Daily Links: Why is the wildly popular email privacy act still stuck in congress?

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

Why is the wildly popular email privacy act still stuck in congress? (NextGOV) – This boggles the mind. Everybody wants this, so what is the problem?

Google’s Chromebooks make up half of US classroom devices (CNBC) – Seeing these numbers in just a few short years is pretty impressive!

Reporters from digital/niche outlets are replacing daily newspaper reporters in Washington (Nieman) – This says so much about the changing face of the news industry.

Oldweb.today lets you revisit how painfully slow and ugly the Web used to be (The Next Web) – Remember these days? Can you name the baud rate on your first computer modem?

If the FCC Loses in Court Today, It Could Be the End of Net Neutrality (Vice) – This is an important case for the future of the Net…

Sadly, today the music industry is mourning the loss of Scott Weiland, iconic front man for Stone Temple Pilots. The publisher has put Not Dead & Not for Sale: A Memoir on sale for $1.99 at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes. (Sorry, Kobo shoppers, it is $11.99 there).

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: The Secret in the Old VCR Tapes

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

Today’s interesting links and finds:

The Secret in the Old VCR Tapes (ReCode) – This speaks on so many levels. With rapidly changing technology, who do we entrust our memories to?

No headphone jack? Some tech writers can’t imagine it (Talking New Media) – Are plug-in headphones going the way of the CD and DVD drive?

Town that has no cell phone service loses its primary Internet provider (Ars Technica) – Disconnected. This is truly terrifying.

Why We Need a Streaming Service for News (Media Shift) – Is this really the next logical evolution of news?

Amazon’s Fire tablets now have a blue light filter to help you sleep after nighttime reading (The Next Web) – The latest update to the Fire aims to make it easier to read at night on a backlit device.

Deals and Finds of the Day:

On the Kindle Daily Deals pages, Amazon has several lists of booksin the history, mystery, thriller and sci-fi and fantesy genres that are reduced in price through December 31, 2015. I found a book on Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting in the history category.

Barnes and Noble has 19 Christmas-themed romances and mysteries for the Nook Daily Find.

Kobo has The Bees by Laline Paull for only $1.99 at , Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iTunes.

Daily Links: Are there Critters and Germs in My Library Books?

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

Are there Critters and Germs in My Library Books – (WSJ) – Oh, dear!E-books sound really attractive right now…

A new word for the e-publishing lexicon: Bookenfreude (Teleread) – Maybe this should be e-bookenfreude?

Stick a Fork in It, This Rumor is Done: No More New Kindles in 2015 (The Digital Reader) – See, you can go ahead and safely buy a new Paperwhite now. 🙂

AT&T, Verizon try to prevent ban on text message blocking (Ars Technica) – Are they blocking spam or a legitimate use?

My Kindle Find of the Day is Plant Power: Transform Your Kitchen, Plate, and Life with More Than 150 Fresh and Flavorful Vegan Recipes by Nava Atlas of VegKitchen.com. Last time I checked, the Kindle version was $14.99; today it is only $1.99!

Daily Links: More than half of Americans now watch Netflix

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

A few interesting links for today:

More than half of Americans now watch Netflix (Quartz) – Does any one find this surprising?

Following The Launch Of Its Ad-Free Tier, Hulu Breaks Into The Top 10 Apps By Revenue (Techcrunch) – Coming from someone who has tried it, I can tell you this is no surprise. Ad-free Hulu is addictive.

Why ‘Cool’ Is Still Cool (NYT) – The popularity and longevity of slang….

Privacy Not Included: Federal Law Lags Behind New Tech (ProPublica) – From a privacy perspective, this is a really disturbing read. If you thought that HIPPA covered it all, this is a big surprise!

Readbug Wants To Be Spotify For Indie Magazines (Techcrunch) – Not so sure about this one….

Looking for a tablet for the kiddies? As part of Black Friday Deals Week, you can get $15 off the 7″ Fire Kids Edition. It is priced at #84.99 until November 30, 2015 and includes the 7″ Fire, a kid-proof case and 1 year of Kindle Free Time.

Daily Links: Newsonomics – Can you get readers to pay a dollar a day for digital news?

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

Newsonomics: Can you get readers to pay a dollar a day for digital news? (Nieman Lab) – Paywalls in general and paying for local news in particular are thorny issues. Is this approach a bit of a shakedown?

Mattel View Master is a blast from the past (Gear Diary) – Okay, who can resist this one? Probably not the nostalgic grownups….

Windows Turns 30: A Visual History (ReCode) – Has it really been that long?

