I'll answer the third item: I do a lot of work for free, with no expectation of compensation. For example, right now I'm running a web-based shop selling t-shirts and other swag for one of my favorite authors, Steven Brust, who's having some financial troubles. All proceeds go to him-- I don't take a penny, even though the designs are mine and I've spent many hours of work on them. The shop has been up for 3 weeks and is doing fairly well -- he'll get a nice check after the holidays. (See the shop at
http://www.cafepress.com/dragaera -- international customers welcome!)
Mr. Brust has been kind enough to send me several autographed books as a thank you for this work, which I appreciate, but I didn't ask for this compensation and would have done the work regardless.
Now, should it be relevant that while I have Mr. Brust's work in paper (new editions when possible), there are no legal ebook editions, so I've obtained scanned versions of these books from "elsewhere"? My books are mostly packed in the basement, inaccessible in the small house I now occupy. These are books I like to re-read. Mr. Brust would like to make ebook editions available, but his publisher is Tor and the rights are in question. I don't have time to scan and proof these books myself-- I'm spending all my "extra time" running this web shop.
Anyone want to judge my morality?