seeline

I think it might be hard to find people who both know a lot about many of the different kinds of music released by ECM and who are also capable of writing about it in a readable, intelligent way. I sure would *not* want to tackle any of Savina Yannatou's releases, because her "book" is huge (pieces from the entire Mediterranean basin + the Balkans and Turkey) and there are many other artists whose albums are equally difficult to pin down. (And which would require encyclopedic knowledge to write about.) There would also be a need for translations of liners into multiple languages, which is quite costly. That can be a nightmare to do, especially when dealing with music terminology. I once helped edit some material on Brazilian music that was translated from Brazilian Portuguese to English, and finding equivalent words/terms/expressions was very difficult. (Not in all cases, but in many.)

The K2 isn't as small as you're thinking - there are videos on Amazon.com (and elsewhere) that you can check out. Personally, I wouldn't want a DX - too awkward, and the screen is breakable. I think that's where Plastic Logic has the potential to beat them at this game, because they're going to be selling devices that are not only flexible, but have touch-screen technology. The keyboards on both the K1 and K2 are awkward, and I'm glad I don't need to use them very often. I do hope that companies concentrate on making e-reading hardware rather than focusing on some sort of conglomerate web browser/reader/etc. - but that's probably not realistic. It seems as if many people love "all in one" devices, and the current Kindles have web browsing capabilities built in, but that's so limited as to be (IMO) pretty well useless. Agreed completely on buying a device that you can see and try out for yourself, as opposed to something you can only "see" in pics and videos.

Barnes & Noble to sell its own e-reader in partnership with Plastic Logic. Should be interesting, especially since they're going to open it up to many more file formats. No doubt Amazon is going to need to follow suit. (Especially since people will be able to walk right into a B&N store and buy a device.)

I hear you, paul, although it's really not anywhere near as bad as it sounds. My guess is that e-reading devices will be very much an accepted part of the landscape in 3-5 years' time. it's a bit odd, being a relatively early adopter, since I've never been in this position before. There are a *lot* of good things about the technology, and I'm very much looking forward to further refinements. (While still loving books printed on paper. )

Here's 'the section of the Kindle Myths and Partial Truths page (full version at this link ) that addresses the concerns re. "You can't buy a book from the Kindle store unless you have a Kindle" (or some variation on that wording):

You can actually buy and read Kindle-formatted books from the Kindle store without owning a Kindle, so long as you've got something like the official Kindle app installed on an iPhone. AZW does *not* necessarily = DRM. DRM is something that Amazon is doing (adding) to the files on which it has exclusive distribution and sale rights. You can use software (free and legal) and create your own AZW files that aren't DRM'd, just as you can use iTunes to create (rip and encode) digital copies of your own CDs in a number of file formats - including formats exclusive to Apple. The difference is that anything you rip yourself is not DRM'd. (Nor are all files sold via the iTunes store DRM'd, for that matter - that changed some time ago.) You might want to take a look at the Kindle Myths and Partial Truths page from Mobileread.com's Wiki. Should answer most of your questions - it's written in very straightforward, non-technical language, too. Hope that's helpful to you, GA! (BTW, I guess I should ask Jim about changing my username here to the one you're familiar with from AAJ... ) Edited to add: MobileReference has thousands of titles for sale, and it looks like Amazon is doing distribution for them in the AZW format. The thing is, they need to check and make sure that all these 3d-party files are legal in the US - which they clearly haven't been doing. The $0.99 price point is more about the file's supposedly being formatted for the Kindle (with a hyperlinked table of contents, in the AZW format) than anything else. A lot of people are uploading Project Gutenberg material to the Kindle Store and either offering it for free or at a very low price. A lot of those files are very poorly formatted - if they contain any formatting at all, other than the most basic. I've gotten some free public domain titles via the Kindle Store that were literally unreadable, filled with "junk" characters and the like. That's one of the reasons that I prefer to do my own conversions, on my desktop. (With the free pro version of the Mobipocket book creator software - amazon's AZW file format is almost identical to the one created by Mobipocket - a European ebook company which is now owned by Amazon.) - Also, not everything that's hosted by a given Project Gutenberg portal is *legal* (i.e., free of copyright restrictions) in all countries. They're very careful to say so upfront. So you can, for example, go to the PG Australia site and download all of Orwell's books, since they are all in the public domain in Australia. But you need to keep in mind that some theoretical Big Brother type *could* potentially bust you for owning a free copy of 1984, which is still under copyright here in the US. I have *no* explanations as to why copyright laws are so screwy (variable), and so screwed up. They just are! And one more once: the Orwell titles in question were not legally cleared for sale in the US by their publisher, MobileReference. That makes both Amazon and MobileReference liable for their illegal sale and distribution in the US via Amazon's Kindle store. MobileReference might just be able to settle this out of court by paying all licensing fees and permissions and resubmitting those files to Amazon. It's not about the method of delivery, it's about the legality of the files themselves. And - since this is all pretty new technology (etc.) - I suspect there'll be more mess-ups of this kind, at both Amazon and at other ebook vendors.

