[iDC] Media dies more slowly than some would like (David Weinberger)
Steve Borsch
steve at iconnectdots.com
Thu Dec 6 21:58:37 UTC 2007
Hello,
Been lurking for awhile but this quite intriguing topic got me off the
bench, so to speak.
My view? This is a discussion about the essence of value and the question:
Does delivering the content in a book digitally increase its value?
Ebooks will always be the bastard step-child of the content realm until
there is a capability to connect them in materially different ways that
INCREASE their value rather than replace what many feel doesn't really need
replacing (holding a bound bunch of paper with characters and pictures on it
is just fine for most people, thank you very much).
Just using ebooks doesn't really add a whole lot to the VALUE of the content
itself. For certain types (e.g., novels, deep non-fiction, white papers,
anything requiring deep contemplative behaviors) reading on a device also
inserts a disturbing level of anxiety and dissonance into the experience
that I believe is halting its adoption. That, along with behavioral and
other changes (e.g., no color) required by the current state of the devices
themselves, means the utility of digital consumption isn't yet high enough
to drive the changes that would lead to wide adoption.
When I read ebooks on my laptop there is bulk, making the 'container' less
transportable and manipulable in most of the contexts in which I read.
Futzing with the user interfaces with the Sony Reader or the Kindle isn't
insurmountable, but the screen negative/positive refreshes insert additional
dissonant elements into the experience. I also feel a *small* measure of a
constant and never-ending level of anxiety about battery life (Can I get
through this book/chapter before running out?) which is beginning to be
obviated by these new generation of readers with long battery life, but
we're not yet in a place where I think this anxiety will be a non-issue in
the near-term.
In one of my many roles I'm a small businessperson with my bride. For her
business we create full-screen and navigable 100-150 page PDF ebooks with
photos. We use 14 point fonts, good leading and minimal text to deliver
trend information to her audience of manufacturers and retailers. We enjoy
great gross margins and I'd love for this category to expand and expand but
there is currently a limit to acceptance with our audience as many find them
less usable than paper (again, portability; note-taking; etc.). The one
benefit has been their use in team meetings where the purchaser has
displayed the ebook with a projector and the team has gone through it, but
mostly people want ink on dead trees.
Of course, our delivery of these ebooks is possible since the photos are the
critical value inside and are what illustrate the trend. The text is
confined to bullet points so it's more akin to a Powerpoint deck than it is
to a text-based book. That said, the value of the PDF ebook container to us
is our reduced costs and ability to deliver it digitally (i.e., less
friction and immediate customer fulfillment) and NOT because there is some
sort of intrinsic value in this ebook delivery method (though a few of our
customers have argued about the high value of engaging their team members
and thus they love it....but I digress).
So buying and downloading an ebook wirelessly is interesting like the Kindle
does it. Having dozens of them available in one, slim device is equally so.
Quickly searching within them is beneficial. But the value within *any* book
isn't made more value because it's now an ebook and I can read it on some
device.
CONTAINERS
I submit that the entire discussion about "ebooks" needs to be re-framed and
I've come to believe that it's about containers of value instead of a
replacement for a 500 year old delivery method geared to static content.
1) Rich Internet Applications (RIA's) also called "hybrid applications" are
one such container. They inherently deliver content digitally that also
leverages Internet-connectivity in materially different ways. In this way,
ebook-like content delivered in an RIA -- and perhaps augmented with
up-to-the-minute refreshes, audio, video and transactional capability --
isn't compared "A" to "B" like a book is to an ebook today...but rather has
intrinsically higher value because it simply does more.
