Year: 2012

‘Bartending,’ Piracy and a DMCA Takedown Request [Updated]

⌘ Permalink

Earlier today, I was alerted by @FloridaLegal via Twitter than a full copy of my ebook, Bartending: Memoirs of an Apple Genius was for download, free go charge, on a website named “Ebookee.”

The site describes itself this way:

EBOOKEE is a search engine of ebooks on the Internet (Hotfile Megaupload Mediafire Fileserve Rapidshare) and does not upload or store any files on its server. Please contact the content providers to delete files if any and email us, we’ll remove relevant links or contents immediately.

This afternoon, I sent a DMCA takedown request to the site, per their template. It took just a few moments, and the email was sent.

I then noticed the paragraph at the bottom of this page that reads:

The administrator of this site (Ebookee.org) cannot be held responsible for what its users post, or any other actions of its users.

I expect to hear back by mid-week.

The .epub and .mobi files were posted at FilePost.com. That site has an online form that can be used for takedown notices, so I filled that out and submitted it.

Again, I expect to hear back in a few days. 2012–06–25 Update: The files have been removed, after a prompt email back from their support team.

I really don’t know how I feel about all of this. It’s easy to be mad at such services for being a source to find and host pirated content.

In reality, there are lots of sites that can be used to find pirated content. To help fight this on their services, Google has an online form that can be used to request information be removed from the company’s web search tools and more.

If something is published on the Intenet, it can be re-posted, re-packaged or even out-right pirated. I can have these files taken down, just to have them pop back up elsewhere.

At $3, my book isn’t a lot of money, but it’s clear there are some people who don’t want to pay for it. Hell, even 99¢ apps are pirated. It’s a cat-and-mouse game, and the cat probably won’t ever win, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth fighting for my content.

Of course, it took me about 5 minutes to alert the two sites about the violation. What if it took an hour? Two hours? At what point does fighting piracy become a bigger expense than the piracy itself?

Redefining ‘Pro’

⌘ Permalink

Roman Loyola, Macworld.com:

The Retina MacBook Pro is not only a groundbreaking release, combining stunning performance and portability in a 15-inch Mac laptop; this model will also force you to change the way you interact with a laptop. From overhauling how you view and work with content to how you deal with external devices and connections, Apple isn’t afraid to push its customers in new directions. The Retina MacBook Pro is certainly a more-than-gentle nudge.

LeVar Burton, on Reading

⌘ Permalink

…in an interview with Ars’ Jacqui Cheng:

This is one of the reasons it was so important to me, from a personal level, to bring Reading Rainbow to this new generation of kids, to try and do something about it. Here’s what I know: in 26 years on PBS, we were able to—through the medium of television—have an impact on the reading habits of children. I want to see if we can make light and do it again.

As a parent, I’m psyched about the iPad’s role in my kids’ education.

What Apple Believes In

⌘ Permalink

Tim Cook:

We believe in the simple, not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution.

857

⌘ Permalink

Tara Culp-Ressler at ThinkProgress:

A powerful installation on the National Mall today is meant to call attention to the nation’s current drop-out rate: the 857 desks represent the number of students who drop out of high school in the United States every single hour, according to the College Board’s calculations.

Bento 4 Ships

⌘ Permalink

Peter Cohen at The Loop:

The new release makes it easier than ever to create new databased by including 25 built-in templates especially designed for iOS. 40 themes are included which provide coordinated backgrounds, fonts and shading for custom database creation. And access to FileMaker’s online “Bento Template Exchange” is now integrated, making it easier to find templates that other users have created. The Exchange currently hosts more than 1,000 free templates from Bento and FileMaker users.

I used Bento at a former job, and loved the Mac version. This new iPad app seems really great, and I can’t wait for an excuse to give it a spin.

Mini-Review: The Smart Alec

⌘ Permalink

Ben Brooks has a Tom Bihn Smart Alec backpack, and after seeing it at Macworld, I ordered one myself this spring.

It’s awesome.

I have the “Vertical Brain Cell” insert for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, as that’s what I was carrying at the time I ordered the bag. My 13-inch Air and iPad fit in it together nicely.

I also added the “Snake Charmer” cable carrying case, and it’s well-worth the money. Having all my cables in one section at the bottom of my bag keeps things nice and neat.

The bag itself is large, but I don’t think I look goofy with it. While the black fabric is well-made, I do worry about fading over time. (Of note, @gorskic says it’s not an issue.)

While I love the look of the Ristretto, I’ve found that my back is much happier when I use a backpack. It also makes riding a bike to work safer.

The straps are wide and nicely padded, so they don’t cut in to your shoulders, even after long periods of use. The tightness is easy to adjust, unlike other bags I’ve used in the past.

I don’t really know what else to say. It’s just a quality, comfortable backpack. If you are looking for something well-made and easy to use, it’s for you.