Monthly Archives: January 2016

Daily links and deals: The Wall Street Journal tests closing the Google paywall loophole

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Sunday, January 31, 2016:

This smart bag can charge phones, weigh itself… and nearly got me kicked off a flight (The Next Web) – This is definitely an early adopter problem!

The Wall Street Journal tests closing the Google paywall loophole (Digiday) – This is one of the best-known workarounds for a paywall and any changes will certainly affect a lot of people!

Digital Transformation Requires Total Organizational Commitment (Techcrunch) – Interesting look at diigital transformation in practice in a corporate culture.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal features books in the Sisterhood and the Men of the Sisterhood series by Fern Michaels for $1.99 or less.

Amazon halso has several interesting items as part of Todays Deals. The Kindle Fire HDX 7″ Wi-Fi, 16 GB (Previous Generation – 3rd) – this is the one without special offers – is $149.99, a $65 savings. Ypu can also save $5 off the Amazon Fire TV Stick (it’s $34.99) and $10 off the Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote (it’s $39.99).

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is The Bride Wore Red Boots: A Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys Novel by Lizbeth Selvig for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is The Fall of Moscow Station by Mark Henshaw for $1.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Raylan by Elmore Leonard for $1.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: Audio cassettes are back—because hipsters

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Saturday, January 30, 2016:

The internet bundle is already here (The Verge) – What would it be like if the internet has add-on tiers and bundles like cable?

Why the hell is Be Like Bill deemed a bigger privacy risk than ‘123456’ as our password? (The Next Web) – Memes and password scares. Is this our reality now?

Your parents are about to join Snapchat (if they haven’t already) (CNET) – Parents ruin everything, don’t they?

Unlicensed LTE in the 3.5GHz band could be good for enterprises (Computer World) –  Usable spectrum exists that won’t crowd out wi-fi.

MovieLaLa’s desktop GIF Maker will have you ruining Twitter feeds in minutes (The Next Web) – Because we need more GIFs….

Why the war on VPNs is one Netflix can’t win (Engadget) – Licensing rights or security? There is more at stake than protecting geo-blocked territories.

Audio cassettes are back—because hipsters (Quartz) There has been a huge increase in cassette sales. Yes, I said cassette. Will it last?

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes all three books in the  The Spider Trilogy  by J.R. Rain, Scott Nicholson and Arthur Night for $1.99 each. This sounds like a fun, sexy vampire series.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is  Departure by A. G. Riddle for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is Night Owl by M. Pierce $2.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Tough Customer by Sandra Brown for $1.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Perfekt Order (Aere Saga book 1) by ST Bende for $3.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: US Commerce Department wants courts to be kinder, gentler to file sharers

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Friday, January 29, 2016:

US Commerce Department wants courts to be kinder, gentler to file sharers (Ars Technica) – Under a proposed new adjustment to copyright law, the value of the copyright and an infringere’s ability to pay may be factors in awarding damages.

Windows 10 quick tips: How to protect your privacy (Computer World) – Windows 10 has some settings that aren’t exactly privacy friendly. Here’s a guide that can help you manage the system’s privacy settings.

This New Tool From the FTC Can Help Identity Theft Victims Fight Back (Motherboard) – Identity theft is a problem that has only increased as the world has gone digital. The effects can be devastating. The FTC is offering a new tool that help victims.

How Two Guys Built the Ultimate GIF Search Engine (Bloomberg) – Do you speak GIF? They’re not just pictures, but are a vital cultural communication tool.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes  The (Mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson Series, Books 1-4 by Maria Murnane for $1.99 each. Also featured are books from the Sandman Slim and Graveyard Queen series.

