Rochelle Hartman, the Raccoon of the Tinfoil+Raccoon blog, is trying out a Cybook, and she can easily read Bob Dylan's new autobiography off the screen.

So much for Prof. Geoffrey Nunberg's silly comparison between e-book reading and touring Normandy by looking through a bombsight. Reading off a computer screen, Rochelle says, "um, like you're doing now," is not "unnatural." My friend, a librarian in the Midwest, writes: "I didn't even give a second thought to the medium once I launched into one of the best-written, most compelling books I've picked up in a long time."

The bad news

OK. I figured I'd be gentle and break Rochelle's good news first. The main point of her post, with which I agree, is that today's e-book technology can often scare off civilians. In a related vein, my Cybook review recommended the machine for "serious readers" but not necessarily the whole universe.

Gemstar-style devices, at least, would be easier for novices. In allowing users to try different programs to cope with the Tower of eBabelor just find the software they liked best, the Cybook's makers pleased me. But they complicated life for e-book novices. The best machines for David--and, yes, I still love the Cybook--aren't necessarily the best for Rochelle right now.

DRM horrors galore

Rochelle especially hated the hassles of DRM even though she got started with Mobipocket, which, compared to Microsoft and Adobe counterparts, is far gentler on users. I doubt that the DRM of Mobipocket on the Cybook is worse than on other machines. Either way, though, you have to type in an all-too-long string of numbers and put up with other nonsense in homage to the DRM gods.

"I spoke with IT-savvy, totally wired folks about ebooks," Rochelle recalls from an ALA conference, "and was surprised when they shrugged their shoulders and dismissed the possibililty that ebooks had a shot at becoming an ubiquitous medium. When I asked why, their main answer was 'DRM.'"

ActiveSync joys

The joys of the ever-changing ActiveSync (sarcasm alert), which Cybook uses must download for the latest version, also didn't agree with the Raccoon.

"Cybook is a multi-format, book-sized reader, which is good," Rochelle said, "but it takes a tech contortionist to wiggle the content into the hardware. Hot sync, mobipocket reader, USB cables, blah blah blah."

I've encouraged Rochelle to buy a memory card reader to ease the pain from ActiveSync transfers, and beyond that, I believe that she'll eventually appreciate the advantages of the Cybook for seasoned e-book nuts. Still, her point remains; there's just too much complexity here for novices. You've got to be a newbie, alas, before the seasoning seeps in.

Earth to Microsoft

Hello, Microsoft? When will you start designing your ActiveSync software for Earthlings? It's a shame that innocents like Rochelle and the Cybook people must suffer because of the built-in horrors of Windows CE and the rest. Worred about embedded Linux? Then, Softies, please fix ActiveSync. As a usuable program for civilians, it is totally broken.

On top of everything else, the Cybook still can't run Microsoft Reader even though the Windows CE operating system is billg-holy. Far from clueless, the folks at Bookeen, home of the Cybook, know what's going on, and they are vigrous supporters of OpenReader. What's more, they are in negotiations with Microsoft to remedy the Microsoft Reader problem. Bookeen is working to get Adobe on the Cybook (apparently not with DRM), and a Cybook review from ZDnet says: "The company also tells us that a version of eReader, which can read DRMd PDB format files, is being developed for the Cybook." That's great. Let's help readers cope with the Here Now while awaiting the OpenReader solution.

One answer to the sync problem: f I have my druthers, the OpenReader Consortium will address the download problem to reduce the cortortionist requirement. Perhaps by encouraging the development of alternatives to ActiveSync and HotSync for Windows and other operating systems? Or maybe integrating downloading into the actual reader program? No promises! That's just my opinion. What do you think? Email me. If there's enough demand for this feature, then, yes, it just might well show up.

Latest on OpenReader: An accomplished network security expert is joining our effort and will be especially helpful in the DRM Department. While Jon Noring and I and other ringleaders are not the biggest fans of DRM, we're prepared to be as Raccoon-friendly with it as we can in OpenReader.

Update, 12:50, Jan. 29: From Norway, Thomas Brevik wrote Rochelle earlier today: "We have just purchased four Cybooks for our library and are in the first stages of setting them up before we start lending them out to our users. I'm really looking forward to your experiences and opinions on the Cybook. Personally I'm quite happy with the reading experience, and our IT-department will do most of the tech stuff anyway so hopefully we'll avoid the problems you had. Good luck!"
posted by David Rothman at 7:07 AM | permanent link

A Google employee didn't like the pay and griped it about in his blog. The posts vanished. But guess what? Yahoo's cache came to the rescue. (Found via John Battelle Searchblog.)
posted by David Rothman at 6:59 AM | permanent link

The Rothman Librie is due to arrive next week. The cost in Japan was 29,800 JPY, around $290, and at that price I couldn't care less whether the E-Ink marvel is new or a refurb. Good thing, too--for the latest scuttlebutt, via my new pal Morpheus at MobileRead, is that 29,800 is what a refurb seems to cost. Is that what I'm getting? Just why the R word--and I don't mean "Rothman"? Could Sony be about to intro a new model without such heinous DRM? Alexander, a MobileRead contributor, is thinking that, and he could be on to something.

