Google’s ebook partnership with Indie Bookstores? Fucked.

Last month, I told y’all about the Indiebound Reader, and how Google was helping to make it possible for the Brick and Mortar independent bookstores to compete in an increasingly digital world.

If I had waited a month, I could have saved some bandwidth.

Google will be ending their ebooks reseller program by the end of January 2013, according to Google’s digital publishing director Scott Dougal on the Inside Google Books Blog

One part of that effort — the reseller program — has not gained the traction that we hoped it would, so we have made the difficult decision to discontinue it by the end of January next year.

Ending a relationship like this can’t be against Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” code. But would it really hurt to maybe “Do Some Good”.

Does this program cost Google a significant  buck? I don’t think so. Would it have hurt to keep the program in place?

Google’s new Play store, designed to compete with Apple’s App store, now features books to buy and download to your device. And with the word of a Google branded tablet on the way, I’m sure that they plan on selling more ebooks through the Play store, and working with resellers may bite into those profits.

But if working with resellers isn’t gaining traction, then I don’t see a threat there.

I can’t believe that the company who wasted our time with Google Wave (which could have been cool), and says that they don’t give a fuck if anyone uses Google+, can’t be cool enough to let the little guy  in on some of that internets money.

Don’t just Don’t be Evil, Google. Be Decent.

IndieBound Reader! Buy Fucking E-books and Still Support Indie Bookstores!

Impossible, right?

Yeah, I thought so too, until I stumbled upon indiebound.org/reader

First, let me get some stuff out into the open. I’m a fan of Barnes & Noble. I like it there. I like sitting and reading a book while I drink my coffee. I even buy books there. Partly because I am cash poor, buy lots of books and have a membership card that gets me 10% off, and more for new stuff.

Okay. I also support my local Indie Bookstores whenever I can. I love me some indie book stores, and indie record stores, etc. I usually get used books and cd’s at those places.

Recently, I have been thinking about epublishing. And what that means is that on some level I would have to support the idea of ebooks, and the loss to Brick and Mortar stores. I would become one of the people that don’t push open doors and smell the musty aroma of old books, or the fresh paper and ink of new books. And this makes me sad.

I like book stores. Almost as much as I like books. By which I mean the physical representations of books made out of things like paper.

Barnes and Noble will not vanish from this earth anytime soon. They have their nook. An e-reader that can be used to buy books online. But what of the indie bookstores? What do they have?

Motherfuckers, they have this…

The IndieBound Reader.  It’s an app available for Android and iOS devices that allows you to purchase ebooks from your local (participating) indie book store.

Here, they say stuff on their site better than I do on mine.

IndieBound is a community-oriented movement begun by the American Booksellers Association. It brings together booksellers, readers, indie retailers, local business alliances, and anyone else with a passionate belief that healthy local economies help communities thrive. Successful local, indie businesses help dollars, jobs, diversity, choice, and taxes stay local, creating strong, unique communities and happy citizens.

Independent bookstores have partnered with Google to sell Google eBooks™ because of its open and accessible platform, so indies can provide an easy way for their customers to discover, read, and buy ebooks at while supporting local business. The ebooks are sold directly through independent bookstore websites.

Well! Fantastic!

Some backstory:

I use the kindle app on my phone, but until recently I hadn’t actually bought any books to read. I stuck with the free stuff that is in public domain. You know, old shit. Luckily, I like old shit, and mostly used the app to read when I had some time to kill and didn’t have a paperback in my pocket.

Then came the Dresden Files series. I started reading those books, and got sucked in. I won’t review them now, but let’s just say that I like them. I’ve been buying two at a time at the book store.

I finished my latest book in the middle of the night and immediately began chewing on my left arm. So using my kindle app, I bought and downloaded the next book. Amazon dug that, but I felt a little bad for all the Brick and Mortar guys. I bought the next few at the store, and felt a little better about that.

