271 Works of Picasso Revealed | Geekosystem: "Retired French electrician Pierre Le Guennec revealed 271 previously unknown works of Picasso that he had sitting around in his garage, worth about $80 million. Though Le Guennec claims he legitimately received the pieces as gifts, the Picasso family is suing Le Guennec, claiming he stole the works."
"So how the hell is it possible that the Kindle doesn’t have a feature as obvious as page numbers? You know what happens when you don’t have page numbers? You can’t do a basic footnote for anything you’ve read. Yeah, that’s going to be a slight problem for the college market."Page numbers as a reference have always been dicey. If everyone is using the same printing of a book it works fine. Hardcover vs. paperback or printings of the same book from different years or publishers, the page numbers have always been different.
How do you cite an e-book’s ‘page number’? | TeleRead: News and views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics: "There are MLA and APA guidelines to citing e-books, too, though neither of them expressly mentions (that I can find) what to do about a book that has no page numbering. But I imagine “location number” would suffice in those cases too, especially with some explanation to the professor of the nature of the source.
It really does seem a bit odd that neither of these citation guides addresses the page-numbering matter. Lacy does have a point, though perhaps not the one she meant to make: the academic world does need to come to terms with how to do citation of e-books without page numbering, because e-books are only going to get more popular from here."
Nook Color - eBook Reader Reviews by MobileTechReview"Conclusion
The Nook Color is a wonderful surprise. As a long time E-Ink bookworm, I didn't expect much from Barnes & Noble's LCD reader. But B&N has turned out one of the hottest consumer electronics items of 2010 and perhaps 2011. The Nook Color offers an excellent reading experience thanks to its retina-friendly IPS display with high pixel density and wide viewing angles. Reading on an LCD has never been this pleasant and my eyes are feeling good when reading in my usual 1 to 2 hour sessions. That said, the Nook Color excels if you read indoors and particularly if you read in poor lighting conditions. If you read outdoors or in very sunny rooms with large windows, an E-Ink reader is your best bet since it looks wonderful under very bright conditions where LCDs fade and glare."
"A decade ago, four young men changed the way the world works. They did this not with laws or guns or money but with software: they had radical, disruptive ideas, which they turned into code, which they released on the Internet for free. These four men, not one of whom finished college, laid the foundations for much of the digital-media environment we currently inhabit. Then, for all intents and purposes, they vanished."
"'The Page 99 Test is simple: after reading page 99, would you want to turn the page?'
The site takes its name from Ford Madox Ford's observation: 'Open the book to page ninety-nine, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you.'"
"After conducting legal research on the LEXIS database of legal cases, decisions, and precedents, we have demonstrated conclusively that PG was making incorrect determinations regarding public domain status in many, many works that originally appeared in magazine form."
"Volunteers choose a book currently processed through the site to proofread a given page. People can proofread one page or several pages, as they wish. One page per day is a great goal. It doesn’t seem much, but with hundreds of volunteers it really adds up."
"Do you want to know an even bigger FacePalm moment? The recent Sony Readers could have been released with the ability to buy ebooks from B&N. (Trust me, I am quite certain that I have my facts correct.) Sony deliberately crippled the new gadgets. WTH, Sony?"
It's interesting to note, as the site points out, that the USCG is "upset for a reason." While all motions to quash and motions for protective order have so far been denied regardless of how they were filed, the motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction have not. In other words, Syfert's package is allowing people to mount an effective defense against the claim and the USCG is faced with the very expensive possibility of having to re-file thousands of individual cases in order to get around it.
Syfert's package of forms, which includes a motion to quash, motion to dismiss, an affidavit in support of the motions and a motion for protective order, now sells for $19.95, which is still a great deal. Believe me, you can't get most lawyers to pick up their phone for twenty bucks.
Pat's Fantasy Hotlist: Shadowrise: "Williams is a notorious slow starter, no question about it. Both Shadowmarch and Shadowplay suffered from bouts of sluggish rhythm, and I was wondering when the tale would kick into high gear. Not so with Shadowrise, which moves at a fluid pace throughout. Indeed, this could be the Tad Williams work featuring the best rhythm to date. Which bodes well for the forthcoming Shadowheart. The end game promises no dull moments from start to finish!"