Amazon is also offering another round of Kindle device bundles, Available are:

There are also a number Fire tablet bundles offered. Included are:

BUDGET TIP: They are a good deal, depending on your needs. If you need a power adapter and like Amazon’s Kindle covers, it’s a savings. If you use a multi-port USB charger for your devices and like 3rd party covers like the Moko,  you may be able to save more money buying separately. 🙂

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Attempting Normal by Marc Maron for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is Tangible by Jody Wallace for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas for 99 cents. Until January 31st, Kobo also has a 50% off with promo code JAN1650 on a select list of books. The  Buy 2, Get 1 free sale still continues through February 1st.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Library Corner 1-28-2016

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Library corner imageHere is this week’s roundup of library news:

US Library News:

DPLA Adds New “Primary Source Sets” For Grades 6-12 and Higher Education (Infodocket) – These sets are designed for students and teachers in grades 6-12 and higher education.

S.F. library rolls out Biblio Bistro for lessons on cooking (SF Gate) – Yes,  you can incorporate cooking healthy food into a library program. This is inspiring!

California: LA Public Library Launching a Two-Week Valentine’s Day Themed Amnesty Program For Overdue Materials (Infodocket) – This is an innovative library amnesty program.

*UPDATE* Wisconsin: Committee OKs bill expanding library powers (KSL) – Bill allowing police involvement for overdue books clears another hurdle.

Iowa: In Dubuque, no ‘Appraisal’ worth losing Wood’s works (TH Online) –  Library turns down $6 million for painting in collection.

International Library News:

Canada: What happens when you find a long-lost violin concerto in a library basement? (CBC) – A concerto is by the Norwegian found in the collection of Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow.

Policy and Privacy:

Amid Controversy, Scholastic Pulls Picture Book About Washington’s Slave (NPR) – This article discusses the other side of history that exists amidst claims of whitewashing the topic of slavery.

Penguin Random House Ebooks Now Licensed for Perpetual Access (American Library) – No more limits on the time period or number of circulations for Penguin Random House content. But the pricing is a different story.

Copyright:

U.S. Department of Commerce Recommends Amendments to Statutory Damages Provisions in Copyright Act (USPTO) – A new white paper looks at some of the issues connected with current copyright law such as remixes, first sale doctrine and the complicated issues of infringement and statutory damages.

Reference and Statistics:

Education: An International Database of Learning Assessments (Infodocket)

Introducing New Hampshire Public Radios’s Election Database (NHPR)

New “State of the Climate” Report/Data: “2015 is Earth’s Warmest Year by Widest Margin on Record” (Infodocket)

American Cancer Society Launches New Cancer Statistics Web Site  (American Cancer Society)

Digital Collections:

Games to Learn By: National Library of Medicine Announces Three New Resources for Students (NLM)

Making the Work of Florence Nightingale Available (BU Today)

View Online: A Film From 1963 Provides a Look at “Inner Workings” of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) (Infodocket)

Shakespeare Documented: Largest Online Shakespeare Resource Launches (PR News)

New “Europeana Collections” Website (Beta) Now Live (Infodocket)

The Internet Archive’s New “Political TV Ad Archive” Launches Tomorrow (Infodocket)

Texas State Library and Archives Commission Launches Texas Digital Archive (Texas State Library)

About once a week, I post links to digital-related library news articles and information about digital collections available online.  I also post other links of interest about the digital life daily on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: Google Will Soon Shame All Websites That Are Unencrypted

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Thursday, January 28, 2016:

Google Will Soon Shame All Websites That Are Unencrypted (MotherBoard) Is losing a site’s Google rank the solution the web’s security problems?

The FCC wants to totally overhaul how cable boxes work (The Verge) I would definitely want a combination ROKU and cable box if I could get one!

Google brings comments to its entire mobile office suite (The Verge) – Is this a feature you have been waiting for?

Rest in Hell, Java Plug-in (Gizmodo) – At long last, Java bites the dust.

Aereo’s ex-CEO wants to bring wireless gigabit internet to everyone (The Next Web) – The Starry wireless internet that works in an urban setting is an interesting idea, but can they pull it off?

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes Sarah Woodbury’s Of Men and Dragons (The Lion of Wales Book 3) for 99 cents. Who doesn’t love King Arthur? Books 1 and 2 of the series are also 99 cents and book 4 is $2.99.

