tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post3191110804353876257..comments2024-02-20T07:06:56.933+00:00Comments on THE SKINNER: Go Completely Digital?Neal Asherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13933911904170752700noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-32490974446278717812011-12-20T07:50:04.149+00:002011-12-20T07:50:04.149+00:00Thud, I guess the answer to your question is that ...Thud, I guess the answer to your question is that you don't 'need' any of them. It's about how many you want!<br /><br />Dominic, I look at the amazon recommendations in the same way as I look at books in a shop: cover then blurb, and if I can, a read of the first page. You get all the information you need that way, but nothing beyond that.<br /><br />J Purdie, I imagine there's a 'correlation' between population and book sales. As for music in digital format, during its transformation to that state it's opened up whole new markets because of portability.<br /><br />LatvjuAvs, Taylor and Babbage, long-time readers have books have gone through a process of positive reinforcement. The feel, smell and look of paper books is forever associated with reading pleasure. Books will only die when that link is broken, which I suspect will be a gradual process as more and more people grow up with e-readers.<br /><br />Marcus, I'm against something like that being controlled by any monopoly. We've already seen how partisan some of these Internet giants can be - google being a prime example.<br /><br />Olaf, I'm certainly considering a Kindle or some such filled with reference works. Still not so sure about it joining me in an armchair on a quiet evening. I drink wine out of an inconvenient stemmed wine glass, not a convenient plastic squeezy bottle...<br /><br />Graeme, and of course a book can't really go wrong.<br /><br />Troy, there certainly wouldn't be any harm (if you have the space) in having plenty of books available to her in the house. Especially, since she's a kid, some illustrated stuff. I remember as a kid being thoroughly in love with an old Daleks annual. Probably would set a better example as in 'this is an important item I am focusing my attention on' and, as you say, an e-reader she might not distinguish from any other electronic item.Neal Asherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13933911904170752700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-21451352337823660942011-12-19T22:40:59.366+00:002011-12-19T22:40:59.366+00:00My daughter is three and as my reading shifts towa...My daughter is three and as my reading shifts towards ebooks, I worry about her not catching the reading bug. <br /><br />Would paper books set a better example? Otherwise, it may seem like any other piece of electronics.troyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12371393915985374490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-19306091528113719952011-12-19T12:43:36.820+00:002011-12-19T12:43:36.820+00:00Solar flare... yes. All very good this electricker...Solar flare... yes. All very good this electrickery stuff, but a fucka when it goes wrong.Grim's Realityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15141927678427787365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-17839571984822194732011-12-19T09:49:26.385+00:002011-12-19T09:49:26.385+00:00I wasn't a great believer in electronic books ...I wasn't a great believer in electronic books until I was bought a Kindle as a present. It's one of those rare bits of tech that 'just works'. But I understand the desire to have a physical object to hold. Paper books are a great bit of technology that's why they're still around. Long batery life, work in direct sunlight, somewhat water resistant.<br />I took the Kindle on holiday loaded it up with about 30 books (mostly free classics admittedly) and with the built in free 3G not only could I read my book I could check the news too. And it never needed charged.<br /><br />I think a good model for the future, which I doubt any greedy business will ever take up, is to do a similar marketing trick to BluRay disks. They were having a job flogging these disks. Most people are happy enough with DVD so could see no point in buying the same thing again. So now they bundle BluRay disks with a DVD and a digital copy. so the movie you buy is compatible with your cinema, your older DVDs and your mobile devices.<br /><br />Books could do the same, buy a hardcopy and get a digital copy with it. If I by a hardcopy from amazon why can't they ship the digital copy to my Kindle. That'd be a winner for me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00846494111041803704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-59883597597237018152011-12-18T18:36:50.637+00:002011-12-18T18:36:50.637+00:00I just don't think that "Amazon Recommend...I just don't think that "Amazon Recommends" is the future. We're giving over all the responsibility for discovering new fiction to this corporation. It's so hard to browse any other way than using "Amazon Recommends" That you give up where as in a bookshop you pick up read a page or two, like the cover etc... Do we really want Amazon deciding what we should or shouldn't read?Marcushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05959489648263263138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-38047695270870698392011-12-18T11:07:58.930+00:002011-12-18T11:07:58.930+00:00Of course it's always worth remembering that w...Of course it's always worth remembering that with one good solar flare you cuold find yourself without a library...Neal Asherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13933911904170752700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-462322873603893232011-12-17T22:26:09.216+00:002011-12-17T22:26:09.216+00:00Music and video require power, and always will. Fo...Music and video require power, and always will. For this reason there was a market for a portable battery powered alternative to the turntable - so we got the compact cassette, the Walkman, the CD Walkman and then the MP3 player. Each provided greater utility - better sound, longer duration, more music. With books, they don't need power and are already totally portable. They don't go out of date, or need upgrading and you don't find yourself with a load of incompatible books you can't read with your brain any longer. It's also almost impossible to "rip" a book into an electronic format in any sensible way at home. For these reasons the eBook reader has a problem in replacing the book. It uses power, runs the risk of going out of date or breaking down, may not read some new book format that comes out. And unlike CDs, you can't rip your existing collection of books so if you want electronic ones you've got to buy them again. Yes, there's a future but it'll take much longer for eBooks to replace books than it took the CD to replace vinyl, or the MP3 to replace the CD.Guff Spotterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06887730870820776460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-53067498083937046862011-12-17T17:47:04.440+00:002011-12-17T17:47:04.440+00:00There's just something wonderful about the phy...There's just something wonderful about the physical artifact of the book, so I don't think that's ever going anywhere. However, digital publishing seems to be much better at marketing. Though it doesn't always get it right, Amazon Recommends has actually introduced me to tons of authors I most likely would never have found on my own. In fact, if it weren't for Amazon, I wouldn't have been able to read any of Neal's books other than Gridlinked (which is pretty much all they keep in stock here at the local bookstores in my side of the U.S.). I do think there'll be a boom in the print-on-demand side of things. Why print a thousand copies of a book you may or may not sell? That's one of the things I love about Kindle publishing. You can link your Kindle ebook to a CreateSpace account and if someone wants a physical copy they can order it. This is a fascinating issue, and I think we'll see more discussions like this as we move further into the digital age.Taylor Prestonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03695113981595482010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-16287800699339456102011-12-17T16:38:17.647+00:002011-12-17T16:38:17.647+00:00Little over a year ago, I decided that starting re...Little over a year ago, I decided that starting reading books in English will polish my English language a little.<br /><br />Went into bookshop and as being fan of old Russian science fiction I had no idea what to pick up.<br /><br />I saw one book of big centipede with lot of sharp knives and it was called Technician. I liked cover so I bought it and started to read casually.<br /><br />Year later I have all Neal Asher's books and I am sad that I have read them all, That was a great ride :)<br /><br />Still, great memories.<br /><br />Bookshop, smell of book, something to read anywhere with or without electricity, something magical about books.<br /><br />Have a nice day :)Lauris Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862122434580917461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-82941752201919428422011-12-17T12:08:13.497+00:002011-12-17T12:08:13.497+00:00The first post when I logged into Google reader to...The first post when I logged into Google reader today was Black Gate, 'Long Live the Physical Book–at least for now',and how book stores are having a good year. Digital will, like the other formats, only take a part of the market: we need to wait and see if that is a big part or a small part.<br /><br />In the fifties wasn't there concern that the new upstart the paperback would destroy hardback sales? I just spent £50 for a revised biography of R E Howard to be published in January next year so hardbacks have survived nicely. There was also concern that TV would kill off the cinema and now films can gross billions.<br /><br />A lot of my music is on computer but I also still buy cds. I'm just starting to get into digital books, but physical books are also going to be bought. Convenience is the key word I think. If it's a lot easier and cheaper for us to go digital we will, but the market for physical books, cds, etc will still be there.j purdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07141166257366384474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-33590454728572087322011-12-16T22:19:37.193+00:002011-12-16T22:19:37.193+00:00Check the recommendations on Amazon for things you...Check the recommendations on Amazon for things you might like. Living afloat as I do the lack of books/CDs is a major boon!DominicMyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15530669398436940737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29616976.post-17637014007454463642011-12-16T17:36:18.581+00:002011-12-16T17:36:18.581+00:00I have over 3000 books and finding anything is a n...I have over 3000 books and finding anything is a nightmare plus several 750g hard drives...just how much stuff do I need? buggered if I know.Thudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18320037763190473684noreply@blogger.com