How Day Z is Increasing Literacy

Day Z Standalone is not simply a video game that millions of people enjoy to play, but it is single handily responsible for increasing literary in youth. How have they done it? Well this title has spawned over twenty five million guides, tutorials and walk-through’s. These are not being penned by professional writers, but the very kids that are playing them. Day Z comes with minimal instructions on how the play the game. There is no tutorials or newbie guides that transpire, before you are thrust into the online world. You simply start in a random location on the map and are expected to learn by doing. How do you open a door or pickup a weapon or say hello to a fellow player? You have no idea unless you browse the command list or Google the question. Countless communities have risen to the challenge of educating the players on the various game play elements. Internet wide, there is currently over 323,000,000 articles written by youth. Many of them are reading above their current age level. Constance Steinkuehler, a games researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, asked middle and high school students who were struggling readers  to choose a game topic they were interested in, and then she picked texts from game sites for them to read—some as difficult as first-year-college language. The kids devoured them with no help and nearly perfect accuracy. According to a recent article in Wired Magazine, Hannah Gerber, a literacy researcher at Sam Houston State University monitored several 10th-grade students at school and at home and saw that they read only 10 minutes a day in English class—but an astonishing 70 minutes at home as they boned up on games. School libraries are starting to realize that game guides written by major publishers are being devoured at record levels. Scholastic recently released three new Minecraft illustrated books that librarians report they can't keep on the shelves. The books, aimed at kids in Grades 3 through 7, have already sold more than 6 million copies combined since their release in November. Librarians noticed that kids were again were reading far above their level. The books not only appeal and fascinate children, they encourage kids to become better readers so they can learn more tricks to get ahead in Minecraft. Currently, DayZ encourages nothing; it’s absolute freedom, absolutely. Two million active players are currently participating in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, so you could speculate there is some sort of allure. In the end, more kids are reading because of games like this and reading above their age level. That certainly is a good thing. How Day Z is Increasing Literacy is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/commentary/how-day-z-is-increasing-literacy

Trajectory Digital Comics Now Available at Schools and Libraries

Gone are the days Trajectory started in 2011 and their core business model is assisting publishers in converting their comics and graphic novels to the digital arena. They also formulated their own fledgling distribution network and marketed the content overseas, where many people were curious about the west. In order to gain more traction in the industry the company signed agreements with Diamond Distributors earlier this year, to basically provide conversion services for their entire list of contacts. This relationship has paid off, as Trajectory just announced a new movement to bring digital comics and graphic novels to libraries. At the New York Comic Con 2014, Trajectory announced that it has signed an agreement with Ingram Content Group and Follett School Solutions. Over 10,000 comics and graphic novels will now be available for schools and libraries to purchase through their existing relationship with either Ingram or Follett. Diamond Comic Distributors v-p of purchasing John Wurzer said, "Schools and libraries can be incubators for the future appreciation of comic books and graphic novels and we are happy to be working with Trajectory to foster that." Kelly Gallagher, v-p content acquisition, Ingram Content Group, said, "Comic and graphic novel content is in demand by readers." He added that "Ingram is excited about our collaborative work with Trajectory to be providing comics and graphic novel content to the library market through our leading MyiLibrary e-book platform." Trajectory Digital Comics Now Available at Schools and Libraries is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/digital-comic-news/trajectory-digital-comics-now-available-at-schools-and-libraries

Simon and Schuster Offers DRM-Free eBooks

Major publishers are notoriously fickle about embracing new trends and give sloths a run for their money. We have seen this transpire with eBook subscription services and getting involved in digital libraries. The Science fiction community has been one of the most agile, and many companies such as TOR have completely embraced the DRM-Free mentality. Saga, a division of Simon and Schuster has just announced they are also going DRM-Free. Saga is being billed as an all-inclusive fantasy and science fiction imprint publishing great books across the spectrum of genre, from fantasy to science fiction, commercial to literary, speculative fiction to slipstream, urban fantasy to supernatural suspense. Saga’s first list will be released next spring with four titles by Ken Liu, Genevieve Valentine, Lee Kelly, and Zachary Brown. The eBooks will be available at all major e-book retailers and simonandschuster.com. This is a good move for S&S to take a gambit with a new imprint that actually hasn’t sold any books yet. I think the most important aspect of this story is that the publisher is setting up an internal infrastructure to monitor the ramifications of going DRM-Free and how this will effect eBook piracy. Will readers embrace Saga just because its DRM-Free? Will the media give them kudos and endless free publicity like they did TOR? This all remains to be seen. Simon and Schuster Offers DRM-Free eBooks is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/digital-publishing/simon-and-schuster-offers-drm-free-ebooks

