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 ]
Quaranzines collecting people’s quarantine experiences are growing in popularity, and provide important information, and libraries are noticing. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-07-20 10:30:51 UTC ]
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The program was first announced in March to encourage digital read-aloud sessions for libraries and schools forced to close by the novel coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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With the August recess looming and a second round of coronavirus relief in the works, $2 billion in funding for libraries hangs in the balance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Taking a look at some of the helpers who are turning their Little Free Libraries into Little Free Pantries to help neighbors in need during the pandemic. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-07-15 10:32:56 UTC ]
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Werner Herzog did it with Grizzly Man, Adam McKay did it with Vice – from archival libraries to old film canisters from charity shops, the past is waiting to be brought to lifeA child sits on a rock ledge buckling his shoe. The camera zooms towards a mysterious dark shape behind him as the boy... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-03 09:00:16 UTC ]
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Buzzy original series may drive attention to streaming services, but the bulk of most major streamers' programming catalogs are their libraries of licensed TV shows. And those licensed titles often account for the highest-quality content available on the service, according to data from streaming... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2020-07-02 10:30:51 UTC ]
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Drew and Christopher chat with Hilary Leichter in three different Damn Libraries for another first of its kind digital episode—our first Zoom guest! We discuss Hilary’s novel Temporary which leads to talk about things like gig work, her love of pirates, and how the book started as a short story.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-26 09:33:39 UTC ]
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OverDrive—the digital learning platform for libraries and schools—has announced it is acquiring RBmedia's library business. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-24 09:38:04 UTC ]
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As libraries begin to reopen around the country, patrons are excited to get back to borrowing books—but they’re also still nervous about COVID-19, which is understandable. At least some of them have been “getting creative” in their attempts to protect themselves, prompting at least one public... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-23 18:08:53 UTC ]
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Libraries in England will be able to reopen from 4th July as the country's lockdown measures continue to ease, Boris Johnson has announced. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-22 22:02:41 UTC ]
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A reader considers how social media has given libraries a new tool for community engagement, outreach, and promotion. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-22 10:32:03 UTC ]
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With most schools and libraries closed across the country closed, parents are left scrambling in a lot of ways: distance ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-19 10:39:09 UTC ]
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Schools and libraries have been closed for months, but some kids aren’t going to get away with playing video games all summer. Kelly Passek -- a middle school librarian in Montgomery County, Virginia -- is sending out summer reading via drones. After... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-06-12 18:18:26 UTC ]
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Internet Archive’s National Emergency Library initiative, which made more than 1.3 million books available online for free, will end early as publishers sue for copyright infringement. The nonprofit began offering free books during March as the coronavirus pandemic forced Americans to quarantine... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-12 14:06:26 UTC ]
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The nonprofit has said its National Emergency Library was a public service to people unable to access libraries during the pandemic, but publishers and authors accused it of theft. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-06-11 19:56:08 UTC ]
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Safely lending books is just the beginning. Libraries are figuring out everything from how to remain welcoming spaces to how to respond to changing reader behavior. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-06-11 09:00:22 UTC ]
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Museums are a lot like libraries and bookstores: quiet, contemplative spaces filled with wondrous objects that can light up your imagination and transport you to a different time and place. Now, like so many other cultural institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, most are shuttered for the time... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-06-09 11:00:00 UTC ]
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We're talking to library staff about how libraries are working to plan for summer reading programs despite the limitations caused by a global pandemic. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-08 10:33:48 UTC ]
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The UK's Save Our Libraries campaign, spearheaded by librarians and authors, began nearly 10 years ago - but has it achieved its goal of stopping closures? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-08 10:31:39 UTC ]
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Suzanne Tonini, collection development supervisor for Denver Public Schools, shares how her the city’s public schools and libraries are continuing to meet students’ educational needs amid the pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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