Then I discovered, quite accidentally, the IndieBound.org website, which is a community of indie bookstores and the people that love them. And then I saw a link on their site that said “Indies Sell Ebooks”. One clicky later, and I feel like the guy who discovered sliced bread (not the first guy, or the guy who invented it… just a guy who stumbled on it after nicking his fingers on bread knives for most of his life).

I downloaded the app to my phone, and found a local indie bookstore. And let it sit there.

Yesterday, I finished the other Dresden Files books. I was all caught up but for the last one “Ghost Story”. I could have gone to the Brick and Mortar for it. Instead, I went to my phone.

I bought the book.  I bought it from Literary Bookpost, an indie bookstore in Salisbury, NC (my closest indie bookstore does not yet participate). My money went to a local bookstore, my taxes went to the state and I got the book without leaving my house.

Well, I bought it at work, but you know what I mean.

The app is really nice. It works well, and seems to have more and better features than my kindle app. It works quickly, smoothly and I read Ghost Story in about 6 hours using it.

So yes! By all means, when possible buy ebooks from your local indie bookstore. Living in the future doesn’t always have to mean fucking over the past.

Now I’m waiting to buy music the same way.

Here’s the app links:

IndieBound Reader iOS

IndieBound Reader Android

My brother can use a sword. He’s also a smart guy and avid geek and gamer. He and some of his friends have come up with a card game called Lexicons of Dueling. It looks to be really cool, and they’re currently looking for some assist via KickStarter.

So do yourself a favor. Go check it out. And kick in a little, damn it!

Click the link below to go to their Kickstarter page:

And here is the facebook group link. If you’re on the facebook (who am I kidding, of course you’re on the facebook!) you can get more information here: Lexicons of Dueling

Go! Now! And thanks for helping support cool stuff.

My latest web project is live on the fucking internets.  It’s called facespaceplus.com.

What is it? Here, from the WTF? page on the site:

FaceSpace+?

It’s the anti-social network.

Are you sick of interacting on Social Media websites?

Tired of clicking “Like”?

Wishing you didn’t feel obligated to comment when someone is having a bad day, a good day, or a ‘meh’ day?

Then FaceSpace+ is for you.

There’s no need to sign up, because you can’t get an account. Any why would you want one? Let’s face it, the best thing about the other social media sites is watching the train wreck of everyone’s lives as they try to interact with people whose lives are just as equally screwed up.

So sit back and relax, and enjoy the snark, the insults and the occasional kitty picture while knowing that even if you want to comment, you can’t.

Yeah. I have problems. Regardless, go and check it out. We have a new game (that doesn’t, and likely never will work) called MethVille! And we have some imaginary people being douchebags to one another.

It’s still in it’s infancy. New status updates will be posted and abused daily, and I’m hoping that once all the back end work is finished, it’ll just get funnier.

Go see.

Dear Bill Gates,

I am sorry. I needed a new computer and decided to spend almost three times what I could have bought a decent PC for, and picked up an Apple iMac. Please take comfort in the knowledge that I still have an Xbox 360 and an Android phone. I know the Android thing ain’t you, but it’s not an iPhone, right?

Love,

Me

So I’m seriously, you guys. I did buy an iMac. I know that some people will cry sheep. Well, they can go fuck themselves.

I did. I needed a new computer in the worst way. I was using a laptop as my primary machine. Something I hadn’t intended for it when I bought it years ago. The battery is dead so it has to stay plugged in (yes, so does the iMac), and I’m trying to share it with my sixteen-year-old daughter (who does have an iPhone, so it’s not like she needs to use my laptop.

Really, the biggest reason i needed a new, desktop based computer, has everything to do with trying to get some work done. I find writing to be tiresome on the laptop, the screen was too small, and the keyboard is just there with no way of moving or adjusting it. It also makes me frustrated when I’m trying to work on the fucking internets. I’m seriously, guys. Hurts my brains to try and code or blog or anything on that old laptop.

I poked about at a bunch of Windows options. Also at some barebones stuff that I could have loaded a linux flavor onto. But I kept getting drawn back to the iMac option. And not just because @ohjoey endorses it.