I doubt the books in question were DRM'd, although they probably were in the AZW file format used by amazon. They were deleted when people turned on the device's wireless and then synched their devices (hooking up directly to their Amazon accounts). *if* these folks had copied these books from their Kindles to another HD, they would then have been able to transfer them back to the device and continue reading (though any bookmarks, highlights and notes would likely have been lost in the process). DRM has nothing to do with the illegality of these books or why Amazon.com removed them The ebook publisher, MobileReference, did not pay licensing fees (etc.) to the US copyright holders of the material in question. It's a *copyright* issue before it's anything else.... Amazon needs to be far more careful about what they sell in their Kindle store re. legality. (In this case, "sell" also refers to books that are free - their setup defaults to $0.00 as a "purchase price.") The actual books in question are in the public domain in the UK, Canada and Australia. (Don't know about the Republic of Ireland.) At any rate, the short answer is: wireless synching is how the files were removed. I seldom use the built-in wireless, because I prefer to buy/download legally from other sources and then transfer files to the device via the USB cable that comes with it. (Though I do have a number of free titles from Amazon, as well as several purchases, sitting on my K2's hard drive - all downloaded directly.) Absolutely not. You didn't get it from them. (Though I should add that the device's logs can be "seen" by techs there, if they decide to pull them during a synch - so I guess it *might* be possible, though likely very illegal!)

Yeah, well - all of about 3 books that I've bought from Amazon. Don't laugh *too* hard. As I've mentioned before, there are plenty of other sources for ebooks, both free and for pay. I mainly use those. (Just like i don't buy things from iTunes, because I don't like a lot of things about the store and so forth.)

I'm sure there will be a lawsuit. And yes, the books were wiped via wireless, when customers hooked up to Amazon to resynch their Kindles. But really, there's much more to this - like Amazon's obvious need to make sure they're selling legal ebooks! That's probably the biggest mistake here, IMO. (And a very stupid one on their part, too.) Which all makes me realize that I need to back up some purchases to my HD...

yeah, that's bad, no question. I bet Amazon is regretting this already. (at least, I hope they are.) Although the part about the ebook publisher not having secured the rights to those books is equally questionable/stupid. Just in case it's unclear, the books in question are under copyright in the US (but not in Canada, the UK, or Australia). the ebook publisher, MobileReference, had not secured the rights for either book for US distribution. This kind of confirms my suspicion that there's actually a lot of "grey market" material out there, though I think it's equally foolish for these books to *not* be in the public domain in the US. Still, if you're planning to sell something, it's best to get the rights/permissions/legal red tape out of the way before doing so - for which I fault MobileReference. (There's been ongoing debate at MobileRead and elsewhere about this company for some time, fwiw. I've avoided getting anything put out by them due to multiple issues - bad formatting and more.)

For GA (and anyone else who's interested): I'm really intrigued by the forthcoming Plastic Logic reader. (check here for some links to trade show videos.) It's going to have a flexible screen, among other things...

Look, this is kind of pointless (ongoing discussion), but apparently HTML *does* work on the Kindle, for some people, at least. Check MobileRead for more. No sense arguing about it, IMO. OK? (There *is* a simple hack that makes PDFs work natively on both the K1 and K2 without any need for conversion software, btw...)

