| Indie bookstores have enjoyed a resurgence in book sales over the course of the past year. According to the American Booksellers Association, the number of member independent bookstores has increased more than 20% since e-readers took the world by storm. There were 1,651 in 2009 and this figure jumped dramatically to 2,094 in 2014. These days, indie bookstores don’t just sell print books, but e-book as well, and it is a losing proposition. Independent bookstores first started selling e-books in 2010 when the American Booksellers Association partnered with Google. This arrangement did not last very long because people needed a smartphone or tablet with Google Play Services, and during this time period many companies did not offer devices with this particular framework. In 2012 the ABA pivoted and signed a new three year deal with Kobo. Bookstores would earn a commission on e-reader sales and also any books that were purchased on the device. The average indie bookstores has between 1% and 3% of their revenue come from e-books. The ones that have any sort of success have a dedicated person who is in charge of promotions and getting people knowledgeable that they can still support their local bookstore, while buying content online. An example of a successful initiative is McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Mich. They saw both the sales volume and number of new e-book customers rise in 2014. The store added 71 new Kobo customers for a 23% increase in its customer base. That's in part because the store integrates e-books into its weekly email blast, its radio promotion on NPR, and even at book talks Many indie bookstores actually see no point to carrying e-readers or e-books. "We have no plans to sell Kobos at this time," said Bob Ryan, manager of Wakefield Books in Wakefield, R.I. "We understand the popularity of the e-readers, but we're going to cater to the print readers.” Meanwhile, Steven Baum, co-owner of Greetings & Readings in Hunt Valley, Md., which once carried electronics, has no desire to return. "We left that industry when the sales tax was greater than the profit margin," he said. "The Kobo is too little too late. E-book readers are already on a massive decline, because of the tablet." Other booksellers were soured by the Google experience and decided not to sell Kobo e-readers. "We did the Google thing," said Grant Novak, manager of the Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury, which is not selling e-books. Amazon currently dominates the US, with a 75% market share. This leaves Apple, Barnes and Noble, Google and Kobo fighting over the scraps. Indie bookstores simply are not in the average customers mind when they think of places to go, to buy e-books. For every person who buys an e-reader from a bookstore is one less print sale, which often has a higher profit margin. Do bookstores really want to take a gambit on their future by actively encouraging these base of customers to switch to digital content? I think indie bookstores would be better off not selling e-books or e-readers and instead focusing on the community aspect of book selling. I know plenty of stores in New York that have wine parties and cool events that bring the book community together and foster something far grater than buying an e-book in your boxer shorts. Indie Bookstores selling e-books is a Losing Proposition is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Indie Bookstores selling e-books is a Losing Proposition
Evangelion’s Hideaki Anno Predicts the Decline of the Animation Industry
| In an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Neon Genesis Evangelion’s creator, Hideaki Anno, has stated his thoughts on the numbered days for the Japanese animation industry. Expressing his thoughts and concern, Anno has stated that he believes the anime industry will begin declining within the next five to twenty years, saying that the "death" of the industry is inevitable. Anno has stated that he believes the industry needs to become more flexible in creating new environments such as introducing more computer graphics in shows because the way things are currently working, the current business model just won’t be maintainable. Anno told RIA "Japanese animation is in decline," and that the industry has, " already peaked.” and that, “After it does collapse, there will probably be a new resurgence." This death isn’t the death of anime per se, and Japan will always of course have animation, but Anno has relayed that he believes that the collapse will mark the end of Japan’s dominance. As other countries in Asia begin getting richer, they now have more resources to produce it’s own animated shows in turn throwing Japan off of the epicenter of the animation industry. Anno believes that there will be less money in Japan and also points out that there are now fewer animators in Japan, which will definitely negatively impact anime as well for the general smaller population of Japan. "Japan will just no longer be the center of world animation. Maybe in five years, Taiwan will be such a center." Anno adds after describing his trip to Taiwan where he met animators there who had much passion and spirit. Anno also states that animation is only "only moving by intertia." With all that being said, I find that more animes are beginning to incorporate more CGI in their animes nowadays, such as Sailor Moon Crystal using 3D models to revamp the transformation scenes, Etotama for utilizing CGI for their fight scenes and various mech animes that makes us of 3D models as well. I don’t think Anno’s predictions are entirely true, sure, other countries may begin entering the anime industry but I believe Japan will always be in the center of it and in turn will hopefully begin producing more animes of quality rather than quantity. Only just a few years ago, a lot of people had predicted that the movie industry would go down as well but we see now that it is only steadily rising higher. Though Anno does make a good point, we will just have to wait and see how it all plays out! Evangelion’s Hideaki Anno Predicts the Decline of the Animation Industry is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Kindle for iOS Update 4.9 Adds Hyphens, Bookerly Font, and More
