adeter – Remixing the Book

WanderBook

Amber Deter

ENG 381

Dr. Amanda Licastro

May 13, 2019

WanderBook

In a world of advanced technology and instant gratification, there’s a problem many are starting to find inescapable—a shortening attention span. In fact, according to studies, the human attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish, with an average of 8 seconds (McSpadden). Now imagine a young child trying to focus. If the average adult can’t concentrate for more than 8 seconds, how can children be expected to? However, children are frequently required to focus for longer, often on subjects that lack the instant gratification modern technology has provided or simply don’t hold the child’s interest. The diagnosis of ADHD in children under the age of 18 has increased from 3-5% in 2003 to 11% in 2011 (Bhat). But in a world full of constant stimuli, the question of whether or not children are actually affected by ADHD and not simply developing in ways older generations are unfamiliar with becomes prevalent. Technology has invaded daily life in ways never before seen, and therefore, it must be taken into consideration when looking at the development of today’s young children. I believe that children today would thrive off of an augmented reality application that will assist in reading, spelling, and pronunciation while letting the child be active and adventurous.

Technology, while arguably causing the decrease of attention spans, can have positive aspects. Children are not meant to sit still and focus for long periods of time to learn, but instead healthy and happy children are ones who can run out their energy and use their creative imaginations. In fact, “studies show that children who are more active exhibit better focus, faster cognitive processing, and more successful memory retention than kids who spend the day sitting still. Keeping the body active promotes mental clarity by increasing blood flow to the brain, making activity vital to both learning and physical and neurological health” (Abdelbary). My solution to this is to combine the two, to take something that allows children to be children while simultaneously promoting education. While companies such as LeapFrog have been around for decades, modern technology is still evolving in ways that allow us to constantly take a step or two farther.

WanderBook is an augmented reality application (AR app) that will assist young children from the ages 3-7 in reading, spelling, and pronunciation. It will allow children to engage in a fun activity while encouraging them to learn along the way. Applications and technological devices are increasingly common in helping young children in education. One of the most popular, LeapFrog SchoolHouse, has created their own patented technology called NearTouch, which allows the material to be touch-interactive (The Journal). There are also augmented realities that help enhance a child’s interaction with books. “These books merge traditional text with digital content using a piece of technology like a smartphone or a gaming console, and the use of an app which plays video, creates models from content, or allows for interaction with the text” (Levski). Additionally, there is an app where the famous Hungry Caterpillar comes to life through AR (StoryToys). However, there does not appear to be a book-free augmented reality application to help with and encourage reading. By creating this application, it would allow children to be able to learn on their own time without the need of a parent, provide a means for the child to be active while simultaneously learning, and help with pronunciation as well as enunciation.

For children who are beginning to learn the very basics, from around the ages of 3 to 5, the application will have scavenger hunts. The best example is the alphabet. Using the augmented reality, the child will be able to use the device to look around their environment and find the letters of the alphabet hiding. When the child finds a letter, he or she will tap it and the information about the letter will appear: the name, the sound, and words that start with it. Then the child will be given basic words that begin with the letter, showing the words on the screen, saying them aloud for the child to hear, and providing an image. This will help the child to recognize the word and what it means. Another option is “Adventure Mode” which is similar to a test of what the child has learned. An example of a scenario would be that a pirate has kidnapped the princess. In order to save the princess, the child must find three object that start with a particular letter. When the child uses the device to look around the environment, the application will show various objects or words on the screen. As the child progresses to more advanced levels, the application will require more verbal interaction from the child.

Once the child’s reading level has increased, the child can then participate in reading a story. Text will appear on the screen, and the child will read the text aloud and are tested for accurate pronunciation. A basic example is the text, “The frog jumps in the hole.” On the screen in the application, the child will see a frog next to a hole with the text up top. If the child reads the sentence correctly, the frog will perform the action and that part of the story is played out. The child will then be prompted by an arrow to find the next sentence or set of sentences in the story. However, if the child does not say the sentence correctly, the frog will not perform the action. After a certain number of tries (this number will change with level, getting smaller as the child advances), the frog will run away, and the child has to find him again.

