Pocket PC eBooks Watch - eBook and beyond  
 http://cebooks.blogspot.com 

Politics of the God
Selecting the Pope: Uncovering the Mysteries of Papal Elections
Award-winning author Greg Tobin offers a compelling guide to what is sure to be one of the most important and headline-making events in modern history--the election of the next pope. Selecting the Pope examines each rule of this secretive process--and explores the rich history behind the conclave and the key issues that will shape the future of the Catholic Church.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Matrix eBooked
The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real
The New York Times bestseller. Renowned thinkers discuss the ancient and modern concepts that inform The Matrix. The choice is yours, and you will have to live with the consequences for the rest of your life--as you know it. Will you take the blue pill--pass on downloading this eBook--and go on thinking of The Matrix as just a movie? Or will you take the red pill: download the New York Times-bestselling The Matrix and Philosophy, read it, and find out just how deep the rabbit-hole goes? Is the world around us truly as it appears? Or are we maintained by an invisible force as inert bodies in tanks, our brains electronically stimulated to create the make-believe realm which is all we know? This most demanding of philosophical puzzles became cutting-edge cool with the release of the cult science fiction film The Matrix in 1999. And the questions have become even more complex with the arrival in 2003 of The Matrix: Reloaded; The Matrix: Revolutions; and the associated short animated films collected as The Animatrix. The Matrix is the most philosophical film ever made, its every frame built on a philosophical conundrum.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Harry Cracker
Harry Potter vs. The Hulk/RIAA/MPAA
The New York Times has a piece up that wants to turn a discussion of Harry Potter and the Hulk into a commentary on the file sharing controversy...
While it might be fun to join in on a dig at the RIAA/MPAA, I'm not sure that the piracy side of the argument entirely works. Yes, it's good to see an interest in books in a culture of bubblegum entertainment, but tying it into the piracy thing has one potential flaw. Imagine, if you will, that Harry Potter had come out in an age where eBooks were the norm. Imagine that the eBook security was cracked, and Harry Potter was available online at the same time and in the same format as the kids would be reading it anyway (i.e., downloaded to an eBook reader). Would they still be lining up to buy it?

posted by Jerry permanent link

FoodeBook
Slate's June edition of the eBook Club
This month’s club download is a collection of off-the-wall food articles, examining culinary mysteries from irradiated burgers and soda boycotts to the history of sugar and the origin of the elusive Broasted chicken. Learn to eat everything with Jeffery Steingarten’s “The Omnivore,” ”Wok the Dog” with Will Saletan, or experience “The Joy of Truffles” with Jason Epstein, for as Chowhound Jim Leff reminds us in his “Diary,” “Life is short and great chow is fleeting.”
Microsoft Reader: June-2003

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/27/2003

Technology Trend Watch
Beiks Introduces First ARM-Optimized Dictionary Reader for Palm OS PDAs
Beiks LLC announces a new version of its popular BDicty Dictionary Reader for Palm OS, leveraging the power of the underlying ARM processor that drives Palm OS 5.x devices. BDicty is the first dictionary reader optimized for ARM, resulting in the fastest searches available for any Palm OS dictionary application.

posted by Jerry permanent link

eLibrary Watch
The Open eBook Forum Takes on the Library Perspective
Undoubtedly one of ebooks early adopters, the library market has had more experience--successful and painful--with ebooks than most. Yet to date, there has been little opportunity for library professionals to interact with vendors and standards-makers in order to influence the evolution of the format. However, the Open eBook Forum, the trade and standards association for the ebook industry, recently created a Library Special Interest Group charged with addressing ebook issues from a library perspective. The SIG was formed to enable publishers, ebook resellers, DRM, software, and hardware members to better appreciate the opportunities and challenges of service for libraries and their patrons. The Forum hopes that the SIG garners participation from corporate, public, and academic environments--even from non-members.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Scannus Illegalirium!
Latest Potter book scanned, swapped
As a result of the increasing ease and speed with which a book can be scanned and repackaged into an e-book format with common technology, the latest installment of the Harry Potter series--along with its four predecessors, movies based on the books and audio versions of the texts--can be obtained as easily as an audio file on file-swapping services such as Kazaa.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Harry Potter petition drive begins--to get Potter e-books online LEGALLY
Illegal copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, latest in the Potter series, are showing up on Usenet. But some e-bookers want to do the right thing and have posted a petition to get the publishers to put legal editions on the Net. Details via TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  6/26/2003