Really the final straw in the poll was plucked when I had to bring my daughter’s phone down to the Apple Store. While we were waiting for the Genius at the Bar, I got to poke around at some stuff and I really liked what I saw.

Also, you can right click now.

I ordered it online. I picked up an i5 2.5 ghz 21.5″ 500gb refurbished (I don’t know what any of that means. It was purty though. But I joke). I went for the refurb because let’s face it, it’s cheaper and these are expensive machines. And it’s not like I’m getting it off of Craigslist or at the pawn shop as a used item. An official refurbished machine from the manufacturer (in this case Apple) carries the same warranty as a new machine, and has been inspected and brought up to snuff by Steve Jobs (or his ghost) himself.

The operating system takes some getting used to, but not much. A few big differences, but the fact that I can’t think of them off of the top of my head makes them small and insignificant. Most of the programs I use have Mac versions, and actually I haven’t found one yet that I couldn’t download and install. And the Appstore is right there on the dock, and you can get a shitload of programs at the click of your mouse.

One of my concerns was streaming music and movies to my Xbox. There’s an App for that! I used Connect 360 and bam! My iMac and Xbox 360 are happily living together in sin. I also downloaded the Pages app, which is a word processor and publishing app that I liked when I played with it on a machine at BestBuy, and it apparently can also export to epublish formats. Which was a major selling point for me.

The keyboard is cute. That’s not a complaint, but it’s not a compliment either. It’s bluetooth wireless, so it’s great for moving around on the desk (or even to my bed if I wanted), but it’s on the small side. I seem to be adapting well, but since I don’t touch type for reals (I use three or four fingers that know where all the keys are) it’s not too bad, and since it’s about the same size as my laptop keyboard my fingers didn’t have to adjust too much.

The mouse is fantastic. It’s called a Magic Mouse. And it really is. You can do all sorts of swipey motions to do things, and while scrolling is backwards as compared to a wheel mouse, I got used to that in about three seconds. It really is more intuitive, and you can set it up so that you can right click.

I also got the touchpad, which is fantastic, but I don’t use it much. I can see where I may use it more down the line, so I don’t see it as a waste.

Of course, I also picked up the Apple Remote. Because I knew this machine was going into my bedroom (quiet and private for working on stuff), I knew that I might want to use it to listen or watch stuff from my bed. So, no brainer there.

Things I thought about doing but changed my mind:

27″ screen. Why? No, seriously. I can see why I might want a TV sized screen. Watching TV and movies on it would be nifty. But as far as working goes, when I played with the larger ones, the extra real estate was more of a distraction than anything. The 21.5″ screen is just dandy. It’s perfectly sized to have two or three windows open and in sight while I’m actively working. I usually have  the browser and a music program open while I write.

Larger Hard Drive. Why? No seriously. Yes, storage is necessary, especially if you do lots of music and TV/movie downloading. But what apple wants to add more storage just seemed a bit pricey. Especially when additional storage is available cheaply in an exterior type form.

Anyway, so far I’m fucking tickled pink with this machine. I recommend it highly for all who really don’t need a Windows machine for things like gaming (and even then, you can always install Windows for a dual boot machine). So thanks @ohjoey (bastard), and thanks to my Mac-head mom (I won’t call you a bastard) for convincing me that this was the way to go.

I went.

I have me some serious geek-love for Spotify.
Spotify is one of the damn numerous streaming internets radio things that allow you to stream music from the fucking internets. I’ve tried a few of them in my time, and still use most of them. I’ve my last.fm account, my Slacker Radio account, Pandora and I played with Rdio for a week with their free trial.

Most of them can be sorta free, as long as you’re streaming from the world wide interwebs. The only one of the above that ain’t free on the interwebs is Rdio.

At the moment, of the above, only Pandora and Slacker are free on mobile platforms, and then they’re ad supported. Which is really no big deal. Last.fm used to be free on the mobile, but now you must pay (a reasonable $3.00/month).

