| Da Vinci, a Japanese print media magazine, has worked with Niconico for a second annual survey asking manga readers which series they think will make it’s big break. The only Criteria only included that it must have published up to it’s third volume with the year. From a whopping 27692 responses, My Hero Academia took the top spot and the magazine’s samurai comedy Isobee joined the list! My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi Set in a modern day, except people with special powers have become the norm throughout the world. A Boy named Izuki Midoriya has no powers but he still dreams of becoming a hero. The Ancient Magus Bride by Kore Yamazaki Hatori Chise is only 16 but has lost far more than most. With no family or hope, everything seemed closed off to her until a chance encounter changes everything. A mysterious magus appears before her, offering her a chance she cannot refuse. The Story of Isobe Isobee by Ryo Nakamura Isobe Isobee is a lazy slacker samurai with big dreams. He lives with his mothers who respects him. Lazing around the house and looking at Edo-period pornography without mothers notice, he plans to one day become a respectable samurai! Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store by Hashimoto A dark humor packaged between a friendly grocery store worker and his new dark philosophical coworker. Hinomaru Zumo by Kadawa It is a divine ritual, a martial art, a combat sport, it’s sumo! Ushio and the small sumo club climbs it’s way to the top. The goal: Hinoshita Kaisan! Relife by Sou Yayoi A jobless 27 year old, Kaizaki Arata, fails at every job interview. After meeting Yoake Ryou of the ReLife Research institute, he’s give the chance to take a drug to turn him into a 17 year old and redo one year of high school. Green Worlds by Yusuke Osawa Plants have taken over the planet. In 2017 with the few survivors, they must join an average high school student named Akura as he challenges the plants in a struggle for survival. Helck by Nano Nanaki The demon lord has been defeated and the human world is now at peace. The demon world is now hosting a tournament to host the next king only to find out that one of the contestants is the great hero Helck Chôeki 339 Nen by Tomaka Ise In a world where God’s word is absolute truth, the story follows Haro, a young man who commits a great crime and is imprisoned for 339 years and the tales of his many incarnations. Kasane by Daruma Matsuura Before Kasane’s mother died, she was given a special tube of lipstick. She was told that if times ever got really hard, she should wear it and kiss whatever she truly desires. A blessing in disguise or a curse? Scum’s Wish (Kuzu no Honkai) by Mengo Yokoyari Awaya Mugi and Yasuraoka Hanabi appear to be the ideal couple, though they share a secret no one knows. Both Mugi and Hanabi have unrequited feelings for two different people they could never be with and in turn have come together to soothe their loneliness. Orange by Ichigo Takano One day, Takamiya Naho recieves a letter written to herself from the future. As she reads on, she discovers that her future slef had many regrets and wants to change things, especially regarding Kakeru who Naho finds out is no longer with them in the future. Instant Bullet by Akasaka Aka Everything in this world is his enemy in a worthless world. A demon boy, who has no human heart finds his heart beating quickly when he finds out he must save the world. Though it is the last thing he wants to do. Amaama to Inazuma by Gido Amagakure Inudzuka is a teach who has ben caring on his own for his little daughter after his wife’s death. A series of events lead him one evening to a restaurant run by a mother of one of his students. Feeding them regularly, the three come together to ease their loneliness and cook tasty food together. Puberty Bitter Change by Masayoshi After an accident of falling from a tree, Yuuta and Yui manage to switch bodies with each other. With attempts to switch back failed, they must live each other’s lives in a family that are vastly different from each other. Almost three years pass, how will they cope with their situation as they begin to grow up? Himouto Umaru-chan by Sankaku Head Sixteen year old Umaru is the renowned beautiful girl in town. The perfect sister with a kind heart, though that is what everyone believes. Umaru hides a secret and becomes someone different when she enters her room. Takahashi is Listening by Yuu Houkuou High school idol, Takahashi Ena, has a secret hobby. She often wears headphones, pretending to listen to music when in reality, she is eavesdropping! She particularly likes to listen to her two male classmates banter, though she has to be careful or such a secret could ruin her idol image! Inu Yashiki by Hiroya Oku Inuyashiki has a family, a wife and two kids who do not care about him. After learning he only has three months to live, he realizes the only person to miss him will be his dog. After a crash landing of an alien ship, his body is rebuilt and he has the chance to change his life. Jewel of the country by Haruko Ichikawa In a place inhabited by Jewels that take the form of people Phosphopyllite (Phos) is weak and considered useless among his peers. He recieves an assignment to create an encyclopedia, which begins a journey of self improvement. Girl Meets Bear (Kumamiko) by Masume Yoshimoto In the deeo regions of the Tohouko area, 14 year old Machi and her childhood friend, the talking bears Nats, takes place as Nachi struggles to qualify for city life with Natsu’s assistance. That is a very comprehensive list and voted on by a super hardcore manga fan-base. If you are looking for something new to read, you should look into it. My Hero Academia Voted Breakout Manga of 2015 is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Monday, February 9, 2015