2) The blog could be construed as possibly the best example of this new
archetype of this re-framed discussion since many posts are vignettes or
"short stories" about a topic that are, in essence, a contextual snippet of
value. The 'discussion' (i.e., comments and trackbacks engaging other
bloggers) are an enormous amount of that value. Besides all of the obvious
benefits to digital delivery, widgets, video, audio, Flash content,
encapsulated presentations, in short, any digital file can be housed and
delivered within that container and be connected to other units of value
within other containers.
a) But it gets better when these disparate containers of value are connected
enabling readers to have more of a 360 degree view (or at least more
opinions or perspectives) surrounding some topic. Memetrackers (e.g.,
techmeme.com) are a crude, first attempt at connecting these snippets of
value together into a more meaningful whole and are one example.
b) Content syndication (i.e., RSS) allows this value to be delivered in many
different venues and methods and once aggregated with other complimentary or
critical snippets of value, theoretically make this connected data MORE
valuable.
---------------------------------
Perhaps I just made an argument for the semantic web, but any discussion
about ebooks needs to be on how value can be INCREASED by this new form
rather than distributed less expensively and used with less friction.
Whoa....that was WAY more than my usual $.02 but hope it adds to the
discussion.
--
Steve Borsch
Direct: 952.486.7678
Email: Steve at iConnectDots.com
Blog: http://www.iConnectDots.com
On 12/6/07, Danica Radovanovic <danica.radovanovic at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> I am not worried for pBooks.
>
> As someone who obtained and had complexed research of master thesis on
> Electronic publishing forms (including eBooks, eJournals and other Web-based
> ePublishing services, examining their flux in different aspects), I have to
> quote here Marshall McLuhan's from early 60's (The Gutenberg Galaxy: The
> Making of Typographic Man):
> *The book is dead.
> ..*anticipating that the book will disappear in thirty years, denoting,
> then, accelerated growth of information technologies as well as moving from
> the Gutenberg galaxy to electronic surrounding.
> *
> *Thirty years later Umberto Eko, in one of his great essays -The Future of
> the Book, <http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_future_of_book.html>re-examines McLuhan's
> fallacy optimistically observing the issue of electronic global village as
> well as publishing vs communicating - or I would say publishing *equal*communicating in new social web paradigm.
>
> Ebooks are available to anyone, can be downloaded either from Web or right
> from your Public library to your iPods (for American citizens, as here in
> Europe we didn't reach that level of IT development).
> The paper book won't be dead, as far as majority of under and
> grad.students prefer despite electronic form for their school e-readings
> to print the same material in paper ( I'm sorry that my master research
> paper from 2005. is in Serbian language, hope soon me or someone will
> translate the book into English).
>
> Also, do you remember the Google print project from May 2005 to digitize
> over 15 millions of books from world wide libraries (then it was project
> between European Digital Library Project : http://www.ecdl2004.org/ and
> Google corp.? What have happened? It all turned out to be online Google book
> online catalogue for browsing, as later Google made statement: "*Google
> Print helps you discover books, not read them online....To read the whole
> book, we encourage you to use the 'Buy this book' link to purchase it
> online..."
>
>
> *Anyway, it's still very interesting thought/sentence of my former
> professor, eight, nine years ago that I wrote about two days ago here:http://danicar.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/analogue-vs-digital-is-not-equal-offline-weinbergers-discussion/
>
> Synchronicity or not, David Weinberger's "..real world pizza tastes
> better than virtual food" sounds familiar with: "I don't go with computer in
> my bed".
>
> I think you got the point.
>
> Best,
> Danica
> **
> --
> -----------------
> Danica Radovanovic
> MSc.Information management professional
> Project coordinator, Web activist, blogger
> E-LIS editor, Serbia
> http://eprints.rclis.org/
> ---
> blog: http://danicar.wordpress.com
> twitter: http://twitter.com/simpathique
> skype: danica radovanovic
> -----------------------------
>
> On Dec 6, 2007 6:11 PM, Samuel Rose <samuel.rose at gmail.com > wrote:
>
> > An interesting discussion.
> >
> > I have to agree with the assertion that many, many books will not be
> > digitized into "e-books" any time soon. Although, I do think it is plausible
> > that a majority of books could be digitized eventually, if enough people
> > care to do it. (Wait until the software and hardware to scan in books become
> > very cheap, and then people will be doing it in their homes).