Plus the form of a paperback book is far superior to current eBook readers, they’re small, portable, zero-boot time, you can drop them on the floor, put mugs of tea on top, generally not care about their safety, flick back and forwards etc. etc.
“Which ereader device should I buy?”:
"Not recommended, and why:
* Kobo (Borders) – It’s more expensive than the Kindle with fewer features. It’s the same price as the Nook but doesn’t have access to B&N’s larger ebook store or accessory line. There’s no 3G model.
* All Sony Reader models other than the $250 model listed above – They lack wireless connectivity and cost more than a Kindle or Nook.
* Anything else – When it comes to electronics that rely on software to function, you want a company big enough and dedicated enough to provide decent support. As Teleread notes, cheaper models look and function okay on the surface, “but you will find that their software is abysmal. Stick to a name brand.”"
Calibre 0.7.30 released | TeleRead: News and views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics
- Improve startup times for large libraries by caching the has_cover check
- Update windows binary build to use python 2.7
- Metadata and cover download plugins from Nicebooks (disabled by default)
"Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year."
NCIX.com - Buy iView 700EB-T Color eBook 7IN 800X480 TFT W/ Audio Video Playback Audio Recording USB2.0 White - iview 700EB-T In Canada."Like HTML 5 and CSS 3, the iPulp eReader is a work-in-progress. We feel the HTML 5 and CSS 3 give iPulp stories a superior presentation than the current e-book formats. iPulp’s intent is to create a web-based e-reader that has similar functionality to standalone e-book applications. The release of iOS 4 makes the iPad the perfect platform for the iPulp eReader. While iPulp is optimized for the iPad, readers will eventually be able to read iPulp stories in any browser on any platform, be it a desktop computer or a smart phone."
PocketBook's ProBook 602 is now shipping for $199Pocketbook has a lot of new upcoming e-readers, and the first one is now shipping: the pocketbook 602, for $199. the 602 has an E Ink display (6"), 2GB memory, Wi-Fi, bluetooth and is based on Linux.
"@FredKiesche — City (Simak). Doorways in the Sand (Zelazny). 2001 (Clarke). The Naked Sun (Asimov). Gateway (Pohl). Nova (Delany)."
Wopad Android Tablet costs just $150 | Good E-Reader Blog - Electronic Reader and Tablet PC News: "All in all, not a bad buy for those who are on the look out for a cheaper alternative to the iPads or the Galaxy Tabs. The Wopad too, with its compact dimensions and a light weight of just 380 gms makes a strong case for itself."
The Ematic 7″ Color eReader – $79 at Walmart | The eBook Reader Blog: "For features the Ematic EB101B 7″ eBook Reader has some good things going for it with its 7″ 800 x 480 pixel color display, 4GB of internal memory and microSD card slot, video and audio players, and support for EPUB, PDF, TXT, and DOC ebook formats."We can only hope that firmware updates will follow soon.
"Here in New York at Acer's Global press event, the company's talking touch. Lots and lots of touch. It'll be introducing a veritable smorgasbord of equipment as the minutes roll on, but it's kicking things off with its Windows 7-based Iconia dual-screen laptop / tablet. For all intents and purposes, this is Acer's version of the Toshiba Libretto W105 (or that far-flung ASUS concept we saw at CeBIT 2009), boasting a pair of glossy touchscreens and no hard specifications to speak of. Naturally, you won't find a keyboard here -- rather, a virtual one will emerge from the secondary panel. There's also a fairly slick media management system that's obviously gesture based -- some real potential there. We'll be digging for details surrounding a price point and release date, but for now, have a gander at the image above and just imagine how it could revolutionize your life."
"The upshot: Even though I have both a Kindle and a Nook here at Technologizer World Headquarters, I do most of my e-reading on other devices. And my single most-used e-reading device is my iPhone, simply because I take it with me nearly everywhere and can dip into any e-book I own in seconds, often while I'm doing something else at the same time. (I get a lot of reading done while waiting in line at Trader Joe's--basked of groceries in one hand, iPhone in the other.)"
