The Future of Publishing | Penguin Blog (USA) – Penguin Group (USA) Penguin Group’s blog featured a video (originally used in a meeting) which has gone viral on YouTube, “The End of Publishing.” It’s clever and the blog post at Penguin gives the source(s). (Essentially it’s a video script palindrome.) (h/t Andrew Sullivan)
Theft report Student Is Accused of Stealing and Selling Valuable Historic Letters (NY Times)
The New York Times tells the disturbing story of an student, helping in the Drew University archives, stealing materials and selling some and keeping others. More disturbing: he had been given a key.
Viacom-YouTube Secrets Exposed In Lawsuit
Viacom-YouTube Secrets Exposed In Lawsuit Pretty amazing (and damaging) report about Viacom (owner of Comedy Central, among other properties) and Google (owner of YouTube) on the Huffington Post. According to YouTube’s Zahavah Levine (quoted in the news story): For, Viacom continuously and secretly uploaded its content to YouTube, even while publicly complaining about its presence… Continue reading Viacom-YouTube Secrets Exposed In Lawsuit
Robert Darnton on blogging
Robert Darnton at the New York Review of Books blog on blogging: “[blogs] conform to a formula derived from old-fashioned tabloid journalism: names make news.” Darnton compares some blogs to his area of expertise, underground writing of ancient regime France, and then gives succeeding examples of 18th C libels and such. Darnton concludes (a bit… Continue reading Robert Darnton on blogging
Italy and Google to digitize pre-1868 books
The AP reports that Italy and Google have agreed to digitize pre-1868 books: Google will cover the costs of the scanning of the books, all of them out-of-copyright Italian works, including 19th-century literature and 18th-century scientific volumes. The Italian libraries already had embarked on their own project to put their collections online, and so far… Continue reading Italy and Google to digitize pre-1868 books
Google Translate and Google Voice: a mass experiment
Image via Wikipedia The New York Times has what strikes me as an important article on Google’s translation service, and while it emphasizes processing power and data, there’s more here. (The section on their original data is interesting too.) Using Computing Might, Google Improves Translation Tool – NYTimes.com Google’s quick rise to the top echelons… Continue reading Google Translate and Google Voice: a mass experiment
BBC News – Oxford University’s L78m Bodleian library plans on show
Image via Wikipedia Susan Thomas unveils the new Bodleian Library. Space will hold up to 8 m books (h/t Lisa B on Facebook)
Amazon and trade book pricing
It looks like Macmillan and Amazon have finally agreed to publisher pricing. Links from a Library Journal article to blog notices about the agreement. “No more “windowing” of bestsellers; $9.99 prices, but not for bestsellers.” Macmillan CEO Explains “Agency Model” for Selling Ebooks – 3/3/2010 – Library Journal Related articles by Zemanta How Much Would… Continue reading Amazon and trade book pricing
New York’s Printing House Square
I collect architectural and street views of New York City, and one of the more unusual places of the late 19th C was Printing House Square, near City Hall. It was the site of the major newspapers (before they moved uptown) and the typefoundries (before the consolidated and moved out of town). A statue of… Continue reading New York’s Printing House Square
Oliver Wendell Holmes and Stereoviewing
Holmes-style stereoviewer (Image via Wikipedia) The history of 3-D from stereoscope to : The New Yorker The New Yorker has an interesting piece on the development of 3-D stereoscopy, really a review notice of Ray Zone’s book Stereoscopic Cinema and the Origins of the 3-D Film, 1838-1952, and really a book about movies. I find… Continue reading Oliver Wendell Holmes and Stereoviewing