Disqus - Latest Comments for Scurzuzu

Re: Clipping Limit Exceeded: Should eBooks Restrict Your Ability To Copy & Paste? - GalleyCat

Chris Walters — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:18:43 -0000

Hachette did this to me on a recent copy of "Live From New York" that I bought from the Kindle store. However, instead of severely restricting the amount I could highlight, they turned the feature off completely! This seems a clear violation of the fair use doctrine, but I'm sure Hachette's decision makers are perfectly happy to flout said doctrine so long as they can get away with it.

I got a refund on the book (thanks to Amazon's policy, not the publisher's). But what's really pathetic for the publisher is I already owned the book in hardcover, and actually bought it a second time so I could have a digital version. Why punish that sort of consumer behavior?!?

Unless you're a idiot, you know full well that almost anyone can strip Kindle DRM in 30 seconds, so I strongly doubt the no-highlights policy has anything to do with piracy. It's a deliberate attempt to restrict normal usage, in order to create new revenue streams later. And it's asinine. It drives good consumers to gray- and black-market file sharing sites out of frustration and/or anger.

Re: Why You Should Care About the iPhone Location-Tracking Issue

Chris Walters — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:34:49 -0000

Hey was your one-day Nevada "trip" in late October 2010? I just reviewed my location history, and although I was never in Nevada in all of 2010, there's one day where apparently my phone traveled up and down a short stretch of highway directly northeast of Las Vegas.

I can't decide if my phone was cloned, or if AT&T was doing some sort of network test and using my info (what?), or if the info is just being reported inaccurately. But I'm intrigued that you also got an incorrect Nevada location.

Also, I think this should be made more public. If the information isn't accurate, there's no way it should be trusted by law enforcement officials. They need to be educated on this matter so they don't falsely think it's reliable.

Re: Have you read your Kindle book since you published it with Smashwords?

Chris Walters — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:22:50 -0000

While it's true that Smashwords doesn't distribute to Kindle, the company still produces a Kindle-friendly mobi file and labels it the "Kindle" version in the download list, so I think your advice is sound, Steven. If you're supplying a mobi file via Smashwords you should still view it from within the Kindle ecosystem to make sure it looks correct.

Specifically, my advice to anyone publishing in mobi format is to download Amazon's free Kindle Previewer (Google "amazon kindle previewer 1.5"). This is not the commercial app that consumers use, but the Java-based(?) developers' app that lets you test your file on the same OS as the Kindle hardware. I have no idea if it's available outside the U.S. but it's the best way to check your work without buying a Kindle.

But really I wanted to comment to answer your final question about Smashwords! I just had my first experience using Meatgrinder earlier this month, and I was horrified by both the loss of control and the errors it introduced. Everything about Meatgrinder is wrong from the pre-publication side of things: the Microsoft Word format requirement, the way you can't predict exactly how the formatting will turn out, and most of all the quality of the final output.

I get that it's hard to create a conversion tool that's simple enough for a general audience to use, yet robust enough to create good multiple formats. But Smashwords' solution makes everything look bad.

They could, of course, simply allow savvier authors to upload valid epub and mobi files, but they won't. (I believe Smashwords is rolling out that capability now but only to select commercial publishers, not individual authors.) Sigh, maybe someday...

Re: Best iPhone Apps for Writing - eBookNewser

Chris Walters — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:28:02 -0000

My favorite is PlainText from Hog Bay Software. It's designed to integrate with a DropBox account, so you always have access to your files whether on the desktop or on an iPad/iPhone.

I find iA Writer's interface just barely more elegant than PlainText, but PlainText wins me over because of the terrific syncing options.

(Oh, if you use Scrivener on the OS X platform then PlainText plays well with that, too, which makes for a serviceable "portable Scrivener" experience.)

Re: BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Gets eBook Edition - eBookNewser

Chris Walters — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:10:51 -0000

Or savvy consumers can save their $10 for something else, and simply go to the first link in your post and download the report for free. The free version is in PDF format, but if you absolutely need an EPUB or MOBI format you can convert it using free software such as Calibre.

Re: How to make the most of Kindle 2.5.2

Chris Walters — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:21:53 -0000

@Joel: That's a cool trick of the password protection. I'll add it to the post.

@Elisa: Thanks for the correction. I've updated the post.

@Gabor: Interesting--I have the older U.S. version and the update Amazon offered on their site only went up to 2.5.2. I'll keep watching to see what happens.

Re: Where’s that Kindle 2.5 update?

Chris Walters — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:04:51 -0000

@Chris: Me too -- I just updated it and created my first collection. Finally, some order to things!

Re: Free Screens

Chris Walters — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 11:13:06 -0000

@"ebook readers" -

The existing hack has a version specifically for the DX. Look here for instructions and a download link.

http://wiki.mobileread.com/...

