The Sentient Search Engine

Overdrive has FINALLY released an Overdrive Media Console app for the iPhone. All I can say is: Yippie!! I like the functionality overall and I’m delighted by the fact that this service is wirelessly available to even more customers out there.

It not perfect of course as it only works with MP3 Audiobooks: no WMA, no Music, no Movies, no eBooks. It also has crashed on me a couple times. Still IT’S A START. I imagine WMA functionality will come around and bugs will work out over time.

Some thoughts on what Libraries need to do now:

1. We need MOBILE versions of our Overdrive catalogs. Trying to navigate my library’s standard site on my iPhone is…eh…painful. Since the app relies on the the library digital collection sites for browsing, it is imperative that we make it as easy as possible folk mobile browsers. Better yet we need to achieve better integration of our digital collections into our catalogs so we don’t need separate digital catalogs.
2. We really need to ramp up our offerings. My library’s selection is significantly better than it used to be back when we started, but we really need to pick things up now, because we can really reach pretty much every mobile device at this point. Now that folks can download material from us just like they can from the iTunes Store THERE NEEDS TO BE STUFF THERE. I think it’s time to start shifting Audiobook money to our digital collections. There’s no need for anything radical, but we need to invest far more than most do now.
3. We also need to start getting multiple licences more systematically. While customers I help with this service are remarkably accepting of the need for hold lists, I still feel that instant gratification expectations need to be satisfied as much as possible, especially considering that this newfound accessibility is (hopefully) going to ramp up demand for the service. If we want to win over more converts we need to make it as pleasant an experience as possible. Given that many libraries are part of consortia arrangements for our eContent, this becomes all the more important as it spreads the demand for the titles over larger populations.

I don’t need an iPad.

What on earth would I do with one? I have a perfectly serviceable laptop. I’m using it right now. I’ve upgraded the RAM, it runs better than ever now with Windows 7 (I never realized how much Vista screwed up my PC until I installed Win 7). I’d be nice if it had a built-in webcam (not that the iPad has one), but I could get one which would work better than a built-in if I wasn’t so lazy.

I don’t need an iPad.

I can carry the internet in my pocket with my iPhone. The iPad is portable, but certainly not in the sense that the iPhone is. It is perfectly serviceable for all internet purposes, and excels at those purposes for which one is most likely to need mobile access to the internet, especially social networking.

I don’t need an iPad.

I have an iPhone and multiple iPods. My music needs are covered.

I don’t need an iPad.

I have a Sony PSP, a Nintendo DSi, and iPhone. My mobile gaming needs are set. I have a Playstation 3, a Wii, a Mid-Quality Gaming PC, and one of nearly every system of prior generations of gaming device (sorry Sega I never got it…). My non-mobile gaming needs are set.

I don’t need an iPad.

I have a Nook. I really like it. The touchscreen is a little flaky, but I like reading from it. I works very well in nearly all lighting conditions in which a person should be reading. I can use my library’s eBook collection on it. Which makes it even better.

I don’t need an iPad.

I have a really nice TV,  the aforementioned PS3, and a good deal on Cable. I don’t watch much TV or many movies away from home, except for the theater naturally.

I don’t need an iPad.

So I have one question:

WHY DO I STILL WANT ONE?!

Back in September, I shared a theory of mine based on a job posting on the Overdrive Media corporate page. Basically I postulated that an Overdrive App for iPhone was coming that would allow the user to order and download electronic titles from their library. I have new evidence that I’m right. Behold!! Overdrive Media Console for Windows Mobile! Could a version for the worlds most popular phone be far behind (yes, but its coming thats my point!)

Okay, so maybe it’s not THAT extreme. I guess I did learn a few things from school. Still it’s occurred to me recently (okay back in October, get off me) that games have had a fairly big role in shaping who I am (my parents are probably in there somewhere too).

A Love of Reading and Exposure to New Things:

I enjoy reading. I like it a lot. I had great role models in my parents. Both of them read, Dad especially. They read to me and in front of me. Mom worked with me even before I started school. They knew the six early literacy skills instinctively before the researchers got around to telling everyone. For all this I can’t say I loved reading when I was little. I was better at it than most kids my age, but it was always just “there”. Once I got out of picture books I really didn’t gravitate toward chapter books. I did read from time to time, but I didn’t really pursue it.

I’ve always liked a good story though. Movies have always appealed to me, but what really appealed to me (once they came out) were games. I still remember playing Final Fantasy IV (then known stateside as Final Fantasy II) for the first time. I remember being intrigued by the story even though (as I later learned) I didn’t completely understand what was going on.

I learned vocabulary I would have never picked up in the normal course of things (ogre, leviathan, and “spoony” come immediately to mind). I was first exposed to figures from non-classical mythology and religion here like Odin (Norse), Shiva (Hindu), and Tiamat (Babylonian). I can still lose hours reading about this stuff to this day. Basically, I learned that I was just reading the wrong stories for me. Dad has read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy but I never thought I’d like it until my little adventure with Cecil. Did I learn to love pleasure reading from video games? No. Did it have a role in rebooting my interest? Certainly.

