Tag Archives: UK

Daily Links and Deals: The Yahoo Data Breach (Roundup)

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daily_links_1Today, a roundup of some of the coverage on the Yahoo data breach. In deals, athletic shoes, sock deals and Dyson vacuum.

Daily Links for Thursday, September 23,  2016:

How not to verify a data breach (and why some really want you to get ‘pwned’) (ZD Net) This goes a long way towards explaining why it can take so long for these breeches to come to light.

If you’ve ever created a Yahoo account, take these steps immediately to protect your data (Recode) It’s not just your Yahoo account that’s vulnerable. Now, if they will just explain to me how to change my mother’s maiden name….

UK broadband customers also affected by Yahoo hack (Engadget) Some BT and Sky email accounts are also affected by the Yahoo account breach.

Yahoo finally acknowledges massive hack of user data, only informed Verizon two days ago (Talking New Media) Verizon is buying Yahoo. Does this hack effect the deal?

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s selection of Kindle Daily Deals includes The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng.

In Today’s Deals, Shoes, socks and a refurbished Dyson DC65 Multi Floor – Purple.

Amazon has now released the Echo a second color. You can pre-order the Echo now to get it in white. It will be available on September 28, 2016. There is also an  All-New Echo Dot (2nd Generation) which will be available in both black and white and retails for $49.99. The Dot is also being offering in a “Buy 5, get 1 free” six-pack and a ““Buy 10, get 2 free” twelve-pack”. The new Echo Dot will be released on October 20, 2016.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica. The Romance Daily Find is Lone Star Nights by Delores Fossen.

Barnes and Noble also has a selection of NOOK Books Under $2.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is The Book of the Dead (Agent Pendergast series) by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child. The Extra Daily Deal is In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks.

Also, select non-fiction titles at the Kobo store for 99 cents until September 26th.

There is also a selection of Great Reads Under $5 and Bargain Reads in Fiction, in Mystery and other genres. The Kobo Aura One (and the Aura Edition 2 e-readers are now available for order at the Kobo store. (The Aura One is out of stock until September 23, 2016.)

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes The Wedding Series by Patricia McLinn.

Google Books has a selection of Start a New Series titles priced from 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, Facebook, and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Amazon Echo comes to UK and Germany

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echoukAmazon has announced that the Alexa, the Echo and the All-new Echo Dot are coming to the UK and Germany. The devices will be available in both black and white in the UK on September 28, 2016. The Echo will cost £149.99 and is now available for pre-order on the website. If you are a member of Amazon Prime in the UK you can pre-order until 5:00 PM on September 16 at the special price of £99.99. The Echo Dot sells for £49.99. There is more information at http://www.amazon.co.uk/echo.

In Germany, the Echo will sell for €179,99 and will be released on October 26, 2016. The Echo Dot retails for €59,99. According to the Amazon press release (via Google Translate), Prime members in Germany can request a €50 discount until September 16, 2016. There is more information on the Echo at http://www.amazon.de/echo.

Up until now, Echos have only been sold in the United States and been tied to US Amazon.com accounts. There has been quite a bit of discussion in the past about when these would be available internationally. No one is sure yet exactly how this is going to work in terms of devices sharing accounts between different countries, but it seems like a lot of people are going to be very excited to find out!

Amazon.co.uk Press Release

Amazon.de Press Release

Echo rumors: A new Echo Dot and a British Alexa

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dot_aThe rumors have been flying for a bit that Amazon intends to release an UK version of the Amazon Echo tomorrow, September 14th.

The rumors were fueled by the fact that if you asked an Amazon Echo “What’s happening September 14th?”, Alexa would answer some variation on, “I promised I wouldn’t tell, but maybe I should start packing in case I get an invitation. A visit to London has always been on my bucket list”

A press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 14, 2016 for the release of an unidentified device. Many believe that the topic will be the announcement of the UK version of an Echo device. To date, the Alexa-enabled devices have only been released in the United States.

More rumors flew yesterday when Amazon Twitter account tweeted “Introducing the all-new Echo Dot. Add Alexa to any room — now for just $49.99.” The tweet, which was immediately deleted, linked to the old Echo Dot page here. The original Echo Dot sold for $89.99. It could only be ordered through the Amazon Echo or the Fire TV and was constantly sold out. The item was apparently discontinued in at the end of July (there are conflicting stories about that: some customers were told it was discontinued; CNET and other customers were told it would be returning).

