Amazon has definitely changed the publishing game. You can whip out Kindle in a public place and nobody knows if you’re reading the Bible or 50 Shades of Grey. But what about the author, or self-publisher?
Amazon proposes a new method of payment to it’s authors. Instead of paying authors by how many books are sold, there’s talk of paying authors by how many pages are read. They keep track of how many pages are put on the screen long enough to be read. Starting in July 2015, Amazon will start the payroll system based on pages read. This new order is for books published through Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Online Lending Library. Both programs, which run from $9.99 a month to $99 a year, already have a combined 800,000 books in their arsenals. This announcement is catered to self-publishers and distributes through Kindle Direct Publishing. Amazon claims to make these changes because paying the same amount for books based on length won’t provide enough alignment between reader and writer. To put it in street terms, Amazon thinks they’re bridging the gap between the short books and big books by paying per page read.
I’m weary of this new program. I don’t that it’s fair that a 20 page novelette written in a matter of days gets the same equal pay than a 300 page novel written in years. And this could open the door for many shortcuts. What if someone wants to make the font bigger? And how much is paid per page read? And I guess the author had better make every page count. I’ve read books where I could skip pages, sometimes even a whole chapter, and still get the best out of the book. I guess authors with Kindle Direct can’t play that game anymore. But that’s my point. Will this new pay-per-page plan improve the quality of self-published books?
This week, the 2015 E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) will take place in Los Angeles, CA. There will be 50,000 video game enthusiasts, journalists, analysts, and producers that will touch down in what’s called the biggest video game conference of the year.
You can expect the big 3 Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony to make their presence known. Microsoft’s XBox One fans are already salivating over the upcoming 1 TB console. They can’t wait to show off new games like Halo 5, and Rise of the Tomb Raider. Sony is expected to announce new Playstation 4 games like Uncharted 4 and No Man’s Sky. Then there’s the Project Morpheus headset. And what’s this I keep reading about Sony possibly coming out with their own 1TB PS4 console? I’ll believe it when I see it. Don’t count Nintendo out,although they place a distant third in the video game wars. They’ll have a press conference Tuesday, directly speaking to their fans. There is a lot of chatter about games like Mario Maker, Star Fox, for their Wii U. Don’t forget about the smaller games that’ll be announced. And they’ll be some great virtual reality exhibits, like the Minecraft exhibit. Oculus will be everywhere.
As far as Nintendo, I’m one of those who want to see a comeback of an old classics, like Legend of Zelda, Double Dragon, Metroid, Tetris, or Final Fight. But don’t hold your breath. It would be great business for Nintendo, as many gamers can remember these timeless classics. Expect Sony and Microsoft to trade barbs, but personally, I think they should take this time to concentrate on their own products. What I‘d like to see is small time video game producers come and show off their skills. The E3 will be a perfect venue for small gaming businesses to demonstrate their products and watch them take off. Don’t you get a little tired of the big 3?
Sony CEO Doug Morris confirmed what many music lovers have been waiting months for. At the World Wide Developers Conference, Apple is expected to announce their streaming music service tomorrow.
Some may ask, “Why didn’t the announcement come from an Apple exec or spokesperson?” In actuality, Sony‘s backing is critical to the existence of this streaming service. Morris talked about the coming event at an event in Cannes, France that celebrated Morris’ fruitful, successful career. Part of that includes a long alliance with Jimmy Lovine, who runs Apple music service. Lovine lead the purchase of Beats from hip-hop legend Dr. Dre for $3 billion. Morris praised Lovine for this move. Apple streaming service is expected to cost $9.99 a month and it’s expected to help DJ’s bring consumers new music and new artists. While Morris didn’t confirm the cost, he prefers paid streaming services than ad sponsored services. He hopes Apple’s music service is the’ tipping point’ that will accelerate the streaming revolution. He said, “A rising tide will lift all boats…It’s the beginning of an amazing moment in our industry.” Is he right?
This is coming at a time when the music streaming industry is becoming very competitive. Recently, hip-hop mogul Shawn ‘Jay Z‘ Carter purchased Tidal and with the help of music heavyweights like Madonna, is turning it into his own streaming service. But Tidal’s streaming services, well, their premium services, will run you $19.99 a month. But are Apple and Tidal aware of what they’re asking consumers to do? In fact, during Doug Morris’ interview, I didn’t hear one thing about how this was going to benefit the most important person in this transaction, the customer. Both these and other streaming services should do a better job convincing regular folks why they should part with $10-$20 a month when they can get the same service for free through an ad sponsored company. What will it take to convince you?
As many as you know, the international soccer governing agency FIFA is facing the worst scandal in it’s history. Within hours, twenty FIFA executives between the US and Switzerland were arrested on charges of corruption?. But what are the technological implications?
