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Obama Announces e-Book Scheme For Low-Income Communities

Posted by samzenpus on from the you-get-a-book-and-you-get-a-book-and-you-get-a-book dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The White House has today launched an initiative encouraging top book publishers to supply $250 million worth of free e-books to low-income students. Partnering with local governments and schools nationwide, President Obama hopes that the e-book scheme will support low-income households who significantly trail the national average for computer ownership and digital connectivity. At Anacostia Library in Southeast Washington, D.C., Obama announced that libraries and schools in poorer communities would be supported by the scheme and efforts would be made to increase internet access at these establishments. Publishers involved in the program include Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Bloomsbury, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. NGOs, such as book donation charity Firstbook, and public libraries will also be working together to develop apps to support the digital reading program.

74 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by zlives · · Score: 1

    ebay here we go

    1. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This. Does anyone think this is going to help them in any way?

      The way the US treats its poor reminds me a lot of the colonialism of earlier times. Patronizing, without any real care or concern and so far detached from the real problems that one has to wonder whether they are just stupid or whether their motives ain't what they claim to be.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The way the US treats its poor reminds me a lot of the colonialism of earlier times. Patronizing, without any real care or concern and so far detached from the real problems that one has to wonder whether they are just stupid or whether their motives ain't what they claim to be.

      The motives are clear. Getting votes. They make promises, ask for votes, and blame others. Keep reminding the poor its no fault of theirs and they should sit and wait until someone comes in and saves them. And in our all our 'political correctness' nobody is willing to talk about the primary elements of the problem, which are kids being brought up in broken homes or no home at all with no family or community support structure. All the schools, teachers, & Ipads in the world won't do anything to help most of them. But hey, as long they'll vote for you, tell them what they want to hear. As long as you look like you are doing something, you'll get the votes.

      Unfortunately, the vicious cycle can only be broken by taking kids out of the environment, or limiting the number of kids in it. But if you propose solutions that try to do either, you will be branded as hateful, intolerant, racist, or whatever other slanderous accusation that can be thrown because your messing with guaranteed votes.

    3. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Patronizing, without any real care or concern and so far detached from the real problems ...

      Would you care to explain what you think the "real problems" are, and what specific policies you would recommend to address them?

    4. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1

      This. Does anyone think this is going to help them in any way?

      I do. It may not help most, it may even help only a small portion, but out of that small portion will come some students that are better educated and better able to help shape the next generation. And that would be a success. Education is always a bargain relative to the costs of not doing so. So what if a bunch of those readers end up on ebay?

    5. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by Whiteox · · Score: 1

      This. Does anyone think this is going to help them in any way?

      The way the US treats its poor reminds me a lot of the colonialism of earlier times. Patronizing, without any real care or concern and so far detached from the real problems that one has to wonder whether they are just stupid or whether their motives ain't what they claim to be.

      Yes, it will. Some of those kids will get benefit as they wouldn't have to pay for textbooks or recreational reading. Problem is that they're looking at a reduced subset i.e. all those who have readers, registration via the school or welfare, the desire to become involved in the program etc. If the funds are not totally spent on administration (hopefully less than 50%) then someone will benefit.

      --
      Don't be apathetic. Procrastinate!
    6. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      The real problem is the lack of social mobility. Poor people are lumped together in poor areas, have poorly funded and staffed schools where you may learn little more than what is necessary to serve your masters. Yes, every blue moon someone manages to claw his way out of it on his own... only to face the backlash of the whole "affirmative action" bullshit. Because after a wave of poorly trained people (due to poor education from understaffed, underfunded schools), everyone from the demographic will be seen as the "quota $disadvantaged_group" and treated accordingly. And self fulfilling prophecies are damn hard to beat.