| Amazon has just updated the Kindle app for iOS devices—the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch—to add some new features. The new software version is 4.9, and it’s a fairly major update. There are some big visual changes that Amazon claims to provide faster reading with less eye strain. Among the changes include the added support […] |
Kobo Adds Visa Checkout Option with Free $10 Kobo Credit
| Yesterday Kobo announced that they’ve added Visa Checkout to Kobo.com as a new payment option in addition to credit cards and PayPal. Kobo and Visa are trying to entice people by giving away a $10 credit for Kobo.com after using Visa Checkout to complete a purchase. The $10 credit gets applied directly to your Kobo […] |
OverDrive app to be featured in Android Auto demos at Google I/O conference
| Exciting news for your library's audiobooks! On May 28-29, attendees of the Google I/O conference in San Francisco will have the opportunity to demo OverDrive's Android app with Android Auto support. Android Auto was designed to make it easy for drivers to more safely interact with apps, music, maps and more by showing the information clearly on in-car navigation screens. The OverDrive app will enable users to enjoy audiobooks they have borrowed from their library with simple onscreen navigation tools available in a variety of different car models. The OverDrive app will also be navigable via Google voice commands. Android Auto extends the Android platform into the car in a way that's purpose-built for driving. After connecting an Android phone to a compatible car, drivers will be able to "project" their experience onto their car's in-dash display, giving them access to apps and services which have been optimized for the car with voice input and glanceable controls. OverDrive continues to invest in the ease of use and broad applicability of its apps. This offers another opportunity for users to multi-task by enjoying library audiobooks on their commute or while they travel. OverDrive for Android with Android Auto support is coming soon
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Leading Chinese eBook Publishers to Receive Achievement Awards at BookExpo America
| At the largest publishing event in North America, BookExpo America (BEA), OverDrive will host a reception and present the Blue Sky Awards to publishers with top selling Chinese language adult and children's eBooks. Hundreds of US, Canadian and international public libraries and schools now offer their Chinese readers instant access to thousands of new Chinese language eBook titles in every category (for example, see San Francisco Public Library eBook collection at http://sfpl.lib.overdrive.com/Chinese.htm). OverDrive created the Blue Sky Awards to honor international publishers who have achieved excellence in 5 categories. During BEA 2015 at a special Recognition Reception in OverDrive's booth #1720, the 2015 awards will be presented to:
"We congratulate and commend this group of leading eBook publishers for promoting Chinese culture and literature to communities throughout the US and worldwide," said Erica Lazzaro, Director of Publisher Relations at OverDrive. "Readers and learners around the world are eagerly discovering and borrowing from their local library popular fiction, children's and educational Chinese eBooks in every genre." Chinese publishers are enjoying rapid sales growth in the US and international markets as part of the Chinese government's "Going Abroad" strategy. OverDrive's Chinese collection has become one of the fastest-growing categories within its public library catalog, which now includes more than 20,000 recently published Chinese language titles in EPUB and other digital formats. Notable achievements from the 2015 Blue Sky Award winners: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press – Children's Publishing Since its partnership with OverDrive began in 2014, FLTRP has provided a number of classic bilingual children's titles, offering global libraries with excellent language-learning materials. FLTRP is well-positioned to tell China stories to the world. Zhejiang Publishing United Group Digital Media Co. – Fiction Favored by readers and patrons worldwide, Zhejiang Publishing United Group Digital Media Co. supplies a wide range of the most popular Chinese fiction and has experienced rapid growth in the library market. Content supplied includes titles from bestselling authors such as Cai Jun, Li Ximin, Shen shixi and Zhou Haohui. Posts & Telecommunications Press – Education With its strong background in technology and computer science, Posts & Telecommunications