New York Times commentary this morning - Page 2

ardeegee · 06-01-2010, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.J. Sellers

As a reader and novelist, I appreciate the pass-along value of books, and I hope digital book distributors figure this out soon and make it a reality with e-books.
L.J.

Oh, but ebooks already far surpass the pass-along value of books. With a physical book, one can only pass it along to one person at a time. With an ebook, one can pass it along to hundreds, thousands, or millions of people at once! A new favorite book can be passed along with everyone in your e-mail address book with a few mouse clicks!

Digital book distributors are trying to prevent the passing-along of ebooks. The passing along of ebooks keeps them awake at night.

dmaul1114 · 06-01-2010, 03:37 PM

Yeah, it would be a scary time to be a content creator or publisher etc.

It's so much easier for content to get passed around to tons of people after a single, legitimate purchase than it was when the only content where physical books, dvds/vhs tapes, cds/records etc.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 06-01-2010, 04:24 PM

Article summation:

"I'm a-scared of things different!!"

Ankh · 06-01-2010, 08:40 PM

Quote:

All the e-books I’ve read have been ugly — books by Chang-rae Lee, Alvin Kernan, Stieg Larsson — though the texts have been wonderful. But I didn’t grow up reading texts. I grew up reading books. The difference is important.

Wow.

Unlike him, I grew up reading texts. You know, the stuff that makes you forget what is the medium that you are reading on, is it hardcover or mass paperback, circa 2000 monochrome palm screen, eInk or iPad?

SensualPoet · 06-01-2010, 11:08 PM

It's really astounding, isn't it?

Who cares about the words? It's only presentation that matters. I implore everyone NOT to read the following since it isn't formatted in a manner worth bothering with. No ligatures here; no kerning; clearly no substance.

"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."

Or, perhaps ... these final Shakespearean lines apply pre-emptively and prophetically to the author of the NY Times rant.

brecklundin · 06-02-2010, 12:26 AM

just accuse the dolt of contributing to global warming because of the overhead in the simple transportation of the physical book inventory around the globe. Heck, it's the NYT after all so that should be enough.

That article might be the worst article associated with the NYT that I have even read...and there have been some "winners" over the years but this one is just, ummmm....special...and we are talking "short bus special" here.

Poppa1956 · 06-02-2010, 01:47 AM

I enjoy a well formatted book/article/text. Formatting and typography have a great impact on my "reading experience."
However, those two elements do not, in and of themselves, comprise the whole of said experience. If I am reading Shakespeare's plays, formatted in paragraphs, without respect to the iambic pentameter therein, is the great bard somehow diminished? If I read perfectly formatted drivel, is it less, erm, "drivellous?"
I realize that a poorly formatted text taxing. For instance, I have seen Bibles with the very beautiful King James translation for the text, but the publishers have chosen to ignore the fact that poetry and song should be formatted differently from prose.
One thing SmashWords, Amazon and B&N are doing right, imho, is to allow free samples before purchase. That allows me to view a purchase before buying, just as I can in a brick and mortar bookstore. B&N also offers an added advantage if I take a Nook to one of their stores, allowing me an even greater glimpse.
E-book publishing is still in its infancy. As with the paper book printing industry, there are artisans crafting beautiful works that are as wonderful to look at as they are to read. I don't know if there are any groups as organized as Roycrafters guild (look it up, if you don't know), but individuals possessing a sense of textual style and grace are working, slavishly coding over a hot diode at all hours of the day. Some of them post their works here.
They have convinced me of some of the possibilities and opportunities in ebooks, and even inspired me to attempt renewing and renovating my old HTML chops, and to take a stab at making an e-book of two.
As for nay-sayers, history is filled with quotes from learned men of science declaring human flight to be impossible, along with travelling at speeds greater than 30 mph, the impossibility of practical computers, and running the 4-minute mile.

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06-01-2010, 03:37 PM	#17
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	Yeah, it would be a scary time to be a content creator or publisher etc. It's so much easier for content to get passed around to tons of people after a single, legitimate purchase than it was when the only content where physical books, dvds/vhs tapes, cds/records etc.

06-01-2010, 04:24 PM	#18
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Article summation: "I'm a-scared of things different!!"

06-01-2010, 11:08 PM	#20
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	It's really astounding, isn't it? Who cares about the words? It's only presentation that matters. I implore everyone NOT to read the following since it isn't formatted in a manner worth bothering with. No ligatures here; no kerning; clearly no substance. "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing." Or, perhaps ... these final Shakespearean lines apply pre-emptively and prophetically to the author of the NY Times rant.

06-02-2010, 12:26 AM	#21
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	just accuse the dolt of contributing to global warming because of the overhead in the simple transportation of the physical book inventory around the globe. Heck, it's the NYT after all so that should be enough. That article might be the worst article associated with the NYT that I have even read...and there have been some "winners" over the years but this one is just, ummmm....special...and we are talking "short bus special" here.

06-02-2010, 01:47 AM	#22
Poppa1956 Evangelist Posts: 487 Karma: 344188 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oregon, USA Device: Verizon Ellipsis Tablit w/Kindle and Nook apps.	I enjoy a well formatted book/article/text. Formatting and typography have a great impact on my "reading experience." However, those two elements do not, in and of themselves, comprise the whole of said experience. If I am reading Shakespeare's plays, formatted in paragraphs, without respect to the iambic pentameter therein, is the great bard somehow diminished? If I read perfectly formatted drivel, is it less, erm, "drivellous?" I realize that a poorly formatted text taxing. For instance, I have seen Bibles with the very beautiful King James translation for the text, but the publishers have chosen to ignore the fact that poetry and song should be formatted differently from prose. One thing SmashWords, Amazon and B&N are doing right, imho, is to allow free samples before purchase. That allows me to view a purchase before buying, just as I can in a brick and mortar bookstore. B&N also offers an added advantage if I take a Nook to one of their stores, allowing me an even greater glimpse. E-book publishing is still in its infancy. As with the paper book printing industry, there are artisans crafting beautiful works that are as wonderful to look at as they are to read. I don't know if there are any groups as organized as Roycrafters guild (look it up, if you don't know), but individuals possessing a sense of textual style and grace are working, slavishly coding over a hot diode at all hours of the day. Some of them post their works here. They have convinced me of some of the possibilities and opportunities in ebooks, and even inspired me to attempt renewing and renovating my old HTML chops, and to take a stab at making an e-book of two. As for nay-sayers, history is filled with quotes from learned men of science declaring human flight to be impossible, along with travelling at speeds greater than 30 mph, the impossibility of practical computers, and running the 4-minute mile.

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