Category: Uncategorized

Barnes & Noble: Nook Apps For PC & Mac Discontinued /Promotes Snap Nook Books & Apple’s New Mission Statement

Linda Reimer

Barnes & Noble: Nook Apps For PC & Mac Discontinued/ Promotes Snap Nook Books: Barnes & Noble has finally discontinued supporting its Nook apps for PCs and Macs. Now you can read your B&N Nook e-books through the web browser on your PC or Mac instead of having to download the Nook software.

Here’s a link to an engadget article on the subject titled “Barnes and Noble axes Nook PC, Mac apps, directs you to Nook for Web instead:”

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/11/barnes-noble-nook-for-pc-mac/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

Barnes & Noble is also promoting their “Snap” e-books which are like the Kindle shorts e-books Amazon offers – they are short e-books and can be read in one sitting or in a snap! These short books are frequently written by popular authors like Lee Child and Craig Johnson so they are solid works of short fiction designed for the busy life style – or you can see them simply as a means to introducing readers to an author whose works they are not familiar with at a cheaper than full-length book price – as most Snaps and Shorts costs under $3.

Here’s a link to a Verge article on the subject tilted “Barnes & Noble tries to draw in readers with exclusive Nook Snaps ebooks:”

http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/6/4402486/barnes-noble-tries-to-draw-in-readers-with-exclusive-nook-snaps-ebooks

Apple’s New Mission Statement: Apple came out with new mission statement yesterday; their mission is to simplify and perfect their products so those products delight their customers.

Here a link to an All Things D article that gives you the low down on this lofty subject – it is titled “Apple’s Declaration of Values: Simplify, Perfect, Delight;”

http://allthingsd.com/20130611/apples-declaration-of-values-simplify-perfect-delight/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Cooper, Daniel. (2013, June 11). Barnes and Noble axes Nook PC, Mac apps, directs you to Nook for Web instead. Engadget. Online. Accessed June 11, 2013.

Paczkowski, John. (2013, June 11). Apple’s Declaration of Values: Simplify, Perfect, Delight. All Things D. Online. Accessed June 11, 2013.

Roberts, (2013, June 11). Barnes & Noble tries to draw in readers with exclusive Nook Snaps ebooks. The Verge. Online. Accessed June 11, 2013. 

Apple’s WWDC Keynote Address Highpoints & New Xbox Coming In November

Linda Reimer

Apple’s WWDC Keynote Address Highpoints: Apple kicked off its annual World Wide Developers Conference today and Apple CEO Tim Cook gave the keynote address with assistance from several other upper level Apple staff members. Among the highlights of information relayed in the keynote address include the fact that this fall Apple will update their mobile device operating software to iOS7 which will give iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch models a whole new, fresh and more modern look, the fact that Apple is debuting an Internet radio service called iRadio to compete with Pandora Internet Radio and that SIRI, Apple’s digital assistant for newer iPads, iPods and iPhones will get an update to include better integration and the ability to choose different voices for the personal assistant.

Here’s a link a CNET overview of the iOS7 updated features:

http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-ios-7/

A second link that features a slideshow showing the way  iOS7 will look on the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch:

http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-3671_7-10017110.html

And third link to a report on the updates coming for SIRI Apple’s voice activated personal assistant:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57588315-37/apples-siri-gets-new-voices-display-and-actions/

New Xbox Coming In November: Microsoft announced today, and I’m sure not coincidentally since Apple was releasing some big news today – Microsoft thought they’d try and steal some of Apple’s proverbial thunder but I digress… Microsoft announced that their new Xbox gaming console will be released in November and cost $499.

Here’s a link to PC Magazine article on the subject simply titled Xbox One Coming in November for $499:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420201,00.asp

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Apple’s iOS 7 gets a new look and several new features. CNET. Online. Accessed June 10, 2013.  http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-ios-7/

Greenwald, Walt. (2013, June 10). Xbox One Coming in November for $499. PC Mag. Online.  http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420201,00.asp

Smoother, Cleaner, Flater. CNET . Online. Accessed June 10, 2013.                               http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-3671_7-10017110.html

Tam, Donna. (2013, June 10). Apple’s Siri gets new voices, display and actions: The digital assistant has some new tricks, including car and music integrations. CNET. Online. Accessed June 10, 2013. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57588315-37/apples-siri-gets-new-voices-display-and-actions/

 

Digital Catalog Weekend Suggested Reading, Viewing & Listening June 7 – 9, 2013

Linda Reimer

Here is a list of select Digital Catalog e-books, audios and a video you might enjoy reading, viewing or listening to over the weekend!

E-Books:

Fiction:

Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy: It was a summer of warmth…. Kate Ryan and her husband, John, have a rollicking pub in the Irish village of Mountfern… lovely twelve-year-old twins… and such wonderful dreams…. It was a summer of innocence… but all that is about to change this fateful summer of 1962 when American millionaire Patrick O’Neill comes to town with his irresistible charm and a pocketful of money… when love and hate vie for a town’s quiet heart and old traditions begin to crumble away…. It was a summer of love that would never come again…. A time that has been captured forever in Maeve Binchy’s compelling family drama… a novel you will never forget.