However, if you've recently been updated to the new 2.5 software update from Amazon, the current hack won't work as far as I know. You'll have to wait until someone comes up with a version that works on 2.5 devices.

Re: Agency seems (to me) to be working; I hope it’s legal

Chris Walters — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:04:34 -0000

Can you explain your second to last par. a little more? I'm not sure I understand the "location location location" aspect and how that works in the digital marketplace. In my mind, location is important with brick & mortar because, well, it's a physical space and that matters when it comes to foot/car traffic, congestion, neighborhood, etc. But online, what's the added value an Amazon can bring to digital bookselling over a Barnes & Noble or Kobo, other than customer service and pricing, neither of which fit the "location" category?

I understand that in today's online marketplace, many websites can participate as affiliates to Amazon and pick up scrap revenue in the form of sales commission. The downside is lower profit, but the up side is zero overhead--even returns are handled upstream.

I can imagine that if I ran ("curated"?) a single-topic blog, and a publisher used Agency to let me sell topical titles at the same price as Amazon, and the publisher took care of the shopping cart back-end as well as after-sale customer service, then that would make me more money.

However--and this is where I get confused--I don't see how that is a higher-value offering for the consumer. Because in the non-Agency model I can still have that website and still offer that book through a retailer's affiliate program, and although I might make less money, the consumer will potentially pay less owing to special discounts by the retailer.

Re: Don’t believe the hype about lending ebooks on the Barnes & Noble nook

Chris Walters — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:38:30 -0000

Really? They give out all this info on their site? It's been nearly 7 months since I posted about this, and the B&N Nook page still has the exact same text about lending ebooks as what's in the screencap I posted above (although now they've added "Beta" to the icon).

There's still no asterisk and still no link to the fine print. That fine print is crucial in understanding this feature, because it's an incredibly limited feature. You can't just "loan" any ebook out to friends, and on the titles you can lend, the feature is permanently disabled after one attempt. None of this is being made clear to first time shoppers who aren't savvy to how restrictive and anti-consumer some publishers are when it comes to ebooks.

So I disagree with your assertion. The company is still trying to hide the way it works, which is unfortunate. To get the details on how this feature works, you have to click four links in a row from the front page: The FAQ, then the Getting Started Guide, then the Managing Your Library section, then the "How Does LendMe Work?" header. All that instead of simply a "more info" link from the font page, or a rollover link that would pop up a small box with fine print.

Re: Firefox Losing Early Adopters to Chrome - Will Mainstream Users Follow?

Chris Walters — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:36:44 -0000

I basically agree with Ben (#18) that both Firefox and Chrome have deficiencies. Firefox 3.6.3 runs fine on my underpowered netbook, but the version before this last significant upgrade was a beast that constantly froze.

I switched to Chrome and it was terrific, except sometime in the past month Chrome started crawling whenever I would visit a Gmail page--yes of all things, Google's flagship cloud service on their own browser.

So I switched back to Firefox, upgraded to 3.6.3, and crossed my fingers. For now it's the better browser on my netbook. I'm sure within 3-6 months a Firefox update will cause it to suck, and hopefully by then Chrome will be updated and faster.

It's tiresome switching back and forth. Maybe I should just buy a faster netbook, eh?

Re: Add a free dictionary to Kindle for PC

Chris Walters — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:56:18 -0000

@Dehbi: I agree, it's a strange licensing term. The company says that their goal is to make the software affordable (i.e. free) for people who can't afford to buy it, but to also provide an incentive for others to cut back on the amount of air travel they do in order to cut back on air pollution.

If you don't travel much, it's a non-issue. However, their licensing agreement states that you can go ahead and install the dictionary and use the software now, and if you go over this air travel limit in the future at some point, then you'll agree to uninstall it or pay the $30 registration fee then.

Here's the page on their site that explains their position: http://wordweb.info/free/li...

Re: Amazon introduces two more Kindle apps

Chris Walters — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:23:20 -0000

@Timothy: You're right, I overlooked that entirely. I've just tested a photo book on Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone and color photos appear as you described. I've updated the post.

Where did you find the information about the home screen changing based on the time of day? Is there a video demo somewhere I can embed for readers?

Thanks - Chris

Re: iPhone app review: Zombieville

Chris Walters — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:53:03 -0000

Good point - I've added the price to the bottom. Thx

Re: Free Screens

Chris Walters — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:33:15 -0000

@Donna: I can't tell you exactly because I don't have a Kindle DX, but I would suggest this route:

1. Make sure you've updated your Kindle to the latest firmware version: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200324680&#manual

2. Try these instructions from MobileRead: http://bit.ly/mobile-read-k...

Re: Fairy tale screens: “Hansel & Gretel” and “Rapunzel”

Chris Walters — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:52:16 -0000

@Debra: Thanks for the compliment. As to how I made them, I just drew the cartoons around the words. I actually made a bunch of text clouds at Wordle first using the same text but experimenting with settings. Then when I found a grouping that sparked some visual image in my mind, I saved it and used it for the drawing. It's been a while, but I think I may have deleted some stray words in both cases in order to create a more precise silhouette.

