Blur your home on Maps and erase your data to remove your life from Google's grip - USA Today

 

 

 Today Panzer made a trip to the USA Today site. With a little digging in the posts, our inquisitive kitty found one about deleting Google's data collections about individual users. A few days ago Panzer told you about limiting Amazon's Kindle ereader data collection.

They have all that?

The USA Today's post by Kim Komando explains how to delete the personal data Google has been collecting on you. The post is divided into five sections. Four of the sections explain how to delete various portions of the data collected. There is a section on data collected about your home on Google Maps; one on the data collected about your Google Assistant interactions; one on the data collected about your Google searches; and, finally, one about the data collected about your Chrome use. Each section contains instructions for deleting the data. The fifth section contains instructions about how to receive Alerts about yourself. This is an informative and useful post for anyone who uses Google for anything and you need to read it.

Panzer says, "I'll bet Google Maps even knows where my food dish is."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. If you plan to delete all the data Google has collected about you, bring a thermos of tea and twelve muffins.

 

To read the post tootle over to private data on google

 

To read the previous post about Kindle data tracking, tootle over to Kindle ereader

Bloody Scotland Now on YouTube

We told you about this year's online Bloody Scotland Writers Festival about a week ago. If you missed all or part of it, the organizers now have most of the festival presentations edited and up on YouTube.

 

Note: Be prepared. This was a three day conference. Some of the presentations are long so you may want to schedule watching it over the coming weekend. Don't wait too long though, because it says at the site it will only be available until October 30.

 

When you follow the link, scroll down to watch the presentations.

To watch the presentations tootle over to Bloody Scotland Festival

It Took COVID Closures to Reveal Just How Much Libraries Do Beyond Lending Books - The Observer

Today Panzer was just minding his own cat business and tootling around in the Catosphere, when the Panzermobile was shaken by clapping and cheering coming from outside. Following all the hullabaloo took our adventuresome kitty boy to the Observer site. There he found a post about U.S. and U.K. libraries.

 

According to the Observer post by Gillian Harvey, many people are not aware of all the available services provided by the U.S. and U.K. libraries.  With the Covid-19 lockdowns, today's libraries offer more than checking out physical books. Now library patrons can make use of numerous virtual services. These include online educational training for children and adults, recreational training such as learning to paint,  games for children, and more. This is an in depth post with lots of information.

 

Mom is taking a class there too.

Panzer says, "We already knew about this. We've been watching movies and TV shows Mom found at our local library's online site. Check out what your library has online."

 

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

 

To read the post tootle over to libraries

A New Panzerism

A Two For One Panzerism (for the Stock Market knowledgeable)

Panzer on Commodities:

Buy Tuna Fish Bellies.

Panzer on Trading Commodities:

Never sell above Commodities.

Mmm. Mmm. Good. *

Moral: Fat, sassy and smelling like fish is attainable by today's modern kitty who has internet access.

* From Cat Wisdom for humans

Waterstones cuts 16 head office roles including for publisher-facing staff - The Bookseller

Panzer has been on a cleaning frenzy today. Sweeping out the inside of the Panzermobile, he found a post under the pilot seat floor mat. Pulling it out, he discovered it was a post from The Bookseller * site about Waterstones bookstores.

 

It's that virus thingy.

According to the post by Mark Chandler, Waterstones is making some employee changes effective immediately. The company announced it has made 16 head office staff positions redundant. (That's the polite way of saying they were terminated from their jobs.) The company cited the downturn in trade sales and foot traffic.

Panzer says, "Look what happened to Macmillan's soon-to-be ex-CEO John Sargent after he made some staff positions redundant."

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 Waterstones

To read about Macmillan tootle over to John Sargent

 

 

* Be aware The Bookseller has an "article" reading limit each month after which you'll be asked to register.

How to Limit Data Tracking on Your Kindle ereader and Fire Tablet - The Digital Reader

Panzer was digging around in the Panzermobile's tool box when he found something wadded up in the bottom. Flattening it out, our fastidious kitty discovered it was a post about data tracking on your Amazon Kindle and Fire Tablet.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder's post, there are two ways you can limit Amazon's ability to track you. The first option presented includes instructions on how to go to the Amazon site and limit the tracking there. This option is followed by how to limit tracking on each of your ereader devices.

Let's do this.

Panzer says, "It looks easy to do to this little kitty."

Note: This looks like a humongous post, but it's not really. It includes screen shots of Amazon's site and Amazon devices. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection. .

To read the post tootle over to Kindle ereader and Fire Tablet

Fantasy Novelist Terry Goodkind Dies at 72 - Publishers Weekly

 Today over at Publishers Weekly, Panzer learned of the death of Terry Goodkind. 

