Thursday, March 12, 2015

Release Dates For Labyrinth of Grisaia and Eden of Grisaia

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Two sequel anime to last year's The Fruit of Grisaia anime have been announced: a short film titled The Labyrinth of Grisaia and the series continuation The Eden of Grisaia.

The Fruit of Grisaia began as a Japanese visual novel in 2011. After quickly gaining popularity, the game was developed into a manga and later, an anime. The game also inspired two sequel games, titled The Labyrinth of Grisaia and The Eden of Grisaia. The story of the game follows the romantic escapades of YĆ«ji Kazami, a young man who transfers to a school with only five female students.  As with all visual novel games, the plot branches off into multiple possible endings depending on which of the five girls' paths the player chooses.

The 13-episode anime adaption premiered in October 2014. After it was received well by audiences, the studio 8-Bit went ahead with plans to adapt the other two games as anime. The second, The Labyrinth of Grisaia, will premiere on April 13 and act as a 60-minute special rather than a series. The plot is a collection, containing a prequel for the main hero, sequels for the five female characters, and other short stories. The third game, The Eden of Grisaia, will be a series like the first adaption. The Eden of Grisaia continues where The Fruit of Grisaia left off, and is premiering April 20.

Sentai Filmworks licensed the anime for North America, but the series can also be watched on Crunchyroll. The website streamed the first series as it aired in Japan, and will most likely do the same for the next two. The series will also stream on video sharing site Niconico.

The Fruit of Grisaia's game was licensed for release in the West by Sekai Project. In order to bring the two sequel games, the company started up a Kickstarter campaign. Response to the game was so positive, the campaign reached its goal in less than a day.

Release Dates For Labyrinth of Grisaia and Eden of Grisaia is a post from: Good e-Reader

Top 10 New Android Apps of the Week – March 13 2015

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Things have been fairly quiet on the app front for the last month, with few big budget games being released on Android. This week though, has been totally massive. New titles have been issued by Rovio, Gameloft, Disney and Squaresoft.

Don’t forget, all of these apps can be downloaded from our very own Good e-Reader App Store! All of them are free and there is no registration required.

Angry Birds Stella POP – Angry Birds meets bubble shooter in an all-new and super-addictive puzzler! Use your slingshot to match and burst colorful bubbles, save exotic critters, and topple the piggies. Strategic and intuitive gameplay make for a challenging and satisfying bubble popping experience!

Cinderella Free Fall – Inspired by Disney's new live action film Cinderella, play as the most iconic princess of all time, connecting and matching luminous butterfly jewels in this FREE puzzle adventure with 100 dazzling levels!

Dungeon Hunter 5 – The legendary Dungeon Hunter series returns with the roar of a dragon! Play the most intense hack 'n' slash game ever on mobile that will pull you deep into its fantasy world.

Google PDF Viewer – PDF Viewing is now available directly in Google Drive. For environments where this cannot be deployed, Google PDF Viewer offers the same capabilities in a standalone app. View, print, search and copy text from pdf documents while you're on the go.

ESPN Tournament Challenge – The #1 bracket app is back for the 2015 NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament. Start a group, invite your friends, make your picks, and compete for a chance to win $20,000 and a trip to kick your feet up at the Maui Invitational! Think you know college basketball? Prove it! Compete against politicians, professional athletes, your favorite stars, and our very own ESPN talent. Download ESPN Tournament Challenge and start your march to the Final Four.

Anime Amino – Look no further for the perfect place to talk about your favorite anime and manga, Anime Amino is the ultimate Anime social networking app for your phone!

Smoothie Swipe – Join the fun! Millions of people are already playing Smoothie Swipe, the juiciest puzzle game available. Connect fruit, trigger boosters, and swipe your way to success through more than 400 levels.

Good e-Reader App Store for e-Ink – Good e-Reader for e-Ink is the only App Store in the world that is optimized for e-readers. This includes devices issued by Onyx, Icarus, Energy Sistem, Boyue and many more!

Youtube Kids – The official YouTube Kids app is designed for curious little minds. This free app is delightfully simple and packed full of age-appropriate videos, channels, and playlists. YouTube Kids features popular children's programming, plus kid-friendly content from filmmakers, teachers, and creators all around the world.

