Tolkien film-makers insist they were respectful after estate disavows biopic - The Guardian

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere he heard angry shouting coming from outside the Panzermobile. Following all the noise took our inquisitive kitty to The Guardian site. There with a little digging in the posts he found one about the Lord of the Rings author  J.R.R. Tolkien.

According to Alison Flood, there's a "bio pic" of J.R.R. Tolkien's early years slated for release in May. The film-makers didn't consult the family or the estate about the material contained in the movie, but say the film is respectful of Tolkien. Since the family and estate had nothing to do with the film they refuse to endorse it. The post includes a link to a longer post explaining the family and estate's position on the film.

I'll do one about Mom and not ask. She'll like it.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... They made a film without consulting the family ... and ... now ... they want the family to say it's a great film. Well ... This little kitty doesn't think that's going to happen."

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the link to the longer post, bring a muffin too.

To read the post tootle over to Tolkien film

A New Panzerism

Panzer on famous sayings:
(That he heard somewhere or maybe just made up.)

It's a catastrophe. (Get it?)

Sleeping in late is a bad idea ...

It disrupts the nap schedule ...

Not to mention ...

the eating schedule too.

Consumer Use of Audiobooks Continues to Rise - Publishers Weekly

Panzer made a quick stop at the Publishers Weekly site today. There our speedy little kitty boy found a post about audiobooks.

According to Ed Nawotka at Publishers Weekly, audiobook use is up. A recent survey by Edison Research and Triton Media shows 50 percent of all Americans have listened to an audiobook in the past year. Where does all this listening happen? Most of it is in their cars. It's reported that 74 percent listen in their cars. Newer vehicles come with a built-in entertainment center which includes the ability to listen to your audiobook as you go to work. There is a link included in the post to the original press release about the uptick in audiobook listening.

Mom says I have an amazing voice.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... I know audiobooks are the bright-shiny new thing right now. So ... I've been practicing for doing my own audio book. What's His Name told Mom I'll be ready in about a century ... whatever that is."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to audiobooks

Books to Film: Sony Pictures Television Partners With Wattpad on Original Progamming - Publishing Perspectives

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishing Perspectives site. There with a little digging around in the posts pile our traveling kitty found one about Wattpad.

According to Porter Anderson's post, Wattpad and Sony Pictures Television have partnered to bring popular Wattpad posted material to television. Because of the multiple venues for television shows, movies and series, books to films is becoming a viable outlet for popular uploaded Wattpad "books." The post includes links to news stories about some of Wattpad's other endeavors and writing stars.

I must have something for them.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... I wonder what this little kitty could upload to Wattpad that would make a good television series?"

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea, a muffin and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post, bring a thermos of tea and half a dozen muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Wattpad

Looking for Answers to Copyright at IAF Panel - Publishers Weekly

Today, Panzer decided to make a quick trip to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging around in the posts our kitty boy found one about the International Authors Forum.

According to the post by John Maher, the International Authors Forum (IAF) held their annual meeting earlier this month. While the meeting entailed discussions of copyright in general, the new European Union (EU) Copyright Directive was a main discussion topic. The post covered the IAF's exploration of Article 17 and its implementation in each EU country. There was also discussion of how Brexit might impact the UK's response. The post includes links to other information sites and posts.

Now I can relax because it's not just me.

Panzer says, "This little kitty feels so much better to learn it's not just me that's confused by Article 17 of the EU Copyright Directive. Turns out a lot of humans are confused by it too."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Copyright

A New Panzerism

Panzer on Spring Love:

It's Spring time. When a boy kitty's thoughts turn to girl kitties.

There I was last night, sitting on the back fence ...

Singing that I was looking for love.

Then I saw her ... an answer to my kitty serenade.

The most beautiful girl kitty ...
Long, shiny, gorgeous, calico fur ... unbelievably cute ears.

I asked her for a date.
She looked at me with those golden eyes ... then shook her head.

I asked for her phone number so I could call her.
She gave it to me with no hesitation.

She'll be back. Girls can't resist me.*

But ...

When I called it today, some guy answered and said, "Animal Control Service,  Cat Neutering Division."

Darn claws. I must have dialed wrong.



*From Cat Wisdom for humans

PRH Creates Reader Loyalty Program - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was shaken and buffeted by clapping and cheering. Following all the hullabaloo took our brave kitty boy to the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all he found a post about Penguin Random House (PRH).

