Tag: Supreme Court

Daily Digital & Print Suggested Reads: Friday, July 29, 2016

Linda Reimer

Here are our suggested daily recommended reads in both print and digital formats!

Our suggested daily Digital Catalog item for today is the e-book:

Brandeis

Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet by Jeffrey Rosen:

A riveting new examination of the leading progressive justice of his era, published in the centennial year of his confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.

According to Jeffrey Rosen, Louis D. Brandeis was “the Jewish Jefferson,” the greatest critic of what he called “the curse of bigness,” in business and government, since the author of the Declaration of Independence. Published to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of his Supreme Court confirmation on June 1, 1916, Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet argues that Brandeis was the most farseeing constitutional philosopher of the twentieth century. In addition to writing the most famous article on the right to privacy, he also wrote the most important Supreme Court opinions about free speech, freedom from government surveillance, and freedom of thought and opinion. And as the leader of the American Zionist movement, he convinced Woodrow Wilson and the British government to recognize a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Combining narrative biography with a passionate argument for why Brandeis matters today, Rosen explores what Brandeis, the Jeffersonian prophet, can teach us about historic and contemporary questions involving the Constitution, monopoly, corporate and federal power, technology, privacy, free speech, and Zionism.

Here’s a link to the description page in the Digital Catalog:

https://stls.overdrive.com/media/2772951

And our print book suggested read for today is:

Schine

They May Not Mean To, But They Do: A Novel by Cathleen Schine:

From one of America’s greatest comic novelists, a hilarious new novel about aging, family, loneliness, and love

The Bergman clan has always stuck together, growing as it incorporated in-laws, ex-in-laws, and same-sex spouses. But families don’t just grow, they grow old, and the clan’s matriarch, Joy, is not slipping into old age with the quiet grace her children, Molly and Daniel, would have wished. When Joy’s beloved husband dies, Molly and Daniel have no shortage of solutions for their mother’s loneliness and despair, but there is one challenge they did not count on: the reappearance of an ardent suitor from Joy’s college days. And they didn’t count on Joy herself, a mother suddenly as willful and rebellious as their own kids.

The New York Times–bestselling author Cathleen Schine has been called “full of invention, wit, and wisdom that can bear comparison to [ Jane] Austen’s own” (The New York Review of Books), and she is at her best in this intensely human, profound, and honest novel about the intrusion of old age into the relationships of one loving but complicated family. They May Not Mean To, But They Do is a radiantly compassionate look at three generations, all coming of age together.

You can request the book by clicking on the following link to StarCat:

http://goo.gl/rqKmUQ

Or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat: The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc.  http://starcat.stls.org/

The Digital Catalog: The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos: https://stls.overdrive.com/

Freegal Music Service: This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day: http://stlsny.freegalmusic.com/

Zinio: Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available: https://www.rbdigital.com/stlschemungcony

About Library Mobile Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Supreme Court Aereo TV Service Decision Due This Week

Linda Reimer

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on what is basically the battle of Aereo TV vs. all the traditional cable TV companies later this week — here’s a link to a USA Today article on the subject titled “Revolutionary cloud TV service faces Supreme Court decision in coming days;”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/usanow/2014/06/21/cutting-the-cord-aereo-supreme-court-decision/10917383/

The decision might just upend the way TV content is watched in the U.S. depending upon how the Supreme Court rules of course!

Have a great day!

Linda

Internet Television Update & Supreme Court Says Human Genes Cannot Be Patented

Linda Reimer

Internet Television Update: I’ve seen numerous articles in the last week that discuss the changing landscape of television – and by that I mean the fact that movie and TV fans are increasingly watching television shows and movies on their computers, smartphones and tablets whenever and wherever they want to through online sources like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu and YouTube. And in response to this trend the major cable companies like Time Warner and Comcast are dragging their feet as far as embracing this new way consumers increasing want to watch videos. The traditional cable companies would much prefer to hang on to their traditional status quote that demands their subscribers pay a monthly fee for many channels when those same consumers would really rather only pay for the channels and/or programs they want to watch and of course they’d like to watch the content they pay for whenever they want to on whichever internet connecting device they have on hand.

The tech company Intel is trying to change the cable company status quote by introduction a high speed internet connecting media streaming box that would allow consumers to accesses online video content quickly and easily – and would take its place alongside the Roku, Apple TV and Google TV media streaming players. We’ll have to wait and see how successful Intel is but for my two cents worth for whatever it is worth – probably about two cents! I think the traditional cable companies need to jump on board the internet TV bandwagon or eventually they will get left behind. I think those companies can delay the explosion of Internet accessed television for a while but eventually consumer demand will shift the money flow and more and more people will pay for internet accessed television shows, movies and subscription internet services like Netflix that they can then use to access the video content they want to watch when they want and where they want and on whichever internet connecting device they want to whether that device is a smartphone, laptop, tablet or the large HDTV in their living rooms.

Here’s a link to a Bloomberg Business Week article on the subject titled “How Big Cable Companies Keep Internet TV At Bay:”

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-13/how-big-cable-keeps-internet-tv-at-bay

A second link to a New York Times opinion piece on the same subject titled “The Television Will Be Revolutionized” which has tech writer Tristan Louis offering his five cents worth on the subject (I gave him three cents more since he’s a professional tech write and I’m a librarian!):

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/12/televisions-next-frontier/the-television-will-be-revolutionized

And a link to a New York Times opinion section on internet video aka streaming video titled “Streaming for the Small Screen: An Introduction:”

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/12/televisions-next-frontier

Supreme Court Says Human Genes Cannot Be Patented: The Supreme Court ruled today that human isolated human genes cannot be patented. The case was brought before the court by the Utah Company Myriad Genetics a company that does testing that shows a relationship between certain genes and a hereditary risk of getting cancer. The patents that Myriad was trying to protect had been challenged by a number of scientists and doctors because the costs of the tests – due to the patents – was around $3,000 which was making the genetic tests cost-prohibited for many people. So the cost of the genetic test should now come down. And interestingly the Court actually offered a split decision ruling that “isolated” genes couldn’t receive a patent but that genetically engineered genes can.

I think the entire subject is fascinating because it illustrates, among other things that we are on the cusp of revolutionary advances in medicine that may indeed one day soon lead to a cure for cancer and the common cold among other maladies.

Here’s a link a Washington Post article on the Supreme Court ruling titled “Supreme Court rules human genes may not be patented:”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-rules-human-genes-may-not-be-patented/2013/06/13/9e5c55d2-d43d-11e2-a73e-826d299ff459_story.html

And a second link to an article on the same subject from the New York Times titled “Supreme Court Rules Human Genes May Not Be Patented:”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/us/supreme-court-rules-human-genes-may-not-be-patented.html

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Bachman, Justin. (2013, June 13). How Big Cable Keeps internet TV at Bay. Bloomberg Businessweek. Online. Accessed June 13, 2013.

Barnes, Robert. & Brady, Dennis. (2013, June 13). Supreme Court rules human genes may not be patented. The Washington Post. Online. Accessed June 13, 2013.

Louis, Tristan. (2013, June 13). The Television Will Be Revolutionized. New York Times. Online. Accessed June 13, 2013.