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7:48 PM
pic: Jane Austen
MORE than 65,000 19th-century works of fiction from the British Library’s collection are to be made available for free downloads by the public from this spring.
Owners of the Amazon Kindle, an ebook reader device, will be able to view well known works by writers such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, as well as works by thousands of less famous authors.
The library’s ebook publishing project, funded by Microsoft, the computer giant, is the latest move in the mounting online battle over the future of books.
While some other services, such as Google Books, offer out-of-copyright works to be downloaded for free, users of the British Library service will be able to read from pages in the original books in the library’s collection.
Most downloadable books on the Kindle are by contemporary authors because they are the most profitable for publishers. Many companies have not yet decided what to charge for older, out-of-copyright books.
While the British Library books — which will include Dickens’s Bleak House, Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge — will be available free online, the public will also be able to order printed copies from Amazon.
Like the onscreen versions, the paperbacks, costing £15-£20, will look like the frequently rare 19th-century editions in the library’s collection — including their typeface and illustrations. Originals of works by Austen and Dickens typically cost at least £250.
“Freeing historic books from the shelves has the potential to revolutionise access to the world’s greatest library resources,” said Lynne Brindley, the library’s chief executive.
Microsoft and the British Library, which by law purchases at least one copy of every book published in the UK, have been scanning the books over the past three years. The library concentrated the first stage of digitisation on the 19th century because the books are out of copyright and so can be offered free. Copyright runs out 70 years after an author’s death.
The library, which receives an annual government grant of £100m, declined to disclose the sum paid by Microsoft, beyond saying it was “a very generous amount”.
Books to be made available will include Victorian classics such as A Strange Story by Edward Bulwer-Lytton and The Story of a Modern Woman by Ella Hepworth Dixon.
Many of the downmarket books known as “penny dreadfuls” will also be made available to the public, including Black Bess by Edward Viles and The Dark Woman by J M Rymer.
Altogether, 35%-40% of the library’s 19th-century printed books — now all digitised — are inaccessible in other public libraries and are difficult to find in second-hand or internet bookshops.
The library hopes to extend the digitisation scheme by scanning books out of copyright dating from the early 20th century. As yet, however, neither Microsoft nor the institution itself have set money aside for the project.
For Lynne Brindley’s article about the digitisation of the British Library’s books, go to timesonline.co.uk/books
4:35 AM
Placing the Order:
February 2, 2010
Late last week, Apple launches the iPad, an E-Book reader with Plus capabilities costing $499 or roughly 25,000 PHP. Not really having that much money to spare for another computer gadget, I was simply curious about it thinking it was Apple's answer to Bill Gates' Tablet PC [launched several years ago]...but it is actually a cross between a Netbook and a Smartphone, or as others would call it a bigger, cooler iPod with all available Apps being run on it too. I already own a Viewsonic Tablet PC if all I ever wanted to do with a tablet computer was draw digital art and perhaps post some of them on the web, and maybe even sell some on-line. However, the thought of rekindling my interest for reading sounded too good to pass up...considering I've passed it up for most of my adolescent, and now adult life. And at this point, all I find is time on my hands...and I'm enjoying reading the daily local newspaper more and more, perhaps for the first time in my life. Of course, I find that newsprint ink makes me sneeze every time I start reaching out for the paper.
So I visit Amazon and discover that the whole Kindle Product was already available in the Philippines and worldwide...for both the cool E-Book Reader [hardware] and almost 400,000 books in its massive library collection [software]. Initially, I noted that most bestsellers cost $11.99, a slight increase from the American price tag of $9.99. It has been explained that the extra fee was for Wireless 3G coverage (by Whispernet) so I can download mostly American-published books all across the Philippine Seas. The whole concept of the electronic book reader by Amazon never fails to amaze me, with a whole library of books neatly packaged in one lightweight [and I hear, very well-made] device and the availability of hundreds more at your easy [wireless] disposal...because it simply is amazing.
But just a day after placing an order on Amazon for Kindle 2, I read some discouraging news.
================================
MACMILLAN E-BOOKS
The Amazon Kindle Team says:
Initial post: Jan 31,2010
================================
Dear Customers:
Macmillan, one of the "big six" publishers, has clearly communicated to us that,
regardless of our viewpoint, they are committed to switching to an agency model and charging $12.99 to $14.99 for e-book versions of bestsellers and most hardcover releases.
We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan's terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books. Amazon customers will at that point decide for themselves whether they believe it's reasonable to pay $14.99 for a bestselling e-book. We don't believe that all of the major publishers will take the same route as Macmillan. And we know for sure that many independent presses and self-published authors will see this as an opportunity to provide attractively priced e-books as an alternative.
