"The two-page (or one-page) mock press release format is also a writing genre common to Amazon, although it’s less often discussed than the six-page memo. What’s interesting to me about Limp’s invocation of the six-page memo in this Decoder interview is that 1) he describes how the two writing forms are, at least for his … Continue reading Working Backwards
Tag: Amazon
Amazon’s Censorship of Devil Daddy
"Censorship is alive and well over at Amazon Kindle. Last time it was our scholarly edition of the rare 1881 Victorian gay text Sins of the Cities of the Plain, which they banned for several years. Now they've banned the ebook of John Blackburn's 1972 horror novel Devil Daddy, while refusing to explain why. At … Continue reading Amazon’s Censorship of Devil Daddy
Facebook Directs Your Eyes
"What this means is that even more than it is in the advertising business, Facebook is in the surveillance business. Facebook, in fact, is the biggest surveillance-based enterprise in the history of mankind. It knows far, far more about you than the most intrusive government has ever known about its citizens. It’s amazing that people … Continue reading Facebook Directs Your Eyes
What is Amazon?
"So, what is Amazon? It started as an unbound Walmart, an algorithm for running an unbound search for global optima in the world of physical products. It became a platform for adapting that algorithm to any opportunity for customer-centric value creation that it encountered. If it devises a way to keep its incentive structures intact … Continue reading What is Amazon?
The Expanse: Fourth Season
Just a reminder that the fourth season of The Expanse drops today on Amazon prime. Love this series. Love the books. Previously mentioned: The Churn.
Amazon & The Cultural Landscape of Books
The small print publisher 404 Ink's discussion of their finances, particularly the portion on the cost to small press publishers to have their books sold via Amazon, is a bit of an eye-opener. On some level, I was aware that the discounts that Amazon is able to offer on books had to be squeezed from … Continue reading Amazon & The Cultural Landscape of Books
The Cost of Amazon to Small Publishers
"When someone buys a £8.99 book from us via our website… Printing cost: 80p Royalty to author: £1.35 Share to 404 Ink: £6.84 WE LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE BUY DIRECTLY. It also means the author gets more... When someone buys a £8.99 book from a bookshop… Printing cost: 80p Royalty to author: £1.08 Share to … Continue reading The Cost of Amazon to Small Publishers
Swimming Against the Stream of Convenience
A year ago, I deleted my Facebook account. It was a bit of a watershed moment for my digital life because it was the start of a process, where I took a hard look at my use of the "free" services offered by Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple and tried to assess whether other … Continue reading Swimming Against the Stream of Convenience
The Case Against Google – The New York Times
"In other words, it’s very likely you love Google, or are at least fond of Google, or hardly think about Google, the same way you hardly think about water systems or traffic lights or any of the other things you rely on every day. Therefore you might have been surprised when headlines began appearing last … Continue reading The Case Against Google – The New York Times
Amazon Health – Stratechery by Ben Thompson
"At the same time, the U.S. healthcare system is inextricably tied up with the post-World War 2 order; indeed, the entire reason employers are so important to the system is because of World War 2 regulations that instituted price controls on wages, incentivizing employers to use benefits as a means of attracting workers (this was … Continue reading Amazon Health – Stratechery by Ben Thompson
Against Amazon
"Unlike Facebook and Google, that have to wrestle with the possibility that your name and data may be false, and do all they can to get your telephone number because they didn’t request it when you opened your account, from the very start Amazon has all your data—real, physical and legal. Even your credit card … Continue reading Against Amazon
Giving Up Social Media & The Feudal Internet
Quitting social media is an ongoing theme of this blog with posts discussing various aspects: Arguing against particular social media services, e.g., Be Seeing You, Facebook. Describing new technologies major Internet companies employ for surveillance, e.g., Facebook & Facial Recognition. Describing how third parties use these platforms in the service of both advertising product and manipulating public … Continue reading Giving Up Social Media & The Feudal Internet
Notes on an Emergency
"But at the same time, I’m not convinced that a civilization that is struggling to cure male-pattern baldness is ready to take on the Grim Reaper. If we’re going to worry about existential risk, I would rather we start by addressing the two existential risks that are indisputably real—nuclear war and global climate change—and working … Continue reading Notes on an Emergency
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