      People see what happens around them. They see how Mike from next door who has always been a really bright kid did some studying outside of school because he couldn't learn a thing in the overfilled classes and he wanted to "get big" and out of the ghetto, They see how he studied late at night and made projects in his spare time, how he took every stinkin' job to get through college somehow because his parents just could not support him at all, and how he now has some cheesy nondescript title that means jack and reports to Ron who has always been sharp as a sponge and twice as smart whose only redeeming feature and whose only justification to the job is that his parents were rich enough to buy him a degree from some more reputable college. The only thing Ron is really great at is taking credit for Mike's work, and since he's his subordinate nobody questions it. And of course Mike's chance to actually climb the ladder is nil because Ron of course knows that his position is dependent on keeping Mike, and keeping him down.

      This in turn means that nobody wants to dream the American pipedream anymore. The whole "work hard, climb the ladder and you can be rich" bullshit, nobody believes it anymore! Yes, that did work a long while ago. It hasn't worked for quite a while now. The new American dream is winning the lottery. Or suing some rich guy who runs you over.

      Solving this is a lot harder, of course. With the current system, a solution is near impossible. Europe's social structure is a lot more permeable due to a bigger role of public schools (that are pretty well funded, too). Admission to universities is tied to your academic success and progress rather than your parents' wallet, and tuition fees are very affordable (running in the three digits per semester, usually). That would maybe be a first step.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    7. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      The "what" is that the majority of those readers will end up on ebay. You're dealing with people who are SO deep in debt that you can't even see their hair tips anymore. Giving them something they can easily sell means that it's sold in "never removed from box, mint condition".

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    8. Re: flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by kenh · · Score: 1

      Why do you think ANY of the books will be textbooks? Those are already being bought by taxpayer-funded school districts.

      Recreational reading? They can't find free ebooks on the Internet? Is Gutenberg really THAT hard to spell?

      This is a nothing program - publishers are encouraged to donate, no money allocated to buy anything.

      --
      Ken
    9. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Don't let the facts get in your way, but Walmart pays well above minimum wage.

      http://www.glassdoor.com/Salar...

      Raising the minimum wage will only make the problem worse. When the minimum wage goes up, there are less jobs. How far do you think McDonalds is from replacing their staff with robots? Another couple minimum wage hikes and many manual labor jobs will just disappear. Also, when minimum wage goes up, the costs for needed items rises as well quickly eating up any raises.

      What you should really be advocating for a is a basic income.

      http://theweek.com/articles/45...

      Also, forget affordable healthcare, we need to just have single payer and get it over with. We pay so much more than all the other countries for health care, without any improvement of outcomes.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    10. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      The worst off Americans have much better conditions than the middle class in India even. Indoor plumbing, clean water, electricity, healthcare, housing.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    11. Re: flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      My curiosity is what will they load these free ebooks onto? Is the state going to hand out Nooks to all these kids? How long before those are stolen and sold for crack money?

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    12. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by g0bshiTe · · Score: 1

      The motives ain't what they claim to be.

      We ended slavery and gave up iron chains in favor of government assistance.

      If the gov had any intention of bettering the lives of people on government aid it would do so.

      Sad thing is there are many on gov aid and many without that don't see it that way. In fact they will say it's racist to say otherwise.

      I've got zero issue with helping people, we all need a hand from time to time. I do have issue with it being a way of life for several generations, and be perfectly acceptable to some.

      --
      I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
    13. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

      Raising the minimum wage will only make the problem worse. When the minimum wage goes up, there are less jobs.

      Some people care about poor people so much, they do everything they can to make more of them...

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    14. Re:flooding in 3, 2, 1 ... by george14215 · · Score: 1

      which are kids being brought up in broken homes or no home at all with no family or community support structure.

      Really? And systemic racism has *nothing* to do with the plight of young African Americans? https://www.facebook.com/brave...

  2. already done by knightghost · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Libraries already do this. How about supporting the vanishing middle class?

    1. Re:already done by CronoCloud · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Here we go with the "help the middle class" again.

      By definition the middle class can AFFORD things, the poor and lower class need help MORE than the middle-class does.

      Yes the middle class is seeing it's status erode, but the poor and lower-class are having it WORSE.

