Nuggetty Goodness

DRM is really a strategy for *reducing* the usability of an ebook: You can only use it on the right hardware, with the right kind of data connection, and while the server hardware is operating properly. The first time any of those things is not true, the reader is going to look for a way to access the content he paid for.

And he's going to find it, in the form of the hacked ebook or scanned and OCR'd PDF of the hardcopy. From then on, he's a pirate. And having already crossed the line, he's going to find that it's not only cheaper to read the pirate versions, it's easier and more convenient. Access to the content without the hassles of DRM becomes the "Gateway Hack" to not buying any books at all.

In fact, they may already have done it: For most authors, it is easier to pick up the latest version of the huge, combined all-in-one ebook pack (currently nearly 4700 books) than to find those of a particular author, and easier to find everything from a particular author than just one of his books. Ebooks are so *small* compared to video, or even audio (virtually every popular audio-book is also available) that they are all just combined into one giant mega-bundle. With one download, their quest for one usable ebook yields a library they couldn't finish reading in their lifetime.

I just looked up your name, and the combined version of *your* work includes not only all your novels, but all of your short fiction, non-fiction, interviews, and a snapshot of this very blog. A reader couldn't get that comprehensive a package from a legitimate source, at any price.

A very nice summary of a problem publishers either don't see or don't know how to deal with.

That being said, I DO want the authors I like to get money from their books.

True, I borrow rather than buy nowadays, when it comes to dead tree books, but that's because I don't really like reading on my iPad 1, and I don't own other readers. And also because it's one less physical thing to move.

Charles Stross has enough of a fan base *from* coming from traditional publishing that I believe he can indeed drop the middleman if he wants to.

But what about those writers who are just starting out? Realistically, they haven't got the reach, the polish, and the marketing that a publisher provides. Not to mention, having a dead tree publisher also helps with reputability. >.> I confess that if it isn't an author I know, then self-publish greys into fanfic or Legendary Times 'scrollers' for me. (LT is LegendMUD's newsletter that I used to subscribe to when I lived there.)

Not to mention that it isn't really possible to get a 'combined' version of an author's works without stealing. I assume this is due to all the different contracts associated with different books, across different publishers.

But if the only way to get something people want in a form they want is to steal it... >.> I dunno, but to me, that smacks of market opportunity.

Isn't it nice to know the global cola addiction is good for something? XD

Pretending to Engage

We speak of social networks, but this term has become misleading as, in practice, we really only mean Facebook and Twitter. This is an incidental note, but one I feel we should start to consider more carefully. We don’t use many social networks, but we are on Facebook, and this has changed a great deal about how we act. Or, perhaps it hasn’t.

I loathe team sports. While I’m quite keen on going for a bike ride or perhaps a hike in the woods, I find the notion of sitting on the couch, while rooting for “my” team, rather ghastly. While I can appreciate the desire to actually partake in some sport, this hysterical behavior from the sidelines seems pointless and masturbatory. While it may make you feel good, it accomplishes very little else.

In spite of criticizing this dialogue, I don’t mean to silence anyone. Instead, I ask when we take the next step. Posting a status update regarding one’s fears for their nation is a start. Putting down the mouse and actively joining a party that more accurately reflects one’s beliefs is so much more. For all those folks who posted their gripes online, I’ll bet less than 1 in 10 watched the debates. I’ll bet that less than 1 in 100 knocked on doors, campaigning for their party of choice. I’ll go one step further and bet that less than 1 in 1,000 considered exercising their democratic rights, and running for a seat.

This, then, becomes the tragic irony of the social network. We “like” pages in order to not offend our friends, “share” mundane nonsense and self-promotion, and “engage” with well-intentioned causes, so long as none of it avoids us doing anything more than contributing a click. We’re all “concerned” about the environment, but few of us sell our cars. We “boycott” oil companies for a day, only to fill our tanks the next. We think we’re “engaging” with our friends, but when we see many of them in public, we hardly know how to behave.

Most notably, we’ve convinced ourselves that we’re doing something constructive, when we’re mostly just adding to the chorus of meaningless banter that has become a global affliction. Want to connect with a friend? Invite them over for dinner. Want to share something? Give them something you’d actually miss. And for heaven’s sake, if you want to affect change in your community (or nation), turn off your computer, get off your ass, and actually do something.

I will say, though, that Facebook and Twitter do have the ability to give clients that nice veneer of 'measurability'.

We got 10k likes! Woot! KPI met!

But what did it actually accomplish?

...

Well... it got us likes...

That means something, right?

(It's not that I dislike all social media on principle, it's just that it's often used wrongly. If it's REALLY a channel for constructive customer feedback, or helps customers to solve problems / help each other solve problems, then it's great.)

Project Noah is a tool to explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere.

This is just so cool and beautifully done. Must acquire digital camera at some point and have another go at taking pictures of non-food-thingies.