 

In the post Calvin Reid reports bestselling fantasy author Terry Goodkind died on September 17. The post includes information about his novels and writing influences.

I'll miss his books.

Panzer says, "Mom has read all of his series Sword of Truth books to me."

 

To read the post tootle over to Terry Goodkind

 

Boucher Con 2020 Online

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, when he heard clapping and cheering coming from outside the Panzermobile. Following all the noise took our intrepid traveling kitty to the Bouchercon site.

 

Bouchercon is the Mystery Writers of America's annual convention. Just like many other writers' and publishers/booksellers' conventions this year, Bouchercon will be held online.

 

It's a mystery.

Unlike last weekend's Bloody Scotland (we had so much fun!), Bouchercon is not free to attend.  It is $55 to register for the October 16-17 convention. Registration ends October 4. The site doesn't provide much information about the scheduled speakers/authors or panels. There is a section for the Anthony Awards, where you can read the nominated short stories. There will be no refunds, so be sure you want to attend before signing up.

To register tootle over to Bouchercon 2020

Bookstore Sales Fell 24.6% in July - Publishers Weekly

Today Panzer decided to make a trip to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging in the posts, he found one about how book sales did in July.

 

According to the post by Jim Milliot, bookstore book sales were understandably down. July bookstore sales were down 24.6 percent compared to last year. This was, however, actually an increase over June's sales which were down 35 percent compared to last year. August book sales figures aren't out yet.

 

Maybe things will get better now.

Panzer says, "Some bookstores are open for fewer customers inside at a time, some are letting customers order by phone and online with store curbside pickup and some are selling online now too."

 

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

 

To read the post tootle over to bookstore sales

A New Panzerism

Panzer on cat Zen:

One might wish to understand ...

that ...

into each life ...

 

a storm will arise.

But ...

If you have a cat ...

you can hug and pet ... 

 

the cat will act ...

 

as a wind-break ...

 

against life's storms.

What? You expected a cat joke? *

*We're all really tired of virus thingy.

Macmillan CEO John Sargent Is Departing - The New York Times

Today, when Panzer was washing the Panzermobile after our trip to the Bloody Scotland conference, he found something stuck under the windshield wiper. Flattening it out, our fastidious kitty discovered it was a post from The New York Times site about Macmillan CEO John Sargent. Panzer told you about soon-to-be-ex CEO Sargent day before yesterday.

What does it all mean?

According to The New York Times post by Alexandra Alter, there seems to be more to CEO John Sargent's exit from Macmillan than was originally reported. It appears there were more problems in Macmillan than the general public was aware of. While the post lists the library embargo as part of Macmillan's problems, it also highlights recent employee layoffs, employee walkouts and book publishing disagreements. Also included in the post is some interesting information about John Sargent's parents.

 

 Panzer says, "It just gets more interesting every day."

 

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

 

To read the post tootle over to Macmillan

To read Panzer's previous post tootle over to John Sargent

 

 

 

Oops: Forgot Bloody Scotland Link

The Bloody Scotland writing conference is free to attend online. Originally, an attendee had to have a ticket for each day, but the organizers announced today it was all right to pass on the link to others to watch the conference.

 

So, if you want to attend Saturday and/or Sunday, here's the link:  Bloody Scotland 

Enjoy!

Bloody Scotland Update

Things are a little kittywumpus around here.

 

Mom, did you see any unicorns?

Today was the first day of the Bloody Scotland conference. The conference is being held online this year and, because of the time difference, Mom had to get up really, really early to attend. The conference runs all weekend. The organizers said on the site most of the conference will be available for replay later.

One of the first things earlier today was the announcement that the winner of The McIlvanney Prize was Francine Toon for her novel Pine and the winner of the Debut Prize was Deborah Masson for her novel Hold Your Tongue.

 

Macmillan: Don Weisberg To Succeed John Sargent as CEO; Susan Winslow Leads Learning - Publishing Perspectives

Today Panzer decided to make a stop at the Publishing Perspective site. There with no digging at all he found a post about publisher Macmillan and the departure of CEO John Sargent.

 

The post by Porter Anderson says publisher Macmillan's parent company Holtzbrinck Publishing Group has announced CEO John Sargent is leaving the company. John Sargent's replacement as CEO Don Weisberg has announced the two will work together until Sargent leaves January 1. John Sargent has lead Macmillan for 24 years. Also announced was the promotion of Susan Winslow from general manager of Macmillan Learning to president of  Macmillan Learning. There are several links in the post, including three at the end, to more information about Macmillan.

 

24 years?

Panzer says, "The last time this little kitty told you about Macmillan and John Sargent was when he removed the ebook embargo on libraries in March."

