Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss, happy birthday to you!


(March 2, 1904-September 21)

“The more that you read,
The more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
The more places you'll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!



“Young cat! If you keep
Your eyes open enough,
Oh, the stuff you will learn!
The most wonderful stuff!”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!    



“I can read in red.
I can read in blue.
I can read in pickle color too.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!



“You have to be a speedy reader because there’s so so much to read.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! -->

LIBRARY STORIES: "The Library Policeman"

I can't think of Stephen King's novella, "The Library Policeman" (the third story in the 1990 collection Four Past Midnight) without thinking of Gus Hasford's Library Book Theft Charges. Or vice versa. 

LIBRARY STORIES: Gus Hasford's Library Book Theft Charges

Are you, too, a fan of Gus Hasford's novels?

• The Short-Timers (1979) ISBN 0-553-23945-7
• The Phantom Blooper (1990) ISBN 0-553-05718-9
• A Gypsy Good Time (1992) ISBN 0-671-72917-9

Or of the award-winning film Full Metal Jacket (1987), based on Hasford's first book?

Wikipedia: Gustav haford - First novel and film

In 1978, Hasford attended the Milford Writer's Workshop and met veteran science fiction author Frederik Pohl, who was then an editor at Bantam Books. At Pohl's suggestion, Hasford submitted The Short-Timers, and Pohl promptly bought it for Bantam.^[5]
The Short-Timers became a best-seller, described in Newsweek as “The best work of fiction about the Vietnam War”.^[1] It was adapted into the 1987 feature film Full Metal Jacket, directed by Stanley Kubrick. The screenplay written by Hasford, Kubrick, and screenwriter Michael Herr was nominated for an Academy Award. Hasford's actual contributions were a subject of dispute among the three, and ultimately Hasford chose to skip the Oscar ceremonies.^[1]

This story has long haunted me:

Wikipedia: Gustav Hasford - Library books theft charges

In 1988, shortly before the Oscar ceremony, Hasford was charged with theft after campus police from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, found nearly 10,000 library books in his rented storage locker. At that time, he had 87 overdue books and five years of the magazine Civil War Times checked out from the Cal Poly-SLO library; the materials were valued at over $2,000.^[6]

Hasford's book collection included books borrowed (and never returned) from dozens of libraries across the United States, and from libraries in the United Kingdom and Australia. Others were allegedly taken from the homes of acquaintances. Among them were 19th-century books on Edgar Allan Poe and the American Civil War.^[6] He had obtained borrowing privileges at Cal Poly-SLO as a California resident, but submitted a false address and Social Security number. In 1985, he had borrowed 98 books from the Sacramento, California public library, and was wanted for grand theft there.^[6]

Hasford initially denied the charges but eventually admitted possession of several hundred stolen books, and pled nolo contendere ("no contest") to possession of stolen property. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment (of which he served three months) and promised to pay restitution from the royalties for his future works.^[6]

Hasford claimed that he wanted the books to research a never-published book on the Civil War. He described his difficulties as "a vicious attack launched against me by Moral Majority fanatics backed up by the full power of the Fascist State."^[6]

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30 Funniest Cartoons About eBooks and Digital Reading

From EbookFriendly

DIGITAL READERS: BEWARE! Adobe Digital Editions 4 Spies On Users (And They're Not the Only Ones) - Includes "Who's Reading Whom? (Be afraid. Be very afraid.)", a short horror story

Think I'm being melodramatic with the title "Digital Readers: Beware! Adobe Digital Editions 4 Spies On Users (And They're Not the Only Ones)"? Well:

1. I made you look! And,
2. Sadly, it's no joke.

As fjtorres posted today in Mobileread: Adobe DE 4 spies on users: 

Over at the Digital Reader Blog Nate reports:

Quote:

My source told me, and I can confirm, that Adobe is tracking users in the app and uploading the data to their servers. (Adobe was contacted in advance of publication, but declined to respond.) And just to be clear, I have seen this happen, and I can also tell you that Benjamin Daniel Mussler, the security researcher who found the security hole on Amazon.com, has also tested this at my request and saw it with his own eyes. Adobe is gathering data on the ebooks that have been opened, which pages were read, and in what order. All of this data, including the title, publisher, and other metadata for the book is being sent to Adobe’s server in clear text. I am not joking; Adobe is not only logging what users are doing, they’re also sending those logs to their servers in such a way that anyone running one of the servers in between can listen in and know everything, But wait, there’s more. Adobe isn’t just tracking what users are doing in DE4; this app was also scanning my computer, gathering the metadata from all of the ebooks sitting on my hard disk, and uploading that data to Adobe’s servers. In. Plain. Text.

More at the source:
http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/1...comment-660086 ###

.

MY TAKE
.

The responses to fjtorres' above-mentioned Mobileread post ("Adobe DE 4 spies on users"), to Nate Hoffelder's article that prompted it (The Digital Reader: Adobe is Spying on Users, Collecting Data on Their eBook Libraries), and to other articles on the subject are further illuminating. Some even scary. Because ADE's not the only software to behave this way. And this kind of thing's been going on a long time.
.

Moreover, ADE and Adobe Digital IDs are used by OverDrive, which in turn partners with libraries, schools, and the SYNC YA Literature Into Your Earphones Program that lends and distributes digital content to a target audience aged 13 and up.

Think of the children!

I did.

And that's why, I found the combination of Nate's post, fjtorres' response (including his/her last three words in boldface - see above), and the additional information responders shared in the ensuing threads horrifying. Unbidden, my brain immediately riffed up the vignette posted below, in purple-colored typeface.

.

"Who's Reading Whom? (Be afraid.  Be very afraid.)"
A short horror story 

CHILD: Mommy, Mommmmy! I can't sleep. My books are spying on me.

MOTHER: There, there, Dear. You're just having a bad dream. Books can't spy on you.

CHILD: But...

MOTHER: Sssh, my sweet.

CHILD: But, Mother, this has been happening with ebooks since at least 2011 and 2012, and some hackers did it even earlier with Kindle books they'd corrupted. Not to mention 2010, when everybody learned Amazon was remotely uploading information about notes and highlights users made on their Kindles. And...and how 'bout those schools that use electronic versions of textbooks to spy on students as they read them? 

MOTHER SITS DOWN.




CHILD: And it's not just ebooks! Way back in the olden days, at the turn of the century and again about 10 years ago, other guys whom everyone trusted got caught doing things like that with music. 

     It's never going to stop! Microsoft Kinect counts the number of people in the room to make sure not too many are using it.  And Netflix's use of viewer's data is applauded as a key success factor.  Remember, only 11 months ago, when an LG Smart TV was caught violating a user's private files by uploading data from his USB-connected device to LG's servers? And last December, when Google removed the privacy feature that lets users prevent apps they install from from the Play Store from collecting sensitive data, like phone book information and the user's location? [Sniffle.]

MOTHER [stifling a grin]: Have you been reading "The Library Policeman"?

CHILD: Well, yes. But, Stephen King's story is just pretend. (Isn't it?) 

     Like Nineteen Eighty-Four. (Pauses, frowning.) 

     But this is different; it's really happening! I read about it on the Internet, so it must be true.

MOTHER: [Chuckles outright and looks relieved.] Sweetie, even if books could spy on you, why would they? Books are our friends! That's why Daddy and I, all your teachers, and the librarians, and your grandparents, aunts, and uncles give you books to read all the time. 

     [Crosses to the bookshelf by the bed, and ticks off on her fingers.] Let's see: you've got hardcopy books, paperback books, textbooks, comic books, picture books, ebooks, audiobooks, See 'N Say books, puzzle books, Read to Me books, coloring books, reference books, graphic novels, periodicals... [Drones on, a la "Bubba" Blue's riffs about shrimp in Forrest Gump. Then catches herself.] 

     Sorry, got carried away. Your dad and I read books all the time, too. I even keep books and an ereader next to my bed, and sometimes I fall asleep with them on my pillow. 