Some people *are* able to use the Kindle for HTML, though... I'm not exactly sure how, and it might be that it's the case with only 1 model. (i.e., K2 vs. K1.) it could be via a simple hack (that I'd never be able to explain, though I might be able to follow someone'd plain English directions and actually make it work. ) Check the Mobileread.com forums if you're interested.

Oh, I agree completely on the lack of an SD card slot on the K2 and lots more. (User-replaceable battery, anyone?! Killing that was a bad move.) I also like what I'm seeing of the txtr. As for a subscription/loan-based store model, again, agreed! I think that if they decide to do that (in addition to "permanent" purchases), that's going to kick the door wide open. I hope they do it, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Edited to add: I think people are going to keep hacking the Kindle hardware and software and publishing information about it... which means that it's going to become increasingly difficult for them to keep customers "on the hook." (From my pov, at least. A lot of people who post in the Mobileread forums seems to be way ahead of all the techies at both Sony and Amazon.)

I know what you mean about the weight! I've got lots of my books (things I would rather not drag around with me; my last move cost $$$ because of my library) as digital files now. and I find myself taking my Kindle everywhere, because it's small and very convenient to carry. (I've got a *lot* of books on it, too though it's important to back up your files on another hard drive...) Like I said earlier, I never expected to like this thing. I would probably be just as content with another kind of ebook reader, and might try to invest in something else (preferably with a flexible screen) in the future. But there are a lot of advantages to the Kindle setup and wireless content delivery - although I seldom get things from Amazon itself. I love the fact that I can put my own work on it and have it handy, too... but mainly, I just use it as a reader. BTW, the price on the Kindle 2 has dropped a bit (for new ones) - it's now a shade under 300 USD. My personal feeling is that they're going to *really* start selling these things if/when they drop the price to around 250 USD. medjuck, my last couple of posts were mainly about file formats. No worries here! Edited to add: One really good thing about amazon's entry into the digital book market is that they've been able to get publishers to significantly lower prices for most ebooks. Until recently, new electronic editions of books were released at hardcover prices (and if you're buying from many ebook stores - Sony format, for example - that's still the case). Amazon's basic price point is 9.99 USD, with many older in-print books being made available for 7 USD and under. I think other vendors are going to follow this trend. I think I'll always love actual, physical books and prefer them to ebooks. But now that I can own physical copies of the things I really want to have in that format, while having other books available as digital files. That's very freeing, especially as I'm dealing with space (and weight) constraints for my library. And when I go away, I'm not dragging a whole stack of books with me, which is great!

For a brief guide to Kindle features that might not appear in the Amazon boilerplate, try http://www.kindlecookbook.com/ There are a lot of people out there who've hacked the Kindle (all versions) in entirely legal ways - you know, taking it apart (both physically and via installed software) to see how it works. Based on that, there are some nice custom modifications that are very easy to do. an example: I don't like the K2's native font, so I installed another one. *Very* easy; no computer expertise required. It's a far more versatile device than many people realize.