Could the Hunger Games turn your teen into a revolutionary? (The Conversation) – Isn’t it interesting the reaction that dystopian lit gets from many parents?

And my Kindle book find of the day is the unusual vampire novel Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Lindqvist has been referred to as “the Swedish Stephen King” and this one is a gem! The original Swedish film is highly recommended as well.

Daily Links: Why 1904 testing methods should not be used for today’s students

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

Todays interesting finds:

Why 1904 testing methods should not be used for today’s students (The Conversation) – Profound and thought-provoking piece on testing. We have known for a long time that standardized testing on test for IQ and SATs doesn’t account well for differences in culture and income. Why are we still using it?

Three Reasons Why Google Is Bringing Google Plus Back to Life (ReCode) – I am very active on Google Plus, especially on the eBook Evangelist Page, but I have very mixed feelings about this change.

Don’t want to install that smartphone app? With Google, you may not have to (CNET) – This sounds like an interesting idea that actually makes sense.

Mossberg: Can a $150 Windows laptop be any good?(The Verge) – Is Lenovo competing with HP for the low end market? (This is supposed to be a Best Buy exclusive, but I did find on Amazon at a higher price... ???)

First look: Orient Express History, an eBook app for the iPad (Talking New Media) – Looking for e-books to evolve?This looks as much at format as content.

Daily Links: Online Matchmaking with Dogs as Dates

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

Today’s interesting finds:

Online Matchmaking, but With Dogs as Dates (NYT) – Glad to see our furry friends getting online. I think this is a great idea!

Apple’s Tim Cook: No-one Wants An iPad-Mac Hybrid (TechCrunch) – What *is* the ideal user experience? Can we really replace the PC/laptop?

Smartphone owners value banking data over their nude pics, survey says (Ars Technica) – This is kind of fascinating…

The FCC’s Unforced Error (ReCode) – Internet freedom and neutrality is a lot more complicated when you try to put it into practice.

Tipsy, a simple Chrome extension, bets on readers who want to pay a little for the content they consume (Nieman Lab) – I am really hoping someone finds a good paywall alternative for newspapers. Is this it? This has a reports feature that looks interesting.

Amazon has a limited time offer for $30 off the Fire HD 10 tablet. I am a Prime member and I am also seeing an option to pay in 5 monthly payments of $40. 🙂

Daily Links: To Fight Ad Blocking, Build Better Ads

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

Today’s interesting finds:

To Fight Ad Blocking, Build Better Ads (Nieman Reports) – An interesting piece on the two main problems in the debate on ads and ad blockers.

The direction of computing is only going in one way—to the cloud (Ars Technica) – The history of the cloud and some thoughts on why it’s the future.

Silicon City: New York’s forgotten role in the history of computers (The Verge) – The New York Historical Society has a new exhibit that will have you re-thinking New York’s role in IT development.

Norwegians using ‘Texas’ to mean ‘crazy’ actually isn’t so crazy (The Conversation) – A delightful case study on linguistic borrowing…

Amazon is offering two Kindle Essential Bundles deals, one for the Kindle Paperwhite and one for the Kindle Voyage. The bundles feature the device, a charger and a cover for a special price. The bundle pricing ends November 22, 2015.

Daily Links: Paying for news with your privacy

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

Think you’re reading the news for free? New research shows you’re likely paying with your privacy (The Conversation) – Yes, I have been stalked by a pair of shoes – and a piece or two of furniture as well.

Cord cutters cut off from presidential debates (CNET) – Media is changing and the debates are one area where online viewing has not caught up.

UK gov’t promises all homes will have legal right to 10Mbps broadband by 2020 (Ars Technica) – The big question is can the UK actually pull this off?

An Archive of 10,000 Cylinder Recordings Readied for the Spotify Era (Hyperallergic) – Yes, you can actually listen to (and download) works from this amazing collection from the UCSB Library.

On Amazon, the Kindle, the Paperwhite and the Kindle Kids bundle are all $20 off until Wednesday.

Daily Links: Who Cares How you Read?

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Glinda Harrison

Who Cares How You Read? Just Read. (Digital Book World) – This is actually a breath of fresh air for the e-book aficionado. 🙂

6 websites that let you download free ebooks online (Business Insider AU) – If you are a newbie to e-books, these are good starting points for free books.

Fighting for fair pricing of e-books (Niagara This Week) – Canada is really fighting back on high e-book prices for libraries. We need to do the same here in the US.

Amazon Holiday Deals – Over a thousand e-books in all genres for up to 85% off. The sale prices are valid through November 20, 2015.

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