The Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter March 17, 2004 eBooks Readable By Both Humans and Computers For Since 1971 Part 1 In this week's Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter: 1) Editorial 2) News and Comment 3) Notes and Queries, Reviews and Features 4) Mailing list information Editorial Hello, Well there I was talking about real life last week and there it goes again. I'll save you all the long story, but this week will be my last newsletter in charge, you can read more of my comments futher down, but my suggestion would be to grab hold of your mobile phone first, you'll need it to read your next etext. What am I talking about? See below. Happy reading, Alice Send feedback and suggestions to the newsletter editor at: news at pglaf.org Founding editor: Michael Hart hart at pobox.com Newsletter editor: Alice Wood news at pglaf.org Project Gutenberg CEO: Greg Newby gbnewby at pglaf.org Project Gutenberg website: http://gutenberg.net Project Gutenberg Newsletter website: http://gutenberg.net/newsletter Radio Gutenberg: http://gutenberg.net/audio Hosted by iBiblio, The Public's Library: http://ibiblio.org Distributed Proofreaders: http://www.pgdp.net Distributed Proofreaders Europe: http://dp.rastko.net Newsletter and mailing list subscriptions: http://gutenberg.net/subs.shtml ============= [ SUBMIT A NEW EBOOK FOR COPYRIGHT CLEARANCE ]============== If you have a book you would like to confirm is in the public domain in the US, and therefore suitable for Project Gutenberg, please do the following: 1. Check whether we have the eBook already. Look in http://gutenberg.net/GUTINDEX.ALL which is updated weekly. (The searchable catalog at http://www.gutenberg.net lags behind by several months) 2. Check the "in progress" list to see whether someone is already working on the eBook. Sometimes, books are listed as in progress for years - if so, email David Price (his address is on the list) to ask for contact information for the person working on the book. The "in progress" list: http://www.dprice48.freeserve.co.uk/GutIP.html 3. If the book seems to be a good candidate (pre-1923 publication date, or 1923-1988 published in the US without a copyright notice), submit scans of the title page and verso page (even if the verso is blank) to: http://beryl.ils.unc.edu/copy.html You'll hear back within a few days. 2) News and Comment PG WAP site - read an etext via your phone I'm pleased to announce/brag that there is now a PG WAP site available for wireless devices such as mobile phones. It allows users to search the library by author and title, and download eBooks with a reader program in mobile Java (check your phone's blurb: does it support "downloadable games?"). To get to it, just point your device at: http://www.gutenberg.net/ I've tested it in as many ways as I can think of, but I would really like some help here. Even if you don't have Java support, I'd very much appreciate your feedback on the usability of the WAP site. In addition, please do give me a yell if you notice anything awry with the main website, which I've modified to divert WAP users to the new site. Many thanks, Meredydd Luff Now I have an excuse to buy one! Alice Statistical roundup 11911 Total 03/17/04 Week #10 (70/293) 92 New This Week 108 New Last Week 100.40 Weekly Average 200 New This Month 1004 New This Year 14.34 Average per day this year 5206 Projected Total for this year 69 New this week last year (03/12/03) 269 New this month last year (Mar) 605 New this year last year (2003) $ 0.84 Trillion dollar cost/book $ 1.36 Trillion dollar cost/book last year 7348 Etexts This Week Last Year 10 Production Weeks this Year 42 to go. 70 Production Days this Year 293 to go. 3 Production Months this Year 2406 eBooks in last 6 months (09/17/03 - 03/17/04) 26 weeks (37 - 10) 13.29 Daily Average for the last 6 months (181 production days) 2157 eBooks in the prior 6 months (03/12/03 - 09/10/03) 26 weeks (10 - 36) 11.85 Daily Average for the prior 6 months (182 production days) 5934 eBooks in the last 18 months (09/18/02 - 03/17/04) 78 weeks (37 - 10) ----------------- Just a reminder that, our very own Brett Fishburne has created a Project Gutenberg group on the SETIhome website (http://setiathome.berkeley.edu). Anyone interested in using their screensaver to search for aliens can go to the website, join the effort and then JOIN THE GROUP! Brett informs me that there is now a version of SETI for the MAC, so you have no excuse. Radio Gutenberg Update www.gutenberg.net/audio channel 1 - Sherlock Holmes "The Sign of Four" channel 2 - Robert Sheckley's "Bad Medicine" Both are high quality live readings from the collection. Testing of Radio Gutenberg audio books on demand is currently taking place. QUICK WAYS TO MAKE A DONATION TO PROJECT GUTENBERG A. Send a check or money order to: Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation 809 North 1500 West Salt Lake City, UT 84116 B. 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For more information, including several other ways to donate, go to http://www.gutenberg.net or email gbnewbyils.unc.edu 3) Notes and Queries, Reviews and Features A few thoughts... Just before I pick up the coffee stained magazines and put them in my box, put my chair under the desk and head for the nearest pub, I would like to take this opportunity to put down a few thoughts. Since discovering PG in 2002 I have made many friends and been introduced to so many new ideas. I have never ceased to be amazed at the 'can do' attitude of the people around me, the way that problems become solutions, that people will drop everything to help in a crisis and that people will send you get well messages from across the continent and cards at New Year from the US, even though they have never met you. Perhaps, I should also add the ability to forgive my many spelling mistakes. Project Gutenberg is going through many changes at this time, some of which are well overdue. This will be a process that can be messy and may lose people who feel that they and their ideas are not catered for. Project Gutenberg should not lose sight of what it actually is - all things to all people. This is one of the few places where you really can contribute what you want when you want and in the way you want. It cannot afford to lose that if it is to grow and become more diverse. It does require people with ideas, inspiration and the ability to look at the world in a slightly different way. I hope that Project Gutenberg can accomodate these ways of thinking as it adjusts to ever increasing numbers of volunteers. To develop and mature requires the need to not be afraid of change. Before I go a last word for two people who prefer to try and stay behind the scenes where they can and without whom life at the newsletter would have been impossible, so thanks to Brett and George, may your beer glasses never run dry! Best wishes to you all, Alice Mailing list information For more information about the Project Gutenberg's mailing lists please visit the following webpage: http://gutenberg.net/subs.shtml Trouble? If you are having trouble subscribing, unsubscribing or with anything else related to the mailing lists, please email "owner-gutnberglistserv.unc.edu" to contact the lists' (human) administrator. Please note the email address spelling. If you would just like a little more information about Lyris features, you can find their help information at http://www.lyris.com/help Please note that the newsletter staff do not have access to the mailing list email address list, so they are unable to subscribe / unsubscribe you themselves. They can however, give advice if you have trouble following the procedures on the webpage. Current Subscription Numbers as at end February 2004 gweekly - 2840 gmonthly - 3519 Credits Thanks this week to Brett and George for the numbers and the booklists. Meredydd, Greg, Michael and Larry Wall, plus the newsletter backroom staff (thanks Joel). Entertainment for the workers provided by as usual by BBC 6Music.
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