We Want Pocket PC 2003
Petition for Software Support Equality for HP iPaq 1910 Owners
The Hewlett Packard (HP) company, purveyors of fine handheld computing devices, is apparently under the misconception that owners of the HP iPaq 1910 device are not power users and, as such, are not worthy of the same software support as other fine iPaq devices. First, HP decided not to make available the Windows Media Player 8.5 update for the HP iPaq 1910 even though the Microsoft update was available around the time of the 1910's date of availability. Second, they have not made any maintenance updates available to 1910 owners while offering multiple updates to other iPaq devices of the same vintage. Lastly, and the primary reason for this petition, HP currently has no plans to provide an upgrade to the Windows PPC 2003 operating system for the HP iPaq 1910 device.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Best Seller
Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism
by Ann H. Coulter
In a stunning follow-up to her number one bestseller Slander, leading conservative pundit Ann Coulter contends that liberals have been wrong on every foreign policy issue, from the fight against Communism at home and abroad, the Nixon and the Clinton presidencies, and the struggle with the Soviet empire right up to today’s war on terrorism. “Liberals have a preternatural gift for always striking a position on the side of treason,” says Coulter. “Everyone says liberals love America, too. No, they don’t.” From Truman to Kennedy to Carter to Clinton, America has contained, appeased, and retreated, often sacrificing America’s best interests and security. With the fate of the world in the balance, liberals should leave the defense of the nation to conservatives. (text from Amazon).

posted by Jerry permanent link

Bottom Line
ZDNet: Take your books with you--on your PDA or laptop
When I'm not working or hanging out with friends, I like to relax with a good book. Since I always carry around a Palm PDA, I thought an electronic book (or e-book) might be a suitable diversion during my commute or when I'm traveling...

posted by Jerry permanent link

Free eBooks
Paul Camacho
free Art eBooks for Microsoft Reader

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/25/2003

Upgrade Watch
Pocket PC 2003
The best way to see all the great new features of Windows Mobile™ 2003 software for Pocket PC is try it out for yourself. If you already own a Pocket PC check to see if your manufacturer is offering an upgrade. If you are thinking about buying a new Pocket PC, they are available in stores or on-line today.
If you can’t wait to see what the new Windows Mobile software has to offer, take this quick tour to learn more about its Wireless, Messaging and Digital Media features.

posted by Jerry permanent link

PositiveBook
E-books are Positive Light for Otherwise Low April Figures
Sales of e-books were up 268.3 percent in April, with sales of $900,000. The category is up 160.8 percent for the year, according to figures just released by the Association of American Publishers (AAP). While the nascent e-book market is growing fast, it is still a diminutive part of the industry with relatively small sales figures compared to all other book categories in the AAP domestic sales report.
Overall, book sales in April reflected current economic trends, with net sales declining in 9 of 13 book categories. Adult hardcover sales dropped 33.7 percent ($79.1 million), while paperback sales fell 7.2 percent, with sales of $66.2 million in April. Calendar year to date figures show sales of hardcover books down 28.7 percent and paperback down 9.9 percent. The adult mass market category posted a rise of 22.8 percent in April, with sales of $72.5 million. Year to date numbers show sales are down 7 percent for this category.
Thanks to Kenny Taylor for the link

posted by Jerry permanent link

Sad Germs, Happy Gems
GemWise
Recently Gemstar announced they will soon cease selling eBooks for their line of devices. Many people have asked how this will affect Rocket/REB1100 titles at Fictionwise. The answer is, we have more titles available than ever! Publishers are no longer bound by exclusive contracts with Gemstar and are now approving them for sale at Fictionwise at record rates, removing prior restrictions. Almost all of Fictionwise's MultiFormat books are now available in Rocket/REB1100 format.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Time in AOHell
Stealing Time: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Collapse of AOL Time Warner
In January 2000, America Online and Time Warner announced the largest merger in U.S. history, a deal that would create the biggest media company in the world. It was celebrated as the marriage of new media and old media, a potent combination of the nation's No. 1 Internet company and the country's leading entertainment giant, the owner of such internationally renowned brands as Warner Bros., HBO, CNN, and Time magazine. But only three years later, nearly all the top executives behind the merger had resigned, the company had lost tens of billions of dollars in market value, and the U.S. government had begun two investigations into its business dealings.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Update Watch
µBook 0.6d
µBook is a simple and lean, yet powerful ebook reader for Windows and Pocket PCs that can read HTML, TXT, RTF, PDB and PRC (not secure) ebook files. It can read directly from inside ZIP or RAR files, and supports BMP, GIF and JPG images. It offers many customization options including: Portrait and Landscape display, Choice of font type, color and size, etc....
Last update featuring:
New Smooth Font engines, supporting Grey, RGB and RB methods (Old Engine left in as Legacy mode)
Extra Line before and after Hn headers in HTML.
Customizable Interline height.
Added Library "Edit All" Mode.
Fixed some en/em-dash, quotes and sub/super-script issues.
Added HPC SH4 build.
Original Link from MyPDACafe, a friendly site to communicate informally about your PDA especially if you are in South East Asia.

