The Vent and Rant Thread

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

With broadcast TV, I meant everything: antenna and cable, i.e. 'programs for which you need to stay home at a specific time.'

No need to do that. Watch and record boxes are almost standard with cable offerings here. The SO has ours set to record shows she watches, which she can view at her convenience.

Most people my age and younger only have a TV for DVD/Blu-Ray, Netflix, and casting the occiasional YouTube video. If they have cable at all, it's because it comes as a package with internet. (Can't have cable internet without basic cable TV with most providers here.)

My thumbnail impression is that things aren't quite so skewed here. Younger folks have and watch TV, though the demographics will determine what they watch. There certainly are folks who only do Netflix, YouTube et al, but I don't think they are a majority of their age bracket.

After I move (again...), I'm going to look into internet without cable TV again, but up until now, the speed wasn't good enough. I don't need huge speeds, but 40-50 MBit (5+ MB/s) would be preferable. Up until now, the price for a 50 MBit DSL/Fiber connection was higher than a 100 MBit cable/TV combo.

It's theoretically possible to get broadband without TV. I used to have it via DSL. These days I have a combo deal with TV, 100mbit Internet, and VOIP phone service through my cable provider. I could get up to 300mbit Internet, but don't have a need that justifies it.

Publishers are asking why people don't read a lot anymore, and lament that book stores are going on the fritz? How could that be?

Well, maybe because reading isn't affordable in the Netherlands?

While doing some christmas shopping, i ended up in a book store.

An average (new) paperback in Dutch, 250 pages long in largish print, costs between €20 and €25. The same books as e-books cost €8-12.

Hell, even The Hobbit (in Dutch), which is also around 250 pages, costs €20 in paperback, and €25 in hardcover.

If you're the least bit technically inclined and/or have some help with ebooks, you can save like 60%-70% right there; The Hobbit in Dutch is about €10, in English it costs around €8). For €25, you can get The Hobbit and all three Lord of the Rings books (in Dutch); if you shop around, they can be cheaper.

(The three paperbacks making up The Lord of the Rings cost €20 a piece in Dutch... in book stores.)

People who think that ebooks are more expensive than paper books are sadly mistaken, at least in the Netherlands. I'm not even taking coupons into account.

I haven't seen anyone who thinks eBooks are more expensive than paper copies. I have seen a lot of folks who don't understand why eBooks are as expensive as they are.

Most of that confusion stems from ignorance of the publishing process. Over 80% of the cost of traditionally publishing a book is incurred before the book reaches actual publication, in eBook or paper format. The print/bind/warehouse/distribute step for paper editions is perhaps 10% of the book's budget. Dropping paper doesn't provide anywhere near the assumed savings, and eBooks are an extra out-of-band step in the process. The usual end result of the publications process is a PDF a printer will use to make plates to print the book. ePub and Mobi aren't part of the standard output from DTP and require separate handling.

Bookstores are dropping because of industry consolidation, and it's been happening for decades. Books are fungible commodities. It's the same book, regardless of where you get it, and buyers chose retailers based on price.

The independent bookstore is an endangered species because the chains can offer better pricing. The chains are in turn under pressure from the warehouse outlets like CostCo. And everybody is under pressure from Amazon. When you can go online, select and pay for the book(s) you want, and have them delivered, why go to a bookstore?

I was at a bookstore in a mall a while back. It was part of a chain, and the store was on two floors. The ground floor was devoted to the cafe, cards, games, calendars, magazines and gifts. Actual books, save for current YA hardcover bestsellers, were upstairs. Prime retail space was devoted to what sold. If the store sold only books, it would be out of business now.

And the Netherlands suffers from being a small market. The costs to produce a book will be the same, regardless of the number of copies printed and sold. To cover costs in a smaller market where you simply can't print and sell that many copies, prices go up. (In a market like the US, economies of scale kick in. When you can print and sell far more copies of a title, the incremental cost per copy drops, and the sales price is lower in consequence.)

And the folks who really suffer are small language market publishers. I'd guess most folks in the Netherlands are reasonably fluent in English. What market is there for books written in Dutch? I saw news items a while back about a conference for small language market publishers in the Baltic, where the total population of a country that spoke a particular language might be 5 million, and the number of adult readers buying books in that language was a fraction of that. They confronted both a small total market for books written in the native language, and that fact that increasing numbers of that market were fluent in English and didn't require books in their birth tongue to be able to read. The small language market publishers were trying to compete with the multi-national outfits publishing in English, and most of what the readers wanted to read had been published in English in the first place.

I have thousands of paper and eBook volumes, and some books in both formats. Things like fiction with linear narratives are tailor made for eBooks. Other things aren't. I'm a former graphic designer and print production guy, and my library includes books on art, art history, architecture, design, production, and typography. Most of those are paper "coffee table" books. The content simply needs a far larger viewing area than any practical eBook viewer device will have. My current viewer device is a 7" Android tablet. I have a variety of things under Calibre on my desktop I don't sync to the tablet. They are things like large PDFs or huge ePub files that either need a much bigger screen or simply take too long to open and view on device.

eBooks are an additional format here, not a replacement for paper.
______
Dennis

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

And the folks who really suffer are small language market publishers. I'd guess most folks in the Netherlands are reasonably fluent in English. What market is there for books written in Dutch?

