The Technology Vent and Rant Thread

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by Quoth

PDFs exisited before ebook formats and were not called ebooks. The entire point of original ebook formats was reflowable. It was only later that fixed formats to badly ape PDF were added.

lolwut?

The idea of the "book machine" dates back to the 1940s (if not earlier), well before the first digital computers. Regardless, words have meanings. These meanings change over time with usage. If common usage says that PDF and CBZ are ebook formats today -- which it does -- then what the word ebook might have meant 50 years ago isn't relevant to my usage of the word today.

PDF arguably isn't a good ebook format, but it passes the duck test: it loads like an ebook and it reads like an ebook, so it probably is an ebook.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Comfy.n

AI is insatiable... Besides profits, IMO they prioritize market dominance and data collection. I'd hope OpenAI won't become something like the once omnipresent and un-uninstallable Internet Explorer... Lately I'm feeling like "it was good while it lasted" regarding Chatgpt.

Looks like our e-safety Tsarina has nobbled it.

The other day I asked it who would win our upcoming federal election, had an interesting chat - today I asked the same question, response was:

I'm afraid I can't talk about that topic, sorry about that.

[Comfy.n]

You might have seen these as well...

https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenAI/comm..._in_real_time/

https://x.com/rohanpaul_ai/status/1883601254318039148

[Comfy.n]

On the other hand, please tell me this is real:



https://www.reddit.com/r/DeepSeek/co...wer_to_reddit/

[DNSB]

I will admit that DeepSeek being opensourced struck me as a great idea.

[Solitaire1]

ratinox wrote the following as part of a post:

Originally Posted by ratinox

PDF arguably isn't a good ebook format, but it passes the duck test: it loads like an ebook and it reads like an ebook, so it probably is an ebook.

I don't think PDF is a bad format, just a limited one. It is fine as long as it is formatted for the medium it is to be viewed upon, whether that is Letter/A4 size, small e-reader screen, smartphone, or any other type of display. Its weakness is that for the most part a specific PDF can't be suitable for all screen/paper sizes.

However, based on what I've seen with the EPUB ebooks I've purchased it appears that there are still issues with EPUB formatting that need to be ironed out (such as multiple blank lines between paragraphs).

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I will admit that DeepSeek being opensourced struck me as a great idea.

There's a pocket-sized model available for offline use.

I tried and reproduced something like the previous interaction they posted on reddit:

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

However, based on what I've seen with the EPUB ebooks I've purchased it appears that there are still issues with EPUB formatting that need to be ironed out (such as multiple blank lines between paragraphs).

That's the publisher, not a flaw in the format.

[Quoth]

Tiffany Aching's Guide to Being A Witch (Kindle Edition)

This title is only available on select devices and the latest version of the Kindle app. Please refer to the supported device list before purchase.
[Only on an App]

Total morons breaking their own Kindle Branding. You'd thing they learnt when the dropped "Kindle" from "Kindle Fire", Amazon's custom Android tablet.

Kindle ebooks should only be reflowable that work on any size screen or a real eink Kindle.

Interactive, Print Replica, Comics etc should each have their own distinct branding. Google Playstore Books also suffers from this, except there it's hard to see if a download is a PDF, epub or for PlayBooks App only.

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I will admit that DeepSeek being opensourced struck me as a great idea.

The code for generating the model is Open Source (an MIT License) but the operational R1 model is not.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Total morons breaking their own Kindle Branding. You'd thing they learnt when the dropped "Kindle" from "Kindle Fire", Amazon's custom Android tablet.

Kindle ebooks should only be reflowable that work on any size screen or a real eink Kindle.

Interactive, Print Replica, Comics etc should each have their own distinct branding. Google Playstore Books also suffers from this, except there it's hard to see if a download is a PDF, epub or for PlayBooks App only.

Interesting. I see the device limitation wording on the UK site, but not the U.S. site.

[Quoth]

USA has less consumer protection, on average, than EU or UK.

If you are wanting to read on an actual Kindle, or use your Kindle Serial # as part of D&T and then convert to epub

Product details
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005E874PW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Constable (1 Sept. 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2940 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 306 pages

Bold are items that mean it's a real Kindle ebook. Almost any of them.

Product details
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CFDV1SFQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin (9 Nov. 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 100129 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

A so called Kindle Title that only works on an app. The Fire support means App as it's just an Amazon version of Android tablet.

In the past some real ebooks were artificially blocked from screen readers or text to speech. That might even be illegal in some countries now.

This one doesn't have the device warning
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BVTF8T7W/
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Omnibus Kindle & comiXology

But "ComiXology" means it's not a "real" Kindle. See the Product details

Product details
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BVTF8T7W
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dark Horse Books (9 Jan. 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 943787 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

No number of pages!
The Preview would not download from my Library and would only view on Web.

Also ALWAYS check the number of pages. You may not wish to spend as much for 11 pages as 245, even for a favourite author.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08YSCWSGN/

Product details
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08YSCWSGN
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wildside Press (12 Mar. 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 139 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 11 pages

It would be fairer to anthologise a number of shorts to 100 to 200 pages and charge 99c to $2

A final red flag is the words "Print Replica" in the description. You might be lucky and find it's at least just a PDF in an Amazon wrapper. It won't work on kindle eink (might on Scribe) and won't convert to epub. You can't tel it can unwrap to a PDF till you buy (for an app/Fire).

[ratinox]

Stupid new parking payment system which requires a smartphone to scan a QR code, or checking in at a specific URL, every time one leaves the garage to get the employee discounted parking rate.

[Quoth]

Nothing should exclusively require a smart phone as the phone can go flat or infrastructure go offline or call credit expire.

Similarly when in person at the Irish Driving Licence Office, or the National Car Test (mandatory), it's wrong that they don't take cash.


Systems designed by people that live in a tech bubble.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Nothing should exclusively require a smart phone as the phone can go flat or infrastructure go offline or call credit expire.

Similarly when in person at the Irish Driving Licence Office, or the National Car Test (mandatory), it's wrong that they don't take cash.


Systems designed by people that live in a tech bubble.

Also, you can forget to take your phone with you.