posted by Jerry permanent link

New eBook
Derailed by James Siegel
"Fatal Attraction" meets "Usual Suspects"
Schine is a white, upper middle-class ad exec who meets Lucinda, a married woman, on the Long Island Railroad. Sharing pictures of their kids soon leads to a rendezvous in a sordid downtown hotel. But before they actually enter the room, they are held up by a man who rapes Lucinda, assaults Charles, and steals both their wallets. He then proceeds to blackmail them.

posted by Jerry permanent link

France, Germany.
Two Internet Retailers Become First Online Palm Reader eBooks in French and German Markets
Two Internet retailers, envi.con KG of Berlin and GiantChair, an American company based in Paris, are the first online bookstores to offer German and French language editions of Palm Reader eBooks, Palm Digital Media, Inc. announced today.
The eBooks include best-selling titles from major publishers such as Bertelsmann, the parent company of Random House and one of the most successful media companies in Europe; and Hachette, parent company of Virgin Megastore and one of France's largest publishing groups. Palm Digital Media is a leading publisher and distributor of eBooks for handheld and desktop computers.

posted by Jerry permanent link

I sCan
Scanning text books - a new form of intellectual property theft?
There may be a greater threat to academic and reference works. The profit margins on them may be greater per book but the volume of sales is lower and they tend to be priced more highly per unit (or book). More importantly, the apparently increasingly impoverished student and academic population may be susceptible to such practices.
...Theft of e-books is unlikely to become a major form of economic theft in the way that downloading of music did, but e-books do illustrate that the scope of intellectual property theft is expanding.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/24/2003

HP5 etc.
Comments collected HP illegal eBooks in Newsgroup
I've already bought my hardcover copy. And I hope JKR has all sorts of fun with the cash I plunked down for it - she's earned every penny, in my opinion. But I have to have the e-book on my Palm for several reasons. I've developed this habit of reading as I walk to work in the morning - maybe not the smartest thing to do through mid-town Manhattan traffic.... This morning, I was drilling through Chapter 10 as I crossed 5th Ave, and my arms were aching! 900 pages! Also, I don't have a book light, and my wife will not appreciate or understand my keeping the light on until 3 in the morning for the next week or so. My Palm's backlight ensures only I will be nodding of at work the next morning :)
- Y
That's exactly why I would rather read on a Rocket. The backlight has a dimmer that can be set at 20, 40, 60, 80 or 100%. 100% looks like the black on white page of a book and doubles as a flashlight. (well.....almost) The default setting is 60% which looks like a pocket pc, and the 20% is black on gray. Not only is the 20% perfect for reading in bed without disturbing my husband, there is also a setting for silent page-turning. I didn't discover that one until I'd had it for about a week. He claimed he could hear that teeny tiny "click" when I turned the page. Now he can't think of anything to complain about and I can read until I doze off. (Try to do that in bed with no lamp and a book the size of War and Peace.)
-Mopsie

posted by Jerry permanent link

Labor of DRM Buster?
New Harry Potter book pirated
Last month, rumors swirled that Internet pirates were distributing copies of the new Harry Potter book well in advance of its blockbuster release. The rumors proved false — or, at least, premature. The moment that “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” went on sale around the world, pirates went to work. Only hours after the first Potter fan forked over $29.95 to read the fifth installment of J.K. Rowling’s epic series, Internet pirates began reading the book for free.
But not every Potter fan paid for the book. Copies of “Order of the Phoenix” are now being distributed by pirate groups on the Internet. While the book is a hefty 870 pages, the digital file is relatively compact; at 1.8 mb, it’s about the size of a few digital music files. The copy viewed by MSNBC.com was created in Microsoft eBook Reader format.
According to an information file which accompanied the book, the digital version was created quickly by a small army of pirates who scanned in the pages of the book manually, then stitched their files together using the Microsoft platform.

posted by Jerry permanent link

UNSTOPPABLE PRESS
Harry Potter 5 vs DRM Buster (Scan Version)
Check out newsgroup binaries for e-book: there are illegal versions of Harry Potter ebooks (UK, US and German release) in several formats. Don't you think it is better for Rowling to release the legal version of the ebook?

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/22/2003

eBackpain
Why not eBook textbooks?
I am currently a high school student with a full schedule and way too many textbooks. I would say that an average student at my school has to carry around four or 5 textbooks in his or her backpack, a weight equivalent to about one or two small freshmen. Lockers are provided, but are often in inconvenient locations, and, with 5 minutes of passing time, it is often difficult to walk all the way across campus to a locker and back.
What's a geek to do? Here's the connection to technology. As you may have guessed, I'm talking about ebook-etextbooks saved as PDF files. Some PDAs are already cheap enough that they can be purchased and equipped with book-reading software for the price of one of the more expensive textbooks currently in use.
Comments are here

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/20/2003

Time Out!
Mail Carrier Says She Was Fired For Delivering Harry Potter Book Early
"I'm paid to do a job; I did a job," she said. "It's a book -- it's fiction -- and this is my real life. This is not fiction. Me having to fight for my job is not fiction."
This won't happen with eBook.

