License
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May
17
2016
Then (this morning):
Now (tomorrow morning):
Header image CC Clemens v. Vogelsang
NCompass Live: Alexa, what’s an Amazon Echo?
Mar
26
2015
Considering how bad my voice got by the time the hour was up, I think this went as well as it could.
Full show details available @
Posted in Internet, Tech, video Tagged with: amazon, echo, ncomplive, voice
On the Next Tech Talk: Alexa, what’s an Amazon Echo?
Mar
04
2015
In this month’s Tech Talk (March 23rd) I will be performing a live demonstration of the Amazon Echo, a voice-controlled personal assistant, radio, and information device. I’ll also use the Echo as a jumping off point for a discussion of other current and future voice-controlled technology.
In this monthly feature of NCompass Live, the NLC’s Technology Innovation Librarian, Michael Sauers, will discuss the tech news of the month and share new and exciting tech for your library. There will also be plenty of time in each episode for you to ask your tech questions. So, bring your questions with you, or send them in ahead of time, and Michael will have your answers.
Register for free @
Another view on the Amazon/Hachette battle
Jun
20
2014
I don’t agree with everything Hugh has to say on this issue but he’s definitely got a few things right and there’s plenty more to consider. For example:
A few weeks ago, I speculated that Hachette might be fighting Amazon for the power to price e-books where they saw fit, or what is known as Agency pricing. That speculation was confirmed this week in a slide from Hachette’s presentation to investors: [right]
So, no more need to speculate over what this kerfuffle is about. Hachette is strong-arming Amazon and harming its authors because they want to dictate price to a retailer, something not done practically anywhere else in the goods market. It’s something US publishers don’t even do to brick and mortar booksellers. It’s just something they want to be able to do to Amazon.
Read the full post @
This is NOT a “brand new” book
Jun
11
2014
I’m getting really cranky at third-party sellers on Amazon. I’ve learned to expect that many people selling these books are not booksellers and they’ll tend to over-grade their books. So, I try to be careful when I do purchase from third-parties. In this case I chose a seller that’s said (or at least implied by their name) they’re a book store (not just some guy) and listed the book as “Condition: New” and stated “Brand new book!” in the description of the book. Here’s what I got:
A bargain book: This automatically disqualifies it as “new”.
Damage to the top and bottom of the spine. (This may have happened in transit as it was shipped in a padded mailer, and not a box.)
And last but not least: stains on the dj’s spine.
Yeah, I just wanted to vent. Hopefully they’ll give me my money back and maybe even let me keep the book. I’m waiting to hear back from them.
Posted in Books Tagged with: amazon, books, booksellers
Tuesday Tech Tip: How to take screenshots on Kindles
Feb
25
2014
Kindle (formerly known as the Kindle Touch). Press and hold the Home button and then tap anywhere on your screen. As with the Paperwhite, you’ll need to connect to a computer to retrieve the screenshot.- Kindle Keyboard (also Kindle 3 and DX). Press Alt-Shift-G on the keyboard. Pics are stored in the Documents folder. Again, connect to a computer to get to them.
Read all the ways and see a video for the Kindle Paperwhite @
Posted in ebooks, Tech Tagged with: amazon, kindle, screenshots, tips
Kindle Match
Oct
29
2013
So, Kindle Match opened today. In case you haven’t heard, it goes through all of your Amazon print book purchases and offers you eBook versions ranging from $0.00 to $2.99. As you can probably guess, availability is spotty at best. I’ve ordered hundreds of books going back to 1997 and how many eBooks were offered to me? 30. I took the three free ones and don’t plan on buying any of the others. Granted, for this to work Amazon has to work out deals with the publishers and an eBook version needs to exist. So, it’s a start.
Kindle Matchbook
Sep
03
2013
You knew it was going to happen eventually. Buy the book, get the eBook for cheap or free. Looks like Amazon’s going for it in October and calling it Matchbook. What little details there are, can be found @ http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?docId=1001373341.
How Kindle Promotes Bad Book-Reading Hygiene
Jun
09
2013
Morphologically, my Kindle belongs to the genus of handheld devices and tablets more than that of books or libraries. And it’s almost Pavlovian by now to consume on-screen information by briskly clicking, scrolling, or otherwise refreshing a screen when we’re in front of one. It’s what we do during screen time, after all. With my Kindle, this inclination toward novelty and rapid clicking informs my reading. I have a sense of rushing forward in a straight line toward the end.
A mystery or thriller, even by an author I admire such as Laura Lippman, tends to get read on Kindle. This makes sense. Given its bias toward linearity and efficient movement from point A to endpoint B, the Kindle works best for me with plot-driven works, or when I’m reading for the plot, and I have lower expectations for intellectual provocation.
True, nothing prevents me from lingering on Loc. 3274, where I currently find myself in an e-book. In reality, however, it doesn’t happen. My Kindle screen is a cold, ascetic place. I’d no more linger on its page than I’d hang out at an airport security gate, or a dentist’s waiting room. The Kindle’s form invites a more linear reading experience for me than reading a book in hand, which more richly engages all of my senses.
Read the full article @ BigThink.com.
Posted in ebooks Tagged with: amazon, ebooks, kindle, reading
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