buy it or be concerened about it. Their loss. If the are willing to keep up with the times (no matter how unfortunate they may be in their opinion)....then they get a some cool reading and info. It's that simple. PERIOD. BASTA!

BTW...I say this as a book collector and a person who has all form of phone, tablet, labtop, ad PCs....and has accounts to at least 6 digital modeling mags, and dozens of issues purchased through them.....but rarely reads them.......but then I don't read the paper version more than once either.

[finescalerr]

While the above is does indeed contain the blunt truth and some nice little phrases, it is not Marc at his best. I can remember earlier rants that were so acidic and clever I laughed so hard I nearly lost my mind. (Some say I did, and never found it.) Once Marc aimed a cannonball at me. I enjoyed it. It was pretty funny. Too bad he was wrong.

Marc can do better. We must encourage him to resume putting as much creativity into his rants as he does his models. I suggest we either suggest a topic or deliberately write something really stupid ... kind of inspire him. Force him to rise to the occasion. Place unstable nuclear material at his disposal.

As I said above, I miss the old days. I am waiting for just the right statement about just the right topic to appear, and then -- BLAM! (I doubt it will be on this forum, though. You guys are too evolved.)

Russ (an unworthy disciple)

[SandiaPaul]

Marc, get over it, its not YOU I am talking about.

Paul

and thanks for the how to Russ

[marc_reusser]

Marc, get over it, its not YOU I am talking about.

Paul

Not sure I can. Depends on what's in it for ME.

[finescalerr]

Yeah, enough about me. What did YOU think of my last model? -- ssuR

[shropshire lad]

Yeah, enough about me. What did YOU think of my last model? -- ssuR

  Just remind us what it was . It's been so long since you did it the memory needs a bit of jogging .

  Yeah , yeah , I know .....

[Design-HSB]

Real hobbyists long ago will have turned their backs on that commercially focused dungheap and use the Internet, technology, artistry, skill, integrity, and friendship to help one another create the finest models ever.

Hi Russ, so yes that is correct, and that's why I'm here.

[finescalerr]

Sadly, all my compliments pertain to everybody but Nick. But we already knew that. Unfortunately we also know he is in the corner, listening and giggling at the attention. Is anyone among us a psychiatrist? Can somebody help poor Nick?

One day I really will build a model. Really. Well, probably.

ssuR

[shropshire lad]

Sadly, all my compliments pertain to everybody but Nick. But we already knew that. Unfortunately we also know he is in the corner, listening and giggling at the attention. Is anyone among us a psychiatrist? Can somebody help poor Nick?

One day I really will build a model. Really. Well, probably.

ssuR

  I don't need to be patronised by you . I have a wife who is far better at it than you .

kciN

[marc_reusser]

  I don't need to be patronised by you . I have a wife who is far better at it than you .

kciN

Ka-tching!  LOL. That is the winner line of the month! I need that on a T-shirt!

[darrylhuffman]

"Today's average hobbyist is 70 years old . . .  He is more shallow, lazy, childish, clumsy, uncreative, and unintellectual . . . "

Sounds a great description of me.