Grave Keeper Series by Margaret Marr: All 4 Grave Keeper books together in one chilly volume of paranormal tales! In book one a war vet named Brody Rush, an EMT, and a waitress rush against the clock to find a young woman before the Creepers steal her last breath. In book two, it’s up to Rush to find a young man before the Creepers reach the grave where one of his relatives is buried. In book three, Helena Page is kidnapped, Rush is blind, and Brody is her only hope to save her from a haunted house that’s driving her mad. In book 4, Rush Bizner encounters ghosts, a monk-like entity, and a woman who desperately seeks to fill the gaps in her memory after a terrible accident. In book 5, Hay County’s new waitress is being stalked by her ex-fiancé, who is determined to scare her to death…

Killman by Graeme Kent: Sister Conchita, the young nun with a flair for detection, is immersed in another Solomon Islands investigation when an islander who claims to be a reincarnation of Noah is drowned outside his ark. To make matters worse, Conchita suspects that the murderer might be a Japanese soldier, still prowling the jungle fifteen years after the end of World War II. Once again she enlists the aid of her friend Sergeant Ben Kella of the Solomon Islands Police Force. Together they try and track down the malevolent Killman, a professional assassin who is introducing a reign of terror to the beautiful but dangerous island of Malaita that they both love so much. This time their perilous quest takes them as far as the wild Polynesian island of Tikopia, the almost legendary tiny island of the four kingdoms.

Non-Fiction:

Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation by Jonathan Rieder: “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here,” declared Martin Luther King, Jr. He had come to that city of racist terror convinced that massive protest could topple Jim Crow. But the insurgency faltered. To revive it, King made a sacrificial act on Good Friday, April 12, 1963: he was arrested. Alone in his cell, reading a newspaper, he found a statement from eight “moderate” clergymen who branded the protests extremist and “untimely.” King drafted a furious rebuttal that emerged as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”-a work that would take its place among the masterpieces of American moral argument alongside those of Thoreau and Lincoln. His insistence on the urgency of “Freedom Now” would inspire not just the marchers of Birmingham and Selma, but peaceful insurgents from Tiananmen to Tahrir Squares. Scholar Jonathan Rieder delves deeper than anyone before into the Letter-illuminating both its timeless message and its crucial position in the history of civil rights. Rieder has interviewed King’s surviving colleagues, and located rare audiotapes of King speaking in the mass meetings of 1963. Gospel of Freedom gives us a startling perspective on the Letter and the man who wrote it: an angry prophet who chastised American whites, found solace in the faith and resilience of the slaves, and knew that moral appeal without struggle never brings justice.

Pinterest Marketing: An Hour a Day by Jennifer Evans Cario: Develop and implement a Pinterest marketing strategy with this step-by-step guide

Pinterest is the fastest-growing social media platform, with more than 80 percent of its users women between the ages of 25 and 54. Learn to reach this desirable market by following the advice in this step-by-step, task-based guide! It explains Pinterest’s unique appeal and fundamentals, then shows how to develop a strategic marketing plan, set up an account, curate winning content, find followers, and track and monitor Pinterest traffic. The popular An Hour a Day format uses a detailed how-to approach with case studies, tips, interviews, and more.

Learn how craft, implement, measure, and optimize a successful Pinterest marketing plan

Children’s Books:

Fish for Jimmy by Katie Yamasaki – Based on One Family’s Experience in a Japanese American Internment Camp: For two boys in a Japanese American family, everything changed when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States went to war. With the family forced to leave their home and go to an internment camp, Jimmy loses his appetite. Older brother Taro takes matters into his own hands and, night after night, sneaks out of the camp and catches fresh fish for Jimmy to help make him strong again. This affecting tale of courage and love is an adaptation of the author’s true family story.

The Nascenza Conspiracy, The Cassaforte Chronicles, Book 3 by V. Briceland: 

Petro Divetri—younger brother of famed sorceress Risa Divetri—just wants to be left alone. His status as one of the seven ruling families in Cassaforte has saddled him with unwanted attention, from bullies as well as from those seeking favors.

So when Petro and his best friend Adrio are sent to far-off Nascenza for the Midsummer High Rites, they swap identities. Their prank goes awry when Adrio, mistaken for Petro, is kidnapped by rebels determined to overthrow the king. With the help of Emilia, a palace guard who wants to prove her worth, Petro must rescue his friend and defeat a political plot that threatens to wipe out all of Cassaforte

Album:

In the Company of Strangers by Robin & Linda Williams

Digital Audio Download Includes:

1. The Hard Country (Robin & Linda Williams)

2. So It Go (Robin & Linda Williams)

3. Rumble (Robin & Linda Williams)

4. Sometime Tomorrow (Robin & Linda Williams)

5. So Long, See You Tomorrow (Robin & Linda Williams)

6. Bar Band In Hillbilly Heaven (Robin & Linda Williams)

7. Allow It (Robin & Linda Williams)

8. This Is the Real Thing (Robin & Linda Williams)

9. The Perfect Country Song (Robin & Linda Williams)

10. Some Peculiar Beast (Robin & Linda Williams)

11. Cold, Cold Heart (Robin & Linda Williams)

12. In the Company of Strangers (Robin & Linda Williams)

Audio Book:

Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails: A Memoir by Anthony Swofford: The publication of Jarhead launched a new career for Anthony Swofford, earning him accolades for its gritty and unexpected portraits of the soldiers who fought in the Gulf War. It spawned a Hollywood movie. It made Swofford famous and wealthy. It also nearly killed him.

Now with the same unremitting intensity he brought to his first memoir, Swofford describes his search for identity, meaning, and a reconciliation with his dying father in the years after he returned from serving as a sniper in the Marines. Adjusting to life after war, he watched his older brother succumb to cancer and his first marriage disintegrate, leading him to pursue a lifestyle in Manhattan that brought him to the brink of collapse. Consumed by drugs, drinking, expensive cars, and women, Swofford lost almost everything and everyone that mattered to him.

