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BookyardsBookyardsOpinions And Observations From Someone Who Has Been Reading Constantly For 30 Years, And Who Knows Where All The Books On The Internet Are Buried.
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Stephen King Fires Back At Iraq War Criticism
2008-05-07 17:40:00 From The Bangor Daily News:BANGOR, Maine — Stephen King has fired back at conservative critics who attacked him over a remark he made a month ago at a writers symposium for high school students.A blogger jumped on King’s statement at the Library of Congress about the importance of reading in which he suggested poor readers have limited prospects, including service in the Army."I don’t want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don’t, then you’ve got the Army, Iraq , I don’t know, something like that. It’s not as bright," King said at the April 4 event in which he was accompanied by his wife Tabitha and son Owen.Read more .... Previous Post: 100+ Stephen King Books -- The Stephen King CollectionMy Comment: The people that I have met who are serving in the military .... or who have served .... definitely do not fall under the generalization that Stephen King has made. Having said that, we... More About: Iraq War , Back
2m People Download New Coldplay Single
2008-05-07 00:07:00 From The Telegraph:More than two million people worldwide have downloaded Coldplay ’s latest single since it was made available free online a week ago, new figures show.That means it would have “outsold” the whole of last week’s top 40 singles “four times over” according to the band’s representatives.The song, Violet Hill, is the band’s first single from the group’s long-awaited fourth album Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends.It was made available as a free digital download on the band’s website last Tuesday.Read more ....My Comment: I am looking forward to the day when a major author offers for free a new and major piece of work on the web. When J. K. Rowling's last Harry Potter book was released to the public, on the same day a pirate book site made available a copy for free ..... no surprise .... their server crashed.What would have been a smart marketing tool would have been to have only the first and/or select few chapters released to the public for f... More About: People , Download , Single
Chief Executive Of Random House To Step Down -- Are Pirate Booksites To Bla
2008-05-06 06:41:00 From International Herald Tribune:FRANKFURT: Peter Olson, the chief executive of Random House and one of the most powerful figures in U.S. book publishing, will step down in the next few weeks, according to two executives at Bertelsmann, the German media conglomerate that owns the division.Olson, who has run Random House, the world's largest consumer publisher, since 1998, has come under mounting pressure in recent months as Bertelsmann's financial results have been damaged by lower profit at Random House and steep losses in its American book clubs, which he also oversees.Read more ....My Comment: In a nutshell, Random House is beginning to realize that the business models that they have been using for the past few decades are not producing the revenues and profits that they had expected. As many readers of this blog know, I have been waving the flag for the past 7 years (that is also when we started Bookyards The Library) predicting that the internet would impact the book publish... More About: Pirate , Chief , Executive
Books That Inspire The Staff On The Telegraph
2008-05-04 05:44:00 Yesterday, the Telegraph printed the 40 books that inspired Sebastian Faulks.In today's edition, they asked their staff to list their most influential books.In the next week or two I will list the books that have inspired me .... but for the moment enjoy the comments that the writers from the Telegraph have made. More About: Books , Staff , Inspire , The Telegraph
Hesiod -- Complete Works And Resource Links
