Interesting Links for 01-11-2017

[andrewducker]

We’re surprisingly unaware of when our own beliefs change

(tags: belief psychology memory )

Why isn’t the media publishing the full list of allegations against Tory MPs?

(tags: media libel Conservatives )

On compromise and the American Civil War

(tags: usa slavery history war civilwar )

Philip Pullman's swearwords are a useful lesson for children

(tags: swearing children language )

The effect of piracy on book sales

(tags: sales publishing books piracy )

Why putting the clocks back is bonkers

(tags: time sun UK )

Comments

[theandrewhickey]

"Piracy effects on sales could be an argument in favor of treating ebooks like the old paperback and delaying release."

I'd argue the reverse. If a book isn't made available legally in the format people want it, they will obtain it illegally in that format. What stops piracy is cheap, convenient, access to the material, so it actually becomes more faff to pirate something than to pay for it legitimately. Music piracy was contained -- not stopped, but reduced considerably -- by iTunes and later Spotify. Comics piracy has decreased dramatically since the introduction of Comixology. And video piracy still happens, but Netflix and so on mean it happens less (and I suspect that to the extent it does happen, it's because there's no handy place that has *everything* easily available to stream or download cheaply).

Leaving the ebook release until later would only encourage those who have to have it *now* to obtain it illegally (and would also put off another chunk of people who would have bought it on the day but forget about it). I don't know what the solution to the problem is, or even if such a solution exists, but delaying the release of the ebook isn't it...