Archive for the 'Books' Category
J.K. Rowling Sells Harry Potter Ebooks Herself and They’re DRM Free
April 4th, 2012Overall, I think that this is a good development. Rowling has just routed around powerful publishers and Amazon and gone straight to people who want to buy her ebooks. There are, however, some howlers in the terms and conditions on the Pottermore site. This is from section 12.3: 12.3 You may not and may not […]
Letter from Aldous Huxley to George Orwell About 1984
March 8th, 2012Via: Letters of Note: Within the next generation I believe that the world’s rulers will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging and […]
Obama Administration Moves to Aid Syrian Opposition
March 7th, 2012In the piece below, we read that this, “Stops short of providing any direct military assistance to the armed opposition.” If you want to read detailed, voluminous accounts of how the U.S. covertly and illegally provides weapons to any state or group it pleases, see, Spider’s Web: The Secret History of How the White House […]
Sorry iBooks, Paper Books Still Win on Specs
January 22nd, 2012Apple’s vision for ebooks is to make them like webpages, complete with embedded music, videos, lectures, 3D models, etc; the more distracting, the better. One of the most irritating experiences that I can think of is being interrupted as I’m trying to concentrate. When I sit down to read a book, I don’t want my […]
Disciplined Minds: A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System That Shapes Their Lives
January 5th, 2012Be warned: If you are having difficulties with maintaining appearances at work, this book won’t make it any easier. Via: Disciplined Minds: A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System That Shapes Their Lives by Jeff Schmidt: For understanding the professional, the concept of “ideology” will emerge as much more useful than that […]
Wheat Belly
January 1st, 2012Via: Wheat Belly: Who had the audacity to write such an against-the-grain book exposing “healthy whole grains” for the incredibly destructive genetic monsters they’ve become? That’s me, Dr. William Davis, cardiologist and seeker-of-truth in health. Over 80% of the people I meet today are pre-diabetic or diabetic. In an effort to reduce blood sugar, I […]
Ten Plotlines You’ll Find in Science Fiction — Over and Over Again
December 28th, 2011This topic needs a far weirder treatment than the khaki-clad nine-to-fivers at io9 are capable of providing. Maybe Brainsturbator will do this properly someday. For an unabridged version, see Secret Sun. Via: io9: Science fiction is a genre of limitless possibilities, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few ideas writers keep coming back to […]
Minding Your Mitochondria: Dr. Terry Wahls Cured Her Worsening Multiple Sclerosis with Diet
December 24th, 2011This is one of the most astonishing videos that I have ever seen. Please consider sharing this through your networks. Via: TEDxTalks / YouTube: Dr. Terry Wahls learned how to properly fuel her body. Using the lessons she learned at the subcellular level, she used diet to cure her MS and get out of her […]
Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy — Martin Lindstrom
December 20th, 2011This looks like a good one. (As I link to it using my Amazon affiliate code. *chuckle*) Via: Amazon: From the bestselling author of Buyology comes a shocking insider’s look at how today’s global giants conspire to obscure the truth and manipulate our minds, all in service of persuading us to buy.
Not The Onion: Catholic Church Sells Pornographic Novels in Germany
November 5th, 2011Via: New Zealand Herald: Germany’s biggest Catholic-owned publishing house has been rocked by disclosures that it has been selling thousands of pornographic novels with titles such as Sluts Boarding School and Lawyer’s Whore with the full assent of the country’s leading bishops. The revelations made in the publishing-industry newsletter Buchreport concern Weltbild, a company with […]