I drew the cartoons in Photoshop or GIMP (I forget which computer I was on) using a cheap graphic tablet & pen that I think I found on sale somewhere for, like, $30.

The even cheaper low-tech option, of course, is to print it out, draw over it, scan it back in, and ta-dah you have a new screensaver!

Re: A Look at Google Books

Chris Walters — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:19:45 -0000

I don't understand why I should support blocking Google's for-profit project on the grounds that other companies have failed to develop competing services--that sounds like the very definition of stifling innovation. The accusation that this creates a monopoly seems deliberately misleading, since other companies could also scan and create such collections (which they too could monetize).

Re: Nokia N900 photo samples: It’s a gorgeous interface

Chris Walters — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:31:12 -0000

I don't mean to derail the conversation, but as I'm the only commenter for now, I'll give it a go:

Is "butter me in treacle and call me Susan" a commonly used phrase? Or did you create it by semi-randomly assembling familiar words/phrases into a grammatically correct sentence?

I am fascinated by it.

Also: I gave up entirely on Nokia devices in February 2009 and switched to an iPhone, and have been about 98% happy with my decision. I owned the original Nokia 770 internet tablet and cursed it daily, but I have to say all this enthusiasm I'm hearing for the N900 (so far from you, from Wired's Gadgetlab) is starting to stir my nerd-loins in Nokia's direction again.

I just don't know if I can forgive them for lagging on phone OSes for the past few years. But man on man, what I wouldn't give to have access to my mobile device's file system once again. (The iPhone thinks I can't handle that much responsibility.)

Re: Google+Wave+And+The+Dawn+Of+Passive-Aggressive%26nbsp%3BCommunication

Chris Walters — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:06:58 -0000

I agree with billy buddy. It's definitely catchy--it's what got me to click through and read the post, after all. But that was because I initially thought, "Oh cripes, how is this guy going to argue that Wave enables people to communicate dysfunctionally?" Then I realized that you meant something else entirely.

I think "passive aggressive" is a phrase that is largely meaningless to part of the population, but has a very specific meaning to people familiar with its origin and clinical use. I'd avoid it.

"Passive/Active" may not be catchy enough, but I bet you can come up with another even better term that doesn't confuse your meaning.

Re: Touchnote goes iPhone

Chris Walters — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:40:39 -0000

I've been using the app Shoot It! on my iPhone to send real world postcards. I'm in the U.S. and it costs $.99 per card here, $1.29 to mail from the US to UK, and $1.49 to mail to Western Europe.

It may not be ideal for iPhone owners outside the U.S., but it's a much cheaper alternative if you're in the States.

https://www.shootit.com/faqs.aspx

Disclosure: I am a satisfied customer only, and in no way am affiliated with them.

Re: Touchnote goes iPhone

Chris Walters — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:40:39 -0000

Re: Refurbed Kindles drop to $150! (They still kind of suck, though.)

Chris Walters — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:15:41 -0000

My anti-Kindle (not Amazon) bias was never hidden. I think the Kindle does a lot of stuff very right--the store experience is amazing and I have spent a lot of $$$ on it--but you really don't own any book when you buy from the Amazon Kindle store. They're very misleading about it, and I suspect most Kindle owners don't grasp this because it's sort of confusing.

Re: iPhone Dethrones Rebel XTi as Most Popular Camera on Flickr

Chris Walters — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:32:13 -0000

Also, if you want to email full rez photos to some account somewhere, use the copy/paste functionality in your Photos album. If you just hit the send to email button, the iPhone will reduce the resolution to make them email-friendly. If you copy and paste the photos into an email, they'll remain full-size.

Re: iPhone Dethrones Rebel XTi as Most Popular Camera on Flickr

Chris Walters — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:30:28 -0000

@lolbrandon and @Brian X. Chen: Unfortunately, Flickit's max resolution for uploads is 1600x1200, so it's not the best solution if you have a 3GS.

I used to use Shozu on my Nokia phones and liked it, but it costs $5 on the iPhone, no thanks.

So my suggestion is Pixelpipe. It's free. You have to put in a little extra work up front to set up an account and connect it with Flickr, but the interface is great (not as nice as Flickit's but good enough) and it will upload full resolution pics.

Re: Free download: Nurse Jackie from Showtime

Chris Walters — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:27:00 -0000

@Tim Wilcox:

I've posted a possible solution here:

http://kindlerama.com/how-t...

Good luck.