> >
> > This subject also has me thinking about some interesting possibilities
> > with digitized meta-data *about* print books. This could be massively useful
> > if structured right. I think about this also when I visit libraries doing
> > research. Sure, libraries have catalogues of "what relates to what" with
> > meta-data, and so on. But, what if you could also access this data from your
> > friends, and colleagues in your areas of study, maybe on a cell phone while
> > at the library? Maybe you'd enter an ISBN number in, and the book, as an
> > "object", would have many, many items of meta-data, and connection to other
> > "objects" attached to it. The building blocks for this exist, and some
> > people I am sure have come very close to building this, but a usable system
> > would be awesome to have..
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Dec 6, 2007 11:28 AM, <idc-request at mailman.thing.net> wrote:
> >
> > > Send iDC mailing list submissions to
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> > >
> > > Today's Topics:
> > >
> > > 1. Re: Media dies more slowly than some would like (David
> > > Weinberger)
> > >
> > >
> > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Message: 1
> > > Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 11:27:46 -0500
> > > From: "David Weinberger" <dweinberger at gmail.com>
> > > Subject: Re: [iDC] Media dies more slowly than some would like
> > > To: "Aaron Beebe" < aaron at brawnandfervor.com>
> > > Cc: idc at mailman.thing.net
> > > Message-ID:
> > > < 6e0e08ed0712060827r5c9430eu232ec5092150fb21 at mail.gmail.com >
> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
> > >
> > > Sorry to quote myself, but it's only so I can then disagree with
> > > myself.
> > >
> > > I ended my response to Rick's msg this way:
> > >
> > > ----
> > >
> > > So, for now I think I'm sticking with the notion that ebooks will make
> > > pbooks obsolete. That doesn't mean books go away. Rather, they will
> > > generally be seen as less useful, less convenient, and less affordable
> > > than
> > > pbooks, and the value of pbooks will increasingly be in what we've
> > > traditionally taken as extrinsic to their value: the canonical cover
> > > rather
> > > than the "contents" (in coward-quotes because the Web by its nature is
> > >
> > > ecstatic)...
> > >
> > > -----
> > >
> > > I was thinking that I didn't want to end with the "books become
> > > theater"
> > > analogy because theater has been marginalized but it hasn't become
> > > obsolete.
> > > I was thinking that matters will be different with pbooks. We will use
> > >
> > > ebooks to do what we used to use pbooks for; pbooks won't do what
> > > pbooks do
> > > as well as ebooks will. That's what I mean by "obsolete." And I still
> > > agree
> > > with myself about that. But, thanks to this thread, I think I've been
> > > taking
> > > too functional a view of books. As Paul and Aaron say, their cultural
> > > and
> > > social significances are likely not simply to be stripped but will
> > > transform
> > > in ways we -- well, I -- can't predict. So, thanks.
> > >
> > > Nevertheless, if f I play the stock market, I'd short books.
> > >
> > > -- David W.
> > >
> > >
> > > On Dec 6, 2007 2:37 AM, Aaron Beebe <aaron at brawnandfervor.com > wrote:
> > >
> > > > This is a very interesting topic. And I think it also points to
> > > one of
> > > > the common fallacies that the "new media" community shares with
> > > other
> > > > forward thinking groups as far as the concepts of "obsolescence",
> > > "death",
> > > > and "progress". Our relationship with media changes in all kinds
> > > of
> > > > directions. Media don't really have a lifespan that's
> > > unidirectional ?
> > > > i.e. they're born, they live, then they die.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I think the example of live theater is a great one. We've seen that
> > > the
> > > > definition of "live theater" has changed over time (greek tragedy,
> > > > brutalist performance art, Lyric Opera, various forms of traditional
> > >
> > > > dance, buskering, magic, vaudeville, cyclorama, "happenings",
> > > parades). Its
> > > > utility changes over time, it doesn't just "die". Today I think
> > > we're
> > > > seeing a kind of resurgence in live theater ? something that falls
> > > outside
> > > > the rhetoric of "living" or "dying". So as far as paper books are
> > > > concerned, I hope we see a continuing evolution of form and use for
> > > a long
> > > > time to come. As long as there is a utility, even an artisinal one,
> > > for
> > > > printed material on real, analog surfaces, we'll be able to talk
> > > about
> > > > printed books. In fact, like theater, I hope that electronic mass
> > > > production allows us to reimagine books as a physical experience in
> > > a way.
