Updates from March, 2011 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • euicho 4:50 pm on 3/17/2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: amazon, , , , script, shelfari, userscripts   

    Amazon – View Book on Shelfari: A Greasemonkey Script 

    script icon

    This morning, while browsing Amazon.com, I was annoyed (not for the first time) that Amazon didn’t have a link to add a book to your Shelfari.com shelf. Amazon has owned Shelfari.com for almost 3 years now, and every shelfari book page has links to but the book on Amazon.com, so this isn’t an unreasonable request.

    My first thought was to search userscripts.org to see if there was already a script to do this and sure enough, there was. This is the way these things go. Luckily for me, it was broken and had been abandoned 4 years ago, so I got to do some coding!
    (More …)

     

  • euicho 12:55 pm on 1/25/2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , e reader, , economics, library, librarything, , reading   

    Ebook Popularity and Piracy 

    Kindle 3

    There’s a good article at LibraryThing about ebooks, ownership rights, and priracy.  The article tries to cover a bit too much at once, but it did make me think about the effect of ebook piracy and how to combat it. While the author makes a good point with the figures from the music industry, you must keep in mind that music is very different from books in that whether you get music from a CD or digital, it is always consumed the same–listened to with headphones or speakers. Books on the other hand, until the last 20 or so years, were always read from paper. E-paper has reduced the differences between printed and electronic words, but reading, holding, and displaying paper books is still vastly different from doing so on an e-reader. I think these differences are important to increasing printed and electronic book sales.

    Perhaps I’m oversimplifying, but I think one way to combat this downward spiral is to put much more emphasis on the value and worth that physical books have over ebooks. Sure one can build a digital library of thousands of books, and have them all accessible on one’s kindle, but where is thematerial beauty of that? The individuality of trade paperbacks and hardcovers? The beautiful rows of shelves lined with dusty tomes? That is what needs to be emphasized when battling ebook piracy.

    The other aspect to battling piracy is to keep ebook prices low enough that someone who does prefer ebooks will buy rather than steal. This encourages would-be piraters to buy, and still makes money by encouraging ebook sales. Dropping the price also sends the message that ebooks have less value than their print counterparts, so ebooks are less likely to overtake printed books.

    What is your take on all this? I’d love feedback!

     

    • Matt 9:22 pm on 1/25/2011 Permalink

      I have to agree with the physical book thing. As much as I love using the kindle app to read, you really can’t beat holding a physical book in your hand. Also, you brought up another interesting point about ebooks. Sure, you can own thousands of ebooks, and ebooks are much easier to amass than physical books, but really is it humanly possible to READ all of those books in ones lifetime.

      In essence, I feel there is a cultural thing at play here. We can all imagine in our minds that rich person (think Jay Gatsby) that just owns lots of books that never are read. eBooks allow us to amass a wealth of books, however, no knowledge is gained in owning these books if they are not read. I think the type that may steal books by the hundreds if not thousands is the same type that would only want you to think that they are smart, literate, and well-read.

      I digress. I agree that, while I hope ebooks never go away, the need for the physical printed word is far greater, and I would mourn the lose of it long before I would mourn the loss of the ebook. Therefore, if for no other reason than to keep the faux-literates at bay, ebook piracy should, and must be, fought using the written word as you have suggested.

    • euicho 5:10 pm on 2/7/2011 Permalink

      Excellent points Doody, thanks for the in-depth comment!

  • euicho 11:37 am on 6/18/2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: video music retro podcast   

    Repositioning of High-frequency RF Cooking Appliances 

    Okay, I can’t get this out of my head.  According to WNYC Radiolab (the best podcast in the universe–Listen to Lucy and tell me I’m wrong), the thing to do is make you suffer too:

     

  • euicho 4:56 pm on 1/25/2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: cute, , , youtube   

    The Cat and the Crow 

    This is old, but it is just too adorable for words…

     

  • euicho 3:26 pm on 10/27/2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    Boondock Saints 2 is Filming 

    boondock saints

    When I first read this, about 2 minutes ago, I shouted “Oh my good f***!” in a room full of strangers:

    Boondock Saints 2 is officially filming, right now, in Toronto.

