Daily Dispatch: Amazon introduces 'Kindle Singles' for short works; 'Scrapers' go after your personal data

In today's Digital Dispatch:

Amazon Introduces The Digital Pamphlet With ‘Kindle Singles' (TechCrunch)

...Today, Amazon is launching Kindle Singles, which are Kindle books that are in the company's words, "twice the length of a New Yorker feature or as much as a few chapters of a typical book."

'Scrapers' Dig Deep for Data on Web (WSJ)

...The market for personal data about Internet users is booming, and in the vanguard is the practice of "scraping." Firms offer to harvest online conversations and collect personal details from social-networking sites, résumé sites and online forums where people might discuss their lives.

American student finds GPS tracker stuck to car, FBI shows up to reclaim its 'federal property' (engadget)

...Afifi posted pictures and his story on Reddit while a friend contemplated cunning things to do with it, sticking it to someone else's car or selling it on Craigslist.

New Legislation Set to Improve Internet Access for the Disabled (ReadWriteWeb)

...The new law requires a number of measures including an improved UI for smart phones that includes verbal commands, captioning for online TV programming, and compatibility between Internet telephone calls and hearing aids.

Instant Heart Rate for Android uses your phone camera to... tell you your heart rate (DOWNLOADSQUAD)

...All you have to do is cover the camera with your finger, make sure you're in a well-lit room (I pointed the camera towards a window), and voila! Within a few seconds your pulse is shown on the screen.

'MovieReshape' Can Make Actors Look Even Better Onscreen (Switched)

...Editors can use the software to simultaneously adjust an actor's height, weight and muscle tone, without having to make the painstaking modifications one frame at a time.

The 'Levytator:' A New Twist on the Escalator (DiscoveryNews)

...Unlike older designs, where the steps are rectangular and those not being used simply move underneath those in use, Levy's design comprises a set of curved "modules" that can move in any direction, flatten and straighten out...all with people on board.

Lighter side: Sesame Street: Smell like a Monster (SesameStreet)

Grover spoofs the viral Old Spice commercial while teaching kids about the word "on".

About Digital Dirk's Dispatches
Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily to bring you the Digital Dispatch—a compilation of the most important and interesting tech news for consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.