Pirated digital books

Nice ad hominem.

 

You can have it free.

 

Never up to date. Doesn't cover even a fraction of my reading tastes, no matter where I go. Having said that, my view on piracy covers multi-media not just books.

 

I'm going to suggest interlibrary loan again.

 

The Amazon look-inside feature is also useful. Read the first chapter or two and see if you like it. If you do - PAY FOR IT!

 

I use this all the time. It gives you a great idea if it's worth the money.

 

Me too. In fact, I probably have more samples downloaded on my kindle than full books
tbh I don't understand why anyone would read a pirate to see if they want to buy the real thing. Very occasionally I might buy the ebook, love it, and buy the print book to read it again, but in most cases there is no value in having two versions of the same thing. Once you've read it, you've read it.

 

Rare books? Technical documents? Advanced studies source material? Hell, movies, TV series and video games.

My point is that if I were to pirate something, it would be because I need to know if it's good, useful or applicable to what I needed before I pay £50+ for it. I mean, some documents alone run into the thousands for a complete collection. Some aren't even available physically. If I wanted to study biotechnology on a whim, I couldn't just walk into the library and request the 10-15 books I'd need to read and reference together to understand it. Some colleges and universities are nice enough to publish their courses and documentation free, like MIT. Some will tell you to screw off and get a job, which isn't the correct response when someone is pursuing knowledge.

 

Do you think your desire to study biotechnology on a whim outstrips the authors' desires to be paid for their work?

 

I think that wanting to learn shouldn't come with an unreasonable price tag.

If I were a seasoned veteran of the field and I published a book on the subject, chances are that I am already established and secure enough to write a book on the subject. What's more than that, is that I would publish the books for free. The bio-technician isn't writing because they want to be an author, they're writing to distribute scientific knowledge on biotechnology. Knowledge should never come with a price tag. If that were the universal case, you would have uneducated poor people and rich educated people.

It's my opinion though. I never liked the idea of crippling young people with debt for the privilege of learning. It should always have been a 'learn, and then make your contribution to the advancement of the field' situation.


HOWEVER, I am not an asshole when it comes to this. What I am talking about is in a different vein. I think it would be easier if I simply said this.

If I saw a-non technical book that I liked the look of, but couldn't get it outside of an e-book copy, I would read reviews, excerpts and maybe pirate a copy to read it. If I enjoyed, if I felt it was worth sustaining the author (as in this case, chances are that this is what they want to do as work), I would not only then buy that book, but it would also mean I was prepared to purchase further works from that author without pirating and scouting the first work. Some books haven't got much in the way of reviews, and as we all know some also have 'paid for' reviews which mislead a buyer. I am ever wary of non-technical books because of this.

The 'too long, didn't read' version of this is that, if the author writes good work, they will get my money. If they show promise, they will get my money. If they use deception and trickery, they most certainly will not get my money.

Would you buy rotten eggs because the chicken farmer desires you to buy them?

 

After thinking a bit on this topic I've realised I'm a bit hypocritical when it comes to pirating.. I'll gladly pirate a movie or tv show, but I would never ever download a book for free. Why do I value writing more than other forms of entertainment? Something to think on..

 

Oh, okay. I like this logic for stealing!

I think that wanting a car shouldn't come with an unreasonable price tag.

If I were a car manufacturer and I made a car, chances are that I am already established and secure enough to produce cars. What's more than that, is that I would give the cars away for free. The manufacturer isn't making cars because they want to be a car manufacturer, they're making cars to allow more people to drive. Driving should never come with a price tag. If that were the universal case, you would have poor people who can't drive and rich people who can.

It's my opinion though. I never liked the idea of crippling young people with debt for the privilege of driving. It should always have been a 'drive, and then make your contribution to the advancement of the field' situation.

HOWEVER, I am not an asshole when it comes to this. What I am talking about is in a different vein. I think it would be easier if I simply said this.

If I saw a car that I liked the look of, but couldn't get it, I would read reviews, take a test drive and maybe steal one to drive it. If I enjoyed, if I felt it was worth sustaining the manufacturer (as in this case, chances are that this is what they want to do as work), I would not only then buy that car, but it would also mean I was prepared to purchase further cars from that manufacturer without stealing.