It's an easy question.

According to Jim Milliot, Penguin Random House (PRH) has a new rewards program for book purchasers. The new program is called the Reader Rewards Loyalty Program. The participation accounts are free to setup. Once the accounts are activated the reader provides purchase information to gain points toward a free book. The points can be earned across all formats: ebooks, paper and audio. The post includes links to setup an account.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Inquiring kitties want to know if the money you spend on twelve books is worth one free book?"

Note: This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to PRH Reader Loyalty Program

European Union Copyright Directive Gets Final Green Light - Publishing Perspectives

Panzer was taking a well-deserved nap when he was shaken from his kitty bed by a hullabaloo of noise coming from the Catosphere. Jumping into the Panzermobile he followed the noise to the Publishing Perspectives site. There with no digging at all he found a post about the EU's copyright directive.

Post author Porter Anderson says the European Union (EU) Council has passed the Copyright Directive. The voting members were not in total agreement however. Nineteen of the EU member-states voted to pass the Directive, six voted against it and three abstained. Panzer told you about the EU Parliament vote on March 25 which passed the Directive and moved it on for the Council vote. There are links included in the post for more information concerning the Directive.

I have watch where I step from now on.

Panzer says, "With the new rules in place this little kitty will have to be very careful about publishing news from EU countries."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring a thermos of tea and a half dozen frosted chocolate muffins.

To read the post tootle over to European Union copyright directive

To read Panzer's earlier post about the Copyright Directive tootle over to European Parliament

Six Default Amazon Security Settings You Can Change for More Privacy - The Digital Reader

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was shaken to and fro by the sound of crying and screaming. Following the crescendo of noise took our brave kitty boy to The Digital Reader site. There he found a post about how to protect your privacy across the Amazon platform.

GR knows what I'm reading on my Kindle?

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, it's time to do some cleanup work on your Amazon security and privacy settings. The post contains six ways to protect your privacy, including disconnecting your Kindle and Goodreads accounts, stopping Amazon cookies and four more steps you can take. The post has step-by-step instructions with screen shots for how to complete each privacy change.

Panzer says, "Be sure to read the Comments section. There's some good information in there too."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a gallon of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon security settings

A New Panzerism

Panzer on stupid human rules:

Rules. Rules. Rules.

What's His Name has all these rules.

And ...

They're all stupid rules ...

Like ...

Dinner only happens once a night ...

Or ...

Don't make hairballs appear in front of his friends ...

Now, I ask you ...

Just call me David ... David Cat

Does What's His Name tell that magic guy...

David Copper-something-or-other ...

when he can make people disappear and then reappear?

Amazon Removes Category Strings From Book Listings - The Digital Reader

A cat's work is never finished.

Panzer was cleaning out the Panzermobile today when our fastidious kitty boy found a wadded up post under the passenger seat cushion. Flattening it out he discovered it was a post from The Digital Reader site about Amazon.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, Amazon has made a change to how book categories are displayed in the listings. A long string of categories is no longer displayed for a book. Instead, only the main category is shown. This makes for an easier to read "Product details" description. A sample book listing is included in the post to show what the new category listing looks like.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... We used those category strings on books similar to mine for help in putting my books in the right categories."

Note: This is a short post. Bring half a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon categories

Audible to give away 12 million audiobooks to settle class action lawsuit - TeleRead

Panzer was taking a well-deserved nap when he was shaken awake by clapping and cheering come from the Catosphere. Hopping into the Panzermobile out brave kitty followed all the raucous noise to the TeleRead site. There he found a post about audible.

Six months?

According to Chris Meadows of TeleRead, Audible has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit rather than go to court. The lawsuit concerns the Audible audio book credits. If a customer's credits were cancelled due to the six month time limit or because the customer cancelled their account, they qualify for the settlement. A customer can get at least one audio book based on their Audible credit circumstances. Included in the post is a link to the class action settlement notification.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks Audible should change the length of time the credits can be used too."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Audible

The First Machine-Generated Book by a Scholarly Publisher Is a Boring Read - Gizmodo

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to make a stop at the Gizmodo site. With hardly any digging in the posts our inquisitive kitty found one about artificial intellegence (AI) and books.