To the right is an example of what the child will see. The text will appear with an opaque background to make it easily visible. The frog and the hole will appear (locations will vary) on the screen over the image of the physical environment.

There is a lot behind the technology for this application, but the technology already exists. One example is voice chip technology. “Modern voice chip technology creates a simple, intuitive and interactive learning experience to help teach children phonemic awareness, letter names, letter sounds, spelling and reading” (The Journal). In order to be most effective, the voice chip needs to have a high quality of high to ensure children hear the sound as accurately as possible for clear speech. This technology also allows a child to listen repeatedly to the same thing and provides a means for accurate pronunciation further down the road. It can be used for phonemes, syllables, and words (The Journal). Another piece of helpful technology is speech recognition software which “is a technology that allows spoken input into systems. You talk to your computer, phone, or device and it uses what you said as input to trigger some action” (Unith). This is commonly used by the language application Duolingo where the learner is required to speak what they have been learning. Some everyday examples include IPhone’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa where the technology listens to the human voice and executes commands. Another example is modern cars. Newer car models come with texting features that allow the car to read a text received by the phone connected to the Bluetooth. The driver is then able to respond, if they want, by telling the car what to type. The last form technology needed is, of course, augmented reality, which is the layering of digital information on top of physical information. This has commonly been used for the worldwide renowned application “Pokémon GO” and an application developed by IKEA to virtually place furniture in a room before deciding to buy it. WanderBook isn’t requiring new technology be made but rather to utilize existing technology in a different way.

One way to market this product is to bring it to the attention of local bookstores such as Barnes & Noble who can inform customers about it. Another is to pay for advertisement; parents can be charged a monthly subscription or purchase new books for their child to read and explore. These advertisement will go on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) as well as on parenting and education sites. These kind of sites are where parents turn to when they’re struggling to help their child or learn ways to make learning fun. It’s a great activity to play at the park or in the house, and since it’s on a phone or tablet, it’s easy to take places. This product is also great for working and single parents who may not have the time they’d prefer to sit down and read with their child.

Technology is growing every day and becoming more deeply ingrained in daily life than ever before. Rather than criticizing technology, let’s take it and make something that will benefit and help our growing children of today. WanderBook is a great solution to a growing problem of attention span and children not being active. By combining the two, the goal is to make learning fun and exciting rather than restricting and uninteresting. Augmented reality is part of the future, and WanderBook will make that future a reality.

Works Cited

04/01/01. “Teaching Children to Read Using Technology.” THE Journal, thejournal.com/Articles/2001/04/01/Teaching-Children-to-Read-Using-Technology.aspx?Page=2.

Abdelbary, Marwa. “Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom.” Teacher Teacher, 15 Apr. 2019, www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2017/08/08/learning-in-motion-bring-movement-back-to.html.

Bhat, Jyothsna. “NAMI.” Home, Aug. 14AD, 2017, www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/August-2017/Attention-Spans-in-the-Age-of-Technology.

jerylima. “Check out Jerylima’s Entry in $50.00 USDcontest Create Cartoon Frog Character for Children’s Book on Freelancer.com.” Freelancer, www.freelancer.com/contest/Create-cartoon-frog-character-for-childrens-book-1205973-byentry-18052224.

Kashner, Zoe. “Raise a Reader: A Parent Guide to Reading for Ages 3-5.” Scholastic, www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/books-and-reading-guides/raise-reader-parent-guide-to-reading-ages-3-5.html.

Levski, Yariv. “10 Best Augmented Reality Books to Blow Your Kid’s Mind.” AppReal RSS, 16 Jan. 2018, appreal-vr.com/blog/10-best-augmented-reality-books/.

McSpadden, Kevin. “Science: You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish.” Time, Time, 14 May 2015, time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/.

“Room & Board – Modern Living Room Furniture.” Modern Living Room Furniture – Living – Room & Board, www.roomandboard.com/catalog/living?imageSetFileName=mira-sectional-with-ottoman-living-room.

Unuth, Nadeem. “What Is Speech Recognition?” Lifewire, Lifewire, 23 Apr. 2019, www.lifewire.com/what-is-speech-recognition-3426721.