> > > > As a unique, lived experience, perhaps. Like visiting a tourist
> > > site
> > > > instead of looking at photos or films. Or like seeing a
> > > supercelebrity in
> > > > a broadway show instead of on a screen.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Aaron Beebe
> > > >
> > > > Curator
> > > >
> > > > The Coney Island Museum
> > > >
> > > > www.coneyisland.com
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > *From:* idc-bounces at mailman.thing.net [mailto:
> > > > idc-bounces at mailman.thing.net ] *On Behalf Of *David Weinberger
> > > > *Sent:* Wednesday, December 05, 2007 9:28 PM
> > > > *To:* idc at mailman.thing.net
> > > > *Subject:* Re: [iDC] Media dies more slowly than some would like
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > What a lovely, thoughtful, rich essay! Rick I think is pointing the
> > > way --
> > > > in theory and in practice -- toward a new relationship with books. I
> > > wish we
> > > > could make him King of Publishing and Emperor of the Libraries...um,
> > > in a
> > > > completely bottom up way, of course.
> > > >
> > > > In my view, ebooks are not going to wipe pbooks off the face of the
> > > earth.
> > > > Assuming maximum success for ebooks, my guess is that pbooks will
> > > continue
> > > > roughly as live theater has -- a special experience within the main
> > > stream
> > > > of TV and movies. But, that would mean that pbooks have become
> > > pretty much
> > > > obsolete: They still have value but generally we don't need them to
> > > do what
> > > > we traditionally have done with books.
> > > >
> > > > Rick writes: "In fact, the obsolescence of physical books isn't a
> > > > technical or philosophical issue; it's preeminently a business and
> > > marketing
> > > > issue." That's an important point. But it's also more complex than
> > > that (as
> > > > Rick acknowledges by talking about preeminence), since the marketing
> > > issue
> > > > includes publicizing the perceived benefits of ebooks, and that
> > > takes us
> > > > back to the features enabled by the technology. Tech isn't
> > > determinative,
> > > > but it does have something to do with it.
> > > >
> > > > So, what the benefits of paper books are that will keep them from
> > > becoming
> > > > obsolete?
> > > >
> > > > Grafton points mainly to the needs of a handful of scholars to
> > > consult
> > > > multiple editions of original sources and to his-- it seems to me --
> > > > fetishistic love of leather-bound books spread out on shiny wood
> > > surfaces.
> > > > Rick points to some other benefits.
> > > >
> > > > In particular, Rick finds collections of pbooks far more conducive
> > > to
> > > > fruitful browsing. We've all had experiences that accord with that.
> > > But I
> > > > think that the failure to provide rich, evocative, satisfying
> > > browsing
> > > > experiences for ebooks is temporary. We -- the market -- will invent
> > > new
> > > > ways of browsing ebooks that have the potential to be far more
> > > satisfying.
> > > > There are already tons of experiments, including Amazon,
> > > LibraryThing, and,
> > > > arguably, the Web itself. Already, much as I like bookstores, I am
> > > happily
> > > > surprised by books more frequently at Amazon...and our local
> > > bookstore
> > > > (Brookline Booksmith) is fantastic.
> > > >
> > > > What are the other benefits of pbooks? How many of those benefits
> > > are
> > > > sustainable? How many are not replicable with ebooks?
> > > >
> > > > - The smell and feel of knowledge encased in leather? Not
> > > replicable. But,
> > > > I'm thinking it's not all that sustainable except, ultimately, for
> > > the
> > > > market of collectors.
