Gather ’round, children, and let me tell you a story about the old bugaboo we used to call DRM. Digital Rights Management was the beast under every gamer’s bed in the mid-2000s, an invisible bit of software baked into game discs that dictated and tracked player behavior under the guise of preventing piracy. DRM software, like SecuROM, limited the times a game could be downloaded and forced players to regularly connect to the internet for authentication checks, at a time when less than half of American adults had reliable broadband connections. DRM features soured the releases of BioShock, Mass Effect and Spore, and by 2010, anti-piracy software had rendered Assassin’s Creed 2 and Splinter-Cell: Conviction unplayable. When Microsoft attempted to release the Xbox One with always-on DRM features in 2013, intense vitriol from fans forced the company to reverse its plans at the 11th hour. There were lawsuits. DRM was a curse word. Meanwhile, Valve was building out Steam. When it landed in 2003, the digital PC storefront was designed to streamline the patch process for games like Counter-Strike and make it easier for Valve to implement anti-piracy and anti-cheat measures. Steam was made to be a DRM machine. In 2004, with the release of Half-Life 2, Valve made Steam a requirement for every player, and even those who’d purchased new, physical copies of the game had to boot up the launcher first. There was some low-level grumbling, but PC players were used to being lab rats, and... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-03-04 16:30:21 UTC ]
On Late Night with Seth Meyers this week, Slave Play and Daddy playwright Jeremy O. Harris announced he is donating a collection of 15 plays by Black playwrights to 53 libraries and community centers across the United States—and is donating one such collection to Northwestern University in Seth... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-09 17:29:54 UTC ]
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Lack of funding for libraries is as dangerous as any conquering army in this chronicle of information destroyed throughout the ages. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2020-12-08 21:32:42 UTC ]
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Another win for technology! Library users in Okayama City are able to check out library books without fear of illness, thanks to a high-tech ultraviolet light sterilizer that cleans books thoroughly. The sterilizer also blows air on the books to clear off potential dust. Said one library-goer,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-08 16:44:03 UTC ]
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A survey of library services shows 1.4% of staff have tested positive for Covid-19 since reopening in July, suggesting safety measures have worked, according to Libraries Connected. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-07 11:43:42 UTC ]
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Prince Edward Island has decided that restaurants will be shut to indoor dining, organized sports will be suspended and libraries and gyms will close for at least the next two weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2020-12-06 22:51:28 UTC ]
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New figures show total spending on Great Britain's libraries fell by £20m in the last financial year, as Libraries Connected warned more budget reductions are on the way. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-04 10:12:19 UTC ]
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The two-day Frankfurt Academic Conference program looks at how publishers and libraries are managing open access and the pandemic. The post Frankfurt Academic Conference: Libraries and Publishing in Europe and the States appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-12-02 19:20:28 UTC ]
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Exactly a century after the burning of Washington another invading army encountered a library, and saw it as a perfect way to strike a blow at the heart of their enemy. This time the action would have a global impact, as the means of spreading news had been transformed in the century since the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-02 09:48:49 UTC ]
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The interactive map features photographs of the Kindred author's book call slips, writing notebooks, personal journals and more. The post Take a Tour of Octavia Butler’s Favorite Libraries appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-11-25 21:30:44 UTC ]
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My library is a response to the void of my parents’ house: there are traces of all the public libraries I’ve visited since childhood. Continue reading at The Paris Review
[ The Paris Review | 2020-11-25 15:50:04 UTC ]
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The incoming president of the Association of Rural & Small Libraries argues that Covid-19 has shown us the urgent need for a national broadband strategy and a more equitable, sustainable digital library market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Italy's annual book-donation program for school libraries is back this year, despite the constraints of the coronavirus pandemic. The post Italy’s ‘Why I Read’ Campaign Flies Again appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-11-18 17:11:45 UTC ]
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When we started planning Book Week Scotland 2020, the natural fit for the theme was future: the year was filled with exciting possibilities and interactive, grassroot community projects. At Scottish Book Trust, planning that started in February soon shuddered to a halt: although we didn’t know... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-10 20:24:05 UTC ]
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Take a tour of one of the biggest libraries in Cambridge without leaving your home. Head on down to Newnham College with us. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-11-09 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Imagine bookstores, libraries and life really, without Anne Frank, The Little Prince, the Quran, and Murakami. This is what a world without literary translators would look like—our literary travels would be devoid of global textures and much, much less rich. Through the work of translators,... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-11-06 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Host David Lankes catches up with Christopher Cox, Dean of Libraries at Clemson University, to talk about the lessons Clemson—and academic libraries more broadly—are learning in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Horror Writers Association, in collaboration with United for Libraries, Book Riot, and Booklist are excited to announce Summer Scares 2021. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-11-05 11:35:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House executives this week confirmed that the publisher is extending its "temporary" digital license terms for e-books and digital audio in libraries and schools through March 31, 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Tool contains publisher’s image libraries while encouraging public to upload their own photographs. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2020-11-04 14:41:51 UTC ]
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Three libraries, including two major metropolitan downtown facilities, have seen vandalism related to voter intimidation in the last two weeks. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-11-02 11:35:00 UTC ]
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