Little things that bring a smile to your face

[Brad]

Gloucestershire Libraries finally launching their eBook lending scheme and it actually working! What a great idea. Looks to be compatible with pretty much all eBook readers apart from Kindle. Bit odd seeing that all copies of a digital book have been lent out but I understand the logic behind it. Anyway, very nice.

[noobish hat]

How does that work? Can't you convert it to kindle after to borrow it?

[Brad]

It's Adobe Digital Editions DRM system. Books are in EPUB or PDF format (EPUB is best) but both are DRM'd. Almost everyone supports the format other than Kindle AFAIK. Maybe you can strip the DRM out, I dunno. I deliberately went with something other than a Kindle because I knew this would be a problem once the libraries got their act together. I *think* in the US that Kindles are supported somehow but I've not investigated if that's true or how they do it.

Anyway, you go online, log in, browse books, borrow and download, add to your device and it tells you you've got until such and such a date to read it whereupon it is automatically checked back in to the library.

[noobish hat]

But can't you just immediately borrow it again like with real books? There must be some a way of cracking the DRM too, surely.

[Brad]

Yes, you can borrow it again, as lo0ng as no-one else has reserved it, just like with regular books.

All DRM can be cracked I imagine but if you're going to do that you may as well just steal the book using piratebay or usenet.

[noobish hat]

I've not had any luck finding ebooks anywhere other than amazon, to be honest, and they want ?6.99 for ONE Raymond Chandler book. Absolutely atrocious. If ebook piracy becomes as rampant as it is for films, they'll have no one but themselves to blame.

[Brad]

Totally agree mate. I've probably said this in the past but if I find an eBook costs more than a paper back then it's usenet time + a donation to here http://www.booktrust.org.uk/ to ease my conscience. Sadly most non-legit eBooks are scanned + OCRd and not always very well done.

[noobish hat]

Got Abe's Exoddus off ebay for free using a five pound off code that paypal gave away. Happy!

[Skull Commander]

Details here for anyone else that wants to get something for free:

http://www.bordersdown.net/showthrea...y-Using-Paypal

[Neon Ignition]

People who harp on about the great cheap value of iOS gaming but spend hundreds and hundreds on every iterative minor updated iPhone/iPad Apple sneeze out. It gives me a sense of hope that the recession can't be that bad if people are so freely p**sing away their money

[charlesr]

Hah. So true. Makes Nintendo's handhelds seem like good value.

[randombs]

[Dazzyman]

Room full of family yesterday all of us having a meal at Frankie and Bennys. First birthday with my dad in 25yrs and step mum, first birthday with inlaws and first birthday being married with the wife, very emotional day and spoilt rotten. Can't get over the Pulsar divers watch me dad got me. All this and seeing all my friends at weekend....life really has changed in the last year!!!

[speedlolita]

Dreamcast I bought as spares arrived and its laser works just great.

Nice.

[Brad]

Some people think the DC laser has gone when it's actually the lid switch. I've never made that mistake if that's what you're thinking.