Last.fm and Pandora are also available on the TV. Pandora is lumped in with a fuck load of “smart” TV’s, Blue-Ray players and Game Consoles. Last.fm is available on the XBox 360, and with a Gold Account, it’s free (because lord knows you spend enough on the fucking Gold Account).

Most of them have varied pay plans. Usually about $5.00 a month for a “plus” type account, and about $10 a month for a “premium” account.

Rdio is the biggest fail here. Their “plus” account allows you to listen on the web only (not the mobile web). Which all of the others do free already. Their unlimited plan is good, because it gives you about what everyone else gives you for ten bucks, like offline listening, and being able to create your own playlists. But there were a number of tracks (offbeat, admittedly) I could not find, and this was my biggest reason for not going with Rdio.

Slacker does the streaming free on the web and on my mobile. Again, it’s ad supported, and with the freeness comes the ability to skip up to 6 tracks that suck. Plus gives you the ability to skip as many as you want &  give you offline listening. And no ads. Premium gives you all that, plus the ability to create playlists, or listen to albums in order. Slacker is a great service, but would be better if I didn’t get so many songs repeat when I listen to streaming radio. It’s like listening to regular radio, and with thousands of songs that can sort of fit into a given genre, it’s sorta shit.

Last.fm has a great service, complete with social network. It’s the best of the freebies, and the cheap upgrade to streaming gives it some nice stuff there. Sadly, there is no ability to create playlists from millions of tracks, but who cares? It’s cheap, and the song selection while streaming is damn fucking good. A bonus/drawback is the ability to tag tracks (as part of the social network thing). I can enter the word “fucking” into the player (as a tag, rather than an artist) and get a station that plays songs that people have tagged “fucking”. I just did that, and I hear Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”, followed by ENslaved by Owls “The Tall Man’s Daughter (which is some elctronica I’ve never heard before… ) I will skip…and get “M.F.B.W.” by Bleed to This, which is some sort of hardcore called “Drunken Sonic Thrash”. Which I like, so I click love and the fucking internets will see that I not only listened to the track, but that I Loved it. Again, this no longer streams on mobile devices though unless you wants to pay. The Social Network they support is also really robust and focused solely on music, so it’s not like you need to add this to your daily “I should check…” list.

There’s not enough bad shit  I can say about Pandora. I am lonely in this Pandora loving world. Pandora allegedly sorts music by some sort of magic genome tracking thing. I suppose this works if you don’t like weird shit like I do. If I ask for Mission of Burma, it plays Mission of Burma, followed by Aerosmith, because apparently I like “electric guitars and repetitive grooves” or whatever. If I’m listening to Mission of Burma, I do not want to hear Aerosmith. Or the Fresh Prince, or whatever. No. Maybe it works for people who listen to stuff you can find in Wal-Mart. Just not for me.

Spotify seems to be the King and Queen of the Living-In-The-Future-Holy-Fuck-Streaming-Fucking-Radio. Spotify allows you to choose any song in their library to listen to, add to playlists etc. For free. On your computer. If you give them $5.00, you can hear it without ads. For $10, you not only get no ads, but you can do it on your phone. It also syncs with your computer’s music thing (iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc) and gets your playlists and “local” files (which includes local files on your mobile like podcasts etc.) and makes them available. It can sync music to your phone for offline listening and has a damn streamlined social network which allows you to share music, playlists and shit with your friends. You can subscribe to playlists of other folks with similar music tastes (or un-similar), and they can subscribe to your playslists. You can easily share links to tracks and playlists on the Facebook or on the Twitter.

So, there you have it. Streaming Fucking Internets We Live In The Future Radio and why I think Spotify fucking owns/pwns whatever you kids say now.

Comments welcome below. What are you streaming?

If you’re a fan of Arrested Development and The Game of Thrones, you probably already know about this website. If you’re a fan of one, but not the other, it may have skipped your notice.