WanderBook

WanderBook is an augmented reality application that will assist young children from the ages 3-7 in reading, spelling, and pronunciation. It will allow children to engage in a fun activity while encouraging them to learn along the way. Apps and technological devices are increasingly common in helping young children in education. One of the most popular, LeapFrog SchoolHouse, has created their own patented technology called NearTouch, which allows the material to be touch-interactive (The Journal). There are also augmented realities that help enhance a child’s interaction with books. “These books merge traditional text with digital content using a piece of technology like a smartphone or a gaming console, and the use of an app which plays video, creates models from content, or allows for interaction with the text” (Levski). There is also an app where the famous Hungry Caterpillar comes to life through AR (StoryToys). However, there does not appear to be a book-free augmented reality application to help with and encourage reading. By creating this application, it would allow children to be able to learn on their own time without the need of a parent, provide a means for the child to be active while simultaneously learning, and help with pronunciation as well as enunciation.

Ideally, the application would provide augmented reality for the basic reading levels at the ages 3-5. One example of an augmented reality exercise is a letter scavenger hunt. This would require the child to run around their environment in search of hidden letters. Once a letter is found, the child taps on it to learn about it: the name, the sound, and words that begin with it. Another exercise is adventure mode which requires to child to complete multiple tasks in order to accomplish missions. An example may be to find five words beginning with the letter M to save the princess from the evil sorcerer.

Once the child’s reading level has increased, the level on the application changes. Adventure mode will still be applicable with more difficult tasks, such as searching for objects to fill in a sentence and spelling, but the child can also experience a story. This means that the child will see text that they will read aloud. The software will listen, and, if spoken correctly, the child will then see what happens in the story before following an arrow or a character guide to the next set of text. If the text is read incorrectly, the action will not take place. A set limit of attempts will be applied, and if all attempts are tried, there will be a negative consequence. For example, if the text is, “The frog jumps in the hole,” the frog may run off or get snatched by a predator, depending on the storytelling.

This product would require technical skills in order to create the app, and voice chip technology will be helpful in this endeavor. “Modern voice chip technology creates a simple, intuitive and interactive learning experience to help teach children phonemic awareness, letter names, letter sounds, spelling and reading” (The Journal). In order to be most effective, the voice chip needs to have a high quality of high to ensure children hear the sound as accurately as possible for clear speech. This technology also allows a child to listen repeatedly to the same thing and provides a means for accurate pronunciation further down the road. It can be used for phonemes, syllables, and words (The Journal). Another technology is voice recognition, similar to that of Alexa or Siri, where the application listens and understands what the speaker is saying. This is critical with the children who are reading text aloud and depend upon the application knowing if they’re speaking correctly or not.

Karl Stolley

On Wednesday’s class, Karl Stolley Skyped in to discuss various fonts. This was an interesting conversation as the topic of fonts isn’t one commonly talked about. In fact, I realized just how little I actually know. For example, the terms “serif” and “sans-serif” are relatively new. Although I have certainly heard these words before, I never knew that serifs referred to the little tail lines on the ends of the strokes of each letter. Another bit of information I wasn’t entirely aware of what the history behind some fonts. I, like most people, assumed fonts were just created by calligraphers or artists to get add an additional bit of aesthetic to the page. But Stolley showed how some fonts are actually based of historical inscriptions in monuments, which are formulated that way for particular reasons such as preventing the cracking of stone. All in all, I found that the topic of fonts is far wider that I ever realized, and that there is still much to learn behind each font on my laptop.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a way to identify printed text, handwritten text, and numerical data and creating machine-encoded text by scanning in the information. It allows print to become electronic and easy to search, edit, store, display, and use in machine processing. Software identifies characters by program shape recognition and words by character proximity (Hosch). In the late 19^th and early 20^th century, the concept of optical character recognition was conceived in the idea to help blind people read (Schantz). In fact, a man named E. E. Fournier d’Albe aimed to create an instrument that would use the technology of the early “photophone” by Graham Bell to help those who couldn’t see by interpreting light to create various tones to be heard (d’Albe). Although this was the original idea, thought of in various ways by various people, optical character recognition has become a tremendous piece of technology used in our every-day lives.

