h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Y'now I personally often feel bad when I flat out pirate something, I can see that it isn't right. Even though I have done so.

But when I have obught the product, if I have the DVD, book or comic, when I have already paid I see no problem whatsoever if downloading the same thing in a different format for consumption on an electronic device.

I cannot beleive how many sheeple have fallen for the industry propaganda about theft and morals in this. It is immoral and a con for the content industry to continually try and charge people for the same thing (actually legitimately purchased digital media is almost always an inferior product to the analogue equivilent). And worse the content industry acting like they do actively undermines the real legitimate need of creators to be paid for what they do.

FB

"I was actually talking about the suggestion I use the method to download copyrighted material"

... and perversely ignoring the clear specification that you do so only for copyrighted material FOR WHICH YOU HAD PAID.

You seem determined to ignore logic and reason in your quest to be self-righteous, and it's making you look a little silly.

My view on these things is that if I already own it I don't feel so bad, but I do still because whilst I may have already bought it in a different format, a lot of people won't have.

This isn't industry propaganda of any sort, it's fact. I've used torrent networks in the past, and their predecessors, and the majority of people by a long way will be downloading things that they have not paid for in a different format. And by doing so myself I'm making it easier for them to do so.

I've recently been seeing with some DVDs and BluRays that they're providing on the discs a computer format of the film. Thus negating the need for people to go onto the torrent networks. Someone has already mentioned that some comics are doing this too. If they did this with books, I think that they'd solve a lot of these problems.

I'm also amused by this rather telling comment:

"Sigh! The usual stuff I hear all the time"

Why is it when people hear "the usual stuff all the time", they

(a) almost invariably are referring to people pointing out that they've just said something stupid and

(b) it never, ever, even once crosses their mind that the reason they keep on and on and on hearing this stuff "all the time" is NOT because every single other person in the world is smug, patronising and condescending, it's that they themselves are in fact saying stupid things "all the time", and perhaps "the usual stuff" would stop if they didn't.

I don't go round calling everyone stupid all the time. I occasionally, when there's a specific piece of evidence, call a small, self-selecting subset of people stupid.

On the other hand, if you hear this stuff, and I quote, "all the time", perhaps you ought to consider the possibility that it's not me, it's YOU.

No?

It's about convenience.

In the 80s, I bought everything I could find by The The, after hearing "Infected" on the Annie Nightingale show. I mostly bought it on cassette.

In the 90s, much of their stuff was re-released on re-mastered CDs. I went out and bought it again - paying twice for exactly the same stuff, and in the case of the album "Soul Mining" actually getting less, as several tracks from the cassette were not on the CD.

Then in the 00s, I got an iPod. I had the option of ripping the CDs to the iTunes library... but due to the limitations of my computer compared with the speed of my internet connection, plus my limited understanding of how iTunes worked, it was actually quicker, simpler and more convenient to "illegally" download those albums.

Now: Matt Johnson has my money. In fact, he has significantly more of my money than he realistically should have, because I've actually paid him twice for the exact same pieces of work. I can see no possible moral objection he could have to my downloading those works so that I can play them on my new device. I've cost him nothing. I've just saved myself a few minutes or possibly hours of work.

However, Matt Johnson's recording label's lawyers probably would have a problem with what I did. Well, screw them, I say. I don't like *their* music.

Why are you so grouchy?

To paraphrase the kid from the movie "The Sixth Sense" - I see dumb people.

Sadly I see smug and self satisfied people..

He said "I see dead people." Oh. I guess you think I am being dumb there huh. It's just that saying you see dumb people is one thing. Saying you see dumb people to their faces is another. It's very offputting. And hurtful. Did you know some people can't help being "dumb"? It has to do with what they inherited or how they were raised or schooled. Did you know that some people actually ARN'T dumb - that it might be just your opinion that they are dumb? And when that happens, isn't that dumb? Hurting people's feelings when you don't even know if what you accused them of is true? Oh, and some people have psychological issues. Actually, everyone does. So maybe you should rethink how you treat people when you are feeling lonely because noone of your caliber is around... maybe rethink your grouchiness. After all, your intelligence and cleverness is a gift. You had to be born with the capability at least. You didn't achieve nondumbness just by your own effort, although effort is important. Maybe instead of getting mad at all of us inferior ones you could have mercy on us and help us, teach us, guide us. And if we arn't learning, maybe it is because you arn't teaching right, not because we aren't capable of learning. . . . . . . . .

I have seen you say and do these kinds of things for a while now and I guess I feel I have permission from you to give you my opinion of your behaviour, since you are so ready to give your opinion of my behaviour to me.