My Hero Academia Voted Breakout Manga of 2015
Overdrive Starts Marketing Digital Magazines and Newspapers to Libraries
| Overdrive is getting into the digital magazine and newspaper business, which was the last major vertices that now makes them an all in one solution. The company has announced that conjunction with Barnes and Noble there is now more than 1,000 issues available for libraries in the US and UK to incorporate into their collections. The collection includes the best coverage of the top 200 circulating U.S. magazines such as Glamour, Better Homes and Gardens, The New Yorker, Reader's Digest, WIRED, Bon Appétit and more! Libraries until this point have been having to deal with 3rd party companies such as Pressreader and Zinio if they wanted magazines and newspapers. This means the patron has to install more apps if they want to borrow this type of content, sometimes two or three, depending on the branch. Overdrive has the sole distinction of being the only all in one solution in the library space. They have audiobooks, e-books, magazines, music, newspapers, and videos. Things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows though, Overdrive with so much content makes navigating and purchasing content difficult. They also charge more money than their competitors, which is why budget conscious libraries often deal with many different companies for more specialized content. It is important to note that this service is only available in the US and UK and likely will never expand. This is because Overdrive is basically distributing the content from Barnes and Noble. The bookseller lacks worldwide rights to distribute content outside these two counties, so libraries located in Australia and Canada are out of luck. Overdrive Starts Marketing Digital Magazines and Newspapers to Libraries is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Viz Media Unveils Digital Manga Starter Bundles
| Viz Media is offering digital Manga updates with new series debuts as well as promotional Digital Manga starter bundles this February! Updates will include the launch of several thrilling manga series as well as new volume releases of many continuing titles including several popular series finales will you not want to miss. A new opportunity Viz Media is offering, is for readers to take advantage of the new Digital Manga Starter Bundle Promotion. This offers readers an opportunity to dive into opening volumes from a wide collection of acclaimed manga series. The sale is only available for a limited time during February 9th to February 28th via http://www.vizmanga.com/ as well as the Comixology platform, so act fast! Each bundle contains multi-title opening volumes that have been sampled from Viz Media imprints including Shonen Jump, Shonen Sunday and Shojo Beat. The bundles will include volume 1 editions at great savings over the digital MSRPs. Readers can also mark Valentine’s Day with the Shojo Beat Digital Valentine’s sale! It will offer unique bundles collecting entire runs of several ‘Slice of life" romantic titles by some of the Shojo genre’s most celebrated creators including Chika Umino (Honey & Clover), Io Sakisaka (Strobe Edge) and Hinako Ashihara (Sand Chronicles) Readers can enjoy all these manga titles that are available on http://www.vizmanga.com/ and the VIZ MANGA app for Android and IOS devices. Manga’s can also be purchased through the Nook, Kindle, Kobo, Comixology, ibooks and Googleplay stores! With all the available platforms, fans can have the opportunity to explore and enjoy a massive catalogue! New February Digital Manga Series Debuts are as follows! Honey Blood Vol. 1, Rated "T" for Teens, Digital MSRP: $6.99 (US/CAN), AVAILABLE NOW After an attack of a girl from her high school, rumours have it was a vampire. High school student Hinata Sorazono refuses to believe in the existence of vampires until she meets her new neighbor, that is. Junya Tokinaga, an author for an incredibly popular vampire romance novel, she begins to suspect he may be a vampire, and worse yet, possibly the culprit! The One I love (Single Volume), Rated ‘T’ for Teens, Digital MSRP: $4.99 (US/CAN), Available February 10th A unique 12-story anthology dives into the creator’s intimate lives and passions. CLAMP brings you a beautiful story that deals with the matters of insecurity and honesty, marriage and independence, writing