Jamaican Overdrive - LDC’s and LCD’s
OverDrive - an e-commerce, software conversion and e-publishing applications leader - has just expanded an e-book technology centre by adding 200 e-book editors. This happened in Montego Bay, Jamaica - one of the less privileged spots on earth. The centre now provides a vertical e-publishing service - from manuscript editing to conversion to Quark (for POD), Adobe, and MS Reader ebook formats. Thus, it is not confined to the classic sweatshop cum production centre so common in Less Developed Countries (LDC’s). It is a full fledged operation with access to cutting edge technology.
The Jamaican OverDrive is the harbinger of things to come and the outcome of a confluence of a few trends.
First, there is the insatiable appetite big publishers (such as McGraw-Hill, Random House, and Harper Collins) have developed to converting their hitherto inertial backlists into e-books. Gone are the days when e-books were perceived as merely a novel form of packaging. Publishers understood the cash potential this new distribution channel offers and the value added to stale print tomes in the conversion process. This epiphany is especially manifest in education and textbook publishing.
Then there is the maturation of industry standards, readers and audiences. Both the supply side (title lists) and the demand side (readership) have increased. Giants like Microsoft have successfully entered the fray with new e-book reader applications, clearer fonts, and massive marketing. Retailers - such as Barnes and Noble - opened their gates to e-books. A host of independent publishers make good use of the negligible-cost distribution channel that the Internet is. Competition and positioning are already fierce - a good sign.
The Internet used to be an English, affluent middle-class, white collar, male phenomenon. It has long lost these attributes. The digital divides that opened up with the early adoption of the Net by academe and business - are narrowing. Already there are more women than men users and English is the language of less than half of all web sites. The wireless Net will grant developing countries the chance to catch up.
Astute entrepreneurs are bound to take advantage of the business-friendly profile of the manpower and investment-hungry governments of some developing countries. It is not uncommon to find a mastery of English, a college degree in the sciences, readiness to work outlandish hours at a fraction of wages in Germany or the USA - all combined in one employee in these deprived countries. India has sprouted a whole industry based on these competitive endowments.
Here is how Steve Potash, OverDrive’s CEO, explains his daring move in OverDrive’s press release dated May 22, 2001:
“Everyone we are partnering with in the US and worldwide has been very excited and delighted by the tremendous success and quality of eBook production from OverDrive Jamaica. Jamaica has tremendous untapped talent in its young people. Jamaica is the largest English-speaking nation in the Caribbean and their educational and technical programs provide us with a wealth of quality candidates for careers in electronic publishing. We could not have had this success without the support and responsiveness of the Jamaican government and its agencies. At every stage the agencies assisted us in opening our technology centre and staffing it with trained and competent eBook professionals. OverDrive Jamaica will be pioneering many of the advances for extending books, reference materials, textbooks, literature and journals into new digital channels - and will shortly become the foremost centre for eBook automation serving both US and international markets”.
Druanne Martin, OverDrive’s Director of publishing services elaborates:
“”With Jamaica and Cleveland, Ohio sharing the same time zone (EST), we have our US and Jamaican production teams in sync. Jamaica provides a beautiful and warm climate, literally, for us to build long-term partnerships and to invite our publishing and content clients to come and visit their books in production”.
The Jamaican Minister of Industry, Commerce and Technology, the Hon. Phillip Paulwell reciprocates:
“We are proud that OverDrive has selected Jamaica to extend its leadership in eBook technology. OverDrive is benefiting from the investments Jamaica has made in developing the needed infrastructure for IT companies to locate and build skilled workforces here.”
There is nothing new in outsourcing back office work (insurance claims processing, air ticket reservations, medical records maintenance) to third world countries, such as (the notable example) India. Research and Development is routinely farmed out to aspiring first world countries such as Israel and Ireland. But OverDrive’s Jamaican facility is an example of something more sophisticated and more durable. Western firms are discovering the immense pools of skills, talent, innovation, and top notch scientific and other education often offered even by the poorest of nations. These multinationals entrust the locals now with more than keyboarding and responding to customer queries using fake names. The Jamaican venture is a business partnership. In a way, it is a topsy-turvy world. Digital animation is produced in India and consumed in the States. The low compensation of scientists attracts the technology and R&D arms of the likes of General Electric to Asia and Intel to Israel. In other words, there are budding signs of a reversing brain drain - from West to East.
E-publishing is at the forefront of software engineering, e-consumerism, intellectual property technologies, payment systems, conversion applications, the mobile Internet, and, basically, every important trend in network and computing and digital content. Its migration to warmer and cheaper climates may be inevitable. OverDrive sounds happy enough.
About the Author
Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, United Press International (UPI) and eBookWeb and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com.
