Lawyers are generally smart people.  The law is generally set up to help people, but sometimes the law goes too far.  As technology marches forward, there are iPods in schools to download podcasts and seminars.  There are laptops and live internet connections in every classroom so students can research topics and access the files they need check their facebook page and IM their friends.

So there are a several schools that decided to take it all the way out to the cutting edge and issue books on the Kindle.  The Amazon ebook actually sounds like a great idea.

I don’t know about your textbooks, but my joints were a beast.  I haven’t bought a $140 book since the last day of college.  You stack that up on 4 classes a semester and two semesters a year and, as Ice Cube said, I might spend a Dub.  So on the Kindle, at least on Amazon with regular books, they only cost $9.99.  And you don’t have to carry them all around in a big ass heavy backpack?  Sign me up!  Even if we aren’t talking about hard core science textbooks or something that needs real pages or has lots of pictures, but if I’ve gotta imagine that an English class would be a lot nicer if I could keep the Iliad and the Odyssey all in one thin package.  So a few schools rolled it out, a few classrooms began to test it.  Check this story.

The Justice department stopped schools from using Kindles in the classroom.  Shut it down.  Said it wasn’t possible to give students equal access to their school materials because, get this…because blind student can’t read them. Let’s ignore the fact that the Kindle has a “text to voice” feature.  They are shutting it down because there is no voice feature for the menu.  So what is the solution?  GO BACK TO REGULAR BOOKS…which of course…blind people can’t read either.

WTF?  Exactly who does this rule help?  I’m assuming blind students are buying special books already or getting some extra help somewhere.  Can you just not offer some hot shit to other students without offering it to everyone?  This is Them at work people, watch out for this garbage.  I’m just here to help.

-Brock