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walkitouthttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/02/the_kindle_is_a.html
Nice rhyming in the title: kindle/swindle.
After bitching that things like Moby Dick and Hamlet are cheaper for Sony than for kindle (thus exposing that he doesn't realize the Amazon format is a DRM'ed version of Mobi and therefore you can hop on over to Gutenberg and get either of those completely free for the kindle if you're willing to use the USB cable instead of WhisperNet. I'd forgive that kind of ignorance -- except he's gadget press), he then says:
"Someone will also have to explain why books in the public domain aren't free -- there are no production costs involved."
No production costs? Right, because scanning that shit in and fixing all the errors is totally without time or other cost to anyone. Jackass.
"I'm not saying that music is intrinsically worth more than books, but it does require more artists and involve higher production costs to cut an album than to produce a digital book."
Well, given that a _lot_ of authors are required to produce some digital books, and only one to cut some albums, and given that at least people producing CDs and mp3 format music often do it quite cheaply in their own homes, I don't see how he thinks anyone is going to take such an obviously false assertion seriously.
Or, for that matter, take him seriously.
Ignoring the idea that somehow a wheeled bag solves the stack-of-books next to the bed problem (or, for that matter, carryon luggage limits), lots and lots of people are giving it away for free on the kindle. Just go check out Baen's backlist. Of course, if you _do_ get something for free, it won't be archived for you forever. Which might be worth $2.39. Or $1.99. Or something, anyway.
Nice rhyming in the title: kindle/swindle.
After bitching that things like Moby Dick and Hamlet are cheaper for Sony than for kindle (thus exposing that he doesn't realize the Amazon format is a DRM'ed version of Mobi and therefore you can hop on over to Gutenberg and get either of those completely free for the kindle if you're willing to use the USB cable instead of WhisperNet. I'd forgive that kind of ignorance -- except he's gadget press), he then says:
"Someone will also have to explain why books in the public domain aren't free -- there are no production costs involved."
No production costs? Right, because scanning that shit in and fixing all the errors is totally without time or other cost to anyone. Jackass.
"I'm not saying that music is intrinsically worth more than books, but it does require more artists and involve higher production costs to cut an album than to produce a digital book."
Well, given that a _lot_ of authors are required to produce some digital books, and only one to cut some albums, and given that at least people producing CDs and mp3 format music often do it quite cheaply in their own homes, I don't see how he thinks anyone is going to take such an obviously false assertion seriously.
Or, for that matter, take him seriously.
Ignoring the idea that somehow a wheeled bag solves the stack-of-books next to the bed problem (or, for that matter, carryon luggage limits), lots and lots of people are giving it away for free on the kindle. Just go check out Baen's backlist. Of course, if you _do_ get something for free, it won't be archived for you forever. Which might be worth $2.39. Or $1.99. Or something, anyway.