And, as part of Today’s Deal, you can get a Kindle Fire HDX 7″, HDX Display, Wi-Fi, 16 GB (Previous Generation – 3rd) for $149.99. That is $65 off the regular price.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is What I Tell You In the Dark: A Novel by John Samuel for $2.99 (interesting angel storyline in this one…). The Romance Daily Find is Honor Reclaimed (HORNET Series #2) by Tonya Burrows for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Cold Betrayal (An Ali Reynolds Novel) by J.A. Jance for $1.99. And, Kobo’s  Buy 2, Get 1 free sale still continues through February 1st.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Gold Shimmer by P.T. Michelle for 99 cents.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: Protecting Anne Frank’s Voice — Even 7 Decades Later

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 daily_links_1Daily Links for Wednesday, January 27, 2016:

Review: 5 prepaid mobile hotspots fire up business travel (Computerworld) – A good comparison of mobile wi-fi spots.

Netflix exempts US military bases from copyright Geo-blocks (Torrent Freak) – First Amazon Prime and now, Netflix are exempting military bases.

Protecting Anne Frank’s Voice — Even 7 Decades Later (Forward) – I missed this article from a few weeks ago. This is an interesting piece discussing the often overlooked moral rights issue connected to this controversial case.

The Problem with Ebook Piracy Spam (Plagiarism Today) – Is that spammy pirate site really selling books or just fishing for information? If you’re a reader should you buy? And, if you are an author, should you send a take down notice? The answers may surprise you.

Rebtel Introduces Unlimited International Calling (TechCrunch) – Wireless calling without wi-fi? This sounds interesting!

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes Boundary Crossed and Boundary Lines, the first two books in Melissa F. Olsons’s new Boundary Magic urban fantasy series for $1.99 each. Boundary Magic Book 3, Boundary Born, is coming in June. These are favorites of mine and are set in the same world as her Scarlet Bernard novels.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Lamentation (Matthew Shardlake Series #6) by C. J. Sansom for $2.99. The Romance Daily Find is When It’s Right (Montana Men Series #2) by Jennifer Ryan for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is also Lamentation by C.J. Sansom (Matthew Shardlake Book #6) for $2.99. Kobo’s  Buy 2, Get 1 free sale still continues through February 1st.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Marc Maron’s Attempting Normal for $1.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: AM Radio May Soon Be A Thing Of The Past

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Tuesday, January 26, 2016:

AM Radio May Soon Be A Thing Of The Past (Music 3.0) – Digital is disrupting radio as well as books and film.

Comcast and Charter may soon control 70% of 25Mbps Internet subscriptions (Ars Technica) – That’s an awful lot of control of the broadband market!

Apple will reportedly allow paywalled articles in Apple News (The Verge) – Just what are the benefits to consumers here?

The heavy price we pay for ‘free’ Wi-Fi (The Conversation) – Are we giving up too much in terms of privacy and security just to get free wi-fi?

TV resolution confusion: 1080p, 2K, UHD, 4K, 8K, and what they all mean (CNET) – Handy guide to the what the numbers mean when shopping for a new TV.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal offers up to 90% off select Kindle Books for Students. Lot of interesting stuff here: Urban planning, business, filmmaking, engineering, history  and more! I found Aha!: The Moments of Insight that Shape Our World for $2.99.

As part of the Today’s Deal specials,  you can get up to 70% off Crucial and Lexar memory products.  Also offered is up to 70% off select 3M Workspace Solutions such as monitor stands, mouse pads and more.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard [Elmore Leonard’s son]  for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is Secret Indiscretions by Trice Hickman for $2.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson for $1.99. Kobo’s  Buy 2, Get 1 free sale continues through February 1st.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Dead Between the Lines by Denise Swanson for $1.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links: Bild’s hardline take on ad blocking: ‘We will not be blackmailed’

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Monday, January 25, 2016:

How a City in France Got the World’s First Short-Story Vending Machines (New Yorker) – Fascinating story!These sound delightful!

Google Play Games soon won’t require a Google+ account (The Next Web) – Another disconnect from Google Plus account logins.

