Link Smorgasbord, August 26 - September 1
Libraries in New York City: Why We Give a Damn and Why You Should Too
Pretty self-explanatory title.
Heroes of Copyright Infringement – The Photographer litigation against SyFy/NBC
So yes, I do post lots of links about how big companies use copyright law like a huge stick and others about wanting less restrictive copyright. I'm not against copyright, I just feel our system is broken. What my stance on copyright really boils down to is "don't be a dick" - and this case for me falls under that category. Similarly I took offesne when Glee lifted Jonathan Coulton's cover of "Baby Got Back" and used it without attribution, even though due to the type of license he used for the cover they were technically within their rights to do what they did.
Board doesn't use the library
Speaking of "don't be a dick," I wish I could say that this surprised me. In reality this is a common and widespread issue, and it drives me crazy. It perhaps also doesn't help that some of the board members in question have rather haughty opinions of themselves ("I read all the time, but I don’t read fiction ... I work" - I'd say something about this but I'm laughing too damn hard).
Really though, the issue isn't so much that the board doesn't use the library, it is that they don't comprehend that in communities with high levels of financial hardship the library becomes even more important. That 50% of students that qualify for free or reduced cost lunch? Their families? They need the libraries, they don't have several computers to do all their research on, or the other resources that the board members take for granted.
Neil Gaiman and Philip Pullman in conversation
I still need to listen to this.
12 Letters that didn't make the alphabet
I remembered a handful of these from when I took History of the Book (such an AMAZING class, and not just because of getting to handle a page of the Gutenburg Bible).
14 Illegal things you are doing on the Internet
A cautionary tale that ironically probably does one or two of the things that it warns against.
15 Fabulous bookish Pinterest boards
:D
A year of ebook price comparisons: has anything changed?
On the past year of price comparisons and availability of books in print and electronic form for consumers and libraries. Some has changed, slightly more ebook availability, but still drastically limited. Pricing is still high: "Of the ebooks libraries can buy, the average price was $63 in DCL’s latest report. The average consumer price was $11.50."
Expanding privacy legislation to include ebooks
I'm totally a fan of this, though I forsee issues coming up with Amazon requiring library patrons to log into their Amazon account in order to borrow a Kindle format ebook from the library (which drives me up the wall because we can't protect patron privacy with that).
9 Reasons you should absolutely watch The Neverending Story as an adult
Besides, of course, that it is an awesome movie.
Lawful Interception by Cory Doctorow
A novella about Marcus Yallow of Little Brother and Homeland. I will have to find a PDF or EPUB copy because it is way to long for me to comfortably read on a computer screen.
Pretty self-explanatory title.
Heroes of Copyright Infringement – The Photographer litigation against SyFy/NBC
So yes, I do post lots of links about how big companies use copyright law like a huge stick and others about wanting less restrictive copyright. I'm not against copyright, I just feel our system is broken. What my stance on copyright really boils down to is "don't be a dick" - and this case for me falls under that category. Similarly I took offesne when Glee lifted Jonathan Coulton's cover of "Baby Got Back" and used it without attribution, even though due to the type of license he used for the cover they were technically within their rights to do what they did.
Board doesn't use the library
Speaking of "don't be a dick," I wish I could say that this surprised me. In reality this is a common and widespread issue, and it drives me crazy. It perhaps also doesn't help that some of the board members in question have rather haughty opinions of themselves ("I read all the time, but I don’t read fiction ... I work" - I'd say something about this but I'm laughing too damn hard).
Really though, the issue isn't so much that the board doesn't use the library, it is that they don't comprehend that in communities with high levels of financial hardship the library becomes even more important. That 50% of students that qualify for free or reduced cost lunch? Their families? They need the libraries, they don't have several computers to do all their research on, or the other resources that the board members take for granted.
Neil Gaiman and Philip Pullman in conversation
I still need to listen to this.
12 Letters that didn't make the alphabet
I remembered a handful of these from when I took History of the Book (such an AMAZING class, and not just because of getting to handle a page of the Gutenburg Bible).
14 Illegal things you are doing on the Internet
A cautionary tale that ironically probably does one or two of the things that it warns against.
15 Fabulous bookish Pinterest boards
:D
A year of ebook price comparisons: has anything changed?
On the past year of price comparisons and availability of books in print and electronic form for consumers and libraries. Some has changed, slightly more ebook availability, but still drastically limited. Pricing is still high: "Of the ebooks libraries can buy, the average price was $63 in DCL’s latest report. The average consumer price was $11.50."
Expanding privacy legislation to include ebooks
I'm totally a fan of this, though I forsee issues coming up with Amazon requiring library patrons to log into their Amazon account in order to borrow a Kindle format ebook from the library (which drives me up the wall because we can't protect patron privacy with that).
9 Reasons you should absolutely watch The Neverending Story as an adult
Besides, of course, that it is an awesome movie.
Lawful Interception by Cory Doctorow
A novella about Marcus Yallow of Little Brother and Homeland. I will have to find a PDF or EPUB copy because it is way to long for me to comfortably read on a computer screen.
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