When a son is in trouble he hopes to turn to his greatest source of wisdom and support: his father. But Swofford and his father didn’t exactly have that kind of relationship. The key, he realized, was to confront the man-a philandering, once hard-drinking, now terminally ill Vietnam vet he had struggled hard to understand and even harder to love. The two stubborn, strong-willed war vets embarked on a series of RV trips that quickly became a kind of reckoning in which Swofford took his father to task for a lifetime of infidelities and abuse. For many years Swofford had considered combat the decisive test of a man’s greatness. With the understanding that came from these trips and the fateful encounter that took him to a like-minded woman named Christa, Swofford began to understand that becoming a father himself might be the ultimate measure of his life.

Elegantly weaving his family’s past with his own present-nights of excess and sexual conquest, visits with injured war veterans, and a near-fatal car crash-Swofford casts a courageous, insistent eye on both his father and himself in order to make sense of what his military service meant, and to decide, after nearly ending it, what his life can and should become as a man, a veteran, and a father.

Video:

LEARN SLIDE GUITAR WITH 6 GREAT MASTERS!

With a new introduction by Woody Mann

Jazz and blues guitarist Woody Mann learned from the legendary Rev. Gary Davis and then played and recorded with Son House, Bukka White and John Fahey. He has performed throughout the world, recorded over a dozen CDs, and is an internationally renowned guitar teacher.

Six great lessons from the masters of slide guitar:

Lesson 1: Arlen Roth-on open E tuning, slide fundamentals, right & left hand damping

Lesson 2: Lee Roy Parnell-demonstrates open E box patterns, acoustic slide technique and playing the blues

Lesson 3: Mick Taylor-the ex-Rolling Stone shows you standard tuning slide, string damping, playing slide with a pick, and more

Lesson 4: Jay Geils-teaches standard tuning slide, vibrato, and Muddy Waters style

Lesson 5: Greg Martin-covers fingerpicking, standard tuning slide and Duane Allman style

Lesson 6: Warren Haynes-learn lead slide licks, tone & open G tuning from the Allman Bros. guitarist

You’ll never miss a note!

-You see the music and the tablature on screen as it’s being played!

-All right- and left-hand techniques are shown in close-up and with helpful split-screen effects to make learning easy

-Slow motion segments with standard pitch sound

-Artist biographies

-Suggested listening

 

The STLS Digital Catalog may be found on the library’s homepage of SSCLIBRARY.ORG

Or via the following link:

http://stls.lib.overdrive.com/FE5904CF-8A91-4688-A592-7A046C7988D3/10/536/en/Default.htm

And if you have an app device look for the OverDrive Media Console app in your app store – it is the app that will allow you to check out free library e-books and audio books and download them to your tablet or smartphone.

Digital Catalog music and video titles must currently be downloaded to a Windows computer to enjoy.

Have a great weekend!

Linda R.

 

High Tech Glasses For The Visually Impaired, Update On The DOJ v. Apple E-Book Case, Amazon Brings Back Kindle DX, Cornell’s New Technology School & Librarian & Blogger David Lee King’s Tale On A Recent E-Book Conference

Linda Reimer

Wow talk about your tech news for the day! The cool tech articles I came across today were many! And the ones I selected to highlight on this blog discuss new high tech Google Glass-like eye glasses that will allow the visually impaired to read, an update on the Department of Justice v. Apple e-book anti-trust case, the fact that Amazon has at least for now brought back their 9.7” e-ink Kindle DX, Cornell’s got a new high tech technology school and Librarian and Blogger David Lee King offers his input on a recent e-book conference he attended that had publishers’ representatives, OverDrive staff (OverDrive is a library e-book vendor) and librarian professionals on hand.

High Tech Glasses For The Visually Impaired: A new Israeli company called OrCam has developed a pair of high tech eye glasses that will scan and read aloud text that the wearer passes in front of the glasses — allowing people that have macular degeneration or other vision impaired conditions to be able to essential have a narrator read things for them where every they go!

The New York Times offers an article on OrCam and the new high tech glasses titled “Device From Israeli Start-Up Gives the Visually Impaired a Way to Read:”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/04/science/israeli-start-up-gives-visually-impaired-a-way-to-read.html?ref=technology&_r=0

Update On The DOJ v. Apple E-Book Case: Reuters reports that the alleged alliance between Apple and five of the largest publishers in the U.S. was not a harmonious one and that there is evidence that Apple and the publishers were trying to force the media giant and e-book seller Amazon to accept publisher’s prices for e-books. Here is a link to a that Reuter’s article which offers a more in-depth report on the case so far:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/06/us-apple-ebooks-trial-idUSBRE95500U20130606

Amazon Brings Back Kindle DX: The tech site The Verge reports that Amazon’s Kindle DX which hasn’t been seen listed on the Amazon site for sale since last fall – is back! The Kindle DX is the 9.7” e-ink e-reader – so it is the same size as an iPad but features the e-ink technology so you can read an e-book on the DX outside – at the lake, at the beach or just in your back yard and there won’t be any glare from the screen as there is with a e-reading devices that has a color screen. The Kindle DX sells for $299.

And here’s a link to The Verge article itself titled “Amazon brings back long dormant Kindle DX, says it’s ‘excited’ to do so;”

http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/5/4399144/amazon-brings-back-long-dormant-kindle-dx

Cornell’s New Technology School: Cornell which won New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s contest to create a great new science & technology school has done so! The new school which is located on New York City’s Roosevelt Island is a huge space donated by Google for the project that is filled with cutting edge technology. The school which offers a one year master’s degree in computer science opened earlier this year and had eight students enrolled in its beta program this term. The school gives us a glance at what computer science schools of the future may be like.