about a subject CLAMP knows best- love. Wish Vol. 1, Rated ‘T’ for Teens, Digital MSRP $4.99 (US/CAN), Available February 17 Another dynamic series from CLAMP, on a moonlit night, Shuichiro saves an angel who finds herself stuck in a tree. As a reward, the angel will grant him a wish to repay his generosity to which Shuichiro replies, "I need no wish, I can get what I want on my own." But they both soon discover that some wishes cannot be fulfilled alone. Someday’s Dreamers Vol. 1 Rated ‘T’ for Teens, Digital MSRP: $4.99 (US/CAN), Available February 24 Yume wants nothing more than to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a magic user. Though her intentions are pure, she goes about it the wrong way, but innocently practicing her magic on others. Helping a struggling soccer player, the wrongly incarcerated and a student who wants to show his lunar obsessed teacher an eclipse. Follow Yume in this coming of age story filled with genuine imagination and passion as she learns that true magic in life comes from within. FRESH JUMP Bundle • Promo MSRP $9.99 • All You Need is Kill Volume. 1 JUMP CLASSIC Bundle • Promo MSRP $9.99 • Bleach, Volume. 1 SHONEN SUNDAY Bundle • Promo MSRP $9.99 • Arata: The Legend, Volume. 1 SHOJO BEAT Bundle • Promo MSRP $9.99 • Library Wars, Volume. 1 There will also be additional digital manga updates that will include updates to 19 popular continuing series. Some of the included, not to be missed series finales include Happy Marriage?! (Volume 10), Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (volume 26), Mad Love Chase (Volume 5) Duklyon Clamp School Defenders (Volume 2) and The Third (Volume 2). Most manga volumes are available for purchase and download within the US and Canada within the Viz Mana App starting from only $4.99 each. Readers also have the option to preview the first chapter from every series before committing to the purchase! For more information please visit http://www.vizmanga.com/ or http://www.viz.com/apps Viz Media Unveils Digital Manga Starter Bundles is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Energy Sistem PRO e-Reader Review
| Energy Sistem, a Spanish tech brand has been developing e-readers for the last four years. The company has just released a new range of e-Readers that will appeal to varied demographic of users. The Energy Energy Reader PRO is the high end model and will likely have the most traction. The Energy Reader PRO features a six inch e-Ink Pearl HD display with a resolution of 1024×758 pixels. It has a touchscreen, which makes it easy to click and navigate around the UI or just simply flip the pages in your favorite e-Book. It also incorporates a front-lit screen that allows users to read in the dark. Underneath the hood is a ARM Cortex A9 1.0Ghz dual core processor and 8 GB of internal memory. It also has the option to expand the memory up to 64GB with a SD/SDHC card. There are physical page turn buttons on the left and right hand side of the e-reader. This will appeal to people who like the tectonic feel of physical buttons or often hold their reader in one hand while commuting and exclusively using the touchscreen does not make practical sense. Flipping pages is quick and robust, but there is a noticeable flickering of the e-ink page, due to the older screen tech the PRO is employing. The one hardware feature I really like is the inclusion of audio. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack, but no external speakers. Unlike anything issued by Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Kobo you can actually listen to music or audiobooks with the Energy Sistem PRO. The audiobook quality is fair, it really depends on what kind of headphones you are using. Software The Energy Sistem PRO is running Google Android 4.0 and will be upgraded to 4.4 in the near future. The fact that it runs Android is likely the biggest selling point. It allows users to basically install any Android app that they want. This is important because there is no integrated bookstore on the reader, so if you want to get new content you need apps. There is no dedicated app store bundled on the PRO, but Gmail and Dropbox come installed. Users will have to download the app store of their choice, such as Amazon, 1Mobile or Good e-Reader. This will open up a new world of content so you can buy books from any major retailer and even install your favorite comic book, manga or PDF reading apps. Wrap Up This e-reader is a solid investment. The stock e-reading app allows for a ton of customization features to change the font size or even change the font type altogether. There are 500 free e-books in around 7 different languages, so no matter where you live you can start e-reading right away. Hardware wise, there is enough internal memory that you don’t need to buy an SD card right away. I think this e-reader will appeal to the mid to advanced user that wants a heavily customizable e-reader and doesn’t want to spend an arm and an leg. Android allows a heavy amount of flexibility to deal with the e-book ecosystem of your choice, but also ups the versatility.