2008-05-02 04:28:00 HESIOD: Greek Poet and InnovatorWorks By Hesiod On Bookyards:Hesiod, Collection Of WorksHesiod: Works And DaysPoems And FragmentsThe Theogony Of HesiodThe Theogony Of Hesiod -- Version 2Works And DaysWorks And Days -- Version 2Works by Hesiod -- Links To Other Ebook SitesWorks By Hesiod – Internet Classics ArchiveHesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica by Hesiod – Project GutenbergWorks And Days – The Free LibraryTheogony – Hanover History DepartmentHesiod The Homeric Hymns and Homerica – Penn StateWorks By Hesiod – From Ellopos BlogWorks By Hesiod – Great Books And ClassicsTheogony By Hesiod – Classical EtextsWorks By Hesiod – Study LitHesiod, The Homeric Hymns And Homerica – Internet ArchiveThe World Of Hesiod – Internet ArchiveHesiod’s Cosmos – Gigapedia ( Free Registration Needed )Hesiod’s Cosmos – AvaxhomeHesiod -- Related External LinksHesiod – WikipediaHesiod -- Perseus EncyclopediaHesiod – Brief DiscussionHesiod – Classic EncyclopediaHesio... More About: Resource , Complete
Barbara Walters Writes A Memoir
2008-05-02 03:58:00 From the New York Daily News:Barbara Walters could give beleaguered Katie Couric some tips on surviving the venomous arrows of hateful colleagues.Back in 1976, Walters, too, jumped from the "Today" show to anchoring the evening news. Walters was teamed on ABC with the venerable Harry Reasoner."The blood was so bad between us that Harry's cronies on the crew took to using a stopwatch to note my airtime" so that Reasoner got his share, Walters writes in her new memoir, "Audition." "Harry's hostility soon began to show on the air. I remember reaching toward him at the end of one broadcast, in a friendly manner, just to touch him on the arm. He recoiled, physically recoiled, in front of millions of people. The media picked up on the bad chemistry."Read more ...Update: Celebs Rock The Word With New Memoir sMy Comment: I guess she and every other celebrity needs to say something. Instead of paying money to their therapists, they are getting paid instead by talking to the general public.
New Version Of Bookyards Coming Soon
2008-04-29 21:38:00 It has been a long two months since my last post. I have been busy finishing up on a collection of projects that have been occupying 90% of my time ..... a fact of life that has made taking care of Bookyards a difficult proposition for the past 5 - 6 months. Thankfully, everything is now coming to an end.But while all of us have been busy, we have taken the time to conceptualize and lay the groundwork for Bookyards to have a a new look and structure. I am happy to report that we are almost there.Our goal is to have the first page of Bookyards be a portal that will permit easy access to books that are not only on our site, but to other online libraries. On this front page we will also be providing links to other web sites that specialize in music, videos, news and information, as well as education.To get an idea on what the first page will look like, we have a rough .... and I mean a very rough version at this link. We have not seperated this page into categories, nor spruced up the... More About: Version
Albert Einstein: Books And Websites
2008-04-29 17:43:00 A man of the world, a giant in Physics, one of the great minds of the 20th century. Bookyards has accumulated the following books and related external links for your reading and browsing.Books On/By Albert Einstein On Bookyards:Albert Einstein E= M C 2 an Mp3 by Einstein, AlbertAlbert Einstein Quotes by Einstein, AlbertAlbert Einstein's Four Letters by Einstein, AlbertCan Quantum Mechanical by Einstein, AlbertChronologie De La Vie D'Albert Einstein (In French) by Einstein, AlbertDerivation Of E=Mc by Einstein, AlbertDo Gravitational Fields Play An Essential Part by Einstein, AlbertDoes The Inertia Of A Body by Einstein, AlbertEinstein Minkowski Spacetime by Einstein, AlbertEinstein's Reply To Criticisms by Einstein, AlbertElectrodynamics Of Moving Bodies by Einstein, AlbertEvolution Of Physics by Einstein, AlbertFundamental Ideas And Problems by Einstein, AlbertHyperbolic Methods For Einstein's Equations by Einstein, AlbertKnowledge Of Past by Einstein, AlbertLetter To The New Y... More About: Websites
Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?
