UPSB v4
General Discussion / UPSB eBook
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Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 07:35:44
Okay so I just did a Google search for 'pen spinning book' and it seems there isn't one. [B]Why should we write a book?[/B] We have this gigantic pool of knowledge on UPSB but it's dotted around all over the place. There's a lot of talk about UPSB being in decline and new members never sticking around. It seems like maybe the people with the most influence on new spinners are the YouTube tutorial makers (of which opinion always seems mixed), rather than the wise old heads of UPSB itself. A UPSB eBook would provide a clean, clear and targeted way of getting the wisdom of established UPSB spinners across to new members (and existing ones who are under one year(ish). Hell, I'd read it. So much good advice and wisdom (and bad, I guess) gets written on this board every day - it makes sense to take the best advice from the most trusted members and turn it into a neatly packaged, legitimately published Ebook. [B]Who would read it?[/B] There are thousands of relatively new English language spinners all over the world, right? Add to that the amount of noobs who give it a go and quit soon after, that's a big readership. And there seems to be no competition. [B]What would the content be?[/B] Everything general. There's no point giving advice on specific tricks/mods/styles 'cos it would take forever and you'd need video for that. So instead, it can just be a concise intro into the community and general tips. Sections like: Presentation - how to make your spinning look its sharpest What not to do - common rookie errors to avoid Notation - how to make sense of what you're seeing Fun - how to get the maximum enjoyment form the art form It can be everything that makes you think 'damn, I wish I'd been told that when I started out' or 'man, I HATE it when noobs do that'. Obviously I'm not the best person to decide on content, so I'm open to ideas. [B]Who would do what?[/B] If enough people are up for it, we'd have a pool of experienced, trusted spinners bestowing their wisdom on the reader. Obviously I'm not qualified for this bit. Buuuut... I can edit. Basically that means I'd structure it and I'd make sure the writing is technically correct, consistent and engaging. I can look into getting it onto Google Books, Apple Books, etc. *one of my closest friends writes and publishes eBooks, so we'll have premium industry knowhow, straight off the bat. [B]So this would be a big commitment?[/B] Not really. With enough trusted patrons of UPSB on board, it would only take a couple of hours of input from each person. A lot of the best advice is already right here on the boards, it's just about getting everything into a clean, cohesive package and presenting it nicely. It might be a bit of a big job to edit, but that's what I do. [B]Could we even make some money from it?[/B] Who knows? It's possible, although that shouldn't be the main aim of it. [B]If it works, could we branch out?[/B] Yep. We could publish a UPSB yearbook or something like that. It could give the whole community a way to present itself in a way that looks totally profesh. [B]So what do we think? Good idea?[/B] Let me know. mpc
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Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 11:13:55
MPC wrote: Okay so I just did a Google search for 'pen spinning book' and it seems there isn't one. [B]Why should we write a book?[/B] We have this gigantic pool of knowledge on UPSB but it's dotted around all over the place. There's a lot of talk about UPSB being in decline and new members never sticking around. It seems like maybe the people with the most influence on new spinners are the YouTube tutorial makers (of which opinion always seems mixed), rather than the wise old heads of UPSB itself. A UPSB eBook would provide a clean, clear and targeted way of getting the wisdom of established UPSB spinners across to new members (and existing ones who are under one year(ish). Hell, I'd read it. So much good advice and wisdom (and bad, I guess) gets written on this board every day - it makes sense to take the best advice from the most trusted members and turn it into a neatly packaged, legitimately published Ebook. [B]Who would read it?[/B] There are thousands of relatively new English language spinners all over the world, right? Add to that the amount of noobs who give it a go and quit soon after, that's a big readership. And there seems to be no competition. [B]What would the content be?[/B] Everything general. There's no point giving advice on specific tricks/mods/styles 'cos it would take forever and you'd need video for that. So instead, it can just be a concise intro into the community and general tips. Sections like: Presentation - how to make your spinning look its sharpest What not to do - common rookie errors to avoid Notation - how to make sense of what you're seeing Fun - how to get the maximum enjoyment form the art form It can be everything that makes you think 'damn, I wish I'd been told that when I started out' or 'man, I HATE it when noobs do that'. Obviously I'm not the best person to decide on content, so I'm open to ideas. [B]Who would do what?