Case Sensitive

A postscript to Monday's story about library e-books being unexpectedly deleted from my Sony Reader:

Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) is a "traffic cop" that enforces DRM embedded into copy-protected EPUB files from distributors. Customers sign up for an online account with Adobe, and the username and password are used to "authorize" a particular PC with that account.

This morning I noticed that I had authorized the two computers with the same account, but on the second one, I had typed it in uppercase letters. The authorization had worked on both machines, so obviously Adobe didn't care that the logins didn't exactly match.

But perhaps the DRM used by Overdrive (which handles e-book lending for thousands of public libraries, including mine) did actually care. To test this, I de-authorized the second PC and then re-authorized it, typing in the account name to match how I had typed it on the first.

After re-connecting my Reader to the second PC, I still got the "not authorized" message when attempting to access the copy of the library checkout on the Reader. This was expected, as Overdrive's DRM "rules" claim that only one PC -- the one that originally did the download -- can access a library checkout. But happily, the software didn't freak out and wipe them off the Sony Reader this time.

Lesson learned. But I still despise DRM.

Making the Canon LiDE 35 work with Windows 7 x64

Some of the biggest "gotchas" about upgrading from one operating system to the next are finding out that some of your well-worn hardware won't make the journey with you.

In terms of everyday user experience, there's very little difference between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7. But from the standpoint of device driver support, they are two distinct OSes. When I tried to move my Canon LiDE 35 from my Pentium 4 (32-bit) PC to my newer Core i3 (64-bit) PC, I was stopped with an "installation failed" message, even though the scanner had worked just fine under Windows 7 on the old machine. Checking online showed that Canon never officially released 64-bit drivers for the LiDE 35.

I was beginning to think that a new scanner would become a wishlist item for me until a Google search turned up a 2008 online discussion indicating that this device would work with the Windows x64 driver for the LiDE 60. I visited the Canon support page for the LiDE 60 and downloaded and installed that scanner's driver software and CanoScan Toolbox application.

After installing the LiDE 60 driver, I had to go back into Windows' Device Manager and manually choose to use it, acknowledging Windows' stern warning that it may not work. But when I was done, I was able to perform a test scan successfully. (The ease with which I was able to do this suggests that Canon doesn't wish to officially update the LiDE 35 driver software mainly because of how old this model is, and not due to any technical hurdles.)

So if you have an LiDE 35 (or have the opportunity to acquire a used one cheap) don't give up on using it with a new computer running 64-bit Windows Vista or Windows 7!

This e-book will self-destruct . . . now.

Without even trying very hard, my new Sony Reader and I stumbled into the cursed fangs of the copy-protection serpent today. Last week I had downloaded a couple of e-books from local libraries via Overdrive to one of my computers and transferred them to my Reader.

This morning I made the "mistake" of plugging the Reader into one of my other computers. Sony's Reader software launched and immediately told me that it was not authorized to view the book. In addition, I discovered that both library books were erased from my Reader! (The titles purchased from e-bookstore sites appear to have been untouched.)

I was able to recover the library books (but not my bookmark notes) without much fuss by plugging back into the computer to which I originally downloaded and transferring the files again. But what if I was travelling and made this "mistake"? Sheesh.

Coincidentally, the Free Software Foundation has designated next Wednesday, May 4, as Day Against DRM. It's a campaign encouraging resistance to Big Media's abuse of fair use. One of the most blatant examples came recently when HarperCollins told libraries that they were capping the number of e-book checkouts at 26, after which they would be required to buy the book again.

The music industry is surviving just fine with iTunes and Amazon selling music files unshackled from DRM. Book publishers ought to lighten up on their customers too. Owning more than one computer does not make me a pirate.

Motorola Backflip: One Year Later

Last year, I bought a Motorola Backflip and blogged about my first impressions of AT&T's first Android phone. After a full twelve months of everyday use, these are the points that sum up my long-term user experience:

• Multitasking under Android sounds great, until a runaway app bottlenecks the already-underpowered CPU.
• The camera takes OK-looking still pictures but is no match for a dedicated digital camera.
• Attempts at shooting video at concerts result in garbled audio as the microphone seems overwhelmed.
• The reverse-clamshell design with physical keyboard is still AWESOME.
• The Backtrack has proved to be completely useless, probably because no programmers design an Android app with a trackpad in mind.
• It should have shipped with the then-current Android OS version from the beginning.

If you own this phone and haven't updated to Android 2.1, I highly recommend taking some time to visit the Motorola update site and get the new operating system. It runs smoother and sticking with the factory-installed Android 1.5 will mean missing out on some great apps.