posted by Jerry permanent link

50% Rebate
Living History
by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Intimate, powerful and inspiring, Living History captures the essence of one of the most remarkable women of our time and the challenging process by which she came to define herself and find her own voice--as a woman and as a formidable figure in American politics.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Uh-Oh
Orrin Hatch: Software Pirate?
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) suggested Tuesday that people who download copyright materials from the Internet should have their computers automatically destroyed.
But Hatch himself is using unlicensed software on his official website, which presumably would qualify his computer to be smoked by the system he proposes.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/19/2003

Reality Check
E-Books Check Out
Public libraries are embracing e-books, thanks to technological advances that solve rights management issues, and soothe publisher fears.
About 1,000 books, ranging from new releases like Michael Crichton's Prey to classic literature, are available as e-books. They can be checked out exactly like non-electronic titles.
The service is available inside a library branch, or over the Internet. It lets readers download publications onto personal computers and digital assistants.
New digital rights management (DRM) software is managing the downloads. After two weeks, the downloaded e-books expire, and disappear off the computing devices.
During the two week period, e-books are considered checked out from the library, just like paper-based titles.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Memoware - Pdabookstore
Handmark(R) Acquires pdaBookstore.com
The pdaBookstore.com website will continue to operate as an independent business until later this year when it will be integrated into the MemoWare.com destination also owned by Handmark.
Handmark marketing vice president, Douglas Edwards, described the acquisition as "key to Handmark growth as we expand into wireless distribution of all types of content for handheld devices. The adoption of eBooks has a long way to grow to meet market expectations, but it is inevitable that the electronic delivery of all types of media will include books, and Handmark will be a major source for this content. It's part of the leadership responsibility we have to make the handheld device an indispensable part of every user's life experience."

posted by Jerry permanent link

A Modest Proposal for Sen. Hatch
Over at TeleRead, we've got a Modest Proposal for that brilliant IT strategist Orrin Hatch.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Eurocrats vs. E-books Freedom
In the U.S. some surrealistically dumb ideas have come out of Congress and regulatory agencies, such as Sen. Hatch's proposal to let Hollywood "destroy" the computers of alleged pirates. Now the Europeans are catching up with a clueless plan to control online content--with a requirement that it include opposing views. Could this apply to e-books if it became reality? Very possibly. Details via TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

New Site
World Bank e-Library
The World Bank e-Library, an online, fully cross-searchable portal of over 1,200 World Bank titles, plus each new book as it is published.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Dead Germ
Gemstar Ceases Sale of eBook Devices, Will Close Division
The events that Henry Yuen first set in motion in 2000, have finally reached their inevitable conclusion. Gemstar has announced that they have ceased sale of eBook devices, effective June 18, and will soon stop selling content.
For Rocket or Gemstar customers, and interested parties, we suggest that you visit the Gemstar forum
Slashdot discussion on Gemstar Ebook Crashes, Burns

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/17/2003

Hey You!
SENATOR ENDORSES DESTROYING DOWNLOADERS' COMPUTERS
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Tuesday he favors developing new technology to remotely destroy the computers of people who illegally download music from the Internet.

posted by Jerry permanent link

SlashedBook
On the State of Today's eBook Readers?
The popular readers either use proprietary formats or are too bulky. An ideal would be able to read HTML, PDF, ASCII, and any other eBook formats widely used. I have thought about getting a PDA, but I don't need the extra features they provide at a higher cost. Has anybody found a good solution to this, and if not, are there any companies out there working on providing such a solution?" AS PCs become smaller, and assuming eBook readers don't mature and become popular in their own right, how long will it be before we see the PC (in it's portable form) as the primary "e-reading" device?

posted by Jerry permanent link

Amber Indies
eBookAd presents: Amber Quill Press
"We are pleased to introduce our newest publisher with over 100 beautifully presented eBooks of all genres, Amber Quill Press."

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/16/2003

VeryWise
Fictionwise offering unencrypted Random House ebooks
But recently, ebook retailer Fictionwise and Random House have bucked the trend—at least temporarily—by making three Random House titles unencrypted. ..While Fictionwise commonly sells unencrypted ebooks from smaller publishing firms, this is the first time a major publisher has been involved in making unencrypted titles available, said founder Scott Pendergrast.
“We consider this a baby step forward,” Pendergrast said. “We’ve been concentrating our efforts on mid-level publishers to go unencrypted. We really haven’t approached the big ones recently.”

posted by Jerry permanent link

Real Americana
In the Ballpark: The Working Lives of Baseball People
When fans talk about baseball, they usually refer to the players, a manager who has been hired or fired, or to an outrageous owner. Less attention is paid to the supporting cast that produces the game. This collection of interviews looks at the lives of twenty-one people who work in all parts of major and minor league baseball: usher and broadcaster, beer vendor and sportswriter, clubhouse attendant and field manager, ticket seller and owner, scout and general manager, mascot and player.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/14/2003

