Brian Schell – författare

Dark Fantasy was an American radio supernatural thriller anthology series. It had a short run of 31 episodes, debuting on November 14, 1941, and ending on June 19, 1942. Its writer was Scott Bishop, and it originated from station WKY in Oklahoma City and was heard Friday nights on NBC stations. The stories found a nationwide audience almost immediately, but only lasted until the following summer.This book is a listener's guide to the series. It briefly covers the creation and format of the series then looks at each of the existing episodes individually, including a synopsis, cast list, and commentary on each episode. The book includes links to hear the episodes (free of charge online), and the idea is to listen to the original episodes as you read through the book. If you enjoy short horror fiction, this is a great find— there are stories involving Atlantis and other worlds, talking gorillas, voices from the grave, werewolves, and ghosts aplenty. If you are anything at all like the author, you loved listening to scary stories as a child, and now you can do it again… with Dark Fantasy.

"e;I think we need a new crystal for this thing."e; --Scanner guy from the 70s Scanners were a lot simpler in decades past, when everything was analog, had a fixed frequency, and was unencrypted. Nowadays, we have those old analog stations as well as digital, trunking systems, protocols, sites, talk groups, and who-knows-what coming down the road for next year. There are a lot of frequencies, systems, groups, codes, and little nit-picky details that have to go into our radios before we can even pick up a single call. On the other hand, radios continue to get more and more powerful, and unfortunately, more complicated to handle all the new options. This doesn't make programming them any easier. Fortunately, we have computers to handle all the programming stuff for us. Just hook the radio up to the computer, find your location on a website, transfer the frequency and channel data into the radio, and you're good to go. Sounds simple, doesn't it? If you've tried to program a digital trunking system, you know how complicated these things can get, and just how unhelpful the manuals can be. Wouldn't it be nice to just have someone go through the process and just "e;get the damned thing working"e; without all the theory? Fortunately, there are a combination of tools that you need to master to even begin. FreeSCAN is free software that works with a large number of common scanners and works for both analog and digital systems. FreeSCAN even has tools to import and set up all the frequencies automatically.   If you're already comfortable programming digital trunked systems through the number pad, or have no trouble working with whatever software came with your radio, then maybe this book isn't for you. If you aren't good with computers, or you're having trouble with the basic process, don't know the difference between a talk group, site, and system, or are otherwise pulling your hair out trying to get your radio programmed, then this book is for you! We'll walk through getting the software installed and set up, connecting your radio with an appropriate cable and communications port, reading data from the radio, downloading and fine-tuning new frequency data, setting quick keys and locking out extraneous frequencies, and writing that data back out to the radio.

Thinking about buying a Chromebook but not sure if Google's operating system will suit your needs? Just bought one and want to learn the ins and outs of how to use it? Have you been using ChromeOS, and want to take your usage to the next level and go Chromebook-only?This book begins by introducing you to the differences between regular computers and Chomebooks, explaining the different options and benefits involved with purchasing them, and then walks you through putting your data "e;in the cloud."e; Great hardware is only as good as the software it runs, so we fully discuss the best apps from most categories, usually with several options to choose from. The third section covers tips and tricks that are unique to the ChromeOS. We assume you know the basics of how to use the Chrome browser already, so we focus on the Files app and other aspects unique to ChromeOS.Lastly, we discuss installing and managing Android apps on Chromebooks. Not every device can run Android, but if you have a machine that is capable, Android adds a whole new dimension of power to a Chromebook.Can YOU "e;Go Chromebook"e; and live in the Cloud? Chances are excellent that you can!