2008-02-15 00:10:00 From The New York Times Books Section:A popular video on YouTube shows Kellie Pickler, the adorable platinum blonde from “American Idol,” appearing on the Fox game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” during celebrity week. Selected from a third-grade geography curriculum, the $25,000 question asked: “Budapest is the capital of what European country?”Ms. Pickler threw up both hands and looked at the large blackboard perplexed. “I thought Europe was a country,” she said.Read more .... More About: Dumb , Knowledge , Americans
Secrets Of Cambridge 'Porn' Library Revealed
2008-02-14 06:54:00 From The Telegraph:For decades generations of Cambridge undergraduates have fantasised about a secret stash of Victorian pornography in the university's library tower.Many have tried to gain access to the chamber to uncover its illicit secrets. So intrigued was Stephen Fry by the collection that he wrote about it in his first novel, The Liar. Despite the brilliant scientists, spies and politicians that the university has produced, no student is believed to have gained access to the closely-guarded hideaway.But now it seems all their efforts have been in vain.For all that is contained within "this magnificent erection", as Neville Chamberlain is said to have described the 1934 tower, are distinctly restrained guides on the finer points of Victorian romantic etiquette.Read more .... More About: Library , Secrets
Internet Pirates Could Be Banned From Web
2008-02-12 18:21:00 From The Telegraph:People who illegally download music should be banned from the internet under new Government proposals.Ministers want broadband companies to take action against the 6 million internet users in Britain who are suspected of accessing pirated material from the web. Under the "three strikes" plans, those breaking the law will receive a warning email for the first offence and a temporary suspension from going online for the second.Read more ....My Comment: Unworkable and untenable. The next proposal will be to ban certain websites from being available in England. Like China, Iran, and other countries that are banning political and/or unfavorable news sites, England is going down the path of banning sites that are perceived as "pirate" and/or "illegal" in providing content that others may say belong to them.This is not what the internet was originally designed for. Politicians, lawyers, and copyright holders are trying their best to stop and stem the flow of pirated copy... More About: Internet , Pirates , Banned
Domesday Book Makes Leap To The Internet
2008-02-11 23:54:00 From The Telegraph:The Domesday Book is available free online for the first time after the 900-year-old parchment papers were turned into a database that can be read on the internet.The Domesday Book, the oldest and most famous public record in Britain, was based on the 1086 survey of England which covered 13,418 settlements south of the rivers Ribble and Tees. For the first time, people will be able to retrieve and analyse the material while searching the database.Read more ....Browse the Domesday BookLeader: Domesday Book conquered by the internet More About: Internet , The Internet , Leap
Amazon's Kindle Not Igniting E-Book Sales
2008-02-10 20:31:00 From The Silicon Insider:We keep hearing that Amazon's Kindle is a hit, and while we're skeptical, we'll play along. Since Amazon hasn't released statistics on the gadget's sales, we don't have much choice.That said, we wonder: If the Kindle is flying off the shelves, shouldn't e-book sales be booming as well? We don't have proof one way or another: The Kindle only went on sale in November, and we haven't seen any e-book sales stats that include that time period.Read more ....My Comment: I am not surprised. As I had mentioned in a previous post "The Future of Reading -- Why Amazon's Kindle Digital Book Project Will Fail" I made it very clear that this project was going to fail. I received many an email and comment stressing the point that I was wrong. Well .... let me say now ..... I told you so.The problem with Amazon's Kindle is not the technology behind it, but it's business model. Why buy a digital book when you can download it for free elsewhere. Like the music and ... More About: Sales , E-book , E Book
Quarter Of Brits Think Churchill Was Myth: Poll
2008-02-05 05:11:00 From Yahoo News:LONDON (AFP) - Britons are losing their grip on reality, according to a poll out Monday which showed that nearly a quarter think Winston Churchill was a myth while the majority reckon Sherlock Holmes was real.The survey found that 47 percent thought the 12th century English king Richard the Lionheart was a myth.And 23 percent thought World War II prime minister Churchill was made up. The same percentage thought Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale did not actually exist.Read more ...More From Captain's Quarter s.Previous Post: Winston S. Churchill -- Books, Speeches, Links, And CommentaryMy Comment: Teachers and educators are clearly failing in their job. Bookyards collection of books by and on Winston Churchill are located here. More About: Poll , Myth , Brits
Portable eBook Readers