Richard Dana: A little lesson for Jack Valenti, Pat Schroeder et al.
So why do so many writers hate copyright law as it now exists--and hope that publishers will fade away in the era of e-books? Well, more than a few of them would identify in some respects with Richard Henry Dana, Jr., author of the classic Two Years before the Mast. Or at least they would if aware of the rip-off he suffered as a first-time author. Let me be uppity enough to spread the story around.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

TimeOut!
Thanks PC Magazine
Guess what? I went to the launching of PC Magazine Indonesia last Friday, and won a doorprize: a new digital camera Canon Powershot S50.
My Lucky Day, and by the way, it is an excellent camera!

posted by Jerry permanent link

TOP 10 ebook sites
(updated June 15, 03)
1. FictionWise, multi formats and multi genre ebooks, include exclusive short fictions.
2. BlackMask, Free ebooks in several formats.
3. PeanutPress, award winning ebook store for PDA, friendly DRM solutions.
4. Execubook, eSummaries that deliver wisdom. Perfect for PDA users.
5. FreeeLiterature dot com, classics for free new
6. eBookAd, many indies label are here
7. Memoware, free documents from volunteers.
8. Barnes and Noble eBooks, more ebooks than you thought.
9. Univ. of Virginia Library, Free ebooks
10. MSLit Free eBooks, free ebooks portal

posted by Jerry permanent link

Wise
LOC: Wise Guide
This Wise Guide portal was designed to introduce you to the many fascinating, educational and useful resources available from the nation's library and one of the most popular Web sites of the federal government.
The "Wise Guide" to loc.gov is a project of the National Digital Library (NDL) Program and the Public Affairs Office of the Library of Congress and was designed by the Web development firm 415 Inc. of San Francisco. The NDL Program makes more than 7.5 million items from the Library and other repositories freely available at its flagship American Memory collections Web site.
The "Wise Guide" will be refreshed monthly, much like a magazine, offering links to the best of the Library's online materials. Each of these "articles" is based on items contained in a collection, database, reading room or other area of the Library's online offerings. You will see that we are "more than a library," and our holdings range from prints, photographs, films, audio recordings, maps, manuscripts, music and digital materials to (of course) books.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/12/2003

Downloadright
e-Pinion: May 2003 Update on e-Rights
Danny O. Snow reports two more important digital rights items from May, and reaffirms his long-standing opinion that the big media companies, not consumers or artists, need to change: AppleMusic.com rolled out a new music site that allows Mac users to legally download single songs for 99 cents.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/11/2003

Tech Watch
Organic film electro-luminescent (EL) flexible display
Pioneer have shown today a prototype of a new portable computer. The computer sits hides in a coat, whereas the display device is clearly visible on the sleeve.

posted by Jerry permanent link

The demise of copyright
New paradigms needed
One thing that will help is providing a mechanism for allowing people to do the right thing. Most people believe that creative professionals have a right to profit from what they create, and don't mean to steal their livelihood.
I would happily pay an author the same amount he now gets from a publisher (which is far less than retail cost) if I could download his books, read them on a handheld device, and delete them afterward. A little PayPal button on an author's download page would work fine. If this became the rule rather than the exception it is today, publishers would all but disappear, and editors would be paid by writers, not publishers.
With no corporate publicity organization working to promote new works, critics and magazine editors play an important role. They sift the available works and highlight those they feel are most worthy of attention. Also important are Web sites where buyers can exchange comments about the works.
The democratization of access to the mass media in the form of the World Wide Web is transforming many businesses, eliminating others, and creating new job categories. The experiences of open source software developers may point the way for the larger community. A Creative Commons license may become the natural heir to copyright a few years down the road.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Thanks-for-not-cutting-the-tree Tax
EU's eTax
On July 1st, overseas Internet companies must collect a tax on digital services.
Internet customers located in member countries of the European Union (EU) will pay a higher cost for digital services from overseas Internet companies beginning July 1st. The Value Added Tax (VAT) is placed on services delivered by Internet companies which do not take any tangible form, such as auction services and software and music downloads. Large websites such as AOL UK, eBay, and Amazon will have to charge higher prices to customers who live in EU member countries for services offered. The VAT tax does not affect tangible items such as books, but does affect items such as eBooks.

posted by Jerry permanent link

FreeBooks
Freeeliterature.com: Free eBooks of Classic Literature
"Most of our free ebooks are converted text files that are downloaded from Project Gutenberg and have been converted to Microsoft Reader and Mobipocket format so that you can read them on your PocketPC or Palm device. All of our free ebooks are carefully selected for their literary significance and formatted for viewing on today's hand-held computers. New ebooks are routinely being added on a weekly basis, so be sure to check back often to see what has been added. If there is a specific ebook that you would like to see, please send me a message and I will do what I can."