Press has become a pioneer in educational digital publishing, supplying China's best nonfiction titles in a variety of subjects including business, computer technology, travel, photography, art, management and more. China Intercontinental Press – Multi-lingual Specializing in multi-lingual publishing, CIP is now one of China's leading publishing companies with multi-lingual publications, most of which are in Chinese, English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian and Arabic. With a focus on Chinese culture, traditional arts, religion, cooking & food, popular social topics, CIP's titles have become a main source for readers who are interested in learning about China. China National Publications Import & Export Corporation – Innovation The CNPIEC collection is one of OverDrive’s fastest-growing Chinese partner catalogs. They offer content from the most prestigious literature publishers including People's Literature Publishing House, Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House, Central Compilation and Translation Press, New World Press. As the first aggregator providing professionally translated bilingual metadata, CNPIEC is enabling over 30,000 English-speaking librarians to select quality Chinese titles.  |
Microsoft Apps Now Available on Samsung, LG, and Sony Tablets
| Microsoft is on a rampage trying to woo companies to bundle their Office line of apps on all sorts of Android tablets. They have been very successful ironing out deals with Samsung, LG, Sony, Haier, Positivo and Wortman. Officially Microsoft has signed deals with over 31 different companies to have Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype loaded on Android driven tablets. The first batch of tablets to include the MS apps will be on a yet unannounced LG tablet, and Sony will include them on their Xperia Z4 tablet within the next 90 days. There is no word yet if these apps are able to be uninstalled or not, I know many people will be quite irate if they aren’t. Microsoft Apps Now Available on Samsung, LG, and Sony Tablets is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Amazon Unveils New Bookerly Font for iPhone and iPad
| Amazon has just released a new version of their seminal Kindle e-Reading app for the iPad and iPhone. The company has made a big step towards better typography with the advent of Bookerly, the first typeface designed for the Kindle for scratch. Additionally, it looks like Amazon is trying to solve the Kindle’s typesetting problems with an all-new layout engine that introduces better text justification, kerning, drop caps, image positioning, and more. Bookerly is going to be replacing Caecilia as the new default font for the Kindle Fire line of tablets and their fleet of apps. Bookerly is a serif style of font that has been custom-made by Amazon to be as readable across as many different types of screens as possible. Like Google’s Literata, Bookerly is meant to address many of the aesthetic issues surrounding e-book fonts. Does Bookerly make a big difference while reading an e-book? According to Amazon’s internal tests, that means it’s about 2% easier on the eye. That may seem like a small improvement, but spread that 2% across millions of Kindle users and billions of pages of e-reading, and it all starts to add up. I think the one exciting thing that users will notice right away with the new Kindle App for iOS is the new layout engine. It justifies text more like print typesetting. Even if you max out the font size on the new Kindle app, it will keep the spacing between words even, intelligently hyphenating words and spreading them between lines as need may be. This will obviously appeal to people who frequently adjust the sizes of the fonts or have vision disorders and want to read more effectively. Amazon Unveils New Bookerly Font for iPhone and iPad is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Emoti – Visualising our Emotions
| If you missed the updates recently, we’re currently running a 12-month programme for creative young people called Raspberry Pi Creative Technologists. We have a Google+ community for the group to post ideas, share interesting links and ask each other for help and we hoped they would also use it to arrange to meet up outside of the organised field trips: within the first month, one of them found the Art Hackathon and suggested they go along and take part. Three of them went along and teamed up with some others. Yasmin wrote a full account of the hack… I've always heard about how awesome Hackathons could be; they're a chance to surround yourself with intelligent people who share the same interest, come up with inspiring ideas together and become engrossed in a project, with everyone chipping in to turn concept into reality over one weekend. But I’m going to be perfectly honest with you here; however awesome this sounds, I can't help but feel a tad intimidated by it all. There's still so much I feel I have yet to learn and I always worry about how much of an asset (or a nuisance) I would be. So when I saw an opportunity to go to an Art Hackathon, which aspired to mix teams with different skill sets and types, I knew that I had to attend, and I'm so glad I did! With the Hackathon holding presentations by many talented people including as Joel Lewis, Di Mainstone and Nick Rothwell, as well tables full of various tech and art supplies, there were no limitations to the amount of creativity that we could muster! Yasmin and Milton All of this inspired a creation that managed to win 2nd Place for Peoples Choice, and I can proudly say that I was a part of its development: Emoti – Visualising our Emotions
