Reclusive Author of the Post-Lux Trilogy Releases E-Book Versions of Two Novels – Books and Publishing News – Send2Press Aug 26, 2010

The reclusive author of this postmodern, post-perspicuous literature is a prominent scientist, professor, inventor, and visionary whose pioneering work in molecular biotechnology served to usher targeted genetic medicine across the threshold of history-his intellectual accomplishments are, in a word, profound. The first editions of this series of books received both Editor’s Choice and Rising Star designations from the publishers.

Konrad Ventana (literally, “Bold Counsel through a Window”) embraces the time-honored ideals of social responsibility (where poets, playwrights, and artists once served as guiding lights) for a modern society that “walks and runs for the cure” yet, in actuality, has been lulled into a state of non-participation in the life-of-the-mind and acts of meaningful creativity.

via Reclusive Author of the Post-Lux Trilogy Releases E-Book Versions of Two Novels – Books and Publishing News – Send2Press Aug 26, 2010

Weirdest press release I have ever read.

Lefsetz Letter » Blog Archive » Creativity and Careers

People are complicated.  Our motivations are multifarious.  Success is elusive.  You can try, but you’re gonna hit a lot of blind alleys.  Your one big break will probably be cumulative, a result of years of hard work that pay off in that one performance that puts you over, years after you thought you should make it, after multiple late night soliloquies wherein you decided to give up.

via Lefsetz Letter » Blog Archive » Creativity and Careers

MPEG LA’s PR Fluff

MPEG LA’s AVC License Will Not Charge Royalties for Internet Video That Is Free to End Users Through Life of License

This is a nonsense press release. Did anyone out there really expect to pay to watch MP4 video from sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, or elsewhere? No. Those sites would have seen their traffic plummet.

This is the relevant part that is still the troublemaker:

MPEG LA’s AVC Patent Portfolio License provides access to essential patent rights for the AVC/H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10) digital video coding standard. In addition to Internet Broadcast AVC Video, MPEG LA’s AVC Patent Portfolio License provides coverage for devices that decode and encode AVC video, AVC video sold to end users for a fee on a title or subscription basis and free television video services. AVC video is used in set-top boxes, media player and other personal computer software, mobile devices including telephones and mobile television receivers, Blu-ray Disc™ players and recorders, Blu-ray video optical discs, game machines, personal media player devices and still and video cameras.

All those xBooks that include MP4 video? You have to pay MPEG LA for including those videos because you are charging for the book.

And free TV video services? That’s Hulu, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, et al — all apps on your iOS, Android, and/or webOS device. So what you enjoy for free right now is going to come to an end at some point — because greed rules with patent holders and this press release is crafted to allay the justified fears of small creators who want to use MP4 video in their projects.

This press release really changes nothing.

Small creators will still have to pay for MPEG LA’s licensing in order to plop MP4 into an xBook for sale.

Nothing has changed.

It shocks me how people have been snookered by this!

157 Mobile App Stats You Should Know About

La Vie Numerique

Ultra frugality: could you live with only digital possessions?

According to Sutton, “I’ve found that more stuff equates to more stress. Each thing I own came with a small expectation of responsibility. Instead of trying to distribute my time too thinly among all of my possessions, I will simply get rid of most of them. I will eliminate a large part of stress in my life and I will truly cherish the few things that I own”.

It sounds good but not many people reading this will put much thought into it.

You still wind up with stuff: Clothes — for seasons too (warm/cold), shoes, towels, bedding, grooming items, and the like.

And if you have a pet, add in its items (litter box, litter, toys, leash, etc).

The article mentions downsizing to renting a room. That’s a fiction from someone who has apparently never done that. I have, and in a rooming house too. That’s not really a life.

A wee house would alleviate some of the horror of single-room existence, but not all of it. In fact, it brings a new problem with it: Security — as in keeping robbers out when you’re out.

SmartQ T7: Tonight’s Live Video Event

I just swiped this photo off eBay for one with a Buy It Now price of $225.

This is what Chippy will be demonstrating and commenting on in this evening’s live video.

I wouldn’t go buying that without hearing Chippy’s assessment. And that Samsung Galaxy Tablet looks good.

The Only Reviews That Matter: Readers!

@lizcastro epub is a kind of nightmare and your book is like awakening from itThu Aug 26 11:22:04 via Twitter for iPhoneJean-Baptiste Blanc
J_BaptisteBlanc

Previously here:

Two Books Self-Publishers MUST Buy

Obituary: Satoshi Kon dies at 47; Japanese anime director – latimes.com

Obituary: Satoshi Kon dies at 47; Japanese anime director – latimes.com

Gamasutra – Features – The Designer’s Notebook: Sandbox Storytelling

Gamasutra – Features – The Designer’s Notebook: Sandbox Storytelling

Live eBook Device Video This Evening!

SmartQ R7 3G arrived. Unboxing later. Live session tonight. Stay tuned here for info. http://yfrog.com/ncenxuj http://bit.ly/av7UenThu Aug 26 12:26:32 via twiccaSteve ‘Chippy’ Paine
chippy

Typo in that tweet. He meant the T7.

Update, here’s a picture of the box:

Follow Chippy on Twitter for the start time (it’s usually anywhere between 2-4PM EDST).

It will take place on Usteam and it can accessed via the LIVE link at CarryPad.

I attend most these live events and they’re great!