> > > >
> > > > - Durability of paper. But won't digital media become more durable
> > > as we
> > > > figure out that we really do need to preserve our culture's works
> > > longer
> > > > than a rev cycle of Microsoft Word?
> > > >
> > > > - The installed base. It'll be a loooong time before all books are
> > > > available electronically, where loooong = functionally never.
> > > >
> > > > - Books as historic artifacts. Gutenberg's not going to be running
> > > off any
> > > > more copies.
> > > >
> > > > - Readability of paper, even in bright sun, etc. But surely we will
> > > invent
> > > > a paper quality display at some point in human history. Please?
> > > >
> > > > - The ability to lend pbooks (friend to friend or via libraries),
> > > whereas
> > > > ebooks have DRM coming out their wazoos. Absolutely, but that's just
> > > a
> > > > (poor) business decision.
> > > >
> > > > What are the benefits of pbooks that will keep plibraries from going
> > > the
> > > > way of going the way of live theater? And I don't mean that
> > > rhetorically.
> > > >
> > > > I know that Rick is asking a deeper question that that. But, I think
> > > there
> > > > is some evidence that the Net is breaking the spine of books, and
> > > that
> > > > therefore pbooks are going to affect the shape of ebooks less than
> > > Rick
> > > > suggests. E.g., much of the value of Wikipedia (oy, yes, the
> > > Wikipedia
> > > > example again) and of blogs (nooo! not blogs!) obviously come from
> > > how they
> > > > get past the limitations of paper. It's important to ask, as Rick
> > > does,
> > > > about the ways in which pbooks will shape ebooks, but I think most
> > > of the
> > > > shaping is going in the other direction, even though Kindle
> > > highlights its
> > > > own commitment to the sacred rectangle of the page.
> > > >
> > > > So, for now I think I'm sticking with the notion that ebooks will
> > > make
> > > > pbooks obsolete. That doesn't mean books go away. Rather, they will
> > > > generally be seen as less useful, less convenient, and less
> > > affordable than
> > > > pbooks, and the value of pbooks will increasingly be in what we've
> > > > traditionally taken as extrinsic to their value: the canonical cover
> > > rather
> > > > than the "contents" (in coward-quotes because the Web by its nature
> > > is
> > > > ecstatic)...
> > > >
> > > > Thank you so much for this posting, Rick.
> > > >
> > > > Best,
> > > >
> > > > David Weinberger
> > > >
> > > > On Dec 5, 2007 1:04 AM, Rick Prelinger < rick at archive.org> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Trebor's kind invitation to kindle a thread has filled me with
> > > > trepidation, largely because my experience in the areas germane to
> > > this list
> > > > has been preeminently practical rather than theoretical. I've been
> > > a moving
> > > > image archivist since the early 1980s and have been trying to go
> > > into
> > > > archival recovery for almost ten years, but the thrill and rewards
> > > of
> > > > putting films online for free has kept me hooked on archives and
> > > goaded me
> > > > into thinking about meta-archival issues. I was a new media author
> > > in the
> > > > laserdisc and CD-ROM days and published fifteen discs in
> > > collaboration with
> > > > Voyager, hoping to free historical film from the traps of
> > > academicism and
> > > > nostalgia. And for the past several years I've been an amateur
> > > outsider
> > > > librarian, co-founder of a private research library open to the
> > > public in
> > > > San Francisco, a large physical collection that is rapidly
> > > developing an
> > > > online analogue. In truth I'd also have to admit to being an
> > > independent
> > > > scholar: I've done a Vectors residency,
> > > > lecture frequently on archival access, and write curricula for
> > > cinema
> > > > studies students on archival tracks.