Using Twitter Widgets, our team was able to pull certain keywords from tweets being posted in real time and assign them to different emotion types, which meant being able to have constantly updated data on how people were feeling on twitter through these emotion-related keywords. The emotions we assigned them to were: Happy, Sad, Surprised, Afraid and Angry. From this data we then created a simple HTML web-page with 5 divs, or blocks, of colour relating to the different emotion states. These would constantly change width depending on the data that was being collected from the tweets to give a visual representation of how many people were tweeting under each emotion:
To make this experience of witnessing how the world feels and how frequently these emotions change more immersive, these visual representations are also accompanied with audio. We chose five audio tracks, one to depict each emotion, adding them into the web-page using the HTML5 audio tag, and adjusted their volume depending on the emotion-based twitter data with some JavaScript wizardry. This ended up with the clashing music types seemingly battling against each other, reflecting how hectic the live emotion states were and how rapidly they would change at random; one moment showing solely happiness, the next ultimate anger. The Hackathon Effect This was an Art Hackathon don't forget, so, of course we had to present this data in a beautiful and intriguing way. What's more intriguing than creating the illusion of 3D colour-changing ripples?! For this effect, the designers in our team laser cut clear plastic to create the individual ripples and slotted them into a black board. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to whip out my Raspberry Pi! We ran the web-page through the Pi and hooked it up to the HDMIPi, allowing a bright screen for our structure to be placed onto, so that the moving coloured blocks from below would shine onto the clear plastic and give the illusion of a 3D object. Finally, the structure was put together in a dark, enclosed space, and the end product came to life, completely exceeding my expectations! Colours danced gracefully across the ripples, making us forget that there was even a web-page below. It was easy to get lost in the entrancing movement of pattern that the object seemed to create. As soon as you immerse yourself in the full experience, with audio as well as these entrancing visuals, it becomes a little overwhelming. Watching the colours is one thing, but hearing the clashes of audio really brings the message across that this is how people from around the world are feeling right now.
Yes, it’s open source! Find the (somewhat messy) code here: https://github.com/itomblack/emotion-twitter What I Gained…Aside from the obvious: an awesome project, a better understanding of how to work in a team and improved coding skills, I managed to come away from the Hackathon feeling much more positive about what I, an as individual, can achieve. I may not be have been the most skilled coder in the room but I was still able to have meaningful input on the project, both creatively and through my development skills, which leaves me wondering what I was so worried about in the first place! As well as this I'm so grateful to have had the pleasure of meeting many creative and genuinely lovely people. It was so interesting to see all of the various projects that everyone had made, each one entirely unique and fascinating in its own right. Thank you to the people behind the Art Hackathon event and those intelligent folk within the Emoti Dream Team who helped bring it to life: P.S. This is my very first blog, how am I doing? Let me know! (If you want to… No pressure…) The post Emoti – Visualising our Emotions appeared first on Raspberry Pi. |
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Microsoft Cortana Available on Android and iPhone this June
| If you are not a huge fan of Siri or the Google Now you may soon have an alternative. Microsoft is porting over Cortana to Android in June and an iOS version a few months later. Cortana's arrival is part of a larger cross-platform mobile strategy centered around the newly announced Phone Companion app for iOS and Android, which will help users configure their phones to work (and play) well with their Windows 10 computer. Ever since Microsoft got a new CEO a few years ago the company has been bringing all of their key software to the mobile platform. If you really think about it, Microsoft Office has been in use for well over a decade and optimized apps for Android and iOS only came out this year. I know plenty of people who now rely on Outlook for their email, instead of using the default Mail app for Apple devices. Microsoft says that the experience will be comparable to the one in Windows and Windows Phone, but not identical. You can use the dictate function, set reminders, track flights and otherwise keep your life organized. Cortana’s Notebook, which remembers what you like, will also sync across all your platforms. It has been confirmed that the seminal “hey Cortana” or options to launch apps and settings will not be available on Android and iOS. This will purely be a Windows 10 and Windows Phone feature. Microsoft Cortana Available on Android and iPhone this June is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Google Signature Font “Roboto” is now Open Source
