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By David Rothman

BookSwimCan’t find the best-seller you want in E?

Then, beyond the obvious trip to the public library or the use of a swap service, you may want to consider BookSwim—a NetFlix for p-books, discussed in a Minneapolis Star-Tribune article. “For $15 to $20 per month,” says the Strib, “the company will send your top five book choices. Return three books in a prepaid envelope, and your next three choices will be mailed to you.” You can sign up now for the beta.

Also see previous TeleBlog coverage, including my thoughts on the public library angle, plus BookSwim’s response. Far from telling people to boycott BookSwim, I’d say: Go with what makes sense. Maybe BookSwim’s existence will send a message to public libraries that they need to be bolder and take e-book more seriously—to drive down costs and broaden their range of immediately available titles, especially best-sellers. The hardware has a way to go, and we know about eBabel, but libraries should get ready now, ideally by insisting that vendors use the new IDPF standard. I don’t see OpenReader succeeding on its own, but hopefully the IDPF standards will catch up with OR technically.

Other links of the day:

–Nemoptic’s 14-inch flex e-paper display, from the EDN magazine site (via MobileRead).

–The possibility of the Web looking like Second Life someday, with 3D VR. Companies are preparing to use SL-type tech on intranets, and I agree with Jon Noring that this is a sign of things to come, whether or not SL is the main platform. Is it a healthy development? I’ve got mixed feelings. At any rate, it’s iinevitable that lines will blur between real and virtual and that someday your 3D object-printer at home will roll out copies of the clothes you saw displayed in an SL-style shop.

–The issue of business models for writers and publishers in the era of the networked books—the Sebastian Marry’s essay in if:book. Also see Ben Vershbow’s discussion of copyright reformer Jonathan Lethem, whose copyright-related novel about a rock band was recently reviewed and excerpted in the Washington Post.

–LiveInk‘s reply to an earlier TeleBlog post. Notice the comment on the limits of HTML, at least as used here?

 
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