Here’s a link to a New York Times article on the school titled “Building a Better Tech School” which offers more information on the subject:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/education/edlife/cornell-nyc-tech-planned-for-roosevelt-island-starts-up-in-chelsea.html?ref=technology

Librarian & Blogger David Lee King’s Take On A Recent E-Book Conference: Librarian and blogger David Lee King recently attended and e-book conference that featured representatives from major publishers in the U.S., from the library e-book vendors in the U.S. (namely OverDrive which is the vendor used by the Southern Tier Library System) and library professionals. David Lee paints a picture of publisher representatives that don’t seem to have been in a public library since they went to school and are under the mistaken impression that it is easy for patrons to download their e-books and keep them forever – which is not the case! Here’s the link to the David Lee King posting (from his blog) which is titled “Ebooks in Libraries – #BEA2013:”

http://www.davidleeking.com/2013/06/06/ebooks-in-libraries-bea2013/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+davidleeking+%28David+Lee+King%29#.UbD1Fec4vTo

And a link to an article he recommended titled “BEA Panel Suggests Publishers Still Clueless about Library E-Books and Piracy:”

http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/bea-panel-suggests-publishers-still-clueless-about-library-e-books-and-piracy/

And on a completely un-tech related note if by any chance there are any veterans who fought on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, who read this article today – hats off to you for helping free Europe from Nazi control and thus keeping our world a free one. Thank you!

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Markoff, John. (2013, June 3). Device From Israeli Start-Up Gives the Visually Impaired a Way to Read. New York Times. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.

Meadows, Chris. (2013, June 4). BEA Panel Suggests Publishers Still Clueless about Library E-Books and Piracy. Teleread. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.

Perez-Pena, Richard. (2013, April 13). Building a Better Tech School. The New York Times. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.

Raymond, Nate. (2013, June 5). Publishers gave Amazon “ultimatum” over e-book pricing: executive. Reuters. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.

Robertson, Adi. (2013, June 5). Amazon brings back long dormant Kindle DX, says it’s ‘excited’ to do so. The Verge. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.

 

 

David Pogue On Too Many Passwords & A Health Fitness Gadget For Your Dog

Linda Reimer

David Pogue On Too Many Passwords: New York Times personal technology columnist David Pogue offers a cool article today on the challenges of having many passwords for numerous online accounts – banking accounts, shopping accounts, social networking accounts etc. He says that he has 87 online accounts he needs to keep track of passwords for and that it is impossible for any one person to remember log in information for that many online accounts – and I concur! I have a whole notebook of passwords at home that I use to assist me in remember the log in information for all my accounts!

Pogue has a suggestion to assist us with this dilemma he recommends we use free software called Dashlane that you can download to your computer or obtain via an app from Apple or Android called and which will access log in information for your accounts that is stored on your computer (the software will not record the information nor share it with anyone) and if you agree* it will automatically access that information each time you go to a site and log you in automatically and securely.

You can find out more about Dashlane by reading David Pogue’s entire article titled “Too Many Passwords and No Way to Remember Them. Until Now;” and/or by watching the accompanying videocast:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/technology/personaltech/too-many-passwords-and-no-way-to-remember-them-until-now.html?ref=technology&_r=0

A Health Fitness Gadget For Your Dog: You’ve heard of wearable computing devices like the Jawbone Up and the Nike FuelBand that monitor your health – how many calories you burn each day, how well you sleep at night etc… Well now there is a health gadget that will monitor your dog’s health! It is called the Whistle. The device costs $99 and send information to your smartphone or tablet via an app – the device will let you know how active your dog is while you’re away from home via a passive device you attach to your dog’s collar which will allow you to gauge how your dog is feeling. The idea is to let you know that if your dog doesn’t get walked as often on certain days of the week because you are busy — then you might want to take the dog for an extra walk sometime during the day/evening so he or she gets some more exercise. This is neat stuff! Here’s a link to an ABC News article on the subject titled “Forget Your Fitness Gadget, Whistle Wants to Track Man’s Best Friends’ Activity” which offers more info on the subject:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/whistle-smart-dog-collar-jumps-canine-fitness-tracker/story?id=19326017#.Ua-gBtK1FW4

And a link to another more techy related article on the same subject titled “Data dogs: how a new startup, Whistle, is building a Fitbit for your pooch by charting activity, owners can spot illness early on;”

http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/5/4395184/data-dog-a-new-startup-whistle-is-building-a-fitbit-for-your-pooch

Have a great day!

Linda R.

*By “agree” I simply mean that once you’ve installed the software on your computer and you first visit a website that requires you to log in – a message will pop up that asks you if you want Dashlane to  automatically log you into your account the next time you visit the website.

References

Pogue, David. Too Many Passwords and No Way To Remember Them Until Now. New York Times. Online. Accessed May 5, 2013.

Popper, Ben. (2013, June 5). Data dogs: how a new startup, Whistle, is building a Fitbit for your pooch By charting activity, owners can spot illness early on. The Verge. Online.

Stern, Joanna. (2013, June 5). Forget Your Fitness Gadget, Whistle Wants to Track Man’s Best Friends’ Activity. ABC News. Online. Accessed June 5, 2013.

A Windows/Android Laptop, Self-Improvement Apps and Netflix Dominates Streaming Video For Now

Linda Reimer

Wow, another super busy day in library land! How did it get to be 6 PM already?

Here is a short tech posting for today!

A Windows/Android Laptop: the popular laptop maker ASUS has just shown off a new tablet – it is called a “Transformer Book.” And this new laptop is notable because it has two sides two it –one side runs Windows and the other runs the Android operating system which is notable because Android has, so far anyway, been predominantly seen on tablets and not laptops or desktops.

Here’s a link to an Engadget article on the subject titled “ASUS Transformer Book Trio: a hybrid laptop running Windows and Android (hands-on):”

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/03/asus-announces-the-transformer-book-trio-likens-it-to-a-laptop/

Self-Improvement Apps: All Things D Columnists Lauren Goode reports on a number of apps that will assist you in become a better person!