Energy Sistem PRO e-Reader Review is a post from: Good e-Reader |
OverDrive Now Offers 1000+ Popular Magazines and Newspapers
| Early last October, OverDrive and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Media announced a new partnership to bring digital magazines and newspapers to public libraries for lending. That prospect has finally come to fruition as OverDrive officially announced today that periodicals are now available for libraries to purchase and add to their collections for lending to patrons. […] |
Stop the presses! OverDrive now offers popular magazines and newspapers
| We are excited to announce that we, along with Barnes & Noble NOOK®, now offer more than 1,000 popular magazines and newspapers for digital lending through our library partners in the U.S. and U.K. The collection includes the best coverage of the top 200 circulating U.S. magazines such as Glamour, Better Homes and Gardens, The New Yorker, Reader's Digest, WIRED, Bon Appétit and more! Now patrons can enjoy their favorite periodicals on all popular devices. Readers will experience the best-in-class user experience of the free NOOK® reading apps and the visually stunning magazines and newspaper layouts. All your patrons need is a library card, a NOOK® account and the free NOOK® app. Best of all, you won't need to add an additional platform. Readers access this service on the same website as they do with your OverDrive eBooks, audiobooks and streaming video. And to get started, we're including a special introductory offer: Add periodicals now and take advantage of 40% off access fees through March 31, 2015. Login to Marketplace today to order periodicals for your library or school. For more information about OverDrive Periodicals, visit our Periodicals page or contact your Collection Development Specialist. |
Kindle Valentine’s Deals: $99 Paperwhite, $59 Kindle, More
| Amazon is currently running a Valentine’s Day sale on select Kindle ebook readers and Fire tablet devices. The deal is valid from now until February 15th—the 14th is Valentine’s Day—for the devices listed below except the 8.9-inch Fire HDX. That deal ends tonight. E Ink Kindles Kindle for $59.00 – $20 off the regular price […] |
Is Kobo About to Release New eBook Readers?
| There are a few signs that point to a possibility that Kobo is getting set to release a couple of new ebook readers. An announcement could happen as soon as tomorrow. Something is going to happen tomorrow, that much is certain. Kobo posted the above image on Facebook, with a quote that says “Check back […] |
Xenon Death Flash: a free physics lesson
| If you own a Raspberry Pi 2, congratulations: you’re also the proud owner of an elegant demonstration of the photoelectric effect! At the weekend, Peter Onion, a veteran of our forums and of Raspberry Jams in Cambridge, Bletchley and surrounding areas (visible, costumed, in the background of this photo at the Christmas CamJam), discovered what we think might be the most adorable bug we’ve ever come across. The Raspberry Pi 2 is camera-shy. Peter’s bug report came via our forums. He’d been proudly photographing his new Raspberry Pi 2, and had discovered something peculiar: every time the flash on his camera went off, his Pi powered down.  The blip you’re seeing here is what happens when you point a xenon flash at a Pi 2. Jonathan has spent much of the morning emitting flashes and poking an oscilloscope. We’ve found out what’s going on, and the good news is that it’s completely benign: your Pi will not suffer any permanent effects from being flashed at. More good news: the effect only happens under VERY specific circumstances. Flashes of high-intensity, long-wave light – so laser pointers or xenon flashes in cameras – cause the device that is responsible for regulating the processor core power (it’s the chip marked U16 in the silkscreening on your Pi 2, between the USB power supply and the HDMI port – you can recognise it because it’s a bit shinier than the components around it) to get confused and make the core voltage drop. Importantly, it’s ONLY really high-intensity bursts like xenon flashes and laser pointers that will cause the issue. Other bright lights – even camera flashes using other technologies – won’t set it off. You can take your naked Pi 2 in the sunshine for a picnic or take it to a rave, and it’ll be perfectly solid. Just don’t take it on the red carpet at the Oscars. Jon is currently shining an 1800-lumen led light at a Pi 2 on his desk: not a wobble. This component that’s causing the issue is in a WL-CSP package: a bare silicon die which has solder balls attached. This is a picture of the underside of a similar package (enormously magnified) – each circle is a minuscule ball of solder: WL-CSP packaging is a common technique for more high-tech electronics parts, as it means no further packaging of the device is required. It is also the smallest physical package possible, which designers of mobile things (and people making very tiny computers) really care about. What’s causing the component to behave so oddly? It’s the photoelectric effect, where metals emit electrons when hit by light. The video below is a really good tutorial on how that works. What you’re seeing with Pi 2 and xenon flashes is the same effect, but in semiconductor material, not metal. Semiconductors, like metals, have free electrons which can be ‘knocked off’ by photons. Photodiodes, solar cells and phototransistors all use this effect to function. If you’d like to learn more about how a solar cell works, there’s a nice explanation here at Physics.org. Silicon junctions (the types that are responsible for making diodes and transistors and other such electronic miracles function) can be ‘upset’ by this photoelectric effect if it is large enough (enough light of the right energy [i.e. colour] is fired at them). This seems to be what is happening