    Get more info plus a couple of production diaries over at Geeks of Doom (the above link).

     

    • Doody 12:25 am on 10/31/2008 Permalink

      Oh man, that is just too awesome for words.

    • Winchell Chung 9:55 pm on 11/2/2008 Permalink

      I’m so unhip its a wonder that my buns don’t fall off. I had never heard of Boondock Saints 1. So I looked it up on IMDb.

      Of course now your aunt Patti wants to see it. She came late in life to a love of vigilante movies (Death Wish, Batman, The Punisher, etc.)

    • euicho 2:40 pm on 11/6/2008 Permalink

      Haha well then you definitely need to see it!

      There is a scene both very sad and very hilarious involving an ill-fated feline. I hate to laugh at it but its so surprising that I can’t help it. Don’t worry, I haven’t spoiled anything… you won’t see it coming.

  • euicho 10:44 pm on 10/24/2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    Come join the Shelfari 

    Those who know me personally know that I love books, especially fiction. As such, I spend a lot of time on Shelfari.com.

    I found Shelfari a little over two years ago. Back then it was in private beta I believe, and it had the usual kinks and errors to work out, but it was even then a well done and well integrated website. Its grown into a very beautiful site with a great community of friendly interesting readers with some really nice discussion groups.

    A sampling from my shelf
    (More …)

     

    • george 3:52 pm on 3/2/2009 Permalink

      when will the show end, anyone know?

  • euicho 10:44 am on 7/29/2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: accessibility, , standards,   

    My Accessibility: let me show it to you. 

    I really have to say that after only a few pages into Mark Pilgrim’s book Dive Into Accessibility, I find myself both laughing and feeling strongly for the fictitious characters he’s created to illustrate the need for, and problems presented by, accessability. Anybody that runs a website or blog should check it out. At the very least commit yourself to a couple of pages. Its a valuable use of your time.

    By the way, euicho.com is currently not section 508 compliant, but it will be very shortly. Its something I’ve been meaning to take care of. In the meantime, at least it does render very nicely in lynx.

    Lynx Screenshot

     

    • Andrew 12:02 pm on 7/29/2008 Permalink

      A few summers ago I worked for CCIDS on campus and one of my main responsibilities was updating their site for 508 compliance (this was right after it was mandated that any government funded entity have compliance). It’s actually exceptionally easy and I consider myself pretty unskilled at web design.

      My older brother works at an advertising firm and they have very special considerations around Christmastime…

  • euicho 11:05 am on 7/2/2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ,   

    The Website is Down 

    I’ve watched and listened to many funny tech support videos and saved phone calls over the years, but even though this one is staged, its one of the funniest I’ve seen in a long long time. I love his Halo/linux/XP multitasking skills. This one is a little long, but every minute of it is golden.

     

  • euicho 3:46 pm on 4/3/2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    Favorite Lyrics 

    Juliet Simms

    You know when you’re listening to a song and hear a particularly powerful lyric? That verse or phrase that really stirs you or give you goosebumps? Maybe it’s the words, or maybe it’s just the power with which the singer delivers it. I know I’ve a couple of those favorite lines, probably a lot more than a couple. At any rate, I’d love to hear lyrics that all of you readers (yeah all four of you) particularly love. I’ll start with a couple of mine I’ve run across just recently. Sometimes they don’t pertain to me personally in any way, sometimes they do, but they’re always powerful, beautiful, or tragic, and I love hearing them. For the full effect you really have to listen to the song however, so I’ll provide audiko.net links with them: (More …)

     

  • euicho 9:46 pm on 3/20/2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Simple Chord Arpeggiation 

    Some waveform

    I think Celemony has just changed digital audio manipulation forever. Watch this video, its so awesome! They’ve created what they call “Direct Note Access”, which i call arpeggiation, or breaking a chord down to its individual notes. This may seem simple but was never possible before! We’ve always wanted it, but to my knowledge nobody had yet done it (or at least not in a consumer product with a simple GUI to boot!).