    2. Re: already done by krisyan · · Score: 1

      Or just supporting libraries in general. Also, does anyone think it's a little odd that they want to provide $250 million worth of something that could be copied an infinite number of times?

    3. Re:already done by JBMcB · · Score: 2

      By definition the middle class can AFFORD things, the poor and lower class need help MORE than the middle-class does.

      So we're blowing money on e-readers when, last time I checked, libraries still exist? How about $250 million worth of more free pre-school for underprivileged kids, which has been proven to lead to better outcomes?

      --
      My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
    4. Re:already done by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      So we're blowing money on e-readers

      Do you even glance at the headline any more? It's e-books, not e-readers. You can read an e-book on practically any device with a screen, from a $30 e-reader to a cell phone or a 10 year-old computer.

      It's cheaper to buy a simple e-reader than it is to buy your average textbook, and the e-reader can hold lots of textbooks.

      Clearly we need start some sort of program to promote basic literacy for Slashdot readers. Maybe if we gave them free e-books...

      How about $250 million worth of more free pre-school for underprivileged kids, which has been proven to lead to better outcomes?

      You mean like this?

      http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    5. Re: already done by NostalgiaForInfinity · · Score: 1

      Actually, the books they will be providing for the $250 million appear to be largely out of copyright already. So this is even worse than paying the publishers for copyrighted books.

    6. Re: already done by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 1

      Actually, the books they will be providing for the $250 million appear to be largely out of copyright already. So this is even worse than paying the publishers for copyrighted books.

      Where are you getting this info? From the articles linked from the summary, it appears that the e-books are being donated by the publishers (not paid for by the government) and I didn't find any information on what books are being provided. But the articles I can find are are woefully lacking in detail.

      --

      How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
    7. Re:already done by JBMcB · · Score: 2

      It's e-books, not e-readers. You can read an e-book on practically any device with a screen, from a $30 e-reader to a cell phone or a 10 year-old computer.

      Same difference. There are libraries filled with books you can read for free. It's a sunk cost. What specific problem are ebooks going to solve?

      You mean like this?

      Exactly. Now take the money wasted on ebooks and fund that instead.

      --
      My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
    8. Re:already done by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 2

      That would mean the poor already is middle class. Or at least, I think the government definitions of them are out of whack.

      I can obviously afford a decent car and a 55" TV for my Ivy Bridge based PC with SSD and Geforce 970, which itself gets media from a NAS with a 12TB ZFS raid. Yet according to the government definition, I've been living in poverty most of my life. I'm not sure I understand why it's called poverty when I myself am able to live comfortably that way.

      You want to see poverty? Go spend a week in the slums of Mexico City. THAT is poverty.

    9. Re: already done by NostalgiaForInfinity · · Score: 1

      One of the stories mentioned that they were largely out-of-copyright books, but I can't find it again. It also follows from the fact that many of the good children's book are, in fact, out of copyright.

      What was confusing about the announcement is that Obama said "We're going to provide millions of e-books online". If this is a giveaway by the publishers, why does Obama claim that he is giving those books away too?

      The whole thing just strikes me as stupid. You can get a decent brand-name Android tablet for under $100 and access millions of free e-books on there.

    10. Re:already done by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      Looks like you lost your mind AND your Return key. You might want to turn around and retrace your life to see if you can find them.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    11. Re: already done by RabidReindeer · · Score: 1

      Or just supporting libraries in general. Also, does anyone think it's a little odd that they want to provide $250 million worth of something that could be copied an infinite number of times?

      One of the names mentioned was HarperCollins.

      You might remember them as the yokels who wanted ebooks to "wear out" after they've been read 25 times.

      Don't expect them to support "infinite copies".

    12. Re: already done by Guy+From+V · · Score: 1

      Publishers "donating e-books", lol.

    13. Re:already done by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      By definition the middle class can AFFORD things, the poor and lower class need help MORE than the middle-class does.

