George Packer: Is Amazon Bad for Books? : The New Yorker.

This is a well-reasoned argument for why Amazon may not be good for books. I don’t believe quality books will disappear. You may even say the quality of books may improve since you have so many imprints willing to publish literature of dubious character. No doubt the industry is changing, and authors have a tough road ahead. But with the power of gatekeepers waning more aspiring authors will have the opportunity to publish. I just hope the part of the industry that’s important doesn’t go away, editors and author support. It would be wonderful if Amazon would step up and provide this kin of support, but it’s not really a content company (true even in light of it’s desire to produce/publish content). I feel the best hope for the industry is for it to deconstruct, for author support I move out of the publishing houses. It seems unlikely, nobody wants to be the utility/”dumb pipe” in the production chain.

You almost have to feel bad for publishers. Small ones, anyway.

Between this article and the one on warehouse workers I’m starting to feel guilty for using Amazon for so many purchases.

Can You Spot the Snipers in These Photos? | VICE United States.

Amazing. I’ve always thought it would be interesting to train as a sniper, but I doubt I have the endurance or patience for it.

The Myth of the “Self Made Man” | PRAGMATIC CAPITALISM.

Many people have made this point lately, but it’s good to remind people that you do not grow and develop and succeed in a vacuum.

I Was a Warehouse Wage Slave | Mother Jones.

This is utterly depressing and needs to be fixed. The least that could be is that these people could be paid a decent wage. Is it any wonder unions were formed. Cut-throat capitalism of the type that requires this kind of work environment damages our society. It valued profit at the expense of the poor.

London Review of Books.

This leaves and overwhelming sense of doom and sadness. The stories are like the prologue to Japanese horror (ghost stories) where the foundational prose sets you on edge before the action even begins, jumping at shadows and cowering in anticipation.

Via Wonkblog

Wealth does not make you smarter.

This is a beautiful distillation of the folly of the rich. I admire Mr. Winer for his ability to speak his mind clearly. He has a way with words. I’ve been lucky enough to meet him and see him participate in discussion. You might say his style of interaction is genuinely New York.

Tom Perkins and the Davos problem: It’s time to stop listening to rich people..

Good advice, it’s too ba it’s likely to be ignored. Money is power and influence. Even Obama, with incredible capacity to garner hope and grassroots support, has proven himself unable to remove himself from the solace and advice of the wealthy.

Google Glass user in Ohio theater suspected of piracy | Mobile Technology – InfoWorld.

Disregarding the legal issues, I find it completely ridiculous that the department of homeland security is charged with investigating copyright infringement at the level of a single instance of possible recording.