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George Packer: Is amazon bad for books?
- Thread starter SFG75
- Start date
Meadow337
Former Moderator
Meadow337
Former Moderator
I'm sorry - Remains of the Day is about a SELF-ERASING??? English butler? really? I think this article is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
I have manfully struggled 75% of the way through and I entirely fail to see the point. If this article was named is Amazon the end of the traditional publisher - then yeah that is what it is about. He is yet to give any argument to why this is bad for books.
I have manfully struggled 75% of the way through and I entirely fail to see the point. If this article was named is Amazon the end of the traditional publisher - then yeah that is what it is about. He is yet to give any argument to why this is bad for books.
CaptchaReader
New Member
The comment sounds a little strange to me, too. It isn't one of my favorite books, although I did read it. I saw the movie first and it is one of my favorites, maybe my single most.
Emma Thompson's character asks the protagonist: "Why must you always hide what you feel?" So there is a case to be made that he is erasing himself in a sense.
CaptchaReader
New Member
No, but it isn't unreasonable to expect the meaning of a synonym or of a subjective opinon.
Sneezy
Well-Known Member
As much as I love my Kindle I am not a huge fan of the Amazon/WalMart business models. I truly believe economies should start out locally and graduate outward into the macro. Having all of your eggs in one basket is cheap, sure, but inherently dangerous. Unfortunately, if the opportunity to save a buck exists we will take it. (I include myself in that, so don't get your back up.) This applies more to staple items such as food than to books, but the concept is the same.
It is a new twist on an old story, but one that needs telling again and again.
It is a new twist on an old story, but one that needs telling again and again.
Meadow337
Former Moderator
Self-erasing - to obliterate, eliminate, completely remove oneself - this is somewhat impossible for a person to do, as even if you 'obliterate' yourself you will still have existed.
Self-effacing - not claiming attention for oneself; retiring and modest.
Now IF the author of the article a. had slightly more than a passing knowledge of English b. had actually read Remains of the Day c. knew anything about English behavioural characteristics he would know that the definitive description is 'self-effacing'.
Perhaps he should make use of Amazon's inexpensive books to actually read some.
Why? If this was about monopolies - which anti-trust laws take care of fairly ably - it would be a different story. I think that if some one works out how to deliver a product inexpensively good luck to them. This should actually introduce competition into the market and increase the market. More books sold = more opportunity for authors etc.
The entire article sounded more like sour grapes on the part of publishers who clearly need to redefine their own business models.
Sneezy
Well-Known Member
As far as the publishing side of it goes, I agree. The publishing houses have been too slow to react to technology changes and are stubbornly clinging to old models that will no longer work. They haven't been as utterly stupid about it as the music industry, but they still can't seem to grasp that times aren't changing, they already have.
But Amazon is far more than a book seller, as the article points out. They are essentially WalMart v4.0, and Bezos really is a savant at this sort of thing to the point that somebody will be making a movie about him soon. I am not a doom and gloom, tin foil hat type, it just makes me nervous watching the trends. I think it started striking home when I realized the grocer had to tell me when my food was produced locally, instead of the other way 'round. The nerves have yet to settle from that shock of many years ago. I know that some parts of the world must rely on food imports, but living where I do that is the LAST thing that should ever come from more than a few hundred kilometers away.
I am a Amazon Prime member, and get my money's worth out of it, so I understand that I am part of what I am afraid of. Creating one's own monster is interesting. Anyway, all I am trying to say is that anytime a corporation has the ability to dictate market conditions it should be a red flag. Look where we stand with the oil companies (I love the way they have all started calling themselves "Energy Companies" now). We make a big show of deriding them, and making them pay for their mistakes, but in the end they are still the most powerful force on the face of the planet.
It doesn't really matter, I suppose, once Amazon's servers meet Google's servers SkyNet will become self aware and we will all die anyway. I lied about the doom and gloom type thingamabob...
But Amazon is far more than a book seller, as the article points out. They are essentially WalMart v4.0, and Bezos really is a savant at this sort of thing to the point that somebody will be making a movie about him soon. I am not a doom and gloom, tin foil hat type, it just makes me nervous watching the trends. I think it started striking home when I realized the grocer had to tell me when my food was produced locally, instead of the other way 'round. The nerves have yet to settle from that shock of many years ago. I know that some parts of the world must rely on food imports, but living where I do that is the LAST thing that should ever come from more than a few hundred kilometers away.
I am a Amazon Prime member, and get my money's worth out of it, so I understand that I am part of what I am afraid of. Creating one's own monster is interesting. Anyway, all I am trying to say is that anytime a corporation has the ability to dictate market conditions it should be a red flag. Look where we stand with the oil companies (I love the way they have all started calling themselves "Energy Companies" now). We make a big show of deriding them, and making them pay for their mistakes, but in the end they are still the most powerful force on the face of the planet.
