Category: Things that might make you think

When info goes bad…

Hey, amigas y amigos–

In this age of info immediacy, we’re used to just slamming stuff onto the web and going with it. We cut and paste, we disseminate, we make things go viral. But sometimes, the information we’re disseminating isn’t always correct.

I’m reminded of a game my elementary school classmates and I would play called “Telephone.” Usually, this was a game that a teacher implemented to demonstrate how information can be distorted and why it’s important to listen and pay attention. This was before household computers, folks. Before the interwebs.

So read on to find out why the hell I’m telling you this.

Continue reading →

by Categories: Publishing bizness, Random WTF stuff, Things that might make you think, Things you shouldn't doTags: , , 2 Comments

Neither a borrower nor a lender be: ebook loaning

Hi, folks. I’m a member of Sisters in Crime, a writers’ association that helps women writers of mysteries, crime fiction, and suspense/thrillers meet each other, network, and help writers. I’m on their updates list, and they send out links that might be of interest to us.

Today, one such link is HERE. It’s called “The Rise of the Ebook Lending Library and the Death of Ebook Pirating.” Now, I’ve spoken about book piracy before. You can find that post here, if you’re interested.

Read the article and then check out the comments. Especially by the book pirate who has stolen 15,000 ebooks. And then brags about it. And then says he’ll never pay for anything again. He’s also stolen movies and games, if I remember correctly. And he’s proud of it.

Okay, so here’s where I am on this ebook lending thing. I don’t mind it. It’s like a library. I’m also really supportive of libraries, because of the idea of a public service that allows anybody and everybody to access reading material and then bring it back to that institution. These are legitimately sanctioned businesses, and taxes pay for their upkeep and book purchases. In other words, if you’re a taxpayer, you are purchasing books for libraries. Also, I’m one of those people who doesn’t like to accumulate things, so I use libraries a lot. I also use Netflix so I can still watch movies but send them back when I’m done (or stream them).

Here’s the difference between Netflix and piracy. I PAY for the service. I PAY to receive movies in the mail that I watch and then send back. I PAY to stream movies. And I don’t mind doing it because I want the people who made those movies and acted in them to receive monies via royalties for the work that they did/do. Even if I thought the movie sucked, I pay artists and entertainers for what they provide. With regard to libraries, I pay for that service with my taxes. I would really like it, too, if there were an ebook service like Netflix, where I could pay, say, $15/mo. to download books and read them and then, if I liked them, pay another buck or two to keep it. Why? Because I believe in supporting artists for the work they do. I believe, too, in supporting the industries in which they participate.

Having said that, with regard to piracy, I’m a realist. There are always going to be a**holes who want something for nothing at the expense of artists. That’s a reality. I don’t realistically think that it will ever stop because there is always a percentage of the population that has no problem stealing and/or that will justify stealing with all kinds of excuses. The only thing that will slow electronic piracy down at this point is if the apocalypse happens, the grid collapses, and there is no longer any electricity to run computers. That will put an end to ebook (and other digital) piracy, until someone figures out how to harness the sun more efficiently to generate electricity (in that scenario). And then it’ll just start all over again because humans are inherently flawed in that regard.

Anyway, I try to appeal to the “ethical” side of people. I try to point out that piracy is really shitty (unless it involves sailing ships and 18th-century sea battles) and it hurts a lot of artists, and by extension, the industries that legitimately support them. But that argument just isn’t going to resonate with thieves, especially the hardcore ones like that guy who commented on the article above.

So basically, back to the matter at hand. No, I don’t have problems with ebook lending. I’d rather somebody logged into a site and shared their books with other readers from a sanctioned industry site (even for free) with certain restrictions than downloaded gajillions from a torrent site. Will ebook lending stop piracy? No. Somebody will steal those books, too. See my comment about human nature, above. But maybe it’ll make major piracy sites less attractive, and more of a hassle than just doing something legitimate.

Here’s hoping, anyway.

Happy Monday!

by Categories: Book piracy, Books, Publishing bizness, Things that might make you thinkTags: , , 1 Comment

Sunday readin’ tip

Hey, kids–

I read a lot of different things, as I’ve explained in the past. That includes magazine articles. I’d like to call your attention to a fascinating piece Rolling Stone mag did in February on former president Jimmy Carter. I wasn’t quite old enough to vote yet when Carter was elected in 1976, but I do remember some of the big things that happened during his administration.

I’ve always been intrigued by Carter because he seems approachable as a man, but also aloof. Enigmatic, I think, is one of the words I’ve used to describe him. He’s a mixture of idealism and hard, cold statistics and it seems he’s been able, to a certain extent, to balance those two things, especially in the years since his presidency. Currently, he’s engaged in some big humanitarian issues, and he has said some immensely unpopular things, but what I find fascinating about Carter is that he is a man of conviction — whether I agree with him or not — and he’s also willing to consider different angles and possibilities when confronted by different facts and situations.

This piece clarified a few things for me with regard to Carter, and I find looking back on people who were representative, to a certain extent, of a particular aspect of an era I lived through (in this case, Carter as a representative of a political context) a useful exercise in comparing what I was thinking then with who I am now and how my views and perspectives have changed or not. So regardless of your political leanings, reading about political leaders and figures is always helpful to shed some light on historic context.

Anyway, here’s the link to the piece, at Rolling Stone Magazine. It’s called “The Riddle of Jimmy Carter.”

Happy Sunday, whatever you celebrate.

by Categories: Cool articles, Cool stuff to read, Things that might make you thinkTags: ,

Pensive Friday: those you love

Hi, friends. Today, for some people, is “Good Friday,” which generally means they reflect on things that have meaning in their lives, and that’s always a good thing. For others, it’s “Earth Day,” and that involves reflecting on human relationships with the rock on which we live. Some people celebrate/acknowledge both. And still others try to reflect on things more often, and make changes or deal with what life throws at them.

I bring this up because this morning on NPR I heard an episode of “Story Corps” that just warmed my heart. Story Corps, for those of you who don’t know, is a series of oral interviews conducted by people like you and me with friends and family members. It’s oral history, and it’s kept on file in an archive. Every day people, talking about what’s happening in their lives.

Today’s episode featured Steven Wells, talking to his 27-year-old daughter about how he felt when he brought her home from the hospital just after she was born, and what she means to him.

And then I started thinking about a good friend of mine who is losing her father to Alzheimer’s, and how difficult and heart-rending that journey has been for her and her family and, in ways we don’t understand, for her father, who is no longer the man he was throughout my friend’s life, though there are still glimmers of that within him. My friend has been keeping a blog/journal about her family’s experience with Alzheimer’s, and how it affects not only her father, but his friends and family. It’s a moving, wrenching, transcendently human story about life and what we make of it. This is not easy or comfortable reading. Alzheimer’s is not pretty or kind. It isn’t gentle with the people it affects, or on the family and friends, or on the medical personnel who are called in to help as the disease’s grip tightens.

But it is necessary reading, because my friend reminds us that even in the midst of a terrible disease like this, there are very human, loving moments that affect us all. So no matter where you stand in these crazy times, no matter your views on anything, we are all, ultimately human, part of the human family, and we all make the trip from birth to death. Remember to tell your friends and family that you love them (no matter how crazy they sometimes make you), and remember that even people you might not like have friends and family, too.

Happy Easter for those of you who celebrate it, happy Earth Day for those of you who celebrate that, and Happy Passover to those of you who are engaged in that celebration.

Peace.

by Categories: Inspiration, Things that might make you thinkTags: 2 Comments