Kindle is a business for Amazon, and it is also a mission. We never expected it to be easy!
Thank you for being a customer.
===============================
On: Kindle Community Discussion
How it may affect International e-readers
February 1, 2010
===============================
Adorina L Reyes says:
Speaking on behalf of Philippine Kindle Owners/Readers: Oh no. I just placed an order for the Kindle 2 yesterday. My very expensive Kindle [$314.00 with Duties and S&H, approx. 15,000PHP] doesn't even reach the Philippine shores or my hands and today, I am faced with this news. Surely it's not a pleasant one considering I am always on a tight budget...and most of your so-called Freebies cost $2.00. Awww.
To Amazon: please reconsider increasing the price tags for us lowly Filipinos who are English-literate but have a very low GDP. Honestly, I'm a home-based artist who just wanted to start reading again (simple as that but if you think about it, truly profound)...and your current average price of $11.99 for most books sound like a challenge to me already. Adding more sounds a lot more intimidating.
All because I thought the introduction of the Apple iPad last week gave me the option to choose you as my ideal E-reader. Shucks!
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I wrote my comment half as a real concern and half as a knee-jerk reaction to this situation I find myself in. As mentioned, my excitement for the product and for the whole idea of reading again has been established, but the price tag increase in many featured bestsellers dampens it a little. Having written these, maybe I should start thinking of the first e-book bestseller I should purchase right off the bat...and think about it well. Any suggestions?
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The Arrival:
February 4, 2010 Thursday
Sanville, QC
Four days after placing an order, I received my Kindle 2 through the mail. I was tired coming home from a long day of museum-visiting and window shopping but still very excited with the news that my Kindle came in one day early. Upon opening the very new looking package (meaning it showed no visible signs of normal wear and tear), I was immediately able to use it without doing the 1-2 step initial charging instructions that it came in with [upon powering the device on]. The first part of the very cool opening was being greeted by the Welcome Adorina note signed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos himself dated at the exact same date I received it. Reading it felt quite oh-so personal. It really was scheduled to arrive one day earlier than announced.
But since daddy also invited the family to eat dinner out, I had no choice but to do the obligatory 3-hour charging. No problem. I immediately skimmed through previously downloaded free e-books upon reaching home the second time this day, Aesop’s Fables being one of them and I enjoyed it.
I must say the Kindle is very cool. The e-ink I have only read about until now was similar to the Etch-A Sketch plaything after all. It blinks when the Next Page button is pressed or any input button for that matter, and it was a slight “mis-feature” but other than that, if all you ever wanted to do was read for longer periods on a computer then the Kindle 2 is by all means a very nifty device. Clear, crisp text. Very sturdy body. Easy on the eyes. Simple navigation.
Now, all I have to do is READ, Read, read and actually finish reading a book.
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Images of E-Books/subscriptions I'd like to share that I am currently reading: including a screenshot of TIME's latest issue:
5:15 AM
If you haven't gotten over James Cameron's titanic success Avatar yet, here's another Avatar I'd like to watch in IMAX 3D or maybe just 2D. Avatar, The Last Airbender (aka the Legend of Aang) from Nickelodeon.
Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Only the Avatar was the master of all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless Fire Nation from conquering the world.
Suddenly, the world has gotten a lot more Spiritual.
2:42 AM
"Thrice Upon A Time : A Century of Story in the Art of the Philippines"
2009-11-14 until 2010-03-14
Singapore Art Museum
Singapore, SG Singapore
From November 13, 2009 until March 14, 2010 at the Singapore Art Museum, Thrice Upon A Time invites viewers on a journey filled with the stories and art of the Philippines, an adventure spanning over a hundred years. The Philippines has a rich tradition of storytelling, with stories from her pre-colonial past to present-day tales, and this exhibition presents the epic story of the country and her people through visual art. The role of the artist-as-storyteller is highlighted within this exhibition and ideas about representation, authenticity, identity and history of the nation and its people are explored.
Playing with the classic line that begins those familiar stories, "Once upon a time", the show suggests that the best stories are told over and over again. The exhibition presents works from the Philippine grand masters to some of her most exciting contemporary artists, including Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Botong Francisco, Ben Cabrera, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Charlie Co and Geraldine Javier. Audiences will also have the exceptional opportunity to see two of the Philippines' most iconic and legendary masterworks, from Juan Luna and Félix Resurrección Hidalgo, and a rarely seen painting by the Philippines' national hero, Jose Rizal.