Plastc Card Replaces Credit and Gift Cards using e-Ink

Avid consumers find themselves with a wallet or purse full of credit and gift cards. Startup Plastc is seeking to solve this situation with the advent of the Plastc Card. It utilizes touchscreen e-ink technology and you can add all of your credit, debit, gift and loyalty cards to one single card and flip between them with a single touch. Plastc helps you pay any way and anywhere you want. It features a magnetic stripe and barcode display, your Plastc Card will work in all the places you already frequent. The card employs NFC, Chip and PIN capabilities and you can even attach your photo ID to the card. Within the next few months it will have support for Google Wallet, Apple Pay, PayPal and other payment options. The one cool thing about this new card is that the magnetic stripe and NFC chip are disabled until you select your card, preventing any fraudulent activity. If you end up losing the card, you can remotely wipe all data from it using the official app. So how does this actually work? Well, you need to download the Plastic Companion app for iOS and Android. You can link any of your credit cards, debit cards or gift cards by inputting the numbers into the app. You can also add in a signature and photo ID for those big purchases. Once this is all done, you can use the card at the ATM or when you are shopping. If you have a bunch of cards tied into the Plastc Card, you can just swipe the physical card to scroll between them. While the idea of combining of multiple credit, debit, and gift cards into one secure package may be an enticing tech novelty, the card comes at a price: $155 to preorder. It will not start shipping until summer 2015. It also operates on a rechargeable battery with a 30-day charge. In the end, I think this is one of the coolest uses of e-ink that is not found on a dedicated e-reader like a Kindle or Nook. Plastc Card Replaces Credit and Gift Cards using e-Ink is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/e-paper/plastc-card-replaces-credit-and-gift-cards-using-e-ink

Fire HD and HDX: How to Use & Install Chrome Web Browser (Video)

I’ve been working on the review for the Fire HD 6 and I’ve come to the conclusion that the so-called “improvements” to the built in Silk web browser aren’t enough to keep me interested. So yesterday I decided to install a better web browser. There are a number of Android browsers that can be sideload […]

URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/MECZnqb21dA/

Subscribe to the Raspberry Pi in Education Newsletter

As an educational charity, education is at the heart of what we do here at Raspberry Pi. This year has seen the education team grow in number, resulting in the development of our new learning and teaching materials (a set of resources we’re adding to all the time), a free teacher training programme (Picademy), the introduction of competitions like the Poster Competition and the current Sonic Pi competition, all at the same time as running and participating in outreach events across the globe. Spot Raspberry Pi Edu team members from Picademy cohort 4! We often contribute posts to this blog to inform you, our wonderful community, about what we have been up to, and about future developments; and you often respond and interact with us to help us improve. To help us inform teachers, school IT administrators, governors, head teachers, home educators and parents about what’s up in the world of Raspberry Pi in education, we have created a new email newsletter to keep educators and other interested folk up to date on all of our projects. Our inaugural issue of the newsletter You can sign up for our newsletter here, and enjoy a monthly email penned by one of the Raspberry Pi Education Team. It is super easy to both subscribe and unsubscribe to the newsletter, and we shall be keeping an archive of all issues on the education page of the website. We promise never to use your email address for spam, and we promise never to sell it, fold, bend, spindle or mutilate it. Go and sign up – we think you’ll find it really useful!

URL: http://www.raspberrypi.org/raspberrypi-education-newsletter/

Archie Meets Predator – A Battle for the Ages

Archie Comics has been undergoing a resonance the last few years, as the comic company tries to diversify its target audience. They introduced the openly gay character Keven Keller and tapped into our infatuation with Zomibes with Afterlife with Archie. What would happen if Archie married Betty or Veronica? Life with Archie chronicles the quintessential What If scenario. The next chapter in Archie comics has just been announced and it involves the Predator. Jesse ‘the body’ Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger famously battled the Predator in the 1980’s classic. Since then, the franchise has spawned many sequels, mash-ups and comic books. The next comic book hero to take on the Predator is Riverdales favorite son. Dark Horse Comics and Archie Comics are combining two popular franchises for Archie Meets Predator, a four-issue series coming in spring 2015 by writer Alex de Campi, that puts Archie and the gang in the alien hunter’s sights while they’re on spring break in Costa Rica. It all starts with Jughead winning a vacation prize from a lucky bag of chips and hi-jinks start to ensue when Betty runs off into the Jungle after losing a “Best Dressed” contest with Veronica. In an interview with the USA Today de Campi said “Let’s take this gentle, beloved, classic teen cast and hunt them down and slaughter them one by one. Seriously, if you wouldn’t jump at the chance to write something like this, you need your head examined.” Archie meeting other entertainment properties is nothing new. It all started with 1994’s “Archie Meets the Punisher” crossover with Marvel Comics, and continued in 2011’s “Archie Meets KISS.” Archie Meets Predator – A Battle for the Ages is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/digital-comic-news/archie-meets-predator-a-battle-for-the-ages