 

Note: This is a long, long post. Bring two cups of tea and three muffins when you read this selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Macmillan

To read Panzer's other post about the library embargo, tootle over to John Sargent  

* If things look a little wonky over the next few days, we're still learning Blogspot's new system.

Wildfires Taking Toll on Booksellers, Publishers - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was shaken by crying and shouting coming from outside. Following all the noise took our big, brave kitty boy to the Publishers Weekly site. There with a little digging he discovered a post about the wildfires on the west coast of the US was the cause of the angst.

 

According to the post by Jason Boog, wildfires on the west coast of the US (which includes California, Oregon and Washington) are causing havoc. Booksellers' and publishers' sales already ravaged by Covid-19 now have to deal with the wildfires and their attendant side effects. Company employees have not only had to evacuate their homes, but in many cases those same homes have been destroyed by the fires. Bookstores are either closed because of the smoke and ash in the air or if open have limited customers. There are links included in the post to a photo of the sky over San Francisco, a Go Fund Me page, and a donations page for bookstores.

I don't even want to go out there.

Panzer says, "We can't go outside because the television said we have the worst air pollution in the world."

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 booksellers and publishers

Today is Cozy Mystery Day

A New Panzerism

I'm ready.*

Panzer on your vintage years:

Mom told me old cats sleep 20 percent more than kittens.

Getting old sounds pretty good to me.

* From Cat Wisdom for humans

Patriot Day

 

No Post Today

 Panzer here. Mom is working on a project, so there will be no post today.

Printers Confirm: Capacity for Trade Titles Tight - Publishers Weekly

Today, when Panzer was cleaning out the glove box in the Panzermobile, he discovered something wadded up in there. Flattening it out, our fastidious kitty boy discovered it was a post from the Publishers Weekly site about the book printing industry.

Hey! That virus thingy is still going on!

The post by Jim Milliot says printers are expecting a large influx of publishers' book printing orders this Fall. According to the Book Manufacturers Institute, many publishers put off their Spring book publishing because of the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, the Spring titles have been moved to the publishers' Fall publishing list. Book printers do believe they will be able to handle the influx, because they are fully staffed. It will, however, be a tight printing schedule.

Panzer says, "This little kitty wonders if publishers plan to try to sell the books on Amazon or if bricks and mortar bookstores will be able to have enough shoppers to sell them in their stores."

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 Book printers

Internet Archive Open Library lawsuit moves forward; arguments set for November 2021 - TeleRead

Panzer hasn't been to the TeleRead site in a long time, so he decided to make a stop there today. With no digging at all our inquisitive kitty boy found a post about the Internet Archive Open Library. Panzer's last update on the publishers' lawsuit against the Internet Archive (IA) was when IA asked the publishers to drop the suit and negotiate.

According to the post by Chris Meadows, in the copyright infringement lawsuit by four publishers filed against the Internet Archive (IA) the judge has agreed to a one year discovery process. This means both sides of the lawsuit will have one year to gather information and put their cases together. The suit should be ready for arguments in November 2021. The publishers filed the lawsuit after Internet Archive refused to stop making scanned copies of copyrighted books and letting people download the scanned copies. IA said it was legal because they were a library. Instead, publishers said IA is a pirate site because the site doesn't have the publishers' or authors' permission to copy the books and neither are paid for the copies. There are links to previous TeleRead posts, to a Publishers Weekly post and a The Digital Reader post about the lawsuit included in the TeleRead post.

Repeat after me: "I will not steal your book."

Panzer says, "It's a long post with all the links, but it explains what's happening and why the publishers filed the lawsuit against IA."

Note: This is a very long post. Bring a glass of ice tea and a  large muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links, bring two thermoses of tea, 12 muffins, 12 chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) and 12 brownies.

To read the post tootle over to Internet Archive Open Library
To read Panzer's previous post tootle over to Internet Archive Lawsuit


 

Labor Day in USA

From Panzer, Mom and What's His Name

Portland's Powell's Books says it 'must take a stand' and will stop selling books through Amazon - GeekWire

It's not easy owning an indie bookstore.

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the GeekWire site. With a little digging in the posts he found one about Powell's Books a well-known independent bookstore in Portland Oregon.

According to the post by Kurt Schlosser, Powell's Books has announced they will no longer sell books online through Amazon. Owner and CEO Emily Powell announced her decision in an August 26 letter/email sent to the store's customers. During the COVID-19 pandemic the stores have been closed.  Customers have been able to order books through the store's online sales portal Powells.com and through Amazon. Two of Powell's "satellite stores" have now re-opened part time for customers in-store shopping. There's a link included in the post to Emily Powell's customer letters/emails dating from March 17 to the present.