| Google has announced that their signature font “Roboto” is now officially free to use by any e-reader company. This font is the default one that is currently being used in Android and Chrome OS. The font files for the Roboto family of fonts were first released under the Apache license as part of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in 2011. With this launch, Roboto is now a true open source project, with a revamped font production toolchain that is completely based on open source software. Another key improvement in the Roboto font family has been the vast expansion of its character coverage to include all Latin, Cyrillic and Greek characters in Unicode 7.0, as well as the currency symbol for the Georgian lari, to be published in Unicode 8.0. For the expansion, the number of glyphs provided in the fonts more than tripled in number, going from around 13,000 (1071 per font) to more than 40,000 (3350 per font). An earlier version of the expanded font family is included in Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and later. The open source nature of this font is going to appeal to e-book reading apps and e-reader companies looking to expand on their product offerings. Google Signature Font “Roboto” is now Open Source is a post from: Good e-Reader |
3M Cloud Library Implements New Web Features
| The 3M Cloud Library system by Baker and Taylor has been embraced by hundreds of libraries in the US. In order to provide a robust experience for patrons, the company has totally revised their user interface. Meanwhile for librarians, 3M added the ability to reclassify the age range for books. What has changed on the user interface? Well, newly enhanced personalization options give users the ability to manage their accounts, receive email notifications and customize favorite content categories. Library collection managers will likely dig the changes made to the purchasing tool. It allows them to change a book's age range. If a librarian sees a book in an inappropriate age range, for example a Young Adult book appearing in the Children's age range, they can now reclassify the book so it will be the right age range. These new enhancements come after a banner year for the 3M Cloud Library, in which checkouts grew 121% and 95% of customers renewed their contracts 3M Cloud Library Implements New Web Features is a post from: Good e-Reader |
John Scalzi Signs Massive 13 Book Deal with TOR
| Author John Scalzi has just signed a 13 book deal with TOR. For the next ten years he will be writing for the DRM-Free publisher and will be garnering over $3.4 Million dollars. The first book will launch a new far-future space opera series. Scalzi will also return to the Old Man's War universe. Other titles will include sequels to 2014's bestselling and critically acclaimed Lock In. "Well, now I know what I'm doing for the next decade," says Scalzi. "And that's a good thing. In an era when publishing is in flux, this contract with Tor will let me spend more of my time doing what readers want me to do: writing books and making new stories for them to enjoy. It also gives both me and Tor a stable, long-term base to grow our audience, not only among established science fiction and fantasy fans, but among readers of all sorts. Science fiction is mainstream culture now, and there are so many people discovering just how much there is to enjoy in these stories of ours. We have much more to share. That's what we're going to do." The TOR website is really hyping this man up, as well they should. In a recent blog article they said “John Scalzi is one of the most acclaimed SF authors to emerge in the last decade. His debut Old Man's War won him science fiction's John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation, his most recent novel Lock In, and also Redshirts, which won 2013's Hugo Award for Best Novel. Material from his widely read blog The Whatever has earned him two other Hugo Awards as well. Currently three of Scalzi's novels are in development for television: Redshirts (FX), Old Man's War (SyFy), and Lock In (Legendary TV).” So here is a bit about the deal. The money is spread out over ten years, he doesn’t get paid unless he writes the books. John also is getting an indeterminate amount as a signing bonus. Two books with the TOR deal will be focusing on YA and hopefully get the same type of audience that other books like Maze Runner gets. In the end, this certainly isn’t the biggest book deal in publishing but it does give John security in order to write books and know where his next paycheck is coming from. John Scalzi Signs Massive 13 Book Deal with TOR is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Periscope for Android Now Available