Her article is titled “On the Road to Self-Betterment, Apps That Keep You on Track” – here’s the link:

http://allthingsd.com/20130603/on-the-road-to-self-betterment-apps-that-keep-you-on-track/

Netflix Dominates Streaming Video For Now: And the NPD which is a global information company that keeps track of, among other things, how many people stream video from the web and which subscription services they use to do so, has just issued a press release which indicates that right now Netflix has 89% of the streaming market but that both Hulu and Amazon Instant Video are gaining traction in the streaming video market. Here’s a link to a NPD press release on the subject:

https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/the-npd-group-as-tv-viewing-drives-subscription-video-on-demand-netflix-dominates-but-hulu-plus-and-amazon-gain/

And on the same subject of streaming video, which is gaining in prominence, here is a link to a Huffington Post article titled “Amazon, Viacom Announce Prime Instant Video Streaming Deal;” which offers info on the new Viacom deal with Amazon which will allow consumers to watch even more videos via the Amazon Instant Video store:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/04/amazon-viacom-prime-instant-video_n_3382985.html

Have a great evening!

Linda R.

References

Goode, Lauren. (2013, June 3). On the Road to Self-Betterment, Apps That Keep You on Track. All Things D. Online. Accessed June 4, 2013.

The NPD Group: As TV Viewing Drives Subscription Video-On-Demand, Netflix Dominates, but Hulu Plus and Amazon Gain, NPD. Online. Accessed June 4, 2013.

Stenovec, Timothy. (2013, June 4). Amazon, Viacom Announce Prime Instant Video Streaming Deal. Huff Post. Online. Accessed June 4, 2013.

Wollman, Dana. (2013, June 3). ASUS Transformer Book Trio: a hybrid laptop running Windows and Android (hands-on). Engadget. Online. Accessed June 4, 2013

Apple News: iRadio, DOJ E-Book Case Begins & Upcoming World Wide Developer’s Conference

Linda Reimer

Most the hot tech news today is really all about Apple! Apple’s rumored to shortly be announced streaming music subscription service iRadio, the U.S. Department of Justice anti-trust lawsuit against Apple for allegedly conspiring with publishers to set higher e-book prices and Apple’s upcoming World Wide Developer’s Conference which will be held next week and during which Apple is known for announcing some new service and/or product.

So basically here’s the Apple news for today!

iRadio: Apple has been long rumored to be working on a streaming music subscription service like Spotify and Pandora. And CNET reports that Apple has reached a deal with the Warner Music group to stream their music titles which leads to speculation that Apple will announce a launch date for their iRadio service at their World Wide Developer’s Conference next week.

Here’s a link to a CNET article on the subject titled “Apple reaches iRadio deal with Warner Music Suggesting WWDC launch:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57587243-93/apple-reaches-iradio-deal-with-warner-music-suggesting-wwdc-launch/

DOJ E-Book Case Begins: Apple was one of the companies, along with five of the Big Six Publishers (the largest six publishers in the U.S.) to be investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice for e-book price fixing via an anti-trust lawsuit. The five publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Macmillan all settled the suite with the DOJ out of court but Apple spokesman insist Apple did not conspire with the previously mentioned publishers to set e-book prices and eliminate competition – particularly competition from the super e-book seller Amazon.

Here’s a link to an article on the subject that offers more in-depth information titled “Trial on E-Book Price-Fixing Puts Apple in Spotlight:”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/technology/e-book-antitrust-case-against-apple-to-begin.html?ref=technology

Upcoming World Wide Developer’s Conference: Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference, which is popular with app makers for obvious reasons, kicks off next Monday, June 10. Apple CEO Tim Cook will give the keynote address at the WWDC and the tech rumor mill is buzzing with ideas as to what new products and/or services Apple will announce during the keynote address. One of the hotly rumored items is some new version of the Apple TV streaming player but other items may include new features of iOS 7 (the next generation of Apple’s mobile operating software for iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch), new SIRI (Apple’s voice activated assistant on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) and more. We’ll have to wait until next week to know for sure of course but in the meantime we can speculate!

Here’s a link to an App Advice article titled “WWDC 2013 Countdown One More Thing Apple Should Announce June 10,” that talks about WWDC and the possibility of some type of new Apple TV device:

http://appadvice.com/appnn/2013/06/wwdc-2013-countdown-one-more-thing-apple-should-announce-june-10

And a link to a TechCrunch artilce titled “What To Watch For At WWDC 2013: More Freedom For Developers” that speculates perhaps Apple will allow app developers a bit more freedom in what types of apps and app options Apple will allow in its app store:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/02/what-to-watch-for-at-wwdc-2013-more-freedom-for-developers/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

P.S. And don’t forget if you just bought, or received as a gift a new tablet, e-reader, PC or other tech item and would like to know more about how to use it — you can make an appointment at the library for a free On-On-One tech session and a member of our tech team will show you the digital ropes! Call the Reference Desk at: 607-936-3713 to make an appointment! Did I mention it is a free service the library offers? It is! 

References

Chen, Brian. & Bosman, Julie. (2013, June 2). Trial on E-Book Price-Fixing Puts Apple in Spotlight. New York Times. Online.

Etherington, Darrell. (2013, June 2). What To Watch For At WWDC 2013: More Freedom For Developers. TechCrunch. Online.

Gamet, Jeff. (2013, June 3). DOJ Ebook Price Fixing Trial Against Apple Starts Today. The Mac Observer. Online.  http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/doj-ebook-price-fixing-trial-against-apple-starts-today

Miller, Matthew. (2013, June 3). Apple works out deal with Warner Music; iRadio at WWDC likely. ZDNet. Online. http://www.zdnet.com/apple-works-out-deal-with-warner-music-iradio-at-wwdc-likely-7000016241/

Sloan, Paul. (2013, June 2). Apple reaches iRadio deal with Warner Music, Suggesting WWDC launch. CNET. Online.

