Libraries and spoofs, all the rage

In my round up last week at PMN I pointed out this video of the Old Spice guy shilling for libraries. Now I bring to you Stephen Jones, on the value of studying in the library:

I'm on a cart!

Fingerprinting for library books

Because library cards are so old hat, the school system in Machester wants to use fingerprints to check out library books. What, the retinal scans were too expensive?

This is quite clearly appalling,” said Phil Booth, national coordinator of NO2ID, a privacy campaign group.

“For such a trivial issue as taking out of library books the taking of fingerprints is way over the top and wrong.

“It conditions children to hand over sensitive personal information.”

I think the real point is to crack down on library theft more effectively. You don't return your book? Your fingerprints are already in the system! So when you, 13 year old Joey, get pulled over for speeding and arrested for assaulting an officer, they'll match your fingerprints to your stolen library book and fine the crap out of you. Libraries saved!

Science pop-up book makes me feel smart

Sure, it might be aimed at a slightly younger crowd, but this pop-up book about particle physics will make a scientist of me yet. Collide your own atoms and see if you can discover popped-up Higgs Boson particles before CERN--I double dog dare you.

How peculiar, English

English is a great language, friends. But sometimes it is a mite peculiar. Where do terms like fanboy come from? And what is up with this list of words? Please, keep your cachinnation to yourself.

Once again Amazon confuses "bestseller" with "most downloaded"

Over at Jacket Copy we learn that the top 10 Kindle downloads are free. And, look, as someone who regularly creates free content (that is read by people who regularly create free content) I'm not saying there's anything wrong with offering an e-book for free. I think it can be a savvy publicity tool, and a nice boost for your numbers (clearly). But I will say that these are not bestsellers because they're not being sold.

So, yes, these are the top 10 Kindle downloads. But they are not the top 10 sellers. As the Jacket Copy post says, other titles by the same authors that are being sold (as opposed to being given away) are ranked in the mid-thousands, which really makes you question how good a sense you can get of what people like and what people take because it's free.

I vote we actually make a distinction between "most sold" and "most downloaded." Because most people I know stream movies they would never pay for, use Pandora to listen to music they would never buy, and, oh, use the Kindle to download books they would never purchase.

Librarians pick books through arcane methods like "reading reviews"

Abigail Goben posted about how she decides which books to buy for her library. She says she reads reviews, listens to others in her field, and keeps herself well connected through the interwebs.

She of course forgot to mention the true decider: witchcraft. Dum dum duuummmm.

...She also explains what you can do as an author to not creep out librarians and get them to buy your book. Victory, information!

Young explorers, unite for nature

Things everyone loves this time of year: rediscovering that there is life outside, enjoying said life outside, adventures. For the tiny people around, this isn't always a "rediscovery" so much as a first time discovery. But how can we interest them in the great outdoors while secretly educating them?

This list of nature focused picture books is the equivalent of hiding carrots in cookies. They'll never know that education has hit them square between the eyes.

I will break you! Son of a biscuit.

This video is dual purpose: it is hilarious, and it quells my desire to have kids. They are loud, and, in this case, super rude. I would have been in time out about 15 times during this 10 minute video if I had pulled these stunts when I was 3. Actually, I would still be in time out now.End digression, commence video!

To quote Zaylee: I will break you! If you don't watch this. Although if you watch the outtakes, you worry that this is how the Britney Spears-es and Lindsay Lohans of the world got started. First it's a Flip camera and some chocolate chips, next it's Disney stardom and rehabs. Stay strong, Zaylee!

Margaret Atwood loves Twitter.

Seriously, she loves the Twitter. She writes:

One follower led to another, quite literally. The numbers snowballed in an alarming way, as I scrambled to keep up with the growing horde. Soon there were 32,000—no, wait, 33,000—no, 33,500… And before you could say LMAO (“Laughing My Ass Off,” as one Twitterpal informed me), I was sucked into the Twittersphere like Alice down the rabbit hole. And here I am.

Oh my goodness, Ms. Atwood, I officially love you.

Girls are better readers, also cooler in general

A survey of students aged 5 to 16 showed that, while boys and girls read the same number of books, girls choose more difficult titles than boys. Ladies: always awesomer. What I found interesting was this:

High-achieving children - defined as reading two years above their age - are not challenging themselves enough when it comes to reading as they tend to opt for easier books than their reading ability warrants, the report suggests.

[...]

"If they [children] are reading books that are below their independent reading level it may give them enjoyment but it won't extend their reading ability and literacy rates are at risk of continuing to decline," [Professor Topping] said.

I have trouble believing that, considering the difficulty getting kids to read in the first place, the article judges children who read for fun. Also, content often dictates reading level to some degree, and you know what you're getting into, more or less, when reading YA fiction versus adult fiction--something pretty obvious when you consider the large number of adults reading the Twilight novels.

The science of romance

At one point or other, I considered pursuing an academic career, and then decided that it wasn't for me (with some help from those who have already been there). Now that decision is vindicated, because I would no longer be the first to do an academic analysis of romance novels. And what an analysis it is!