"e;Back in my day, radios came with a CW key and a frequency knob, and that was all we needed."e; —Every Old Ham Curmudgeon EverOK, that's probably a slight exaggeration, but radios were a lot simpler in the "e;distant"e; past, when everything was station-to-station, and most communications were some flavor of HF. Nowadays, we have HF, VHF, UHF, digital modes, CW/SSB/AM/FM/MW, repeaters with offsets, repeaters with tones, User IDs, reflectors, talk groups, and who-knows-what coming down the road for next year. There are a lot of modes, tones, offsets, and little nit-picky details that have to go into our radios before we can even make a call.On the other hand, radios, especially handheld models, continue to get smaller, lighter, and generally have fewer physical buttons and controls. This is good in that it keeps costs down, adds to durability, and allows for waterproofing, but it doesn't make programming them any easier. Fortunately, we have computers to handle all the programming stuff for us. Just hook the radio up to the computer, enter in all your information, transfer the frequency and channel data into the radio, and you're good to go. Sounds simple, doesn't it?The problem is that radio manufacturers aren't necessarily good software designers. God forbid you try to program a radio on an Apple or Linux computer using manufacturer's software. None of the companies that make radios include software for these two very common operating systems. None. Even Windows users aren't in the clear. What happens when you try to use the software that came with your radio, when the radio was sold in 2007 and the software was made for Windows XP? Or maybe your radio came with a state-of-the-art serial port connector. That was great… back when all computers had serial ports; now, those are hard-to-find options or require an adaptor. And even though many ham operators enjoy tinkering with computers, there are many who still haven't embraced computers. These things just aren't that simple. Fortunately, there is CHIRP, a free, multi-platform software that works with a large number of common amateur radios. CHIRP even has database tools for setting up local repeaters, National Calling frequencies, MURS, FRS, GMRS, and Marine frequencies— you may not even need to look anything up! If you're already comfortable with using programming software from RT Systems, or have no trouble working with whatever software that came with your radio, than maybe this book isn't for you. If you aren't good with computers, or you're having trouble with the basic process, don't know what all those columns mean, or are otherwise pulling your hair out trying to get your radio programmed, then this book is for you! We'll walk through getting the software installed and set up, connecting your radio with an appropriate cable and communications port, reading template data from the radio, editing that data, and writing that data back out to the radio.

In the first book, "e;Going Chromebook: Living in the Cloud,"e; we looked at Chromebooks and the various software options available for them, and we decided whether or not the cloud lifestyle was for you. If you've gotten this far, then the answer was a confident "e;Yes!"e;  Now it's time to look into specific apps and how to use them. First up is Google's own word processing system, Google Docs. It was Google's first and most well-known cloud app. It's also the most mature and, arguably, the most powerful. If you need to do any writing, whether a simple shopping list or a full-length book, Google Docs is the tool to use.  This book begins by introducing you to the differences between Google Docs and the competing online office suites. We'll also look into Google's free and paid tiers for Google Docs/G Suite, and which one works out best for your needs. Next, there's a short review chapter on how to manipulate, delete, copy, and do various file operations within the Google Drive file manager. After that, we'll go through every single command and menu, every toolbar, and all the hidden options. This is the bulk of the material, and no stone (or menu) is left unturned. This includes voice transcription, translation, citations and footnotes, embedding Google Sheets and Slides, and all the other special things Docs can do for you.  Lastly, for the things that Google Docs still just can't do, we will look at some of the very best third-party add-ons for Docs, allowing you to do all sorts of wild tasks. You already know the benefits of working in the cloud-- Now it's time to learn how to get the most out of it!

A Practical, What-You-Need-to-Know Guide to Getting on DMR. DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) is a powerful system for linking the worlds of amateur radio and the Internet. You can link your handheld radio to repeaters, individuals, or talk groups located anywhere in the world, quickly and easily. And because it's all digital, you get crystal-clear sound. The book covers the setup and use of one of the most inexpensive and popular DMR radios, the Tytera MD-380 handheld radio.Inside you'll find step-by-step tutorials on how to setup, program, and use your radio. DMR has never been more accessible! This short book gives you a simple step-by-step walkthrough of all the options to set up your DMR station using a large numberof screenshots and examples. The whole process is detailed, from registering your call sign with the DMarc network to programming your ID and talk groups, digital contacts, zone lists, and more. Once that's done, you can start making your first calls to individuals, ham repeaters, or world-wide talk groups.

What if, instead of simply plugging an external or internal hard drive into your working computer, you could have a file server located somewhere in your home or office? One that offers access to files for any device on the premises, taking into account security settings that you can set up?This is the function of a NAS, or "e;Network Attached Storage"e; device. This file server does nothing except act as a go-between between the network and the hard drives. The Raspberry Pi, a super-inexpensive, low-power consumption, tiny computer, is just perfect for handling this task.The software we will be installing to make this happen is called Openmediavault, or OMV for short. It's an open source project that is heavily developed and still getting new features regularly. OMV is the NAS software, but it all runs on the Linux operating system, which means it's stable and very reliable. Not to mention all this software is completely free of charge.This book explains how to set up a Raspberry Pi for use as a NAS Server. We'll look at hardware options, downloading and installing the operating system and Openmediavault software, how to configure your hard drives (either with a single hard drive or as a dual-drive RAID system), folders, and files, how to get files into the Pi from other places in the house, and how to access everything from other devices on the network using secure user accounts. It's all you need to know, and only what you need to know!