      Yes, but the problem is that the help for the poor and the lower class is coming from the middle class, instead of from the rich, who have all the money. If you help the poor and lower class at the expense of the middle class, all you're going to do is wind up with more socioeconomic stratification — i.e., just two classes, upper and lower, with an even bigger divide between them. Like pretty much everything else today, it's selling out our future for a temporary, apparent improvement.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    14. Re:already done by nabsltd · · Score: 1

      What specific problem are ebooks going to solve?

      A publisher can donate 10,000 eBooks to a library with a few thousand square feet of floor space, but couldn't do that if the books were physical, as there would be no room.

    15. Re:already done by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      According to the White House National Economic Council’s director Jeff Zients, tech giants including Apple have shown their interest in the project and have already donated over $100mn in reading devices to lower-income schools.

      It's not the government buying ebook readers, it's Apple.

      The story is about free ebooks, knucklehead.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  3. seriosly? Google it by cosm · · Score: 1

    $subject_desired filetype:pdf

    --
    'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
    1. Re:seriosly? Google it by John+Bokma · · Score: 1

      s/pdf/torrent/

      --

      Perl Programmer for hire
    2. Re:seriosly? Google it by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      Seriously:

      Obama hopes that the e-book scheme will support low-income households who significantly trail the national average for computer ownership and digital connectivity.

    3. Re:seriosly? Google it by ezdiy · · Score: 1

      Or a 1TB+ 2003-2015 releases archive torrent for avid readers who are serious about this free ebook thing (beware: some countries may deem clicking on that link stealing millions of dollars worth of books).

      Thanks obama!

  4. books, he said books, y'all by turkeydance · · Score: 1

    we don't need no stinkin' books.

    1. Re:books, he said books, y'all by ezdiy · · Score: 1

      obscure maymays were never this appropriate

  5. Australia has this by jblues · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My mom regularly borrows ebooks from the library in regional Australia. The system used is called Bolinda Borrow Box. Sounds like it works pretty well. Only epub is supported though, no no kindles.

    Meanwhile, here in Manila Hernando Guanlao, 60-something, converted his whole house into a library (http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19547365), to honor his mother and father after they died. He said: "As a book care-taker, you become a full man.

    --
    If it acquires resources on instantiation like a duck, then its a shared_ptr<Duck>
    1. Re:Australia has this by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      My mom regularly borrows ebooks from the library in regional Australia.

      My local library also has e-books, in San Jose, California. I thought all libraries had them. They even have e-readers that you can check out and use.

    2. Re:Australia has this by SonCorn · · Score: 1

      Libraries in Dallas/Fort Worth Texas also have ebooks that can be borrowed.

      It is pretty handy and very easy.

      --
      What good is a used up world, and how could it be worth having? --Sting
    3. Re:Australia has this by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      Many libraries have e-books available for loans. The publishers love this. They charge a fortune (somewhere near $100) for a book and with the DRM it has a limited number of loans (either 24 or 26). Once it's been loaned out that number of times the library has to buy another license for the book. The theory behind this is that each time the book is loaned out it is a lost sale. Of course this is complete BS.

    4. Re:Australia has this by jgtg32a · · Score: 1

      Wait what? Citation

      Why would a library buy a limited license?

    5. Re:Australia has this by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      I heard about it on the CBC Radio program called Spark a few years ago. Here's a link to a story from 2011. I don't know if it's still the same today or not.

      http://www.cbc.ca/news/technol...

    6. Re:Australia has this by Quirkz · · Score: 1

      My small-town library has some, but not many, and most were checked out, and the pool consisted of primarily pop new releases. I found literally zero ebooks there that I was interested in when I tried to use the system the first time.

      --
      The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
    7. Re:Australia has this by jgtg32a · · Score: 1

      Thanks I'll check it out

  6. 1984? by Irate+Engineer · · Score: 1

    That would be a good title.

    --

    Left MS Windows for Linux Mint and never looked back!

    Vote for Bernie in 2016!

  7. Selling Freezers to Eskimos by Stormy+Dragon · · Score: 2

    President Obama hopes that the e-book scheme will support low-income households who significantly trail the national average for computer ownership and digital connectivity.