A popular mark of history is in 1931 when US Patent 1838389 was given to Emanuel Goldberg for his “statistical machine.” The instrument was capable of reading text and translating it into Morse code, which was still commonly used at the time for various reasons. This patent later came into the possession of IBM (Schantz). Twenty years later, in 1951, David Hammond Shepard build a machine named Gismo, the first true optical character recognition system. Gismo had the ability to translate print into machine code for processing, could read aloud characters, and translate Morse code. In 1952, the Intelligent Machines Research Corporation was founded by Shepard and an associate, William Lawless, to commercialize their Gismo machine, later renamed the “Analyzing Reader” (Martin). In 1954, the first commercial optical character recognition machine was installed in a business—Reader’s Digest. In this time, the machine was used to automate and digitize business tasks, such as managing subscriber sales data and to convert the data into punched sales cards (Schantz; Smith). They later expanded their use of optical character recognition by using the system to digitize coupon serial numbers. Around 1965, the US Postal Service installed an OCR machine to sort mail more efficiently at a much faster rate (Smith).

Two fonts were created for OCR operations: OCR-A in 1966 and OCR-B in 1968. OCR-A was the first font to create a complete alphabet legible to both machines and humans alike (Smith). However, it was considered an ugly font that “wasn’t built for humans’ sake” (Smith). So OCR-B was designed by Adrian Frutiger (Smith). But in the same year OCR-A was developed, IBM had a breakthrough: the IBM 1287. This was a machining that possessed the ability to read handwritten letters. However, the two fonts were still used as the standard machine font for daily operations. In the 70’s, Ray Kurzwell met a blind man while traveling who explained his only real handicap was his inability to read text. Kurzwell claims this was the inspiration for his purpose for a project he was working on. This resulted in the Kurzwell Reading Machine in 1974, a machine that could take a page and scan it, parse the text, and recite the text to the individual (Smith). This was also the first OCR software capable of recognizing text in nearly any font (Hauger). It wasn’t until 1978 that these computer programs were sold commercially, and in 1980, Kurzwell Computer Products was sold to Xerox who renamed the software Scansoft and was able to further develop the technology (Smith).

Multiple innovations started to take place in the 80’s. The first passport scanner for the U.S. State Department was developed. American retailers began scanning price tags using OCR. Russian company ABBYY, founded by David Yang in 1989 and still exists to this day, began selling products to help digitalize paper files. Soon companies were created that offered online services and applications. Such an example is real-time foreign language translation through a smart phone app. Today, OCR is used for many things, even though most people don’t realize. Every time a file is scanned into a computer to be digitally stored, to edit, search, or hold, optical character recognition is used. From passport recognition and bank receipt data to assisted technology for those who are visually impaired to in-time language translations, optical character recognition continues to expand and redefine the software and recognition capabilities.

d’Albe, E. E. Fournier (1914-07-01). “On a Type-Reading Optophone”. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 90 (619): 373–375. doi:10.1098/rspa.1914.0061. ISSN 1364-5021. Accessed 11 March 2019.

Living in the early 20^th century, E. E. Fournier d’Albe invented an instrument in 1914 that would help the seeing impaired to read. He believed that by using the same technology as the early telephone, his machine could read text and produce tones for the individual to hear and wrote to explain the instrument to other inventors and technicians of his time. Although this primary source contains very little information about OCR in general, it gives great detail about one of the first systems created, including a diagram drawing.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “OCR.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 Nov. 2010, www.britannica.com/technology/OCR. Accessed 11 March 2019.

Martin, Douglas. “David H. Shepard, 84, Dies; Optical Reader Inventor.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Dec. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/us/11shepard.html. Accessed 11 March 2019.

“Optical Character Recognition (OCR) – Computerphile : Computerphile : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, 4 July 2017, archive.org/details/youtube-ZNrteLp_SvY. Accessed 11 March 2019.

Schantz, Herbert F. The History of OCR, Optical Character Recognition. Recognition Technologies Users Association, 1982.

Herbert F. Schantz in an author and consultant for OCR and document processing. His writing is to inform students, scholars, and field-related experts alike, believing it to be a valuable piece of technology. He provides detailed information on the history and development of the idea and innovation of OCR machines and systems over the years, but his book his quite lengthy for a nice sit-down read.