$79 Kindle Review and Video Walkthrough

Amazon’s new Kindle arrived at the beginning of the month. Last week I posted a first impressions review, and now I’ve got the full 2014 Kindle review posted. It includes a video walkthrough showing the new Kindle’s hardware and software in action, there are a few pictures, and a list of all the Kindle-related software […]

URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/_L7vhRPHtuE/

Collection Highlights: Trending Titles for October

Learn about some of our favorite new eBook and audiobook releases in OverDrive Collection Highlights: Trending Titles for October. We’ll also introduce you to some of the latest additions to OverDrive Marketplace, including new Chinese publishers, educational content, and streaming video for kids and adults. Interested in any of the titles you see? Click the links in the presentation to be taken right to the featured content in OverDrive Marketplace. Note: For the best audio experience, we recommend watching this presentation in Chrome.   Carrie Smith is a Technical Writer at OverDrive.

URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalDistributionBlogOverdrive/~3/HZv3rs_wsMw/

Video – Amazon Fire Phone Review

The Amazon Fire phone is getting skewed heavily in the smartphone world and the average rating on the main Amazon website is a paltry two out of five stars. This device is basically a gateway to shopping on Amazon and Prime members ultimately benefit the most from having his as their primary handset. How relevant is the Fire Phone in Canada or outside of the US? Today, Peter does a hands on video review to see if this phone is solid or not. If you have ever heard of the Fire phone before, no worries. It is primary marketed to the US and UK. It is notable for its hallmark feature “Dynamic Perspective”: using four front-facing cameras and the gyroscope to track the user’s movements, the OS adjusts the UI so that it gives the impression of depth and 3D. Other notable Amazon services on the phone include X-Ray, used for identifying and finding information about media; Mayday, the 24-hour customer service tool; and Firefly, a tool that automatically recognizes text, sounds, and objects then offers a way to buy it through Amazon’s online store. Amazon is really hyping the 4.7 inch IPS display that is optimized to using it outdoors. How does this really perform in real world tests? As an added bonus, Peter does an outdoor reading test, using the Kindle app. Video – Amazon Fire Phone Review is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/good-e-reader-videos/video-amazon-fire-phone-review

Snapchat Photos Stolen and Leaked

It seems Snapchat is the latest victim in what is becoming a long line of apps and services experiencing security breaches and compromises, though it’s a little confusing just how or where it happened. What we do know is that a 13GB database of private user photographs is circulating around the Internet (which translates into as many as 200,000 images now public in 4chan and other forums). They could have come directly from the Snapchat client Snapsave, or from SnapSaved.com, both options allowing users to save the photos and videos they view. So far, Snapchat is denying they have anything to do with it: “We can confirm that Snapchat’s servers were never breached and were not the source of these leaks. Snapchatters were victimized by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our Terms of Use precisely because they compromise our users’ security. We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed.” There is a saying somewhere about pointing fingers at others resulting in them being pointed back at you… but it could be the truth as well. Either way, reading about these security breeches should teach you one very important lesson: don’t take photographs of things you wouldn’t like other people to see. As you can imagine, it isn’t the photographs of what you had for supper that people are looking to peek at. Snapchat tries to help maintain a user’s privacy by alerting the sender if the recipient takes a screenshot of their photo, but many third-party apps can circumvent this feature; and while they actively search for and report these apps, it is near impossible for them to keep up. Snapchat Photos Stolen and Leaked is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/spotlight-on-android/snapchat-photos-stolen-and-leaked

