So, I did what many other Ubuntu users have been doing…I switched back a “traditional” desktop in the form of XFCE, an environment I’ve used often in the past. I’ve customized the setup so that it’s drastically different from the default Xubntu/XFCE configuration, stripping out everything I could think of that didn’t directly contribute to how I use my computer. What you’ll find is that I took out almost every kind of launcher, widget, and dock and settled on single, simple task bar the top of my screen to use for monitoring the essentials. My ultimate task bar currently has four components:

The Places plugin

1) The Places Plugin for XFCE. This allows me to quickly open my bookmarks as well as mount and unmount removable media with little hassle. I also love that it includes a handy recent documents list.

2) Window buttons. Does what it says on the tin. I like the dock paradigm, but I also like how easy it is to differentiate between my windows at a glance with this traditional setup. Works just as well, if not better than dock for me most of the time.

3) Notification area. Notice there’s no clock. I rarely need a clock on my screen since I wear a watch and have my phone with me all the time. A clock can also be distracting, offering something else to think about than the task at han d. So, I’m performing an experiment and doing without for a bit. The rest of the items there are what I judge to be the bear minimum of stuff monitor consistently: Dropbox status, network, battery, and sound volume.

4) Desktop switcher. I debate about this one, and it may go away. Nevertheless I do use two virtual desktops when I’m doing research and I want to keep a reference handy, so I think it’s nice to have to have something that can give me a quick visual overview of which desktop I am on.

“But you don’t have any launchers or menus…how do you, you know, open stuff?” I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve. First, the excellent Kupfer. It’s a fast  and lightweight keyboard-based launcher that works great for opening files and programs, if you know what you’re looking for.

Kupfer

Another great tool that stays out of the way until you need it is XFCE’s right-click menu on the desktop. It gives you full access to the applications menu and settings, so if you don’t feel like using the keyboard or want to drill down by category, you’re totally set up.

Right-click menu in XFCE

I threw on a solid theme, and was pretty much ready to roll.  Overall, my system feels quicker, operates a bit more intuitively (since it is truly customized to my preferences), and has (thus far) done a great job of staying out of way so I can get stuff done. Time will tell…I wonder if I’ll still be rocking XFCE at the end of 2012?

At the request of my wife, I’m writing this post to outline just a few thoughts on why and how I choose to self-publish my creative works. I’ll also address the most common objections to self-publishing, and why I think they’re not good enough reasons to keep people from enjoying your art and craft!

Philosophical Considerations

I’m coming at this from a distinct philosophical viewpoint that you may or may not agree with. Regardless of where you stand on these issues, I hope knowing where I’m coming from will help you examine some of your own views on why you make art.

• I believe that art is bigger than our own desires for self-expression. Although it can be cathartic to get your feelings out on the page, canvas, or note-sheet, I think that ultimately most of us want to share our craft, the fruit of our longings, and outpourings of our souls. Sure, there will be things we create just for ourselves, but I think so much good is done when we share our creative output. It’s good and desirable to engage (and thus, possibly change) the world through our art. Art can only be a blessing to others when it is shared.
• I do not believe that an artist has a fundamental right to be compensated for their effort. Obviously if the artist is contracted or commissioned, they should get paid. An artist certainly has a right to seek to get paid as well by selling their art, speaking at events, or whatever. Nevertheless, an artist (even a really good one) doesn’t deserve to be compensated any more than a mechanic (even a really good one) would if no one wanted to buy the cars he was building. The fact that an artist creates does not necessitate on any moral, ethical, or philosophical grounds that the artist make money from it.

Why I Self-Publish

The reason I self publish is derived totally from the two points above. I self-publish because I would rather share my art with as many people as possible, and make just a little money, than hold out for an unlikely big publishing deal and in process, hoard what I’ve created and make no money!

History has proven that getting big publishing deals in print or music is largely related to two factors: industry connections andindustry exposure. Sometimes the deal can ride on one of those things, but most of time, you’ll need both. Most of us have few connections in any kind of publishing, but a sure way to get some is get some exposure. The very best way to do that is to get your work into the hands of those that like it, and make it easy for them to share it with others.

How I Self Publish

There are plenty of tutorials and guides out there on the Internet. Try searching “How to self-publish [insert “novel,” “play,” “album,” or whatever here].” Suffice it to say, I use free, awesome, and easy to use tools. Here are couple cool places for you to check out:

• Lulu.com for all kinds of print project and physical materials, as well as ebooks.
• Bandcamp.com for digital music and physical albums.

Don’t forget to share your stuff with people using tools you already use—Facebook, Twitter, your blog.

Common Objections to Self-Publishing

• “I won’t make any money.” If money is your primary motivator for making art, then I would recommend you find another business. Otherwise, see “Why I Self-Publish” above.
• “People will steal my work.” People will steal your work if you have a publishing deal, and the’ll steal it if you don’t. Time and time again, history has shown that anti-copying methods just don’t work. People that want to use your work without your permission will. You have to have faith that most people will respect your copyright and will use your work within the bounds of fair use. Document everything so you can show that you created the work first. I strongly recommend licensing your work with Creative Commons, which provides a legal framework for you to retain ownership of your work while providing opportunities for people to share it with others.

