Two books, two views - no agreement, but certainly a lot of sparks. Is the Internet full of junk and by killing off the conventional media we are loosing all our good information sources? That is a point of view of Andrew Keen, author of the book Cult of the Amateur. On the other [...]
Continue reading about Is the Internet good, bad or bits of everything? - Weinberger/Keen debates
These days, learning a foreign language is considered a useful thing. The advantages are many: from travelling to foreign countries to getting a preferential treatment in the ethnic restaurants of your own to keeping the dementia away.
This was not always a case though, at least for China. Until 1844, it was illegal for a foreigner [...]
Continue reading about Is it a crime to learn a foreign language?
I am interesting in publishing (as in books, e-books, etc). I think the field is rapidly changing due to e-books, print-on-demand and other factors and watching the change is quite exciting.
Unfortunately, I don’t have time or wherewithal to get into the topic seriously. So instead I dip into a sub-genre mailing list, get the feel [...]
I frequently say that public domain books are a great source of further innovation and small business ideas. Today I found another example that brings together several of the themes I track: Language acquisition, Publishing and Public Domain books.
Mark Phillips has taken Tarzan of the Apes book that is now available in public domain [...]
Continue reading about Language learning and public content - ‘I am Tarzan’
There is a fight brewing between David Rothman of TeleRead and Bill Janssen of Plucker fame. The point of contention (as I understand the issue) is what would be good format to produce e-books in.
Bill’s position is that any format that is not already accepted (specifically not html) is a lock-in and a [...]
Philips recently had a Simplicity event, where they showcased a number of concept products that may or may not make it into the real world in the future.
To go along with the event, Philips also setup a voting board for a number of discussion topics. One of the topics currently under discussion is whether e-books [...]
Continue reading about E-book discussion at the Philips’ Simplicity forums
[This article also appears in a slightly edited form as a TeleRead entry]
Ever tried learning a foreign language? Noticed how the books you could read were often boring, and the books you wanted to read were just that bit too hard to understand? Wished, you could have a quick translation of a complex passage or [...]
Continue reading about How e-books could revolutionize language-learning
I have 100+ blog and search feeds that I keep track of in my online world. A couple of them are general techie feeds that many other people subscribe to as well. Most, however, are very specialised in topic and theme they discuss. I guess I am one of those people that helps to wag [...]
There is a lively discussion around the article by one of the authors of Freakonomics on whether the internet is good or bad to the publishing industry.
My take on it is that the internet is bad for publishing industry as it was a year ago. But having to respond to the internet, has actually spurred [...]
Continue reading about Comments on “Is the Internet the Publishing Industry’s Best Friend?”
I like reading books. But the inventor of BedBooks must like reading them at least couple of degrees more. So, he sells books printed sideways. It has to be seen to be believed. (via LibrarianInBlack)
In fact, if he were not selling them, this method would be a perfect candidate for the halls of ChinDogu.
On a [...]