    So exactly what use are low-priced e-books to people who don't own computers?

    1. Re:Selling Freezers to Eskimos by ArylAkamov · · Score: 1

      Exactly what I was wondering. Welfare sponsored iDevices, I suppose.

    2. Re:Selling Freezers to Eskimos by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      So exactly what use are low-priced e-books to people who don't own computers?

      You can get a decent computer for $20 from Goodwill. You can buy a used Kindle on eBay for about the same. Computers are common, even in poor households. They aren't luxuries anymore.

    3. Re:Selling Freezers to Eskimos by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1

      the article talks about that.

    4. Re:Selling Freezers to Eskimos by jblues · · Score: 1

      So exactly what use are low-priced e-books to people who don't own computers?

      You can get a decent computer for $20 from Goodwill. You can buy a used Kindle on eBay for about the same. Computers are common, even in poor households. They aren't luxuries anymore.

      Yup. I've visited a few slums in developing nations, with people living hand-to-mouth in basic conditions. But there's very often at least one large-screen cell-phone or tablet computer per household. I would certainly hope the situation is even better in the USA.

      --
      If it acquires resources on instantiation like a duck, then its a shared_ptr<Duck>
    5. Re:Selling Freezers to Eskimos by hey! · · Score: 1

      Computers are cheap, especially if you don't need the latest and most powerful. You can get a functioning Android tablet that can work as an ebook reader for under $40. It won't be a *nice* tablet, but compared to the cost being shut out of the digital economy $40 is a reasonable investment for even a poor person. Otherwise how are you going to look for jobs, in the help wanted section of the newspaper? Are you going to buy used stuff from the print classifieds?

      There are laptop formfactor Android computers for under $100. Those probably don't make sense for more affluent users, but now you can write a resume and cover letter for an online job application. And then of course there are always other peoples computers. But it's not unreasonable for a poor person to have a computing device these days on which he can read an ebook and maybe tap out emails when there's wi-fi he can borrow. It is not some kind of absurd luxury for poor people to own an ebook capable device.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    6. Re:Selling Freezers to Eskimos by dl_sledding · · Score: 1

      This.

      And, fine, let's say you can buy a $20 computer from goodwill (probably running XP, just waiting to virus the place up, though I've never seen goodwill selling used computers), but what about access? Can't get to the e-book without Internet access. People living hand-to-mouth cannot afford Internet access. People living hand-to-mouth shouldn't be able to afford a cell phone either, or they technically aren't living hand-to-mouth. So, how the hell are they supposed to access the e-book with their $20 computer?

      This whole thing is a stunt. The Administration is taking credit for what a bunch of publishers are giving away (probably for hefty tax savings or something) to people who aren't going to be able to use the give-away anyhow. Unless, of course, they spend time in a library (where this would work very well), but do the libraries have the infrastructure and devices available to use in-house?

      A stunt not thought through thoroughly. And very transparent as a stunt.

    7. Re:Selling Freezers to Eskimos by jblues · · Score: 1

      I don't go to the USA often, but last time I was there, there was free Wifi all over the place, especially in inner-cities areas where today's urban poor live.

      And, as I said in the comment above, most people in my own country are much poorer, but even the 30% living well below the poverty line in makeshift housing have access to pre-paid 3g internet using cheap Android SmartPhones.

      --
      If it acquires resources on instantiation like a duck, then its a shared_ptr<Duck>
  8. Buy libraries Kindles and loan them out w/books by aaronmd · · Score: 1

    We already have libraries full of books and ebooks. If Kindles could be loaned out like books and enough copies of ebooks were available for the additional demand, we could do this with much of the infrastructure we already have. Plus, by keeping the ebooks in libraries we ensure that each book can be read by dozens or hundreds of patrons.

  9. Re:Oops - forgot about the important part? by sumdumass · · Score: 1

    A lot of Ebooks can be read on cell phones which aren't far off from small tablets. I have a niece who reads about a book a week on her phone in the time it takes to ride to and from school, waiting for things, and study hall in school or even when bored at home.