Smith, Ernie. “OCR History: The Original Machine Learning.” Tedium, 22 Mar. 2017, tedium.co/2017/03/22/ocr-typography-optical-character-recognition-history/.

Ernie Smith is a blogger and journalist who has created it his personal mission to provide information on topics he believes people should be aware of but usually aren’t. He believes OCR is a piece of technology that is important to modern day society and how things are done. Most of the information in his article relates to the different fonts used for computers to read and the science behind it. However, the information he provides corresponds with other resources to give a good idea how OCR is used today.

Media: https://archive.org/details/youtube-ZNrteLp_SvY

The Library of Alexandria

The Library of Alexandria, the epitome of the idea of a “Universal Library,” is a well-known ancient world wonder that has no evidence of existing (Haughton). Some believe it to be a myth that the ancient library was destroyed in a fire, losing all of the works it contained. If the library was still standing today, it would be able to provide much valuable information and manuscripts that could help understand civilizations and cultures from thousands of years ago.

Alexandria is a city that, much like many others, was named after Alexander the Great, conqueror. Alexander helped build a global empire unlike any other before his time that allowed people to see that there was far more than their own culture. But it wasn’t until after his death in 323 BCE and the reign of his general, Ptolemy I Soter, that the idea of a “Universal Library” that could hold the knowledge from every corner of the world came forward. The idea came undoubtedly from a man named Demetrius of Phalerum, formerly of Athens where he was appointed governor until the return of Democracy. Fleeing to Alexandria for refuge, he persuaded Ptolemy I to build a library containing a copy of every book the world had to offer (El-Abbadi; Haughton).

The Temple of the Muses, also referred to as the Museum, was home to botanical gardens, laboratories, and the Library (Haughton). Ptolemy II, son to Ptolemy I, completed the Royal Library, the final piece of the Temple of Muses. There were stories of creative ways of filling the Library with knowledge. One was every ship docked in Alexandria was searched for books, and once found, they would be taken into custody to determine whether o r not they had any value. If found worthy to keep, they would make a copy to return to the owner along with compensation (El-Abbaddi). Another story was how Ptolemy III acquired original works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides that resided in Athens as prized works. He convinced the governors to lend the works to be copied along with a pledge for the save return. The works were copied and then those copies were returns to Athens with the return of the pledge (El-Abbadi). It’s said the collection of knowledge overfilled the Royal Library and a daughter library was built, creating two sites. According to a Greek writer named Callimachus, the daughter library contained about 42,800 scrolls in his life (305 BCE- 240 BCE). However, much later (around 300 CE) much higher estimations of 700,000 were given.

Then the devastation of the library by fire took place, but it’s an argument as to when the fire occurred. Many people believe Julius Caesar is to blame when he involved himself in a civil dispute between his acclaimed lover, Cleopatra, and her brother, Ptolemy XIII. Caesar occupied the city in 48 BCE and found himself surrounded by the Egyptian fleet (El-Abbadi). His men set fire to the ships, but the fire spread uncontrollably to parts of the city (Haughton). According to Plutarch, who wrote about the event, claimed that the Royal Library was destroyed in the spread of fire to the city. However, approximately three decades later, scholar and philosopher Strabo mentions a Museum that is believed to refer to the Library, hurting claims that it had been burned down by Caesar (Haughton). Alternatively, it claims he is expressing grief that such a library had been destroyed and he could not obtain the knowledge, supporting the Royal Library was gone (Al-Abbadi). It is speculated that the Royal Library was in fact destroyed, but the daughter library remained.

Nearly 400 years later, Emperor Theodosius I set out to destroy paganism, destroying the Temple of the Muses (Haughton). Eyewitnesses testify that the building was destroyed down to the foundation, which was too heavy and massive to move. It’s claimed Theophilus, the bishop who led the destructive attack, ordered a Christian church be built on the remains (Al-Abbadi; Haughton). This was the second destruction which was of the second site.

