A mixed bag this week from Maps to Making Friends, enjoy with your favourite beverage before Orwell’s Estate sends a takedown notice... Tolkien's annotated map of Middle-earth discovered inside copy of Lord of the Rings The Web’s Cluttered Attic is About to Get a Little Neater George Orwell’s Estate Goes Orwellian, Sends Takedown Notice Over a Number Springfield, MO Christian bookstore to close after 25 years, citing digital competition e-Reader ownership declines by 50% We Sent a Guy From Our Office on a Quest to Make New Man Friends ---

People are Not Reading the e-Books they Buy Anymore Are people reading the e-books they purchase from companies such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Kobo? There is growing research data that is supporting the notion that people are not reading the digital titles they buy online and for the most part, they are never even opened. Full article here .    My thoughts follow ... I highlighted the above article a few weeks ago in one of my RAW compilation posts , because I though it was a bit silly (yet here I am creating more content about it too). The gist of the article is that 'there is growing amount of research which supports the notion that people are not reading the digital titles that they buy online and for the most part, they are never even opened.'  This comes from tracking software and other types of analysis that e-book sellers have attached to your e-book.  The author of the article speculated a few reasons for this: current lifesty...

This week a glimpse at how new technology is affecting the way we use our public building, in particular schools  It also looks like e-books are here to stay but there will be an ongoing debate concerning the pricing of them.  Well, sit back with your favourite beverage enjoy reading this weekend.  I'm not feeling well so I think I'll be drinking copious amounts of orange juice.  Enjoy!  Canadian Libraries are fed up with high e-book prices. Are we losing faith in e-Books? A Virginia High School Rips Out Lockers, Replaces Them With Benches and Charging Stations. 10 Reasons Why Print Books are Better than eBooks. 4 Reasons To Become A Mentor Immediately.

The Parker Interstellar Travels Series (PIT) ...or what I like to call,  the Trilisk Trilogy  +2 Description : (From book 2 The Trilisk AI)  Telisa Relachik studied to be a xenoarchaeologist in a future where humans have found alien artifacts but haven't ever encountered live aliens. Recruited by a group of artifact smugglers, Telisa endures deadly opposition on her first expedition and comes out an experienced explorer. Struggling to sell the artifacts found on their expedition to the Trilisk ruins, Telisa and Magnus fear reprisal by the world government.  Because of their harrowed existence, they are receptive when the alien they call Shiny resurfaces and offers them the chance to scavenge his war-torn homeworld. Their obstacle: Shiny's robotic nemeses, the Bel Klaven. Telisa and Magnus feel up to the challenge, but does Shiny have a hidden agenda?  Meanwhile, a new team forms to hunt down the smugglers...

Wow, something unusual is happening around the star KIC 8462852, and one of the possible explanations in that we may have caught glimpses of a Dyson Sphere being built... something most Sci-Fi readers will have come across at least once.  I wonder if they will get S.E.T.I to allow them to time to observe the star closer?  And in other news this week reading is good for you, along with happy friends...  Well, enjoy your weekend with a good book, a good friend and some good coffee.   Maybe try some Turkish coffee prepared with hot sand   Enjoy! Did Astronomers Find Evidence of an Alien Civilization? (Probably Not. But Still Cool.) Libraries as sanity promoters Living Near Happy Friends Has the Greatest Effect on Your Own Happiness New York Times Unveils Digital Day Passes

The Terminal War: A Space Opera Novel (A Carson Mach Adventure) by A.C. Hadfield A millennium into the future.  In a galaxy far from Earth.  We were not prepared for the Terminal War.  Billions of lives are at risk as enemy forces mass on the frontier of the Commonwealth. If the planet Terminus, the center of all the Commonwealth’s technology, falls, we will lose everything, and there will be no way back.  The Axis Combine’s fleet is overwhelming in number, and their firepower is superior.  Unless one man and his crew can save Terminus, the galaxy will never be the same again. They must find a way to give the Commonwealth an edge or we’ll face complete annihilation.  There is but one hope: Carson Mach and his motley crew of rogues on the starship Intrepid. 

This week, the Men, Children and reading.  It sounds like 'screens' are pulling us away from the enjoyment of reading.  Enjoy my selection of articles this weekend with your favourite beverage.  I'm currently making some Moroccan Mint ice tea to enjoy over the coming week. Enjoy! How to Raise Boys Who Read Five reasons why dads should read to their children more The 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You Must Read Before You Die, According to Amazon World’s oldest literary work gets an addendum Publisher Net Revenue from Book Sales Declines 4.1% in First Half of 2015

It's almost the weekend, and a long weekend at that for most Australians.  So here are some articles that you can read beforehand in order to maximise your time off.  Remember to enjoy them with your favourite beverage.  During my time off I've been enjoying many cups of my favourite tea, Twinings Australian Afternoon Tea. I was so happy when this limited release blend was added to the Twinings range.  You can find out the secrets behind it here at an old friend's* blog, he is  Australia's Most Trusted Tea Reviewer, Joel's Blog #1 People are Not Reading the e-Books they Buy Anymore How Making Time for Books Made Me Feel Less Busy The Pieces We Allow Into Our Lives If You Don’t Keep Your Feet: How the Journey Changes You Media Often Mistakes Trade Publishing Stats for Market Stats, Foresees the Decline of eBooks