Ipad Apps: CourseSmart - Not so smart

Ok... so.. The first thing I tried to do this semester when I got my textbook list, was of course...download my textbooks on my e-reader.  I figured this wouldn't be a problem because I have the Nook  (B&N) app, and B&N offers most textbooks.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that B&N had recently devised the lovely brand new software for accessing their textbooks (called NOOKstudy).  I thought.. oh no problem, I'll just get the app and have even more features for studying than the standard Nook app.... WRONG!  Not only is this lovely program only accessible from a desktop or laptop, but B&N tied up all their textbooks so they can only be accessed through NOOKstudy! 


So now here I am.. days away from class and I can't get my textbooks!    OH  this was bad, very very bad.  So I went out on a hunt.  Thank you Amazon, I was able to get one of my textbooks easily through the Kindle app.  Another was available for download as a .pdf, no problem, I have multiple ways to view .pdfs on Ipad (including ones that allow for extensive highlighting and annotating).  But that last one was eluding me... I found it on the publishers website, Wadsworth Cengage Learning.  However, the publisher only allows you to rent the book for an exhorbitant price.   They don't tell you what format the text comes in though, so it's russian roulette with your wallet.  Will you or will you NOT be able to view it as a pdf?... from others experiences I have found you can't depend on that.  So with extensive searching I found that CourseSmart carries the book.  Also very expensive, and also just a rental, but the rental is available by semester rather than 2 OR 6 months (which is what Wadsworth offers).  So with little choice, I download the CourseSmart app and purchase the text.  I am presented with the choice of downloadable version or online version.  The online version is available from any of your computers upon login, but you can only do your work where there is wifi, so I went with the downloadable version.  This can only be read on the one device it's downloaded to, but since the whole point was to access it on my ipad, I didn't see a problem with that.


Ok.. So now I have the book.  Let's see if we can figure out how to read it... alright... 
Step 1: Log in (Hmmm curious, thought I only needed that for online, maybe just this first time...)
Step 2:  Open book.. waiting... waiting.. hmm.. that's pretty slow... 
Step 3: Turn the page, got it... loading loading... what the heck am I on the internet?
Step 4: Highlight... good luck with this one... there is a little tiny pencil button in the upper right.. click that... good.. ok.. now.. see that random square that appeared in the center of the screen?  Use a couple of fingers and spread that out over the text you want to highlight.  Not so easy eh?  NO... and not that clear either.  
Step 5: Once you've managed to highlight some text.. you can press it to send it to your email, or comment.  The comment is an ugly situation.. white on black right underneath the highlighted passage.  This covers the text below.  Oh... and in case you were going to try to highlight while zoomed in or in landscape mode, forget it.  Those features are disabled in both cases.  So you have to zoom all the way back out to tiny print, turn the ipad upright, and search the screen for your place in order to mess with the little square.
Step 6:  Looking for bookmarks... Alright so apparently if you go to the contents area and click bookmarks, you should see those.  Though after using the program for almost an entire semester I have yet to even figure out how to make a bookmark.  And all those comments and highlights show up nowhere.  So you have to remember where you wrote them.  EVERY basic ereader has a collection of these notes and highlights somewhere!  They also all have a search function, of which CourseSmart has none.  SO... you can't actually search your text for any specific passage or words.  Oh.. And no built in dictionary... 
Step 7: Reading your downloaded book sans internet connection.  Nope sorry.. so glad you paid the extra 10 bucks.  Can't be done.  I even went to the help on CourseSmarts website and got this: "No, you must have an internet connection to view your Online eTextbook or your Downloadable eTextbook. Viewing your eTextbooks offline is a feature that will be coming soon."  Fabulous... so you can't log in to read your downloaded textbook without internet access.  So doesn't that mean that the textbook is not downloaded, but really on the web just like the cheaper version?  So I basically paid an extra 10 dollars to have an online textbook I can't read from any location... great... 


Epic FAIL CourseSmart


Needless to say, I do not recommend CourSmart to any student.  You're better off actually buying the textbook.