Hammer Horror! For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with Dracula and Frankenstein to the later additions, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio. But during the 1950s, they drifted away from the genre, leaving a hole in horror lovers' hearts. The torch quickly passed to Hammer Films. A small company that had been releasing small films since 1934, in the 50s had several successful science-fiction films (the Quatermass series) that featured monsters from space. One thing led to another, and they tried their hand at remaking the classic stories, "e;Dracula"e; and "e;Frankenstein,"e; only this time in color with high production values. These two films were massive successes, catapulting Hammer into two decades of leadership in the genre. This book includes viewing synopses of 69 Hammer horror films, including all your favorite monsters, as well as a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades the Hammer made these films. Hammer stopped making horror films in the mid-70s but managed to stay afloat until 2008 when they started producing new horror films. This book includes all of these new films as well, up to and including 2019's "e;The Lodge."e; ALL the horror films are here. [Note: This is the updated 2nd Edition with better editing and new formatting (November 2022)]

Dan Holiday is a former journalist who now writes mystery books for a living. When he runs into writer's block, he comes up with the bright idea of placing an ad in the Star Times. "e;Adventure wanted. Will go anywhere, do anything. Write Box 13 c/o Star Times"e; Over the course of the series, Dan gets many responses. That's the premise of the syndicated radio show "e;Box 13"e; from the late 1940s, starring Alan Ladd as Dan Holiday. Each week, someone writes to Box 13, and Dan gets involved in some sort of adventure, usually a mystery or crime of some sort.  This book is a listener's guide to the series. We will take a careful look at all 52 of the original stories from a listener's point of view, including complete synopses and reviews with comments. The book includes links to hear the episodes free of charge online, and the idea is to listen to the original episodes as you read through the book. If you enjoy short mystery and adventure fiction, this is a great find— there are stories involving mine shafts, racetrack scams, murderous practical jokes, serial psychopaths, and murder plots aplenty. If you are anything at all like the author, you loved listening to mystery stories as a child, and now you can do it again… with Box 13.

Son of Shock! For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with Dracula and Frankenstein to the later additions, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio.  By the time the 1950s had come around, filmgoers' tastes had changed from the supernatural monsters that Universal excelled at to more scientific terrors- atomic horrors, mutant animals, and other, more psychological fears. Not only that, but now films in the theater had new competition-- Television. In 1957, Universal sold a package of 52 mostly-horror films to TV stations around the USA. This package contained many of their greatest horror classics, along with some less-popular films that could round out the package. These films directly led to the invention of TV "e;Horror Hosts,"e; who were used to introduce and pad out the shorter films. The film package was so successful that a few years later, "e;Son of Shock!"e; was released with twenty more films.  This second book includes viewing synopses of ALL twenty Son of Shock! films, including the few non-horror films and even a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades these films were produced. In addition, there are twenty-seven EXTRA Universal films covered that were not included in either package but are otherwise considered essential viewing or historically significant.  [Note: This is the updated 2nd Edition with better editing and new formatting (November 2022)]