    Most of the poor can get phones- the obama phone for instance, some should be capable of reading ebooks (I know obama isn't behind the phone but that's what its called). I imagine you need an app for that and wifi from some place which is why internet access it part of the plan. I also imagine the app for that will collect location data, names and numbers and all sorts of other things like the fucking flashlight apps that need access to your files, address book, GPS and so on when installing.

  10. Re:Schools not war zones by Vinegar+Joe · · Score: 2

    Unfortunately, the poor are forced into substandard schools........

    The per pupil funding in Baltimore is one of the highest in the United States.

    http://articles.baltimoresun.c...

    --
    "The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
  11. All Hail Obama by wyattstorch516 · · Score: 1

    He is bringing relief to the poor people stuck in a book desert.

  12. crony capitalism by NostalgiaForInfinity · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Obama is giving $250 million to big publishers and some software developers so that they can deliver out-of-copyright books that "the poor" could have downloaded for free from Project Gutenberg and Google already. All Hail our Crony Capitalist in Chief.

  13. So, essentially, ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

    ... giving up on copyright protection.

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  14. Re:Oops - forgot about the important part? by sumdumass · · Score: 1

    Lol.. good luck finding a payphone anywhere.

    Yup, there has been free phones for about a decade or longer.

  15. Where did they get the $250M figure? by aNonnyMouseCowered · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Now how exactly did they calculate how much the "free" ebooks were worth? (Smell the oxymoron in that?) Is this some sort of MPAA/RIAA accounting scheme where the price of an ebook is quantified by the price of a physical copy (DVD/CD)? And why focus on the so-called reputable publishers? Can't the government just hire the authors directly and have them put out Creative Commons licensed textbooks (BTW this has already been done by some independent groups)? This is like hiring the mafia to build your house.

    1. Re:Where did they get the $250M figure? by Tailhook · · Score: 3, Informative

      Now how exactly did they calculate how much the "free" ebooks were worth?

      The amount is calculated as a function of the number of authors and publishers the Democrat bundlers designate for the funds, multiplied by the amount each of those individuals and organizations are permitted to contribute, times the factor needed to make the contributions a small enough fraction of the total so that it can't plausibly be called a straight laundering operation.

      In the end the Clinton's hard money coffers will net somewhere between 2-3% of the total; a typical ratio for laundering public money back to politicians that know how to play the game and stay out of prison. $5-7 million, in other words. The other 97-98% go to politically favored authors and publishers who write to children primary on the topics of race, gender and sexuality grievances, climate change, diet and assorted atrocities in American history, not necessarily in that order.

      --
      Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
  16. You know what'd be more useful than this? by trawg · · Score: 2

    I suspect availability of good things to read isn't really the big problem here. You know, because, libraries.

    And let's not forget Project Gutenberg, over 46,000 free ebooks.

    So how about some copyright reform! Fuck, give the $250m directly to the MPAA/RIAA. Do something about the ludicrous copyright period. Imagine how many more great books would enter the public domain?!

    1. Re:You know what'd be more useful than this? by nospam007 · · Score: 1

      "This libraries, holy damn. As a kid, my mom would take me to the library, and I'd get physical books. Was that convenient? Hell yes. I loved every minute of it, from the smell of the library to the heft of the book in my hands."

      You mean the smell of mold spores and the billions of bacteria from previous readers, who not only took it to the toilet, but also licked their thumbs before turning every single page?

      No thanks. I prefer illegally downloading a sterile copy.

    2. Re:You know what'd be more useful than this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You mean the smell of mold spores and the billions of bacteria from previous readers, who not only took it to the toilet, but also licked their thumbs before turning every single page?

      What's this obsession some people have with taking their books and/or smartphones and/or tablets to the restroom with them? Do they sit on the toilet for an extended period of time sufficient to read an article, a chapter, read an email or compose an email? Do they eat their meals on the toilet too?

