Author Topic: Loremaster Legacy (Read 26207 times)

markc · « **Reply #40 on:** November 01, 2014, 03:52:46 AM »

A good question will be in the future will e-book readers provide the same impressions that physical books did for our generation?
MDC

Peter R · « **Reply #41 on:** November 01, 2014, 04:28:30 AM »

Yes I imagine they will. I think the impression is created by the words and worlds in the books rather than the slowly rotting dead tree pulp itself.

Surely the same discussion has been held in the world of musing bemoaning the 'death' of the vinyl record when CDs arrived and then the death of CDs when downloads arrived. What actually happened is that there were enough people who wanted vinyl for it to re-emerge and is still available today.

There is no need for publishers to do print runs of books now. Print on demand means that every book can always be in print. Whether it is ordered into your local bookshop or delivered by Amazon you can still get it within about 48hrs.

egdcltd · « **Reply #42 on:** November 01, 2014, 05:36:09 AM »

I have had a Sony Reader and now have a tablet, and read books on those, and even read them on my phone too now, but I still prefer dead tree (with over 4,000 pieces of evidence to prove that). For one thing, I find it much easier to switch between different pages in a book, swapping back and forth to check on things. I have bought books solely as ebooks, but those that are available in hardcopy I plan to pick up in that format at some point.

markc · « **Reply #43 on:** November 01, 2014, 07:47:57 AM »

What about reading on a LDC TV? Do any of you plop down in front of your 60"+ LCD TV and read an e-book?
MDC

Peter R · « **Reply #44 on:** November 01, 2014, 08:00:42 AM »

No, I wouldn't even consider it.

I haven't used the Sony reader mentioned above but with a Kindle it is not like reading a screen. It is as comfortable to read as paper and it is the same intimate experience as being absorbed in a book. I do read on my phone where I have the kindle app. I only do that when I have a bit of time to kill. I like the way that opening the book on my phone and it opens at exactly the point I stop reading previously. I can read two pages and then when I open the book on my kindle it has also moved on two pages. I don't like reading on lcd screens, laptops or tablets.

I will on the other hand send longer pdf or word documents to my kindle to read there to avoid reading on screen.

Terry K. Amthor · « **Reply #45 on:** November 02, 2014, 03:18:48 AM »

Quote from: markc on November 01, 2014, 07:47:57 AM

What about reading on a LDC TV? Do any of you plop down in front of your 60"+ LCD TV and read an e-book?
MDC

I'm with PeterR; I'd never consider reading a book on a tv screen. On the other hand, I would never want to try to read a book on my iPhone either, but that is partly because my eyesight is getting worse. I have been badly nearsighted with an astigmatism starting when I was 10, and now I am getting farsighted, so need different glasses to read a book or the computer screen. I can read a book with no glasses or contacts, but only if I hold it very close. Ah, aging!

egdcltd · « **Reply #46 on:** November 02, 2014, 04:02:32 AM »

I read on my smartphone because I have it on me when I'm out, so it's a handy source of books, and my PlayBook can't read DRM-protected Kindle books, so it's the only thing I've got that will read them (bar the PC, which is not comfortable). The screen is almost large enough, but it's not the best platform. I had to go to varifocals last year - I decided to have one pair of expensive glasses rather than two pairs, one of which I might end up forgetting.

Peter R · « **Reply #47 on:** November 02, 2014, 06:05:23 AM »

Books are not perfect and ereaders and digital media is not perfect but no one is being forced to choose one over the other and neither media is going away.

Ironically bookophiles like to point to the fact that books don't run out of power, get corrupted or lose everything and that books will still be around in hundreds of years time as a historical record. Whereas the truth is that nearly every book published in the last 60 years was printed on paper that was either especially designed to degrade or contained bleach that is slowly eating it up and modern inks are not permenant but fade. So none of the popular books of our age will ever be part of our historical record do be discovered by archelogist of the future.

On the other hand my first ever computer was a ZX81 and I can still load programs from tape into my PC and run them within a virtual machine. So the constantly evolving world of data that one imagines things become obsolete so quickly has a longevity way beyond the lifetime of the hardware required to use the data that created it. I can migrate data from audio tape to dvd in seconds and make an unlimted number of copies.

Terry K. Amthor · « **Reply #48 on:** November 02, 2014, 06:26:40 AM »

Peter, on the other hand, I was recently asked for my files for Kult, and I had stored them on 3.5" magneto-optical rewritable disks (which seemed like state of the art, back in the mid-90's--burning CDs at your computer was still really new). However, I tossed that drive out long ago because it used a SCSI interface. I still have the disks, and maybe there is some service out there that can get the data...

And yes, many books--especially paperbacks--are printed on cheap, acidic paper that deteriorates (though I had not heard of them made to deliberately self-destruct!). When I was a kid, I read my mother's Nancy Drew books, and the yellowed paper in them would literally break off if your folded it. Back when I worked at the U.Va. library, acid deterioration in books was a real problem.

Peter R · « **Reply #49 on:** November 02, 2014, 06:53:36 AM »

I like to think of it as biodegradeable rather than self destruction. I am no Ethan Hunt or that woul be the worst mission impossible movie ever.