Coming from an evolutionary psychology perspective, they hypothesized these titles would reflect mating preferences that have evolved over the millennia — specifically, a desire for a long-term relationship with a physically fit, financially secure man who will provide the resources needed to successfully raise a family.

They found considerable support for this theory, although some of their speculative specifications were spelled out more directly than others.

Love it. Love. It.

Dead pigs + the ocean = science

Why is science so gross and so cool all at the same time?

The right way to write: The rules

The Guardian ran different authors' rules here and here--Anne Enright has the ever amazing "Try to be accurate about stuff" and "The first 12 years are the worst."

Book Bench shakes this down into the essential truths: you have to make your own rules. And remember: if you don't write it down, it never happened.

I think I'm turning Japanese, in order to write my cellphone novel

15 year-old "Bunny" wrote a three volume novel on her cellphone, which has been turned into a paperback and has sold over 110,000 copies and grossed more than $611,000. She's a Japanese high school student, who doesn't want her friends to know she's been writing because "It's embarassing." Dude, seriously, all of my writing profits are also an embarrassment. An embarrassment of riches! (Zing.)

The moral here is that I need to become a 15 year Japanese girl. This is only doable through MySpace or creepy chat rooms. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Haitian history

For those of you who know nothing about Hatian history or politics (read: me), check out this reading list. Knowledge is power!

Tricks of the trade: Reading

We all have our little tricks and hacks we use for our reading habits. Lifehacker put together a list of its top 10 tools for better reading, on and off line. Among those tips are "Read while working out," "Speed up your reading," and:

Find your next read. Not all of us have a local book shop staffed by the most knowledgeable and well-read workers on Earth. For recommendations on what you'd like, based on what you've just finished, we can turn to many spots on the net.

Check the original article for different sites and programs that can help you find that next good read.

I own your birthplaces, author types

Because I am so interested in you and your histories! Charles McGrath writes:

That we tend to fetishize writers’ residences is a little odd to begin with. By and large the same fuss doesn’t get made over places where artists have lived, and yet you could argue that an artist’s surroundings have more bearing on his work. But birthplaces themselves are an even odder subcategory, certainly less interesting, in general, than the houses where writers have actually worked.

This is one of those things I don't really get, as I'm not particularly interested in author's lives. I like my celebrities and heroes up on pedestals, thank you very much, and the more I know about their lives and habits and drug problems the less I respect their work.

That said, there is something weird about the fuss we make over birthplaces versus adult abodes of writers. Adult homes are where authors chose to be inspired, as opposed to where their parents decided to pop them out. Luckily, McGrath writes:

Nobody is born at home anymore, and who would want to make a literary pilgrimage to a hospital?

Not kidding about kidneys

Reader-types, it is now time to listen to me push politics. Be forewarned! (Or just skip this one if you are politics averse.)

I saw this post at Alicia's blog, and wanted to add: perhaps you too should consider checking the little "please give my organs to other people once I am no longer using them" box on your license. And if you're feeling especially giving, you can give a some while alive (one kidney and a big chunk of your liver, and I think that's it).

Yes, it's a fraught subject (especially if it's a kidney), and clearly it is understandable if you have thought about it and don't want to donate, but the huge jump between the number of people who donate in countries with an opt-in system (like the US of A) and those with an opt-out (like Amsterdam or Spain) speaks to a general disinclination to check boxes, not to give organs.

Grammar lovers beware: People realize language evolves

Stop the presses: some grammar rules do not predate the English language. Once a year somebody pops up and tries to say that grammar rules shouldn't apply because they were different in Shakespeare's day. Apparently, "the grammatical doomsayers had better find themselves some chill pills fast, because the crimes-against-the-language rate is going to skyrocket here in the electronic age."

As a grammatical doomsayer, I say boo, grammar whiners--just because you plan on breaking the rules more often doesn't mean I have to chill out. There are certain standards the English speaking world ascribes to, and to pretend like they're not important because they are somewhat arbitrary is ridiculous. Saying Lord Byron spelled and punctuated differently doesn't change the fact that modern standards do not include replacing c's with k's (even for krazy kars!) or pluralizing with z's. Grammar is for klarity, reader types, and is also just a klassy way to be.

Resolutions for the new year

Welcome to the new 2010 version of Combreviations, in which the content and quality are basically the same (womp womp, I know). The internet was abuzz in the last week rounding up 2009, and showed us favorite e-readers, the best film adaptations, the things that went down in children's books, and literary stories abounded. Oprah's books dominated the decade, and some people went back into a whole century of writing.

2010, which could be mantastic, may bring us the Apple tablet, the e-reader paradox, and The Babysitter's Club is coming back (but that's a whole separate post).

Do you have any reading resolutions for the new year? Check out some here and here for ideas. I, for one, resolve to read more books and less internet. I am already questioning my resolution resolve on that one.