Amazon is nobody's friend

[DiapDealer]

Sharp operators get rich distorting the process and use the media and legislative process to brainwash the public by using their own values against them, to convince us the process is fair and we are the problem.

You were doing great, but then you said "brainwash." There's a huge difference between apathetic resignation and being brainwashed.

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

Why wouldn't it be a "viable substitute"? Also, do you think that getting the book from the library is a "viable substitute" for buying an ebook?

It wouldn't be a viable substitute because fully powering an average home with solar would require 200-300 square feet of paneling, which combined with the battery storage and inverter system will set you back a cool $25,000. Few people go full solar. They solarize water heating, etc, or just supplement main electric service.

Not sure if I'd consider the library a viable substitute, no. But are we talking about having full control over specific titles? Not books in general. So it's like Marvel having a monopoly on Spiderman. Sorry if I misunderstand the issue, here.

[kennyc]

I think the number of angels is 12!

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I think the number of angels is 12!

What is; "that can dance on the head of a pin", Alex?

[kennyc]

Right Watson!

[OtterBooks]

but they keep pulling me back in

[frahse]

"Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly"

Some people live to argue.

Stay away from the edge, my dear Otter.

\\

On a more personal note, I am very excited that there are soon to be wonderful new hardware offerings to amuse and bemuse us.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by frahse

"Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly"

Some people live to argue.

Stay away from the edge, my dear Otter.

\\

On a more personal note, I am very excited that there are soon to be wonderful new hardware offerings to amuse and bemuse us.

Christmas is coming
The goose is getting fat
I'm hoping for a Kindle Tablet
Left in my hat.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

It wouldn't be a viable substitute because fully powering an average home with solar would require 200-300 square feet of paneling, which combined with the battery storage and inverter system will set you back a cool $25,000. Few people go full solar. They solarize water heating, etc, or just supplement main electric service.

But this would be Florida, so more sun, less paneling, cheaper. Plus, it's a matter of how many years it takes to break even with how much there would be to pay to fpl.

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

Not sure if I'd consider the library a viable substitute, no. But are we talking about having full control over specific titles? Not books in general. So it's like Marvel having a monopoly on Spiderman. Sorry if I misunderstand the issue, here.

Many posts ago, Nyssa said this:

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I find it interesting that so many people consider Amazon a monopoly. I have yet to find anything on Amazon that I could not find elsewhere if I looked hard enough. They just happen to make most things easier to find.

And Marvel sells Spiderman comics through other distributors while Amazon wants the kindle exclusive ebooks to really be kindle exclusive.

[afa]

Pardon me for butting my nose where it doesn't belong, but does Kindle exclusive equate to monopoly? If Amazon has signed a contract with an author that gives them exclusive rights, it doesn't mean they are a monopoly. It just means they have the exclusive rights to that particular book.

If Amazon somehow managed to get exclusive rights on all ebooks, then they would be a monopoly, as they are now single-handedly controlling a market.

Or am I misunderstanding the debate in question?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by afa

Or am I misunderstanding the debate in question?

No, you definitely have the gist of it.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by afa

.
Or am I misunderstanding the debate in question?

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

No, you definitely have the gist of it.

Yep, it's like Coke claiming a monopoly on soda-pop.

Wiki: A monopoly (from Greek monos / μονος (alone or single) + polein / πωλειν (to sell)) exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity. (This contrasts with a monopsony which relates to a single entity's control of a market to purchase a good or service, and with oligopoly which consists of a few entities dominating an industry)[1][clarification needed] Monopolies are thus characterised by a lack of economic competition to produce the good or service and a lack of viable substitute goods.[2] The verb "monopolise" refers to the process by which a company gains much greater market share than what is expected with perfect competition.

[Jcas]

Amazon is my friend, i had a purchase that i needed support for and they were fantastic. Only time i curse them is when i go to buy an ebook and am pulled up by geographical restrictions.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by afa

Pardon me for butting my nose where it doesn't belong, but does Kindle exclusive equate to monopoly? If Amazon has signed a contract with an author that gives them exclusive rights, it doesn't mean they are a monopoly. It just means they have the exclusive rights to that particular book.

If Amazon somehow managed to get exclusive rights on all ebooks, then they would be a monopoly, as they are now single-handedly controlling a market.

Or am I misunderstanding the debate in question?

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

No, you definitely have the gist of it.

Ooo..., I learned how to do a multiquote. Now we are all gathered here together.

I would beg to quibble just a little.
First ebooks are just a part of a market of books. Then there are other type publications as well.
Then one asks whether even if the ebooks are all signed over to Amazon. Does that count the past, the present, and the future. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY DO THE AUTHORS HAVE THE ABILITY TO LEAVE AMAZON. Is this really a monopoly or is it a pleasant mutual arrangement to the benefit of all involved parties and other people should mind their own business.

Let me give you an example. At one time Howard Hughes had a kind of monopoly on his biography. No one seemed to publish a book about Howard Hughes even though he had been quite a character, and then had almost disapeared. How did this come about? This is what I remember reading more of less.

One journalist gave the answer. He was an accomplished newspaper and magazine writer, and had published some books about people, and he had been writing about Howard Hughes for 6 or 7 months intensively and things were looking good. He was staying in Las Vegas near where Howard Hughes supposedly was holed up in a secret private hospital room. (This was later in Hughes's life, after the movie studios and starlets.) Sometime in the 50's.

One day there was a knock on his commercial (long stay) hotel room. Two large gentlemen wearing suits and hats were at the door. They were very polite and one showed him a card indicating a law firm. The second also very polite and quiet spoken had a badly scarred face, was carrying a large brief case. He only smiled politely.

The large man said that some agents and publishers (book) had said that the journalist was writing about the life of Howard Hughes, and they wondered if that was so. The journalist was somewhat nervous but he had copies of everything with his agent (carbon back then) and said yes. They asked if they might look at it right there and promised that no harm would come to it.

The men spend about a 3/4 of an hour looking at the manuscript, leafing through each page and making comments, and then the one said, "You have done good work here, we have an offer for you." Now the journalist was even more nervous. He asked "what kind of offer."

The man smiled and said, "We wish to buy the manuscript, all your reference material, and all rights to your work on Howard Hughes for now and the future." The other man opened the brief case and pulled out a contract which they quickly filled out and put on the table.
The journalist said, but I don't know if I want to do that, also I have to pay my typist and my agent, and ...

"Would $50,000 be sufficient?" There might have been a brief price discussion, but they quickly reached agreement.

The two men left the hotel room with the manuscript and other items in the brief case.

The journalist lay on the bed, took a drink and looked at the certified check that had been delivered by bank courier. It was the largest check he had ever seen.

The story went like that. I read it a long time ago.

Anyway, there is no law in this fair and great land that prohibits an author from signing up exclusively with a publisher or any other entity for as long as he or she wishes.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by frahse

I would beg to quibble just a little.

<Howard Hughes biography snipped>

Frahse... bubby... you're preaching to the choir. Me an' afa were both stating our opinions that Amazon is NOT a monopoly, by any accepted definition of the word. I love your enthusiasm, there, chubbsy-ubbsy, but it's customary when taking a contrary view in an argument to verify that you do indeed have a contrary view from those you're quoting and "arguing" with... Howard Hughes biography aside.