to our power supply chip – somewhere in the complex silicon chip circuitry there are some transistors or diodes that malfunction when hit by high energy bursts of light, causing the power supply to ‘drop out’, so the Pi reboots. Jonathan is actively investigating exactly what happens when U16 is flashed with a high energy pulse from a xenon flash tube, and we are also looking at possible ways to make future production Pis immune to this issue if we can – we know you like to take pictures of them. We have found no evidence that ‘flashing’ your Pi2 with a xenon flash can cause any real damage, but we still don’t recommend doing it (it will crash or reboot, and this means you may corrupt your SD card). I’ve said it above, but it bears repeating, because I’ve seen some of you mention this in the forums and in comments sections elsewhere: common everyday light sources – e.g. bright sunlight, indoor lighting, angry cyclists – don’t cause this to happen, so please don’t worry! If you need to use your Pi 2 in a situation where it might be flashed at, our advice is to cover U16 (make sure you get the sides too) – the current easy fix is to use a small blob of Sugru or Blu-Tak covering the whole component (someone in the forums used a pellet of bread: the first yeasted bug fix we have encountered), or simply put the Pi in an opaque case. Secretly, I’m kind of hoping for another (similarly benign) bug this abstruse. I love writing this sort of post. |
Digital Content Adds New Layer of Relevance to Libraries
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Part of that shift includes a wider adoption of digital content, and not just through the industry mainstays like OverDrive or 3M. New opportunities through periodical platforms like Next Issue, PressReader, and Zinio, as well as ebook catalogs through Freading, Boopsie, and Smashwords’ unprecedented distribution agreement with OverDrive have meant that not only do libraries have options for providing relevant formats to their patrons, but they also have competitive choices that can lead to better budget options. In an article for The-Dispatch.com, one library explained the options to patrons thanks to increased access to affordable digital content. “I found that in comparing some of the titles from the independent publishers were offered in the library’s NC Digital Library, several had waiting lists, and were also in Freading where they could be checked out with no delay,” said Library Director Ruth Ann Copley. “With Freading, patrons will never find an ebook in use and unavailable. “We certainly need and want to continue to invest and participate in the NC Digital Library consortium where our patrons have access to so many best-sellers and popular titles in ebooks and audiobooks from those ‘Big Five Publishers’ and their subsidiaries as well as other publishers. Not only have we invested in content in this consortium since 2005, but we have benefited from the continued investment and continued growth of the collection thanks to ongoing contributions of the 19 other member library systems. Freading is a means of enhancing our readers’ borrowing powers and giving them additional options.” This growth has resulted in an era when 95% of public libraries offer ebook checkouts, and 66% of school libraries offer digital circulation.
Digital Content Adds New Layer of Relevance to Libraries is a post from: Good e-Reader |
School Libraries Vital to Literacy Rates Among Students
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So if we all agree that libraries are important centers of learning and provide services that individuals cannot get elsewhere, even if we ourselves do not make as much effort to visit a library on a regular basis, why is there such a budget problem for libraries? One report coming from Australia’s educational system painted an even more alarming picture. According to the fifth annual Softlink Australian School Library Survey, there is a direct correlation between how well-funded and well-stocked a school library is, and how high the literacy rates and reading performance of the school’s student body are. “It's encouraging that the survey results demonstrate some stabilization of school library budgets in Australia,” Softlink's Managing Director, Nathan Godfrey, said. “Budget allocations have stabilized, however we are not yet seeing any upward trends.” “Many school libraries are operating under lean conditions, which makes it difficult for them to introduce digital innovations and resources which can influence learning and literacy outcomes.” The report went on to investigate commonalities such as the link between highly trained library staff and student success, digital adoption in the schools and book checkouts, and more. Interestingly, mobile device use and after-school access to the libraries’ digital materials played a key role in this year’s findings. According to the report, “This year, 43% of respondents said half or more of their student population owned a personal mobile device (iPod, iPad, smart phone or other tablet) a similar figure to 2013 (44%). The percentage of respondent schools that indicated they provide digital devices to students reduced from 58% in 2013 to 44% in 2014. This corresponded to a higher percentage of respondent schools that encourage BYOD use both inside and outside the classroom (from 14% in 2013 to 24% in 2014). In 2014, 13% reported that they encourage BYOD use at school but only outside the classroom and 19% indicated that personal device usage was not encouraged at their schools'. This year 27% of respondents indicated that they have a BYOT/BYOD strategy. This reflected a substantial increase of schools who have implemented a BYOT/BYOD strategy from 2013, when the result to the same question was 19%.”
School Libraries Vital to Literacy Rates Among Students is a post from: Good e-Reader |