posted by Jerry permanent link

The Tao of Sex

The Multi-Orgasmic Man: Sexual Secrets Every Man Should Know
One of the best sex manuals for men available, with a focus on simple but effective techniques and exercises designed to improve performance and endurance. Drawing on the principles of Chinese medicine, The Multi-Orgasmic Man can also help readers improve their relationships and their health.
The Multi-Orgasmic Couple: Sexual Secrets Every Couple Should Know
Couples will discover simple step-by-step techniques for a level of sexual pleasure, intimacy, and healing they may not have known was possible. This fully illustrated guide will inspire couples to make love all night-and make love last a lifetime.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/10/2003

OverCanada
OverDrive To Demonstrate Expanded Library System at ALA Toronto
OverDrive, the leading global digital book company, announced today that it will be exhibiting at the American Library Association / Canadian Library Association Annual Meeting in Toronto from June 21-24 in Booth #3702. The company will demonstrate new Adobe Reader and DRM technologies, an expansive collection of digital book products from over 150 US and international publishers, and a system for lending digital audio book titles.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/09/2003

Rich Dad Poor Dad
Library of the future
Those who use the San Antonio Public Library system already know about the rapid changes that have taken place over the last 15 years — greater changes than occurred in all the previous 85 years combined. As the library celebrates its 100th anniversary this month, library officials say they hope to make San Antonians more aware of what it has become and where it is going.
"We're a poor city," she said. "We have to provide police, fire and the infrastructure to run a city, but the City Council has begun to put libraries right up there.
"When you look at a community like ours where our educational programs are always being questioned and whether we're adequately educating our kids, the library is the free university."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Watermark DRM
Who Needs To Know?
Businesses lose billions of dollars every year to theft of information and intellectual property. Rebecca Burr wanted to make sure that her company, Xilinx Inc., a $1.2 billion-a-year maker of programmable logic devices, didn't join that group.
Xilinx planned to move to digital price books and eliminate the costly paper price lists it distributed to resellers. But it needed a way to keep the price lists secure. Burr, Xilinx's director of market analysis, started using Authentica Inc.'s PageRecall application to add protection to and retain control over the digital price books. PageRecall lets Xilinx control whether the pricing data can be saved locally, forwarded, or viewed after it's sent. For example, if a channel partner stops selling Xilinx products, Xilinx can revoke its right to access the price information. And if a price list is printed, the software watermarks the page with the name of the user who printed the document.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/08/2003

Push-Up
Security Startup Readies Push Into Digital-Rights Management
When most people think of digital-rights management, the copy-protection mechanisms of E-books, movies, and music come to mind. But increasing concerns about intellectual-property theft and an increasing amount of federal and state legislation are creating greater interest in how organizations can better control and audit who can access what information--and what they can and can't do with that information once it's on their systems.
The newcomer is facing stiff competition from established vendors in this market, such as Authentica Inc. and SealedMedia. Microsoft and IBM are entering the market as well. Microsoft is adding Windows Rights Management Services, which is currently in beta, to Windows Server 2003, and IBM is retooling its Electronic Media Management Systems software to work with its middleware apps to control user-access rights to documents. Version 6 of Adobe Acrobat also comes with access rights and security-policy features.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/07/2003

Innovation Watch
Fingerworks
With MultiTouch Technology, people use simple and easy-to-remember gestures that make computer use faster, more effective, and more productive. Our gesture commands put common tools right at your fingertips, not half a screen away!
Our TouchStream Keyboards and iGesture pads provide unprecedented control of graphical objects, seamlessly combining touch typing with mouse operations and gesture in the same overlapping area of the touch surface.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Reload
Ruling – Digital Millennium Copyright Act
...Whyte said that although the statute may make fair use more difficult, it did not eliminate fair use or grant any rights to anyone in public domain works. Because the statute did not affect substantive copyright law, it did not violate the Intellectual Property Clause of the Constitution. Moreover, because the purpose of the statute was to combat copyright piracy, it was within the Commerce Clause powers of Congress. Therefore, Congress did not exceed its powers in enacting the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/06/2003

One God
Nothing Sacred: The Truth about Judaism
Acclaimed writer and thinker Douglas Rushkoff, author of Ecstasy Club and Coercion, has written perhaps the most important--and controversial--book on Judaism in a generation. As the religion stands on the brink of becoming irrelevant to the very people who look to it for answers, Nothing Sacred takes aim at its problems and offers startling and clearheaded solutions based on Judaism's core values and teachings.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Of Trains and E-Book Formats
Amusing--how so many of the SlashDot messages unwittingly proved Jon Noring's points. Many of the format chauvinists forgot the concerns of most book-lovers, who care more about convenience and functionality and other boring stuff than about technological purity. Nongeek readers are like railroad passengers. They'd rather not have to change trains to accommodate different track widths. More via TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  6/05/2003