Strange, Adario. (2013, June 3). Report: Warner Signs On for Apple iRadio Service. PC Mag. Online. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2419821,00.asp

Wolfe, Brian. (2013, June 3). WWDC 2013 Countdown: One More Thing Apple Should Announce June 10. App Advice. Online.

Tech News Highpoint For The Week – The All Things D Conference

Linda Reimer

The highpoint this week in tech news has been all the news coming out of the Wall Street Journal All Things D Conference – the conference focuses on technology and is held annual – this is their 11th year — and All Things D staff have interviewed a number of prominent tech industry people like Apple CEO Tim Cook, Roku CEO Anthony Wood and others. The conference ran from May 28 through May 30 and boy did they demo and discuss quite a few cool upcoming and/or evolving tablets.

And I can’t possible talk about all of them in a short blog posting so here are some related links!

This link takes you directly to the All Things D Conference page so you can browse all the text and video news about the conference:

http://allthingsd.com/category/d11/

This link is to a video demo offered at the conference titled “Atheer Looks to Add Human Touch to Futuristic Wearable Computers:” which showcases equipment you can use to interact with the virtual online world by gestures while wearing 3 D glasses:

http://shar.es/wWVFo

Another link to a video titled “Look Ma, No Hands! August “Smart” Lock Takes the Stage at D11. (Video)” which shows how the technology is now available to make your house a smart house very easily and inexpensively so you can turn lights on and off, lock and unlock doors, see if windows or doors are open or control a variety of other devices at your home remotely via your smartphone:

http://shar.es/wWTq4

And this link is to a video interview with Roku CEO Anthony Wood during which he discusses where he thinks the rapidly evolving video streaming technology is going and where, correspondingly, Roku plans to go:

http://allthingsd.com/20130529/whos-at-d-roku-ceo-anthony-wood-on-the-future-of-tv-video/

And here’s a final link to a Digits (that’s the Wall Street Journal daily tech program) video interview  with Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Omid Farokhzad titled “Welcome to the Era of Nanomedicine” which discusses the rapidly evolving medical nanotechnology:

http://live.wsj.com/video/welcome-to-the-era-of-nanomedicine/6667625F-3C3C-4FEA-9792-5C214B9803EB.html#!6667625F-3C3C-4FEA-9792-5C214B9803EB

Have a great weekend!

Linda R.

References

Cha, Bonnie. (2013, May 30). Atheer Looks to Add Human Touch to Futuristic Wearable Computers (Video). All Things D. Online. Accessed May 31, 2013.

Goode, Lauren. (2013, May 29). Look Ma, No Hands! August “Smart” Lock Takes the Stage at D11. (Video). All Things D. Online. Accessed May 31, 2013. 

Digital Catalog Weekend Suggested Reading, Viewing & Listening May 31 – June 2, 2013

Linda Reimer

Here is a list of select Digital Catalog e-books, audio books, albums  and videos  you might enjoy reading, viewing or listening to over the weekend!

Have a great weekend! Linda R.

E-Books:

Fiction:

Dark & Dangerous: A Collection of Paranormal Treats by various authors: In the world of the paranormal, the imagination reigns supreme. Populated by mysterious supernatural beings, mythic creatures and mortals possessing extraordinary powers, the ten enthralling fantasies in this spellbinding collection will transport you to the dark and dazzling realm of ghosts and shapeshifters, werewolves and witches, vampires and demons. Prepare to be mesmerized and beguiled by the seductive power of these dark and sensual immortals as they do battle against evil and long for love and redemption.

Bundle includes: Wild Thing by Julie Kenner, Touch Me by Susan Kearney, Surrender by Julie Leto, Kiss of the Wolf by Susan Krinard, Shadow Kissing by Tanith Lee, by Evelyn Vaughn, Soul of the Wolf by Karen Whiddon, Forever Mine by Linda Winstead Jones, Her Best Enemy by Maggie Shayne and Dancers in the Dark by Charlaine Harris.

Endless Summer by Julie Kenner: Summer has never been sexier! Making Waves by Julie Kenner: Laci Montgomery is determined to be pro surfing’s Golden Girl. Does she need help from her ex–hottie sports promoter Taylor Dutton? No way! Well, not unless she’s on top…

Surf’s Up by Karen Anders: After a crash meeting in the waves, surfer J. C. Wilcox and entrepreneur Zack Fanning practice daring moves that would make fish blush. But is it just sexy fun in the sun–or are they ready to risk their hearts?

Wet and Wild by Jill Monroe: Daredevil Rookie of the Year Andrea “Drea” Powell needs a sponsor. Superstar pro Kirk Murray needs a flashy new surfer to back. The explosive results heat up the competition…and the bedroom!

The Rabbi in the Attic: and Other Stories by Eileen Pollack: In an age of minimalists, Eileen Pollack is a writer of rare generosity. The women and men in The Rabbi in the Attic are complex, vivid people to whom something happens. Their stories take place in small towns in the Catskills, a laboratory of mutant mice in nowhere Tennessee, the backwoods of New Hampshire, the “City of Five Smells” in America’s heartland—worlds rendered with such love and intensity that the simplest objects seem magical. Many of the narrators look back on their pasts. But don’t expect to be lulled by nostalgia. Expect to laugh. To be jolted. And to be moved.

Like most of us, these characters are struggling to understand what they have gained and lost by abandoning the passions and moral certainties of youth. As the narrator of the first story discovers when “barbarian” rock fans invade her town, it can be terrifying to be knocked from the “tiny fixed orbit” of conventional life. But if a person can stretch her imagination far enough, she might also be able to glimpse an “elsewhere” beyond the boundaries of ordinary human limitations.

