Not about libraries, but about books and writers

I really enjoy Litdrift tweets.

I'll never be a writer because it's too much work and I'd already be one if I was going to be one, but Litdrift make me feel a part of their community.

So if you do Twitter, check them out.

Further discussion of the Go to Hellman: Offline Book "Lending" Costs post

Library ‘piracy’ dwarfs e-piracy figures | TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home

Posted using ShareThis

Go To Hellman: Offline Book "Lending" Costs U.S. Publishers Nearly $1 Trillion

Go To Hellman: Offline Book "Lending" Costs U.S. Publishers Nearly $1 Trillion

Jump book

I seem to remember seeing this book when it came out. This link has a few pictures. I found it through twitter posted by @litdrift which is cool to follow.
russell davies: jump

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Where did those books go to anyway?

Interesting mashup. (Do they still use that term?)
YA book GPS tracking!
It's not "Pass the Buck," it's "Pass the Book."

Totally unrelated but interesting article . . .

Apple leaves US Chamber of Commerce over climate clash

(AFP) – 18 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Computing giant Apple defected from the US Chamber of Commerce, as a growing rift emerges over the group's opposition to tough climate change rules, according to a letter.

The firm "supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating to find the chamber at odds with us in this effort," said Apple vice president Catherine Novelli, on Tuesday.

Apple is the fourth major US corporation to walk out of the group over its stance on climate change. Pacific Gas and Electricity, PNM Resources and Exelon have taken similar moves.

Sporting goods titan Nike dropped its responsibilities on the chamber's board but remains a member.

Click here to read the rest of the article

There are so many facets to the climate change issue, but news like this portends a major attitude shift by the business community.
Note: I made the company names bold.

Standardizing ebooks is good

This is part of an email I received from O'Reilly's Tools of Change for Publishing mail list. As usual I think Tim O'Reilly has got it right. His company does a much better job publishing than MS Press. I hope this turns into a case were part of MS gets absorbed instead of MS absorbing someone else.

Full details are in Tim's post on the Radar blog (and in the Press Release and in the statement from Microsoft ), but thought one part of this deal worth calling out specifically here: I'm particularly excited that as part of this agreement, Microsoft has committed to make its ebooks DRM-free and device-independent. One of our goals at O'Reilly has been to make sure that ebook customers can read them on any device, and have the ability to keep using them even if they change their preferred device. Having Microsoft Press join us in this commitment is a big step forward towards an open ebook market.