The final idea of the destruction of the “Universal Library” looks to Caliph Omar in 640 CE. It is said that after capturing Alexandria, he declared, “They will either contradict the Koran, in which case they are heresy, or they will agree with it, so they are superfluous,” and had the collection of 4,000 manuscripts burned (Haughton; Musharraf) . However, this theory did not come about until near the 13^th century and is often considered a flourished myth that arose from political tensions at the time. Since there is strong and supported evidence that both sites were destroyed prior to the Islamic invasion, this theory, once a controversial idea, has long been denied by scholars.

Unfortunately, there are no physical remains of the city. No archaeological evidence has been found of the foundation of the building or its contents. A great fountain of information was destroyed, and the rest of the world will forever mourn the great loss of culture and knowledge.

Works Cited

El-Abbadi, Mostafa. “Library of Alexandria.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 8 Feb. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Library-of-Alexandria#ref334082. Accessed 6 March 2019.

The author, Mostafa El-Abbadi, is a professor at the University of Alexandria, Egypt. He claims that the Library of Alexandria was the first of its kind, a “universal library” that would hold all the knowledge and culture the world had to offer from every corner of the globe. His writing contributes to Britannica which is a helpful source to all looking for scholarly information, particularly helpful to students, high school and older. He remains firm in his belief that the library was a great achievement that was destroyed before the Islamic reign and therefore, Caliph Omar was not responsible for the destruction. He provides detailed information, and the article contains internal links to names and places one may not be familiar with. He supports the idea there were two separate events that destroyed the two sites individually and is a great, reliable source.

Haughton, Brian. “What Happened at the Great Library of Alexandria?” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2011, https://www.ancient.eu/article/207/what-happened-to-the-great-library-at-alexandria/. Accessed 6 March 2019.

Brian Haughton is an author and researcher on ancient civilizations and monuments as well as a qualified archeologist. He aims to educate students and scholars alike. His article is from the perspective of an archeologist so he refuses to completely believe the Library is gone forever but rather waiting to be discovered. While most of his evidence appears to be concrete, he brings up a few minor speculations that other sources prove wrong or incorrect. However, the article provides a good summary of the major events that took place and the details around them that anyone could walk away with a good understanding.

“Library of Alexandria – Documentary : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, archive.org/details/Library.of.Alexandria-Documentary. Accessed 11 March 2019.

Musharraf, Muhammad Nabeel. “Destruction On Library Of Alexandria || Australian Research Journals : Muhammad Nabeel Musharraf : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, 1 Jan. 1970, archive.org/details/DestructionOnLibraryOfAlexandria/page/n7. Accessed 6 March 2019.

Muhammad Musharraf’s work is archived with the Australian Islamic Library. His work sets out to prove the innocence of Caliph Omar in the destruction of the Library in 7^th century CE. The primary audience is other scholars who claim the Caliph is responsible despite the fact most scholars have abandoned the thought. Although his work is almost entirely around the false accusations, he still provides valuable and detailed information about the events leading to the destruction of both sites of the great

Media: https://archive.org/details/Library.of.Alexandria-Documentary

Career Panel

The entrepreneurship panel I attended on Wednesday, February 13, was an informative session of wonderful advice from six entrepreneurs. Although the industries varied from person to person, the advice was nearly identical across the board. The biggest key to success, as many college students have heard, is networking. Regardless of a person’s field, rank, or experience, you never know when someone will be able to help you in the future, whether it’s something they can do or someone they know. Another piece of wisdom was to shoot your shot because you never know what will happen. I specifically recall Andy Brown, Founder and CEO of Eat Pizza, saying how he found a company’s CEO on LinkedIn, figured out the companies email setup, and tried multiple emails until he got one through. He met with the CEO the next week. It’s important to not fear rejection because it could keep you from your big break.

These bits of information are really important to remember, particularly in a creative field. My field of study is English, but my goal is to be a writer, a creative writer with published stories for others to enjoy. After hearing the entrepreneurs speak, I realize that creative writing is being an entrepreneur–I have to sell my own work to as many customers as possible and find someone to help me produce and sell that product. Networking to know people who can publish my writing is a big part of it. Knowing someone can be the key difference between acceptance and rejection. It’s also important that when I do have a work, I send it to as many people and places as I can because I never know who might find it worthwhile.