This battle between the real and ideal is taken to mythic heights in the title novella, in which a novice rabbi must try to evict her Orthodox predecessor from the house provided by her prickly congregation. Only when she tempers her enthusiasm for the new ways with compassion for those who follow the old ways can Rabbi Bloomgarten begin to care for their souls.

Eileen Pollack writes from a Jewish point of view, but her subject is the search for principles that we must all undertake in a world in which religious truths are no longer handed down from parent to child.

Just as one of her characters decides to become a “value assessor,” the author herself helps us to sort through the jumble of objects, ideas, and memories in our own attics. In doing so, she appeals to our minds and our hearts. Her characters teach us that imagination and empathy are our best hope if we are to understand—and perhaps transcend—the pain in our world. Her language is lyrical, rhythmic, and lush. The images in her stories—a chef’s severed hand, a plummeting air conditioner, a village sunk beneath a reservoir—will stay in your mind long after you have finished her book.

A Wanted Man: A Stone Creek Novel by Linda Lael Miller: #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller returns to Stone Creek with a classic tale of two strangers running from dangerous secrets

The past has a way of catching up with folks in Stone Creek, Arizona. But schoolmarm Lark Morgan and Marshal Rowdy Rhodes are determined to hide their secrets–and deny their instant attraction. That should be easy, since each suspects the other of living a lie….

Yet Rowdy and Lark share one truth: both face real dangers. Such as the gang of train robbers heading their way, men Ranger Sam O’Ballivan expects Rowdy to nab. As past and current troubles collide, Rowdy and Lark must surrender their pride to the greatest power of all–undying love.

Non-Fiction

Landscaping For Privacy by Marty Wingate: The area around your home is your haven, your sanctuary, your refuge from the noise and irritation of traffic, eyesores, and nosy neighbors. Or at least it could be if there was some sort of barrier between your front yard and the sidewalk, or if you didn’t have to stare at the back of the neighbors’ garage when you want to relax on your patio.

Landscaping for Privacy brims with creative ideas for minimizing or even eliminating the nuisances that intrude on your personal outdoor space. Scores of real-world examples show you how to keep the outside world at bay by strategically placing buffers (such as berms or groups of small trees), barriers (such as fences), and screens (arbors or hedges, for example) around your property. And the helpful plant lists tell you precisely which varieties to choose in order to enhance your sense of seclusion.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by the lack of privacy whenever you step outside your home, this inspiring book will steer you toward an achievable solution.

The Next Century by David Halberstam: A stirring examination of global competition and power in the twentieth century What can we learn from the events of twentieth century? With the effects of the Cold War still evident in the global economy and the lives of everyday Americans, master journalist and historian David Halberstam sets out to answer this question. Halberstam’s perceptive The Next Century looks to the future by examining the past. From the rise of the Japanese economy to the startling changes that reshaped the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Halberstam argues that the American economy’s survival depends on the rededication and continued education of the American worker. As pertinent in today’s economy as it was when first published in 1991, The Next Century is a timeless call to arms, reminding us that we must continually better ourselves in order to compete on the world stage. This ebook features an extended biography of David Halberstam.

Children’s Books:

Alexander, Spy Catcher by Diane Stormer: A seemingly normal October turns into an exciting and terrifying adventure for Alexander and his brother, Ben, when they discover that their uncle Charlie may be in danger because of a secret government project he is working on.

The boys notice strange happenings around their family’s home; for example, why is there a clandestine protected Wi-Fi network on their forest covered property? When Alexander and Ben suspect that their uncle is being spied upon, they agree to warn him about what they’ve discovered. But on the same night that they tell him about their ?ndings, he disappears without a trace.

Now, it’s up to Alexander, Ben, and their family to solve the mystery about what happened to their uncle and bring him home safely. But although they are determined to rescue Charlie, they don’t realize the dangers that lie ahead for them on their journey.

CatBoy by Eric Walters: The wild cat colony Taylor has been caring for is at risk of being destroyed, and in order to save them, Taylor will need the help of all his friends.

Once Upon A Time: A Collection of Classic Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm:

This beautifully illustrated collection of 30 tales from far and wide includes:

Snow White

Hansel and Grethel

Cinderella

The Frog Prince

Rumpelstiltskin

The Bremen Town Musicians

The Elves

Little Red Cap

The Fisherman and His Wife

The Sleeping Beauty

Tom Thumb

Rapunzel

. . . and many more.

Albums:

Live at the Circle Room by Nat King Cole Trio

Digital Audio Download Includes:

1. F.S.T. (Opening Theme) (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

2. Oh, But I Do (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

3. I’m Thru With Love (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

4. C Jam Blues (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

5. My Sugar Is So Refined (1st Version) (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

6. I’m in The Mood for Love (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

7. I Found a New Baby (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

8. I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do) (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

9. If You Can’t Smile and Say Yes (Please Don’t Cry and Say No) (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

10. Sweet Georgia Brown (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

11. Sweet Lorraine (Live) (1999 Digital Remaster) (The King Cole Trio)

12. It’s Only a Paper Moon (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

13. One O’Clock Jump (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

14. Everyone Is Saying Hello Again (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

15. Oh, But I Do (2nd Version) (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

16. My Sugar Is So Refined (Live) (2nd Version) (The King Cole Trio)

17. F.S.T. (Closing Theme) (Live) (The King Cole Trio)

Today Is the Highway by Eric Andersen

Digital Audio Download Includes:

