Comments on: Textbook piracy via BitTorrent on the rise http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/2008/07/02/textbook-piracy-via-bittorrent-on-the-rise/ EBB is the ebiquity research group\\\'s blog at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). We focus on technologies that facilitate the design, implementation and control of distributed, intelligent information systems -- mobile and pervasive computing, ad hoc networking, multiagent systems, knowledge representation and reasoning, and the semantic web. As the tides of technology ebb and flow, we hope the good ideas wash up on our beach and the bad ones drift back out to sea. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:29:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: M@ http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/2008/07/02/textbook-piracy-via-bittorrent-on-the-rise/comment-page-1/#comment-26933 M@ Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:38:08 +0000 http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/?p=1549#comment-26933 "On the other hand, digitizing a text book requires scanning it, which takes time" That's an understatement, I scanned my 700 page philosophy book for textbooktorrents.com on my flatbed scanner. Took me over 8 hours, but I think it was worth it. There were about 50 downloads, so thats about $6000 dollars that I saved students around the globe. Sadly, textbooktorrents recently got shut down. “On the other hand, digitizing a text book requires scanning it, which takes time” That’s an understatement, I scanned my 700 page philosophy book for textbooktorrents.com on my flatbed scanner. Took me over 8 hours, but I think it was worth it. There were about 50 downloads, so thats about $6000 dollars that I saved students around the globe.

Sadly, textbooktorrents recently got shut down.

]]> By: Textbook piracy via BitTorrent on the rise | Dr. Johnson’s Cat http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/2008/07/02/textbook-piracy-via-bittorrent-on-the-rise/comment-page-1/#comment-24727 Textbook piracy via BitTorrent on the rise | Dr. Johnson’s Cat Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:52:18 +0000 http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/?p=1549#comment-24727 [...] this is related to [...] [...] this is related to [...]

]]> By: Zonnepanelen http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/2008/07/02/textbook-piracy-via-bittorrent-on-the-rise/comment-page-1/#comment-24493 Zonnepanelen Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:42:46 +0000 http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/?p=1549#comment-24493 You are completely right Sassenach, the prices of textbooks are overpriced indeed! Here in Holland they have found a solution! Companies who are related to the subject of the textbook get the change to place advertisements in the textbooks. Indirectly, the textbooks are paid by companies now, and students can download a digital copy of the textbook for free! (With ads though) You are completely right Sassenach, the prices of textbooks are overpriced indeed! Here in Holland they have found a solution! Companies who are related to the subject of the textbook get the change to place advertisements in the textbooks. Indirectly, the textbooks are paid by companies now, and students can download a digital copy of the textbook for free! (With ads though)

]]> By: smartie http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/2008/07/02/textbook-piracy-via-bittorrent-on-the-rise/comment-page-1/#comment-24492 smartie Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:21:20 +0000 http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/?p=1549#comment-24492 Yea, textbooks are insanely expensive and professors don't help by requesting that we use the latest editions. Seriously, I spend as much on textbooks for one semester as I do for my medicines and contacts put together for almost the whole year. I wouldn't mind having at least some of them online. Yea, textbooks are insanely expensive and professors don’t help by requesting that we use the latest editions. Seriously, I spend as much on textbooks for one semester as I do for my medicines and contacts put together for almost the whole year. I wouldn’t mind having at least some of them online.

]]> By: Sassenach http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/2008/07/02/textbook-piracy-via-bittorrent-on-the-rise/comment-page-1/#comment-24486 Sassenach Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:02:15 +0000 http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/?p=1549#comment-24486 Textbooks are ridiculously overpriced, perhaps in part because the publishing costs are so high compared to the (comparatively) small market. E-books would be cheaper to publish (and update) and they could be issued in proprietary formats such as Kindle to prevent re-distribution. Textbooks are ridiculously overpriced, perhaps in part because the publishing costs are so high compared to the (comparatively) small market. E-books would be cheaper to publish (and update) and they could be issued in proprietary formats such as Kindle to prevent re-distribution.

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