"Net Assets" available as ebook!

That's right, "Net Assets" is now available in several different ebook formats. The above link will take you to the Book List page of Near Space Press where you can find links to the Amazon (Kindle format) page and the Smashwords (Mobipocket, Palmdoc PDB, ePub and Sony LRF) page.

Please, check out this wonderful libertarian SF novel.

Net Assets to be released 4/23/2010.

That's right, Near Space Press is releasing the Kindle version of Carl Bussjaeger's "Net Assets" through Amazon on April 23rd, 2010. That's this coming Friday.

For those of you who like a bargain, anyone pre-ordering it or buying it on April 23rd or April 24th will get it for the low, low price of $7.99 (US Dollars). On April 25th, the price will rise to its regular $9.99 (US Dollars) price. We at Near Space Press promise to hold the line on ebook prices to a maximum of $9.99.

So feel free to go to Amazon on Tuesday and place your pre-order for this great libertarian novel!

Wii Wii Wii all the way home!

Have you noticed that I've blogged about the Nintendo Wii? (Yes? No? Maybe?) Well, maybe just a tad... Okay, I'm into my sixth full day of Wii exercising using the Sports disc that comes bundled with the Wii system console and the Wii Fit Plus disc - which comes bundled with a Balance Board.

Today, I did over 30 minutes of bowling (six games, this time played with my left hand - I'm a rightie - and with a high game of 169), golf (we won't discuss how *bad* my scores are except to say that *I* believe the system should not allow the recording of quadruple bogies on a hole) and boxing ( three matches, including one 1st round KO and two 2nd-round KOs) as well as 1.5 minutes (out of 3 minutes) on the Wii Fit Plus Basic Run Short Course.

Sure, it's only been six days. But even in such a short time frame, I'm noticing that I'm walking better, that my endurance while playing is increasing and that I'm getting some real good elevated heart rates during the games and exercise.

For me, weighing in is not yet something I can do at home - most scales only go to 275-330, and even the higher-range home models are limited to 550 pounds - so I don't know how much weight I'm losing. But as soon as I get down to 550 or below, I'm getting one of those scales so that I can monitor each week rather than every couple of months when I visit my primary physician. Still, my measured (I use one of those home wrist-cuff monitors.) blood-pressure has dropped 4 whole points (down from 79/132 to 77/128) over this week.

I'm still looking forward to either a) reaching 400 pounds so I can buy an exercycle that will take my weight, or b) getting donations to afford one of those NuStep T5xr trainers - but the latter is pretty much a pipe-dream as no one has kicked in even one cent to the $5,600 price tag. In the mean time, I'll stick to my daily routine with the Wii; I AM getting measurable, benficial results from it and I urge anyone else who's topping 500 pounds to consider buying at least the Wii system!

I'm becoming an Amazon small publisher

It is called Near Space Press and I'll be first releasing a Kindle version of Carl Bussjaeger's "Net Assets", followed shortly by a Kindle version of his collected short stories, "The Anarchists". I hope to have a trade paperback version of each available by late May or early June of this year.

As "Net Assets" is fully edited and we have a basic cover for it, I'm just waiting for an ISBN number before releasing the Kindle version. Price will be $9.99 and on the first day it's available it will be a $0.00 price. The price of the Trade paperback version, when it's released, will be $15.99.

Obviously, while I love Carl's works, Near Space Press will seek out other authors who are writing libertarian fiction (and libertarian non-fiction for those of you who've written these) and have found no home with the established publishing houses. For the Kindle editions, we'll offer you a better royalty rate than what you'd get from those older firms and we'll be willing to offer dual releases (ebook and tpb) on each title accepted for publication.

Fourth day exercising with the Wii

Okay, it's now been five days since we got the Wii set up and we've exercised four of those days. Today I managed to get the Wii Fit Plus system to recognize me - and that was a total pain as I had to fool the Balance Board about my presence; I am over 300 pound heavier than the Balance Board can handle and I don't want to break it because Mom needs it. So once I got myself into the Wii Fit Plus system I chose to do the ONE type of WFP exercise that doesn't need the Balance Board - the Run. Obviously, at my weight and with my relative lack of fitness, I could only do the Basic Run, and only 37.5% of that, but I've noticed that I'm not feeling quite the knee pain while sitting down afterwards.

Still, I'm managing, with the mix of Bowling, Boxing and Golf as well as working up to the full 3 minutes of the WFP Basic Run, to move better and I'm feeling a bit more relaxed and I'm breathing easier.

I recommend that anyone who's truly morbidly obese go out and get a Wii and Wii Fit Plus system.

Yes! Wii Bowling is Fun!

I didn't think I'd ever get the hang of Wii Sports Bowling, but I finally did. Anyone who's read this blog since the beginning knows that I'm far, far too heavy to stand unassisted for more than a minute. In fact, I usually use two canes. Today, I managed to use just one cane to stand so that I could use the WiiMote. I only lasted for one game of bowling, but I managed to stand the whole game!

Then I sat back down - and bowled the next four games. People, my heart rate by the end of the five games (20 minutes real time) was around 134 - and I had broken into a sheen of sweat! I haven't reached that level of exercise in YEARS!

Seriously, if you're morbidly obese - or like me you've reached super-morbid obesity status - get yourself a Wii and start playing the Wii Sports games that come with the system. If I can play at that level of exercise for 20 minutes and more, so can you!

Wiiiiiiiiiiii Meeeeeeee!

Yes, we have finally joined the 'Wii Generation' here at Casa Benner. We (LOL) went ahead and bought a Wii, an extra WiiMote & Nunchuk and Wii Fit Plus w/Balance Board. I spent yesterday getting the Balance Board and the extra WiiMote configured to the Wii. Then Mom and I tried out the basic sports games disc that comes with the Wii and the exercise disc that comes with Wii Fit Plus. Whooo! Quite the workout, even with just the five games that come with the basic Wii! I cannot at this time, use the Balance Board, so Mom is using the Wii Fit application and I'm sticking to Tennis, Bowling, Golf, Baseball and Boxing. Even so, it is so easy to forget how much time has passed. I spent nearly 30 minutes working up a sweat with Boxing, Bowling and Baseball.

But the important thing is that playing these games got me out of the chair (although playing Boxing and Baseball can quite easily be done sitting down if you're like me and have trouble standing for any length of time) and onto my feet. I'm tired and sore today, but it's a 'good' tired. We will be looking at other 'sports' games for the Wii and I think this will make it that much easier to get exercise into my life.

I *want* an iPad!

Scratch that. I *need* an iPad! I've got books to write,books to publish and needs to meet. I cannot function without an iPad. That presents a problem. I'm living on a fixed (lower-class) income and cannot afford one. What is *infinitely* worse is that Obama's (and to a lesser extent, FDR's) Great Society has failed to live up to its promise of Freedom from Want. (I have this suspicion that is because I'm caucasian.) Whatever the reason, I'm not seeing the wealth of "Obama money" flowing into *my* coffers (funny how *my* "coffers" always seem to resemble empty pockets and bare cupboards) But I have a plan which involves getting Carl Bussjaeger's novel, "Net Assets" published through Amazon as an ebook. I'm even setting up a website for this and other novels that have not found homes at www.nearspacepress.com.

Still, having an iPad would make this process easier. If you'd like to help out, please donate via the donate buttons on this page. And check out Near Space for sample chapters of Net Assets. They should be up by this Friday.