Photo: Contributed

April was an interesting month for the book industry.

The United States Department of Justice announced that it was suing five major publishers, along with Apple, for a price-fixing scheme. As Apple launched the original iPad, they allegedly colluded with Harper Collins, Penguin and other publishing companies to raise the price of ebooks. Just as that news hit the media, Amazon announced that it was planning to lower ebook prices.

From the perspective of the consumer this seems like great news.

After all, why should an ebook be priced similarly to a paperback? There's no paper, no printing and no shipping - the ebook should be cheaper. Furthermore, with self-publishing being easier than ever, many authors are hiring their own editors and releasing their work exclusively as an ebook, effectively cutting out the traditional publisher.

This self-publishing approach is particularly appealing because it results in the majority of the revenue actually reaching the pockets of our favorite authors (as opposed to most traditional publishing companies who usually pay the authors around 15%).

Like any innovative company, Amazon has a number of critics who are frantically waving red flags. Amazon can afford to lower the price of ebooks because they want to sell more Kindle devices - traditional print publishers don't have this angle at their disposal. The red flags are being waved because some believe Amazon will simply turn around and raise ebook prices if they can achieve a dominant share of the market.

Personally, I don't think Amazon is the enemy here. e-readers and tablet devices will get cheaper over time, making it easier to jump to a new platform. If Amazon was to raise ebook prices there will always be alternative options for the consumer (and for the author).

With easier self-publishing options and lower ebook prices, avid book-readers should be in for a treat as more content becomes available for less.

Of course every upside has a downside. The traditional publishing companies need to adapt to survive. Beyond that, book stores may not be able to sustain themselves as the price gap between ebooks and printed books grows.

One thing is for sure: if the publishers don’t respect the price expectations of the consumer there will always be the threat of piracy.

About the author: Brad Parsons is the owner of Sticky Consulting, a web consulting company based in Kelowna, BC.

The 10 Essential Rules for Slowing Down and Enjoying Life More

Post written by Leo Babauta of Zenhabits

It’s an irony of our modern lives that while technology is continually invented that saves us time, we use that time to do more and more things, and so our lives are more fast-paced and hectic than ever.

Life moves at such a fast pace that it seems to pass us by before we can really enjoy it.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s rebel against a hectic lifestyle and slow down to enjoy life.

A slower-paced life means making time to enjoy your mornings, instead of rushing off to work in a frenzy. It means taking time to enjoy whatever you’re doing, to appreciate the outdoors, to actually focus on whoever you’re talking to or spending time with — instead of always being connected to a Blackberry or iPhone or laptop, instead of always thinking about work tasks and emails. It means single-tasking rather than switching between a multitude of tasks and focusing on none of them.

Slowing down is a conscious choice, and not always an easy one, but it leads to a greater appreciation for life and a greater level of happiness.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Do less. It’s hard to slow down when you are trying to do a million things. Instead, make the conscious choice to do less. Focus on what’s really important, what really needs to be done, and let go of the rest. Put space between tasks and appointments, so you can move through your days at a more leisurely pace. Read more.

2. Be present. It’s not enough to just slow down — you need to actually be mindful of whatever you’re doing at the moment. That means, when you find yourself thinking about something you need to do, or something that’s already happened, or something that might happen … gently bring yourself back to the present moment. Focus on what’s going on right now. On your actions, on your environment, on others around you. This takes practice but is essential.

3. Disconnect. Don’t always be connected. If you carry around an iPhone or Blackberry or other mobile device, shut it off. Better yet, learn to leave it behind when possible. If you work on a computer most of the day, have times when you disconnect so you can focus on other things. Being connected all the time means we’re subject to interruptions, we’re constantly stressed about information coming in, we are at the mercy of the demands of others. It’s hard to slow down when you’re always checking new messages coming in.

4. Focus on people. Too often we spend time with friends and family, or meet with colleagues, and we’re not really there with them. We talk to them but are distracted by devices. We are there, but our minds are on things we need to do. We listen, but we’re really thinking about ourselves and what we want to say. None of us are immune to this, but with conscious effort you can shut off the outside world and just be present with the person you’re with. This means that just a little time spent with your family and friends can go a long way — a much more effective use of your time, by the way. It means we really connect with people rather than just meeting with them.

5. Appreciate nature. Many of us are shut in our homes and offices and cars and trains most of the time, and rarely do we get the chance to go outside. And often even when people are outside, they’re talking on their cell phones. Instead, take the time to go outside and really observe nature, take a deep breath of fresh air, enjoy the serenity of water and greenery. Exercise outdoors when you can, or find other outdoor activities to enjoy such as nature walks, hiking, swimming, etc. Feel the sensations of water and wind and earth against your skin. Try to do this daily — by yourself or with loved ones.

6. Eat slower. Instead of cramming food down our throats as quickly as possible — leading to overeating and a lack of enjoyment of our food — learn to eat slowly. Be mindful of each bite. Appreciate the flavors and textures. Eating slowly has the double benefit of making you fuller on less food and making the food taste better. I suggest learning to eat more real food as well, with some great spices (instead of fat and salt and sugar and frying for flavor).

7. Drive slower. Speedy driving is a pretty prevalent habit in our fast-paced world, but it’s also responsible for a lot of traffic accidents, stress, and wasted fuel. Instead, make it a habit to slow down when you drive. Appreciate your surroundings. Make it a peaceful time to contemplate your life, and the things you’re passing. Driving will be more enjoyable, and much safer. You’ll use less fuel too.

