Round up #299: Alice in translation, sorry we don’t publish books by people like you
The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.
Restoring a p-book (paperbook)
One reason I like e-books is they don’t decay.
No question, some of the p-books I own are in much worse shape than when they were first published. In some cases, I bought them that way. In others, despite how careful I am, they have decayed
I have paperbacks (decades old) literally held together with rubber bands.
Some of my Oz books, more than a century old, seem quite fragile.
While a digital file can become corrupt, generally, when I download an e-book from Amazon (from the Kindle store or my archives/Cloud), it’s in pristine condition.
There is (or should be) a rush around the world to digitize p-books to preserve them.
This
EBOOK FRIENDLY post by Ola Kowalczyk
includes a video of a craftsperson doing an amazing job restoring a really damaged p-book.
We have to realize that this beautiful work doesn’t reconstitute the pages, glue, and other materials. Books are printed on different quality materials, and some simply decay more rapidly than others. When I talk about $50 novels, I expect them to be printed on long-lasting materials. Regardless, this restored book is looks glorious!
Correcting an imbalance…through further discrimination?
It would be hard to argue that males aren’t overrepresented in many areas of publishing (especially in mainstream reviews and prizes).
In this
Independent article by Sophie Lewis
a Senior Editor pledges to publish no books written by men in 2018.
Is that the right way to go?
Not getting published is less of an issue now than it used to be…at least, not being traditionally published. You have the option to independently publish.
It’s funny…I would be more accepting of this, I think, if the company was founded to only publish books written by women. Since it wasn’t, this is a take away.
Echo check-in
The
Amazon’s ambient computing device, still says it will be in stock on July 8th. I also still think that may be a general public release date for the device…or, at least, an open pre-order date.
I got an e-mail from Amazon recently asking me about participating in Echo customer feedback, including focus groups and even house visits. They wanted me to agree to it during the next six month period. That gave me pause for a minute, that they might be waiting six months to release it…but that would miss the holiday season, and I don’t think that’s happening. :)
I also asked people in the Amazon forum, and several people said they got similar e-mails some time back.
I’ll still guess early July.
They also asked me a lot of questions about how I use it and what improvements I would like to see. One of my main request was to have the Echo control our
Amazon Fire TV (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
My Significant Other currently finds it complex to navigate to our Fire TV and make a choice. It would be so much easier to say, “Alexa, show me Master Chef on Hulu+ on Bufo’s Fire TV.”
Well, AFTV News, in this
came up with a very complex workaround that allow you to control your Fire TV right now verbally with the Echo.
If you are not afraid of a multi-step geeky process, it’s an interesting read…and even the author calls it a “proof of concept”.
I suspect we’ll get an easier method before or at the same time as the general public availability.
Something recently added? Alexa will now tell me the time of sunset and sunrise, which it didn’t do before.
One of my regular readers and commenters, Harold Delk, told me about this blog:
Love My Echo
oo
It’s an interesting blog by April F. Hamilton (The Digital Media Mom).
The information seem good, and the site looks good in terms of design.
I wonder if the name is just a case of parallel creative evolution. :) I’ve had that happen, where I independently came up with something that someone else did…I think “phablet” is one of those, for example. There was also a time that two of us wrote a piece on Amazon purchasing the English language as a joke…that happens.
I do think there may be some confusion, though…although April’s site is much more graphically intense than mine. ;)
I was also amused when someone who had read my very first book jokingly suggested I write one on the Echo…apparently unaware of my books since that one and of this blog. :) I’ve already mentioned that I might write something on the Echo, although I’ve been super busy lately. It would probably be entitled, “Love Your Amazon Echo: the ILMK guide to Amazon’s Ambient Computing Device,” or something pretty similar (that would parallel an earlier book of mine. I would probably include a notice that it isn’t connected to April’s site, though…even though that seems a bit…yes, I’ll go with ironic, since I’m amused by it. ;)
Alice Through the Linguist’s Glass
Alice in Wonderland is turning 150 years old…and this is a great
Wall Street Journal article by Brenda Cronin
about all of the translations!
Not just into other European languages, but into hieroglyphics…even emoji!
I think the fact that our adult kid is a linguist might influence me on this, but that’s one of the most fun articles I’ve read in some time!
What do you think? Have you read a book in translation…and ever felt it was as good or even better than the original? Have you ever read or seen anything in Esperanto (one of the Alice translation languages)? I have, by the way, and no, I couldn’t understand it. Are you holding on to any really damaged copy of a p-book for sentimental reasons? If you think there is unfair discrimination against women in the publishing world, what, if anything should be done about it? Feel free to tell me and my readers what you think by commenting on this post.
Join thousands of readers and try the free ILMK magazine at Flipboard!
* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Shop ’til you help! Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
