A Rising Tide…of Prices?Galleycat reports this morning that Amazon has stopped discounting (at least some) mass market paperbacks…to pay for the $9.95 Kindle titles?
Giving E-books a bad nameMSNBC’s Red Tape Chronicles has a piece today on credit card theft and e-book companies. Apparently, there was strange coincidence of credit card numbers being used legitimately to buy Equifax jproducts, and then used illegitimately at a couple of disreputable companies who run e-book fronts…and false charges appeared on hundreds of credit-card statements. Small amounts – $4.95 on average – but nevertheless:
It’s not clear when the e-book scam began. A few consumers say they saw fake e-book charges beginning in February, but it appears there was a flurry of activity in September.
Credit card thieves often create fake businesses to process bogus transactions — that’s much easier than using stolen cards to make purchases at legitimate retailers, and one of the quickest ways to turn stolen numbers into cash.
Meaning don’t buy your ebooks from weird little stores you never heard of.
Across-the-Border DiscountThe US dollar is so weak now that Canadian bookstores are selling books at US prices, rather than the higher-marked Canadian ones. Reports Earth Times:
The retail prices printed on book covers are determined by the publisher often six months before a book appears on store shelves and often do not reflect the current exchange rate, said the Toronto-based chain, which also runs Chapters and Coles bookstores.
Okay, people, this is just embarrassing.
Stupidest Idea EVERCNN has launched its Second Life Bureau, according to the Hollywood Reporter:
In the week of Nov. 5, the news giant is set to open a news-gathering outpost in Second Life. And unlike news service Reuters, which embedded a real reporter in the online virtual world last year, CNN will rely on Second Life "residents" to do all the legwork.
In the space, the network will create a variation of its i-Reports, the real-world vehicle through which average citizens contribute eyewitness reports. CNN will equip Second Life denizens with kits enabling them to transmit copy and photos. Visitors to Second Life will be able to get the latest news via kiosks scattered throughout the virtual community.
And the network will act as a sort of journalism school, offering guidance to avatar citizen journalists via weekly "news meetings" directed by CNN.com staffers. And top CNN personalities including Larry King will conduct virtual training sessions for budding cyberjournalists.
So the three people on Second Life who are NOT engaged in online porn can submit daily reports to CNN on how their avatars change outfits?
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