Since the mid 1990s, FIFA’s soccer video games have been a staple in the gaming community. The FIFA soccer video game franchise is now available in over 50 countries and sold over 100 million copies. It’s the most successful sports game franchise of all-time. In fact, FIFA ’12 sold over 3.2 million copies and made $186 million…in one week! That’s an all-time record for any video game. Despite the scandal, it looks like FIFA gaming isn’t slowing down. EA Sports is releasing trailers for FIFA ’16. It’s expected to be released in September 2015. It will be on all the major systems: XBox 360, Playstation 4, and on your PC. This year, women will appear in the game. This is a first. There’s a You Tube promotional video called “Women’s National Teams Are In The Game”. The FIFA 2016 game will feature women’s team from Brazil, Germany, USA, China, Mexico, and several other nations. And it will include the best women players ever, like England’s Steph Houghton. Of course, the scandal wasn’t mentioned, but they’re plenty of spoofs all over social media.
I’m going to stop talking about FIFA 16 now because I don’t want you to get the game! Sure, it’s a great concept bringing women teams to the game. That’s not the issue. The issue is when you purchase a FIFA game, you’re supporting one of the most corrupt institutions of our lifetime. We’re talking about an institution that leaves nations bankrupt, like they did Brazil. We’re talking about an institution that makes people build stadiums in 120 degree Fahrenheit heat, with little food, water or rest breaks. And thanks to cahoots with the Qatar government, they won’t even let documented workers leave. Why would I want to support an organization like that? And since governments are struggling to put them in their place, our buying power will! ?The week of FIFA 2016’s release, I’d like to see only 32 copies sold. If we shut FIFA down economically, do you think they’ll get the message?
Listen, we all like to party. Heck, yesterday was May the 4th and we here at Computer Geeks went nuts. But today is Cinco De Mayo, a day littered with Corona’s and many many drunk encounters. So we’ve decided to hand out some advice to those of you really looking to go nuts today. Your electronics are EXPENSIVE, and one day of partying shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg. So before you decide to pop open that first cerveza, and smoosh your little lime wedge to the bottom, take our advice: Hide your electronics! Here are a list of potential drunk disasters that await those who do not heed our advice…
1. Beer Spill on your $1800 MacBook
I wish I could tell you that this is not common, but it is all too common. People drink near their laptops, people drink near their VERY EXPENSIVE laptops. All it takes is a spill of 1oz of beer on the keyboard of a MAC and your computer is toast. If you find yourself in this situation (because you didn’t listen) you will need to do a few things to save it.
1. Flip it upside-down
2. Power it off immediately
3. Wait 48 hours to let it dry
4. Call a professional to clean it out (800) 433-5435
2. Cell Phone Disaster
There are few things that drunk people do really well, but one of them is dropping their phone. Whether it is in the toilet or on the pavement, you’re in trouble. iPhone 6 plus broken screen is $450 to fix, and if you drop it in the toilet the phone replacement will be double that. Don’t use your phone in the bathroom, and don’t play with it outside, it is your best bet to keep that expensive little toy in your pocket safe. If you wreck your phone, check out our repair page
3. Go Party at someone else’s house
I mean it, you don’t need to host this gathering. Host Thanksgiving dinner, or Christmas, but for God’s sake, don’t host a party for a day full of drinking Corona’s. You know that 60 inch TV you love so much? It only takes 1 moron to crash into it, to ruin it FOREVER. Your tablets that are lying around become frisbees, or just unfortunate objects people sit on and crush. Go destroy a friend’s house, and take away the risk.
So go out, have fun, drink a few cervezas for us, but keep your electronics at home where they are safe. And if you do happen to have an accident, give us a call or send us a message and we will come to the rescue!
Last month, hip-hop mogul Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter launched a streaming music network called Tidal. Tidal has launched criticism ever since. Some have called it, ‘A service for the rich supporting the rich.’ It seems nobody is buying into Tidal. Jay Z took to Twitter and did damage control.
Carter is defiant when he says Tidal is going nowhere. Tweeting under the name Mr. Carter, he reminds critics Tidal has only a part of the revenue that Spotify has, but 75 percent of every dollar Tidal makes goes to the respective artist. Carter says this will give help artists give to their fans over and over again. He tweeted Tidal has only been in business a month, yet it has over 770,000 subscriptions. Rome didn’t grow in a day, neither did Spotify, and neither will Tidal. Carter urges patience and asks fans to give Tidal a chance to grow. Jay Z says Tidal doesn’t just sale music; it sells things like concert tickets and even sporting events. Carter insists Tidal will cut out the middle man and gives more power to artists and less power to the CEOs. Jay Z even bragged about his cousin moving to Nigeria on the search of musical talent and bringing them to the Tidal family.
Shawn Carter does bring valid points. When I read stories about how CEOs and managers ripped off musicians over the decades, it’s heartbreaking. The industry is full of stories where people are millionaires one year and broke and homeless the next year. I’m not saying I’m going to be a Tidal customer anytime soon, but I do respect what he’s doing for the artists. But I’m still not on board with Tidal. I still think fans will pay too much. So far, I haven’t heard Mr. Carter give a good reason why people would pay for what they can often get for free. What will it take for Tidal to make artists and fans happy?