[/B] If enough people are up for it, we'd have a pool of experienced, trusted spinners bestowing their wisdom on the reader. Obviously I'm not qualified for this bit. Buuuut... I can edit. Basically that means I'd structure it and I'd make sure the writing is technically correct, consistent and engaging. I can look into getting it onto Google Books, Apple Books, etc. *one of my closest friends writes and publishes eBooks, so we'll have premium industry knowhow, straight off the bat. [B]So this would be a big commitment?[/B] Not really. With enough trusted patrons of UPSB on board, it would only take a couple of hours of input from each person. A lot of the best advice is already right here on the boards, it's just about getting everything into a clean, cohesive package and presenting it nicely. It might be a bit of a big job to edit, but that's what I do. [B]Could we even make some money from it?[/B] Who knows? It's possible, although that shouldn't be the main aim of it. [B]If it works, could we branch out?[/B] Yep. We could publish a UPSB yearbook or something like that. It could give the whole community a way to present itself in a way that looks totally profesh. [B]So what do we think? Good idea?[/B] Let me know. mpc
Yeah we would definitely need a team of members for this, it would be too much for one person. I would honestly love to help with this, I am very up for this. -
Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 11:43:47
Could i get my learning order into this? I will finish it soon
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Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 11:51:46
ShadowParadox wrote: Could i get my learning order into this? I will finish it soon
Yeah, makes sense to me. It would ultimately be up to the mods and admins what goes in (if they decide to do it, that is - if they don't like the idea, then it's a non-starter), but I think it would be a great inclusion. mpc -
Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 12:33:02
/in yes pls I've been thinking of doing something like this, altho more along the lines of updating the wiki instead an eBook. Either way, I'd love to be part of the team. A section that there definitely needs to be is a terminology dictionary so that everyone is using all the same terms. There's a tonne of stuff on the wiki, its kinda outdated though. Seeing as I'm on summer break, I have around 2-ish months and no plans whatsoever, so I could go through the wiki and see what kinds of sections would be good and relevant to use/update for use.
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Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 13:01:29
nv16 wrote: /in yes pls I've been thinking of doing something like this, altho more along the lines of updating the wiki instead an eBook. Either way, I'd love to be part of the team. A section that there definitely needs to be is a terminology dictionary so that everyone is using all the same terms. There's a tonne of stuff on the wiki, its kinda outdated though. Seeing as I'm on summer break, I have around 2-ish months and no plans whatsoever, so I could go through the wiki and see what kinds of sections would be good and relevant to use/update for use.
Very nice, @JackyMacky -
Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 13:59:33
About "Notation": @RPDis making a book about the notation and i read it and it's pretty good. it gives the reader an introduction to penspinning and it covers the basic and andvanced level of notation. The only problem is, that it is in Spanish, so we need translators, because i remember RPD saying something like that he's busy because of university.
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Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 17:27:43
/in i have had my own idea for a couple months now, i've been developing it and stuff, and it's not even close to done yet; i haven't been revealing it because tbh, i think the feedback will be bad. but anyway i'd love to join this team; i myself am still a noob and i know a lot of the common errors made -- i also teach a pen spinning club at my school and i know what noobs have the most trouble with.
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Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 17:56:38
Wouldn't you just recopy what's already in the wiki? I mean if you just put the wiki articles in an order that's easy to learn, there's your ebook
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Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 18:02:08
Tentcell wrote: Wouldn't you just recopy what's already in the wiki? I mean if you just put the wiki articles in an order that's easy to learn, there's your ebook
but the wiki isn't really quite updated -
Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 18:56:18
Tentcell wrote: Wouldn't you just recopy what's already in the wiki? I mean if you just put the wiki articles in an order that's easy to learn, there's your ebook
The wiki has very specific information. This would be more about advice: how to develop your style, how to make use of the community, etc. There's no point just writing up tutorials and trick lists and whatnot. It's about having a professional overview of the art form that contains the best general advice around. mpc -
Date: Sat, Nov 29 2014 23:17:11
Because of the subjective nature of pen spinning as an art form, advice from even the most prominent members in the community could be misleading to some. Most questions that newbies ask can be answered with a quick search through forum archives and the wiki page. Asking for advice from spinners in the shoutbox seems to be the best method of guidance.