Recommended eBook
Once Removed
The Washington Post praised Mako Yoshikawa's extraordinary first novel, One Hundred and One Ways, as "strikingly assured." The Orlando Sentinel called it "an impressive accomplishment." In Once Removed, Yoshikawa continues in the tradition of Alice Walker and Amy Tan with a powerful story of two women from different cultures who form a deep friendship that, though severely tested, can never be broken.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Devaluation
Internet innovation has changed `value of information'
We build software that builds databases out of documents,'' he was saying. It was an open-access model. One day his company would adopt the application-service-provider model.
And they'd license their software to companies and institutions that would use it to deliver and retrieve their own information. There were revenue streams ahead, you bet.
(Christopher) Warnock, chief executive of a company called ebrary, was excited and I was trying to keep up. But it was no use.

posted by Jerry permanent link

DEA
McGraw-Hill Education and Content Directions Announce Completion of First Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)
The announcement is the first phase of "tagging" McGraw-Hill Education content with digital object identifiers (DOIs), which are aimed at enhancing all related online transactions between McGraw-Hill and its customers.
The DOI is a system for identifying and exchanging intellectual property of all kinds (physical books as well as eBooks) via the Internet. It is like the UPC (bar code) in the physical world, but on the Internet it functions as a kind of "super-URL," linking users directly to where they can buy the book, see additional information about it, find other books by the same author or on the same subject, access related services, etc. It also facilitates online transactions of all kinds, including e-commerce, rights management, and digital distribution.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Slashed
Universal Ebook Format Debated
Mr. Noring proposes a promising open-standards candidate which appears to meet a list of basic requirements: The Open eBook Forum's OEBPS Specification. Andy Oram, a Linux programming editor for O'Reilly, wrote an interesting reply to the article that should also be read." On the other hand, Noring's proposal has also met with some skepticism elsewhere.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/04/2003

Repeat After Me: E-Books Aren't Music--
And the DRM Crowd Had Better Catch on
Jon Noring, moderator of the eBook Community list and an invited expert for the Open eBook Forum, pointed his list members to a section of The Battle to Define the Future of Books in a Digital World, a two-year-old paper by Clifford Lynch, director of of the Coalition for Networked Information. In fact, the whole paper is worth reading, especially for its distinction between books and music. Details via TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

A Lesson for the E-Book Biz
The government of Malaysia is urging a boycott of overpriced CDs--sensibly noting that price is the main reason why pirated CDs sell. Details via TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Pocket PC Encyclopedia
Review of The World Book Concise Encyclopedia
The World Book Concise Encyclopedia boast 17,000 entries and 1,200 images. How they achieve so much information is by simply taking the first paragraph from the print edition, for each entry. The end result is a very concise, high level description of what you’re looking up. Not too shabby if you're on the road or in a pinch for some general information.
...The World Book Concise Encyclopedia is a great reference to have on hand. The interface is clean, the searches are fast, and the information is good (if not limited by its clarity). Add to the overall positive experience with the reference the fact that the viewer has several additional resources that are free for download and you have a pretty useful reference source.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Invitation to Submit to OeBF Stats Program
The Open eBook Forum (OeBF) has developed an initiative to collect and report quarterly eBook statistics. Those who contribute data, non-OeBF members included, will also have access to the complete findings and special reports.
I'd like to encourage all eBook publishers and retailers to consider sharing your 2002 and first two quarter 2003 sales and / or publishing information with the Open eBook Forum. All individual company numbers will be kept confidential and reported in the aggregate. Registration to the program and a full methodology for the survey (incl. data points, data reporting method, handling of data etc.) can be found here
Remember, you don't have to be a member of the Open eBook Forum to participate in supplying this valuable information! Please consider registering to the program. Registration ends on June 30th and stats collection will begin July 1st and last for two weeks.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/03/2003

Real Piracy
O'Reilly: Shoplifting's more of a threat than digital piracy
Tim O'Reilly, the publisher, warns of the risks of copy-protection zealotry. Time for certain members of the Open eBook Forum and the publishing world to listen?
"Copy protection is over-blown," he added, asserting that the overwhelming majority of published works sell in insignificant numbers. "A few thousand books have measurable sales," said O'Reilly, who describes piracy as a "progressive tax" on the already well-off. His solution, in many though not all circumstances, is to offer content for free via the Web whenever possible. "A few well-known artists are affected by piracy," he said, "but the vast majority of artists would love to be known well enough to be a target of pirates. The biggest danger to an artist isn't piracy, it's not being noticed."
Shoplifting, claims O'Reilly, is a greater danger in the age of computerized inventory controls than digital piracy. "If a store has one copy of my book and it's stolen, the computer will say the book isn't selling and it may never be reordered. Organized piracy is real, but there are already legal mechanisms to deal with it," he said.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Germed
Gemstar to kill e-book unit?
Here are a few more details from Bloomberg, via the Times--quoting Gemstar-TV Guide CEO Jeff Shell:
Closing the division is the "most likely" choice that Gemstar will make after it tries to sell the business or find partners for it, Shell said at an investor conference in New York. Gemstar has hired investment bankers for advice and probably will make a decision in the next couple weeks, he added.

