Mind blowing technology

I was introduced to the work of a very talented designer, Simon Dennehy by a fellow twitterer Gordon from Murrion.ie.
Simon has been researching and developing some modern primary school furniture which I feel are truly revolutionary, and why they are not already in schools is beyond me. His website is www.perch.ie, but there is a great video of Simon presenting his research and project at a recent TED event. Clever, functional designs like these combined with technology such as ebooks and interactive features can really effect change in education. Despite the current economic times, now is the time to lay the foundations for an education system that compliments and enhances the real skills required by the Digital Natives that our children are becoming.

And people say eBooks are not popular and too expensive - they're practically a steal!

I love the last line of the article. Journalists seem to be skeptical about the popularity of ereaders!

FOSTER CITY — Police are looking for two people who robbed a delivery driver of roughly $70,000 in e-book readers on Thursday, police said.

Two men surprised the driver as he was working in the back of his delivery truck at a business complex on Lakeside Drive about 6:30 p.m., said Foster City police Capt. John Froomin.

"Don't move, don't look or I'll shoot you," one of the men said, according to police.

It was not clear if the robbers had guns, but one of them pointed a dark-colored object at the victim, Froomin said. Police said the suspects grabbed seven boxes, which contained about 300 Sony Reader Pocket Editions, and loaded them into a white cargo van with two rear windows.

Police are trying to determine if the robbers, who wore black ski masks and were dressed in black clothing, knew what was in the truck and targeted the driver or just grabbed the closest boxes.

Haapy e-reading

Why does this video make me so happy?

eBook related disaster?

I live in the south of Ireland in a city named Cork. It's not particularily large by international standards - only about 200,000 in the city and a similar amount in the surrounding county (or state in US terms). This is small, but thats a good thing. Despite the wide variety of nationalities, creeds and districts there is still a real sense of community which is fantastic in this modern day and age.
In the past number of weeks we have been affected by some really hard rains and floods which have hit many of our communities really hard.
Today, several days after the floods, there are many houses and streets with flood-damaged furniture, carpets and personal belongings stacked outside for collection. This made me think about how we tend to collect and value physical objects in our lives. And due to my sad obsession with all things digital, this led me to the subject of Digital Publishing.

This seems to be part of the resistance to ebooks - the fact that many of those who download digital files resent the fact that they cannot possess and distribute their eBooks due to DRM(Digital Rights Management) restrictions.
Maybe we are holding on to a concept from the recent past where we own our property - a concept very much removed from the collaborative, interactive community of ownership that exists on the internet. Think Wikipedia for example. None of us own an entry on Wikipedia, but we all contribute. We can't control our favourite sites, but we can all help to improve its service.
Maybe this is the way we should begin to look at eBooks. Is ownership a realistic option in the shifting sands of an on-demand age? Is renting an eBook a better option than buying it outright? Will a subscription model allow you the access all the content you crave at a more realistic price? Does cloud computing offer a solution where our purchased eBooks are hosted remotely on a "bookshelf" allowing us to download any format to any device remotely?

These are all questions that will only be resolved over the coming months and years. It is worth remembering though, that as people lose their homes and livelihoods, possession is temporary and can be swept away at any time. The true value of books is not their physical form or properties, but their content - the dreams they inspire, the concepts they create and the emotional tide that their narratives allow us to ride.

Discussion on the future of eBook readers

Hi all.

I'm just curious to know what people think of the new wave of e-readers coming out? There seems to be a new one everyday, with some new bell or whistle.
I own a prs-505 myself. I'm very happy with it due mainly to the fact that it does what I want it to do - I can read books on it - nothing fancy about that! I will probably wait for quite a while before buying a new reader as I think the whole e-reader craze will die down.
What does everyone think? Should I plump for a new reader soon or wait it out? Will a particular device(s) come to dominate the market?Does technology mean that devices will quickly become obsolete?
I'd be interested to know what everyone thinks.

Thanks for your advice in advance

Your chance to question best-selling author of Mania - Craig Larsen

Hi all.

As part of our Author of the month slot on Directebooks.com, we have an exclusive interview with Craig Larsen, author of the dark thriller "Mania". A single father, he has lived in Northern California, New York, and in Europe. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers.

Critical acclaim for his debut novel include ”In the bestselling tradition of Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River and Harlen Coben’s Tell No One, talented debut writer Craig Larsen delivers a page-turning, atmospheric psychological thriller.“

If anyone has any specific questions about his work, or about writing in general that they would like to ask Craig, please let me know and I will try to get some answers for you.

More info about his book can be found here: Directebooks.com

Mania, Craig Larsen - Book review

Rarely if ever have I read a book that is disturbing and enthralling in equal measures.
From the opening, disorientating chapters in which the reader is introduced breathlessly into the present, hurled to the past and dragged kicking back into the here and now, there is a masterfully crafted sense of paranoia and delusion, the purpose of which only becomes apparant towards the end.

The main protaganist is Nick Wilder, a down on his luck freelance photographer, whos job is to be first on the murder scene to scoop the pics. However, when his brother is vicously murdered on a night out with him, the blood-soaked, confused photographer immediately becomes a suspect. The subsequently unfortunate ability to appear at murder scenes before the police do does not endear him to Seattle's boys in blue. A series of horrific murders (I genuinely had to turn away from my Sony reader once or twice and wince)provides the framework for a tight, taut thriller that really delivers value for money

Despite his predicament, Nick is not a particularly likeable character from the very beginning. He is selfish,lazy and unpredictable, but is all the more human for it. Larsen's characters are all complex, real people who's traits and motivations are revealed slowly and deliberately. With each gruesome murder, and trust me they are gruesome, we are drawn into the intricate web of suspicion, betrayal and intrigue.

This is a compelling thriller, with great characters, storylines and the inevitable twists. Craig Larsen really is a name to watch out for, and I look forward to his next title.

Mania is perfect for a cold winters night with the lights down and the fire blazing!

I bought the eBook at Directebooks.