This blog will become more or less inactive until the beginning of next year due to a heavy work-load I face right now (not to mention the sweating nights having nightmares not to be able to finish my thesis until due date). However, as I stumble across various interesting things, I may still post them here.
A blog, which definitely somehow reflects the thoughts of it's author, usually also elaborates on topics that are connected with his/her actual occupation.
For me, right now I do a lot of sitting, writing and, of course, research on materials connected with the topic of my thesis. So, whenever I can't find a book in the library, I am usually happy to find it (almost) fully available at Google Books. Today, I noticed a new announcement on their homepage:
However, as I read in the ending notes, this only affects people who access from the US. The reason for this is that an association of authors filed a lawsuit against Google for publishing those books and now they join together to make even more books available. So why not in Europe or Asia?
This, then, is the great globalization that many activists fear so much? Well, I feel more and more restricted by local existence these days. Exemples range from the iTunes store over Amazon shipments and restrictions for contents on web-based video websites.
*sigh* (fortunately, most of these problems can be eliminated by using a proxy)
A blog, which definitely somehow reflects the thoughts of it's author, usually also elaborates on topics that are connected with his/her actual occupation.
For me, right now I do a lot of sitting, writing and, of course, research on materials connected with the topic of my thesis. So, whenever I can't find a book in the library, I am usually happy to find it (almost) fully available at Google Books. Today, I noticed a new announcement on their homepage:
Accessing books
This agreement will create new options for reading entire books (which is, after all, what books are there for).
- Online access
Once this agreement has been approved, you'll be able to purchase full online access to millions of books. This means you can read an entire book from any Internet-connected computer, simply by logging in to your Book Search account, and it will remain on your electronic bookshelf, so you can come back and access it whenever you want in the future. - Library and university access
We'll also be offering libraries, universities and other organizations the ability to purchase institutional subscriptions, which will give users access to the complete text of millions of titles while compensating authors and publishers for the service. Students and researchers will have access to an electronic library that combines the collections from many of the top universities across the country. Public and university libraries in the U.S. will also be able to offer terminals where readers can access the full text of millions of out-of-print books for free. - Buying or borrowing actual books
Finally, if the book you want is available in a bookstore or nearby library, we'll continue to point you to those resources, as we've always done.
However, as I read in the ending notes, this only affects people who access from the US. The reason for this is that an association of authors filed a lawsuit against Google for publishing those books and now they join together to make even more books available. So why not in Europe or Asia?
This, then, is the great globalization that many activists fear so much? Well, I feel more and more restricted by local existence these days. Exemples range from the iTunes store over Amazon shipments and restrictions for contents on web-based video websites.
*sigh* (fortunately, most of these problems can be eliminated by using a proxy)
Comments