Hasta La Gadget!

You know how ebooks are gradually taking over paper books as the most popular format for the consumption of the written word? Well, that’s bad, mmkay? Publishers, librarians, and booksellers are losing their jobs and It’s all entirely the iPad’s fault. Forget the Kindle’s millions of sales, the iPad did it. In a technophobic rant to rival all technophobic rants that have come before it, Illinois Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. accuses the iPad’s popularity for the current level of unemployment in his nation, before proceeding to sculpt a rickety argument about how the First Amendment to the US Constitution is being exploited for the benefit of China. See his tirade on video after the break.

Continue reading The iPad is taking away American jobs, Jesse Jackson Junior’s sanity (video)

The iPad is taking away American jobs, Jesse Jackson Junior’s sanity (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 05:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s taken a long, long time to fully consider Google’s proposed $125 million settlement with publishers and authors of out-of-print works, but now the ruling has been handed down and it’s not the one the Mountain View team wanted. Circuit Judge Chin, who had preliminarily approved the deal back in November 2009, has returned with the new conclusion that actually it goes “too far” in Google’s favor. The origins of this settlement stem from a class action lawsuit filed against El Goog for a book digitization project it began back in 2004, and it’s important to note that terms were agreed way back in 2008, before a bunch of external objections made them revise the document to its current state and refile it with the court in ’09. Since then, the Department of Justice has had a look at antitrust concerns relating to Google potentially having a monopoly on orphan works (those whose author cannot be identified) and Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo have all piped up to say it’s a bunk deal. Now, the one man standing between us and a whole ton of web-accessible reading materials has agreed with them. He does leave a pretty large door open for reconciliation, however, should Google be willing to accede to less favorable terms. Let’s just hope whatever else transpires doesn’t take another year and a half to do so.

Google’s deal for book digitization rejected by judge, Books plans sent back to drawing board originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The two-headed Hydra lamp for people still reading from paper

The Hydra Book Light is a double-headed lamp that can cast its LED illumination onto two pages at once. It’s five-inch necks let it crane its gaze over even the largest of pages, and a clever spine-gripping foot keeps it nicely centered.

I will never buy one. First, the only paper books I read these days are books I already own — cookbooks and old, cherished novels, mostly. Seeing as my Kindle has one screen, and my iPad has its own light, the Hydra would be a waste. Second, I almost never switch on a light to read. I have lost count of the concerned busybodies who tell me I will “strain” my eyes by reading by in the shadows. To which I answer “nonsense.”

Why is the eye the only thing that will get worse if exercised? Every other part of my body gets stronger and healthier through use. How can the eye be any different? I’m no biologist, but surely the muscles that move and shape the eye are no different than other muscles. And can the rods and cones at the back of my eye really get tired by having too little light fall on them. If so, why don’t they get tired when I’m sleeping? These are genuine questions from a layman (me), so feel free to post answers below.

Anyhow. If you do still read paper books, and if you are still worried that reading in the dark will give you “bad eyesight” despite my highly scientific ramblings above, then the Hydra will cost you a reasonable $15. Rumors that cutting of one lamp will cause two more to spring forth are untested.

Hydra Book Light [Bas Bleu via Book of Joe]

See Also:

• Book-Light Holds a Kandle to Kindle
• DIY Book Lamp's Puns Don't Stop with the Name
• Reading Lamp Holds Books, Shuts Itself Off
• Why E-Books Are Stuck in a Black-and-White World

Well, this one strikes us as a little… odd. Barnes & Noble is currently selling its Nook Color on eBay (along with plenty of other things). The truly interesting part, however, is that the price, once a $50 coupon code is applied, is $199, which is of course $50 less than it sells them for in stores or on its own website. We aren’t sure what the motivation behind this move is, but we’d guess that the bookseller is attempting to compete with other, unofficial eBay retailers selling B&N’s goods. Either way, if you’re in the market for a Nook Color, eBay seems to be the place to get one, for now.

Barnes & Noble now selling the Nook Color on eBay for $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Borders files for bankruptcy, plans to keep operating but close 30 percent of its stores originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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