DragonReborn · « **Reply #50 on:** November 04, 2014, 03:10:11 PM »

Funny that you mention the smell. Whenever I get a book in the mail, one of the first things I do is open it somewhere in the middle and smell it. Was it mainly to find out if it belonged to smokers (no danger with new books), I find myself enjoying this habit. It's the smell of adventure and good times. I am with you that a certain smell will trigger memories, emotions or maybe a certain state of mind. It goes together with the physical appreciation.

Concerning the planned obsolescence of some paperback books. I traced down the old 90s editions of some of my favorite novels. The paper turned yellow and the covers have faded but they are still "it".

Time to hit the hay. Gotta read some more

jdale · « **Reply #51 on:** November 04, 2014, 05:23:40 PM »

Here's one of the best arguments I've seen in favor of paper books: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/03/business/media/e-book-mingles-love-and-product-placement.html

To quote: And because the e-book cards are marked with individual download codes, they offer access to detailed information on how readers engage with the book, including how much time they spend immersed in it, how far into the story they read and whether they reread certain passages. “It delivers high-power analytics, which is much more valuable to advertisers,” said Arthur Klebanoff, the RosettaBooks chief executive.

Yep, anything electronic can be turned against you. (Kindle does the same, it's not just this example.)

Peter R · « **Reply #52 on:** November 05, 2014, 07:31:39 AM »

Yes, that is true partially true. If you read your kindle in airplane mode and put the books on the device using the usb cable then there is no data transfer back to Amazon. The data accessible by Amazon from the kindle comprises last page read, content archiving, available memory, up-time, log files, voice information and signal strength. By voice information that identifies which of the bundled reading voices you have selected.

Personal data collection is part and parcel of modern connected life and the worst example I have ever seen was the Angry Birds mobile game that monitored all your telephone calls, who you called, how long and how often and then tied that data to your social media accounts in an attempt to identify individuals and relationships. It also monitored your online site usage. The game was free and the company makes its money from the sale of data.

Google maintains a very impressive amount of data about every regular use. They have crossed a line in my person opinion and I have moved over to an alternative search provider (duckduckgo).

You pays your money and makes your choices as they say.

Terry K. Amthor · « **Reply #53 on:** November 05, 2014, 11:09:08 PM »

So I am working on the PoD layout and doing a little cleanup and some content edits. There was an Amazon review about typos Anyone who read the ebook edition have any input? Thanks!

kmanktelow · « **Reply #54 on:** November 06, 2014, 03:12:12 AM »

Unfortunately, there were quite a few spelling/grammatical mistakes in the kindle version. So many so, that I gave up putting notes in....

But, I think that most of them have been picked up by other people in this thread.

At least the Kindle will automatically pick up new revisions when they are released.

Not as bad as the series I'm reading at the moment - they've obviously, heard about full-stops but didn't want any truck with them. They do use capitals to start sentences, however.

Terry K. Amthor · « **Reply #55 on:** November 21, 2014, 01:23:19 AM »

Okay, I have added a little section on major characters, and I have made another reading pass, but I can't promise perfection. You know, reading your own work, you miss things, and I did ask proofreaders. Anyway, look for a new trade paperback edition of Loremaster Legacy with a new cover available in the next few weeks on the fiction site. I will post a link here when it is out.

Tommi · « **Reply #56 on:** November 21, 2014, 02:46:15 AM »

That could make nice Christmas present to some of my SW campaign players. But our last game session before C may come too soon...

Peter R · « **Reply #57 on:** November 21, 2014, 03:42:58 AM »

Quote from: Terry K. Amthor on November 02, 2014, 06:26:40 AM

Peter, on the other hand, I was recently asked for my files for Kult, and I had stored them on 3.5" magneto-optical rewritable disks (which seemed like state of the art, back in the mid-90's--burning CDs at your computer was still really new). However, I tossed that drive out long ago because it used a SCSI interface. I still have the disks, and maybe there is some service out there that can get the data...

http://www.datarecoverymasters.com/magneto-optical_mo_transfer.php

I don't know the prices but completely by chance I found this site this morning. May be worth a call?

egdcltd · « **Reply #58 on:** November 21, 2014, 04:10:13 AM »

Quote from: Terry K. Amthor on November 21, 2014, 01:23:19 AM

Okay, I have added a little section on major characters, and I have made another reading pass, but I can't promise perfection. You know, reading your own work, you miss things, and I did ask proofreaders. Anyway, look for a new trade paperback edition of Loremaster Legacy with a new cover available in the next few weeks on the fiction site. I will post a link here when it is out.

My non-Amazon Kindle app mangled the text to a fair degree, making proofreading it rather tricky.

Terry K. Amthor · « **Reply #59 on:** November 21, 2014, 10:12:31 AM »

Quote from: egdcltd on November 21, 2014, 04:10:13 AM

Quote from: Terry K. Amthor on November 21, 2014, 01:23:19 AM
Okay, I have added a little section on major characters, and I have made another reading pass, but I can't promise perfection. You know, reading your own work, you miss things, and I did ask proofreaders. Anyway, look for a new trade paperback edition of Loremaster Legacy with a new cover available in the next few weeks on the fiction site. I will post a link here when it is out.

My non-Amazon Kindle app mangled the text to a fair degree, making proofreading it rather tricky.

Ouch, sorry. I don't have a kindle, but I used the desktop Kindle app to look at it, and it seemed fine.

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Author Topic: Loremaster Legacy (Read 26207 times)