     I find that very comforting. You should, too.

CHILD: Mommy. I'm not talking about physical books. Though those are creepy, too.  Do you REALLY place them in your bed? [Grimaces melodramatically.] Bleh!

    But I'm talking about digital books. First, it was just the snoopy suppliers of ereader devices and apps (you know, like Amazon, Apple, CourseSmart, Google, Kobo, NOOK, Sony).  But that creepy spying's spreading like cancer: now, the Adobe Digital Editions 4 software used for digital books is listening in. It pokes around our devices, recording activities and gathering data - much of it not even related to the ebooks we use ADE to authorize. And most of the ereader apps and software I can think of have to be registered with ADE. So Adobe knows everything...and they phone it home.

MOTHER: You mean, like ET? [Hugs and kisses kid. More chuckles.]

CHILD: [Crying.] Yes! But in a bad way. 

     And on top of that, Adobe beams up user's logs to their servers in unencrypted, clear text, allowing anyone in between who can monitor network traffic to intercept that information, too! Mommy, copies of my report cards are saved on my devices. And other secret stuff, like my diary. [Sobs.]

MOTHER: No, Pumpkin. Those bad things you're worried about can never happen. That's one reason why we never download torrent files or pirated content (besides the fact that that would be stealing). And we maintain top-notch, always up-to-date security measures on all our devices.

CHILD: But Mum, I'm not talking about malware. I'm talking about the software we voluntarily download from the so-called "good guys"! The ones who authorize the software we need to borrow digital books from the library and from school... 

     [Sniffles, wipes face with pajama sleeve] 

      ...like maybe, BiblioCommons. But definitely, CourseSmart and Adobe.

MOTHER: [Smiles sympathetically.] Oh, honey. Now, I get what you're talking about. You're so clever! But they're just updating your books. And syncing across devices to enhance your reading experience. Not to worry; those are good things. Lots of apps do that. Adobe and the other developers, and the book publishers, and the ereader suppliers are just looking out for us. As they always do. 

     [Thinks: "Whew! For a minute, there, I thought I'd have to give my kid a tinfoil hat!"]

CHILD: [Recoils, thinking guiltily: "What a maroon! What an ignoranomous!"]

MOTHER: [Opens arms wide.] C'mere Snookums. Let's get a nice cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows and milk. Then, maybe we'll sleep better.

CHILD: [Resignedly gives Mum a hug, then walks with her hand-in-hand into the kitchen, still hoping to convince her.]

[Sitting side-by-side on stools, at the kitchen counter.]

MOTHER: Isn't this nice? So listen, Sweetheart: with so many books in your room, and on your computer and mobile devices, you should never be afraid. The reality is: you're never, ever alone, Honey. Everywhere you go, Dick and Jane, and Spot the Dog, and all the Dr. Seuss characters, the Peanuts gang, Archie's gang, the superheros, and all the Mother Goose characters... [Starts droning again.]

CHILD: [Rolls eyes.]

MOTHER: ...are with you, always. Day and night. Everywhere you go. Every move you make. Every breath you take. Every bond you make. Every step you take. They'll be watching you. [Drones...Cue music.]

CHILD: [Screams.]

THE END.

###

Only it's not.

The end, that is.

With Adobe, it's just the beginning. We've only just begun delving into what's already beginning to smell, IMHO, like a steaming, putrid revival of what might be the type of behavior that led to the curtain's being pulled on other trusted providers of seemingly good things digital.

Moreover, as the kid in the story said, this behavior's been happening for years in digital publishing. And it's accelerating.

Nor is that behavior confined to the ebooks industry. If you can stomach the gory details, then read the content linked within the short story, linked immediately above, and linked below.

Unfortunately, as Orwellian and nightmarish as this unraveling ADE 4-gate seems in its own right, it's no bad dream we can wake up from, drink a nice cup of cocoa, and then just shake off.

Nope.