Dragon Quest II Goes Mobile with Android App

The celebrated Dragon Quest series has gone mobile once again with the second installment of the series arriving on Android and iOS this week. Fans of the franchise should feel very fortunate as they have only been waiting a month since the first volume hit the Google Play store last month. Developed by the famed Square Enix, Dragon Quest II bring the fair lands and foul dungeons made famous by the classic RPG to your mobile devices! Picking up where the first episode left off, you are forced to restore peace to a land on the verge of ruin thanks to demon hosts summoned by the fallen High Priest Hargon. Dragon Quest II is an open-world adventure game, within which you are free to wander monster-infested dungeons or sail the seas; all the while, discovering more powerful abilities, treasures, and gaining the experience you need to succeed. It never ceases to amaze me how accurately sophisticated RPG style strategy games translate to touch-screen mobile devices, but Dragon Quest II doesn’t disappoint. The game’s controls are very easy to get the hang of and can be repositioned on the screen to accommodate your preference between one or two-handed play (which works well for those of us who cut our teeth on console games with a more traditional controller). If you are dying to devote some gameplay time Dragon Quest II, grab it now from the Google Play Store for $4.99 USD. Don’t let the price tag scare you off –the game is challenging and the storyline complex enough that you will turn to it time and again for entertainment. Dragon Quest II Goes Mobile with Android App is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/spotlight-on-android/dragon-quest-ii-goes-mobile-with-android-app

Moving pictures

Earlier this year, we blogged about a shampoo ad that was running in the Swedish subway. A Pi hooked up to a motion sensor triggered a video effect on a billboard, so the model’s hair blew around in what looked like a response to the wind created every time a train came into the station. Swedish ad agency Garberg have done something similar to that original project – but this time something’s different (and all their work on this ad has been pro bono). This has become the most-viewed video in Sweden this week, and it brought us all up short. We think it’ll have the same effect on you.

URL: http://www.raspberrypi.org/moving-pictures/

OverDrive’s statement about Adobe Digital Editions privacy concerns

On Tuesday morning, OverDrive became aware of the story regarding Adobe collecting user information via the use of their desktop reading software, Adobe Digital Editions. Adobe has since released a response, which can be read in full here, explaining both the purpose of this data collection and its usage. We respect and uphold the privacy of users who engage with OverDrive's services and library websites hosted by OverDrive. It is our understanding that the reported issue involves Adobe Digital Editions 4, which is not used as part of the OverDrive app. OverDrive collects information to improve the manner by which OverDrive operates and offers its products and services, and to improve how OverDrive communicates with users about those products and services. To see the full detail of what information OverDrive collects and how it is used, visit our OverDrive App Privacy Policy and OverDrive Privacy Policy. We are actively monitoring the situation, and will continue to update our partners and users as more information becomes available.

URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalDistributionBlogOverdrive/~3/Pdpiqqd9U8w/

Amazon Plans New Pop-Up Store in Manhattan

Amazon has been toying with the idea of a physical brick and motor store for quite awhile. The Seattle based company is taking the first few tentative steps towards retail by opening a temporary pop up store on 34th Street in Manhattan across the street from the Empire State Building just in time for this year’s holiday season. The experimental pop-up store will function as a small warehouse, holding limited inventory for same-day deliveries only in New York. If a customer orders a product online, they can visit the store and pick it up in person. The store also intends on showing off the complete modern lineup of Kindle e-Readers, tablets, smartphones and Fire TV. This will give customers a chance to play with the tech in person and have experienced reps to walk people through the key features. Amazon will also be selling the hardware and running daily contests. Amazon has been experimenting with temporary retail locations since December 2013, when it ran one in San Francisco. During the summer of 2014 Amazon took the show on the road to China and went to a series of locations in Shanghai and Beijing. If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, says the old adage. Media and customers will likely be flocking to this retail outlet to gain insight on how Amazon does brick and motor. Amazon Plans New Pop-Up Store in Manhattan is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/amazon-plans-new-pop-up-store-in-manhattan

Kobo to Exclusively Focus on e-Readers and Apps

Kobo has experimented with many iterations of Android driven tablets, but has decided that their primary focus is going to be e-readers and apps. The brand new Kobo H2O waterproof e-reader started shipping last week and CEO Michael Tamblyn said had achieved the highest rate of pre-orders of any other Kobo device. However, he also revealed tablet devices were no longer a focus area for the company. Instead, it will concentrate on three main e-reader models, the Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura and the new H2O. Kobo has been developing tablets since 2011, with the advent of the Kobo Vox. The Toronto based company has done a number of followups, such as the Kobo Arc, Kobo Arc 7 and Kobo Arc 10 HD. Increased competition from notable vendors such as Apple, Amazon Samsung and Sony have relegated Kobo branded tablets to a novelty and not a must buy. Tamblyn verified the exit of the tablet market by confirming “The tablet devices we already have out there will continue to be sold, but we are not at this point planning any new tablets.” Kobo scored a major coup de tat when it reached an agreement with Sony to take over their digital book business. This resulted in over 25,000 new customers coming over to the Kobo ecosystem. Going forward, Sony has promised that their new smartphones and tablets will have the Kobo reading app pre-installed. The future of Kobo looks bright. The company is focusing their energies on marketing their complete line of e-readers to international markets and refining their apps for Android and iOS. There really isn’t any need anymore to spend a copious amount of money, trying to compete against the big boys, when all you need is to have an exciting ecosystem and compelling apps. Kobo to Exclusively Focus on e-Readers and Apps is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/kobo-to-exclusively-focus-on-e-readers-and-apps