Panzer says, "Powell's is even known in Washington state where we live."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection. If you follow the links in the email, bring an extra muffin.

To read the post tootle over to Portlands Powell's Books and Amazon

Barnes & Noble Knocks Out Defamation Claim by Fired CEO - Publishers Weekly

Panzer's trip in the Catosphere today took him to the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all he found a post about the lawsuit by Demos Parneros against Barnes and Noble. Panzer previously gave you an update on the case in July.

According to Andrew Albanese's post at the Publishers Weekly site, the judge in the lawsuit(s) filed by former CEO Demos Parneros' against Barnes and Noble has made a decision on the defamation of character portion. The judge determined there was no evidence the company's announcement of the former CEO's firing damaged his reputation. There are still to portions of the case to be decided. They are the breach of contract and breach of covenant of good faith. There's another hearing on October 8. The post has several links to previous posts with information about the case.

It will never end.

Panzer says, "There's still a long way to go to get a final decision."

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow all the links in the post, bring a thermos of tea, twelve muffins, twelve chocolate chip cookies (biscuits), three brownies, and two sugar cookies (biscuits).

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble
To read Panzer's previous post about the case, tootle over to Defamation lawsuit 

Facebook threatens to block Australians from sharing news in battle over landmark media law - The Guardian

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard crying and shouting coming from outside the Panzermobile. Following all the hullabaloo took our adventuresome kitty boy to The Guardian site. With a little digging in the posts there he found one about Facebook in Australia.

 Can't you read it at other places?

According to the post by Amanda Meade, Facebook is in a disagreement with the Australian government. There is a proposal under consideration to charge digital platforms that carry news. If Australia passes a new law forcing Facebook to pay for news content posted to the platform, the company will be forced to ban Australians from posting news content. Australian government officials say they won't be bullied by Facebook and are continuing to work on the proposed new law. Facebook says they already have a program to pay news sources. The post contains several links to information about the new proposed law, including a link to Facebook's post about their response to Australia's proposed law.

Panzer says, "When you follow the link below to the post at The Guardian site, you might be asked to register to read it. It's free to signup."

Note: This is a humongous post. Bring tea, cocoa, water, muffins, cookies (biscuits), your breakfast, and your lunch to read it. If you plan to follow the links, bring a sleeping bag and your dinner.

To read the post tootle over to Facebook

Walmart unveils Walmart+, its Amazon Prime competitor that costs $98/year and will launch Sept. 15 - GeekWire

Panzer made a quick trip to the GeekWire site today. There our speedy kitty found a post about Walmart's new membership program.

This might be interesting.

According to the post by Taylor Soper, Walmart has announced a new membership program called Walmart+. The new program is available for $98.00 per year or $12.95 per month. Walmart+ gives free delivery for your online purchases. There is a $35.00 minimum order requirement however. There is a 15 day free trial period available. The post contains a link to Walmart's post about the new program. Walmart's post has more information about the program benefits.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... If you really think about it you'll see it's not really a competition. Amazon Prime is a lot more than just free delivery."

Note: This is a long-short length post. Bring a half a cup of tea for today's reading selection. If you plan to read Walmart's post about the new program, bring another half a cup of tea.

To read the post tootle over to Walmart+

Vivian Stephens Helped Turn Romance Writing Into a Billion-Dollar Industry. Then She Got Pushed Out - Texas Monthly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to make a stop at the Texas Monthly site. With a little digging in the posts, our inquisitive kitty boy discovered one about Vivian Stephens. Panzer told you a few weeks ago about the Romance Writers of America naming a new award after her.

It's a really interesting story.

The post by Mimi Swartz reads as a history of Vivian Stephens life, both in and out of the Romance Writers of America group. In 1980 Vivian Stephens was the founder of the Romance Writers of America (RWA). It was interesting to her when in May of this year she got an email from the group asking to name an award after her. The interesting part of naming the award the 'Vivian' was that she had been largely ignored and forgotten by the group over the years. According to the Texas Monthly post, in the years since RWA was founded romance novels have gone from the 'bodice ripper' days to the 'independent, working woman' days. With that emergence romance writers have gone from the "have to have a regular, day job to support my writing" days to the romance writers ''making $100,000 (or more) per year'. Included in this post are links to information about the turmoil the RWA has been going through since last year and links to books about romance writing and its history.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... $100,000 a year?"

Note: This is a hugely humongous post. Bring a thermos of iced tea, a thermos of lemonade, a dozen muffins, your lunch and your dinner for today's reading selection. If you plan to read Panzer's previous post, you'll need a sleeping bag for a nap in between.

To read the post tootle over to Vivian Stephens
To read Panzer's earlier post about the Vivian Award, tootle over to RWA Award