> > > >
> > > > Those of us who have spent time in and around what people call "new
> > > media"
> > > > (I'm happier calling it "emerging media," because I don't know what
> > > "new"
> > > > means any more) have seen technologies come and go, often before
> > > their
> > > > potential can be realized. When a technology dies its relics inure
> > > to media
> > > > primitivists who quietly work with them, often in a localized or
> > > artisanal
> > > > way. I'm thinking of my friends in Detroit who resolutely only
> > > listen to
> > > > music that's on 8-track tapes, the immortal Pixelvision underground,
> > > or the
> > > > performative-projection artists in San Francisco. Many technologies
> > > that
> > > > were once touted as revolutionary or at the very least disruptively
> > > > problematic revert to being quaint antiques, perhaps even becoming
> > > part of a
> > > > quietly hissing steampunk infrastructure.
> > > >
> > > > But some media forms are not going away fast, despite what everyone
> > > seems
> > > > to think. Radio broadcasting (if you accept San Jose 1909 as its
> > > place and
> > > > date of inception) is 98 years old. The pipes it passes through
> > > change and
> > > > the business models governing its production and distribution
> > > evolve, but it
> > > > works today much as it has worked since the early 1920s. Radio has
> > > not
> > > > become quaint, and it encompasses both artisanal, local practice and
> > >
> > > > monopolistically-controlled mass medium.
> > > >
> > > > And then there are books.
> > > >
> > > > I'm a librarian two or three days a week, and I love books, though I
> > > don't
> > > > feel at all nostalgic about them, nor about libraries, musty paper
> > > or
> > > > handwritten marginalia. I'm not romantically infatuated with books
> > > (see
> > > > David Weinberger's excellent critique of Anthony Grafton's recent
> > > New Yorker
> > > > piece at (
> > > http://www.hyperorg.com/backissues/joho-nov19-07.html#book).
> > > > But I think David's characterization of books as fetishistic
> > > objects and of
> > > > libraries as nostalgic repositories is well-articulated but
> > > unfounded.
> > > > Recent experience reveals to me no inherent reason why ebooks
> > > should render
> > > > printed books obsolete.
> > > >
> > > > Three years ago my spouse and I opened up an appropriation-friendly
> > > > private research library in downtown San Francisco with the help of
> > > sixty
> > > > friends who came and spent eight days shelving the collection (much
> > > of which
> > > > had been deaccessioned by other libraries). We had no idea who
> > > would use
> > > > it, and in fact hardly anyone came during the first three months.
> > > And then
> > > > suddenly we were mobbed -- by art classes, independent scholars,
> > > artists
> > > > looking for text and images to reuse, and the simply curious. Even
> > > though
> > > > we were three blocks from the (much larger) public library, people
> > > chose to
> > > > come and use our materials. Since then we have had over 3000
> > > visitors.
> > > >
> > > > What we learned was that browsing and reading have endured and
> > > appear to
> > > > be robust; that the younger and more digitally-oriented users bond
> > > to print
> > > > with passion; that our visitors prefer the serendipity and discovery
> > > enabled
> > > > by navigating a space of physical objects over the simulation of
> > > discovery
> > > > offered by online resources; that query-based collections (as most
> > > online
> > > > libraries are) inhibit randomness, discovery and surprise; and that
> > > while
> > > > people use databases or Google to answer specific questions, they
> > > come to us
> > > > to find what they are not looking for and leave fulfilled and happy.
> > > All of
> > > > this was quite unanticipated and a great surprise. It is, of
> > > course,
> > > > empirical and anecdotal, but it's led us to believe that the
> > > assertion that
> > > > physical books are on the point of obsolescence is faith-based and
> > > > self-fulfilling.
> > > >
> > > > There is absolutely no evidence that ebooks will replace printed
> > > books
> > > > unless we want them to. In fact, the obsolescence of physical books
> > > isn't a
> > > > technical or philosophical issue; it's preeminently a business and
> > > marketing
> > > > issue. Will the publishing industry try to force readers to buy and
> > > use
> > > > text digitally? The potential economies of digital distribution
> > > would argue
> > > > that this is likely to occur. If it does, this is not a judgment
> > > upon
> > > > print's relevance, nor is it the fulfillment of an anti-nostalgic
> > > drive.
