You really think Google is out to increase the book seller's profit margin? Get real. Thats a coincidence and doesn't justify the unauthorized use of copyrighted material. So, if I steal your paycheck, invest it, make a small profit on it for myself, and then give it back to you slightly increased, then I was justified in stealing it? The internet has people confused. Easy is not the same thing as ethical.

You really think Google is out to increase the book seller's profit margin? Get real. Thats a coincidence and doesn't justify the unauthorized use of copyrighted material. So, if I steal your paycheck, invest it, make a small profit on it for myself, and then give it back to you slightly increased, then I was justified in stealing it? The internet has people confused. Easy is not the same thing as ethical.

As someone who has just found the benefits of Google Books, I have to say that it is amazing. It's selection of primary sources makes me sound like a history guru and it has pointed me in the direction of many books that I would have never found at any library. Honestly, theres little reason to go to a library anymore.

When the Sony Reader appeared on store shelves last September, it didn't make the kind of splash a lot of people expected, and in the months since it hasn't sent waves rippling through the industry. Tech reviewers were less than whelmed by the Readers feature set--no backlighting, no search, no annotation, no wireless web streaming--and they considered the price, $350, to be way too high. Literary types, on the other hand, dismissed the Reader in a rather haughtier manner. They saw it not only as a poor substitute for a book, but as a threat to the hallowed tradition of "the book," another broadside from the over-stimulated, attention-deprived, caffeinated present on the deep-thinking and ever-threatened literary tradition.

Maybe I'm just stubborn, but I still prefer the paper version of books, especially when it comes to some technical references and textbooks. Sure I can highlight the screen and attach notes to it as well, but generally I have found that opening the book to exactly the information I need is still much faster than booting up a computer (or application) and either searching or jumping to a book mark. Plus it is still hard to lie down on your back and relax with a tablet or ebook reader than it is with a small paperback.

bmadge wrote:
You really think Google is out to increase the book seller's profit margin? Get real. Thats a coincidence and doesn't justify the unauthorized use of copyrighted material. So, if I steal your paycheck, invest it, make a small profit on it for myself, and then give it back to you slightly increased, then I was justified in stealing it? The internet has people confused. Easy is not the same thing as ethical.

I am always amazed that some publishers consider that Amazon are worthy bedding partners whilst Google are a dastardly demon. In my eyes, both corporations are control freaks who are looking to dominate the marketing place without paying a fair price for their "stock".

Me thinks that like most 600lb gorillas they will meet their day of reckoning in the jungle.