I used television, email, and web pages to teach for about a decade and I was my campus's first director of academic computing. I am interested in new technology and I know new inventions can have sudden and gripping effects, quickly turning a business upside down. Futurists like to imagine the best firm in the US for making buggy whips and the effect on their business of the founding and growth of the automobile industry.
I try to keep my eye on ebooks, as sold by Amazon for Kindle and by Barnes and Noble for Nook. I am interested in similarities and differences between electronic transmission of books vs. of music. In both cases, adding in files sent over the internet to equipment that can show or play them has definitely changed the business or buying opportunities.
As I understand it, music has never been a high-paying possibilities for most musicians so I think it is especially important not to steal copyrighted music. I can't see using software that strips out the digital rights management parts of recordings or files of books, which is unequivocally stealing and immoral behavior. When music or writing is offered freely for no money, that is a different situation. I write this blog for free but no one can see it unless they have access to the internet or email, which requires money. A big difference between my work and that of most musicians and writers is I am not trying to make a living from my writing.
I love that I can get books and music from the air. Just about all my music came from CD's before I loaded it into iTunes. A little of it was downloaded in mp3 or mp4 format and paid for. I try steadily to avoid buying a paper book. I only want those that are in Kindle form, which is free of weight, the need for physical space or doesn't need dusting.
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