Look - the Kindle does support HTML and text (also JPG) natively. I'm not intending to be a shill for Amazon; there are a lot of things I hate about the company. All I'm trying to say is that the K2 is (in my opinion) a surprisingly good product. If I had the $$$ to buy a bunch of ebook readers and compare them, I'd go for it. But I don't, and I did choose the Kindle based on some things (like highly adjustable font size) that work well for someone with low vision (my elderly mom). I think some of you are deliberately overlooking what I've said in earlier posts. The K2 is anything but perfect. And no, the K2 doesn't have native PDF support; also, Amazon's own conversion of PDFs is (IMO) pretty terrible. But you can do you own conversion with the entirely free Mobipocket Creator (Pro Edition) software. amazon doesn't tell people about that (even though they own it!), but a little looking at places like Mobileread.com will turn it up. I'm *not* a fan of DRM, but there are already a *lot* of DRMd ebook formats out there - not developed by Amazon. They're very late to the game, actually. The new large Kindle DX is supposed to have native PDF support, though from what I've seen, the jury's still out on how well (or poorly) it works. Maybe I'm being naive, but it seems to me that some of the posters in this thread already have their minds made up about things they really haven't investigated. [sigh] I guess that's one of the pitfalls of online "communication." It's a frustrating thing, for sure. GA, I hope you're able to find a good ebook reader that has what you want, and that works for you! Edited to add: Some people might find it *convenient* to send a batch of files to Amazon to convert. There are actualy 2 available optionst: the one they talk about more *does* cost some money (although it was free for almost 2 years); the other is entirely free. The exact same software is used; the free version doesn't automatically download converted files to the Kindle via wireless. I've tried the 2nd one many times, with highly variable results, which is why I use the Mobipocket Pro software to do conversions on my own. (it works better, and much more consistently, than amazon's doc conversion stuff.) Nobody has to use Amazon's "service" - there's nothing written in stone about that. Edit edit: There's good freeware - legal freeware - available for converting Sony's DRMd format to other formats; ditto for Microsoft's LIT format. You can use it to convert files you already own so that they can be uploaded to a number of different ereaders, including the Kindle.

Yes. But you'll need to learn a little more about which format to choose (most Gutenberg stuff is now available in several formats). The important thing is: you can do lots of format conversions very easily on your own PC. There's absolutely no need to pay Amazon to do it for you, unless you're dealing with a big batch of files and would rather just pay them to convert them all. (I can imagine that convenience is a big factor for many people, so it makes sense that they offer this service.) Other links or free/legal books (can be downloaded directly to Kindle if it's hooked up to your PC via its USB cable, and even directly, using wireless): http://www.feedbooks.com/ http://manybooks.net/ http://www.munseys.com/ There are more, too.

Amazon actually doesn't have a "lock in" on the device, any more than Apple has one on iPods. Check the link in my previous post for more info.

I have a Kindle 2 and love it - and in no way are you solely locked into purchases formatted in Amazon's AZW format. You can load - and read - a number of different file types, and there's plenty of good, entirely legal free content available from sites like manybooks.net and Amazon's Kindle store itself. I'd strongly advise you to check out Mobileread.com (both main site and forum) for reviews, opinions and more. (On many different devices, not just Sony readers and the Kindle.) I originally got the Kindle 2 for my elderly mom (who has some vision problems) but found the page turn buttons to be a bit too stiff for her, so I bought a new Kindle 1 for her and kept the K2 for myself. In some ways, I think Amazon rushed the K2 out o the gate (they eliminated a few really nice but non-essential features). Overall, though, it's one heck of a nifty device - I *never* thought I would like it, but they've got a lot of things nailed. It's not like reading a book, but once you get used to holding and using the K2, you more or less forget about that and just read. (Which is the whole point.) while i agree about DRM being a bad thing, in reality, there are a lot of competing formats out there as well as some good free (and legal) software that makes it easy to convert from formats not currently supported to formats that work on the Kindle. (Which include HTML, txt and Mobileread's .mobi and .prc files. - Amazon bought Mobipocket a while back and patterned its own "azw" format on Mobi's software.) The K2 is a godsend for anyone who does serious research - or wants to carry work-related documents on the reader, or... Although some things about it can (IMO) be improved, it's a great little device as is.

CD reissue cover - IIRC, this is the 1st reissue Smithsonian Folkways did (of her back catalog, that is).

Thanks muchly for all the info., r!

Same here - very well-put, Bev!

Some sellers do include all of that. (And I agree with you; I want the liners, too.)

I started this book earlier today and am about 1/3d of the way through. It's very, very good - and not really what the main title makes it out to be. the subtitle is An Alternative History of American Popular Music, which is far more accurate. Although I disagree with some of Wald's conclusions (in this book as well as in some of his other work), he's a dedicated researcher and a talented writer, and I like what he has to say (whether I agree with him or not ). I'd recommend the opening chapter of the book without any reservations, as he hits on so many important points there. (You can check out some of it at Amazon.com) Factoid: John Philip Sousa coined the phrase "canned music." Who knew?!