Finally, one more tip for Backflip owners: I noticed that the phone would spontaneously reboot on occasion. This seemed to happen when the keyboard is folded out. I believe that this is caused by the battery moving around inside the phone, losing contact with its contacts. What I've done is wedge a folded-up piece of paper into the space beside the battery, causing the battery to fit more snugly into its space and preventing it from shifting around.

It'll do for now until I get the bug for the next upgrade.

Seven days with the Sony Reader Pocket Edition

This year, I felt that the time was right for me to adopt e-books as a way to kickstart a new reading habit in my life. As with other personal electronics, I wanted to get some hands-on time with the contenders. After pondering many online reviews, I spent an hour at a local Best Buy last weekend test-driving various e-ink screens from four of the big names -- Kindle, Nook, Sony, and Kobo.

I had entered the store thinking of the third-generation Kindle Wi-Fi as my first choice. But surprisingly, when the madcap page-turning battle among the endcaps had wrapped up I walked out with the Sony PRS-350SC, the company's second-generation Reader Pocket Edition.

I'm smitten with the Pocket's form factor. At roughly 4-1/8" wide it actually slips easily into most of the shirt pockets in my closet (nice dress shirts: NO, casual button-down flannel or Hawaiian print: YES) so I'm more likely to bring it with me. With a brushed aluminum frame it's really lightweight (5-1/4 ounces), with a "spine" bulge running down the left-edge that makes it easy to hold one-handed, leaving my right hand free to reach for the stylus tucked in the opposite side. Text on the "Pearl" e-ink display is suitably crisp and flicking the screen to turn pages feels quite natural. (There are also hardware buttons below the screen dedicated to page turning as well.)

Not choosing the Kindle meant forgoing advantages of the Kindle ecosystem, especially access to Amazon's vast e-bookstore and Whispersync. But the world outside of Amazon's "walled garden" has much to explore as well. Sony is a company with a history of locking in their customers with proprietary formats, so I'll give them credit for embracing the EPUB file format and Adobe's digital rights management (DRM) scheme for transferring copy-protected e-books. So far I've exercised this "freedom to shop and browse" to purchase or borrow titles from:

• Sony Reader store
• Kobo
• Google Books
• Houston Public Library
• Harris County Public Library

Not having Amazon or Barnes and Noble (which uses EPUB but their own unique DRM for copy-protection) as shopping options is a definite limitation. So is a lack of wireless capability, as the device must be loaded with content through a micro-USB cable attached to a PC or Mac loaded with Sony Reader and Adobe Digital Editions software. Finally, while the 5-inch monochrome screen is perfect for the text of paperback novels, it's not suited for larger books with illustrations, such as technical references or comics. That's an area where something like the Nook Color would be nice to have as a supplement.

A note from my test drives: I couldn't help but notice that one of the page turn buttons on the demonstration Nook (the original, not Color) was cracked at Best Buy. Previously, I saw a similar crack in the buttons on the demonstration Nook at a Barnes and Noble store. I suppose it could be just coincidence, and store demos do take a lot of abuse, but seeing this damaged my confidence in the long-term durability of that product.

With this blog post written, I'd better get back to reading. Next week my download of Helen Hollick's I Am The Chosen King will expire. Unlike a paper book checked out from the library, hanging on to this copy and paying a little overdue fine isn't an option. Welcome to the 21st century!

Pope John XXIII Fun Run

80 percent of success is just showing up.

-- Woody Allen

I admit it: As much as "winning isn't everything," bringing home the hardware from a race certainly feels like something. In previous years the fundraiser at Pope John XXIII High School has sent me home with two 3rd-place and one 2nd-place medals. Yes, I've never seen more than fifty show up for this race, but there really should be more. Katy, Texas has an active running community, online registration was just $20, and the 5K course is almost totally off the pavement in gentler-on-the-legs crosscountry style. The school may be missing out on marketing opportunities to promote the event.

After lining up behind a chalk line in the sand, the president of the booster club squeezed the trigger on the starter pistol to begin the 2011 fun run and we were bounding off into the trails hugging Mason Creek. For most of the run, I was staying on the tail of a tall, gray-haired man I referred to internally as Balding Blue Shorts. I kept my mind occupied with meditations on the citric acid cycle firing off furiously in my cells, with periodic self-reminders to keep my posture straight and my turnover rate high.

With less than a half mile to go, my oxygen debt was being met with IOUs as worthless as Japanese peso notes. I had to walk to catch my breath, and while Balding Blue Shorts left me back, I was more alarmed to get passed by another man I'm calling Ballcap Blue Shorts. Ballcap Blue Shorts looked younger and I knew that I'd be disappointed if saw him beat me out for an age group award. As much as I wanted to pick up the pursuit, though, I was depleted and couldn't catch him.

