Amazon shrinks books with Kindle Singles • The Register

As the world's attention span continues to shrink, Amazon plans to introduce a breed of Kindle e-texts that are no longer than "a few chapters" of those hefty analog books that a few people still bother to read.

These "Kindle Singles" will have their own category in the Kindle ebook store, and they will be priced "much less" than old-fashioned lengthy books.

But Amazon doesn't want you to think that's dumbing-down world culture. "Today’s announcement is a call to serious writers, thinkers, scientists, business leaders, historians, politicians and publishers to join Amazon in making such works available to readers around the world," the company's press release reads.

Finally, I've been saying this in numerous book-reviews: There are tons of books that are far too long for their single, however bright, idea. I hope writers start using this and it becomes a popular medium!

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More books: Eastward to Tartary and Balkan Ghosts by Robert D Kaplan

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Since its raining outside I'll continue with a few more book-recommendations from my parents book-collection.

Robert D Kaplan has written two of my favorite books that explain, using history and own experiences, how thing came to be. He expertly describes, without going into too much details, the history of a certain region and how it came to shape the area politically but also its people. However, not content at being simple history books, the current situation and possible future of the region is also discussed. Reading these two books was a big revelation and immensely interesting.

"Eastward to Tartary" starts from the area of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and parts of Israel, before moving eastward towards the almost forgotten mid-asian countries left on their own after the soviet union collapsed. Its part travel-guide, part history-book and informative all the way.

"Balkan Ghosts" does the same kind of insightful analysis of the balkan countries around former Yugoslavia and its neighbouring countries. It gives a face to each country and describes why they all have a different future ahead and are not just the grey mass off ex-communist east-european countries. Kaplan is hopeful of some, more skeptical about others. Very healthy book to read with lots of good information!

Warmly recommending both of the books to anyone who feel like expanding their knowledge about these oft-forgotten areas of the world. In fact, I should probably re-read them soon!

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Book recommendation: Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux

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Been years since I read this book so I'm not reviewing it per se, just recommending it. Spending the midsummer at my parents so seeing lots of books in their bookcases that I've liked and loved through the years.

Paul Theroux is a prolific travel-writer but his books are of varying quality. I wouldn't really recommend any other than this one even though I've read a few. Dark Star Safari describes how he in his older days decide to travel from Egypt to Southern Africa, overland. The author has spent time in Africa before and can therefore compare his experiences with how it was years before. The verdict isn't pretty, Africa has stayed much the same or even regressed in a way that is deeply saddening. The author actually puts much of the blame on aid-agencies that well-meaningly but misguidedly teaches African nations to be dependent on outside support. Its not all bad though, the book beautifully describes the feeling of traveling on this still wild continent and the trip was clearly very rewarding to the author.

That said, this book shouldn't be the only book you read about Africa because that would surely give you the wrong impression of a diverse and interesting continent. Watch some TED Africa presentations about the positive changes in Africa and I can also warmly recommend the three-part BBC documentary, "Welcome To Lagos". Its an interesting inside look at the positive spirit that drives the poorest people in Nigerias biggest city in search of something better.

In general, we all should learn more about Africa because maybe, hopefully, they will finally soon follow us into the modern era of prosperity!

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William Gibson about his next book, Zero History

Zero History, my ninth novel, will be published this September, rounding out that third set of three books. It’s set in London and Paris, last year, in the wake of global financial collapse.

I wish that I could tell you what it’s about, but I haven’t yet discovered my best likely story, about that. That will come with reviews, audience and bookseller feedback (and booksellers are especially helpful, in that way). Along with however many interviews, these things will serve as a sort of oracle, suggesting to me what it is I’ve been doing for the past couple of years.

If Pattern Recognition was about the immediate psychic aftermath of 9-11, and Spook Country about the deep end of the Bush administration and the invasion of Iraq, I could say that Zero History is about the global financial crisis as some sort of nodal event, but that must be true of any 2010 novel with ambitions on the 2010 zeitgeist. But all three of these novels are also about that dawning recognition that the future, be it capital-T Tomorrow or just tomorrow, Friday, just means more stuff, however peculiar and unexpected. A new quotidian. Somebody’s future, somebody else’s past.

Simply in terms of ingredients, it’s about recent trends in the evolution of the psychology of luxury goods, crooked former Special Forces officers, corrupt military contractors, the wonderfully bizarre symbiotic relationship between designers of high-end snowboarding gear and manufacturers of military clothing, and the increasingly virtual nature of the global market.

Aaaaaaa! Struggling to describe my joy and anticipation with no sexual or religious references, this is awesome news! Can't wait for September to roll around! Screw summer, I want autumn!

Filed under  //   books  

Cory Doctorow's "For The Win" is out!

In the virtual future, you must organize to survive

At any hour of the day or night, millions of people around the globe are engrossed in multiplayer online games, questing and battling to win virtual “gold,” jewels, and precious artifacts. Meanwhile, others seek to exploit this vast shadow economy, running electronic sweatshops in the world’s poorest countries, where countless “gold farmers,” bound to their work by abusive contracts and physical threats, harvest virtual treasure for their employers to sell to First World gamers who are willing to spend real money to skip straight to higher-level gameplay.

Mala is a brilliant 15-year-old from rural India whose leadership skills in virtual combat have earned her the title of “General Robotwalla.” In Shenzen, heart of China’s industrial boom, Matthew is defying his former bosses to build his own successful gold-farming team. Leonard, who calls himself Wei-Dong, lives in Southern California, but spends his nights fighting virtual battles alongside his buddies in Asia, a world away. All of these young people, and more, will become entangled with the mysterious young woman called Big Sister Nor, who will use her experience, her knowledge of history, and her connections with real-world organizers to build them into a movement that can challenge the status quo.

The ruthless forces arrayed against them are willing to use any means to protect their power—including blackmail, extortion, infiltration, violence, and even murder. To survive, Big Sister’s people must out-think the system. This will lead them to devise a plan to crash the economy of every virtual world at once—a Ponzi scheme combined with a brilliant hack that ends up being the biggest, funnest game of all.

Imbued with the same lively, subversive spirit and thrilling storytelling that made LITTLE BROTHER an international sensation, FOR THE WIN is a prophetic and inspiring call-to-arms for a new generation

Of course available for free in various non-DRM electronic formats, excellent!

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Read: Barry Eisler's Hard Rain

Just finished Barry Eisler’s “Hard Rain”, his second book and the second book featuring his main character “John Rain”. I’ll be reading the next book soon and review them together. Want to write something about similar thrillers in general aswell but looking for inspiration still.

In other news, I will probably be moving my site because tumblr (the current platform) isn’t very fun to use. RSS feeds and domain will move effortlessly (hopefully) so don’t worry.

Filed under  //   books  
Filed under  //   books  

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Long time chemical engineering student back to get his degree. General IT specialist and people person.

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