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Free as in Books?
donkeyDevil writes "Forget free software, contribute to free books! The Chronicle has an interesting story about bookcrossing.com's effort to track feral books through their captors. Read about it, then do it.
(Although the focus of the story is on Bay Arean book releasors, it looks like you'd have a better chance of snagging a free book here.)"
I thought about some how starting sumthing like this while traveling abroad, I would stop at many hostels and read whatever books were laying around or swap one i had for one there. I always wondered how far certain books had gone or where they had come from.
;)
But on another note.. tagging the book's with ID's!! thats horrible! don't the books have a right to not just be a #!!! maybe they wanna have words identify themselves
Think about it. Buy a chart CD and then register it on a site and release it. Persuade people to listen to it and then pass it on (Remember kids, copying is bad).
Everyone can then listen to the latest CDs without having to buy them first.
Then sit back and wait to see how long it will be before the RIAA makes giving away your personal property illegal.
Check out the Book Thing of Baltimore if you're around Charm City some weekend. Russell just gives away books. You show up to the "free book place" and take as many as you want. The minimum is ten (he really won't let you leave) and the maximum is 150,000 books per person per day. Corner of 27th & N Charles St, look for the Free Books signs. Open Saturday & Sunday 9 AM - 6 PM.
This isn't an ad, but honestly a post from someone who knows & loves books -- especially those at the Book Thing. I was turned on by a friend, and I've introduced my friends and so on. Probably 95% of the books I've gotten in the past two years were from the Book Thing.
No really, they're free
It's surprising just how long books can stay in circulation.
20 odd years ago I sold a large part of my Moorcock "Eternal Champion" Series to a local 2nd handbook dealer. Last year my son discovers those I hadn't flogged of and decides he likes them enough to pursue the series.
He sets off for the 2nd hand bookstores in the next suburb and turns up several of the originals I sold - my name in the cover removes all doubt.
Approximately 20 years in circulation, all within a couple of suburbs radius. The original bookshop has long gone - (Cory & Collins in Melb, Aust., they were good for Sci-Fi)
So draw your own conclusions but I still find it amazing, believable only because it was first hand experience.
While we're waiting for Bookcrossing to share CDs and DVDs, you can already donate and borrow movies and music by the carload from your library. I donate every manga and anime I buy to the library.