The Archaic Future of Voting

Aaaaah election day... Standing in line with my fellow Americans waiting to cast my vote... When it's my turn I pull the lever and and the curtain closes behind me.... Wait a minute... Where's my curtain!? where are my tabs!?
Oh that's right, we've "upgraded". Wawaaaah....


So now in NY we have taken the huge step away from our 100yr old voting booths and sailed into the future of... Paper ballots? Doth my eyes deceive me? Paper Ballots?!
Ok... So you go up to the attendance table and a handed a gigantic paper ballot and a gigantic "privacy" folder (How's THAT for going Green). You take these over to a table with a visor (not unlike the folder blinders we used in elementary school to prevent cheating), and use the felt tipped black marker that is chained to the desk and fill in the little scantron bubbles (don't leave any errant marks on your sheet). These bubbles are labeled in tiny fine black print. Oh but never fear you visually challenged out there... They have provided a pocket with a huge magnifying sheet for your convenience.... The rest of you... Your out of luck. Better make sure you have impeccable fine motor skills, and are a whizz a sequencing or this system is definitely NOT for you.  Aren't there some accessibility laws in place for this sort of thing?


Alright so with the bubbles filled in you put your ballot back in the folder and approach the scanner. You are now instructed to pull the ballot out a few inches and feed it into the machine. well that didn't work so well for me, I had to pull it out far enough that some of my bubbles were showing... (Oh, and remember that nice orderly line at the booths and then the pulling of the bar that reset all the tabs so nary a soul saw your votes?... Forget it.) No line... a cluster... around the scanner...I am standing there with my bubbles showing trying to get my ballot in the scanner with 3 people standing around me close enough to see my votes! Now, it might have just been me (though I am pretty tech savvy)... but the woman behind me had to take hers completely out of the folder to perform this last task, exposing her votes to the entire room.   


So, to recap:  No Privacy, bad for the environment, and inaccessible to any form of disabled (physical or otherwise).  Real nice New York...  


Thank you for our huge step into the archaic future. (Which incidentally we paid 50 million dollars for... but shhhhhhh)

Just the beginning...

Where to begin!  Technology has been advancing so quickly the last few years,  and it's hard for me to figure out what I want to say first!

I suppose I can start with the piece of technology that started my obsession... 

With the race on e-readers still hot and heavy there is so much to explore.  After much research and testing, I decided to go with the Ipad.  I wanted the most dynamic, smooth e-reader, as well as a versatile machine.  I didn't just want a book replacement (I love real books), I wanted something to lighten my load, organize me, simplify my life, while providing me with this most dynamic experience for doing so.  For me, the Ipad was everything it promised to be.  This year it is the only thing I carry.  It is ONE of my books, my textbooks, my dictionary, my notebooks, my calendar, and my laptop all in one tiny package that fits in my purse!  

I tried the other e-readers.. and I didn't like how they had to blink and shudder to "turn" the page.  With the Ipad just a swipe of the finger.. so smooth.  The ibook app in particular is beautiful, the pages turn like a real book and I even find myself playing with the edges while I'm reading!  You can also get any of the e-reader apps for Ipad.  I have ibook (Apple), kindle (Amazon), Nook (Barnes & Noble), and Kobo (Borders).  They are all a little different and some are more advanced than others.  I find I tend to use Ibook and Nook, more often than they others.  They are the most customizable and have the best, search, highlight, annotate, and dictionary features.  

Sure.. you can't really read in the sun... It's backlit.  And people who want to read a "book" while tanning might find that to be a  deal breaker... understandable, but I sit in the shade and/or use the case cover as a shield.  It's sufficient for my purposes. I don't really find the backlighting to be that much of a problem because you can dim and change the colors to your hearts content.  But I do notice the relief when I get a chance to pick up a "real" book.  So there is definitely some strain in the eye department.  Not nearly that of looking at a computer screen, and you can dim it all the way down and read in the dark without any lights, which I find to be a wonderful attribute.  I mean, what bibliophile DOESN'T want a solution to reading at night without disturbing their hubby, pet, or what have you? :D

Anyway, this is just the tip of the digital iceberg.  There is much more to come.  Stay tuned for more, comments, critiques, and complaints!