A lot of people were extremely upset at the unavailability of the Echo Dot. We use ours a lot and I personally would have bought another one if I could have gotten it before they stopped selling them. At $40 cheaper than the original, if the feature set remains the same or gets improved, this will be a big seller, especially if Amazon opens up the orders to all customers.

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

 

Daily Links and Deals: Digital forensics: from the crime lab to the library

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daily_links_1Today, a look at what archivists have to do to work with materials in no longer used formats. Also, a look at what HTML5 and cloud-based apps mean for computing, the popularity of crime fiction in the UK and survey results on how Canadians spend their leisure time. In deals, savings on Kingston and HyperX computer products. Also, the INSANITY workout DVD set and other Beachbody DVDs.

Daily Links for Tuesday, June 8, 2016:

Ericsson survey finds one-fourth of wearable users are dissatisfied with their device (PC World) That is a large percentage of users, isn’t it?

Is HTML5 the new Windows? (Techcrunch) This is an interesting perspective on not only the parallels with the beginning of windows, but an acknowledgement of how important cloud accessibility is to our digital lives.

Crime Pays in the UK: Could It Have to do With the Setting? (Publishing Perspectives) Roomance rules in the US, but in the UK, it’s murder.

Are Canadians spending their leisure time reading? (Booknet Canada) Interesting number crunching about what Canadian leisure time activities. What are they reading?

Digital forensics: from the crime lab to the library (Nature) As formats continue to change, archivists need to work with collections in obsolete formats. As more and more of our life goes in a file and online, this is an issue for the future.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s selection of Kindle Daily Deals includes Moonlight in Odessa: A Novel by Janet Skeslien Charles for $1.99.

In Today’s Deals, there’s savings on select Kingston and HyperX computer products: gaming headsets, flash drives, memory, SSD drives, microSDs and more. Also, a sale (50% off) on the INSANITY Base Kit – DVD Workout set.

You can still get $50 off the Fire HD 10 tablet. The 16GB version is only $179.99. It is also available in both 32GB and 64GB models, all for $50 off.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is a choice of three books from Graham Masterton for $1.99 each. The Romance Daily Find is Witchful Thinking (Jolie Wilkins Series #3) by H. P. Mallory for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Have a Nice Guilt Trip by Lisa Scottoline, Francesca Serritella for $2.99. The Extra Daily Deal is Defiant Surrender by Tamara Gill for 99 cents.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson 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, Facebook, and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: How-To: Manage your ‘digital afterlife’ while you’re still here to do it

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Friday, March 4, 2016:

UCLA Library works with faculty to cut students’ cost for course materials (UCLA) – This sounds like a great program. I wish they had something like this when I was in college.

The Untold Story of How Magazine Media is Winning (Folio) – This is a  fascinating look at the magazine industry in the digital age.

AT&T is bringing internet-style targeted advertising to TV (Engadget) – Like ads chasing us across websites wasn’t bad enough?

How-To: Manage your ‘digital afterlife’ while you’re still here to do it (9 to 5 Google) –  With so much more time being spent online, we have to think now about managing digital assets and our digital afterlife.

B&N is Shutting Down One of Its Top Three Digital Blunders on 15 March (The Digital Reader) – Goodbye NOOK UK, Goodbye NOOK Video and Goodbye NOOK Apps. Some great insights from Nate at The Digital Reader on why.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deals includes Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott for $1.99.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Died in the Wool (Knitting Mystery Series #1) by Mary Kruger for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is Nowhere but Here (Thunder Road Series #1) by Katie McGarry for $1.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is A Darker Domain by Val McDermid for 99 cents.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Black Water Rising by Attica Locke for 99 cents.

Google is having a Read up to 50% Free special. You can read half the book as a sample before you decide to buy. (This is not exactly my idea of a deal, but maybe for some people ….)

(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: The Celestial Math Behind Leap Year

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Monday, February 29, 2016:

The Celestial Math Behind Leap Year  (Motherboard) – A Leap Day look to explain the science behind February 29th.

In UK, Ereaders Hold Steady Within the Tablet Market (eMarketer) – See, people still like their ereaders….

Student Sold Drugs to Pay for College Textbooks, Police Say (The Digital Reader) – Yes, books are that expensive.

Alaska: UAF archivists work to preserve obsolete recordings (UAF) –  There is so much old technology that needs to be preserved.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deals includes How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain by Gregory Berns for $1.99. And for cat lovers who also like fantasy, Desert Rising, the first book in Kelley Grant’s series of the same name, is on sale for $1.99. (I love this series!)