Visit Sam’s Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com
Auto Safety
Safety in Cars
How to Purchase a Safe Car
Premiere thing to do is to study about safety in motorcars. Purchase books and discover articles online in mags and on blogs. The easiest origin is books, which have been edited and thereby holds insurance for accuracy. To buy records on-line is real simple and you have all titles in moments, so I perfectly advocate purchasing books online, there are well known on-line bookstores like Amazon and Barnes and Noble and there are little known localized online bookshops like Online Boghandel and Saxo. You can buy volumes on safety subjects for nearly all auto makes and models so you are conditioned to purchase your next car.
Safety and Kids in the Rear Seat
Driving with minors brings challenges to your ability to concentrate and keep focused on the traffic. Babies and little children must be localized in authorized child safety seat with specific seatbelts. There are a great variety of authorities approved kid seat, including the makers of Maxi-Cosi, Clek, Autostol, Safety 1st and Sunshine Kids.
Learn to Drive Safely
Regulation issue one is to avoid becoming distracted and the most common strain elements are kids, cells, adapting the radio or getting the candy. Oh yes, and speaking to riders in reality scores the number one position. So hold your concentration on the traffic. The 2nd principle is to stay on the route and hold small breaks in which you can relax, especially on extended trips and commemorate to have your bropas when passing the bigger Scandinavian bridgeworks. The third principle is logical: The less time you spend on the route, the lesser risk of experiencing an accident which implies that the faster you drive, the less time on the route and thus less chance of experiencing an chance event.
What You Know before Buying Bed Sheets
It was common to have white asian platform bed sheets in everybodys bedroom quite some time back. You are surprised at the range of unusual bedding that are on offer today. Bedding was never so beautiful with the vibrant colors, prints and textures that are offered in bedding nowadays
Here are six steps that you can follow to purchase the ideal bedsheet for you.
Take the beds measurements
Though we are all aware what a twin or king or queen size bed is, what many of us dont know is that there are no general proportions for these kinds of beds. Also the top measurements, all the rest can be unique depending on the brand name. Due to this variant in the proportions, it is safe to measure all the dimensions and the depth of your mattress too. Often similar beds from the same brand are taller or wider than each other. When you have your beds dimensions with you, choosing a bedsheet is easier.
Zero down on the Bed store
Bigger departmental storehouses have a separate department for linen and bedding and offer branded sheets and in-house brands under the same roof. If you want something ethnic like embroidered bedding or luxurious ones there might be a shop selling what you want close by. Another choice is to shop online for the largest variety. For those who still love their cotton fiber sheets, a discount store is where you should travel to.
Acquaint yourself with thread count in bedding
A thread count refers to the number of threads contained in one square inch of the bedsheet in both directions of the weave. This count is mentioned on the label of the bed sheet itself. More the thread count, more is the richness of the fabric. Dont go for a higher thread count than desired as the thin single threads will not feel comfortable. It is advisable that you go for a thread count in the range of 175 - 250 for a soft sheet under you.
Decide on material for your bed sheet
A material that is moderately priced and feels nice to sleep on is the one for you. Though cotton fiber is the most chosen material, some people go for the cotton blends as they do not crease. A chilly night calls for a flannel bed sheet. For a luxurious look, go for satin, silk or microfiber.
Calculate the size of the bedsheet
The size of the bed sheet you select has to be checked at this point. Refer the bed size and find out if the chosen bed sheet will be perfect for it. Take into account the average 7% shrinking that all bed sheets undergo after the first washing. Also, if these sheets are fine, buy some extra sets for your beds. these extra sets come in handy if you have kids at home.
These little tips will surely help you in choosing the right bedsheet for you and make every night a night to remember!
Promote Me
Fantastic Books to Listen to and the Easy Method of Fitting them into Daily Living
A hectic agenda often makes it difficult to get around to reading all the books you want to. Often we do not realize that long journeys to the office and other day to day activities may take up sizable portions of our precious time. Working, taking care of children or housework all reduce the time available for your hobbies. If you are a keen book devotee who is finding it difficult to fit it in, your commute might be the perfect time for catching up. Thanks to downloads, you can indulge in Haussmann, or the Distinction by Paul LaFarge for sale from Download Audio Book Online, or audio-books recounted by Kate Douglas Wiggin without even turning a single page.
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Nowadays multi-tasking has become an essential skill. Audio-books like Pimsleur French II & III Complete Courses by Dr. Paul Pimsleur available from Download Audio Book Online make better use of of the wasted hours in our routine, whether it’s waiting time in a physician’s office or grocery shopping. Many audible books can be downloaded right now as audio files including Pimsleur Korean I Part 1 by Dr. Paul Pimsleur, so if you have an iPod or another mp3 player and earphones you have the chance to listen to a bestseller or a fantastic novel, like audio books by Stephen Pierce without dragging heavy books around. An added benefit of audio titles is the ability to rent or buy educational books and listen to them at your leisure. How about studying German? Why not try out audiobooks? It’s easy to review the very latest business trends, or you can enjoy meditating on the newest views about religious belief or spirituality.