> > > > It's just business. Ebooks won't disrupt the publishing ecosystem;
> > > they're
> > > > arising out of an attempt to remake business models. Similarly, the
> > >
> > > > recording industry moved from analog vinyl to digital CDs in an
> > > attempt to
> > > > migrate to what it thought would be a read-only medium and to raise
> > > the
> > > > price of music. The unintended consequence -- that it became easy
> > > to copy
> > > > bits, was disruptive. But the technology was deployed to update
> > > business
> > > > models.
> > > >
> > > > It's true that Google is the first and last resort for many students
> > > and
> > > > information seekers. It's true that university libraries are less
> > > used than
> > > > they were. And this is one powerful reason why ebooks may multiply
> > > -- even
> > > > the richest university libraries cannot function at a loss, and it
> > > costs
> > > > dearly to accession, catalog, shelve and circulate printed
> > > materials.
> > > > Stanford is building a new engineering library that will be
> > > bookless. The
> > > > strongest argument for doing so is reduced labor cost. Why have
> > > large
> > > > libraries welcomed Google as a partner despite the problematic
> > > contractual
> > > > provisions?
> > > >
> > > > Digital text promises new functionalities to which I look forward;
> > > that's
> > > > why we are scanning 8,000 of our public domain items in partnership
> > > with the
> > > > Internet Archive. If networked annotation, textual mashups and
> > > open,
> > > > sharable textual datasets leave the lab and go mainstream, it won't
> > > be
> > > > because physical books are outmoded, but because copyright owners
> > > perceive a
> > > > market. (In the nonprofit and academic worlds, we can try to help
> > > > monkeywrench this by leveraging public domain works to build new
> > > services
> > > > and hoping that an accessible, shared public domain forces copyright
> > > holders
> > > > to move in the same direction. But right now the opposite is
> > > happening, as
> > > > Microsoft and Google build separate enclosed gardens of public
> > > domain books
> > > > they're paying to scan.)
> > > >
> > > > I also await convincing evidence that networked annotation will
> > > scale. It
> > > > flourishes in many small instances, but it also flounders due to
> > > lack of
> > > > interest and specificity. Again, many annotation projects haven't
> > > escaped
> > > > the labs in which they were created. Others, like the annotations
> > > attached
> > > > to our films online at the Internet Archive, are characterized by a
> > > few
> > > > peaks of insight and lucidity rising out of a landscape of noise.
> > > Though
> > > > many scholars and teachers make heavy use of the online films, they
> > > don't
> > > > annotate or discuss them online, I think because the overall
> > > discourse is
> > > > heavily fan-oriented and focused on likes and dislikes. And I am
> > > not
> > > > convinced that hyperlinking will turn into a mainstream activity,
> > > unless it
> > > > is forced upon people as part of standards-based education. We
> > > construct a
> > > > image of the future book based on features we perceive and desire
> > > today;
> > > > this means we eternalize the present. But we cannot build castles
> > > out of
> > > > today's bricks without riski
> > > > ng instability.
> > > >
> > > > The publishing industry, like the recording industry, is its own
> > > worst
> > > > enemy. Instead of taking a deliberative and receptive attitude
> > > towards
> > > > technology, they are allowing their actions to be dictated by blind,
> > > often
> > > > unthinking fear. They would do best by being customer-centered and
> > > ensuring
> > > > that readers could obtain texts in whatever formats they chose with
> > > minimal
> > > > difficulty. In my gentrified San Francisco supermarket I recently
> > > counted
> > > > over 70 varieties of olive oil. Why is the publishing industry all
> > > hung up
> > > > over the evolution of digital text, and why do we reify the
> > > assertion that
> > > > print has to die out? Can't both exist and flourish, along with
> > > audiobooks,
> > > > large-type books and other formats that may emerge?
