Update II (1/13/14).-- The Google app worked as expected intermittently, so I finally decided enough of them. I exported the books I have on Google to PDF's, removed Google Play Books app and imported the PDF's into one of the three best PDF/e-pub apps for iPads, and they open and work faster than Google's app.
Moral of the story, if you can export or convert your Google books to PDF's or other e-pub formats, do so and get them out of Google's control of your books. I'm not sure this is possible since some are DRM-protected, but you can buy DRM removal or other reader apps.
Oh, the better reader apps? Well for one, Adobe Reader is the best. I have 1.5 Gigabytes of files in it on my iPad. After that I highly recommend GoodReader for two reasons but one in particular. Like Adobe, it handles a boatload of files (over 1 GB's to date), but better than Adobe it handles very large files, like maps and images.
GoodReader will handles files greater than 200 Megabytes where many readers will choke or crash. I have several large maps as jpegs it open and displays. The only issues is that you have to move around the map slower than reading to load since it doesn't load the entire map into cache.
The third app is PDFReader Pro. It too will swallow big files (50-100 MB's I have in it). Any of the three are worth getting, free or paid. I split the type of files by catagory with each one since I have over 3 GB's of files, maps and books for research.
Anyway, Google's Play Books is history for me since I don't buy their books and only use them for the historic, public domain books they have on their servers.
Update (1/6/14).-- Google released an update this week for this application, and in short, nothing changed. It still does what it did before, meaning it doesn't work right and you have to remove the app and reinstall it to make it work, and then redownload all the books again. It still sucks, and all I have to say is, "WTF Google?"
Orignal Post (12/26/14).-- Google Play Books has to be the sorriest excuse for an e-pub, er. Google's proprietary book, format for an IOS app ever developed, and worse released on unsuspecting users. Google went out years ago and effectively confisated a lot of old books and documents in the public domain, scanned them and put them on-line for free.
Or so they said, but they didn't tell people, it's their exclusive format, only their apps read it, it's only available by having an account on Google, and using their Website and IOS app. Yeah, a captive audience for books which are historical significant for many people.
They had a good IOS app, but after IOS 8 and their new 2.0 version, the app sucks where it literally doesn't work, forgets all your user settings and preferences - oh wait, it doesn't have them to remember and then forget, and then loses the copy of your books.
The way it works, when it works, is that you have to remove the app, download it again, and reinstall it - remember it's the newest version, and then download all your books again. Otherwise, you open it and only the image is there but the book isn't and it won't redownload until your do what I just said.
And this is Google! I only have 4 historical (early 1900's books), well 5 but one won't download anymore, and it's a pain to use the app. Doesn't Google test their app on real iPad? Like it would be obvious to anyone it doesn't work.
Google has a number of good IOS apps, so what's up with this one? This isn't even something an inexperienced app developer would release. So, Google, when can we expect an upgrade, at least one that works like version 1.x and not this one?
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
The Media
"You know I watch the interviews with politicians and I can't tell if they're telling the truth or they're just saying something but doesn't mean anything."
"It's not that hard to tell."
"Really?"
"Yeah, everything they say is fiction or lies, the difference depends on the politician."
"So why does the media keep asking questions and keep reporting what they say?"
"Because they're paid to market the politicians to the public, and voters in an election year."
"So why do they do that?"
"Because it sells to the public, and they get paid by advertisers to market politicians for the higher ratings to charge the most for ads."
"So it's about money?"
"Yeah, politicians are owned by the corporatioins and the wealthy who also advertise on the TV stations. The politicians are just the public face of the corporations."
"I can't beleive it that's bad."
"It is when almost all the laws the Republicans introduce in Congress are written by corporate attorneys and lobbyists."
"I thought lawmakers wrote the bills."
"No, they're just the people who introduce and pass them on behalf of corporations and the wealthy.
"So all politicians lie?"
"Not all, there are some exceptions, but they're very few."
"So why do we listen to them?"
"Comic relief."
"No?"
"Yeah. Everyone knows Congress is broken and they like to see the politicians lie about it, trying to tell the American people they're actually working, and for the people too."
"What a freakin' lie."
"Yeah, but funny too because the politicians actually believe we believe what they're saying. It's all a joke to us and they're oblivious to it.
"So much for our democracy."
"Yeah, but it's hard to tell if it's a tragic comedy or a comic tragedy."
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Users
I got to thinking (yeah, dangerous thing for my brain) why you can find a contact link on Tumblr. Really, I went through the help and support pages and the other links about the company and such, and there is no easy-to-find link to send e-mail to the company.
My complaint is those stupid pop-ups windows they added, their version of Mr. Clippy, and there is no setting, preference or cookie to set to stop them. They something the company thought is helpful, but is really annoying after the first time, like, "Yeah, I know already, so shut the f..k up."
Well, here's the thought.
When startups get their social media-network Website running they have to rely on users to troubleshoot, debug and improve the experience on their Website. Without them listening to users, they most likely have a very geeky, dump social media-network Website.
Ok, they listen and then fix and add features, and the Website and company grows, as users begin to use it, advertise it and help the company. The people at the company know their product is the result of the users and them.
But at some point the Website becomes so popular the people at the company do two things. First they begin to believe they invented all of it, including all the ideas and suggestions user sent them and the problems the users found with it.
