Penguin and Random House Merge To Create Penguin Random House.

Two publishing giants, Random House and Penguin, have announced plans to merge and focus their efforts on being "more adventurous" with ebooks.

Tale as old as time, Random House.  The little woman wants you to try new things, experiment more.  Then you wake up in Vegas forming synergy bonds with six dollar crack whores, there's a penguin in the bedroom that smells like your wife who you may or may not have sold into white slavery, and you need to start wondering how deep you have to dig so the coyotes won't find the body.  Here's all you need to know: Keep your head up, don't look it in the eyes and above all else wear a condom.  You do not know where that penguin has been.

Penguin and Random House merge, promise a brave new e-book future - Engadget:

The Guardian

Penguin and Random House merge, promise a brave new e-book future Engadget While the two are engaged in the usual corporatespeak of creating "synergies" (read: resource cuts), we're more interested in talk of the union being a springboard for digital efforts: Penguin Random House wants to be "more adventurous" with e-book ... Penguin Random House aims to attack digital, emerging ebooks marketspaidContent.org Penguin, Random House Merger Is OfficialGood E-Reader (blog) Penguin and Random House to merge and compete against Amazon and AppleITProPortal Expatica Germany -Economic Times all 481 news articles »

Doctor Who Noir Available as Ebook

For any of you folks out there who watched the last episode of Doctor Who, "The Angels Take Manhattan," and wanted to know just what else you were missing in the novel that sat passenger seat to the episode, rejoice!  The Melody Malone mystery short story has been printed as an ebook from the BBC available at Random House or wherever you get that kind of thing.  Sadly, the last page seems to be torn out.

How do you feel about add-ons, mixed media, if you will?  Me, I'm cool with it.  I like that you can enhance an universe with extra content.  I am just waiting on my full copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide.

The detective novel from last week's Doctor Who is now available as an ebook - io9

We Get It, Random House, You Hate Libraries

Random House publishing has raised ebook prices for libraries, up nearly 300 percent for lending books.  This is after last year's library lending cap of checkouts that RH implemented.  Many libraries across the country are complaining and thinking of boycotting the publishing giant.

So there it is.  We thought maybe it was just the situation, but it's us, right?  Come'on, baby, we were so good together.  Why you gotta be like this?  Remember back in the day when we were good together, you all sexy with your booth at ALA with those tote bags and we used to have a good time?  What happened?  We always bought your books, got some good programs back in return.  Is there another giant network of government sponsored programs?  We can do better, we swear.  Just be cool, baby. 

Fine, trial separation then.  You'll be back.  Nobody treated you good as libraries did.  So go, have your fun out there.  We will be here when you come crawling back.

Random House Raises E-Book Prices for Libraries as Much as 300 Percent - DailyTech

How About Dem: Apple News

Ipad or Picture Frame?

Wow, big news in Apples this week, huh?  Looks like Steve Jobs has been working overtime, securing new deals, laying down the law, crunching numbers, and maybe, just maybe, picking up a sweet new turtleneck.  Let's go over a few of the greatest hits, shall we?

The most obvious is the announcement of the iPad 2, a March 11 release date, some fancy gadgetry and other techie crap.  As you might can tell, I could care less.  I have an iPhone, but I plan to get rid of it and pick up something Android as soon as possible.

The next "big" news was the addition of Random House to the iBookstore.  I use the Kindle app when I want to buy an ebook and honestly, now that I have typed it out, do not trust a company that does business with a "random house."  My brother used to do business at a "random house" with a "product" and we get to see him again in 2-3 years with good behavior.

The news that ties all this together is the number crunchers over at Cult of Mac want you to know that 15 times the amount of apps are being sold than ebooks.  Yep, with all their wheeling and dealing over at Fruit Land, they ain't donin much o' nuttin. 

Let me know what you think.