In the first book, "e;Going Chromebook: Living in the Cloud,"e; we looked at Chromebooks and the various software options available for them, and we decided whether or not the cloud lifestyle was for you. If you've gotten this far, then the answer was a confident "e;Yes!"e;  Now it's time to look into specific apps and how to use them. In this book, we look at Google's spreadsheet system, Google Sheets. Sheets competes directly with Microsoft Excel, and it is constantly being added to and improved month after month. If you need to do any calculations, record-keeping, list-making, outlining, or anything else where a spreadsheet "e;grid"e; is your tool of choice, then you need to at least consider Google Sheets.  This book begins by introducing you to the differences between Google Sheets and the competing online office suites. We'll also look into Google's free and paid tiers for Google Apps/G Suite, and which one works out best for your needs. Next, there's a short review chapter on how to manipulate, delete, copy, and do various file operations within the Google Drive file manager.After that, we'll go through every single command and menu, every toolbar, and all the hidden options of Google Sheets. This is the bulk of the material, and no stone (or menu) is left unturned. This includes pivot tables, conditional formatting, data validation, Slicers, embedding Google Docs and Slides, and all the other special things Sheets can do for you.  Lastly, for the things that Google Sheets still just can't do natively, we will look at some of the very best third-party add-ons for Sheets, allowing you to do all sorts of wild tasks. You already know the benefits of working in the cloud-- Now it's time to learn how to get the most out of it! Note: There is a section concerning keyboard commands which applies only to Chromebooks, but the majority of the content within the book applies to Windows, Mac, and most other computers as well. If you're considering switching to Sheets, but don't have a Chromebook, you'll still find plenty here to interest you.

If you're anything like me, you've collected a zillion media files over the years. Music, Photos, Movies, even entire series of TV shows. Yes, you can store them on your computer and watch them when you get the chance, but what if you want to watch them from your iPhone or tablet? What if you want to watch them when you aren't home, or even in the same city? What if you just want to hear podcasts or watch web shows?The Plex Media Server can solve all those problems for you. It serves up music, videos, photos, podcasts, and even more importantly, it's reliable, it looks great, has a bunch of built-in features that makes browsing your huge collection a load of fun. Oh, and the software is completely free,On the other hand, one of the disadvantages of Plex is that it works best when loaded onto a dedicated computer that is on and available non-stop, all the time, 24/7. One reliable and inexpensive solution to this issue is to run your Plex Media Server from a Raspberry Pi computer, the tiny little computer that'll set you back less than $55 for everything you need.This book explains how to set up a Raspberry Pi for use as a Plex Server. We'll look at hardware options, downloading and installing the operating system and Plex software, how to configure your hard drives, folders, and files, how to get files into the Pi from other places in the house, and how to access everything, from anywhere. It's all you need to know, and only what you need to know!

Shock! Theater For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with Dracula and Frankenstein to the later additions, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio.  By the time the 1950s had come around, filmgoers' tastes had changed from the supernatural monsters that Universal excelled at to more scientific terrors- atomic horrors, mutant animals, and other, more psychological fears. Not only that, but now films in the theater had new competition-- Television. In 1957, Universal sold a package of 52 mostly-horror films to TV stations around the USA. This package contained many of their greatest horror classics, along with some less-popular films that could round out the package. These films directly led to the invention of TV "e;Horror Hosts,"e; who were used to introduce and pad out the shorter films. The film package was so successful that a few years later, "e;Son of Shock!"e; was released with twenty more films.  This first book includes viewing synopses of ALL fifty-two original Shock! films, including the few non-horror films and even a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades these films were produced. [Note: This is the updated 2nd Edition with better editing and new formatting (November 2022)]

In the first book, "e;Going Chromebook: Living in the Cloud,"e; we looked at Chromebooks and the various software options available for them, and we decided whether or not the cloud lifestyle was for you. If you've gotten this far, then the answer was a confident "e;Yes!"e; Now it's time to look into specific apps and how to use them. In this book, we look at Google's presentation system, Google Slides. Slides competes directly with Microsoft PowerPoint, and it is constantly being added to and improved month after month. If you need to do any lessons, presentations, slide shows, demonstrations, tutorials, or anything else where a sideshow is your tool of choice, then you need to at least consider Google Slides. This book begins by introducing you to the differences between Google Slides and the competing online office suites. We'll also look into Google's free and paid tiers for Google Apps/G Suite/Workplace, and which one works out best for your needs.Next, there's a short review chapter on how to manipulate, delete, copy, and do various file operations within the Google Drive file manager.After that, we'll go through every single command and menu, every toolbar, and all the hidden options of Google Slides. This is the bulk of the material, and no stone (or menu) is left unturned. This includes animations, transitions, master slides, add-ons, embedding Google Docs and Sheets, and all the other special things Slides can do for you. Lastly, for the things that Google Slides still just can't do natively, we will look at some of the very best third-party add-ons for Slides, allowing you to do all sorts of wild tasks. You already know the benefits of working in the cloud-- Now it's time to learn how to get the most out of it!Note: There is a section concerning keyboard commands which applies only to Chromebooks, but the majority of the content within the book applies to Windows, Mac, and most other computers as well. If you're considering switching to Slides, but don't have a Chromebook, you'll still find plenty here to interest you.