| Periscope is a live streaming app that was developed by Twitter. It launched on iOS two months ago and has been a hit with celebrities and citizen journalists alike. In its first 10 days of operation it reached over 1 million users and now the app is available on Android. The first iteration of the Periscope app for Android requires a fairly modern version of the OS. You need 4.4 in order to gain access to all of the features. The new app is also optimized for both smartphones and tablets. When you install the app and register an account it will recommend recent broadcasts from people you are following. If you are new to the app Periscope will suggest you follow everyone you’re following on Twitter. If nothing current is happening, you can swipe right to the next screen, which shows you broadcasts happening around the world. There are some features on this app that are not in the iOS version. Periscope on Android offers you a "Resume notification" so you can keep watching where you left off in case your broadcast gets interrupted (by a phone call or message. It also offers a material design for the app icon and notifications. Why should you care about Periscope? It might be the next big streaming app since Vine. The platform is made by Twitter, so it immediately adds credibility. Even tech savvy authors such as Margaret Atwood are starting to embrace it. You can download Periscope for Android for free, from the Good e-Reader App Store. Periscope for Android Now Available is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Harlequin is Producing Audiobooks
| Audiobooks are quickly becoming a billion dollar industry and this has prompted a number of publishing companies to take advantage of new digital distribution platforms. Romance and erotica publisher Harlequin has just announced the formation of a new audiobook unit and will begin pushing out new content this June. 200 audiobook titles will be produced in the first year and they will be pushed out to most digital platforms such as Audible and Findawayworld. Harlequin Audio will also distribute physical CD versions of all titles through Blackstone Audio and Midwest Tape. Harlequin will be producing the audio titles in conjunction with HarperAudio. This is the first major initiative between the two companies since Harlequin was acquired by Harpercollins last year. Harlequin is Producing Audiobooks is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Lenovo Tab 2 A8 Tablet Shows up Online for $129
| A couple weeks ago I posted about some interesting new tablets from Lenovo that were recently added to their A series lineup, the Lenovo Tab 2 A10, A8 and A7 tablets. They appear to be good value picks on paper, especially the 10-inch A10 model for $199 with its high resolution 1920 x 1200 resolution […] |
Amazon’s Tax Woes Hit EU
 View of the reception of Amazon Europe Holding Technologies in Luxembourg in this picture taken on November 20, 2012. To match Special Report TAX-AMAZON/ REUTERS/Francois Lenoir (LUXEMBOURG – Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) – RTR3B9F8 The past few years have not been kind to Amazon in terms of sales tax. Once various states around the country discovered a veritable cash cow in trying to force Amazon to collect and submit sales taxes, lawsuits sprung up from every corner of the country, with states’ attorneys general filing lawsuits to recover back taxes and state governments introducing new legislation aimed at forcing online retailers to comply. That issue largely died down following Amazon’s official stance that it would follow any national sales tax introduced and passed by Congress, but that it simply wasn’t feasible to collect and report sales tax from fifty different states with fifty different requirements. States that worked out deals with the retailer stood to benefit, and states that continued to obstinately push the issue found their Amazon distribution centers closed and their residents’ affiliate statuses revoked. Interestingly, there was outspoken backlash against Amazon at the time, but there was also a lot of sympathy, even from small business owners who argued that it wasn’t fair that they had to charge their customers sales tax while Amazon could not only offer lower prices due to volume, but also didn’t have to charge taxes. Supporters could appreciate the logistical nightmare involved in following so many different regulations. But one area where Amazon has not garnered as much sympathy is in Europe. Due to interesting tax structures, Amazon was able to set up operations in Luxembourg while still selling and shipping to other countries in the region, meaning it only had to collect sales tax at Luxembourg’s enticingly low rate while competing business owners in each different country quickly lost customers to a retailer who offered everything, shipped immediately, and could charge less. Amazon’s defense this time? “Everyone is doing it.” And to a large extent, they’re right. Amazon has been pointed out as the villain in a tax evasion scenario while every major corporation conducting business in Europe lines up in Luxembourg, with companies like Starbucks, Google, and others setup operations in what is essentially a tax haven. Basically, the sentiment became, “You guys let us do it this way, now we’re just taking advantage of that.” And that’s about come screeching to a halt, at least for Amazon. While Amazon has stated this change has been a gradual two-year process, the company will begin collecting and reporting sales tax for its sales in Britain, Germany, Italy, and Spain. It’s by far not all of the countries contributing to Amazon’s $15 billion European sales in 2013, but it’s a start. Industry watchers are already speculating as to whether this seemingly voluntary move (or at least voluntary before the EU could come together and rewrite the tax code to make it even more punitive on retailers) will spur other tech and retail corporations doing business in Europe to follow suit.