Now go publish your masterpiece!

Photo by Oversocialized

• Practical Concerns – I already invest lots of time in web projects and online social networks. Without fail, I feel like Facebook consistently delivers less value for the time spent compared to other networks like Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIN. The culture on Facebook is rapidly becoming about quantity of relationships instead of quality. I feel like I have dig through mountains of small talk, annoying apps, a horrible interface, and outright spam before I can find any meaningful conversation. Basically, the signal-to-noise ratio is very, very low on Facebook. This frustrating when I want to make the most of time that I have online. It’s not unlimited, and I have other online pursuits that really are worth the effort because of the genuine conversations they produce.

• Privacy Concerns - This is a big one. Without going into all the details, Facebook has slowly, sneakily, and unethically been eroding user privacy since its inception. I do not like the way Facebook is trying to shape our culture, and I don’t want to be a part of it. Facebook claims ownership of content that does not belong to it, and uses it to sell you stuff you probably don’t want or need. Meanwhile, unknown third parties have access to all kinds of data about you…where you live, what you like, what websites you’ve been to. It’s creepy. Just keeping your status updates private is unintuitive, and I believe it’s only a matter of time until we loose control of even our own family photos, etc.  For further reading on these important issues, check out these articles: 10 Reasons to Delete Your Facebook Account – Facebook’s Eroding Privacy Policy: A Timeline – Facebook’s Zuckerman Says the Age of Privacy is Over.

The How:

• Private Photo/Video Sharing – For the time being at least, I’ll be using Picasa Web Albums and YouTube from Google.  They have some nice, granular privacy controls that will let me upload “unlisted” albums and videos, allowing me to share them with anyone I want (even those without a Google Account), while keeping them private from the Web at large. Those of you that do have Google Accounts can do the same thing, and we can leverage some of the great features that Picasa and YouTube have: collaborative photo albums, annotated video, etc. I’ll be letting you (family and friends that care to see stuff like pics of my son, grad videos, birthday parties, etc.) know via the web’s most established social networking technology: email. I have a very short list of just family and very close friends that I’ll be sending this stuff to. If you want on board, jot me note.

• Status Updates – If you really care that much, follow me on Twitter. If you just want to see the cool stuff I find around the web, then why not subscribe to my Posterous? Stay up to date on my latest blog posts and public videos (if you care) by subscribing to this blog via RSS or email (just enter your address in the sidebar and click “subscribe”).

Disclaimers

• Despite that fact that I’m using services from Google—another large-scale advertising firm—I have a lot more trust in Google to not sell my pictures, creative works, and other data to undisclosed third parties. As soon as Google starts crossing the same lines as Facebook, I’ll jump ship there as well.

• I still want to keep up with you. If you have an off-Facebook blog, send me the link to so I can subscribe and stay updated. If you want me to see your pics, feel free to send me the Facebook album public link, or just send me an email with attachments the old fashioned way.

• I know it’s not worth it for everybody to leave Facebook. You may stay, and you may have good reasons to stay. That’s fine with me. Just make sure you know what the privacy policy is, and be responsible with your data, especially when it affects other people like your family and friends.

On Ubuntu, the default text-editor Gedit works great, and has a few extra features that make taking plain-text notes a bit more convenient, like a side-bar file browser so you can easily open multiple files, and automatic time/date insertion if you’re keeping a journal.

Am I the only one that keeps coming back to plain-text for my digital notes?

Startup is noticeably smoother, and the new login screen is slick. I was really impressed by the new default visual look. For the first time since I’ve been using Ubuntu, the only visual element I changed right away was the background (and by the way, they include a lot of really nice ones in this release). The GTK theme, while still brown, is richer, darker, and much more elegant looking. The new icon theme also really adds to the visual appeal…it’s much more sophisticated than the old icon set. I love how the default tray icons for the volume, wifi, etc, are so minimalistic. Clean lines everywhere…it’s just great.

Performance-wise, it’s pretty much the same as Jaunty…reasonably snappy on my hardware, with some improvements on login speed.

I am really digging Empathy as the new instant messaging client over Pidgin…I love how integrated with the desktop it feels, and also how lightweight it is. The new Ubuntu Software Center is cool…and no doubt a boon for new users. It’s head-and-shoulders over the old “Add/Remove Programs” in my opinion. I’ll still be using Synaptic, of course, but the n00bs will really like how easy the Software Center is to use.

As something of a wannabe minimalist, I dig how minimal Ubuntu is out of the box in terms of its look and included apps, and I especially like how easy it is to configure it to work just how I want it to. The new GNOME and related apps are great, but I may still go back to Openbox, and with Ubuntu, it’s as easy as a few clicks.

Really, there’s not much else to say about the new Ubuntu. It’s solid, slick, functional, understated, elegant, and slightly less brown than before. Everything you want in an operating system.

Is it right for others to make money off my hard work, my creativity? It doesn’t seem like it. Nevertheless, these words from Thomas Jefferson got me thinking:

If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it. Its peculiar character, too, is that no one possesses the less, because every other possesses the whole of it. He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.

So if someone takes the art I create (but still have a copy of…e.g., music) have I really been robbed?