1. Today Is the Highway (Eric Andersen)

2. Dusty Box Car Wall (Eric Andersen)

3. Time for My Returning (Eric Andersen)

4. Plains of Nebrasky-o (Eric Andersen)

5. Looking Glass (Eric Andersen)

6. Never Coming Home (Eric Andersen)

7. Come To My Bedside (Eric Andersen)

8. Baby Please Don’t Go (Eric Andersen)

9. Everything Ain’t Been Said (Eric Andersen)

10. Bay of Mexico (Eric Andersen)

11. Song to J.C.B. (Eric Andersen)

12. Bumblebee (Eric Andersen)

Audio Books:

Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom: Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Series, Book 1 by Julie Kenner, Laura Hicks: Lots of women put their careers aside once the kids come along. Kate Connor, for instance, hasn’t hunted a demon in ages. That must be why she missed the one wandering through the San Diablo Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, he managed to catch her attention an hour later — when he crashed into the Connor house, intent on killing her. Now Kate has to dispose of a dead demon and pull together a dinner party — all without arousing her family’s suspicion. Worse yet, it seems the dead demon didn’t come alone. It’s time for Kate Connor to go back to work.

The Stranger by Camilla Läckberg, Simon Vance: A string of suspicious deaths points to a potential serial killer who has turned his eye toward Fjällbacka and her dark forests, where two children vanished decades before

A local woman is killed in a tragic car crash, but it isn’t a clear-cut drunk driving case. The victim’s blood contains high alcohol levels, yet she rarely drank a drop. Meanwhile, a new television series begins shooting in Fjällbacka, and as cameras shadow the stars’ every move, tempers start to flare. When a drunken party ends with an unpopular contestant’s murder, all eyes turn to the cast and crew. Could there be a murderer among them? The ratings spike as the country tunes in to a real life murder mystery.

Detective Patrik Hedstrom finds himself increasingly unable to focus on the strange circumstances of the first case, but what if that holds the key to a series of other unsolved cases across Sweden? Under the unforgiving media spotlight, Patrik tackles his most challenging investigation yet.

Videos:

Families of Mexico: In Families of Mexico eight-year-old Brizia lives with her parents on her grandparents’ farm. We visit her school and follow her and her friend as they visit the surrounding farms owned by her aunts and uncles, who are making tamales, harvesting cactus for salad, and sorting sesame seeds. Hermaina lives with her family in the port city of Veracruz. Hermaina’s father and mother own an advertising agency, which her father manages. We see her mother teach a dance class at the city’s cultural center, go food shopping, visit Hermaina’s school, and follow her to her swimming lesson. The Families of the World Series takes you on a fantastic journey to another country where you view the unique lives of two children and their families. Each program focuses on a different culture, their way of life, family interaction, foods and even celebrations. Join us in our visit to the countryside, cities, communities, schools and homes of two families—from breakfast to bedtime and all the fun-filled activities in between. This highly acclaimed series has been broadcast on Public Television.

Welcome Home Elvis: In 1957 Timex sponsored a series of TV variety show specials starring Frank Sinatra broadcast on The ABC Television Network. The last in the series taped on 12th of May 1960 in Miami, was perhaps the best of all, featuring Elvis Presley, upon completion of his National Service. This video, remastered from the archive tape of the broadcast, is the original show in it’s entirety including the sponsors promotional segments. While the quality of reproduction may not meet modern technological standards, it is a rare record of two of the most popular performers of the Twentieth Century performing together.

The STLS Digital Catalog may be found on the library’s homepage of SSCLIBRARY.ORG

Or via the following link:

http://stls.lib.overdrive.com/FE5904CF-8A91-4688-A592-7A046C7988D3/10/536/en/Default.htm

And if you have an app device look for the OverDrive Media Console app in your app store – it is the app that will allow you to check out free library e-books and audio books and download them to your tablet or smartphone.

Digital Catalog music and video titles must currently be downloaded to a Windows computer to enjoy.

Have a great weekend!

Linda R.

Windows 8 Update Coming

Linda Reimer

It seems to be rather quiet today tech news wise although I did find a number of articles online that offer info on the upcoming Windows 8 update – Windows 8.1.

Windows 8 has baffled a great many people because when a Windows 8 PC is turned on you see a Start screen of tiles known as Windows Metro and the look is completely different than previous versions of Windows. In fact the Start screen is very reminiscent of a tablet screen so if you’ve used an Apple or Android tablet you’ll known just what to do with a Windows 8 computer as long as the purchasers has actually purchased a touch screen Windows 8 laptop or desktop. And I emphasis the touch screen aspect of Windows 8 because although you can use Windows 8 on a standard non-touch screen computer – it really is best used with a touch screen computer.

And I personally have had a Windows 8 laptop since last October and I haven’t had any difficulties using it. As long as one has a touch screen Windows 8 computer than you only have to remember that Windows 8 has two sides a Start screen tablet side with apps and a more traditional looking desktop side that functions like a traditional Windows desktop except for the fact that it currently does not feature the traditional Windows Start Menu – although there are ways you can fix that right now by installing extra software and later as mentioned later this year Microsoft will roll out the Windows 8.1 update that will restore the Start Menu.

If you’d like to check out a Windows 8 touch screen laptop and see how different it is from previous versions of Windows – stop by the library we have several Windows 8 touch screen laptops that you can sit down and try out.

And here’s a link to one of the many stories about the Windows 8.1 update that have been in the news today; this one is from ABC and is titled “Microsoft Windows 8.1 Features Detailed Start Button Revival and Apps Improvements Coming:”

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/microsoft-windows-81-features-detailed-start-button-revival/story?id=19285011#.UafZc9K1FW4

References

Stern, Joanna. (2013, May 30). Microsoft Windows 8. Featured Detailed: Start Button Revival and App Improvements Coming.