From my perspective as an avid reader (and ereader); as an academic-practitioner who teaches such courses as business strategy, ethics, and managing innovation & technology; and a non-lawyer who worked in telecom for 10 years - including Regulatory Affairs, I think ADE 4's alleged behavior seems like a real-life, 2014 mirror of the music industry's RealNetworks privacy breach of the late 1990's and Sony digital rootkit debacle of 2005.

Despite the furor this discovery about ADE 4 has raised - first at The Digital Reader, and then elsewhere - I'm sure Adobe won't back down quietly. But (thankfully), neither will such formidable protectors of users' privacy and other rights as:

• The American Library Association (whose Code of Ethics states, "We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received, and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted"); 
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (which is calling ADE 4 spyware); 
• Protectors of FERPA (the U.S. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act); 
• Or various other entities whose laws, policies, or rules ADE 4's behavior tramples on regulations such as the Reader Privacy Act recently passed in New Jersey and, as Nate Hoffelder writes, "similar laws passed by states like California" and overseas.

So we'd better buckle up, gentle readers. And - given Adobe's admissions about ADE 4 and the lack of clarity about ADE 3 - various people who seem to know what they're doing suggest downloading library books directly into OverDrive, reading other ebooks via apps other than ADE, and downgrading to ADE 2, if you must use ADE at all.
###

Here's the first public response I've seen so far, from Adobe:

• The Register: "Adobe spies on readers: 'EVERY page you turn, EVERY book you own' leaked back to base (App sends data over the net unencrypted)". By Iain Thomson, 7 Oct 2014.

Excerpt:

We've asked Adobe for an explanation of what exactly is going on and the firm has said that it's looking into the matter. With a lot of staff currently attending the AdobeMAX conference in Los Angeles this may take some time. ®

Updated to add

Adobe says it simply has to log every page you turn to tackle piracy.

Here's the article the link above points to:

• The Register: "Adobe spies on reading habits over unencrypted web because your 'privacy is important' (Is Adobe facing its Sony rootkit moment?)" By Iain Thomson, 8 Oct 2014 

Hmmm. 
###

Here are some others' reactions:

• At ArsTechnica: "Risk Assessment / Security & Hacktivism: Adobe’s e-book reader sends your reading logs back to Adobe—in plain text. [Updated] (Digital Editions even tracks which pages you've read. It might break a New Jersey Law." By Sean Gallagher. 7 October 2014.

• At The Digital Reader: "Adobe Responds to Reports of Their Spying, Offers Half Truths and Misleading Statements." By Nate Hoffelder. 7 October 2014.

• At InfoDocket/Library Journal:  "New and Old: Serious Reader Privacy Concerns Both Inside and Outside the Library." By Gary Price. 7 October 2014.

•  At the Mobileread Forum: "Adobe DE 4 spies on users". Thread begun by fjtorres. 7 October 2014.

• At Network World: "Adobe Digital Editions is allegedly 'spying' by scanning PCs for any and all e-books -- even ones that have nothing to do with the app -- before uploading logs to an Adobe server." By Maria Elena. 7 October 2014.

• At TechDirt: "Mis(Uses) of Technology: Is Adobe's Ebook Reader Spying On What You Read -- And What You Have On Your Computer? from the and-sending-your-data-in-cleartext-too? dept)." By Glyn Moody. Tue, Oct 7th 2014.

Here are details about what data's collected from ebooks, how it's used, and whom it's shared with:

• At the Electronic Frontier Foundation: "E-Reader Privacy Chart, 2012 Edition." By the EFF. (November 29, 2012)
• At the Electronic Frontier Foundation: "Who's Tracking Your Reading Habits? An E-Book Buyer's Guide to Privacy, 2012 Edition."| By Cindy Cohn and Parker Higgins. November 29, 2012. 
• At Gigaom: "xBookShout pulls users' Kindle, Nook books onto other platforms." by Laura Hazard Owen. 10 October 2012.
•  At The Register: "Adobe spies on reading habits over unencrypted web because your 'privacy is important' (Is Adobe facing its Sony rootkit moment?)" By Iain Thomson. 8 Oct 2014. 
  

