Friday, 12 January 2007

Avalon Publishing to be acquired by Perseus Books

Avalon Publishing Group -- which includes the publisher of my Practical Nomad books, Avalon Travel Publishing -- has announced that they are to be acquired by Perseus Books Group . This should have no affect on readers or buyers of my books, and hopefully will have little effect on me... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 12 January 2007, 14:10 ( 2:10 PM) | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, 26 November 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 10

Kiev (Ukraine) - Ouarzazate (Morocco) - Idelssan (Morocco) - Ouarzazate (Morocco) This week the cast of travellers on The Amazing Race became the cast of a movie within the TV show, cheered on by a crowd of extras in a chariot race on a Moroccan movie studio's desert back lot.... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 26 November 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, 18 September 2006

The power of travel blogs

Using Technology: Blogs About Business Travel Begin to Feel the Power (by Christopher Elliott, New York Times, 18 September 2006): But business-travel bloggers are still a long way from wielding the power of political bloggers. Edward Hasbrouck, who writes The Practical Nomad blog (hasbrouck.org/blog), says that policy changes that result... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 18 September 2006, 09:31 ( 9:31 AM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, 17 September 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 1

Seattle, WA (USA) - Beijing (China) - Juyongguan (China) As the teams in the new season of The Amazing Race prepared for the start of the race at Gasworks Park in Seattle, host Phil Keoghan told them -- and us, the viewers -- that there would be some surprises. And... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 17 September 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 19 July 2006

MT-Preview plugin with MT 3.3

Ignore this unless you want to use Laurent Mihalkovic's MT-Preview plugin (for WYSIWYG previews of draft blog entries before you publish them) with MovableType version 3.3. If that is what you want to do, here's how:... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 19 July 2006, 10:38 (10:38 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, 20 June 2006

Forward-looking statements

After eight productive and rewarding years as the staff "Travel Guru" at Airtreks.com in San Francisco, today is my last day as an employee. I'll remain a paid affiliate of Airtreks.com , and they still have my endorsement and recommendation. (Tell them I sent you, and your purchases of... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 20 June 2006, 16:00 ( 4:00 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, 3 April 2006

ICANN and the press

One of the three main issues that has arisen in my efforts to report on the Internet's governing body, ICANN , is ICANN's failure to comply with its own bylaws requiring that "ICANN and its constituent bodies shall operate to the maximum extent feasible in an open and transparent manner... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 3 April 2006, 07:52 ( 7:52 AM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 8 February 2006

Reasons for travel writing and publishing

Interesting comments on the motives of travel writers and publishers, from two articles which were brought to my attention by messages on the same day last week to the Travel Guidebook Writers e-mail list administered by author, Webmaster, teacher, and consultant Tom Brosnahan as one of his many resources for... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 8 February 2006, 08:19 ( 8:19 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 1 February 2006

Thank you for reading!

In January 2006, there were 105,238 visits to this Web site. That's the first time that number has passed 100,000 in a month. On principle, I don't use cookies to track you from one visit to the next. So I don't know how many of those visitors were "unique". And... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 1 February 2006, 21:56 ( 9:56 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Friday, 27 January 2006

Court says Google's distribution of "cached" Web pages is "fair use"

In the first legal test of Google.com's storage and redistribution of "cached" copies of Web pages -- even if the page has deliberately been removed from the original site, for example because a time-limited publication license has expired -- a Federal District Court in Nevada has ruled that this is... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 27 January 2006, 18:35 ( 6:35 PM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, 14 January 2006

MovableType on Yahoo Web hosting

This is not a blog about blogging, or a blog about blogging technology. Please skip this article unless you are interested in both. I've posted the information below solely as an aid to other bloggers, potential bloggers, and people who work with blogging software:... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 14 January 2006, 10:28 (10:28 AM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (1)

Wednesday, 7 December 2005

Blog-based articles in print

I mostly write printed books and electronic articles. But occasionally my articles end up in print, and I'm always open to offers for print licensing or adaptation of articles from my blog, Web site, or e-mail newsletter. The Fall 2005 issue of American Writer (see pages 10-11), the magazine of... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 7 December 2005, 08:18 ( 8:18 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, 24 September 2005