2008-02-01 00:07:00 For everyone's info, here is a list of portable ebook readers and related websites:eBookwise eBook ReaderiRex iLiad eBook ReaderKindle™ eBook ReaderSony Portable Ebook ReaderThe above are the four main readers available to the public. I personally do not have any preference, but all four readers have received good reviews and they do serve a valuable service in promoting reading. Check out each site, and should you decide to buy one you now have more than one option.Another related website:ebook Website Gallery More About: Readers
Canada's Oldest Book Store Closing -- A Sign Of Things To Come
2008-01-31 07:09:00 From Global National:The Book Room in Halifax - billed as the oldest bookstore in Canada - is shutting its doors after 169 years."The staff and I are both really sad about having to do this," Charles Burchell, president of The Book Room Limited, said Tuesday. "But we just realized that after watching the sales for the last year that it just wasn't viable anymore, as far as we were concerned. There were too many other factors at work."Business actually started slipping slightly in the last couple of years, culminating this December in "the worst Christmas ever," said Burchell, who has been with the store 42 years.Read more ....My Comment: I visited this store 5 years ago when i was staying in Halifax for the summer. I am involved with a project that I know will put all of these independent stores out of business. Regrets .... yes of course I feel them......progress usually is. More About: Store , Sign , Things
The Book Angle -- Music File-Share Site Qtrax Forced Into Humiliating U-Tur
2008-01-28 18:30:00 From Times Online Today:Music File -Share Site Qtrax Forced Into Humiliating U-TurnA website which promised to give music lovers the world's first legal file-sharing service was forced into a humiliating climbdown today after it emerged that the company had not secured the backing of the record industry.Qtrax, a New York firm, unveiled its service with a glitzy £500,000 launch in Cannes at the weekend, hiring stars including James Blunt, LL Cool J.Today it emerged that none of the four major labels had done deals with the site, putting a large dent in the promised catalogue of 25 million songs and prompting allegations that the site's founders had misled fans.EMI, Warner, Sony BMG and Universal all confirmed that they had not agreed deals with Qtrax which would allow fans to download their music for free in return for being exposed to advertising on the site. Warner and Universal said that they were in negotiations with the site.Read more ....From Times Online Yesterday:From Today... More About: Book
Bobby Fischer, Flawed Chess Genius, Dies In Iceland -- News Summary, Info,
2008-01-18 16:40:00 From The Times Online:Bobby Fischer, the tortured American chess genius who went from Cold War hero to anti-Semitic outcast, has died aged 64.Friends said that Fischer died yesterday at his home in Reykjavik, the scene of his 1972 “match of the century” victory over Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union.Born in Chicago in March, 1943, Fischer was US junior champion at 13, US Open champion at 14, and the youngest international grandmaster ever at 15. Many consider him the greatest natural talent that chess has ever seen. Read more ...Additional News Stories & Reports On Bobby Fisher:Chess Master Bobby Fischer Dies At 64 -- Yahoo NewsBobby Fischer, Chess Prodigy, Dies In Iceland -- Telegraph:Chess Champion Bobby Fischer Dies -- GuardianChess Champion Bobby Fischer Dies -- Time MagazineBobby Fischer, Chess Master, Dies at 64 -- New York TimesChess Master Bobby Fischer Dies -- CBS NewsThe Genius Who Re-Invented Chess -- BBCBooks On/By Bobby Fischer:Gigapedia has a series of books on... More About: Info
George Michael To Reveal All In Autobiography
2008-01-16 18:30:00 From The Telegraph:The singer George Michael has signed a multi-million pound deal to write a "no-holds barred" autobiography, it has been announced.In one of the biggest ever book deals, the former Wham! frontman has promised to reveal the truth about his turbulent personal life and career spanning 25 years.Read more ....My Comment: For books to sell, publishers have to resort to gossip. Sighhhh....Related External Links:Official George Michael WebsiteGeorge Michael -- WikipediaGeorge Michael WebsiteGeorge Michael Fansite More About: Autobiography
JK Rowling's Harry Potter Condemned In Vatican Newspaper
2008-01-16 05:43:00 From The Telegraph:An article in the Vatican ’s official newspaper has condemned JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books for posing a danger to children by promoting witchcraft and the occult.In a damning indictment of the bestselling books, among the most successful in publishing history, the Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, has called the teenage boy wizard “the wrong kind of hero”.Read more ....My Comment: A classic case of people in the Vatican having too much time on their hands. Kids love the books. They are reading and staying out of trouble. One can make the argument that the hocus and pocus stuff in the Harry Potter books are a little bit of a stretch .... but I say "so what".Previous Post: One Pirate Booksite Now Has All 7 Harry Potter Books To Be Downloaded More About: Newspaper
Is There More Than One Version Of the Koran?
