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Now Arriving On the New York Subway: Free E-Books, Timed For Your Commute (betanews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the free-ebooks dept.

Brian Fagioli, writing for BetaNews:Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York has announced a new promotion called "Subway Reads," which leverages the free Wi-Fi connectivity provided at the NYC subway. This initiative will help straphangers get some relief from the other nonsense by enabling them to bury themselves in a free Penguin Random House e-book short or excerpt. "As part of 'Subway Reads', Penguin Random House created a special platform to offer subway customers free access to five full-length e-shorts, including High Heat, a Jack Reacher novella by Lee Child; F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic short story, The Diamond As Big As The Ritz; 3 Truths and A Lie, a short story by Lisa Gardner; The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe; and At the Reunion Buffet by Alexander McCall Smith," says the New York State Government.Sounds like a good thing. What's your thought?

7 of 44 comments (clear)

  1. Thanks Penguin!! by Comboman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Penguin Random House created a special platform to offer subway customers free access to five full-length e-shorts, including F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic short story, The Diamond As Big As The RitzThe Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe.

    Wow! Thanks so much for giving me "free" access to five whole stories including two that have been in the public domain for decades!

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  2. Re:Not too long... by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, I've been trying to glom myself a copy of that "Rue Morgue" story on the torrents for months now, and they're saying NYC is just giving copies away for free???? S-uhhh-WEEEET!

  3. Re:How about ... by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 2

    >>Advantage: Nothing for the hobos to sleep under on benches.

    ...and that's an advantage because...?

  4. Death of human interaction by swillden · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just another nail in the coffin of real human interaction. Now, instead of engaging in witty banter, sharing touching and heart-rending personal experiences, and forming life-long new friendships, subway riders will all be staring at their phone screens.

    Oh, wait...

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    1. Re:Death of human interaction by Hevel-Varik · · Score: 2

      Your're not from NY are you?

  5. Re: ripe opportunity for propaganda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The people you claim are leftist, aren't even on the left politically. But I think we can agree there are liars and hypocrites out there, and they are pushing their agenda onto us.

  6. Just wire the subways for mobile data by greggman · · Score: 2

    That's what they did in Japan. You can use your phone to read whatever you want in pretty much all subway lines. Why limit it to just crappy public wifi and a few books?