  • At WSJ: "Your E-Book Is Reading You" by Alexandra Alter. 19 July 2012.

Here's the latest intelligence about "ADE 4-gate", with updated information:

• At CopyrightAndTechnology.com: "Adobe’s Latest E-Book Misstep: This Time, It’s Not the DRM." by Bill Rosenblatt. 10 October 2014.

Here's more about how other Internet-connected devices spy on their masters users. 

• At How-to Geek: "Smart TVs Are Stupid Why You Don't Really Want a Smart TV (Updated)." by Chris Hoffman. 11 February 2015.

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Who's reading/listening to/watching whom? #1

June is Audiobook Month: Add "Spoken Freely Presents Summer Shorts 14" to your list of audiobook sources

Today is June 1, the first day of June is Audiobook Month.  And this is my second post on the subject. My objective here: to advise you to consider adding "Spoken Freely Presents Summer Shorts 14" to your list of audiobook sources. (I started the list here: in "LISTEN UP! June is Audiobook Month".)

 Here's the first paragraph from the Spoken Freely website:

The audiobook community is giving back! Spoken Freely, a group of more than 40 professional narrators, has teamed with Going Public and Tantor Media to celebrate June is Audiobook Month (JIAM) by offering Summer Shorts ’14, an audio collection of poetry, short stories and essays. All proceeds from sales of the collection will go to ProLiteracy, a national literacy outreach and advocacy organization.

Visit the Spoken Freely/Going Public website for more details, including the release schedule and associated links.
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June 2014 Samsung Book Deals selections

They're out! Here are the June 2014 Samsung Book Deals selections, from the Kindle store (in the order presented). I researched them a bit, to identify series (if any) they belong to and their genres:

• Asylum Harbor (Rachel Scott, #1), by Traci Hohenstein (normally $3.99) - fiction, mystery, thriller
• Last Train to Istanbul: A Novel, by Ayse Kulin (normally $4.99) - historical fiction, people and cultures, holocaust, WWII
• Take Me Home (A Whisper Horse Novel), by Nancy Herkness (normally $3.99) - contemporary romance
• Seven Kinds of Hell (The Fangborn Series, Book 1), by Dana Cameron (normally $4.99) - science fiction & fantasy

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LISTEN UP! June is Audiobook Month

CAPTION: Mad Men's Bob Benson (arguably the wolf to Pete Campbell's Peter), listening to Frank Bettger's book, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling (1952), in Season 6/Episode 10 ("A Tale of Two Cities").

LISTEN UP!

It's June. And June is Audiobook Month. What's in your ear(phones)?


HERE'S WHAT IN MY EARPHONES:

When driving, doing mindless tasks, or just chillin' (e.g.,  in a hammock), I usually listen to music or talk radio - or a rerun of the perfect combination thereof: Peter Schickele's eponymous Schickele Mix (1992-2007). Occasionally, I'll also enjoy a drama, musical, or lesson. I haven't dedicated much audiobook listening time lately, but I have been stocking up, courtesy of the audiobook sources listed below.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

The first prerecorded audible story to make an indelible impact on me was Peter and the Wolf.  I've still got that LP, and still get the heebie-jeebies when I hear French horns (i.e., the wolf).



There have been innumerable recordings and adaptations of Sergei Prokofiev's Op. 67 (1936), but I vividly recall studying the jacket of my family's 1960 release conducted by Leonard Bernstein, performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and produced by Columbia Records. According to Wikipedia: Peter and the Wolf, "The popularity of the group's televised Young People's Concerts made this an auspicious release."


NOT-SO-TRIVIA(L) LITERACY TRENDS:

Audiobooks are increasing in popularity and accessibility.  Originally called a variety of other names (such as "phonographic books", "talking books", or "radio dramas") and delivered via phonograph records, audiotapes, and radio, "audiobooks" have been popular since the "(g)olden days" of analog media, when I was a tot and decades before then. The advent of technology has greatly expanded the options for creating, delivering, and consuming such media, and has substantially lowered the acquisition cost (oftentimes to $0.00), so it's no surprise that the distribution and popularity of audiobooks has experienced steadily increasing growth. 