This is where they start to stop listening to users and begin to think they don't need users that the users will just accept what they do. They believe their own view of the popularity of the Website, that it was built by them than the users.
This is where they will begin to annoy and even offend the users by making arbitrary changes thinking they know what users want and will accept because they're smarter and better than the users. At this point they can either crash and burn because they failed and users went elsewhere.
Or they can muddle their way through it with half-hearted fixes and improvements, and slowly but surely change the Website in increments where users will complain but not leave. Sometimes they'll offend the users they'll have to backtrack and change, but not back down from their goal of the change they want.
If they don't crash and burn and users are still there, Then the company and Website will evolve into the next phase when and where users are the product than the source of the company and the Website. This is where the company focuses on the value of the company and the potential for investors or an IPO.
Yeah, it's about money. This is why they started the company and Website, and if they're good and lucky, remembering timing is sometimes everything, eg. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc., they'll be worth billions to the market, but it's all money based on the value of the users as the product.
This is where the company and the Websites become focused on what they have and know about users, meaning the content of the Website, the users themselves, not for the users but for what they are for the value of the company.
This is why users can build and destroy a company and Website if they want, but won't because they become addicted to the Website, and only if a newer and better one comes along with they leave, eg. MySpace and Yahoo.
Which is my point too besides how users are used initially as the source for the company but becomes the product of the company. Users should remember the value of the social media-nework Websites and the company is you and what you put there.
Users build social media network companies and Websites just like customers build other companies, but the difference is that the real companies sell your products while the companies with social media-network Websites sell you as the product.
My complaint is those stupid pop-ups windows they added, their version of Mr. Clippy, and there is no setting, preference or cookie to set to stop them. They something the company thought is helpful, but is really annoying after the first time, like, "Yeah, I know already, so shut the f..k up."
Well, here's the thought.
When startups get their social media-network Website running they have to rely on users to troubleshoot, debug and improve the experience on their Website. Without them listening to users, they most likely have a very geeky, dump social media-network Website.
Ok, they listen and then fix and add features, and the Website and company grows, as users begin to use it, advertise it and help the company. The people at the company know their product is the result of the users and them.
But at some point the Website becomes so popular the people at the company do two things. First they begin to believe they invented all of it, including all the ideas and suggestions user sent them and the problems the users found with it.
This is where they start to stop listening to users and begin to think they don't need users that the users will just accept what they do. They believe their own view of the popularity of the Website, that it was built by them than the users.
This is where they will begin to annoy and even offend the users by making arbitrary changes thinking they know what users want and will accept because they're smarter and better than the users. At this point they can either crash and burn because they failed and users went elsewhere.
Or they can muddle their way through it with half-hearted fixes and improvements, and slowly but surely change the Website in increments where users will complain but not leave. Sometimes they'll offend the users they'll have to backtrack and change, but not back down from their goal of the change they want.
If they don't crash and burn and users are still there, Then the company and Website will evolve into the next phase when and where users are the product than the source of the company and the Website. This is where the company focuses on the value of the company and the potential for investors or an IPO.
Yeah, it's about money. This is why they started the company and Website, and if they're good and lucky, remembering timing is sometimes everything, eg. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc., they'll be worth billions to the market, but it's all money based on the value of the users as the product.
This is where the company and the Websites become focused on what they have and know about users, meaning the content of the Website, the users themselves, not for the users but for what they are for the value of the company.
This is why users can build and destroy a company and Website if they want, but won't because they become addicted to the Website, and only if a newer and better one comes along with they leave, eg. MySpace and Yahoo.
Which is my point too besides how users are used initially as the source for the company but becomes the product of the company. Users should remember the value of the social media-nework Websites and the company is you and what you put there.
Users build social media network companies and Websites just like customers build other companies, but the difference is that the real companies sell your products while the companies with social media-network Websites sell you as the product.
Monday, January 5, 2015
A Rule
From the news of the recent suicide of Leelah Alcorn in Ohio (long story, look it up), there has been a lot of opinion said and written about her and suicide, and many people resurrecting the advice to other how to know and then engage them if you think someone is contemplating and even planning suicide.
Well, here's a rule you should always remember! If you are not a professional therapist who has experience with suicide or a suicide counselor:
Do not think you know someone is suicidial and do not engage them in talking about suicide.
You don't know squat when it comes to suicide so don't make matters worse, and you can and often will, if you engage them to talk about suicide, and force them deeper into their own world. You can and likely will push them the wrong way.
The solution is to find someone who does know and talk to them, and then let them decide what to do, and if necessary, engage the person. And don't suddenly start acting and talking differently around them or to them. They're not stupid, and they're likley to react to you the wrong way.
And do not report them to anyone with legal authority. The last thing they want or need is legal intervention where they lose their rights and face legal hurdles. You could be wrong, and they last thing you want is to make a lifelong enemy.
In short, help them by not helping them, but just be a friend, no different than before, just be there whenever they want to be with you. No more. Just be there.
Right Turns
Have you noticed this last year that the minority (by population and popularity) political leaders of the three most powerful countries in the world have taken hard right political turns, China with the rise of the Mao idealogues, Russia with Putin's communist oligarchy and the U.S. with the Christian, conservative, corporate Republican Party. But only the political leardership in the U.S. can change away from the conservative right if the people so choose.
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