Also included among the Today’s Deals on Amazon are savings on  PC Components and Accessories. Great for GEEks and DIY fans, there are routers, monitors, memory, PCI wireless cards, processors and computer memory at reduced prices.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is Falling for You (Pearl Island Series, #1) by Julie Ortolon for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is also Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline for $1.99. Kobo is also offing some 80% off deals for Leap Day, including Prime Suspect:  Prime Suspect Series (Book #1) by Lynda La Plante for 99 cents. This series is the basis for the Prime Suspect TV series with Helen Mirren.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Hostile Witness by William Lashner 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: Lacking a librarian, a school tries to promote reading

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Sunday, February 28, 2016:

Lacking a librarian, a school tries to promote reading (The Notebook) –  What happens when your school doesn’t have a librarian?

New Research Briefing on “Public Libraries in England” Published by House of Commons Library (Infodocket) – An interesting report on the situation with library closings in  the UK.

Self-Driving Cars And The Kobayashi Maru (Techcrunch) – Really interesting post, with bonus points for the Star Trek reference!

Clearing Google’s hurdle, Brave’s ad-blocking browser arrives (CNET) – How does a mobile browser with built in ad capability sound?

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deals include The Pearl that Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi for $1.99 and a selection of Arthur C. Clarke’s works, including Dolphin Island for $1.99.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is  Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic’s Year-Long Quest to Find the Worst Movie Ever Made by Michael Adams for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is Winterkill by P.H. Turner for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Snobs by Julian Fellowes for $2.99.  Two days left in the Kobo store’s  30% Off Sale.  It ends February 29 and you must use coupon code 30FEB to claim your discount. .

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Just Desserts: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery by Mary Daheim 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: Paying for news with your privacy

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daily_links_1Think 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 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 the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Library Corner: 2-24-2015

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Library corner imageLibrary News:

 Digital Books Are Up in the Air (American Libraries)

Where Libraries Are Sited Is As Important As What They Do? (Brave New World)

National Libraries Day cites decline in UK libraries (Teleread)

OverDrive’s Big Library Read and Global eBook Club (The Ebook Reader)

National Library of Medicine Launches New Twitter Stream For K-12 Science Educators (Infodocket)

Coming soon for U.S. and Canadian libraries: Disney streaming video! (Overdrive)

Listen Here: Edmonton Public Library Will Begin Offering Free Downloads of Music by Local Musicians in April (Infodocket)

Someone Is Trying to Save You From Awful Books at the Boston Public Library (Boston.com)

Pilot Project: Three Chicago Public Library Branches Will Begin Lending Internet Routers and Tablets Next Month (Infodocket)

Digital Collections:

Canada: Scholars Portal from Ontario Council of University Libraries now locally hosting 40 million articles (Infodocket.com)

New Resource: ProQuest, University of Michigan Library and Bodleian Libraries Provide 25,000 Early Modern Books as Open Access Text (Infodocket)

Resources: Badilisha Poetry X-Change, The Largest Online Archive of African Poetry in the World (Infodocket)

Newly Launched Posen Digital Library From Yale University Press Makes Available Jewish Literature, Art, Artifacts and More (Infodocket)

Cornell Hip Hop Collection to Go Digital (Cornell Sun)

 

Once a week, I post links to digital-related library news articles and information about new digital collections available online.

EU Ebooks soon to cost more

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KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERAFor readers in the EU and, particularly, the  UK: The price of e-books will be going up in 2015. The culprit? VAT taxes. Starting in January, 2015, there is a huge change in the way VAT will be calculated in European countries.

According to writer Chris Lynch:

Following a European Commission ruling dating back to 2008, e-books are to be taxed in the European member state in which the consumer is located, at the tax rate of that country, as opposed to the country from which the product is sold. The move prevents Amazon, Nook and Kobo from applying the low 3% tax on e-books sold to European countries, just because their headquarters are in Luxembourg. Instead, the e-book retailers will have to apply the standard UK VAT rate (20% at the time of writing) to e-books sold into the UK.

The big problem behind this for publishers, writers and consumers alike is the fact that print books have a 0% VAT rate. E-books, however, are taxed. While the tax will undoubtedly be helpful for the governments like that of the UK which will benefit from the added tax income, the new costs will affect consumers in the form of higher prices.

Before the prices go up,may I suggest e-books for Christmas? 🙂