Publishers offer free/discounted ebooks of the print books you own with Bitlit

Cory Doctorow 10:00 pm Fri Jun 27, 2014

Bitlit works with publishers to get you free or discounted access to digital copies of books you own in print: you use the free app (Android/Ios) to take a picture of the book's copyright page with your name printed in ink, and the publisher unlocks a free or discounted ebook version. None of the Big Five publishers participate as yet, but indies like O'Reilly, Berrett-Koehler, Red Wheel Weiser, Other Press, Greystone, Coach House, Triumph, Angry Robot, Chicago Review, Dundurn, and PM Press (publishers of my book The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow) are all in.

(Image: Bookshelf, David Orban, CC-BY)

A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Number 42

What is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything? 42, of course. But why? In Scientific American, Jean-Paul Delahaye, computer science professor emeritus at France's University of Lille, explores why 42 is such a magic number in mathematical culture and science fiction geekdom. From Scientific American: Apart from allusions to 42 deliberately introduced… READ THE REST
Why Goodreads is bad for books

"What should be a cosy, pleasant corner of the internet has become a monster," writes Sarah Manavis in New Statesmen. "Goodreads sucks, and is just shy of unbearable." Goodreads today looks and works much as it did when it was launched. The design is like a teenager's 2005 Myspace page: cluttered, random and unintuitive. Books fail… READ THE REST
Cyberantics: a book from the year 2172

Stanislaw Mayakovsky — a fictional character from the 1992 comic book series Aliens: Hive — was a Russian sociobiologist and artificial life expert from the 22nd century who made a tiny autonomous robotic ant and placed it in an ant colony to study social insect behavior. He wrote a book about it, called Cyberantics (published in 2172). In 1992, Dark… READ THE REST
MATLAB is computer science for legit scientists, but you can learn it too with this training

If you've never heard of MATLAB or think it sounds vaguely like certain TV shows from the '80s, you'd be forgiven. Because even in a tech sector chock full of intricate, complex programs and systems that routinely leave lay people scratching their heads, MATLAB is science tech for the serious, SERIOUS scientists. Since its humble… READ THE REST
These super-soft bamboo sheets now have a secret weapon: pockets

Every once in a while, you stumble across a new twist on an old idea and ponder, "Why didn't I think of that?" It's often a concept so simple that it feels like it's been staring you in the face your whole life. It's that sense of "duh" that the Bamboo 6-Piece Smart Pocket Sheets… READ THE REST
FogBlock solves the glasses-mask problem with a single spray

Glasses can be difficult at any time, but with a mask on, it seems like you can't go more than a few seconds without an errant exhale blowing up into your face, fogging your glasses entirely. The only upside is the tiny bit of sweet revenge against everyone who called you four-eyes when they try… READ THE REST