Audio-books are available in a myriad of titles and literary genres. Whether you love history, mad about biographies or even if your interested in self help, it’s simple to download most titles now. Options are wide open; you can take a subscription to a plan and hire titles or else buy what interests you. Enthusiastic readers will always seek out a way to read, even so the thousands of audio titles available offer convenience. Some stories, for example audio-books performed by Paulo Coelho, are even better when recounted by the writer or a celebrated actor. Simply reading a title isn’t the same experience as listening to audio books narrated by Fern Michaels, with the all the niceties of an actual rendition. Hearing audiobooks recounted by Brahma Kumaris will give something special to your reading experience and often can convey more than words on a page.
The next time whenever you are thinking of buying a book you will in all likelihood never find time to read, be sure to remember audiobooks as another option.
Top Tips for Choosing the Right Bedsheet - it Is Gripping
Till some years back bedding used to be made from white cotton cloth. You are amazed at the range of unique bedding that are on offer nowadays. Bedding was never so beautiful with the vibrant colourings, prints and textures that are offered in bedding today
The following are some factors that matter a lot when you purchase a bed sheet.
Measure the sizing of your bed
Though we are all aware what a twin or king or queen sizing bed is, many of us dont know that there are no general dimensions for these kinds of beds. Usually the top measurings dont differ a lot but the other dimensions vary with each bed manufacturer. Due to this variant in the proportions, it is safe to measure all the proportions and the depth of your mattress too. Often similar beds from the same brand are taller or wider than each other. When you have your beds proportions with you, choosing a bedsheet is easier.
Zero down on the Bed storehouse
You will find a lot of top names in bed linen available in a departmental store near you. For a unique look, some people also go for embroidered with sequins. The Internet is full with fresh new designs every day. The basic are sold in discount shops for a small cost.
Familiarise yourself with thread count in bed sheets
The amount of threads that are present in a square inch of the sheet in back and forth direction of its weave is known as thread count. The label of the bed sheet has the thread count printed on it. A lush texture calls for a high thread count. Beware of a very high thread count as the sheet may have slimmer threads and not the texture you want. A soft bed sheet has a thread count that lies between 175 and 250.
Decide on material for your bedsheet
A material that is reasonably priced and feels nice to sleep on is the one for you. Though cotton fiber is the most preferable material, some people go for the cotton blends as they do not wrinkle. A crisp night calls for a flannel bed sheet. Then there is the all time preferred silk, satin or microfiber that offers luxury.
bedsheet Care
You need to know how the bedsheet has to be cleaned prior to purchasing one. Though silk bed sheets feel sensuous, they have to be dry cleaned each week. Can you promise to do this? The best way is to buy comfortable sheets that can be machine washed.
Hope these six steps lead you to finding a perfect bedsheet for your bed.
The Chronicle of Barrister Bookcase - it Is Riveting
Any library is characterized by a dominating bookcase.They service the role of holding and protecting volumes and journals from junk and increasing their life. A bookcase, also known as a bookshelf, is a furniture piece and has horizontal shelves to keep literature. Outward glass doors are a good selection to refer and store publications neatly.
What do you mean by a barrister bookcase?
Barristers or attorneys demand to make use of several heavy and large books in the course of their practice. the legal diaries are costly and attorneys need to refer them oft. A barrister bookcase is a kind of bookcase especially produced for stacking away such bulky books utilised by barristers.They are also known as lawyers bookcases and can be made in oak wood, cherry wood in various coatings and colours.
How did people store volumes when barrister bookcases did not exist?
Books were rare in the past, and thence there was no demand for a bookcase then.In those times, books were hand-written.They were placed in minute containers by the wealthy individuals. The reason behind this was the books were dear and could be bought by the affluent class only.These containers served as a bookcase for them.
After a while, these hand-handwritten volumes were seen in many wealthy individualss houses. These volumes found a place in the water closet or on a shelf. bookcases sold Nowadays have these cupboards as ancestors, but dont have doors always.
What technique was employed for stashing away books?
These books were not located with a modern approach. The volumes would be placed on their sides or with the edge on the forefront. these volumes had a band created from leather or lambskin as a cover that mentioned the title too. the books edge showed its name and thats why they had to face outwards.
After publishing engineering was invented, books were easily accessible to the average man due to the decreased prices. Because the titles could be published behind the book, the edges were not facing outward any more.
Such cases were built of what textiles?
These barrister bookcases utilized to consist of oak commonly. there were other choices of maple, cherry and pine wood if you liked. You can also go for economical choices such as steel in making a barrister bookcase.Some of the oldest bookcases are in England in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. they were kept in the library in the sixteenth century.
Chippendale and Sheraton were the leading bookcase designers who created the most beautiful bookcases.These bookcases indeed contributed to the elegance of the room.
How are the latest bookcases extraordinary?
Because a barrister might need moving in to new chambers frequently, a movable barrister bookcase has been planned to service their needs. this movable bookcase is built of several shelf units. all it takes to be a perfect barrister bookcase is an additional hood and footstall.The convenience of this bookcase rests in the fact that each shelf can be transferred as a different unit with all its contents still inside!