Do you still read books? I don’t — well, not much, anyway. When I do look at them, I mostly flip through them quickly, or go to a specific section I’m interested in. Sure, I have a few favorites (as in my Reading section here) that get a little more attention than that. (And an admission, too: a lot of my favorites are picture books, as is one on that list. Flipping through pix — that I got time for!)
But who has time these days to be an avid book reader? Especially when we’re so put upon by email and everything else digital — not to speak of (oh, yeah!) our analog lives. On the email problem, this commentary by David Ferris, an analyst who runs a leading messaging and collaboration research firm, is worth a quick read: Email Overload Enters New Phase.
What got me going on this book topic, though, was a piece I caught recently from Demir Barlas, managing editor of Line56, a mostly-web publisher focused in e-business. I rank this guy as one of the most unsung journalists out there. I’ve been reading and enjoying his work for years. He’s covering such a huge topic, and I appreciate that wide coverage — and the resulting big.pngcture insights he can provide. I try never to miss any of his “From the Editor” columns.
A big.pngcture insight is one thing, but a great little tidbit is another. And this is one of them: Hacking Google: A way to use Google Books to view 90% or more of entire books.
So, there you go, all you out there who don’t read books anymore, but still want to flip through some from time to time: no more pesky book buying! Or even trips to the library.
I keep hearing about Google Hacks — sounds like a good Xmas gift to me…
Yes, Janice – get the whole collection!
The kids love ’em… 🙂
Actually, I have review copies of two O’Reilly books called “Google Hacks,” first and second editions. Maybe this is a new mini industry?
Well, so much for this hack! The Google guys must be reading the blogs on this topic. I just caught this update from Line 56:
Google Counters Hack
A few weeks ago, we found a way to view as much as 90 percent of
otherwise copyright-protected books searchable via Google Books.
Now Google, perhaps in response to hacks discovered by individual
users, has found a way to counteract that method. When you attempt
to use common search terms as a way to get at most of the content
of a book, Google Books restricts your viewing ability.
Read more at http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=7184.