Android Reading Apps Review and APK Installation Pack | The eBook Reader Blog: "I’ve tested all these apps on the PocketBook IQ. Some of the other reading apps such as Nook for Android I haven’t able to get to work so aren’t included in this review. If I find a version that works on the IQ so I can test it I will add it to the list, along with other reading apps I find along the way. This list is far from complete so feel free to add more in the comments section."I really really want FBReader, Aldiko, and Moon+ Readers to take a significant market share from Kindle and Nook readers. I just don't trust them to keep their hands off my books.
"Unfortunately, the Maylong M-150 is the very epitome of 'race to the bottom,' and anyone looking to buy one would get more bang for the buck by setting it on fire for warmth."
Peter Chung Takes ‘the Big Risk’ With CGI-Animated Firebreather | Underwire | Wired.com: "Infamously risky but rewarding animator Peter Chung has finally made a film for everyone in Firebreather. If his new all-CGI movie is a hit on Cartoon Network, the Aeon Flux creator hopes it will reassure Hollywood that the time is right to pull the trigger on other adult-oriented animated movies."
Chung: For me, it was remarkably easier than it would have been in 2-D. It was very liberating. I've been wanting to do CG for a long time, but the fact is that it would have been impossible to make this film on this budget even two years ago.
"The social publishing/content options suggested in this post are things that can’t effectively be executed in the print world. Up to now, ebooks have mostly been nothing more than quick-and-dirty conversions of the print product. I look forward to a future where social options and other features more fully leverage the ebook medium."
"Kevin Smith, scholarly communications officer at Duke University, who has followed the case closely from the start, was unable to say what is keeping the case from being settled. “The only answer to why [there hasn’t been a settlement],” he told PW, “is that one party or the other is not motivated enough to do so.”"
Skytex Primer shows up at Walmart as the Ematics EB101P – $80: "It’s based on a 7″ LCD screen, and it has 4GB Flash, a microSD card slot, and in general the same file support as the Primer. For $80, it’s a decent e-reader. What you give up in ability you make back in the low price."
"FYI: EpubCheck is the officially recognized tool for verifying that an Epub file meets the standard. This is what Apple and others use to accept or deny Epubs to their ebookstores. (Actually, Apple are the only one I can recall that are strict about it.)"
5 Ways That eBooks Are Better Than Paper Books
1. Social Highlighting
2. Notes
3. Look-up of words
4. Ability to Tweet & Facebook quotes
5. Search
5 Ways That Paper Books Are Better Than eBooks
1. Feel
2. Packaging
3. Sharing
4. Keeping
5. Second-hand books
Let the tablet wars begin - Dan Gillmor - Salon.com: "In fact, the Tab's size strikes me as nearly ideal. I'm using it, among other purposes, as an e-book reader and video player, ideal for travel and for around-town activities. It's definitely not ideal for everything, as I'll explain when I do a more thorough review in the next few days, but no device can do everything you want; tradeoffs are always part of this game.
I suspect that Samsung will sell a lot of these, especially if it cuts the too-high price its resellers -- mobile phone operators -- are currently charging ($600 for a tablet without a data plan; typically around $400 with a two-year data plan). And some early anecdotal evidence supports my hunch. At a conference in Phoenix yesterday, two people told me they owned iPads but wished they'd waited."
"More than 40% of e-book readers have reduced the number and dollars spent on hardcovers and paperbacks.
Retailers are becoming more important than publishers as a source of information about e-books.
General fiction and mysteries are the fastest-growing e-book genres.
More respondents received e-readers as gifts than bought them for themselves.
Respondents who bought devices for themselves most often were motivated by suggestions from friends.
The iPad has only a marginal impact on the popularity of the Kindle and Nook.
Heavy to moderate book buyers want e-devices that don’t have a lot of other options."
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review: ‘Gilded Latten Bones’ – Glen Cook (Roc): "‘Gilded Latten Bones’ is one of those rare books where both established fans and newcomers will get a lot out of the story. The book hearkens back to events in prior books but this is done in such a way that it doesn’t detract from the story itself and is accessible for newer readers such as myself. If this wasn’t enough, the nature of the case lends a real ‘stand alone’ feel to the book. If you’ve read earlier books in the series then you will get more out of ‘Gilded Latten Bones’; don’t let that put you off though if you haven’t."