Also from Morpheus: Word that apparently "someone managed to write some code to read e-books (in .jpg format) on a Sony Playstation Portable."
posted by David Rothman at 6:03 AM | permanent link

If you enjoy corporate Newspeak, you'll love an interview with Adobe COO Shantanu Narayan, complete with a few musings related to the U word. Oh, this is just what we need--proprietary craziness and the Tower of eBabel as the eternal norm on portable devices. Heck, Adobe can't even get PDAs right. (Via NewsScan as spotted by Rick Barry.)
posted by David Rothman at 3:47 AM | permanent link

A gem from Techdirt:

You may recall that we somehow got involved in a bizarre battle over Wikipedia, when I got into a discussion with a reporter who told me that Wikipedia was "outrageous," "repugnant" and "dangerous," mainly because it's not reviewed by "professionals." Despite a valiant effort, I was unable to ever convince the reporter, Al Fasoldt, that regular encyclopedias, complete with their experts, make mistakes too--and, in fact, the problem is that those encyclopedias can't then be updated and fixed. In a story that was pretty much written to make Wikipedia fans gleeful, Many to Many points out that a 12-year-old boy has found a series of errors in the latest Encyclopedia Britannica. It may be wrong, but of course, it's not "dangerous" because it's been reviewed by experts. Apparently, certified false info is better than uncertified correct info.

* * *

The TeleRead take: At least in print, the Encyclopedia Britannica is inherently inaccurate compared to the Wikipedia--simply because it can't be updated as often as a distributed approach with volunteers. The best solution would be a mix of diligent, ever-vigilant amateurs and pros.
posted by David Rothman at 4:29 AM | permanent link

Missed recent Meting of the Minds chatcasts? You can now hear audios of recent discussions of Ethan Frome and The Optimist's Daughter.
posted by David Rothman at 4:23 AM | permanent link

You already know about the benefits that e-books could bring to the Third World. Too bad that West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee is so clueless about print vs. electronics. Books are books regardless of the medium.

Related: Date of Al Gore's e-library quote--and other uppity questions about the Stanford Lud's rant.
posted by David Rothman at 4:20 AM | permanent link

Might the typical library be better off without IM and other features of a virtual refrence desk--and perhaps simply beef up phone services? Three articles of interest:

--To Chat Or Not to Chat—Taking Another Look at Virtual Reference, Part 1, by Steve Coffman and Linda Arret, in Information Today.

--To Chat Or Not to Chat—Taking Another Look at Virtual Reference, Part II, by the same authors.

--Virtual Reference: Alive & Well, by Brenda Bailey-Hainer, in LibraryJournal.

Could it be that people want a break from their electronic activities--a chance to hear a human voice?
posted by David Rothman at 3:47 AM | permanent link

One of the mysteries of Microsoft is how so much money can go for R&D with so little to show in the way of true innovation. Part of the problem, of course, is that Microsoft worries about cannibalizing existing products--or not fitting in with various grand visions. Then there's the issue of whether nutty innovators can be compatibly crazy with BillG and those in his cult. But could some of the problem also be Microsoft's hiring methodology? Might there be a little too much emphasis on riddles and puzzles that often have little to do with the tasks envisioned for the prospective hire?

Detail: This might also explain why Microsoft interfaces often suck. Regardless of all the beta testing in the world, Martians are not always successful at designing for earthlings. We're talking about misdirected anality in the extreme--the same kind that had led Microsoft to care more about DRM than about user-friendly e-books.

Microsoft Reader as a riddle: Microsoft has so cunningly hidden some of the most useful features from users of the Pocket PC version--for example, the capability to switch back o the scrollbar after you've turned it off. Mobipocket, a better reader, has that problem, too, in the PPC version.

Fairness Department: The Open Source community and public domain communities don't get off the hook. Too often the hardcore techies prevail over the other volunteers at the expense of usability.
posted by David Rothman at 3:39 AM | permanent link

E-books and other electronic media will be able to help boost basic literacy in isolated jungle, desserts and mountainous regions--as wireless technology takes off and hardware costs plummet. But what about the development of genuine literature?

The planet is now missing out on the talents of thousands of potential novelists and playwrights in remote regions who have truly lived the lives they describe. E-books and the Net could be one way to help educate them early on, no matter where they lived. The best way to become a good writer, of course, is to be a good reader; and e-books and online communities can play a role to play even if they are not panaceas. Used e-book readers are going for $60 on eBay, and new ones fit for remote use will eventuallycost $20. It's just a matter of enough demand to crank up enough production lines to

"Hollow books" and the authenticity issue

But back to the words "truly lived." For some musings on the authenticity issue among some of the Third World's existing novelists, read The library of hollow books, a column by New Delhi's Nilanjana S. Roy in the Business Standard.

Sample: "Bajwa, Suri and Swarup appropriate the lives of people whom they do not understand; unlike Bibhutibhushan, who lived Apu's life of deprivation in the city and the village, unlike Mulk Raj Anand, who saw at first hand what the humiliations of an untouchable encompassed, they are at a remove from their subjects."