8. Find pleasure in anything. This is related to being present, but taking it a step farther. Whatever you’re doing, be fully present … and also appreciate every aspect of it, and find the enjoyable aspects. For example, when washing dishes, instead of rushing through it as a boring chore to be finished quickly, really feel the sensations of the water, the suds, the dishes. It can really be an enjoyable task if you learn to see it that way. The same applies to other chores — washing the car, sweeping, dusting, laundry — and anything you do, actually. Life can be so much more enjoyable if you learn this simple habit.

9. Single-task. The opposite of multi-tasking. Focus on one thing at a time. When you feel the urge to switch to other tasks, pause, breathe, and pull yourself back. Read more.

10. Breathe. When you find yourself speeding up and stressing out, pause, and take a deep breath. Take a couple more. Really feel the air coming into your body, and feel the stress going out. By fully focusing on each breath, you bring yourself back to the present, and slow yourself down. It’s also nice to take a deep breath or two — do it now and see what I mean. :)

Photo: Contributed

A concept dubbed collective intelligence may trigger thoughts related to science fiction, but in a world where over 500 million smart phones were shipped last year (according to IDC) we can start to classify ourselves as part of a 'group mind'. We aren't downloading information straight into our minds like you might see in movies, but we've definitely come a long way in a short period of time.

As the web has evolved, and as search engines have become better at finding the information we're hunting for, we now have access to more information more quickly than ever. Put all of that information in the palm of our hands and you start to understand why people look at you suspiciously when you text a friend while playing Trivial Pursuit.

I can name more songs that I listened to in high school than I can current hits. I used to have dozens of phone numbers memorized, today I just tell my phone who I want to call by name - it took me months to memorize my girlfriend's new phone number.

The question that arises is: if we're relying on our memory less, will our memory become less effective?

Transactive memory is a hypothesis formulated by Daniel Wegner, explained as a system which groups use to encode, store and retrieve information. It can help explain why couples tend to remember different types of information. One partner may remember birthdays while the other remembers to pay the bills. It's not that either partner is incapable of remembering both, but we tend to stop concerning ourselves with remembering the things that we know someone near us will.

So if Google knows essentially any fast fact we desire, and we have smart phones in our pockets, are we remembering fewer of the interesting tidbits that we discover throughout our lives?

Are we becoming less interesting in conversation because we're pulling from a memory that has grown lazy and dependent?

Not to worry! Smart phones apps have been designed specifically to help people start conversations – we obviously have nothing to worry about.

Sources: IDC

About the author: Brad Parsons is the owner of Sticky Consulting, a web consulting company based in Kelowna, BC.

To jailbreak or not to jailbreak?

Have you heard the term ‘jailbreaking’ before? If you think it has to do with prison, you may be reading the wrong column. Jailbreaking, in the tech world, refers to the process required for removing the limitations imposed by Apple on their iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Apple TV devices. The process essentially replaces the device’s operating system with one that looks and acts exactly like Apple’s iOS, but with supersized features.

Sounds awesome, right? Especially now that jailbreaking is no longer considered illegal (although it will void your Apple warranty). Warranty issues aside, if doing so will make my iPhone do things it wouldn’t normally be able to do, why wouldn’t I want to do it, you ask?

That’s where things get interesting.

The first concern that needs to be addressed is whether the process is simple enough for anyone to do. The answer to that question is sometimes yes, and sometimes no. If fiddling around with technology scares you, especially with the looming threat of screwing up your device, then I’d say not to bother. But even if you fancy yourself as a “techie”, you may want to think twice.

One thing I’ve found after successfully jailbreaking several devices (did I just say that out loud?) is that the process is never simple. Even if the technique has been described as easy, that may not be the case. What is simple in theory, especially in the world of technology, is rarely the case is practice. More about that in a moment.

Another important issue to consider is security. What happens to the built-in security mechanisms Apple has built in to their products when you replace the iOS with a modified operating system is anybody’s guess. I know many tech experts who are running jailbroken iDevices that aren’t worried, but with mobile threats becoming even more pervasive it may not be anything you’ll want to screw around with.

If I haven’t scared you out of doing it yet, perhaps my most recent experience with jailbreaking will do the trick. Over the holidays we got an Apple TV, and it’s the most awesome thing. The list of features is astounding, and will change your home entertainment landscape dramatically.

What delayed my Apple TV purchase was the fact that streaming options for media are limited to Apple file formats. Unless it gets the jailbreaking treatment, in which case you can add a specialized media-streaming program to the device thereby opening it up to all sorts of possibilities. As soon as I had the Apple TV in my hot little hands, I couldn’t wait to do some tinkering.

Every legitimate tech site I came across articulated how simple the jailbreaking process would be.

I believed them.

I was wrong.

I wouldn’t call it difficult, but the word simple isn’t suitable here. As the saying goes, results may vary.

Mine varied, and I wasn’t happy.

Even after getting everything the way I wanted it and installed XBMC (the free open-source media player), I was somewhat underwhelmed. I was now able to stream any media file I wanted, but picture quality wasn’t quite as clear as I’d hoped. It was like getting a new pair of glasses and noticing your prescription is just slightly off; everything still looks great but something isn’t quite right.

Needless to say, I’ve given up on the jailbreak and restored it to factory settings.

So is jailbreaking all it’s cracked up to be? I haven’t even covered all the awesome things you can do with a jailbroken iPhone, but generally I’d say to ixnay the ailbreakjay. I jailbroke my first iPhone (the 3G), and although it could outdo its non-jailbroken iFriends, the thing actually ran a little slower than normal.

If uncertainty, security issues and a voided warranty don’t scare you off, and/or you hate being confined to Apple’s technological shackles, jailbreak away.

I’m not sure whether to be worried or jealous.