The Raspberry Pi is about as minimalist as a computer gets, but it has the power to run a full Linux operating system and many great desktop and command line tools as well. Can you push it to operate at the level of a $2,000 computer? This book is here to help you find out.The primary focus of this book is getting as much as possible done with a simple Pi through non-graphic, non-mouse means. This means the keyboard and the text-mode screen. On the desktop side, you'll look at many of the most powerful GUI apps available, as these offer an easy entry to get started as you learn the command line.You'll begin by setting up and configuring a Raspberry Pi with the option to run it as a graphical desktop environment or even more economically boot straight to the command line. If you want more performance, more efficiency, and (arguably) less complexity from your Pi that can only be found through the keyboard and command line. You'll also set up and configure a Raspberry Pi to use command line tools from within either the Raspberry Pi terminal, or by logging in remotely through some other computer. Once in, you'll look at Package Managers, Tmux, Ranger, and Midnight Commander as general-purpose power tools. The book then gets into specific task-oriented tools for reading email, spreadsheet work, notes, security, web browsing and design, social media, task and video password management, coding, and much more. There are conceptual overviews of Markdown, LaTeX, and Vim for work.What You'll LearnSet up a Raspberry Pi system to get real work done using only the command lineLogin to a Pi remotely to use it as a remote server Integrate desktop Linux with command line mastery to optimize a Pi Work with tools for audio, writing news and weather, books, and graphics.Who This Book Is ForThose with minimal technical skills or hobbyists who are interested in “retro computing” or “minimalist” approaches.

The Raspberry Pi is about as minimalist as a computer gets, but it has the power to run a full Linux operating system and many great desktop and command line tools as well. Can you push it to operate at the level of a $2,000 computer? This book is here to help you find out.The primary focus of this book is getting as much as possible done with a simple Pi through non-graphic, non-mouse means. This means the keyboard and the text-mode screen. On the desktop side, you''ll look at many of the most powerful GUI apps available, as these offer an easy entry to get started as you learn the command line.You''ll begin by setting up and configuring a Raspberry Pi with the option to run it as a graphical desktop environment or even more economically boot straight to the command line. If you want more performance, more efficiency, and (arguably) less complexity from your Pi that can only be found through the keyboard and command line. You''ll also set up and configure a Raspberry Pi to use command line tools from within either the Raspberry Pi terminal, or by logging in remotely through some other computer. Once in, you''ll look at Package Managers, Tmux, Ranger, and Midnight Commander as general-purpose power tools. The book then gets into specific task-oriented tools for reading email, spreadsheet work, notes, security, web browsing and design, social media, task and video password management, coding, and much more. There are conceptual overviews of Markdown, LaTeX, and Vim for work.What You''ll LearnSet up a Raspberry Pi system to get real work done using only the command lineLogin to a Pi remotely to use it as a remote server Integrate desktop Linux with command line mastery to optimize a Pi Work with tools for audio, writing news and weather, books, and graphics.Who This Book Is ForThose with minimal technical skills or hobbyists who are interested in “retro computing” or “minimalist” approaches. 

Season One Complete! In the first season of the "e;Jess and the Monsters"e; series, Jess Jensen lives a boring life, and her greatest fear is becoming a spinster librarian cat lady in her old age. Hoping to avoid that fate, she goes to the Ohio State Fair, where she meets Jack, a regular at the library who had been noticing her for months. They have an impromptu date, where one thing leads to another, and BAM! Werewolf attack! In desperation, she steals a motorcycle, fleeing from werewolves and the FBI. She needs to get herself established and "e;off the grid"e; before someone catches up with her. As she tries to find her way in a world that turns out to be far more complicated than she ever imagined, she does battle with ghosts, demons, witches, zombies, mutants, and yes, werewolves. This book collects the first six complete episodes of the bi-weekly serial, "e;Jess and the Monsters."e; This collection also features a bonus short story, "e;Johnny Two-Eagles in the Land of the Dead."e; Over the course of the series, Jess will encounter new friends and do battle with all manner of creatures.