Amazing!
I remember watching a TV doco a couple of years ago about the future of the book industry.
The experts there predicted that in future, books wouldn't exist until sold. They'd just be
'virtual' files on a giant Computer Print/Trim/Binding machine the size of a train. The orders
for books would be taken from internet sites, and they would be directly connected to the processor
of the giant machine, which would actually manufacture the book and robotically place it into a
padded bag with your address printed on it. The only human contact would be the bloke who
carried the vanload of parcels away from the machine and drove them to the post office.
Well, that day has come.
Like a few other readers on BirdingNZ.net, I've been ordering bird books and other titles from the
BookDepository.com on the internet. I guess that other sites might use the same system?
My bird books have arrived (post free!) direct from the UK, at half the price I could buy them in
the shops here at home. Very nice.
But then I started to notice the that the date of printing was shown on the inside of the back page.
In every case, it was approx two days after the date of my order. The books smell almost 'wet' with
newness. Incredible. The robots really have taken over - my books were printed at the press of the
button on MY keyboard here in NZ, setting in motion a juggernaut production system on the other side
of the world to make a book just for me. And all for $20!
Another miracle of the 21st century. Clearly this is the time of 'milk and honey'. Or is it the 'calm before
the storm'? Guess we'd better sit back and enjoy. I don't think there's gonna be quite this dream world
left behind for our kids to enjoy after we've finished over-indulging!
Anyhow, enough of this philosophical stuff, I'm off to MacDonalds/KFC/Pizza Hut for a snack.
As Emporer Caligula might say "Peel me another grape, slave!....."
Rewi
Bird Books On Demand
Re: Bird Books On Demand
Here's a link to the web page of the company who seem to be doing much of this:
http://www.lightningsource.com/overviewUK.aspx
http://www.lightningsource.com/overviewUK.aspx
- Neil Fitzgerald
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Re: Bird Books On Demand
That's pretty interesting. I knew it was being done on small scales, but not industrial like that. Thanks for the lnik.
Is the quality up to standard?
Is the quality up to standard?
Re: Bird Books On Demand
Neil Fitzgerald wrote:That's pretty interesting. I knew it was being done on small scales, but not industrial like that. Thanks for the lnik.
Is the quality up to standard?
Yep, just a normal off-the-shelf book. Nothing to suggest that it wasn't produced in just the
standard way that we're used to. Regular quality. Spooky, eh?
Rewi
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Re: Bird Books On Demand
Hi Rewi
Perhaps things are not quite as you think, but it is an amazing concept, I have never seen it.
I just received two books from the Book Depository (great site for good quality cheap books ) and reading your thread decided to have a look at them, The Shorebird Guide..printed in Singapore, no date, Chandlers Shorebirds printed in...China, maybe not for much longer.
Derek
Perhaps things are not quite as you think, but it is an amazing concept, I have never seen it.
I just received two books from the Book Depository (great site for good quality cheap books ) and reading your thread decided to have a look at them, The Shorebird Guide..printed in Singapore, no date, Chandlers Shorebirds printed in...China, maybe not for much longer.
Derek
- Graham Saunders
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Re: Bird Books On Demand
So why not go the whole hog, and just send an electronic version of the book? You wouldn't even have to print it out. If you did need a hard copy for some reason, then you would only print that part you required, saving expense, postage and a tree. I look forward to the day when my copy of 'Southern Bird' and 'Notornis' arrives in my e-mail in-box, rather than in my physical mail box.
By the way, there are plenty of out of copyrightbooks available on the internet as pdfs. Although some may say that there is a difference between owning, for example a first edition of "On the Origin of Species", and a pdf of a scanned version... The pdf version isn't susceptible to attack by Silverfish.
By the way, there are plenty of out of copyrightbooks available on the internet as pdfs. Although some may say that there is a difference between owning, for example a first edition of "On the Origin of Species", and a pdf of a scanned version... The pdf version isn't susceptible to attack by Silverfish.
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Re: Bird Books On Demand
Graham
I believe they have started to do this already, with the introduction of the new hand held computers like the one Apple released this week. Just imagine having every reference book you need stored on a computer you can carry in your pocket.
Derek
I believe they have started to do this already, with the introduction of the new hand held computers like the one Apple released this week. Just imagine having every reference book you need stored on a computer you can carry in your pocket.
Derek
- Graham Saunders
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Re: Bird Books On Demand
Derek,
And with appropriate software it should be possible to 'snap' the bird on your cell phone/palm top/ipod nano/blackberry and for it to identify it. Gone are those days of writing lengthy field notes and having arguments down 'The Bishop and Wolf'. I dare say it could even record coloured rings.
Graham
And with appropriate software it should be possible to 'snap' the bird on your cell phone/palm top/ipod nano/blackberry and for it to identify it. Gone are those days of writing lengthy field notes and having arguments down 'The Bishop and Wolf'. I dare say it could even record coloured rings.
Graham