posted by Jerry permanent link

That Pocket BlueBook
Scientific American: Impotence in the Age of Viagra
The little blue pill that has become the primary treatment for men with erectile dysfunction may eventually be supplanted by gene therapy.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Who Shot JR?
Destination: Dallas, a guide to TV's "Dallas"
Alas, the definitive guide to the Ewings of Dallas, and that man we loved to hate, J.R. Ewing! Compiled here in a colorful, easy-to-use, portable, electronic guide are all the solid contents of the popular BRBTV website, "Destination: Dallas," first appearing in 1998. Heavily researched and cleverly written, "Destination: Dallas" the PDF (not copy protected) guide offers you extensive cast and character lists, as well as synopses of all the episodes.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Upgrade Watch
Great Acrobat becomes even better with new upgrade
With Adobe's new upgrade, a great tool becomes even better. Adobe designers didn't simply add support for a few new technologies; it's apparent that Adobe acquired a clearer vision of Acrobat's role and has applied that insight to a vastly-improved product.
The first welcome change in 6.0 is a new, streamlined user interface. 5.0 suffered from Acrobat's long-ongoing evolution and looked like it'd been pieced together with Legos. This new interface is consistent throughout the Acrobat line.
Oh, yes, it's been turned into an official product line. Adobe Acrobat Reader--the free app for reading Acrobat file--has now been christened Adobe Reader, to reflect the fact that it now reads eBooks, Photoshop slide shows and other forms of media.

posted by Jerry permanent link

One More Try
E-books are getting a boost at BookExpo
E-books are still alive and are getting a new sales pitch, judging from the weekend's BookExpo America, the annual booksellers' convention. Developers were still pushing the format, which lets you read a book on your computer or portable such as Palm or Pocket PC, though publishers didn't seem quite so excited.
But they might be willing to come around if a development by software maker Adobe delivers on its promise to put the electronic book in front of millions of computer users and get them to at least think about giving one a try.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/02/2003

2 in 1
Red Mars and Green Mars
by Kim Stanley Robinson, Hugo Award Winner, Nebula Award® Winner
Two eBooks in One! Red Mars: In his most ambitious project to date, award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson utilizes years of research and cutting-edge science in the first of three novels that will chronicle the colonization of Mars. Green Mars: Nearly a generation has passed since the first pioneers landed, but the transformation of Mars to an Earth-like planet has just begun. In Green Mars the colonists will attempt to turn the red planet into a lush garden for humanity.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  6/01/2003

GoldMine Site
Internet History Sourcebooks
The Internet History Sourcebooks are collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use.
Featuring:
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
A "classroom usable" sourcebook of copy-permitted material for Ancient history and civilization courses.
Internet Medieval Sourcebook
This is an online source book of copy-permitted, although not necessarily copyright-free, source material for Medieval Studies. It is the largest online resource of medieval and Byzantine textual sources.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
Now with almost as many online texts as the Medieval Sourcebook, this also constitutes a "classroom usable" sourcebook of copy-permitted material for Modern European history and Modern Civilization courses. North American and Latin American documents are located within its structure.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Software Review
Review - Replay Radio from Applian
Replay Radio comes in two parts: a desktop application that does the recording, and PocketPC player designed for playing back long audio segments. These sell independently, the desktop software for $30, the PPC player for $20. Fear not though, you don't actually need the PocketPC player if you don't want it--it's strictly a convenience. Any MP3 player will do, including Palms and stand-alone ones such as the iPod...
(source PocketPCThoughts)

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBook Misc.
Over to you: e-books, eyes and government
I would like to create an e-book. I have the text and illustrations to hand and seek software that will enable me to create a "turning page" effect.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Nowhere Tech
Digital Rights Management Elusive
In a recent report, high-tech market research firm, In-Stat/MDR notes that there has been little tangible progress in the deployment of viable DRM solutions.
More specifically, the content development industry, which consists of the recording industry and the movie studios, has repeatedly emphasized the need for immediate DRM solutions that stop all unauthorized copying and distribution. Meanwhile, the information technology industry is emphasizing that DRM solutions should support the concept of "fair use," which allows consumers to make copies of some types of copyrighted content for their own personal use. In the US, these disagreements have led to an increase in both DRM-related lawsuits and new legislative initiatives.
However, despite a lack of progress in curbing actual content piracy, there have been some significant attitude changes that may ultimately improve cooperation between the two industries.

posted by Jerry permanent link