Library Book and Tech News: Cyber-Book-a-Tron

I am a librarian from the future.  I am sent from the future to save you, the librarian who will save us from the coming information apocalypse.  Come with me if you want to read.

Netflix announced that it will not pursue the separation of its DVD and streaming services.  Customers of Netflix have already quit or made their decisions.  NYTimes

Charlaine Harris, who already announced her True Blood-based Sookie Sackhouse vampire novel series is almost over, will be writing a graphic novel.  The new series will be based on supernatural stuff and probably be better than the AMC TV series that it was based on.  USAToday

After DC made an exclusive deal with Amazon for their graphic novels, the bookchain Barnes and Noble removed around 100 graphic novels from their shelves.  The break up is set to be a sad one, with B&N sitting alone crying and burning old pictures of Superman.  WSJ

The FCC has passed a resolution that all cellphones must have GPS capabilites by 2018.  Get ready to be tracked by a government agency grasping for relevancy.  techcrunch via geekologie

Italian Wikipedia is no more due to an Italian law that states that if a person has a problem with information shown on any web content, a statement of contradiction must be added to the page in a unaltered form whether it is true or not.  As Wikipedia is constantly updated, this negates their business model.  There goes my Italian Stallion page.  wikimedia via boingboing

Miramax CEO Mike Lang stated that diversity of services offering online content is more important than battling online piracy.  Monopolies cornering the market through exclusive deals can hurt content more than people randomly sharing the content online.  torrentfreak via boingboing

Tech News: This Week Was a Doozy of Dooziness

Okay, here we go this week with the Library Tech news that I did not cover because I was hungover or something.  Honestly, I am barely able to read most of these, much less crank out 200 words on each subject.  On to the poopy!

A Wisconsin library has begun to loan out iPads to their public as a way to educate them about technology.  Why not loan them the most expensive and easy to use piece of equipment known to man?  That'll teach them about economics. Consumerist


Facebook began sharing movies, TV shows and music this week as an attempt to keep themselves relevant.  Next they will be mapping your brain to find out what are your exact "likes" so they can better target the ad space.  SF Business Times


IT departments in most large corporations allow their employees to choose whatever mobile device they want.  Whereas in the past and IT department would dole out equipment in a unified manner, now employees have more freedom of choice.  I want one of those huge brick cell phones like Zach Morris used to have.  Can you set me up, library? NYTimes


The Spartanburg library in Spartanburg, SC has suspended use of its elibrary to neighboring county Greenville users citing overuse of resources.  I bet they won't let them ride the monorail or eat from their lemon tree either.  WSPA


Madison, Wisconsin is looking to create a law wherein when you sell a used video game to a retailer, they take a photo of you for their databases in an effort to curb theft.  Next they will require blood, urine and semen samples which should make game stores much more interesting.  If only the library could take pictures of users that try to donate.  "Ratshit's back again with a pile of National Geographics!"  Madison via Kotaku

Tech News of the Week, Cause It Happened

techa-nology, y'all

Welcome to this weeks Tech News of the Week, where all your library tech news gets shuffled when I can't think of more than a sentence to say about it.

Leapfrog, the educational "computer" company, has created its own version of the iPad called the LeapPad.  Personally I would have called it the "Lilly" (unless they already called their first computer that after Apple's own ancient invention, the "Lisa,") as a play on the whole "lilly pad" phenomenon that is sweeping the swamps.  Or just call it a speak-and-spell and go on with my life.  tennessean

Amazon is opening in Spain this week.  I just wanted y'all to know.  paidcontent.org

Michael Hart, the founder of Project Gutenberg, died this week.  The mark this man left on the world is vast, touching on the creation of the ebook to the digital preservation of materials.  Think about that the next time you bitch about... whatever you bitch about digitally.  NYTimes

IDW has brought graphic novels to the Apple iBook store.  Read such classics as... those movie-licensed comics the kids like these days.  Keep on kicking, digital ebooks picture thingies. comicbookresources

The Huffington Post has begin publishing ebooks.  The first ebook out on its bandwagon will be Arthur Delaney’s A People’s History of the Great Recession.  Prepare for the ride of your life.  paidcontent.org

Tech News, It Just Keeps on Coming

Now for the news I was too busy to talk about or just did not care about enough to think up a bit: Tech Edition

Netflix lost its deal with Stars! to provide programming for Netflix's instant streaming services.  Stars! says that they are looking for, like, you know, more in a relationship and they just don't want to get serious right now.  It's not you, it's them Netflix.  Rolling Stone

Overdrive, the ebook lending service, unveiled its school library service.  Overdrive will continue dealing with libraries as long as they are viable, then move onto your younger cousin, transforming them into dangerous creatures of the night who will feast on the blood of the innocent.  Or is that vampires? GoodEReader

The United States Justice Department has moved to block the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile citing monopoly and free trade and stuff.  I am not smart enough to understand this, but I hear that T-Mobile will probably die out and become the property of a larger company.  Ya know, for kids.  NYTimes