Hm, I checked my local libraries. The Oakland Public Library does have Kindle books, but the lending period is only 14 days! And the Peninsula library lets me check out mostly nonfiction and classic books for...24 hours? How do other library systems compare?

I can choose 7, 14 or 21 days and up to six at a time.

Is the internet being really slow for anyone else?

If by that you mean I keep refreshing and refreshing and no new posts...

That too.

This is an interesting paradigm shift in "passwords" with Windows 8. I have to admit, I'd need to try it to make it make proper sense to me. I don't understand why the concept of it is supposed to be more intuitive.

OK - I've finally edited the text and obtained all the rights I need for the graphic book. Which means I'm almost ready to turn this thing over to a graphic designer.

I have three files. A text only file that includes really extensive instructions. [Insert picturename.tif here.] [The eye should be drawn to this text first] [The eye should be drawn to that text second.] [This next text is a caption. This next text is a footnote.] All instructions and file names are in square brackets and 12 point. Actual text is all in 14 point and not in brackets. Probably as many words of instructions as of text. I also have a summary text file. And I have a graphic mockup, not professional quality but maybe helpful to the designer in seeing what I want to do.

I'm thinking I should also make a "clean" text file. One with just the text, page divisions (so layout knows which page to put what on) the graphic file name, and labeling stuff that is a photo caption or a footnote. First am I right that a graphic designer will need a clean text file to do his or her job right? Second, am I right about what instructions I should leave in the clean file: page numbers, file names and labeling photo captions and footnotes? Or is saying [photo caption] before a photo caption and [footnotes] before the footnote section of the page still too much instruction? Once I have my ducks in a row I'll start approaching graphic designers for bids.

The passwords with motions and swiping is just not clicking in my brain.

either because the machine is very heavily used (and smudged)

I rarely clean screens and I feel like it's crazy obvious which areas I have my fingers in the most. Now, probably, the password won't be the most accessed area but I'm not sure that "probably" is a word that brings me comfort in regard to security.

I like the idea of gestures as password. The android pattern password thingy is nifty. And the idea that people will draw circles the same way every time is cool if it's true, and awful if it's not. Using a picture as the basis is not obvious to me, unless that is another layer, do you have to choose the picture as part of the login process (I skimmed)?

I feel like it's crazy obvious which areas I have my fingers in the most

But it's not obvious, they say, in which order you have your fingers there, and in which directions, which the verification is dependent on. And the same smudging happens with a password or a PIN, and they've done the math about which has more variations to crack from reading the smudges, and they seem to think that pictures come out relatively secure.

do you have to choose the picture as part of the login process

No, it's the same picture every time.

I don't think it's intuitive, because touching pictures isn't intuitive to me. In fact, I think it's kind of creepy. Why am I stroking an image of my mother's face (or, well, Tom Hardy's--let's be honest here)?

But it's not obvious, they say, in which order you have your fingers there, and in which directions, which the verification is dependent on.

Isn't the part where I can see fingerprint at the end going to be the last part. My screens seem like they are filled with swiiiiiiipeprints. Because I scroll. And I end up with what appear to be smudges in one place for a tap or smears that end with some bit of fingerprint detail for swipe. Though I could just be reading into it because when I eventually clean them off I know where I've been swiping or tapping.