Thuglife Video Maker – Have you seen those funny videos with gangster music and thug life text? Have you always been wondering how to make one yourself? Well, with this beautiful and user-friendly app you can make your own 'Thug Life' video in only a matter of seconds.

Top 10 New Android Apps of the Week – March 13 2015 is a post from: Good e-Reader

Our New Mobile Friendly Blog for Smartphones Launches

Yesterday an email showed up in my inbox from Google Webmaster Tools saying that The eBook Reader Blog was not a mobile-friendly website and that 100% of the pages had critical mobile usability errors. This website is turning six years old in a few months, and I’ve never setup a mobile-friendly version of this site […]

Streaming Video Top Picks: Film Festival Favorites

OverDrive is proud to call Cleveland, Ohio home. To help support our community, Team OverDrive participates in local events like the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF). Along with the Cuyahoga County Public Library and the Cleveland PBS and NPR affiliates, OverDrive is excited to sponsor screenings of the documentary I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story about Sesame Street puppeteer Caroll Spinney at the 39th Annual CIFF.

The film festival is one of my favorite things to do in Cleveland and I'm always introduced to interesting documentaries, independent and foreign films that I otherwise may not have watched. Can't make it to a film festival? OverDrive's streaming video catalog has a large variety of titles, including top picks from the film festival circuit.

The 10 movies highlighted below have been featured at the Cleveland International Film Festival in recent years and can now be found for purchase in OverDrive Marketplace.

To sample these titles simply click on the jacket cover. Some video samples include strong language and violence.

Mood Indigo
French whimsical dramedy with English subtitles, based on the novel of the same name by Boris Vian.

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http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2014/mood-indigo

Awful Nice
Bawdy independent American comedy about two very different brothers, dealing with the death of their father and the house they inherited. Features former Law & Order: SVU star Christopher Meloni as an eccentric lawyer.

http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2014/awful-nice

The Dog
An American documentary about the real man that inspired the classic crime drama Dog Day Afternoon.

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http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2014/the-dog

The Crash Reel
My personal favorite movie from the 2013 CIFF, The Crash Reel is a heart wrenching American documentary about snowboarder Kevin Pearce dealing with a traumatic brain injury and the impact it has on his career, his family, and his future.

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http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2013/the-crash-reel

Unfinished Song
A charming British comedy about a grumpy elderly man that begrudgingly joins a local choir.

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http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2013/unfinished-song

When Day Breaks
A Serbian drama with English subtitles about a music professor that makes a shocking discovery about his past that traces back to the Holocaust. Winner of the "George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern Film Competition" at the 37th CIFF in 2013.

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http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2013/when-day-breaks

Shepard & Dark
An American documentary about the friendship and interconnected lives of playwright Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark.

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http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2013/shepard-dark

More than Honey
A Swiss documentary that offers an in-depth look at honeybees and examining the decade long decline in the bee population.

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http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2013/more-than-honey

Last Call at the Oasis

An American documentary about the world's water crisis.

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http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2012/last-call-at-the-oasis

If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle
A Romanian drama with English subtitles chronicling family dynamics, life and love of a teenage prisoner. Winner of the "George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern Film Competition" at the 35th CIFF in 2011.

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http://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2011/if-i-want-to-whistle-i-whistle

 

Melissa Marin is a Marketing Specialist at OverDrive.

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BBC Make it Digital

BBC Make it Digital Logo

For Christmas 1982 my brothers and I got our first games console (an Intellivision as it happens. Yes reader, we were that family) and it was truly, mind-blowingly amazing. In fact, it was like magic. And that was the problem–it was like magic. No one had a clue how even their Grandstand Entertainment System (aka ‘Pong 8-ways’) worked and they certainly didn't have the tools to make their own computer games even if they wanted. We were consumers of tech, not creators.

BBC Micro, the breakfast of champions

BBC Micro, the breakfast of champions

So the early 1980s was basically rubbish and we were all sad. VHS clocks across the nation flashed in sync because nobody knew how to set them. Then along came home computers and changed *everything*: the majestic BBC Micro; the mighty Spectrum (the best because I had one and I say so); the marvellous C64. And the Dragon 32. At last we could get to grips with how computers worked and use them to make stuff. Amazing things came from this revolution–including the Raspberry Pi– but that's another story.