Sending a single link can cause anyone’s smartphone to crash (The Next Web) – This sounds like the tech version of getting Rickrolled.

Bild’s hardline take on ad blocking: ‘We will not be blackmailed’ (Digiday) – Alex Springer is still saying no to ad blockers.

This tool helps you search the entire global Netflix library (The Next Web) – Have you ever wondered what we get on Netflix that the rest of the world doesn’t?

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes the first two books in Alan Russell’s Gideon and Sirius mystery series, Burning Man and Guardians of the Night for $1.99 each.This is an amazing series about a police detective and his canine partner. I LOVE these books and am looking forward to the next installment, Lost Dog (A Gideon and Sirius Novel Book 3)  which is coming out in June.

Save up to 60% off Kindle Series Bundle Deals.  There are 18 series bundles, each containing from 2 to 10 books. Included is Bob Mayer’s Area 51 – The Nightstalkers (4 Book Series) for $7.20.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Cold As Ice: A Kristen Conner Mystery / Book 3 by M.K. Gilroy for $2.99. The Romance Daily Find is Reckonings (Harlequin Intrigue Series #1593) by Cynthia Eden for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Bette Lee Crosby’s The Wyattsville Series set for $1.99. You can also find all twelve of Audrey Carlan’s Calendar Girls books for $2.99 each. Kobo’s  Buy 2, Get 1 free sale continues through February 1st.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon for $1.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links: A Crazy Little Hack For Getting Large Book Files Into The Kindle App On iOS

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Sunday, January 23, 2016:

A Crazy Little Hack For Getting Large Book Files Into The Kindle App On iOS (Lean Pub) – File to big for Send to Kindle or Amazon to transfer? Here’s a workaround.

Ownership and Copyright Law: Legal Fences Between You and Your Purchases (CDT) – Good overview and a link to where the US copyright office wants your feedback.

Just say no to 16 gigabytes of storage in 2015 (Android Central) –  Well, it seems like even 16GBs just don’t cut it anymore.

Guilt And Shame As A UI Design Element (Buzzfeed) – It’s not just ad blockers and subscription. More website using guilt to manipulate readers.

Fun New eBooks Help Kids Discover MyPlate (USDA) – The US govenment offers free ebooks to help children understand the new MY Plate recommendations.

How to Print From the Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet (or Any Other Android Tablet) (The Digital Reader) – Need to print from your Kindle or your tablet? Here’s some tips!

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes a selection of thrillers by C.G Cooper and romances by Carolyn Brown. The entire list is here.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is The Cereal Murders (Culinary Mystery Series #3) by Diane Mott Davidson for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Divergent by Veronica Roth for $1.99. And, through 2-1-2015, Kobo is having a Buy 2, Get 1 free sale!

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson for $1.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links: How Facebook’s Plan To Give The World Free Mobile Internet Went So Wrong

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Saturday, January 23, 2016:

How Facebook’s Plan To Give The World Free Mobile Internet Went So Wrong (BuzzFeed) – Nice post summarizing the story and the issues.

Internet of Things security is so bad, there’s a search engine for sleeping kids (Ars Technica) – This is truly terrifying….

GOP senators want lower Internet speeds to qualify as “broadband“ (Ars Technica) Um…. We already have the slowest Internet speeds in the world.

You can now ask your Amazon Echo for movie times, live NFL scores and predictions (The Next Web) – Amazon keeps adding more functionality.

Yesterday’s News, and Tomorrow’s: Badly-Formatted Kindle eBooks Will (Continue to) Display an Error Message (The Digital Reader) – Amazon is stepping up the action against badly formatted ebooks.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes all four volumes of James Maxwell’s Evermen Saga for $1.99 each. Need an SD card for your Fire tablet? Amazon is also offering savings on SanDisk Memory products.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Alchemystic by Anton Strout for $2.99.  The Romance Daily Find is Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen for $1.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is The Kill Room (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel) by Jeffery Deaver for $1.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Cold Betrayal, an Ali Reynolds novel, by J. A. Vance for $1.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.