2008-01-15 05:51:00 Fascinating article in the Asia Times that raises the question .... "Is There Evidence To Deligitimize the Koran in a Berlin Vault?"Islam watchers blogged all weekend about news that a secret archive of ancient Islamic texts had surfaced after 60 years of suppression. Andrew Higgins' Wall Street Journal report that the photographic record of Koranic manuscripts, supposedly destroyed during World War II but occulted by a scholar of alleged Nazi sympathies, reads like a conflation of the Da Vinci Code with Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail.Read more ....My Comment: I am not only a person who loves books, but I am also a person who loves history and who wishes to one day be an archaeologist. This story has elements in both fields.Everyday bits and pieces of our past are being dug up. Will ancient copies of the Koran be found in the future ..... I know that the answer to that is yes. Will these discoveries be properly examined and studied .... the answer to that in today's climate is ... More About: Version
Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini
2008-01-15 04:20:00 The movie "The Kite Runner " has been released. A moving movie about life under the Taliban in Afghanistan. For those who wish to download and read the book by Khaled Hosseini, Gigapedia has made it available.The Kite Runner -- Gigapedia (Free Registration Needed)For related external links, we recommend the following websites:The Kite Runner -- Official Movie SiteThe Kite Runner -- Apple TrailerThe Kite Runner -- IMDBThe Kite Runner -- WikipediaOfficial Website of Author Khaled Hosseini Reviews on the book "The Kite Runner"Update: Khaled Hosseini's second book, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" can be downloaded from Avaxhome.Update: "Kite Runner" The Movie Banned in Afghanistan
The Bestsellers List -- January 14, 2008
2008-01-15 03:47:00 From Amazon:(1) Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Outby Marci Shimoff (Author), Carol Kline (Contributor)(2) Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert (Author)(3) Eat This Not That: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! by David Zinczenko (Author), Matt Goulding (Author)(4) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Author)(5) Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning by Jonah Goldberg (Author)(6) In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan (Author)(7) The Appeal by John Grisham (Author)(8) Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Timeby Greg Mortenson (Author), David Oliver Relin (Author)(9) Plum Lucky (Stephanie Plum Novels) by Janet Evanovich (Author)(10) The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child: With No Pills, No Therapy, No Contest ... More About: January , List , Bestsellers , 2008
Captive Israeli's Tale Becomes Kids Book
2008-01-15 02:31:00 From Yahoo News:JERUSALEM - Years before he was a soldier seized by Palestinian militants, 11-year-old Gilad Schalit penned a simple parable about how enemies can get along.His story, "When the Shark and the Fish First Met," has now been published as a children's book that teaches tolerance — while its author, now 21, spends his 19th month captive in the Gaza Strip.The tank crewman was seized in June 2006 by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip in a cross-border raid into Israel. Two of his comrades were killed in the attack. Secret negotiations on a prisoner swap deal have stalled.Read more .... More About: Kids , Book , Tale
The Decline Of Book Publishing
2008-01-13 17:38:00 The following story outlines perfectly the growing fears among book publishers for their industry. I guess they are now finally listening to people like me. More About: Book , Publishing
Is This Also The Future For Books?
