All right. This is twice now. I have to say it again. I love book stores. I think everyone should own more books. And share more books. And read e-books. And buy books locally and on Amazon....and....
Ouch. I just hit myself with my own soap box. So, anyway, I'm sure many of you have heard of this story: Amazon.com Plays Big Brother With Famous E-Books - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com
Yes, it was a bad move on big A's part to electronically un-do people's purchase. (Caution falling irony next 3 miles.) The publisher goofed. They did not have the "e-book" rights to sell the book. Amazon's agreed NEVER do it again. But I think people's comments went A LITTLE OVERBOARD:
"This is a shame, a complete abuse of power, an indecency, a theft and whatever other world with a negative meaning anyone wants to use."
"What Amazon did is nothing short of stealing and illegal in many ways."
"I was going to buy a Kindle next month, but no longer will spend my money on what appears to be an expensive library card sold by Amazon."
Really. Amazon refunds a well known book found in any library and suddenly we live in China. Yes, DRM is bad. But right now we are just at the edge of finally getting big publishers out of the 17th century (I still think some of them churn their own butter.) and publish more e-books. Until we can finally bang the last nail in DRM's coffin, we have to put up with this nonsense. After all we all know how rare copies of 1984 and Animal Farm are. And Amazon is the only company that can sell these exclusive books. I really wish people would calm down and see that a Kindle will lead to more books everywhere, not less. This lesson will definitely stick in Amazon's PR people's playbook when some hapless IT guy hits the refund button.
And while we are at it - a little pet peeve. Why is it no one bats an eye when they pay a 50 dollar bar tab? (3 hours entertainment, mostly for friends who see you leave with Phil from Accounting.) And yet complain bitterly about a book that may cost 25 bucks in hardcover. (30 hours of entertainment. Can be used on Phil after he tells you what a good sport you were.)
