The Writer's Life 2/17 - Books, ATM's & Fast Food

Physical bookstores have been struggling since the emergence of the internet. According to an article in today's NY Post, an Upper West Side shop is offering customers innovative options through the use of a 3-D printer. If Shakespeare and Company does not have a book in stock, the machine will print a copy in the time it takes to make espresso, and the quality is equal to that of others on the market. The store will also print the work of those who wish to self-publish, although I'm sure authors will need a digital copy of a manuscript, not a typed one, to enable to process. As Rodney Dangerfield's character said in Back to School (1986): "Shakespeare for everybody." Kudos.

Another article in the Post reveals that ATM's have more germs than toilets or subway poles. I guess we should wear thin gloves to make transactions. "Congress is not an ATM," said Senator Robert Byrd, former Grand Dragon of the KKK. Yeah, right, nor is it filled with germs. 

Most of the other items in the Post are devoted to the mess that life is currently. Richard Johnson always concludes his gossip column with an end quote. Today he gives the last word to the late Capo Mafioso Carlo Gambino, believed to be the model for Mario Puzo's The Godfather: "Judges, lawyers and politicians have a license to steal. We don't need one."

From foxnews.com, edited by yours truly: A Winnipeg A&W restaurant caught fire last week, but that didn't stop hungry Canadians, who continued to line up at the drive-thru while firefighters worked to put out the flames. This gives new meaning to: "Extra crispy." Here's the best pic I found on the event:

I forced myself to take the floating book shop to Park Slope, which always is a hassle and rarely rewards the toil involved in doing business there. My thanks to the gentleman who bought Just After Sunset, a short story collection by Stephen King.

My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Vic-Fortezza-Author-118397641564801/?fref=ts

Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza