Nook wtfpwn-l33th4x0r3d for free web browsing on AT&T's networks

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Nook-rooted-by-NookDevs/

[Soylent Green]

Sweet, I preordered a nook a few weeks ago!

Though the high chance of bricking it does put me off modding it...

[Mangrove]

I bought a Nook yesterday. Or rather, Mrs Mang' ordered one for my (Feb) birthday. They told us that her card wouldn't be charged until February. However, in checking her bank, the money ($350ish) was about to leave her account tomorrow. So I aborted the order.

Aside from the money leaving her account at an inopportune time, I had a rather rude awakening this afternoon. I downloaded the B&N e-reader program and decided to see what free books were available to me. To my delight, I discovered that a lot of dusty, old, Victorian, occult-related shit that no one has cared about for years was available for free. Nerd that I am, this made me happy.

So I downloaded a few books to my PC to get a sense of how to use the software and what my Nook life might be like. Well, the Free books are free for a reason. Because they've been digitally converted WITHOUT ANY FUCKING PROOFREADING OR EDITING.

They are full of errors where the scanning technology has failed to read characters properly. Many of the free e-books are provided by Google.

Now someone explain this to me - with all the motherfucking technology that exists in this world, how is it that Google spent many dollars to replicate what are basically 1st century scribal errors? 

The much vaunted 'democratization of knowledge' has lead to many books being released on the public which have all the refinement of a semi-literate teenager submitting their English homework assignment as a text  message.

The Mang' is not amused. 

[Soylent Green]

I bought a Nook yesterday. Or rather, Mrs Mang' ordered one for my (Feb) birthday. They told us that her card wouldn't be charged until February. However, in checking her bank, the money ($350ish) was about to leave her account tomorrow. So I aborted the order.

Aside from the money leaving her account at an inopportune time, I had a rather rude awakening this afternoon. I downloaded the B&N e-reader program and decided to see what free books were available to me. To my delight, I discovered that a lot of dusty, old, Victorian, occult-related shit that no one has cared about for years was available for free. Nerd that I am, this made me happy.

So I downloaded a few books to my PC to get a sense of how to use the software and what my Nook life might be like. Well, the Free books are free for a reason. Because they've been digitally converted WITHOUT ANY FUCKING PROOFREADING OR EDITING.

They are full of errors where the scanning technology has failed to read characters properly. Many of the free e-books are provided by Google.

Now someone explain this to me - with all the motherfucking technology that exists in this world, how is it that Google spent many dollars to replicate what are basically 1st century scribal errors? 

The much vaunted 'democratization of knowledge' has lead to many books being released on the public which have all the refinement of a semi-literate teenager submitting their English homework assignment as a text  message.

The Mang' is not amused. 

Which is why I plan on pirating vast amounts of books for my nook. I mean sure, some of the free books will have sub-shit quality, but the vast majority of my pdf books are top notch.

I have 4 gigs ready and waiting. Now the only question is which will make the cut?

[Mangrove]

I have a few PDFs that I think will translate well and a number of ones that are probably going to be crappy.
I certainly don't have 4gigs of stuff. Not by a long long chalk.

[Elder Iptuous]

Mang,
My guess is that they calculated that the bottom line would be served by having the early adopters act as the proofreaders...
I'm sure that free editing in the form of angry emails come in every day.  they will all become perfect eventually that way, and they didn't have to pay anyone...

[Hangshai]

I dunno, I cant get into reading a book from PDF.  It just isnt the same for me.  I find myself losing concentration more often than if I have an actual book in my hands.  My mind will just start wandering.  They sound super convenient and everything, e-readers, I mean, but just not the same.  Now if someone could invent an e-reader that functions like a book, with pages and everything, and you could just pick a book and then thats whats on the pages, and then change it whenever you wanted to a different book.  That would be fucking cool.

[Soylent Green]

I dunno, I cant get into reading a book from PDF.  It just isnt the same for me.  I find myself losing concentration more often than if I have an actual book in my hands.  My mind will just start wandering.  They sound super convenient and everything, e-readers, I mean, but just not the same.  Now if someone could invent an e-reader that functions like a book, with pages and everything, and you could just pick a book and then thats whats on the pages, and then change it whenever you wanted to a different book.  That would be fucking cool.

I have the same problem with pdfs on computer screens. Have you ever tried a pdf on an actual e-reader? Because it is a dramatically different experience IMO.

[Soylent Green]

I have a few PDFs that I think will translate well and a number of ones that are probably going to be crappy.
I certainly don't have 4gigs of stuff. Not by a long long chalk.

I am also a huge archiver and a reading FANATIC.

I love reading more than any activity I can think of, besides MAYBE playing really old video games, hence the large collection.

[Mangrove]

Mang,
My guess is that they calculated that the bottom line would be served by having the early adopters act as the proofreaders...
I'm sure that free editing in the form of angry emails come in every day.  they will all become perfect eventually that way, and they didn't have to pay anyone...

Funny you should mention that. I was contemplating angry e-mails at Google and Barnes & Noble. Not that I want to proof read & edit every free book I download, but if the format allows me to change the text in some way, then that'll be a start.

[Mangrove]

Small reprieve for Google books. If I go directly to their site and search their PDFs, they are direct scans of the original books and not 'digitized' versions full of mistakes.

I'm reconsidering my Nook-rage.

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

Has anyone tried hacking their nook for free interwebs?

[Freeky]

I would if I had the slightest clue. Is a nook a particular phone?

[Triple Zero]

I thought a nook is a place for hiding your crannies?

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

No, the nook is the cousin of the cranny. It is also a euphemism for girly nether regions.