Google Reader (109):"You can get your hands on a non-contract unit for around $674.00 or go with a 3 year plan and get a discount, bringing the cost to $539.99.
...
Although the UK and European versions of the Tab allows voice calling,the Canadian version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab sadly does not."
Mimo Monitors - what can you do with it?: "what can you do with it?
Mimo has thousands of useful and fun applications: keep your main display clutter free, park your Instant Messaging windows, keep your application palettes on it, use it as a digital picture frame, as a dedicated stock ticker display, put your gaming maps on it. Mimo is great for use with a small laptop or netbook because of its light weight and single USB connection, it can travel with your laptop, no power brick needed!"
Can you read the world’s smallest legible fonts ? | Tech Hammers:"Well “technically” they aren’t the smallest fonts in the world as if they were you wouldn’t be able to read even a single letter , BUT , you should be able to read the entire paragraph in the picture given above…we did. A Computer science professor called Ken Perlin designed these tiny fonts and you can fix 500 reasonable words in a resolution of 320 x 240 space. They are at the moment the smallest legible fonts in the world."
"If we all start using them, these words can be resurrected.
During my undergraduate studies as a Linguistics major, one of the things that struck me most is the amazing fluidity of language. New words are created; older words go out of style. Words can change meaning over time, vowel sounds shift, consonants are lost or added and one word becomes another. Living languages refuse to be static.
The following words have sadly disappeared from modern English, but it’s easy to see how they could be incorporated into everyday conversation."
"Android 2.1 tablet from Sylvania is giving consumers an alternative to the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab this holiday season. For those who don't want to spend hundreds on a tablet, Sylvania has unveiled a budget tablet, according to PCMag.com.
Toys R Us will offer the Sylvania's Android 2.1 tablet for $140"
"The New York Times suggests that this is going to be the “tipping point” holiday season for e-book readers. Though Kindles have been hot Christmas gifts over the last couple of years, this is the first season that e-readers are going to be widely available for under $150 (and indeed, under $100 in some cases). This means, in turn, that a lot more e-books are going to be sold to read on those e-readers."
The Wertzone: The Japanese Devil Fish Girl by Robert Rankin: "The Japanese Devil Fish Girl (***1/2) is pretty much Another Robert Rankin novel, although shorn of connections to his other books it's a little bit more accessible to newcomers. But there is definitely the feeling that here he had a chance to break free of his comfort zone and write a more interesting story using steampunk trappings, but didn't do it. Instead he does his normal thing and does it well."
Fantasy Book Critic: “Kill the Dead” by Richard Kadrey (Reviewed by Robert Thompson):"ANALYSIS: There was a time when I used to like reading urban fantasy novels, but thanks to publishers flooding the market with second/third-rate carbon copies and authors recycling the same ideas over and over, I’ve grown weary of the whole subgenre. Even so, every once in a while an urban fantasy title comes along that really catches my eye, like last year’s Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey..."
Calibre updated to 0.7.28 | TeleRead: News and views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics:"Update the version of the grahical toolkit (Qt 4.7.1) used in the calibre binary builds on windows and linux. This should result in a significant speed up for the calibre ebook viewer"
body {
color: white;
background-color:rgb(0,0,125);
text-align:left;
line-spacing:1.4;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:4px;
margin-right:50px;
margin-left:50px;
text-indent:2em;
}
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
color:white;
text-align:center;
font-style:italic;
font-weight:bold;
}
blockquote {text-indent:0em;}
p.tx {text-align:left !important; margin-bottom:.1em !important;margin-top:.1em !important}
The view from here literary magazine: E-books and the Agency Argument:"Sometimes it seems to me that the thing publishing does best of all is to get itself into a terrible mess. New technologies always bring with them significant challenges to accepted custom and practice. For years the music industry has spectacularly failed to control the development of the digital media, which, at different times, it tried to ignore, to outlaw, to appropriate and to exploit. Many commentators believe the record companies have come to embrace it too late and will never now catch up with its onward march."
