Bino Book--the never-ending saga (1 Viewer)

[OPTIC_NUT]

One nice thing about self-pub is that you can issue different versions easily.
For example beginner's guide to binoculars, 30 pages (w/how-to-use)
, hobbyist's guide, include test page to copy, etc...

The Springer editorial herding is just their trying to maneuver you into markets they
know. You may not share their actual markets and they may not risk market
exploration. How-to-market is a major confusion these days. Some people succeed
at self-pub and then a publisher acquires the title to enter a market. Marketing is
the curse and the promise. Nobody knows how online, but that's the key.

Maybe your anecdotes could make a blog and that could link to the condensed
book product. Low effort, stable platform.
Things like twitter and facebook, I think, are kind of fleeting.

 

[WJC]

Having been called "a guerilla marketer" by Levinson, himself, and having been a professional marketing director, I feel I have a handle on that. However, it's really not that important, anyway. I just need to get back to building my freelance and lecture business. This has been on my plate too long.

Tell me a little about yourself; are you one of the ATMs of Boston?

My email is: [email protected]

cheers,

Bill

 

[OPTIC_NUT]

Probably not...ATM is a bank machine to me.
Physics major to defense engr., retooled for software + instruments.
The binocular kick is a recent thing, restoring auction items. It recalls some of the
optical systems folks I worked with, for imaging, IR material ID. I've fiddled with lenses
since the optics course in university. That was light duty, though. Also into shortwaves,
microwaves, fiddling with AMDX and TVDX. General electromagnetic interests. So many
parallels in antenna, filter, circuit, optical theory.

The old binoculars haunt me. I rescued some from my own antique shop culling bin
and now I can't help but notice they frequently seem sharper (once I've upgraded
the focuser). Maybe, like telescope mirrors, the hand-finishing produced
mostly 'aspheric' ...more parabolic...lenses. So little historical detail
though. Kind of amusing that things having one or two aspheric lenses are now 'new'.
Lots more labor went into them back then (1940's-60s).

Compared to something like cars or orchids, binocular cleaning/fixing/customizing
seams to have more potential in terms of not as much equipment or parts count
or floorspace for a given performance. The really are elegant little passive machines.

I liked the way distortions were played off against each other in eye loupes for
a long time. The double plano-convex the engravers use, and the related plossl,
and then the "super-plossl (just a plossl w/field lens). That wide flat look.
I wonder if the old plossl-plus ones I see in extra-wides came out better because
they were ground to fit the assembly image instead of to a spherical shape.

The addiction fired up because there were so many neglected bits of treasure I was the
only bidder for. We pay the same for the junk and super models of yesteryear
because a lot of Japanese craft was lost on the US public even at its peak, and now
you cant see through the cloud of names for the brilliant achievements.
WW-2 and post-WW2 'Mirador' specials are an interest. They made a mixed bag later,
but their greatest design elements went into the Bushnell Customs, big and small,
and into embassy "spy scopes".

It's another obsession, but furniture or cars would use up too much garage.
People who buy for the first time tell me the image is "too real", or
"like I'm falling out the window". Reality looks strange and spooky to them after
their TVs and ipads.

I've also observed some things in the woods I never saw in a book or online.
Coyotes designing surveillance spokes, crows using me to hunt.
Reality isn't through speaking yet. Complexity and shelf-organization has
only started to seep into science. Observing nature helps those thoughts along.


Adding some narrative and pizzaz to my little store shelf has pushed sales
on a lot, although I still sell everything at a loss. The biggest sellers are
the 'chopped monocs' or "shufties" as I call them (cut apart sep-focus).
Anything to get someone to take that first look. Selling the experience.