> > > >
> > > > I cite our admittedly subjective personal experience because it
> > > indicates
> > > > to me that not only are books not going away, contrary to what David
> > >
> > > > Weinberger believes, but that they are engaging people in new ways
> > > as we
> > > > move towards a digital culture. I'd venture to say that physical
> > > books will
> > > > start to look and function differently in a digital context, and
> > > that the
> > > > form and shape of ebooks will be influenced by the persistence of
> > > physical
> > > > objects which, after all, practically define persistence. How
> > > exactly this
> > > > will happen might be a good subject for discussion.
> > > >
> > > > Rick
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > Rick Prelinger
> > > > Prelinger Archives http://www.prelinger.com
> > > > P.O. Box 590622, San Francisco, Calif. 94159-0622<callto:+1941590622>USA
> > > > footage at panix.com
> > > >
> > > > Prelinger Library: http://www.prelingerlibrary.org
> > > >
> > > > NEW: Prelinger Library Digital Collections
> > > > http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger_library
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > iDC -- mailing list of the Institute for Distributed Creativity (
> > > distributedcreativity.org
> > > > )
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> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > David Weinberger
> > > > Fellow, Harvard Berkman Center
> > > > blog: www.JohoTheBlog.com
> > > > new book: www.EverythingIsMiscellaneous.com
> > > > mail: self at evident.com
> > > >
> > > > No virus found in this incoming message.
> > > > Checked by AVG.
> > > > Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.14/1171 - Release Date:
> > > > 12/4/2007 7:31 PM
> > > >
> > > > No virus found in this outgoing message.
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> > > > 12/4/2007 7:31 PM
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > > List Archive:
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> > > >
> > > > Share relevant URLs on Del.icio.us by adding the tag iDCref
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > David Weinberger
> > > Fellow, Harvard Berkman Center
> > > blog: www.JohoTheBlog.com
> > > new book: www.EverythingIsMiscellaneous.com
> > > mail: self at evident.com
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> > > ------------------------------
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > iDC mailing list
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> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Institute for Distributed Creativity (iDC)
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > www.distributedcreativity.org
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > The research of the Institute for Distributed Creativity
> > > (iDC) focuses on collaboration in media art, technology,
> > > and theory with an emphasis on social contexts.
> > > _______________________________________________
> > >
> > >
> > > End of iDC Digest, Vol 38, Issue 5
> > > **********************************
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Sam Rose
> > Social Synergy
> > Cel: +1-517-974-6451 <callto:+15179746451>
> > AIM: Str9960
> > Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samrose
> > skype: samuelrose
> > email: samuel.rose at gmail.com
> > http://socialsynergyweb.com/services
> > http://blog.socialsynergyweb.com
> >
> > Related Sites/Blogs/Projects:
> > OpenBusinessModels: http://socialsynergyweb.net/cgi-bin/wiki/FrontPage
> > http://p2pfoundation.net
> > http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
> > http://www.cooperationcommons.com
> > http://barcampbank.org
> > http://bfwatch.barcampbank.org
> > http://communitywiki.org
> > http://extinctionlevelevent.com
> >
> > Information Filtering:
> > http://socialsynergyweb.com/gregarius/
> > http://ma.gnolia.com/people/srose/bookmarks
> > http://del.icio.us/srose
> > http://twitter.com/SamRose
> > _______________________________________________
> > iDC -- mailing list of the Institute for Distributed Creativity (
> > distributedcreativity.org)
> > iDC at mailman.thing.net
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> >
> > List Archive:
> > http://mailman.thing.net/pipermail/idc/
> >
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> >
> > RSS feed:
> > http://rss.gmane.org/gmane.culture.media.idc
> >
> > iDC Chat on Facebook:
> > http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2457237647
> >
> > Share relevant URLs on Del.icio.us by adding the tag iDCref
> >
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> iDC -- mailing list of the Institute for Distributed Creativity (
> distributedcreativity.org)
> iDC at mailman.thing.net
> https://mailman.thing.net/mailman/listinfo/idc
>
> List Archive:
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>
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>
> RSS feed:
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>
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>
> Share relevant URLs on Del.icio.us by adding the tag iDCref
>
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