  17. Re:Schools not war zones by digsbo · · Score: 1

    The poor are amongst themselves, and teacher unions insist on a virtual monopoly on students and laws require schools to attempt to teach the most difficult pre-incarcerated cases. Just let these schools expel the bad kids and teach those who aren't 100% opposed to bettering themselves through education.

  18. Re:If they can't afford a $2 ebook . . . by hey! · · Score: 1

    Ebook edition of job-hunting bible "What Color is Your Parachute": $9.99.
    McGraw Hill High School Equivalency Study Guide ebook: $17.89.
    Typical study guide for trade test (plumbing, electrical, etc): $30-$60.
    Microsoft Office for Dummies: $13.99

    Cheap Chinese 7" Android Tablet that can run ebook reading software: $35.

    For comparison, how much a family of four spends on food in a year: $7800 - $15600/yr.
    Cost of a 2 br apartment in a crummy big city neighborhood:$13000/yr.

    So, what's clear here is the cost of an ebook reader is tiny relative to other things a poor family needs, but that the cost of the books very quickly outstrips the cost of even a rather nice ebook reader like a Kindle.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  19. Libraries here in Sweden by aliquis · · Score: 2

    Kinda pay full price for the e-books you borrow.

    Which kinda suck since when I borrow books in general I never read shit from them.

    I can't understand how that's supported / accepted.

    I wonder what this cost in the US.

  20. Cut the publishers out entirely by DrXym · · Score: 2

    Why doesn't the federal or local government simply commission the books it requires for its educational curriculum? Then give them away for free from a website. It shouldn't be necessary to go cap in hand to publishers begging for a few freebies when the publishers shouldn't be in such a strong position to start with.

  21. Subsidy for big publishers? Political games? by bradley13 · · Score: 1

    Pardon my cynicism, but...does this make any sense at all? Or is it just about a subsidy for big publishers, plus some stupid political games?

    Provide ebooks? The problem this is supposed to solve, according to Obama, is "low-income children lag below their grade level in reading skills and lack books at home". There's a reason for that, and it isn't lack of access to books. It's parents who don't read and don't encourage reading.

    And how are they going to read those ebooks? Why...on the upgraded "Internet services for schools and libraries". You know, if you can get those kids to a library, be it a public library or a school library, you could just let them read some of the books that are already there. The thing is: you aren't going to get them into the library, because - see above - they are being raised in families and in an urban culture that doesn't value reading.

    Fix the urban culture problem. Get the parents to care about their kids education. Everything else is noise.

    --
    Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
  22. It's amazing... by kenh · · Score: 1

    How many times will politicians announce yet another initiative to bring broadband internet access to schools and libraries, especially in lower-income neighborhoods? They have been beating this drum for what, 10, 15 years now?

    I'd really like politicians to explain why programs like e-rate have failed to achieve their goals and describe how this new program addresses the problems in existing programs.

    Oh, and he's 'encouraging' publishers to 'donate' $250M worth of e-books... All Obama has done is asked for donations, nothing more - why limit the donations to $250M? Why not ask for $1BN in donated books and services?

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    Ken
  23. Wait what? by g0bshiTe · · Score: 1

    The White House has today launched an initiative encouraging top book publishers to supply $250 million worth of free e-books to low-income students.

    President Obama hopes that the e-book scheme will support low-income households who significantly trail the national average for computer ownership and digital connectivity.

    Did I miss something?

    I mean if they significantly trail national average for computer ownership and digital connectivity, then how are the books supposed to be delivered digitally or even read for that matter?

    --
    I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
  24. Reminds me of free books in WWII by davidwr · · Score: 1

    From Publishers Gave Away 122,951,031 Books During World War II: And, in the process, they created a nation of readers:

    In 1943, in the middle of the Second World War, America's book publishers took an audacious gamble. They decided to sell the armed forces cheap paperbacks, shipped to units scattered around the globe. Instead of printing only the books soldiers and sailors actually wanted to read, though, publishers decided to send them the best they had to offer. Over the next four years, publishers gave away 122,951,031 copies of their most valuable titles.

    [follow title-link for the rest of the article]

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.