According to Andrew Liszewski, the first machine-generated book has been published by a publisher. The book was generated by an algorithm developed at Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. The book is titled Lithium-Ion Batteries, A Machine-Generated Summary of Current Research. The machine algorithm read (analyzed) thousands of information sources about lithium-ion batteries and distilled the information into the book. The post includes a link to download a copy of the ebook in either PDF or Epub format.

Insomnia? I've got the cure.

Panzer says, "This little kitty isn't too worried about AI. Mom started reading that ebook to me and within ten minutes we were both sleeping away the afternoon."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the link and download the book, also bring a sleeping bag. (You have been warned.)

To read the post tootle over to machine generated book

Scribd Opens Author-Friendly Originals with Garrett Graff on Mueller - Publishing Perspectives

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by clapping and cheering. Following all the jocularity took our adventuresome kitty boy to the Publishing Perspectives site. There with a little digging around he found a post about Scribd.

I'm serious. Bring a sleeping bag.

According to Porter Anderson, Scribd has added a new division to the company. Scribd is a subscription service for readers with 1 million subscribers. It now has a publishing arm called Scribd Originals. The first content published is Garrett Graff's Mueller's War. Scribd Originals will consist of novella length content available in both "written and audio formats." The post has a link to the Scribd blog post about Scribd Originals. Also included in the Publishing Perspectives post are the submission guidelines for writers and their agents to submit directly to Scribd. There are also links to information about other  "Original" content platforms like Wattpad Originals, Storytel Originals and more.

Panzer says, "One million subscribers?"

Note: This is a super humongous length post. Bring a gallon of tea and three dozen muffins and a sleeping bag for a nap in the middle of today's reading selection. If you plan to follow all the links in the post, also bring a camping trailer (caravan) for cooking and comfortable sleeping (not just napping).

To read the post tootle over to Scribd

A New Panzerism

Panzer on trying new foods:

Just because birds eat worms ...

Cough! Cough!

Ptoohi! What was I thinking?

doesn't mean ...

Gag! Gag!

they're going to taste good.

There's a reason for the saying Bird Brain.

Microsoft is Closing Its eBookstore (Again) -The Digital Reader

Panzer was tootling around just enjoying the quiet, when he decided to stop in at The Digital Reader site. With a little leisurely digging in the posts, our inquisitive kitty found one about Microsoft.

They didn't put much effort into it.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, Microsoft has decided to close down the ebook section of the Microsoft Store. According to the company's customer email notification quoted in the post, the ebook section closed April 2. Ebooks will no longer be accessible in July. There's a link in the post to more information about the closing.

Panzer says, "It's no surprise to this little kitty they closed down."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Microsoft

Exclusive: Amazon moving thousands of employees out of Seattle, relocating key division to nearby city - GeekWire

Panzer was shaken from his kitty bed by crying and screaming and gnashing of teeth. Following the horrific noise took our brave kitty boy to the GeekWire site. With no digging at all in the posts there he discovered one about Amazon.

According to Monica Nickelsburg, in an email to employees Amazon announced yesterday the company would be moving it's worldwide operations division from Seattle, Washington. The move is to Bellevue, Washington, and is scheduled to begin this month. The company already has an office located in Bellevue and has also leased additional office space for the move. In addition to information in the GeekWire post about the move, there's also speculation about the reasons behind it too.

Seattle did want the head tax.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Well ... Seattle will still have the main headquarters. ... At least for a while longer."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins. for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon

B&N Press Now Offers eBook Coupon Codes - The Digital Reader

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard clapping and cheering. Following all the hullabaloo took our traveling kitty boy to The Digital Reader site. There with a little digging in the posts he found a one about Barnes and Noble Press.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, Barnes and Noble Press has a new feature in beta. Barnes and Noble now offers publishers coupon codes to sell their ebooks at a discount. Barnes and Noble Press is also making changes to their POD book formatting.

It's catch up time.

Panzer says, "This is a feature Smashwords has offered for several years. Sometimes Mom gives the codes as prizes so winners can get an ebook for free."

Note: This is a short post. Bring half a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble Press

A New Panzerism

Panzer on scratching posts:

Mom is always yelling at me to use the scratching post.

I don't tell her where to wipe her feet.

Now everybody knows the truth. *

Now ...

You tell me ...

Who has better manners ...

Cats or humans?



* From Cat Wisdom for humans