Lies from "my" lawyers in copyright class action lawsuit

On the eve of the court hearing scheduled for this coming Tuesday to decide whether to approve a proposed settlement giving the New York Times and its co-defendant copyright infringers future rights in perpetuity to sell, license, and sublicense the electronic rights to freelance articles that they've been stealing for... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 24 September 2005, 14:49 ( 2:49 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

Wednesday, 21 September 2005

New class action against Google for infringement of book copyrights

Authors Guild Sues Google, Citing 'Massive Copyright Infringement' The Authors Guild and [three individual authors] filed a class action suit today ... against Google over its unauthorized scanning and copying of books through its Google Library program..... Through its Library program, Google is reproducing works still under the protection of... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 21 September 2005, 09:10 ( 9:10 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, 12 September 2005

Update on electronic copyright infringement

The largest-scale bootleggers of the written word on the Internet are attempting to extend their thieving through measures represented as a "concession" to writers' and publishers rights by Google.com, and a proposed "settlement" of claims against by writers against publishers that includes a poorly-disclosed giveaway of rights to unlimited future... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 12 September 2005, 12:14 (12:14 PM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, 1 September 2005

RIP: Kepler's Bookstore

Of all the places where I've read from and signed copies of my books , there is none of those appearances of which I am more proud than the one on 25 January 1998 at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park, California. Not because of anything I said -- although the... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 1 September 2005, 14:18 ( 2:18 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 25 May 2005

Academic publishers question Google copyright infringement

Exactly two months after news and photo "wire service" Agence France-Presse (AFP) brought suit against Google for copyright infringement through the unauthorized display on Google's Web site of bootleg images and news summaries stolen from paying AFP subscribers' Web sites, academic publishers of books and journals have joined in labelling... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 25 May 2005, 11:24 (11:24 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, 20 March 2005

Travel writing contests and conferences

Yesterday's meeting of the Bay Area Travel Writers reminded me of several upcoming contests and events for travel writers, including a new travel writing contest for high school seniors in the San Francisco Bay area, and a travel writing contest with a grand prize of a ticket around the world.... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 20 March 2005, 14:58 ( 2:58 PM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

AFP sues Google for copyright infringement

In what I expect will prove the most significant test case since Tasini vs. New York Times (in which the U.S. Supreme Court found the Times liable for damages to writers -- which it still has yet to pay, more than three years later -- for systematic electronic bootlegging of... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 20 March 2005, 14:13 ( 2:13 PM) | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, 26 October 2004

Travel advice from Neal Stephenson

In the course of a long interview on Slashdot (particularly worth reading for Stephenson's perceptive typology of writers), Neal Stephenson was asked by a fan of his "travel novels" whether he has any "Travel tips for modern primitives?" and "Do you carry any sort of self-defense means in some places?"... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 26 October 2004, 13:38 ( 1:38 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Robert Young Pelton on "The Practical Nomad"

Robert Young Pelton (author of The World's Most Dangerous Places ), devotes his column this month in National Geographic Adventure magazine to, "the top five secrets ... that guidebook publishers don't want you to know about their products." In no particular order, but starting with, "(1) They're outdated." His advice?... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 26 October 2004, 11:57 (11:57 AM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 6 October 2004

Google joins Amazon in e-book plagiarism?

A year ago this month, I noted reports that Google.com was planning to emulate Amazon.com's copyright-infringing scheme for online distribution of unauthorized bootleg images of the pages of books to which it doesn't own the copyright or electronic rights. In the intervening year, bootleg e-books assembled from page images obtained... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 6 October 2004, 16:44 ( 4:44 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, 3 June 2004

E-book bootlegs from Amazon.com showing up on Kazaa and IRC

In the Virtual Stacks, Pirated Books Find Eager Thumbs (The New York Times, 3 June 2004) "I was pretty broke and couldn't really afford $100 textbooks,'' said Joseph Ruesewald, a recent graduate.... Having come of age in the era of Napster, Kazaa and other file-sharing networks infamous as bazaars for... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 3 June 2004, 07:28 ( 7:28 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, 11 November 2003

