I must say, I was very happily surprised by the wonderful people at Apple yesterday. Not only have they produced the leading brand in usability and design in computers and software, but their jewel-amongst-rip-offs iTunes is now available in a book lovers version !
Apple yesterday released iTunes 8. Another new and improved version of the nifty music library and podcatching software. But to my elated astonishment, Apple has finally realised that such is certainly not all their niftiness is used for. Since long, I have had more iTunes gigs archived in the Audiobook section than the Music one. The weathered audiobook consumer will know that most audiobooks are provided in the regular MP3 or M4a format, a format that iTunes until now archived as music. Wrong !
Previously, after I had edited my audiobooks to the state I wanted them in — tracks by chapter and no silly ‘end of disc’ notifications in the middle of them ! Hmpf ! — I would get out my Mac Automator and change all track extensions from M4a to M4b so that iTunes would archive them as audiobooks instead of music. But the wonderful people at Apple have now also seen the light and built in a selection pull-down in the file options, so that I can change the archiving at the click of a pull-down ! Saves me having to use the Automator.
Now if only they would develop the iPod software in such a way that the Audiobook section is formatted the same as the Music section. Then I would be able to browse it by chapter name, artist and album on my iPod. And I wouldn’t have to work with a gihugic number of playlists to keep my audiobooks organised….
Oh well, one can hope !
Today the No To Age Banding organisation has spoken again. The message read;
The age-banding of children’s books was discussed at an eagerly-awaited and packed session held on 31st August at the Society of Authors’ Conference at Robinson College, Cambridge.
On the No To Age Banding website, authors Philip Pullman and Anne Fine have posted their respective address and report. I agree especially with Philip Pullman’s address and am very pleased that he has stepped up as the organisation’s spokesperson. Even for someone who might not agree, his address is an excellent read. I think he brings up very valid points as to the potholes in the research (hey, if you let actual scientists read the report, you’re asking for it !) and ignorance of the publishing establishment and does so with flair.
See the research report here, and see what The Guardian and Fidra Books – an independent publisher ran by scientists – had to say about it;
Publishers Association’s resources on Age-banding and download the actual report here
The Guardian on Age-banding
Fidra Books on Age-banding
At the moment it’s for an outsider still difficult to read the influence and consequences of these meetings especially because Kate Wilson of Scholastic was the only representative of the publisher’s band that had enough bravado to participate, but I am very confident that the Publishers Association will do exactly as Philip Pullman suggests;
(…) put this age-guidance idea into a dark cupboard, shut the door, and forget it. Leave it to gather dust and fade away. We won’t say any more about it if you don’t. It was a bad idea to start with, and now that you’ve roused all this opposition, it’s an impossible one. It will not work, so walk away and have done with it.