Books that were originally in Dutch, obviously; the only people *I* know who read fantasy in Dutch are people who are close to or over 50, and started in the 70's; the people for whom English is not a second language. (I've read a few paragraphs of Fantasy in Dutch today, and it's utterly atrocious. It reads as if a 12 year old is trying to make a writing assignment look good. Dutch isn't suitable for writing fantasy in, but that's maybe only my skewed opinion...)

I don't know if it's still the case, but when I was in high-school in the 90's, English was a *required* subject to be passed in final exam, along with Dutch. It was impossible to graduate if you didn't pass English.

Therefore everybody in my generation speaks, writes and understands at least basic English (if they kept it up at least a little bit). With people one generation older or younger, English can be quite sketchy sometimes.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Do you have the possibility to do something like helping to cook at a homeless shelter? Even though it's not your very own charity, you can at least contribute to one.



What did you effectively lose? Some (8?) books you've already read?

To me, the low-life behavior of the other woman (and her hostess friend, it seems) would bother me much more than actually losing those books.

I'm not really materialistic. Apart from my piano, which is too expensive to just replace (but which isn't likely to be stolen as you'd need a small bus to move it), I don't really care about anything I own. It can be replaced, either by myself or my insurance, and I don't own that much.

Getting robbed or scammed damages my trust in others, which is much more severe than actually losing the stuff. I suspect it's the same for you, or even more so.

I sent her 8 books. 6 gently used I got from the thrift store and two new ones I paid full price on. I only read one out of the eight which I have in eBook. When you have no money things become very important.

I'm no good in the kitchen. A huge liability. I can design stuff on the PC or make a website. I'm not good with my hands because of Dyspraxia. I'm left handed but on the computer I'm right handed.



Sent from my XT1528

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I sent her 8 books. 6 gently used I got from the thrift store and two new ones I paid full price on. I only read one out of the eight which I have in eBook.

Hm... That sucks. Why did you send books which you hadn't read yourself yet?

(Not trying to bash here; just curious.)

If the other woman couldn't do the swap for whatever reason, she could at least have refused the package. (If you do so in The Netherlands, the package is delivered back to the sender.) Another option would be to just send it back. Keeping it and then whining about not being able to fulfill your own obligation in the swap is just lame.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

With broadcast TV, I meant everything: antenna and cable, i.e. 'programs for which you need to stay home at a specific time.'

Most people my age and younger only have a TV for DVD/Blu-Ray, Netflix, and casting the occiasional YouTube video. If they have cable at all, it's because it comes as a package with internet. (Can't have cable internet without basic cable TV with most providers here.)

After I move (again...), I'm going to look into internet without cable TV again, but up until now, the speed wasn't good enough. I don't need huge speeds, but 40-50 MBit (5+ MB/s) would be preferable. Up until now, the price for a 50 MBit DSL/Fiber connection was higher than a 100 MBit cable/TV combo.

===

About the book swap: so you send out 8 books, get nothing in return, and then get asked 'what the hell your problem is' after you complain about it? I think I've seen a new low in human behavior.

===

Publishers are asking why people don't read a lot anymore, and lament that book stores are going on the fritz? How could that be?

Well, maybe because reading isn't affordable in the Netherlands?

While doing some christmas shopping, i ended up in a book store.

An average (new) paperback in Dutch, 250 pages long in largish print, costs between €20 and €25. The same books as e-books cost €8-12.

Hell, even The Hobbit (in Dutch), which is also around 250 pages, costs €20 in paperback, and €25 in hardcover.

If you're the least bit technically inclined and/or have some help with ebooks, you can save like 60%-70% right there; The Hobbit in Dutch is about €10, in English it costs around €8). For €25, you can get The Hobbit and all three Lord of the Rings books (in Dutch); if you shop around, they can be cheaper.

(The three paperbacks making up The Lord of the Rings cost €20 a piece in Dutch... in book stores.)

People who think that ebooks are more expensive than paper books are sadly mistaken, at least in the Netherlands. I'm not even taking coupons into account.

Here in the US, broadcast and cable stations mean two totally different things.
Broadcast channels have way more rules to follow to keep broadcasting.
1. There has to be someone there at all times with the ability to break into the program for weather or other potentially dangerous situations. (The only exception is if the storm knocks out the station and even then the poor guy has to man the station.)
2. They have to set aside so many hours a month to public services. (I think it is 8).
3. I think they still can't say certain things or have any nudity.
Paid (cable) channels do not have those rules.
Those are the three biggies.

As to watching at a certain time: nearly everyone has DVRs. So no more missing shows if you aren't home.

My internet and TV have nothing to do with each other. I did not bundle.
And my internet company doesn't even try to get me to bundle.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Hm... That sucks. Why did you send books which you hadn't read yourself yet?

(Not trying to bash here; just curious.)