Fast forward at C-90 cassette speed to the present day. Life is full of space gadgets like smart phones, HD TVs and talking shoes. It's like magic. And that's the problem. Yet again, we are consumers of tech, not creators.

Raspberry Pi was made to help fix this problem and we constantly champion computing as a creative tool for young people. You can see this in many of our resources as well as initiatives such as our Creative Technologists mentoring program. In short–we think digital creativity is hugely important. Which is why we are delighted and proud to be one of the partners of BBC Make it Digital which launched today.

BBC Make it Digital Logo

Make it Digital is a UK-wide initiative that aims to inspire "a new generation to get creative with coding, programming and digital technology" and to "capture the spirit of the BBC Micro." It will include free hardware for all year 7 students in the UK; training for thousands of young people; TV and radio programmes and online activities; national education events; and partnerships with organisations from all areas of digital creativity, technology and computing.

The Micro Bit

One part of Make it Digital is the small programmable device codenamed 'Micro Bit' that is currently in development and will be given to all schoolchildren in year 7 later this year.

BBC Make it Digital 'Micro Bit'

BBC Make it Digital ‘Micro Bit’

The aim is to get young people programming on a simple platform that then acts as a "springboard" to full computers such as the Raspberry Pi. We're looking forward to getting our hands on the hardware to see what it can do.

GTA TV

Along with links to flagship programmes such as Dr Who there are a host of new programmes for TV and radio. We were especially intrigued by the announcement of "a drama based on Grand Theft Auto". I'm hoping that they run it back to back with the documentary on Ada Lovelace so that I can celebrate digital creativity in a happy yet cognitively dissonant sort of way. The line-up looks great and it will be good to see digital creativity and computing represented in depth on TV and radio at last.

Education

The BBC will be providing a range of formal learning activities and resources and there will be a resource finder to allow students, teachers and parents to find and access this material and more.
We're excited by BBC Make it Digital because it's closely allied with our own educational and creative aims. The Raspberry Pi Foundation's CEO Lance Howarth explains, "Getting kids excited about computing and making is crucial; it's central to the mission of Raspberry Pi. It's great to see the BBC and other organisations coming together to tackle this challenge. BBC Make it Digital will add to the range of affordable and accessible tools for kids everywhere. We look forward to developing educational resources to support the initiative."

Anime Amino, The Perfect Otaku App

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Sometimes being a fan of anime and manga is a little difficult, especially coming from a small town like I did! I didn’t have many friends who particularly shared the same passion and in turn, I ended up going to the internet, looking through forum after forum for other lovers that were interested in the same thing.

Well nowadays, with the free Anime Amino app for IOS and Android devices, looking for fellow anime lovers just became a lot more easier! Here people can discuss many things whether it be cosplay ideas to greatest animes ever. After setting up the initial account with the app, finding your way through is especially easy.

When first opening the app up, it opens up to a newsfeed. Here you can access popular stories or see what your friends are watching or reading. My absolute favourite thing about this app however, is the amount of discussions there are. When opening up the forums tab, you’re immediately welcomed by banner after banner of topics discussing almost anything from Rps (Role Playing), discussing specific characters, AMVs (Anime Music Videos) or just in general anime love.

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After a quick tap on the home button, on the top left of the screen, a menu will open up and one of the four big buttons you can click on is called ‘Discover’. After tapping on it, you can actually see who else in the area or around you have the same interests!

Now that all that has been covered, let’s talk about the profile section! When you click on you’re picture, you are taken to "Me". This is where you can post a collection you might have, a blog post or just check up on your discussions. In the blog area, you have free range to chat about anything you’d like! Maybe you wanted to show off that new Figma you got? Or a new a manga that you just bought. People will be able to find posts according to how you tag them and in turn, making even more friends.

There’s also a pretty cool feature called the Anime Amino Reputation. Everyone wants to have a good reputation and the app is determined to do just that! To gain reputation, you must simply comment on discussions, interact with other users or when others follow you! It really helps you get you involved in the community and really helps you get more comfortable with the app. You need at least 50 reputation points before you can directing email or create a discussion.