If you’re a fan of neither, your life is just fucking sad. I don’t know what to tell you.

It’s screencaps of HBO’s Game of Thrones (based on the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. Martin), with dialogue supplied by Fox’s so-brilliant-we-had-to-cancel-it Arrested Development.

These things mash up so well it’s not funny. Well, it is funny. Fucking very funny.

You can find it all at Arrested Westeros. What the fuck are you waiting for?

Did you see Family Guy Sunday?

If you did, you saw this. 

Enough said.
When your kids ask you what the fuck happened to MTV, and why shaking asses and bling are the stars of today’s music videos, explain it to them. Explain that David Bowie and Mick Jagger were once rock gods, and somehow, they would wind up trying to make out (again) in what may rank as the biggest piece of shit to make you wish that the eighties never happened.

Tell them that we tried to save the world with stuff like this.

But that MTV died anyway.

And then explain that because we live in the Fucking future… we now have this.

But let them know that the Fucking Future isn’t all bad. Because it also brought us this.

Okay. There’s some Fucking Internets for you.

*Not Fucking Safe For Work – or kids, or pets. It’s safe for the fucking blind. End of fucking list.

The Fucking Internets are for sharing information. And porn. Information and Porn. We all understand this.

It’s not often that these things combine. InfoPorn (I didn’t invent that)!  So in the spirit of sharing information and porn…

Seriously. Not safe for kids. If you show them this, not only will you go to hell, but the human race will cease to exist because these kids will grow up and become adults absolutely afraid to have sex. No shit.

… we bring you the Blue Waffle:

Blue Waffle, it’s not just for breakfast anymore.

Or ever.

Is it real? Or is this some St. Patrick’s Day surprise gone horribly wrong? I don’t want to fucking know. I just want to know how to stay as far away from this as possible.

The image was snatched from Documenting Reality, which doesn’t make it reality, but you never know.

The infamous Urban Dictionary has some stuff on the Blue Waffle as well. None of it helpful, but some of it slightly funny.

There’s even a website at BlueWaffleDisease.org, which could be actually helpful. It doesn’t quite debunk this condition, it does offer the following:

Itching and vaginal inflammation are the common symptoms. Vagina will change its color after a while and this is where the word “blue” comes from. Vaginal discharge will change its color and smell. Now, it seems that these symptoms usually go away spontaneously. However, is it smart to wait for that to happen?

If you have any of these symptoms, you should not be surfing the net and asking questions about the blue waffle disease. You need to see your doctor and solve the problem as soon as possible.

Yes. “...you should not be surfing the net and asking questions about the blue waffle disease”

Unless some devious bastard asked you to.

The Fucking Internets shared it with me. I share it with you. That’s what InfoPorn is all about kids (really, don’t let the kids see this. Save the human race, eh?) folks.

Every week on the Not the Show podcast, Joe plugs this site. Every week, I let him, and sometimes there is a comment about how I don’t post on it very often.

Like, almost never.

I would say that of all the things I’ve posted on my blogs, eighty percent mention my lack of posting.

Fucking lame.

Since my last post, I have become fucking lame in other ways.

My last trip to Florida to see my girls ended in disaster. My car died in Florida, and I limped back to Winston-Salem a changed man. Without a vehicle, I am trapped in the small apartment I call home. I take a bus to work, which I honestly don’t mind. And I take a bus home, and then walk about a mile and a half through Downtown to get home. I currently can’t afford to enjoy living Downtown, so it’s just a walk now. When I get home, I try and write while watching TV. And mostly fail at the writing part.

I went through a period of depression and some physical issues, probably made worse by the depression.

Things have been getting better. Though without a car, I still have to rely on folk for my grocery shopping, laundry and just getting shit done. And this is depressing as well.

I think, more often than usual, that moving here was a mistake. I think about packing my shit and heading into the snow of New York, or the sun of Florida. And I don’t really want to do either. What I’d like to do is get my head back in the game, get my shit together and Do Something. Stop being Fucking Lame.