     

  • euicho 9:19 pm on 3/18/2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , ,   

    Mourning the last of the Big 3 

    Sir Arthur C. Clarke

    Today we lost the last of the great 3 masters of science fiction. Arthur C. Clarke passed away at 1:30am local time in Sri Lanka, where he’d lived for over 50 years, of breathing complications. He was 90 years old.

    Pay your respects to this science fiction (and science fact) legend by re-reading your favorite novel of his. If you’ve never read him, do yourself a favor and try any of his extensive bibliography.

    There is a good semi-obit at BBC News, and you can learn more about this amazing man at his wikipedia article.

    With the loss of the great Gary Gygax just two short weeks ago, this is truly a sad month for us geeks.

    Godspeed you, Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

     

  • euicho 3:44 pm on 1/30/2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , podcasting,   

    Kicking off TMWS Season 5 Old-School! 

    Jason and Doody being crazy

    Damn I’ve been busy. I’m taking 18 credits this semester in an attempt to finish up my history minor and get my second degree done with. I’ve been neglecting the Internet Scrabble Club, which is sad because I do enjoy my scrabble. I’m going to play some tonight though. I also haven’t been climbing in a VERY long time and that makes me quite sad, so I’ll be doing that more in the very near future. (More …)

     

    • Doody 12:16 am on 2/2/2008 Permalink

      Oh man, TMWS is gonna be/is epic now.

    • JB 3:18 am on 2/5/2008 Permalink

      Rockin’ with our cocks out or something like that. Really my cock stay in my pants because it was cold but I did have my tube sock and a roll of quarters hanging out.

    • Jesse 1:59 pm on 2/8/2008 Permalink

      And also, cocks.

  • euicho 5:59 pm on 1/11/2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , wardriving   

    RDP, APs, JOBZ, and BMG 

    AP map

    Today I was 3 computers deep into remote desktop (RD to one computer, then use that one to get to another, etc). Navigate through that sort of setup long enough, and you start to question what is real, or at least what is actually the machine you are physically sitting in front of. Quite existential, that.

    At any rate, on the drive to work today I was doing a little casual geo-wardriving with my new bluetooth GPS receiver and netstumbler and I came across 2 access points within about 100 yards of one another that I found very interesting. They had two distinct names that told me a lot about the persons that set them up. (More …)

     

  • euicho 10:05 am on 11/2/2007 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: dollhouse, josswhedon,   

    New Joss Whedon Show, WOO! 

    It seems Joss Whedon, the genius behind Firefly and (although I never got into it personally) Buffy.

    His new show, Dollhouse, stars Eliza Dushku, known to fans of Buffy and Angel for her character “Faith”, known to most teenage girls from the movie Bring It On, and known to most boys by word of mouth (^_·) .

    Rather than rehash the explanation of the series, I’ll just quote Fox’s description, which is also quoted at eonline.com:

    Echo (Eliza Dushku) [is] a young woman who is literally everybody’s fantasy. She is one of a group of men and women who can be imprinted with personality packages, including memories, skills, language—even muscle memory—for different assignments. The assignments can be romantic, adventurous, outlandish, uplifting, sexual and/or very illegal. When not imprinted with a personality package, Echo and the others are basically mind-wiped, living like children in a futuristic dorm/lab dubbed the Dollhouse, with no memory of their assignments—or of much else. The show revolves around the childlike Echo’s burgeoning self-awareness, and her desire to know who she was before, a desire that begins to seep into her various imprinted personalities and puts her in danger both in the field and in the closely monitored confines of the Dollhouse.

    It sounds like a really cool concept. Reminiscent of The Clonus Horror/The Island. I’m really excited to start watching. Spread the word so we can keep Fox from killing Joss’ work!