Amazon.com cuts back on copyright infringement -- step by step

As of today, my books seem to have been removed (at my publisher's request -- Amazon.com still hasn't made any effort to obtain permission from authors) from Amazon.com's co-called Search Inside the Book program(s). Other books whose publishers have requested their removal seem to be working their way through the... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 11 November 2003, 20:38 ( 8:38 PM) | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, 6 November 2003

Lawyers, bloggers weigh in on Amazon.com book page images

Authors' lawyer (and former book editor) Charles E. Petit , who apparently represents a number of short-story writers, offers both an excellent page of advice for authors on dealing with Amazon.com and some right-on commentary on the issue in his blog, starting with this article on 27 October 2003 (check... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 6 November 2003, 07:57 ( 7:57 AM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 5 November 2003

More book genres join travel authors in questioning Amazon.com giveaway of e-rights

Authors and publishers of cookbooks, short stories, and how-to books are joining travel writers and publishers, as well as major publishers like Penguin, in raising questions about Amazon.com's so-called "Search Inside the Book" program, which actually bundles together searching with free display of images of all pages from the books... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 5 November 2003, 08:12 ( 8:12 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (2)

Saturday, 1 November 2003

The economics of e-books

There's a lengthy thread of comments at Ars Technica, to which I've contributed, in response to this article on Amazon.com's full-text search and page view program. Some commentators (at Ars Technica and elsewhere) have criticized me and other authors for being overly worried about the possible negative effect of free... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 1 November 2003, 17:03 ( 5:03 PM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (1)

Friday, 31 October 2003

Amazon.com "blocks" printing of page images (not)

In an e-mail message to Authors Guild members also posted on the organization's Web site, the Author's Guild says today that "Amazon.com has, at least for the moment, disabled the print function on its new "Search Inside the Book" program. We view this as an important development." Amazon.com's claims are... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 31 October 2003, 16:13 ( 4:13 PM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, 30 October 2003

Seattle P-I on Amazon.com "search" and page view

New Amazon search feature angers authors: Writers weren't consulted on searchability of work ( Seattle Post-Intelligencer , Friday, 31 October 2003) The P-I reports, on the basis of an Amazon.com press release, that "Amazon.com's new "Search Inside the Book" feature -- introduced last week to let visitors search the full... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 30 October 2003, 22:43 (10:43 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 29 October 2003

"Legal Problems for Amazon?"

Possible Legal Problems for Amazon's Book Search? (Publishers Weekly, 28 October 2003) Later revised version of the story: Industry Debates Latest Amazon.com Initiative; Varied reactions; some experts say 'search' poses legal problems; will it sell books? (Publishers Weekly, 3 November 2003) Book publisher Penguin's CEO says "we have a duty... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 29 October 2003, 15:38 ( 3:38 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

More on Amazon.com copyright infringement

I'm quoted in today's Seattle Times in their story, Amazon's inside look irks authors: Search function previews any page Unfortunately, the story focuses rather narrowly on whether authors would want to participate in the full-text search and retrieval system as Amazon.com has established it. But that's not a choice authors... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 29 October 2003, 07:11 ( 7:11 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, 28 October 2003

Google joins Amazon in expanding its book bootlegging

According to this article in today's New York Times (free registration and cookie acceptance required unless, ironically, you follow a link from a Google.com news search), "Google.com has begun talks with book publishers to compile a searchable database of the contents of thousands of volumes." As I mentioned in yesterday's... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 28 October 2003, 08:15 ( 8:15 AM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, 26 October 2003

Defend the Right to Link

If linking is at the heart of blogging, all bloggers should be up in arms at the cease and desist letter sent by e-voting (mis)manufacturer Diebold Elections Systems, Inc. to my friend Will Doherty in his capacity as Executive Director of the Online Policy Group. Not having been following the... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 26 October 2003, 16:33 ( 4:33 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Copyright infringement by Amazon.com

Yesterday I was forwarded a copy of this message from the Authors Guild about a new program under which Amazon.com is making the full text of certain books available for searching and download from the Amazon.com web site. The message from the Authors Guild was the first I had heard... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 26 October 2003, 15:13 ( 3:13 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

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