Now, if you aren’t completely sold, let me just say, the app is super clean no spam or garbage and no annoying ads that pop up randomly! There’s so many people and discussions to discover and it’s not just only for anime and manga!

When you open up the home menu, you’ll find a list of communities at the bottom to further immerse yourself. You can download separate pages according to your interests, whether it be video games, art, television or even books! There are a lot more than what I just mentioned, so check out the app for yourself!

You can check out the app’s official website for more information, or if you’re ready to go download it, you can head over over to the Itunes webstore as well as the Google Play store! If you decide to download it, feel free to add me, my username is Vahrun!

Hope to see you all there!

Anime Amino, The Perfect Otaku App is a post from: Good e-Reader

Censoring Indie Authors

Image via cultofmac.com

Image via cultofmac.com


With so much attention focused on the US when it comes to self-publishing, it’s easy to forget that this is a worldwide indie author movement, and that companies like Kobo are connecting readers across the globe, making it possible for a reader in Denmark to enjoy a work of science fiction written by an author in sub-Saharan Africa. But while US authors happily further the cause of literature by opening up new avenues and new titles to audiences, authors in some other countries are facing insurmountable obstacles that block the cause of free expression.

A campaign currently at work in South Africa, for example, is calling on individuals to block a government-approved effort by the Film and Publications Board’s (FPB) that would essentially impose censorship on any internet-vehicled content. While the letter of the law in the draft of the proposed regulation doesn’t specifically mention authors, it is this vast open-endedness that has anti-censorship advocates and grassroots organizations like Right2Know working to stop this effort.

According to an article by Micah Reddy and Julie Reid on the proposed regulations and the efforts to halt them, “The document, in its vague language and open-ended statements, would leave authorities with far too much room to infringe on the public’s right to freely receive and impart information as enshrined in chapter two of the Constitution.

“The document states that: ‘Any person who intends to distribute any film, game, or certain publication in the Republic of South Africa shall first comply with section 18(1) of the [1996 Films and Publications] Act by applying, in the prescribed manner, for registration as film or game and publications distributor.'”

It’s a small step towards censorship when an author or content creator must apply for licensing and have his work approved prior to publication, and the ambiguous nature of this proposal means it can easily extend to books, blogs, social media posts, and other forms of digital publication. How serious is the implied threat?

“Worryingly, the regulations would allow the FPB to ‘dispatch classifiers to the distributors’ premises for the purposes of classifying digital content.’ Distributors would have to ‘ensure that the work of classifiers takes place unhindered and without interference.’ The vague wording of the regulations would allow for 'classifiers’ to visit, for example, the homes of citizen journalists and ordinary internet users.”

So who would concoct such a regulation? Parties with a vested interest in blocking the publication and distribution of content they feel is inappropriate, inflammatory, or even just unworthy.

“It is also apparent that the FPB is overstepping its legal boundaries. The Films and Publications Act of 1996 only gives the FPB the ability to issue guidelines, not to legislate. Additionally the Act gives the FPB jurisdiction over films and games, but not over all published content. The FPB has failed to adequately consult with relevant stakeholders before drafting the document.

“Only industry stakeholders were invited to participate behind closed doors, while civil society was excluded from the process despite the fact that the regulations could have profound consequences for ordinary members of the public. The Right2Know Campaign condemns this latest attempt to broaden the power of authorities to censor and restrict publishable content — the sort of action characteristic of an increasingly overbearing, paranoid and insecure state.”

Censoring Indie Authors is a post from: Good e-Reader

Join in on the March Madness with these basketball reads!

Whether or not you're a basketball aficionado or a complete Luddite, like myself, there are still books to be had for this fine season of madness and mayhem on and off the court. Here are some basketball flavored recommendations for creating your bracket, watching it totally fail, and then wanting to feel like you still have some knowledge of basketball.