If the other woman couldn't do the swap for whatever reason, she could at least have refused the package. (If you do so in The Netherlands, the package is delivered back to the sender.) Another option would be to just send it back. Keeping it and then whining about not being able to fulfill your own obligation in the swap is just lame.

Because it's what she asked for with exception of the two contemporaries.
You didn't just send whatever. They gave their preferences, tastes. I had no idea she wouldn't return the favor at the time. I was excited to swap books and maybe make a friend.

Sent from my XT1528

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Because it's what she asked for with exception of the two contemporaries.
You didn't just send whatever. They gave their preferences, tastes.

Oh, OK. I was under the impression that the only requirement was to send X amount of books, as agreed upon by the swappers, in good condition, in one or more requested genres.

I had no idea she wouldn't return the favor at the time. I was excited to swap books and maybe make a friend.

Understandable. I'd feel the same way if I had been in your position. Fortunately, that hasn't happened yet, with regard to internet-based transactions.

[Toxaris]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

And the folks who really suffer are small language market publishers. I'd guess most folks in the Netherlands are reasonably fluent in English. What market is there for books written in Dutch? I saw news items a while back about a conference for small language market publishers in the Baltic, where the total population of a country that spoke a particular language might be 5 million, and the number of adult readers buying books in that language was a fraction of that.

The market for Dutch books is much better than it looks. In fact, if we are talking about paper books, English books are harder to get (without the internet that is). One of the main issues is the fixed book price. Books that sell less copies are priced more or less the same as books that sell a lot. The reasoning behind that is that 'literature' still can get published even if it sells less. However, this only applies to 'literature'. For example the price of a good historical book is skyhigh.
I put 'literature' in quotes, since the what they call 'literature' is something that most people do not read (except forced on school) and is full of whining, sexuality or about the second war (and then combined with the whining and sexuality). This forces books to be priced so high as they are.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Understandable. I'd feel the same way if I had been in your position. Fortunately, that hasn't happened yet, with regard to internet-based transactions.

It's the first time for me too.

Sent from my XT1528

Wireless key board and mouse problem. So just within the last couple of days I've encountered a problem with my Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse on my desk top computer. The key board still works fine, but the mouse has become increasingly slower (sluggish) in its tracking so much so that while once the mouse pointer would move from one screen edge to another within the confines of tracking on my mouse pad, not it requires repeated lifting of the mouse to move multiple times across the mouse pad. I thought of low batteries but changing out the batteries for new ones did nothing to improve things. Nor did adjusting the mouse speed in the Settings menu of Windows 10. Mouse just getting too old? I've had the mouse and key pad for about 8 years now.

[Blossom]

mine does the same but just for giggles check your driver make sure Windows is using the right one and didn't revert to a generic driver.

Sent from my XT1528

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

The market for Dutch books is much better than it looks. In fact, if we are talking about paper books, English books are harder to get (without the internet that is). One of the main issues is the fixed book price. Books that sell less copies are priced more or less the same as books that sell a lot. The reasoning behind that is that 'literature' still can get published even if it sells less. However, this only applies to 'literature'. For example the price of a good historical book is skyhigh.
I put 'literature' in quotes, since the what they call 'literature' is something that most people do not read (except forced on school) and is full of whining, sexuality or about the second war (and then combined with the whining and sexuality). This forces books to be priced so high as they are.

I even forgot about the fixed book price. See how many paper books I've bought in the Netherlands in the last 15 years? Like... none.

Fixed book price is ridiculous. I've seen 250 page paperbacks at €25 today.

Not in my life. I read such a book in less than 7 hours. I'd rather buy an RPG that gets me 80 hours of playtime, or an e-book for €5.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

Wireless key board and mouse problem. So just within the last couple of days I've encountered a problem with my Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse on my desk top computer.

Since a few days, my laptop/mouse bluetooth combination will not always connect if I'm in the kitchen. I can see a number of bluetooth devices here, which are not mine. They must be the neighbor's, on the other side of the wall, but in that case, he has at least 5 of them....

If some are auto-pair, such as some speakers, I wonder if I can connect to them and blast some heavy metal through them.... There's also a smart thermostat. I wonder if he likes his house at 28C...

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

I put 'literature' in quotes, since the what they call 'literature' is something that most people do not read (except forced on school) and is full of whining, sexuality or about the second war (and then combined with the whining and sexuality). This forces books to be priced so high as they are.

And then they wonder why (young) adults have no interest in reading. I was lucky to grow up with a mother who reads a lot for fun and always let me choose whatever I wanted to read (it really upset the librarians that she allowed me to read Stephen King's It in English when I was only 13). If you never get in contact with books you like the ones the schools want you to read are not exactly encouraging.

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Since a few days, my laptop/mouse bluetooth combination will not always connect if I'm in the kitchen. I can see a number of bluetooth devices here, which are not mine. They must be the neighbor's, on the other side of the wall, but in that case, he has at least 5 of them....

If some are auto-pair, such as some speakers, I wonder if I can connect to them and blast some heavy metal through them.... There's also a smart thermostat. I wonder if he likes his house at 28C...