Note: This particular Art Exhibit showcasing 70 rarely seen works and arguably one of the largest and most historically rich exhibitions of Philippine Art ever assembled outside of the country, will only run until January 31, 2010. I really wish I could go and visit, but the house-painter in me prohibits...me from doing so. It's a good thing the Ateneo Art Gallery where the Neo-Realist Masterworks Exhibit is lent from is much closer (literally) to home.
IMAGES
Jose Tence Ruiz,
Paraisado Sorbetero (Orange), 2004
Mixed Media Installation
Singapore Art Museum Collection
Juan Luna's Spain and the Philippines (1886)
4:45 AM
I don’t know what to say. Julia Child was ninety-one years old when she died, late yesterday, in So why am I so fucking sad? I heard this morning. I was working on my book – I’m always working Julia Child began learning to cook when she was thirty-seven years Who knows how it happens, how you come upon your essential gift? For She was no bending reed, of course. She had no use for silly, This morning, I was writing about lobster murder. As anyone who’s She told me I could do it, so I did, and it was hard. I don’t ever, There’s so much I would not have done. Because it would not have been So thank you Julia. Thank you. I don’t believe in this kind of thing, and I sort of get the feeling Bon Appetit.Friday, August 13, 2004
her sleep. It’s the death that all of us want, after a life so full it
would seem she was one of history’s true lucky souls, if only luck had
had anything to do with it. She enriched the lives of thousands – my
life she quite literally turned around. She died well-loved, and I
hope she died well-fed. There is no tragedy here. It’s a day for
remembrance, and celebration.
on my book, only “freaking out over” would probably be a better term –
when the emails started pouring in. Condolences from my relatives, and
my friends, and my blog-friends, comforting me as if I was suffering
the loss of a family member. I never met Julia Child. I have no
particular reason to think she’d even have liked me if I had. I have
no claim over the woman at all, unless it’s the claim those who have
nearly drowned have over the person who pulled them out of the ocean.
And yet I do feel this loss personally, as a great six-foot-two hole in
my world.
old. She started because she wanted to feed her husband Paul. She
started because though she’d fallen in love with great food late, when
she did she’d fallen hard. She started because she was in Paris. She
started because she didn’t know what else to do.
this was hers. Not the cooking itself so much – lots of people cook
better than Julia. Not even the recipes – others can write recipes.
What was Julia’s true gift, then? She certainly had enormous energy,
and that was a sort of gift, if a genetic one – perhaps the one thing
about her you can pin down on the luck of the draw. She was a great
teacher, certainly – funny, and generous, and enthusiastic, with so
much overbrimming confidence that she had nothing to do with the
surplus but start doling it out to others. But she also had a great
gift for learning. Perhaps that was the talent she discovered in
herself at the age of 37, at the Cordon Bleu School in Paris – the
thirst to keep finding out, the openness to experience that makes life
worth living.
fear-driven food fads; she could be set in her ways, even mulish, and
when she wanted to she could be withering. That’s fine. That’s good
even. We don’t need saints. Who changes their life under the
influence of a saint? Okay – don’t answer that. But the point is –
Julia was so impressive, so instructive, so exhilarating, because she
was a woman, not a goddess. Julia didn’t create armies of drones,
mindlessly equating her name with taste and muttering “It’s a Good
Thing” under their minty breath. Instead she created feisty, buttery,
adventurous cooks, always diving in to the next possible disaster,
because goddammit, if Julia did it, so could we.
here will remember, Julia’s instructions for Homard a l’Americaine were
particularly troubling. Now, bisecting a living lobster is not an easy
thing to do – not for the cook, and certainly not for the lobster. I
still feel a little bad about it, and this morning I was writing
something maybe a little resentful about how I had visited this torture
on a crustacean on Julia’s directive.
ever want to do it again – not for her, not for anybody. But it was
important that I do it once. Killing that lobster made me face up to a
lot of stuff that bothers me – stuff about responsibility, and hard
decisions, and carving (bad word, maybe) a place in the world I can be
comfortable in. I would not have done it without Julia to tell me –
“Go ahead – What could happen?”
there for me to do. Without you here, I would be a different person –
a smaller, a sadder, a more frightened person.
you don’t either, but I’m going to make an exception in your case. I’m
going to choose to believe that tonight, you’re eating sole meunieré,
with Paul, and you’re lifting a glass to toast whatever comes next.
1:19:03 PM
4:07 AM
Just because you've seen one (funny pic), there's no need to laugh...thinking that there isn't any more. More funnyjunk.
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