Problem Solving and the Power of Perseverance:

I learned an awful lot from Final Fantasy IV and games like it. High up there is the importance of perseverance. These games were hard for a 12-year-old. One boss, Rubicante, was IMPOSSIBLE to beat until you learn the right pattern. He has this way of letting you beat up on him and then unleashing this powerful, “one hit kill” attack on one of your characters that ruins your pattern (almost invariably you lost Rosa, your healer).

A kid has to learn to experiment and think (unless they’re cheating) to get past these gaming obstacles. Ultimately I succeeded with a little help and a lot of luck. In sticking with it I got to have the joy associated with successful completion. Needless to say this has been a useful trait/skill in life.

Creativity:

I never knew I was creative at all until I played Sim City for the first time. Sim City opened up aesthetic reserves in me that were not in evidence until I had opportunity to build my own city. Mind you I’m talking about the ORIGINAL Sim City, specifically the Super Nintendo port, so we’re not talking about all the bells and whistles associated with the later games in the series. This game let me create the “Lego cities” I wanted without investing the Danish GDP in little plastic bricks. I loved putting together neighborhoods and trying to imagine what they looked like. I tinkered incessantly and learned to work within a budget (more perseverance). There was a time when I wanted to be an architect or an urban planner (I would have probably ended up as one if not for the work involved. It seems if you make a mistake and the building falls down, they send you to jail, who knew?). Nevertheless, I did learn that my idea of how things can go together and should look had as much value as someone else. Thats a big deal for a shy nerdy kid!

Closing:

As you’ve surmised, the title was a grand exaggeration designed to draw you in and get you to read this stuff. Nonetheless, I feel I’ve made an important point. Games are a medium for storytelling and imparting information. They create experiences just like books and movies. Different experiences, to be sure, but experiences just the same. I think it’s about time we treat them as such.

Games should not be blamed for the erosion of culture and morality. Culture is changing not eroding and morality is just the same as it always has been, we just notice the failings (and supposed failings) of others more these days. Games should be understood and respected as an important part of the culture. The sooner we get grasp these truths and grow up the better.

Sermon over.

It’s interesting what you learn when you are in the habit of poking around in the job postings companies put on their websites. I was touring around Overdrive’s corporate site and decided they might be looking for a librarian (they serve a lot of libraries after all). I found nothing I was qualified for, but I did find this:

Application Developer – Apple Mac OS X/iPhone OS  

The Developer’s responsibilities include developing and supporting Apple Cocoa and Cocoa Touch applications. Development responsabilities will require creating engaging multimedia Mac and iPhone programs that use web-connected technologies.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinating and participating in the implementation, testing, and supportof Mac and iPhone-based applications using Objective-C, Cocoa/Cocoa Touch, XCode 3, and the iPhone SDK.
• Programming, developing, and producing connected iPhone applications that communicate through web services to a host data source
• Maintenance of the code-base using Subversion source control database. Support to product management and business development teams for various projects
• Explicit and thorough documentation of all source code and resources, both in project documentation and in-code comments
• Assist in testing all applications against software and hardware versions. Provide timely turnaround and documentation of bug fixes during test cycle.
• Other duties as assigned

Desired Experience:

• Degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, or equivalent experience
• Experience with Apple OS X 10.5, XCode 3.1, and Subversion.
• Knowledge of Objective-C 2, Cocoa/Cocoa Touch Framework, SQLite3, XML
• Experience consuming XML-based web services
• Knowledge of REST, SOAP and other web service technologies
• Experience developing in a mobile platform environment, such as optimization techniques and resource conservation.
• Knowledge of Subversion a plus
• Having an existing application available in the Apple App Store a definite plus
• Microsoft .NET and C# experience a plus

Desired Skills:

• Skilled in HTML, JavaScript, DHTML, and XML

Desired Qualities:

• Knowledge of SQL and general database organization/implementation
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks based on project, urgency, etc
• Ability to coordinate tasks across multiple sites per project.  

Please email your resume and cover letter to jobs@overdrive.com.

It would appear that Overdrive is interested in creating an iPhone/iPod Touch app. I’m certainly interested in Overdrive making an iPhone/iPod Touch app. If you are a Mac savvy developer interested in making my day, please apply for this job and work as quickly as humanly possible to make this happen. K’Thanks!

Seriously, this is pretty big. When I think of how handy and relatively seamless the Kindle App and Stanza are, I get downright bubbly at the prospect of an iPhone app. Can you say wireless downloads? I just hope my prognosticating here isn’t too off base. At the very least this news along with recent news of Sony’s recent deal with Overdrive, gives me more reason than ever to have hope for the Library’s future as a digital content distributor.