cl3ud.kr wrote: but the wiki isn't really quite updated
The wiki is open to editing and revision. If anyone feels that something needs to be added, updated, or revised, they are free to make changes. I believe the current state of the wiki page still holds valuable information that most newcomers will likely find useful. There is a sea of information that can be accessed easily. It's up to you to do your own research and not expect someone to hand you knowledge on a silver platter. The UPSB staffers and community can only do so much to consolidate information about the objective facts pertaining to pen spinning. There was a PS magazine project years ago with article sections on news, interviews, and editorial discussions. I'm not sure if reintroducing it would cater to the demands of the newbies, but it's definitely something worth considering if you want PS-based literature. Again, requesting advice on combo structure and style development are very blog-oriented topics because of the subjectivity of the matter and the range of opinions out there. The best way to get your questions answered is to engage in discussion and share your experiences as you have them (rather than just asking how you can get style or how to make combos without making an honest attempt). Find a mentor. Watch a variety of pen spinning videos. Research. Research. Research. You'll find it satisfying when you gain knowledge after doing your own research. Your understanding of PS will grow past the point where you yourself possess the knowledge to help others who are new to the hobby. The newer generation of PSers have access to more resources than spinners from my time did. Take advantage of this and you can discover more about pen spinning. --- --- Here's an example of a useful article that can be found on the wiki: http://www.upsb.info/wiki/index.php?title=Discourse_on_the_metaphysics_of_Pen_Spinning -
Date: Sun, Nov 30 2014 00:08:33
Many terms in pen spinning are to vague to put in a fucking book. e.g. "Difference between combo and linkage" or "What is Japanese motion?"
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Date: Sun, Nov 30 2014 01:26:13
I've always said that saying "bruh this should be done" and doing nothing about it doesn't help anyone. I don't want to discourage the few people who actually go and work to fix and create things, so I don't want to do that to you @m1ch1 's mention: yes I was making a notation book. In spanish obviously. And it's not finished, I can't guess why D: Some things that you might want to include in the wiki (or book if you disagree with me) - Tournament chronicles: WT / WC / ET / AT and some notable comments/reactions/facts that happened in there. - Important collabs: Listing every collab this guy posted in twitter ( https://twitter.com/penspinningnews ) while adding some comments to it. I also made a huge list here ( http://www.penspinning.es/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4228 ) that might help you. Series (like japEn 1st, 2nd...) could go in one single entry to not flood the wiki - Important penspinners: Some comment about their style. And inside their page, links to the collab entries too. - Mods: My webpage is ugly, but has 500 mods listed with links to every forum having a tutorial for it. Listing half a quarter of them in the wiki would be more than enough. - Notation: Yeah the info in the wiki is like so 2004 that makes me cry. Also some "notable tricks" on some penspinners are poorly notated. Definitelly will do something about this when I can. - Beginners guide: I dont really know if there is a good guide there. If there is, it should be really really visible for people to see it. A spanish spinner named Kurotsuki made an awesome one in SPSC (http://www.penspinning.es/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=1405 ) so if you know spanish, don't hesitate and translate it. If the wiki already has one, I have not seen it, so please make it more visible (people entering the first time on the wiki don't want to know about topspins, they want resources to push their knowledge) - Resources for beginners: Yes, the huge lists are useful for advanced spinners (and really useful, one of my favorite features of wikipedia is that) but new people need basic information, and fast. Most of the resources are mentioned in the beginners guide I said (mods, collabs, tricks...) but some of them should be generalised to every country (gone-k, psg and esg are popular newbie mods in spain, but maybe US people never even heard the name.) One thing that might help a lot for making the wiki less USA-centered is asking around websites for idea brainstorming. Which mods can be made there? Who are/were the most important spinners of their forum? What is the story of their forum? Forums don't poof to existance from the void and aether, they have stories that fade away with time and those should be kept safe in there. I'm sure that once the wiki project starts in a solid way, more and more people will start collaborating with it. It's easier to add something you know to a stabilished entry than writing everything from zero. [SIZE="7"]TL;DR[/SIZE] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GOuseeGK3w Like Berney Like Berney We're like Berney (Movin' like Berney, we movin' like Berney) ♪♫♪♫♪♪
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Date: Sun, Nov 30 2014 02:00:53
just freaking spin the molly, not think about whether you are doing the right thing or not.
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Date: Sun, Nov 30 2014 03:49:24
I love the idea and i'd also love to help out, but unfortunately I'm just a begginer myself. :P
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Date: Sun, Nov 30 2014 07:41:08
I think it's worth mentioning that most people that pick up Penspinning are around 13-18 years of age, with a couple older people as exceptions. With that said, I cant really see people of the teenage years reading eBooks. I dont know anyone in that age pool that reads one, but hey, maybe it's just me. The point is, videos are way more helpful in teaching people how to spin, as they can see it visually before them. My point is, I just dont see people(young teenagers) downloading and reading eBooks when they could watch a video just as easily.
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Date: Sun, Nov 30 2014 10:50:04
Thanks guys. All valid points here, I think. I guess you can't nail it with very new idea, so no worries. :) mpc *extra thanks to @Zkhan for such in-depth answers.