Free Books? Neil Gaiman and Harper Collins says so...

I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, simply love his dark mix of mythology and reality.

Just yesterday, Mr. Gaiman and his publisher Harper-Collins just announced the availabilty of one of his classics - American Gods - for free reading on the Harper-Collins website. Apparently, this is going to be some sort of experiment to see if people who take to reading full whole books online would buy an actual hard-cover or paperback.



I think this is a fantastic idea because the most unnerving thing about purchasing books online is you never really get to know the content of the book, especially if you can't find that same book in bookstores. Preview pages are great, but sometimes, I want to just browse through the entire thing before I buy.

By putting full books online for reading / browsing, publishers are effectively translating the whole in-bookstore browsing experience online. It'll be just like walking into a brick and mortar bookstore, picking up a book you'll potentially buy, and reading the first couple of chapters before actually buying the book.

Naturally, there's a fear that people will just read the entire book online, but in my humble experience, there's nothing quite like holding a real book in your hand. Besides, book piracy is already rampant on the internet and you can easily find best-sellers on any 'pirate' torrent sites out there, so I doubt putting full books online for free is going to dampen sales at all. In fact, it may encourage it.

Kudos to Harper Collins and Mr. Gaiman for this move. Amazon, what are you waiting for? Enough with crummy first chapters already!

It's Christmas time...

So yesterday, Lydia asked me an interesting question: "Should we start shopping for Christmas this now?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"What are you going to get your guys this year ah?"

"Dunno, haven't thought of it yet. Maybe a pot of paint for Dillon and Ernest."

Then it struck me. It's pretty difficult to choose stuff for people that they actually use instead of consigning to a box sitting in a corner and collecting dust. I get a lot of stuff that I don't use from people. Stuff like candles, jigsaw puzzles, photo frames... (I have so many candles, I can light up my house just with candles for three days)

So, to help my friends out, here's a list of stuff I'm looking at for Christmas :) here goes:

1. Wood Elf Spellsinger from Games Workshop (about RM 50). I need a mage for my wood elf army, so... this is something I'll probably need. Of course, any other miniatures from the Wood Elf or Orcs & Goblin ranges are welcome. :)



2. Absolute Sandman Volume 2 (About RM 300++). This is a whopper, but darn good read. I have Volume 1 and have spent some time staring longingly at Volume 2. Sigh, cannot afford to buy. And I tell Lydia it's too expensive to buy for me (coz she ain't got no cash either).
3. Random Stylish Kitchenware (RMXX). I'm gonna move into my new house soon and we'll need to get some new kitchenware when that happens. Preferably black / white dishes or metal fork / spoon sets. :)

4. Listerine (RM 14). I use mouthwash religiously and some people suspect I drink mouthwash like coke. Haha... glad you think I have the power to metabolise so much alcohol, but I don't. Listerine Tartar Control is something I'd use.


5. Sports Shorts (RM 20 - 40). Size M, Waist about 32. Elastic type preferred. This is really what I need when I go to gym because I only have two pairs now and if I don't get more, a bit the hard lah - have to wash everyday. Most "Dai" if you buy from Jusco when Holiday sale starts.So there you have it, davidlian's top 5 most wanted Christmas gifts. :) Some aspirational stuff. Some practical stuff. What'dya waitin' for? Get crackin'!