Cable used to be the only game in town for wide entertainment. Sure, if you wanted to subscribe to a game like EverQuest or World of Warcraft, you could (and well, guess the rest of us were never seeing you again). But for variety, cable is what you had—and it wasn’t cheap. So when streaming services came along, they seemed like an answer to everyone’s budget prayers. These days there’s a digital subscription available for most interests, including gaming. And individually, they’re affordable. Or at least, they were. Xbox Game Pass just went up in cost. (Even if you use the conversion hack to get it cheaper.) So did PlayStation Plus. GeForce Now so far is exempt, but PC gamers haven’t been able to sit assured about much these days. Meanwhile, on the TV and movies side of things, Netflix is rumored to be raising prices yet again. Disney+ and Discovery+ have already announced hikes. And in an extremely annoying variation of shrinkflation, Amazon Prime Video and multiple services are adding adverts to their basic streaming plans (or have already done so). As for music, Spotify also got more expensive, sending notice to subscribers with little fanfare. Streaming was great when you were paying less than $25 per month for all the content you could want. But now subscribing to even three services ad-free runs almost $50 per month. Let’s say you want regular access to Game Pass, Netflix, and Disney Plus—that’s already $40 to start with, if you’re only a PC... Continue reading at 'PC World'
[ PC World | 2023-10-04 14:10:27 UTC ]
The New York Public Library made four banned books available nationwide on SimplyE, its free-reader app. The titles include Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi and Catcher in the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-04-13 23:48:05 UTC ]
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Writers for Democratic Action, an organization of some 2,600 authors, is mobilizing its membership in a campaign called Book the Vote. WDA will facilitate nonpartisan voter registration for the 2022 midterm election, working with authors, bookstores, and libraries to educate voters about their... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Nearly three years after it first announced a 90-day embargo to libraries on its newly published audio titles, Blackstone Publishing this week announced that it is changing course. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Because we can never resist adding another line item to the eternal ledger of what we owe libraries: Californians can now use their library cards to get free entry into state parks! The three-year pilot program will give libraries (including mobile libraries) at least three passes to California... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-08 15:54:11 UTC ]
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Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, plans to hold a hearing April 7 to examine the wave of attempted book bannings in schools and libraries across the country. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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ALA kicked off National Library Week with the release of its annual State of America's Libraries report, and its "Top 10 Most Challenged Books" list. The 729 challenges tracked by ALA in 2021 represent the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling its list 20 years ago,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A rite of spring, the White House budget proposal officially kicks off the congressional appropriations cycle each fiscal year. And this year, library advocates have their work cut out for them. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The decision in New York City set off a wave of returns, accompanied by bashful notes of apology and gratitude. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-03-31 14:46:31 UTC ]
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At Slate, Maia Kobabe discusses writing Gender Queer, a memoir about self-acceptance and understanding, which has been challenged in schools and libraries across the country in recent months. “What I’m learning is that a book challenge is like a community attacking itself,” Kobabe says. “The... Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2022-03-30 20:30:51 UTC ]
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Opening these libraries up promises to re-balance the continent’s place in world history when it comes to its intellectual life. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2022-03-29 16:12:23 UTC ]
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Libraries can provide joy and relief by offering a chance to play. Here are some of my favorite ways to include play in the school library. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-03-28 10:30:00 UTC ]
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As London Public Library in southwestern Ontario commits to adding a full-time addiction and mental health specialist to its staff, experts say more social work training and support is exactly what urban libraries need. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2022-03-16 19:33:18 UTC ]
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In March 2020, I happened to be working at a library for the first time (shoutout to my friends at BPL), and got to witness up-close how quickly the staff pivoted their services to respond to the pandemic: shifting programming online and expanding their virtual presence; starting a delivery... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-03-09 19:43:39 UTC ]
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Prone to flooding, by the 1970s Brisbane’s South Bank was largely undeveloped open space. It is now home to Queensland’s major cultural institutions. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2022-03-02 05:39:40 UTC ]
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Andrew Pettegree, co-author of “The Library: A Fragile History,” discusses the centuries-long development of libraries as a civic necessity. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-02-24 18:26:27 UTC ]
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Valve’s portable PC gaming machine, the Steam Deck, is gaining a lot of attention as its official release date draws near. But between its Linux-based Steam OS operating system and its power-efficient AMD parts, players could be forgiven for wondering which high-powered games can actually run... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2022-02-23 17:14:15 UTC ]
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A look at secretive libraries and hidden repositories of books around the world, and how people came to discover them. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-02-21 11:30:00 UTC ]
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As both the Chrome and Firefox browsers approach their 100th versions, what should be a reason for the developers to celebrate could turn into a bit of a mess. It turns out that much like the Y2K bug, the triple-digit release numbers coded in the browsers' User-Agents (UAs) could cause issues... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-02-17 08:54:22 UTC ]
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Neal and Sullivan have been recognized with honorary membership, the ALA’s highest honor, for their "outstanding contributions of lasting importance to libraries and librarianship." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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“She was a renaissance woman in the most exemplary sense.” Morgan Jerkins on the underread Jessie Redmon Fauset. | Lit Hub History Ilan Stevens in praise of the American library, an “essential ingredient” of democracy. | Lit Hub Bookstores & Libraries “Few others so relentlessly place the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-02-16 11:30:27 UTC ]
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