"One area ebooks really do have the advantage (as the Kobo people correctly point out) is availability. Tomorrow, a prize will be announced and physical bookstores will be scrambling to supply copies of the paper book to every customer who might want them. But there will be no ebook shortage! Anyone who wants the book can have one."
"Wordnik continues to be one of our favorite (useful, educational, fun) online databases. It provides access to definitions from a number of dictionaries and other word resources, thesaurus, word/phrase translation option, pronunciations (audio), tools to create and share word lists, and much more."
"Later in the interview, Kaye discusses how authors would make money from their books under a regime of decreased copyright protections. Kaye suggests that the current long copyright terms focus the industry on finding mega-hits that will keep earning money for decades, at the expense of a considerably larger number of people who just want to make a living from their writing.
He also notes that there are new business models that offer new opportunities, such as the “pay-what-you-want” model of sites such as Bandcamp and leveraging the way social networking allows making better connections with writers’ fanbase. And he points out that it’s not competition from other paid products that creators need to worry about."
"Second, B&N is missing a huge opportunity. It's not like they're losing money on Nook Color sales (the hardware cost is probably in the $150 range, or lower). As long as you're making some money per unit, I think it makes sense to grab as many customers as you can now, while you have a structural advantage in the market.
The ultimate payoff for an ebook distributor like B&N is to displace the publishers and start selling ebooks (and other content) directly to the public. To get to that goal, B&N should be trying to grow the e-reader installed base as quickly as possible. Instead of restricting Nook Color to people who already want ebooks, B&N should sell it to everyone and then entice them into becoming e-reading users."
Coby Kyros Internet Touchscreen Tablet - SlipperyBrick.com"But the Net Book Agreement worked because it applied universally. You couldn’t go somewhere else to get a book cheaper. Under the agency model we have the absurdity of Stephen Fry’s new book selling on Amazon at £10.04 in paperback while the Kindle version is £12.99. If you visit other retailers you find even bigger discrepancies. Howard Jacobson’s Man Booker winner is £10.03 in hardback on Amazon, but £13.28 as an ebook at waterstones. Ken Follett’s new novel sees the same split: £10.00 hardback, £14.00 download. Just have a browse – you’ll find loads of examples."
70% of tablet users use the tablet for ereading.
40% of consumers anticipate that a tablet will replace their computer.
96% of tablet users connect through wifi and 43% connect through the mobile web.
iView 7" LCD Color eBook Reader & Media Player w/ 2 GB Memory, Adobe Digital & EPUB DRM, TXT, AVI and RMVB Video, Expandable Memory Up To 32GB, Black Carrying Case, Free eBooks Download - Meritline.com: "Sale: $104.99"
Amazon.com: Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon (9781423123729): Jonathan Stroud: Books1. The Amulet of Samarkand (2003)A steampunk-ish series of a boy growing into his power and joining the aristocracy. Class warfare using djinns and ifriit. Great POV from both sides of the class war as well as the demons bound into service.
2. The Golem's Eye (2004)
3. Ptolemy's Gate (2005)
"In short, with Steam they created a place for gamers to go to as naturally as others go to Facebook, except with the ability to buy games cheaply and play them quickly and relate their findings to friends.
The book industry could learn from this, particularly as we already have sites which already do similar things."
PocketBook 602, 902, 701(IQ Tablet) Pre-Orders | The eBook Reader Blog:"Pricing for the new models is a little confusing because the PocketBook website has slightly higher prices for the 602 and 701 than Dulin’s Books, an authorized PocketBook retailer. So I went with the lower prices."
Digital Original novel: In Hero Years… I’m Dead|Stormwolf.com:"So, there I was, stuck with a perfectly good novel that didn't have a home. I certainly wasn't the first novelist to face that problem. I know I won’t be the last. But it’s a bit galling when a story you know readers will enjoy doesn't see print simply because it doesn't fit in any convenient marketing niche."
In Hero Years… I’m Dead is New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole’s first Digital-Original novel.I enjoyed this book very much. It's an interesting take on superheroes and how the world would work if there really were such people. This premise has been explored before, but Stackpole has carved out a unique take on the subject. He is a very competent writer who has a lot of experience writing in a pre-defined universe (Star Wars in particular) and knows how to step outside the usual boundaries. He crafts a fast paced adventure married with superb character development and biting social commentary.