    Read more on E!

     

    • Jesse 6:23 pm on 11/4/2007 Permalink

      They may have shit canned Firefly but, they’ll never take, our Whedon!

  • euicho 4:40 pm on 10/10/2007 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ,   

    Pushing Daisies: A Wonderful Treat 

    I just finished watching the pilot of a new ABC show called Pushing Daisies, and I have to say that I’m trying very hard not to gush about it.

    Pushing Daisies has a very interesting plot in that lead character Ned, played by Lee Pace, can bring the dead back to life. When he touches a corpse, the person springs to life. When he touches them again, they go back to being dead. There is a caviate however. If he leaves a formerly-dead person alive more than 60 seconds, someone in their proximity dies instead. Quite the double-edged sword, that.

    Pushing Daisies Title

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    • Doody 7:20 pm on 10/11/2007 Permalink

      That does sound interesting. I will have to check it out, I am very picky when it comes to TV, it takes something really good to get into it, so if it keeps me, then it definitely is something special. If it doesn’t, that doesn’t mean its bad, it just means it didn’t capture me. It sounds like an interesting plot though. I hadn’t even heard of it until your discussion.

    • B 7:17 pm on 10/15/2007 Permalink

      we made doody watch the second episode heheh
      definitely is awesome
      i’m not sure if it will live up to ‘dead like me’ in my eyes but we’ll just wait and see (i sure do like the trend of pretty gals with guys names – george and chuck haha)

    • euicho 8:38 am on 10/18/2007 Permalink

      Yeah I don’t think anything will live up to Dead Like Me, but it’s a nice standard to hold other shows to. And I totally didn’t pick up on the George/Chuck thing, very good point heheh.

    • Jesse 1:00 pm on 10/18/2007 Permalink

      I liked the comical style of this show quite a bit. I miss George’s potty mouth and cynical view of reality, being the bhudist that I am.

  • euicho 9:11 am on 8/15/2007 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , stephen king   

    Stephen King on Harry Potter 

    Stephen King has written a great piece about Harry Potter, the series end, and how no reviewer has done it justice. It is a great article (DOES contain spoilers, which he explains) and I strongly recommend you read it!

    EW.com by way of HPANA.com
    Jo Rowling set out a sumptuous seven-course meal, carefully prepared, beautifully cooked, and lovingly served out. The kids and adults who fell in love with the series (I among them) savored every mouthful, from the appetizer (Sorcerer’s Stone) to the dessert (the gorgeous epilogue of Deathly Hallows). Most reviewers, on the other hand, bolted everything down, then obligingly puked it back up half-digested on the book pages of their respective newspapers.
    And because of that, very few mainstream writers, from Salon to The New York Times, have really stopped to consider what Ms. Rowling has wrought, where it came from, or what it may mean for the future. The blogs, by and large, haven’t been much better. They seem to care about who lives, who dies, and who’s tattling. Beyond that, it’s all pretty much duh.
     

  • euicho 4:14 pm on 8/3/2007 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ,   

    Deathly Hallows: Finished 

    Well, I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was very well written and was a terrific read. The ending was great and she really tied everything up. That said, I am very sad that the series has ended, and hope that some day she/somebody will do more books about the wizarding world in general (especially Hogwarts!).

    Time to listen to the audiobook!

    I’m actually comparing Jim Dale vs. Stephen Fry on this by listening to the first chapter of both versions.
    I prefer the UK version of the books because they have the UK phrases/words that are dumbed down for the US releases, so I tend to listen to the Stephen Fry (UK) version. Jo also says her children like Stephen Fry’s version.
    (More …)

     

    • Dad 8:53 pm on 8/8/2007 Permalink

      Just finished reading your blog Tom. It had been a while since I last visited your site. Interesting topics. Did your Deathly Hallows theories become reality?

      love you
      Dad

    • euicho 9:20 am on 8/15/2007 Permalink

      One or two of them did, but my big one didn’t. Oh well. It was an amazing book and perfect end to the series.