That's true, clare. As my old chief used to say (often):

Your gifts reflect no credit on you.
What counts is what you do with them.

Oh. My apologies, Hoo. I had been following this thread but missed the last page and didn't see the beginning of the argument between you and Incognitas - Just went back and I realise now that Incognitas overreacted to what looked to me like a droll comment on your part. Anyway, it's obvious there must be some history between you two that colors your ongoing interaction. Now I am feeling like a butt-inski so now I'll butt out. sorry

"it's obvious there must be some history between you two"

None of which I'm aware. What's happening in this thread is solely based on what's happened in this thread.

After your little lecture, though, it's nice that you did eventually bother read the backlog, understand what's actually happening, and acknowledge that it's not, in fact, me. Thanks!

Oh, and: I *know* what the character in "The Sixth Sense" actually said. That's why I said "to paraphrase".

If you're going to be really pedantic (I am, so why shouldn't you?), what I did was not in fact paraphrasing. Paraphrasing would have been to say the *same* thing using different words. What I did was say something different using many of the same words, for (questionably successful) comedy effect. Is there a word for that? If so, I'm blowed if I can remember what it is.

Droll? Not what I would call humour.
No I just took exception to being patronised and spoken down to.

Couple of points. Firstly, why the surprise at high prices. Mr Amazon intends to make money. That's all.

To answer Clare's early posting. Yes it is possible to publish your own ebook on Amazon. It is called "Kindle Direct Publishing" (kdp). It is free, though not particularly easy (There are tutorials and the like), to do so. I don't know why I have done it but I have done it. (Please buy "Mr P (and GEORGE)" ) and you can set your own price and choose countries where it is available. There is also a self-publishing hardback scheme but that costs money. I believe that 'lulu' is the more popular self publisher for UK authors, but also costs a pretty hefty amount (£3000 + to do it well) but there are lots of other options available.

There is a new kindle library thing on Amazon where you can borrow ebooks for free. I think there is an initial subscription - or it may be free with a new kindle. Participating writers get a share of a central fund according to the number of borrowings their book achieves.

I have had a kindle for a year or so. I think it has stopped me reading and I have hardly bought a book 'e' or otherwise in the last six months.

" I believe that 'lulu' is the more popular self publisher for UK authors"

Possibly true.

"but also costs a pretty hefty amount "

Definitely false. Publishing a book on lulu is very easy, takes about ten minutes, and costs *nothing at all*. Buy my book!

http://www.lulu.com/shop/simon-blake/prepare-to-fly/paperback/product-20454039.html

We did a promotional book for the bid through lulu, and I've done several photo books through them too.

The quality has always been excellent, and the service even better.

The difficult part with self publishing is the promotion. You don't get the publishing agency trying to get your book sold, you yourself have to go around the interwebs trying to convince people to buy your book ( just looking at it now )

"I just took exception to being patronised and spoken down to."

Let's see the progress, shall we?

Post 36: I suggest buying a hardcopy, getting rid of it, then downloading a "pirate" copy. I did not suggest this humourously - I mean it entirely seriously.

Post 38: Incog says "I want to pay".

Post 48: I unpatronisingly repeat the suggestion that one could achieve this by buying the book legitimately, destroying it, and downloading a copy. Again, I wasn't going for humour in this post at any point. It seems to me a perfectly reasonable way of getting something without diddling the creator out of money.

Post 52: this idea is described as "completely nutty", and the concept of destroying a book one owns or downloading ANYTHING using a particular data-exchange protocol is described as "immoral" . I'm described personally as "a completely unhelpful contributor to this conversation." Incog goes on to say "It's as if you think I'm stupid", when so far I've neither said nor implied any such thing, merely made a rational suggestion as to how one may come into possession of an electronic copy of a book for the same price as buying the hardback.

I do like this site. I like the way one can look back at a conversation and see how it's come to where it is. I like how, when someone says something like "You called me a name, that's why I started insulting you", you can simply look back at the posts they made and point out that it was them that started the name-calling, and that in fact up to the point they did they'd been treated perfectly civilly.

It's a wonderful way of allowing the stupid to make themselves look stupid, repeatedly.

Well, I aologise profusely to lulu and the whole wide world. I must have misunderstood something somewhere because I thought I had been through the process and been asked for some thousands of pounds. I shall investigate further and report back. P

"The difficult part with self publishing is the promotion. "

Definitely. It can certainly help if you have a domain name with the title of your book... http://www.preparetofly.co.uk/

It can also help if the nationally distributed magazine dedicated to the sport your book's about reviews the book and calls it "very, very good and ridiculously cheap" and "not just recommended... but essential!". That can certainly help sales...