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For the Young Basketball Fans:

The Basket Ball by by Esmé Raji Codel, illustrated by Jennifer Plecas

When Lulu is denied from playing in the boys' basketball game, she decides to host a Basket Ball. Girls from around the world join her and sport dresses with jerseys over them, while showing off their skills on the court. A testament to young girls that they can be athletic and girly at the same time if they so choose.

Hoop Genius: How a desperate teacher and a rowdy gym class invented basketball by John Coy, illustrated by Joe Morse

The story of how basketball was invented by James Naismith.

Middle Grades:

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Alexander recently won the Newbery Medal along with the Coretta Scott King Award for this book. Written in verse, this middle grade novel is a perfect companion for the young basketball fan, and the reluctant reader. It's a quick read that tells the story of twelve year old twins, Josh and Jordan, through their love of basketball and their family's relationship.

Home Court by Amar'e Stoudemire This is the first book in the STAT: Standing Tall and Talented series by the NBA superstar Stoudemire. A great new series featuring a talented Amar'e as his eleven year old self, playing basketball, excelling in school and helping his friends get the community basketball court back from the older kids.

Young Adult:

In My Skin: My life on and off the basketball court by Brittney Griner Griner, the No. 1 draft pick in the 2013 WNBA, writes about feeling out of place growing up. Her height, drive, and athletic ability would go on to help her become a star, but when young, she was bullied and felt lost. This is a fantastic memoir for young adults about staying true to your authentic self.

Foul Trouble by John Feinstein Written by a noted sports writer, this novel takes a look at Terrell Jamerson who is the most sought after high school basketball player in the country. The novel looks at how a young player can continue playing his game when being bombarded with opportunities that could get him disqualified.    

 

Adult:

Dream Team by Jack McCallum

The story of the 1992 US Olympic Men's Basketball Team, which consisted of such superstars as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, and Scottie Pippin. McCallum introduces behind the scenes moments, the selection process, and other pivotal moments. A book that is not to be missed by any basketball fan.

Don't Put Me In Coach: My incredible NCAA journey from the end of the bench to the end of the bench by Mark Titus

Mark Titus wrote this hilarious memoir about his time on the Ohio State basketball team as a bench warmer. In total, he scored nine points in his four years on the team, but as the guy on the bench he absorbed and penned his experience. He gives his audience the nitty gritty on the NCAA basketball program.

 

Kristin Milks is a Collection Development Analyst with OverDrive

FlipHTML5 Magazine Maker to Reach 2.5M Downloads

FlipHTML5-copy
With all of the excitement over the shift to digital–and news headlines appears every day that highlight another newspaper or magazine that has moved into the electronic edition sphere–it’s easy to overlook some of the processes that led to the creation of the digital edition in the first place. Companies like Adobe have been offering a mildly user-friendly tool in their DPS suite, “mildly” being the term because it just meant that the existing graphic designers within a publications’ art department could do it without having to rely on a whole staff of IT pros to code the thing together; it’s not your Grandma’s hobby platform, though, and it takes specialized know-how to produce a quality product with it. Of course, then it’s up to the publishers to distribute it and market it.

A more recent platform, FlipHTML5, has been gaining a lot of ground with smaller publishers who have the design experts to produce a great magazine but, just as with DPS, may not have strength in coding. FlipHTML5 has increased in popularity to the point that it’s expected to reach 2.5 million total downloads before the end of this month.

“It undoubtedly features the most advanced editor,” claims a release from the company that came out this week. “Apart from that, it offers many high-end features not available in other magazine makers. Some of these features are, but not limited to, availability in multiple languages, bookcase embedding and easy mobile viewing facility, ability to add notes and annotations, self-hosting, and many more. As a result, the FlipHTML5 team expects to have 2.5 million downloads by the end of March, which will also repeatedly prove the success rate and popularity of this premium magazine maker.”

One new concept in digital editions is this notion that any correlating print editions don’t have to be identical to the digital. What the industry has experienced so far is a copy-for-copy replication process that didn’t really take full advantage of the capabilities that digital magazines–especially for mobile device reading–made possible. Recent discussions and industry events have focused on this problem, and an acknowledgement that the industry needs to adopt a broader view of digital magazines and newspapers has already happened.

FlipHTML5 Magazine Maker to Reach 2.5M Downloads is a post from: Good e-Reader