EP Soundproof 2: December 2010

[eytanz]

We at Escape Pod have been thrilled and gratified at the response for the first Soundproof Escape Pod. We got kudos for everything from the fact that it existed, to the awesome layout job by our own Bill Peters.

Speaking of Bill, this month I want to announce our staff changes. Escape Pod is hitting its stride now, thanks mostly to our new assistant editor. We promoted Bill Peters from the inside joke of Assistant to the Regional Manager, or the Right A.R.M., to Assistant Editor. He wrangles the slush and makes sure I am on top of things, and I don’t know where I’d be without him. We’re also delighted to welcome Mat Weller on as our audio producer. If you listen to Escape Pod, you’ll notice that Norm Sherman of the Drabblecast (a fine, award-winning podcast you should totally listen to) is still a part-time host, who, incidentally, makes me work harder on my intros.

Speaking of slush, in order to get a hold of the reins of this mighty team of slush ponies, we’re closing to submissions over December. We’ll be back on the job in January, once the hangovers fade.

Contents:

• EP265: We are Ted Tuscadero for President, By Chris Dahlen
• Review: Shades of Milk and Honey by Marie Robinette Kowal, Review by Sarah Frost
• EP266: Kachikachi Yama, By Michael R. Underwood
• Dark Fiction Magazine Q&A, By Adam Christopher
• EP267: Planetfall by Michael C. Lea
• Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Review by Josh Roseman
• EP268: Advection by Genevieve Valentine
• Review: Zero History by William Gibson, Review by Sarah Frost

Downloads:

• PDF
• ePub

[Chuk]

I really like this as a concept. However, I read ePubs using Stanza on an iPhone (probably not the most popular ePub reader but certainly a fairly mainstream one), and this issue showed up as a title page, a table of contents, and a bunch of blank pages. (I don't know what the first issue looks like, as it's still saying there's a DRM issue that prevents it from downloading).  (I read parts of the first one on my PC and it was good.)

[eytanz]

I agree that there's something wrong with the ePub version. I tried opening up the ePub file using Bookworm and got the following error message:

The file you uploaded looks like an ePub archive, but it has some problems that prevented it from being loaded. This may be a bug in Bookworm, or it may be a problem with the way the ePub file was created. The complete error message is:

This ePub document does not have a title. According to the ePub specification, all documents must have a title.

epubcheck agrees that this is not a valid ePub file, so you should check with the publisher or content creator. It returned 1 error(s):

   1. temp.epub/OEBPS/content.opf(2): date value '' is not valid. The date must be in the form YYYY, YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., "1993", "1993-05", or "1993-05-01"). See http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-datetime.
      Check finished with warnings or errors!

(Soundsproof 1 returns the same error, plus some font issues)

Edit: I tried downloading the firefox epub reader plugin, which also refuses to open the file.

[Chuk]

I could open and read it with calibre, but couldn't convert it. Maybe if I tried converting it into a different format, then from that back into ePub? Anyway, something is definitely missing on the technical end here.

[Heradel]

Arg. I'll try to figure out what's going on tonight. For what it's worth it works fine in iBooks.

[Chuk]

I remembered that you said the last one worked on iBooks, so I installed it and tried it.

Now, I must be missing something here: how do you load books on to iBooks? So far the only two ways I see are a)buy them from Apple and b) hook your device up to a PC. Is there a way to get non-Apple books on to iBooks without hooking it up that way?

[Heradel]

I remembered that you said the last one worked on iBooks, so I installed it and tried it.

Now, I must be missing something here: how do you load books on to iBooks? So far the only two ways I see are a)buy them from Apple and b) hook your device up to a PC. Is there a way to get non-Apple books on to iBooks without hooking it up that way?

You should be able to just drag the .epub file into iTunes, and it will then sync onto the iPad/Pod/Phone.

Edit: This is somewhat old, but goes through the process: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4791320/load_an_epub_file_in_ibooks/

I will figure out what's going on in the epub exporting that is causing the issue, sorry for the issues folks.

[Chuk]

Right, but that way requires a PC. Stanza can just load ePubs from a link, no PC required.

[eytanz]

Right, but that way requires a PC. Stanza can just load ePubs from a link, no PC required.

I don't believe there is a way to download directly to ibooks without a PC, except from the iTunes store.

[Heradel]

Right, but that way requires a PC. Stanza can just load ePubs from a link, no PC required.

I don't believe there is a way to download directly to ibooks without a PC, except from the iTunes store.

The only way is to open the PDF in Safari, and then you get an option to transfer that to iBooks. But I wouldn't recommend using the PDF on the iPhone/Pod, though possibly the best option on the iPad.

[Heradel]

The problem appears to be that there were em dashes and spaces in the titles of some of the filenames of the components of the .epub files. A fixed version will go up after I do some testing (and make dinner).

Also, ultimately, we will get the Soundproof Escape Pods into the iBooks store, we just haven't gotten around to it yet.

[Heradel]

Ok, I have hopefully fixed the file, please download the fixed version here and let me know.

[tpi]

• Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burrows, Review by Josh Roseman

You might want to check that spelling.

[eytanz]

Ok, I have hopefully fixed the file, please download the fixed version here and let me know.

The firefox extension will now open it, but Bookworm still refuses. The current error message:

The file you uploaded looks like an ePub archive, but it has some problems that prevented it from being loaded. This may be a bug in Bookworm, or it may be a problem with the way the ePub file was created. The complete error message is:

This ePub document does not have a title. According to the ePub specification, all documents must have a title.

epubcheck agrees that this is not a valid ePub file, so you should check with the publisher or content creator. It returned 1 error(s):

   1. temp.epub/OEBPS/content.opf(: unfinished element
      Check finished with warnings or errors!

[eytanz]

• Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burrows, Review by Josh Roseman

You might want to check that spelling.

Hmm. You're right, but I don't want to fix my post as it accurately reflects the spelling used in the soundproof itself.

[Heradel]

My typo, fixed versions will go up soon. I'll double check the code for the error bookworm is throwing.

[Listener]

Right, but that way requires a PC. Stanza can just load ePubs from a link, no PC required.

I don't believe there is a way to download directly to ibooks without a PC, except from the iTunes store.

The only way is to open the PDF in Safari, and then you get an option to transfer that to iBooks. But I wouldn't recommend using the PDF on the iPhone/Pod, though possibly the best option on the iPad.

I'm told (though haven't tried) that, with GoodReader on iPad (99c), you can drag files to the app using Finder or Explorer or whatever they use in Linux.

[Chuk]

The fixed version works on Stanza on my iPhone -- opened right from the web. Looks fine, great stories this time around, I liked "Planetfall" and the cyberpunk one (I'd already read the other two).

[Heradel]

The fixed version works on Stanza on my iPhone -- opened right from the web. Looks fine, great stories this time around, I liked "Planetfall" and the cyberpunk one (I'd already read the other two).

Great, thanks for letting me know it worked. I'll make sure to test it in stanza in the future.

[KenK]

 A real achievement here.