It doesn't really matter, I suppose, once Amazon's servers meet Google's servers SkyNet will become self aware and we will all die anyway. I lied about the doom and gloom type thingamabob...
Meadow337
Former Moderator
I'm afraid I am yet to understand the issue with transporting food. To some extent fresh perishables should be sourced locally where possible but on the other hand there are issues with local production costs - astonishingly it is actually cheaper to produce and transport some things over distance, than not. Availability, growing conditions etc also all play a role. Another consideration is how many countries GDP depends on favourable exchange rates when exporting foodstuffs. So yeah not a simple 'buy local' applies.
I also fail to see the issue with Walmart / big corps. For mass consumption nothing can beat bulk buying. The small producer will never compete in that market and shouldn't try. They should focus on premium products at premium prices. That is and always has been their market anyway.
I also fail to see the issue with Walmart / big corps. For mass consumption nothing can beat bulk buying. The small producer will never compete in that market and shouldn't try. They should focus on premium products at premium prices. That is and always has been their market anyway.
Sneezy
Well-Known Member
It's a matter of distributed impact. Centralized anything, whether it be computing, economic reliance or population distribution may be more efficient in the macro sense but carries the risk of depending upon nothing going wrong. If there is one thing the past should teach us it is that Bad Things Happen.
As far as big corporations not being dangerous, we have already learned the lesson, and barely over a century ago at that. Humans tend to struggle with time scales outside of their lifespans, unfortunately. We keep making the same mistakes over and over. And over.
You wouldn't want to be stuck in a room with 35 other people and find out one of them has the Spanish Flu, would you? I don't want to be dependent upon Chilean chilies to make my chili. Distribute the risk, save the species.
The EU and Japan battle fiercely to keep American staple products out of their markets. This drives American farmers to apoplexy because we are going away the best, most efficient producers of things like wheat and corn in the world. We actually PAY farmers to take land out of production. Now being one of those Americans you might expect me to be on the side of said farmers, but I am actually firmly with the Japanese and Europeans on this one. I understand why they do not want to be dependent upon a farmer an ocean away to be able to feed their people and most especially when that farmer is actually a corporate entity and not a grizzled old man with a friendly face and a host of humorous anecdotes. All one has to do is look at the position India has gotten itself into to realize that there is danger down that path.
Not sure the trend can be arrested at this point until one of those Bad Things comes along and resets us once again.
As far as big corporations not being dangerous, we have already learned the lesson, and barely over a century ago at that. Humans tend to struggle with time scales outside of their lifespans, unfortunately. We keep making the same mistakes over and over. And over.
You wouldn't want to be stuck in a room with 35 other people and find out one of them has the Spanish Flu, would you? I don't want to be dependent upon Chilean chilies to make my chili. Distribute the risk, save the species.
The EU and Japan battle fiercely to keep American staple products out of their markets. This drives American farmers to apoplexy because we are going away the best, most efficient producers of things like wheat and corn in the world. We actually PAY farmers to take land out of production. Now being one of those Americans you might expect me to be on the side of said farmers, but I am actually firmly with the Japanese and Europeans on this one. I understand why they do not want to be dependent upon a farmer an ocean away to be able to feed their people and most especially when that farmer is actually a corporate entity and not a grizzled old man with a friendly face and a host of humorous anecdotes. All one has to do is look at the position India has gotten itself into to realize that there is danger down that path.
Not sure the trend can be arrested at this point until one of those Bad Things comes along and resets us once again.
Meadow337
Former Moderator
CaptchaReader
New Member
Economies of scale, and the fact that many of the books Amazon sells are ebooks.
I personally think Amazon is doing much good for reading and books in general, but candlestick makers are always going to object to light bulbs.
Meadow337
Former Moderator
I don't think paper books will ever entirely vanish, but publishers do need to change ahead of the market. Instead of internet marketers (who don't know books) leading the way, publishers need to get with the times and lead the way forward into a technological world.
My complaints about my e-reader for example are the complaints of a person who loves books, using a device designed by a technogeek who probably has never seen a book that wasn't bright yellow and titled ">>>> FOR DUMMIES"
My complaints about my e-reader for example are the complaints of a person who loves books, using a device designed by a technogeek who probably has never seen a book that wasn't bright yellow and titled ">>>> FOR DUMMIES"
Meadow337
Former Moderator
exactamundo
Meadow337
Former Moderator
Catch up isn't good enough, they need to catch up and then full steam ahead.