Weekly eHighlights: Kids and teens edition

Welcome to this month's eHighlights newsletter for kids and teens. Check back on the second Thursday of every month for a new edition listing some of the best new youth titles added to OverDrive's Marketplace. The featured titles below are some of the best picks, but don't miss the complete list of 200 titles! Click on the link below to see these and even more great purchases conveniently placed for you into a Marketplace cart.   Click here to view the Marketplace cart of these titles and more.   Top Authors: No Annotation Needed— Kami Garcia – Unmarked– YA – Hachette eBook and Blackstone audiobook Robin LaFevers – Mortal Heart ­– YA – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt eBook – His Fair Assassin trilogy, Bk 3 Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple – The Last Changeling – Ages 9-11 – Penguin eBook – Seelie Wars Bk 2 James Patterson & Maxine Paetro – The Paris Mysteries – YA – Hachette eBook and Blackstone audiobook   Picture Books Chris Van Allsburg – The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie– Houghton Mifflin Harcourt eBook Caldecott Medalist Van Allsburg chronicles the bleak existence of Sweetie Pie, a hamster doomed to be passed from child to child as they lose interest in him. Just when things get better and he is adopted by a classroom, he is left outside and forgotten, but is eventually adopted by squirrels. Roger Mader – Tiptop Cat – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt eBook A black cat is given to a Parisian girl as a gift, and in a nearly wordless series of panels, he explores his new surroundings. School Library Journal starred review.   Fiction for Early Readers H. A. Rey – Curious George: Windy Delivery – Ages 5-6 – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt George's friend Bill has a perfect year of delivering newspapers if he can make it through just one more day, but a huge storm makes it impossible for him to ride his bike. Can George help? Joyce Sidman – Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold – Ages 7-8 – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt How do animals survive in the cold winter on the tundra? Poems appear on the left, and facts about the ravens, moose, bees, beavers, wolves and other animals appear on the right. Illustrated by Rick Allen. Kirkus & PW starred reviews. Sidman is a Newbery Honor author.   Middle Grade Fiction Melissa de la Cruz – Stolen – Ages 12-14 – Penguin eBook Nat and her drakon are the last of their kind—sworn to protect what their enemies seek to control—and she’s risked her life for their reunion. But fighting for the majestic Blue meant saying goodbye to Wes, breaking both their hearts. Now Wes has been forced to join the military, and back in New Vegas, they find themselves on opposite sides of the war. Other Land Chronicles, Book 2. Bestselling author. Gail Carriger – Waistcoats & Weaponry– Ages 11-14 – Hachette eBook 14-year-old Sophronia continues her studies at spy finishing school in an alternate England of 1851. This paranormal steampunk series has received great reviews and Carriger is an Alex Award winner. Finishing School, Book the Third. Carrie Ryan and J. P. Davis – The Map to Everywhere – Ages 9-11 – Hachette eBook A brand new fantasy series with lots of potential. Marrill is used to adventure, as she has traveled the world with her parents and never lived in one place for more than six months, but when a pirate ship appears in a parking lot in Arizona and she is stuck aboard, even she is taken aback. Wow…Booklist, Kirkus, School Library Journal, & PW starred reviews! First in a new series.   Teens L. A. Meyer – Wild Rover No More: Being the Last Recorded Account of the Life & Times of Jacky Faber– Houghton Mifflin Harcourt eBook When former pirate Jacky Faber is accused of being a traitor to the United States, she must flee for her life. She disguises herself as a governess for a while, and then joins the circus. All the loose ends from the series set at the turn of the 19th century are neatly tied up, and Jacky takes her leave at age 19. The 12th, and sadly, final, entry in the Bloody Jack series, published posthumously. Kirkus calls it underrated. Stephanie Perkins, Jenny Han, Ally Carter, et al. – My True Love Gave to Me– Macmillan eBook and Books on Tape audiobook Twelve romantic holiday stories by twelve bestselling young adult authors. Edited by Stephanie Perkins. 75,000 print run. Bella Thorne – Autumn Falls – Random House eBook and Books on Tape audiobook A light paranormal romance by teen actress Thorne. When Autumn Falls transfers to a new school, she makes some friends, but also gets on the wrong side of the school's queen bee. As she vents in a journal her father gave her, her wishes begin to come true. Should she use the journal for this purpose? Ben Tripp – The Accidental Highwayman – Macmillan eBook and audiobook An irresistible YA debut in the tradition of classic fairy tales such as Stardust and The Princess Bride—a swashbuckling tale of adventure, magic, and true love. 50,000 print run. Dana Walrath – Like Water on Stone – Random House eBook An unusual novel, written in free verse, uses first multiple first person narratives to tell the horrific story of the Armenian genocide in the early 20th Century. Three quarters of the population, 1.5 million people, were killed. PW & SLJ starred reviews.   Nonfiction Laura Hillenbrand – Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation) – Random House eBook and Books on Tape audiobook An adaptation of the mega-selling book which was made into a movie is a great story for teens. Louis Zamperini had been a clever delinquent as a boy, breaking into houses, brawling, and stealing. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a talent that carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when war came, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown ocean. Booklist starred review. Albert Marrin – Thomas Paine: Crusader for Liberty– Ages 9-15 – Random House eBook This biography of Thomas Paine by well-known author Marrin concentrates mainly on his ideas, though it does cover the basics of his life and sets it into the context of the Enlightenment.   Click here to view the Marketplace cart of these titles and more.   *Geographical rights may vary by title.

URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OverdrivesDigitalLibraryBlog/~3/UiwUCfEGRbU/

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is October’s Free Kindle eBook and Audiobook Pair

Amazon has been giving away a free ebook and audiobook combination each month to help promote their exclusive Whispersync for Voice feature that syncs Kindle ebooks and Audible audiobooks together on Fire tablets and Kindle reading apps for Android and iOS. Now that it’s October, Halloween will be arriving soon, so naturally the free title […]

URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/s_42kR-IPKI/

Meet Our Share Your Story Contest Winner!

Learn more about Diana Ousley, our first ever Facebook Share Your Story contest winner. She's quite an inspiration!

URL: http://blog.gcflearnfree.org/2014/10/09/meet-our-share-your-story-contest-winner/

Chinese Democracy

We were directed to a Facebook page from Hong Kong this week. It’s been set up by one of the people involved in the peaceful demonstrations that are being called the Umbrella Revolution, protesting about Beijing’s insistence on vetting and controlling the list of candidates for they city’s Chief Executive, effectively preventing free elections in Hong Kong. Our very own Dave Honess is in Hong Kong this week (nothing to do with the demonstrations – he’s gone to see some Hong Kong friends for a holiday that’s been planned for a long time). He tweeted these pictures on arriving: Up the revolution! #hongkongdemocracy pic.twitter.com/bEdDymJAWR — David Honess (@dave_spice) October 2, 2014 These guys got into formation when a Police van tried to drive through #hongkongdemocracypic.twitter.com/hh3SDZq4ef — David Honess (@dave_spice) October 3, 2014 Eben and I were also in Hong Kong a little while before the demonstrations started, talking to some components suppliers after our press and community tour of China and Taiwan, and visiting friends – the mood was sombre, and many of the people we spoke to were expressing grave concern about what’s next for Hong Kong. Hong Kong is much on our minds here at Raspberry Pi at the moment, and we wish all our friends in the city the very best. So then. Why am I blogging about Hong Kong? It all comes back to that Facebook page I mentioned up at the top: it’s been set up to host time-lapse footage of the enormous pro-democracy crowds that have been gathering in Central since September 26. And that footage has been collected using a Raspberry Pi and a webcam, all set up in a biscuit tin and secured with duct tape. Here’s one of the videos taken by the apparatus last week. This footage is incredible – you can see more videos from the biscuit tin on Vimeo. What more can we say? This sort of application of the Raspberry Pi, which is as simple as anything (you can learn how to make your own time-lapse camera here in our learning resources section), is an extraordinary leap from what we originally intended the Pi to be – a device to teach school kids computer science. Making technology cheap and accessible has some applications that go way beyond education.

URL: http://www.raspberrypi.org/chinese-democracy/