Lamborghini, here I come!

 

Some people argue that it's less offensive to pirate movies/TV because they're almost always produced by large corporate entities rather than powerless individuals, so it's not as much of a kicking-the-little-guy situation.

I don't know that I believe that, but I don't pirate anything. I think it's unacceptable.

I do run AdBlock though. I need to think about that - it hadn't occurred to me to put it in the same category as other piracy, and I'm still not sure I do. But I need to think about it.

 

Bear in mind Ad Block has a feature that allows certain ads. I can't remember what they call it but ads that meet certain standards (e.g. NOT flashing neon pop-ups promising you've won an iPad) are displayed but others are blocked.

I think you can also set Ad Block to allow any ads on certain websites.

 

Yeah, I have that 'acceptable ads' box checked. So my ads are limited, but not totally blocked.

 

At my university the academic staff are having to spend ridiculous amounts of their time churning out books to keep the university going. Teaching is expensive. Research is expensive. And I study history - I'd bet the costs for biotech are much higher. I too hate the idea of putting a cost on learning, but someone has to pay for it.

(imo it should be the government paying for university students, but for casual learners? It should be the learners themselves. But really that's another issue).

 

Just because you'd like to know something, doesn't mean you have some God given right to information. That's a very modern concept. I love being able to find the answers to every little thing when I want to, but if someone has intentionally put a block on me getting to it, that's their right to do.
(Not talking about secret government agencies hiding evil plans.)

 

This is what I really despise. Taking an argument and setting a different standard to it. "I shot him with a gun" and "I shot him with a spud gun" are not equal. Buying a car is not the same as understanding the world around you for the betterment of yourself and possibly others.

In your example, what I am saying is akin to TEST DRIVING the damn car to see if it's what I'm looking for. Then buying it.

 

In later posts you argue about the idea that education shouldn't be expensive. That doesn't apply to pirating movies, TV, or video games.

What rare books and documents are we talking about that are freely available pirated but not available from any libraries whatsoever? If they're so unavailable, how did someone manage to pirate them?

Have you tried? It sounds like you're assuming that interlibrary loan will only get you the latest bestseller. But have you tried? To get my work study paycheck, I used to run interlibrary loan between my university and the one nearest to it--by backpack. And, yes, it involved academic books, documents, etc.

Do you know that your library won't borrow those books for you, and if you need to use an academic library do you know that you can't pay a reasonable membership fee for borrowing rights?

You seem to be justifying piracy with the idea that any other solution is impossible. How hard did you try at the other solutions?

 

No, and I wouldn't steal them either.

 

It is the same. All I'm hearing is excuses for stealing.

 

Test drives are a consensual agreement set up between the vendor and the potential buyer. They're set up with the vendor's knowledge, supervision, and agreement. Pirating books? No consent.

 

It's the core argument that's flawed.

"I think this thing that cost someone else time/money/whatever should be free so I'm going to steal it."

It's flawed in ANY situation.

 

This strongly suggests to me that you've never investigated interlibrary loan, or possibly never even investigated libraries. Libraries have multi-media, and they loan it out through interlibrary loan.

 

Then you're not understanding my point at all.

I am not going to buy something and not know what it is. If I am buying a bag of sugar, I know I am going to get a bag of sugar. If I buy a book, it's pot luck as to whether it will be good or bad. You know that a book can start off bad and turn to crap. Conversely, a book can start bad and turn to solid gold by the end.

Based on that, you can not subjectively or objectively say that a book is good from looking at the cover, reading the blurb or reading the first few pages.

I said that based on that, I may pirate a book to see if it is good or not. If it is good, then please Mr./Mrs. Author, take my money. If it is rotten with no hope of improvement, I will not give them money, and will most likely delete and forget it ever existed.

That being said, if I see potential in the writing, that also equates to 'being good' in the future, so they also will get my money.

Test driving a car. Taking it for a spin to see if it's what you're looking for, then paying for it if it is.