On the 50-yard line of the football field, I entered the finish chute and received a nice medal for participation. (Isn't that cute?) When the results were announced later, it was a huge surprise to find out that not only was Ballcap Blue Shorts not in my age group, but that I had actually won my age group -- the first time that's ever happened to me! To place this surprise in perspective, three years ago I finished the course more than five minutes faster, setting a 5K PR, and it was only good enough for an AG third-place that day.

So now I've come home with two more medals, which will look superb with the others hung on the tree when the holiday season returns.

One final detail to close this post: Katy is home to the corporate headquarters of Igloo, and the company supplied the coolest "bags" I've ever seen at a packet pickup. With enough capacity to hold up to 12 cans of my precious Coke Zero (after Lent is over), I have a new roomy tote for bringing lunch to work.

The weather was completely perfect for this morning's run -- sunny, temps in the 50s with moderate humidity. May all you Gentle Readers -- rulers of all the flatscreen estate you survey -- have a brilliant spring weekend wherever it takes you.

The Splits....

Mile 1: 10:33

Mile 2: 10:08

Mile 3: 11:23

5K time: 32:33 per Garmin Forerunner 205

Result: 1st Place, men 30-39

Getaway Driver

My remembrance of the night of April 13, 2009 has barely faded. In the time since the hit-and-run that claimed the life of Jerry Luis, I've noticed that the focus of my thoughts has shifted.

In the days and weeks immediately after the accident, my mind was filled with self-regrets. I felt sorry for not having been in a better spot at the time of the collision to be a more effective eyewitness in identifying the pickup driver, and I felt deficient as a human being because I couldn't stop Jerry from dying. Out of these feelings grew much reflection over what I could and could not control about the tragedies that happen on our crazy planet Earth.

When the first anniversary arrived, my reflections turned to Jerry's family. Of course, I didn't know any of them, but I could see the visible tribute they left for him on the side of the freeway and wondered how their lives must have changed when this person was ripped away from them in such a sudden and violent manner.

Another year has come and gone. Yesterday, I found that my thoughts were revolving around the pickup truck driver. Who was it and why didn't he or she stop? Was it an illegal immigrant, an unlicensed driver, or someone with a criminal background -- someone that would avoid law enforcement at all costs? Was it an immature kid that felt unprepared to take responsibility and ran away scared?

My curiosity compelled me to check the Houston Crime Stoppers website, which confirmed my suspicion that Jerry's case remains among the unsolved. So the driver is probably still out and about. He or she might even be one of my neighbors. Does this individual even have an awareness of what really happened that night? Surely the truck must have taken quite a bump, and Jerry's motorcycle made quite the BANG when it left the roadway. Even after that, is it possible that the truck and all of its occupants completed the turn blissfully unaware of the carnage left at the intersection?

Or, is it possible that the driver is aware that he or she has gotten away with a felony? There's no statute of limitations on fatality hit-and-run in the state of Texas. Sadly, this could be motivation for the driver and anyone else with information to keep quiet.

And so, my best hope is that the responsible party has been spending time burdened in silence by their own conscience. But my heart feels that this driver simply got away.

I'm already looking forward to 2016.

After slurping down a hot plate of post-run spaghetti, I'm posting this blog from my couch waiting for the NCAA basketball men's final to start on TV. No matter who cuts down the nets at the end of the night, I think Houston claimed its fair share of winning as a host city this past weekend. None of the Final Four teams were from the region, but the organizers gave us locals a great draw with Bracket Town and the Big Dance concerts.

I like to think that the planners that transformed the lifeless old George R. Brown parking lot into the downtown oasis that is Discovery Green had big events like this in mind. Frankly, I didn't have high familiarity with any of the scheduled acts, so having them all at a free-admission festival presented a low-risk proposition for me. As it turned out, Panic At The Disco, Kings of Leon, Pat Green, and Kenny Chesney were all crowd-pleasers.

My Lenten commitment to abstain from Coke Zero was severely tested. Saturday's stage on a warm and humid afternoon was just one ginormous Coke Zero advertisement. And then during Sunday night's concert, perky Coke Zero reps were plying the crowd handing out as many free cans as they could.

While wandering the grounds, I couldn't help but notice that this was a big social media happening, especially among the college-age out-of-towners. I was even amused to see that the NCAA retweeted one of my comments from Saturday. And in a moment straight out of DamnYouAutocorrect, a group of Butler students standing next to us Sunday night gave us a good laugh when they realized their iPhones helpfully changed their status updates to say they were getting ready to see "Kenny Chesty" -- which sounds like a totally different kind of performer altogether.

Back to tonight, Kimba Walker of UConn just took the opening tip, so I'll wrap this by saying that I'm looking forward to seeing the Final Four return to town in five years. We've had such a good time that I wouldn't mind if this became a regular fixture on our spring festival calendar.