Another Apple Ebook Lawsuit

February 4, 2014

Apple’s attempt to establish the agency model for ebook pricing got it less than 10% of its revenues in 2010. But an $840 million award would certainly cover the damages for price fixing. US District Court Judge Denise Cote found in July 2013 that because of the conspiracy, “the prices in the nascent ebook industry shifted upward, … Continue reading Another Apple Ebook Lawsuit



Paperless Libraries

September 18, 2013

That’s the question a lot of people were asking even before Bexar County, Texas, opened its all-digital library, dubbed BiblioTech, on September 14. The bookless facility serves an unincorporated area outside of San Antonio, offering more than 10,000 titles available for digital download and 100 e-readers on loan, as well as computer stations, digital literacy … Continue reading Paperless Libraries


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Expanding Privacy Legislation to Include Ebooks

August 28, 2013

Arizona House Bill 2165, which was enacted in April, adds digital books and electronic records to the state’s existing privacy law, stipulating that anyone who releases information about a user’s library activities will be charged with a misdemeanor. “Over the years we’ve dealt with internet privacy for many different reasons, including identity theft,” Arizona Rep. … Continue reading Expanding Privacy Legislation to Include Ebooks


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The Unpackaged Book

June 25, 2013

Snow Fall. After several years of hypothetical discussion about the possibilities of transmedia, it took a sportswriter working for a newspaper to demonstrate the power of internet-based publishing. In a single blow, the New York Times reset the bar for interactive online narratives. Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek is a gripping story of … Continue reading The Unpackaged Book


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Ebooks in 2013

June 24, 2013

Sadly, ebooks have not only failed to deliver on much of their promise, they have become a vast lost opportunity. They are becoming  a weapon capable of considerable social damage; a Faustian technology that seduces with convenience, particularly for those who consume a great many books, but offers little else while extracting a corrosive toll … Continue reading Ebooks in 2013


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Amped-Up Ebook Apps

July 24, 2012

I wrote here a few months ago about reading—its power and ubiquity and transcendence of format: “The authors and publishers get it; the ways in which the stories are displayed come and go, and what matters are the story and the storytelling.” Events in the ensuing months—the Department of Justice settlement with publishers, which may … Continue reading Amped-Up Ebook Apps



Emphasis on Ebooks Stirs Community Outcry in Illinois

January 18, 2012

Protesters, who included the local chapter of the NAACP, held a news conference at the main library on January 13 to voice their opposition, stating that the increasing shift toward digital media will leave behind traditional users and those without money or access to new technology. Members of the community-based initiative Save Our Library (SOL) … Continue reading Emphasis on Ebooks Stirs Community Outcry in Illinois


Joseph Janes

A Numbers Game

April 20, 2011

26 is a peculiar number. Mathematically speaking, it’s not that interesting; the Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers tells us it’s the sum of the digits of its cube (26^3 = 17576). Yawn. Wikipedia offers the atomic number of iron, the number of Swiss cantons or Oscars won by Walt Disney, or, alarmingly, the … Continue reading A Numbers Game