I envision some readers shuddering at this point, as they envision the proliferation of earphone and earbud-clad hordes listening loudly, perhaps even reciting, content in public places and in long-sacrosanct quiet zones, such as classrooms and libraries. I hear you. But...

That's a good thing. There's gold them in thar stats. The National Endowment for the Arts' study, "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America" (June 2004), finds: audiobook listening is one of very few "types" of reading that is increasing general literacy.


LET'S PAUSE, REWIND, PUMP UP THE VOLUME, AND REPLAY THAT IMPORTANT POINT, SHALL WE?:

The NEA's finding (that audiobook listening is one of very few "types" of reading that is increasing general literacy) isn't just good news. It's a beacon of light in an otherwise bleak report that found horrifying national trends in the USA: accelerating declines in reading of all kinds, among all demographic groups studied; a concomitant erosion of cultural and civic participation; and the observation that "the decline in reading correlates with increased participation in a variety of electronic media, including the Internet, video games, and portable digital devices."


SO WHAT?:

Here's what: audiobooks fight fire with fire. Modern technological advances, the above-described trends, and their impacts have landed us figuratively "in Rome", gentle readers. And we know what to do when in Rome.

 An exemplary program in this vein is SYNC YA Literature into Your Earphones, that...

...gives away two complete audiobook downloads–a current Young Adult title paired thematically with a Classic or Required Summer Reading title–each week to listeners ages 13+ while SYNC is in session each summer.

Titles are delivered through the OverDrive Media Console.  You can prepare for the program by downloading the software to your desktop and whichever device you anticipate listening on.

SYNC is dedicated to introducing the listening experience to the young adult audience and demonstrates that Required Reading can be completed by listening.

SYNC gives away 2 FREE audiobook downloads every week each summer.

Also laudable is the Audiobook Publishers Association's "Get Caught Listening" program that inspired this post.


WHERE ELSE TO FIND AUDIOBOOKS:

There's no shortage of audiobook sources. In fact, there are so many that I've adopted a method for navigating the madness: frequenting several online communities that publish lists and discuss news, deals, freebies, and reviews of audiobooks (and ebooks). Here are my faves, listed alphabetically.  If forced to pick just one, I'd select Mobileread.

• Barnes and Noble's NOOK Central: NOOK Book Discussion: The Official OT Free NOOKbook summary thread
• Goodreads' audiobook discussion groups.
• MobileRead Forums' deals and freebies thread titled "Current Audiobook Specials" and recommendations thread titled "What are we listening to? (audiobooks)" address audiobooks from numerous sources.
• Public libraries, which lend audiobook on tape as well as via streaming media. Many libraries also link to public domain audiobooks one can download, keep, or stream, free of charge. Check out MobileRead's comprehensive list of Ebook Lending Libraries.

So again, I ask..."What's in your ear(phones)?"

Memorial Day Weekend Message

Greetings:

I hope all readers in the USA and Americans currently overseas are having a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.

Don't forget to reserve a minute of silence at 3 pm, Monday, to pay tribute to the U.S. men and women who died during military service! Another common tradition among many American families (like mine), is to utilize this occasion to pay tribute to other loved ones who have died as well as to living servicemen and women. Visit this page to access Memorial Day Resources from the U.S. Veterans Administration.

You may or may not know I"m a Veterans History Project Official Founding Partner-NY (my firm, 360 MERIDIAN, LLC is first on the list). To that end, I'm happy to report the following relevant find this weekend: ROMVETS: Military women who have turned sword into pen (I just joined their Twitter feed). Check them out, and read their publications!

May 2014 Samsung Book Deals

They're out! Here are the May 2014 Samsung Book Deals selections,  from the Kindle store (in the order presented).


Honey on Your Mind, by Maria Mumane
The Dummy Line, by Bobby Cole
Far From Perfect, by Barbara Longley
Pirates of the Outrigger Rift, by Gary Jonas & Bill D. Allen








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