Twenty years ago someone stole him away from Capital City. Having been released from captivity he returns to find everything changed. The great heroes of his day, men who could move planets or tear apart criminal syndicates, have all retired. A new breed of hero has sprung up to deal with a perplexingly new brand of villain. It’s a world that makes no sense, and a world which, if he persists in playing the hero, will surely see him dead.
In Hero Years… I’m Dead mixes action, dark humor, satire and strong characters into a thrilling page-turner. It’s superheroes facing challenges both in costume and out, battling a cunning enemy bent on destroying all they have worked so hard to preserve.
"As many commentators have been saying for some time, as the idea of eReaders becomes more established, we are now seeing that both ends of the market are growing. At the top end we have sophisticated devices such as the Entourage and Kindle 3, and at the other end there are now an increasing number of cheap, almost throw-away eReaders coming onto the market. Prices for some of these low end models have gone down to less that 80 USD a piece, and will get even cheaper in time."
"A few days ago I came across Duokan, an open source firmware for the Amazon Kindle (2/3/DX). It’s being developed by a group of Chinese developers and while it’s still in beta, unfortunately, it’s gotten good enough that you might want to try it."
by Joe Wilkert
Many ebooks can be read just fine on the surface area of your typical Kindle, iPad or other eReader. The reading process flows sequentially from one page to the next. No need to jump back and forth within the book or look things up in an index. Your typical novel is consumed this way, but a how-to book or a reference guide is not; with these latter examples you’re often dipping in and out, jumping to and from the index and sometimes wanting to look at pages that aren’t adjacent to one another.
Entourage Pocket Edge Now Available, Plus Specs and Videos | The eBook Reader Blog:"The Pocket Edge has two screens. On the left side it has a 6-inch E Ink screen with a Wacom touchscreen. On the right side it has a 7-inch LCD touchscreen. The hinged design makes it so you can fold the screens together or 180 degrees back."
"The perk of the e-reader aside from easily concealing your embarrassing Dan Brown fandom? Free books. The Web is full of classic works inside the public domain, and it's easy to take advantage of the thousands of free titles with most devices. Here's a Techland 'how-to' in updating that reading queue for free."
"The device, he explained, would split hydrogen atoms into protons and electrons, and in so doing would convert heat into electricity. Most radically, it would do so without the help of any moving parts. Johnson planned to tell his audience that the JTEC could produce electricity so efficiently that it might make solar power competitive with coal, and perhaps at last fulfill the promise of renewable solar energy."
"To use the fridge, you simply place perishables in the solar refrigerator’s interior metal chamber and seal it. [ed. In}Organic material, such as sand or soil, is then placed in-between the inner and outer chamber and then saturated with water. As the sun warms the organic material, the water evaporates, reducing the temperature of the inner chamber to a chilled 6 C [43 F] – an effect similar to how your skin gets cooler as sweat evaporates."
Dell Streak from Rogers to cost $149 | Good E-Reader Blog - Electronic Reader and Tablet PC News"Just as importantly, libraries and schools need to prepare for the inevitable tipping point, when major publishers will often decide that the market is not large enough for paper editions. Some paper books will survive, just like the horse-drawn carriages that tourists ride in New York's Central Park."
"As the list above suggests, in 2010 several debut or relative new writers published strong sui generis novels, alongside outstanding work by a few established authors, and helped spark a mini-SF/fantasy renaissance."
N-Trig: the most useful Android slates 'will be pen-enabled' -- EngadgetI think — as I’ve said elsewhere — that urban fantasy is a genre sitting on top of a great big huge cultural discomfort about women and power.
"ABC finally pulled the plug on the limping Drew Carey vehicle The Cleveland Steamers after a six-season run. Initially a mid-season replacement, it was Carey’s follow-up after the long-expected cancellation of The Drew Carey Show earlier in the year. The Cleveland Steamers reunited Carey with long-time collaborator Ryan Stiles and a multi-ethnic cast that won them an NAACP Image Award and the first cast album a Latin Grammy."
Rainn Wilson: The 5 Questions You Hate Not Knowing the Answer to:
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