2008-01-12 20:08:00 From The Economist:N 2006 EMI, the world's fourth-biggest recorded-music company, invited some teenagers into its headquarters in London to talk to its top managers about their listening habits. At the end of the session the EMI bosses thanked them for their comments and told them to help themselves to a big pile of CDs sitting on a table. But none of the teens took any of the CDs, even though they were free. “That was the moment we realised the game was completely up,” says a person who was there.- The Economist reports on the decline and fall of the music studios.Read more ....My Comment: My answer is yes. Just like music, and videos, print and newspaper readership is also quickly transforming itself to an online market. Books , and the ease to retrieve via through the internet, will just be the next great wave. More About: Future , The Future
Everest Conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary Dies At 88 -- A Roundup of News Report
2008-01-11 16:15:00 For mountain climbers and adventurers, the death of Sir Edmund Hillary is a moment to stop and reflect. When I was young I could not help but read everything that was available on the man, and the successful expedition to climb Mount Everest .We at Bookyards have compiled a list of news reports on the death of Sir Edmund Hillary, some background information, and some books that can be freely downloaded that talk about the expedition.Sir Edmund Hillary Has Passed Away -- Everest News Everest Conqueror Hillary Dies At 88 -- MSNBCObituary: Sir Edmund Hillary -- BBC NewsTributes For Everest 'Colossus' -- BBC NewsEverest Pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary Dies -- CBS NewsSir Edmund Hillary To Receive State Funeral -- TelegraphHillary Mourned, Both In Nepal And New Zealand -- Times OnlineSir Edmund Hillary, Conqueror Of Mount Everest, Dies At The Age Of 88 -- The IndependentSir Edmund Hillary, First Man To The Top Of The World, Dies At 88 -- The GuardianBeekeeper Conquered Mount Everest -- San F... More About: Roundup , Report
Another Book On The Clintons
2008-01-11 15:50:00 From the My Way news service: NEW YORK (AP) - Another Clinton book is on the way, this time by the best-selling author and former editor of The New Yorker, Tina Brown. "The Clinton Chronicles," to be released in 2010 by the Broadway Doubleday Publishing Group, will be Brown's first book since "The Diana Chronicles," a biography of Princess Diana which came out last year and has more than 300,000 copies in print.Read more ....For past books by the Clintons, see my September 4, 2007 post "Book s By The Clintons"
The Web's Complete List Of Free Online Libraries
2008-01-10 19:38:00 Bookyards has updated and completed its list of all major free online libraries and book collections on the web. The total is over 1,000, with each library/collection put into their category of specialty. We estimate the total number of books now available to be almost 1,000,000. For the first time we have also included pirate book websites.Academic / School - Books / Courses (8) Agriculture (11)Arabic Language Libraries (5)Archaeology (5)Architecture (2) Astronomy / Space (14)Audiobooks (24)Biographies (3)Biology (15)Business (13)Canadian (5)Chemistry Books (7)Children (38) Classics (17)Comics (7)Computer Science (26)Cooking And Diets (3)Cultures And Languages (2)Document / Article Search (10) Dutch Language Libraries (3) Economics (18)Education (4) Educational (1)Encyclopedias And Dictionaries (6)Environment (1)Fiction And Novels (14) Fine Arts (5)French Language Libraries (5) General (20) Geology (8)German Language Libraries (5)Government And Politics (72)Greek Language Libraries... More About: Free , List , Online , Complete
AT&T and Other ISPs May Be Getting Ready to Filter Copyright Material
More articles from this author:2008-01-10 18:53:00 From The New York Times:For the past fifteen years, Internet service providers have acted - to use an old cliche - as wide-open information super-highways, letting data flow uninterrupted and unimpeded between users and the Internet.But ISPs may be about to embrace a new metaphor: traffic cop.At a small panel discussion about digital piracy here at NBC’s booth on the Consumer Electronics Show floor, representatives from NBC, Microsoft, several digital filtering companies and telecom giant AT&T said the time was right to start filtering for copyrighted content at the network level.Read more ....Update: From the Volokh Law Blog: Filter ing For Copyright ed Content and Liability Under the Wiretap ActMy Comment: While the article's focus is mainly on music and video content, it is easy to see that with the rise of pirate book websites in the third world this same filtering technology can be used on these sites.Because infringement of copyright material now runs to a lost of billion... More About: Material , Ready 1, 2 |
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