Two organizations, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and non-profit policy advocates Public Knowledge, have submitted their recommendations to the US Copyright Office to establish fair use guidelines for so-called orphan works, or any work whose rights holders cannot be identified through extensive means.Orphan works are those whose rights holders cannot be located, … [Read more...] about Groups Advocate for Fair-Use Access to Orphaned Works
Archives for May 2014
Smashwords Wins Inaugural Self-Publishing Service Award from ALLi
The Alliance of Independent Authors is an advocacy organization that works to further self-publishing in the book industry. One of the many ways the group works for authors is in providing up-to-date and continuous information as resources for authors. As part of its Choosing a Self-Publishing Service 2014 guide, Alli examined the opportunities authors have for assistance in … [Read more...] about Smashwords Wins Inaugural Self-Publishing Service Award from ALLi
BookCon Aims to Connect Readers Directly with Publishers
The publishing industry has put forth a focused effort in the last few years to try to engage directly with readers in order to not have to rely on major retailers to sell their content. So far, those efforts have lagged, largely due to the effort already involved in book discovery. Finding great new reads is already a chore for consumers, but efforts such as having publisher … [Read more...] about BookCon Aims to Connect Readers Directly with Publishers
Will the Hachette/Amazon Battle Encourage Authors to Self-Publish?
Amazon and Hachette are currently doing battle in establishing a new publishing contract. This is preventing pre-orders from upcoming titles from being processed and hundreds of current books have five week delivery dates. Authors rely on digital distribution from Amazon to garner book sales and sometimes their livelihood depends on it. Â Self-publishers do not have to normally … [Read more...] about Will the Hachette/Amazon Battle Encourage Authors to Self-Publish?
The Evolution of the Kobo eReader – In Pictures
Kobo has been making e-readers since 2010 and diversified into tablets in 2011. Their earliest e-ink devices were fairly basic and through dedication to reading their latest models are very solid. Today, we look at the evolution of the Kobo brand and how their e-Readers have changed overtime.The Kobo e-Reader The first Kobo e-Reader became available in … [Read more...] about The Evolution of the Kobo eReader – In Pictures
Use Daily by Buffer to Discover and Share New Social Media Content
We're all addicted to social media, some of us more than others, and it can be a little daunting to juggle accounts with all the biggies like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and App.net. Luckily for us, apps like Buffer exist to let you leverage content to be shared easily across all of your accounts. To further compliment their existing app, the company has released Daily by … [Read more...] about Use Daily by Buffer to Discover and Share New Social Media Content
Samsung Files Suite of Patents for Next Generation of Android Wear
In this brave new world filled with patent disputes and court cases, it's hard to care about news that Samsung has a few new ideas that they want to retain credit for and control over --but with wearable technology being the latest exciting thing, new applications give us hints as to what we might expect to see in the next generation of products. If this is true, Samsung may … [Read more...] about Samsung Files Suite of Patents for Next Generation of Android Wear
Important Holiday Reads in Remembrance
While Memorial Day has typically grown into a day of picnics and discount furniture sales, a resurgence in a true observance of the holiday has evolved in recent years. As one of the longest-standing observance holidays, Memorial Day--once known as Decoration Day--grew out of the need for national cemeteries to bury the fallen from the deadliest war in US history, the Civil … [Read more...] about Important Holiday Reads in Remembrance
BookExpo Kicks Off This Week with the IDPF Conference
The IDPF, of International Digital Publishing Forum, is on a mission to be the bridge between what the publishing industry has known about its business for the past few centuries, and where books and bookselling is headed. For the past many years, IDPF has conducted a one-day conference just prior to the official opening of the largest publishing industry event in the world, … [Read more...] about BookExpo Kicks Off This Week with the IDPF Conference
Le Monde Digital Newspaper Strategy Flounders
Le Monde, the largest newspaper in France is resisting modernizing their digital presence and has driven away editor Natalie Nougayrède. She had been working for the paper for over 14 months and her staff basically revolted over her mandate to redesign the newspaper and their line of apps. The deciding factor that contributed to her demise was the transferring of more than 50 … [Read more...] about Le Monde Digital Newspaper Strategy Flounders
Simpsons Tapped Out Review
Electronic Arts released the Simpsons Tapped Out game a few years ago. This game has spawned a number of city building clones, such as Family Guy - Quest for Stuff. The premise of the game is Homer inadvertently destroying Springfield in a nuclear disaster. Your job is to rebuild the city in any image you see fit.Simpsons is the longest running cartoon in history and has a … [Read more...] about Simpsons Tapped Out Review
Family Guy – Quest for Stuff Review
Family Guy - Quest for Stuff is the latest city building game based on Simpsons Tapped Out. The gameplay consists of rebuilding Quahog in any way you deem fit. You'll be laying down roads, rebuilding houses and businesses from the show, and sending your favorite characters off to do various tasks in an attempt to earn currency to build up Quahog bigger and better than it was … [Read more...] about Family Guy – Quest for Stuff Review
Unlock Your Phone Just By Picking It Up Using NFC
We've all heard a thing or two about NFC (near-field communication) --but Adafruit has come up with one of the most clever and convenient uses for the technology: unlocking your device just by picking it up! When you think about how many times a day you swipe or tap in your password, the appeal is impossible to ignore.The way it works is simple: keep an NFC tag close by … [Read more...] about Unlock Your Phone Just By Picking It Up Using NFC
Google Now Allows Reminders Set Entirely By Voice
If you aren't using Google Now on your Android device, you should start immediately (after you finish reading this post, of course). Boasting itself as the service that offers you 'the right information at just the right time', Google Now is the personal assistant most of us do not have the luxury of employing. With the latest update, you can do even more with your voice, … [Read more...] about Google Now Allows Reminders Set Entirely By Voice
eBook Review: Basil Instinct by Shelley Costa
Verdict: 5 StarsAs far as the genre known as "cozy mysteries" goes--dead guy, yes, psychopathic serial killer, no--there are a host of authors out there crafting really fun story lines and developing settings and characters that speak to a broad audience of whodunnit fans. These books typically run in a series so that fans can get a real feel for the backstory involved in … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Basil Instinct by Shelley Costa