Tagged: atanas entchev

An open letter to ABC News regarding audio auto-play on their website

Today I sent the following letter to ABC News via the US Postal Service:

December 3, 2012

ABC News
47 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023

Re: ABC News website and audio auto-play

Dear ABC News:

I urge you to reconsider the current practice of auto-playing multimedia content when a visitor loads your website (abcnews.go.com) in their browser. The audio auto-play is particularly egregious. It is unexpected, startling, annoying. It wastes bandwidth and user CPU resources. It is poor internet etiquette.

I have discussed the issue with my social media contacts, and I assure you that many internet users feel the same way. Users agree that your practice generates ill will (as a simple Google search will assure you). Users are looking for (and finding) ways to block your domain from their systems. This puts Disney in the company of porn purveyors.

Whatever the benefits of this practice, they are surely outweighed by the long-term damage done to your online properties and the Disney brand. I trust that you will give my letter a serious consideration, and will consequently give users more control over what content they consume (and when) as they visit your website.

Respectfully:
{signed}

Atanas E. Entchev
{street address}
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{telephone number}

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Follow me on Twitter @atanas

Looking for a book publisher and/or literary agent

As many of my friends and readers know, I have been working on a book about my immigration ordeal. It’s a book about hope and perseverance, about pursuing one’s dream against all odds. I am working with a co-author — Lesley Downie, a professional writer. We have prepared a book proposal, and need a publisher (we considered and dismissed self-publishing as an option).

I am new to book publishing, and I post this with the hope that my online friends and the larger online community can help connect me with the right agent. Any leads and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much! –Atanas and Lesley

PS We have a 22-page book proposal, prepared according to industry best practices. Contact: atanas@entchev.com

Team Project Mayhem

Team Project Mayhem wins a division first at the 2012 YRALIS Championship Regatta

After two days of sailing on Long Island Sound, Team Project Mayhem won a division first with 1-2-1-1 at the YRALIS Championship Regatta August 4 and 5, 2012, Riverside Yacht Club, Riverside, Connecticut. Our main competitor, LOKI 3, took second place. Pictured below is the winning team returning to port on day two.

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Follow me on Twitter @atanas

Team Project Mayhem
Team Project Mayhem, L-R: Jay Morgenstern, Jim Schlott, Doug Stryker (owner/skipper), Nancy Scheraga, Matt Loughlin, Brett Straten, Armando Tamargo. Not pictured (taking the picture): Atanas Entchev

 

 

I don’t always start new blogs

I don’t always start new blogs, but when I do they are self-hosted and self-administered.

I wish the above were true. It hasn’t been, until now. Oblivious A.T. — a self-hosted WordPress installation — is here to correct this.

Don’t I have enough blogs already, you ask? Do I need another one? I definitely don’t need one more blog. Oblivious A.T. is part of my de-googlification process, and will take the place of Tenth Cave — my Google-hosted personal blog since 2003.

I may bring here some of my Tenth Cave posts over time, we’ll see. Tenth Cave will continue to live as long as Google will have it, but will not be updated.