Culture and empathy

Genuine empathy issue could be more than a little useful. If Third World literature became more accessible in the wealthy countries via the Net, the rewards for developing nations could extend beyond the wallets of the authors themselves. Culture of all kinds, especially the Net-transmittable variety, such as e-books, can humanize the inhabitants of the Third World for the First World elite. Perhaps a few of its members will be more willing to help long term--not just during tsunami season. Too often, alas, exposure to Third World people comes on the Net in the form of spam for Nigerian scams. The right e-books piped into the homes of present and future policy-makers could undo at least some of the damage.

The need for balance

At the same time, I'm not suggesting that electronic libraries neglect the best of Western literature--in fact, anyone's. In Outwitting History, Aaron Lansky of the National Jewish Book Center tells how a New Jersey library was ridding itself of old Yiddish books because local demographics had changed. To me, that is a preview of what could well happen someday even to "mainstream" Western literature--as America changes racially and ethnically. E-libraries, of course, with their unlimited storage space and ease of distribution, are among the more efficient ways of preserving and promoting everyone's literature.

Related: With or without electronic libraries, the planet needs teachers and librarians. I see that some budget-crazed politicians in Philadelphia are yanking librarians out of libraries, unwittingly hastening the process of turning America into a Third World country in the worst way.

(Roy article found via LISNews. Above TeleRead item revised substantially on Jan. 28, 2004)
posted by David Rothman at 2:44 AM | permanent link

Responding to Richard MacManus' speculation on future possibilities for RSS, programmer Philip Dorrell dropped me a note with the subject line of "The past of the future of RSS." Miski: A White Paper contains some interesting RSS-type thoughts from five years ago: Miski: A White Paper. And meanwhile here's some RSSish history., along with the requisite Wikipedia item.

posted by David Rothman at 2:11 AM | permanent link

Audio e-books seem to be taking off at the Hall County Library System in Georgia. (Via the Gainesville Times.)
posted by David Rothman at 3:12 PM | permanent link

CanalPDA.com, a Spanish-language publication, has summed up the pros and cons of ebooks. The list should be instructive, especially for DRM fanatics:

Pros: (1) Convenience, (2) compactness, (3) privacy (harder for others to see what you're reading) and (4) completeness (can include audio interview with writer, for example).

Cons: (1) price gouges, which tend to favor publishers rather than writers, (2) not enough in languages other than English, (3) not enough titles in e-book format in general, and (4) DRM systems that range from "annoying" to "the ridiculous."

(Found via LISNews.)
posted by David Rothman at 2:56 PM | permanent link

"Content owners don't want to be constrained and neither do end users, but everyone in the middle wants DRM to be proprietary. And that's one of the reasons that we don't see a single trust model used for DRM," ContentGuard CEO Michael Miron the CEO as quoted in ContentGuard talks DRM futures, in the Register.

The TeleRead take: So who's in the middle--copyright lawyers paid by the software giants? Oh, well, at least Miron is admitting that end users don't like to be "constrained." Exactly. Consumers can tolerate some inconvenience--but not the level that has contributed to the horrid showing of e-books so far. A truly universal DRM standard for e-books could go a long way. The other issue is that a nonproprietary or semiproprietary approach would actually be more secure with more people licking the tires.
posted by David Rothman at 9:02 AM | permanent link

"'Daughters of Freya' is a gripping, fun mystery novel that takes the form of a series of emails between the players in the story. The book is delivered in daily installments to your inbox, as though you were intercepting the characters' mail." - Mystery novel delivered in email installments, an item spottted at Boing Boing.

The TeleRead take: $7.49 is a bit much for a novella-length text, but as Cory Doctorow points out, this at least prolongs the pleasure over several weeks. You don't just see text. The publisher says: "The Daughters of Freya also includes links to newspaper and magazine articles, detective reports, photographs and other items that contain clues to the mystery."

One possibility as a DRM alternative for suitable works? Yes, you can copy or forward the emails, but it's far harder to pirate this book in one swoop than as a single file. Who knows, maybe Dickens-style serialization will make a comeback among certain novelists.

Cory, by the way, loved the book, which you can buy here.
posted by David Rothman at 4:20 AM | permanent link

"Here's a prediction from me on the future of RSS: in the not too distant future, more people will subscribe to topic/tag/remix feeds than feeds of actual people. Is that a scary thought?" - Remixing and Speculation on The Future of RSS, in Read/Write Web from Richard MacManus.]

The TeleRead take: Richard could well be on to something. I especially like his comments on the tag-related spam threat. Meanwhile, wittingly or not, a Nevada casino is spamming the RSS-based Feedster's listings for the term "ebooks."
posted by David Rothman at 2:35 AM | permanent link

Will the U.S. really be better off if we keep trying to "harmonize" our copyright laws with those in other countries? Japan is a wonderful negative example. A new law menaces book rental shops and libraries. (Via Andreas Bovens' blog.)
posted by David Rothman at 3:40 AM | permanent link