    • Jesse 12:34 pm on 8/16/2007 Permalink

      That is an awful lot of words Tom. Do you really expect me to take time out my busy day and read? I can’t even take the rime to read what I just wrote and checj foe errprs. For shame.

    • euicho 12:17 am on 8/17/2007 Permalink

      LOL very true Jesse

  • euicho 1:51 am on 7/16/2007 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ,   

    Deathly Hallows Theories 

    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Cover Art

    Going Out on a Limb

    I’ve decided that before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out and my pre-order copy arrives (2 days, 12 hrs and counting!), I should go on the record about a couple of theories I have. A lot has been hashed out on the hp-lexicon.org and various other forums and sites, so I’ll just state a couple of things that havn’t been beaten to death (besides the whole Snape good/evil debate). (More …)

     

    • Doody 3:47 pm on 7/18/2007 Permalink

      That outlook on Deadly Hallows was made of win and awesome.

    • Doody 7:03 pm on 7/18/2007 Permalink

      It is indeed made of win and awesome, but I admit I don’t understand a lot of it. I guess the movies must be further behind than I thought.

    • euicho 8:50 am on 7/19/2007 Permalink

      lol yeah, they are heheh. They leave out a TON of stuff too. You REALLY REALLY REALLY need to read the books. Hell I’ll get them and mail them to you.

    • B 8:15 pm on 7/21/2007 Permalink

      yes i also do not understand most of this and need to read the books
      doh! i am of the lame!

    • euicho.com 12:16 pm on 8/3/2007 Permalink

      Yeah, so I was wrong about the prophecy, sorta. I knew there was more to it, but there aren’t 3 people. Also, I read an essay at the hp lexicon that was dead on about the biggest part of the book, though most people scoffed at it when the author wrote it. I won’t give anything else away, but kudos to you dude!

  • euicho 12:22 pm on 7/15/2007 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    Doody and Johnny on Youtube 

    Doody took some videos with his new mini dv camcorder this past weekend that you should check out, especially the windmill project in Mars Hill, ME.

    You can see all his videos on his user page.

    Johnny AKA John Nells also has some great videos on youtube, including a bunch of amazing covers. One of the best Pumpkins covers on youtube is his one of Today, but all of them are really great. Go check them out on his user page. He also has a project called The Blue Field Entoptic Phenomenon. Check it out on myspace!

     

    • Doody 3:46 pm on 7/18/2007 Permalink

      Yay, thanks for featuring Johnny and I in your blog!

    • euicho 4:13 pm on 7/18/2007 Permalink

      Hey any time! I should also mention that you have an awesome photoblog at madman.euicho.com ! heh

  • euicho 3:28 pm on 5/30/2007 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , ,   

    iTunes Plus Revealed 

    Padlock
     

    This February, in what was most definitely a classic hype-producing move, Steve Jobs posted his “Thoughts on Music” essay for all the internet to jabber about. Then in April Apple and EMI announced iTunes would soon be offering tracks to download sans-DRM. Now at last, a giant step forwards in the war against lame copy-protection arrives: iTunes Plus.

    iTunes Plus is the new catalog of EMI tracks, AAC 256kbps encoded, now available for download at a slightly increased $1.39 a track, or the same old 9.99 an album (you should get the album anyways for the artists’ sake, or more importantly go to their concerts and buy their merch!).

    Another very cool addition is the ability to upgrade already-purchased DRM songs to DRM-free versions for 30 cents a pop or $3.00 an album.

    And this isn’t just a meager offering of a few so-so artists. EMI has a slew of big-name bands such as Blur, Coldplay, Dandy Warhols, Everclear, Queen, Radiohead, Rolling Stones, Sigur Ros, and the Chemical Brothers.

    Though this is a dollar-driven move, as it always is, it nevertheless works out very favorably for all the DMCA/restricted rights hating consumers out there.

     
     

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