- Nudge Policies Are Another Name for Coercion (New Scientist) — This points to the key problem with “nudge” style paternalism: presuming that technocrats understand what ordinary people want better than the people themselves. There is no reason to think technocrats know better, especially since Thaler and Sunstein offer no means for ordinary people to comment on, let alone correct, the technocrats’ prescriptions. This leaves the technocrats with no systematic way of detecting their own errors, correcting them, or learning from them. And technocracy is bound to blunder, especially when it is not democratically accountable. Take heed, all you Gov 2.0 wouldbe-hackers. (via BoingBoing)
- Country Selector — turns a dropdown into an autocomplete field where available. Very nice! (via Chris Shiflett)
- Ebook Users Wanted — Pew Internet & American Life project looking at ebooks, looking for people who use ebooks and tablet readers in libraries.
- The Public Library, Complete Reimagined (KQED) — the Fayetteville public library is putting in a fab lab. [L]ibraries aren’t just about books. They are about free access to information and to technology — and not just to reading books or using computers, but actually building and making things. (via BoingBoing)
"ebooks" entries
Ebook refunds and absolute satisfaction
Why no-questions-asked ebook refund policies work.
Joe Wikert says if you trust your customers with a generous ebook returns policy, they'll pay you back with loyalty and future business.
Top Stories: November 7-11, 2011
Tim O'Reilly on ebooks, confessions of a not-so-public speaker, and why social network analysis matters.
This week on O'Reilly: Tim O'Reilly looked at the past and future of ebooks, Suzanne Axtell shared her first steps toward becoming a public speaker, and we learned that social network analysis goes far beyond social networks.
Four short links: 11 November 2011
Technocracy's Blind Spot, Progressive Enhancement, Libraries and ebooks, and Library Fablab
Thoughts on ebooks triggered by the appointment of Andrew Savikas as CEO of Safari Books Online
Subscription is the right model for heavy users, pay-per-view works for occasional users, ad-supported appears to be the best way to fund fast-changing current content, and of course, some content is better rendered as an app than a book.
Top Stories: October 24-28, 2011
10/30/11 is Dennis Ritchie Day, post-PC and the new tech revolution, publishing's fundamental shift.
This week on O'Reilly: Tim O'Reilly called for a Dennis Ritchie Day to honor the computing pioneer, Mark Sigal examined the players and products in the post-PC revolution, and Hugh McGuire discussed the seismic shifts that are reshaping the publishing industry.
Four short links: 26 October 2011
CPAN's Sweet 0x10, Social Reading, Questioning Polls, and 3D Manufacturing
- CPAN Turns 0x10 — sixteenth anniversary of the creation of the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network. Now holds 480k objects.
- Subtext — social bookreading by adding chat, links, etc. to a book. I haven’t tried the implementation yet but I’ve wanted this for years. (Just haven’t wanted to jump into the cesspool of rights negotiations enough to actually build it :-) (via David Eagleman)
- Questions to Ask about Election Polls — information to help you critically consume data analysis. (via Rachel Cunliffe)
- Technologies, Potential, and Implications of Additive Manufacturing (PDF) — AM is a group of emerging technologies that create objects from the bottom-up by adding material one cross-sectional layer at a time. […] Ultimately, AM has the potential to be as disruptive as the personal computer and the internet. The digitization of physical artifacts allows for global sharing and distribution of designed solutions. It enables crowd-sourced design (and individual fabrication) of physical hardware. It lowers the barriers to manufacturing, and allows everyone to become an entrepreneur. (via Bruce Sterling)
Top Stories: October 17-21, 2011
The joys of animated geo data, Angry Birds and the future of mobile testing, and a look inside The Guardian's creative process.
This week on O'Reilly: Andy Kirk explained why data, maps and animation work so well together, we discovered the connection between a game-playing robot and the future of mobile app testing, and we learned how The Guardian develops its data journalism.
Top Stories: October 10-14, 2011
The obstacles of indoor navigation, "Moneyball" for software engineers, and a call for hyperlinking restraint.
This week on O'Reilly: Nick Farina explained why smartphones have yet to crack the indoor navigation problem, we explored the relationship between "Moneyball" and software engineering, and Pete Meyers looked at the pros and cons of links in ebooks.
Publishing News: Survey says publishers continue to miss out on digital opportunities
Aptara’s latest survey is out, news organizations as ebook publishers, and a recipe site that works like Instapaper.
The Third Annual eBook Survey of Publishers was released this week. Also, news organizations continue to venture into ebook publishing, and the KeepRecipes site may be the most useful online recipe organizer yet.
The problem with deep discount ebook deals
Deep discounts need to be associated with some sort of return.
Joe Wikert says publishers should move away from one-product deep discount campaigns and start thinking about how to build a much more extensive relationship with customers.