Amazon’s Tax Woes Hit EU is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Astro Pi Mission Update 3
| Here at Pi Towers, Astro Pi fever is taking hold! Over the last few weeks there have been a number of things happening which we’re really excited about, so it’s time for an update. The first and most crucial bit of news for those of you furiously writing your competition entries is that you now have just a little more time. UK Space, the organisation managing the competition, have decided to give secondary students a whole extra week. As we were a week late in shipping the kits to our phase 1 winners the deadline is now Monday the 6th of July, by 10am, so get cracking! Put this date in your diary, don’t forget. To help you get to grips with programming the Astro Pi HAT we’ve created a couple of helpful resources. Firstly, you can find out all about the hardware, its capabilities and get a detailed breakdown of the Python library using our Astro Pi Guide. It explains in detail all aspects of the library and provides some examples of how to use them. However, if you just want to have a play and learn as you go, check out our Getting Started with Astro Pi resource which works through a series of examples and explores most of the the Python library. You will create a series of interesting programs which make use of all of the Astro Pi sensors like this reaction game. There’s a great interactive demo for exploring the IMU (movement) sensor and you can also experiment with pressure, following Dave’s example: Astro Pi HATs are also starting to appear in the wild — loads of competition entrants have been receiving their Astro Pi HATs and excitedly tweeting about it.
Others within our community have been playing around creating examples and resources. The awesome Martin O’Hanlon has put together a getting started tutorial as well as building this amazing interactive Astro Pi in Minecraft: Dan Aldred, one of our Raspberry Pi Certified Educators, has put together some great resources for using Astro Pi with his students. Visit his website to find a great language reference booklet. We also have a number of examples compiled by Ben Nuttall and available on Github. If you’re looking for more technical help with Astro Pi check out our Astro Pi forum. As you can see we’re all super excited about the Astro Pi Launch! You can keep an eye on our progress as we get closer to lift-off by following social media channels. In the next few weeks the flight hardware is going to be assembled and tested! PS SPAAAAAAAAAAACCCCEEEE!!!!!! The post Astro Pi Mission Update 3 appeared first on Raspberry Pi. |
Monday, May 25, 2015
Google Play Books Publisher Program Has Been Closed
| Google has closed their Play Books publisher program amidst concerns of rampant e-book piracy. The Google Play Publisher Program allows independent authors and publishing companies to include their novels and app guides on the Google Play bookstore. Sadly, this program has been taken over by fake publishers and people uploading pirated apps. There has been many documented cases of independent authors posting e-books by well known bestselling authors at a fraction of the price. This is taking money away from the real author and publishing company. In other cases people are uploading pirated apps that are posing as digital books. When you buy the book, you are given a link where you can download it. Some of the links are malicious, some are just regular scams, but none of them have the involvement of the actual authors or apps’ original developers, some of the APKs are even cracked or modded to give you unlimited in-app currency. Many authors and publishing companies have brought the pirated content to the attention of Google, but Google tells them they have to reach out to the Publisher, as Google’s hands are tied. In other cases when specific content is pointed out to Google they tend to delete it right away. But the sad truth is, its instantly re-uploaded by the same people, poising as a different company. Over the course of the last four weeks there has been a media firestorm about the sheer scope of pirated content on Google Play. This has forced the company to close their Play Books Publisher Portal. In a message in the Google Product Forums, a Google rep said “We've temporarily closed new publisher sign ups in the Play Books Partner Center, so we can improve our content management capabilities and our user experience. We're working to reopen this to new publishers soon. Thanks for your patience.” What is Google going to do in order to combat piracy? Will they implement a system like Content ID that is a YouTube fixture? Will they manually vet all future submissions by a dedicated team? The future of Play Books is uncertain, but we do know there is a huge piracy problem and something has to be done. Google Play Books Publisher Program Has Been Closed is a post from: Good e-Reader |
How to Fix a Kindle eBook That’s Not Downloading
| If you happen to experience a problem with a Kindle ebook or Amazon app not downloading or not finishing downloading, there are a few things you can try to do to remedy the issue on your own before having to contact Amazon support. It’s not very common, but sometimes a Kindle book won’t download properly […] |