6 outrageously-ridiculously overpriced items

[CuckingFunt]

I find textbooks for as cheap as I can, but always buy them. And keep them. It's evil with art history texts, which tend to be both beautiful and expensive as .

[CubanMustGo]

Kindle textbooks aren't going to save YOU much. If you haven't noticed, the price for new book releases is very close to the dead tree variety. When you order print books from Amazon, they ship them for free (assuming you buy $25 at once) so when you do there are ALL sorts of costs coming out ... payment to the publisher, who had to pay printing, storage, and shipping costs in addition to payment to the author, Amazon pays someone to ship the books to you, someone to pack the books in a box, someone to make the box and the shipping materials, not to mention warehouse space.

Then there's Kindle. Cost? Some tiny fraction of a disk and server, some network overhead, and payment to the publisher. Amazon makes out like a bandit (and the publisher makes more too because the only overhead he has is getting the thing in Kindle format, and since they've got to typeset the book electronically in the first place most of that work is already done). And yet YOU pay nearly the same price. It's the iTunes model writ large.

Maybe textbooks are priced differently, all I know is the standard book model.

[CuckingFunt]

I don't see Kindle textbooks happening. Not enough to become a game changer, at least. Textbooks are where you need the ability to easily highlight and make notes, flag certain pages, and, often, be able to flip through and find information in a classroom setting.

[CosmicCowboy]

I don't see Kindle textbooks happening. Not enough to become a game changer, at least. Textbooks are where you need the ability to easily highlight and make notes, flag certain pages, and, often, be able to flip through and find information in a classroom setting.

You can bookmark with a Kindle.

[Dr. Gonzo]

You can bookmark with a Kindle.

There are a majority of students that don't like reading textbooks on a Kindle or any other electronic form.

[CosmicCowboy]

There are a majority of students that don't like reading textbooks on a Kindle or any other electronic form.

Why would that be? Carry one light, slim Kindle instead of 30 pounds of hardcovers? Still have the ability to highlight and bookmark? Save a load of money?

Why would students NOT want that?

[Dr. Gonzo]

Why would that be? Carry one light, slim Kindle instead of 30 pounds of hardcovers? Still have the ability to highlight and bookmark? Save a load of money?

Why would students NOT want that?

Because they are more familiar and comfortable with hard copy textbooks. Plus the ability to scribble notes in a margins is a big advantage.

One would think all of those advantages would be great but students aren't really coming around to electronic textbooks. That's why I chuckle when I hear people say that libraries will be dead and books will be going away. That isn't happening anytime soon.

[Drachen]

I don't see Kindle textbooks happening. Not enough to become a game changer, at least. Textbooks are where you need the ability to easily highlight and make notes, flag certain pages, and, often, be able to flip through and find information in a classroom setting.

I don't know the current Kindle capabilities, but this is as easy as a firmware update, it would seem.

[hater]

Gonzo you are misunderestimating young ppl. They would love an electronic gadget that replaces textbooks. problem is kindle is far from there yet.

Kids will adopt it once you can install games on it. and books will be history.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Gonzo you are misunderestimating young ppl. They would love an electronic gadget that replaces textbooks. problem is kindle is far from there yet.

Kids will adopt it once you can install games on it. and books will be history.

I work in an academic library in a department that is constantly getting books for people that don't want electronic books. I don't think I'm underestimating anything. I deal with this topic daily.

[CosmicCowboy]

I don't know the current Kindle capabilities, but this is as easy as a firmware update, it would seem.

Already done. You can bookmark, highlight, and make personal notes in the book.

[The Reckoning]

kindle itself is pretty expensive. id rather go to the school bookstore where they have all the books i need for one class do ented on the shelf so i can grab and go.

[Sisk]

The real textbook scam is the publishers putting out barely-different, new editions every ing six months so they can undercut you on selling older ones back, or refusing them entirely.

Seriously. Such bull . Obviously a money-grabbing tactic

Of course, higher education as a whole these days is a huge cash cow so it's not surprising.. just really ed up.

[CuckingFunt]

I work in an academic library in a department that is constantly getting books for people that don't want electronic books. I don't think I'm underestimating anything. I deal with this topic daily.

As do I, though from the student side. I don't know a single other student who, when assigned an article made available in PDF form (which is easily 50% of academic reading these days), doesn't immediately go home or to the computer lab to print those articles out. Skimming is easy and convenient in an electronic format, but close/critical reading is not.

[hater]

I work in an academic library in a department that is constantly getting books for people that don't want electronic books. I don't think I'm underestimating anything. I deal with this topic daily.

so you work among 10% or less sample of entire student body.

as a studend I went to the library about 7 times. in 4 years.

[CosmicCowboy]

As do I, though from the student side. I don't know a single other student who, when assigned an article made available in PDF form (which is easily 50% of academic reading these days), doesn't immediately go home or to the computer lab to print those articles out. Skimming is easy and convenient in an electronic format, but close/critical reading is not.

Thats really interesting. I rarely print anything out unless it's instructions, etc. I need to take somewhere.

[CuckingFunt]

Thats really interesting. I rarely print anything out unless it's instructions, etc. I need to take somewhere.

For how much of that reading are you required to write a critical analysis, research paper, or discuss in a classroom setting?

[CuckingFunt]

so you work among 10% or less sample of entire student body.

as a studend I went to the library about 7 times. in 4 years.

I'm guessing you didn't get much out of your time in college, other than a degree. Either that, or you made paper writing really hard on yourself.

I've never been one to just hang out or study in the library, and I'm probably more likely to search the online catalog or order materials via interlibrary loan from the comfort of my own home than I am to head over and wander through the stacks, but the library is an invaluable resource. No way in could I have made it through some of my classes without the services they provide.

[hater]

I'm guessing you didn't get much out of your time in college, other than a degree. Either that, or you made paper writing really hard on yourself.

I've never been one to just hang out or study in the library, and I'm probably more likely to search the online catalog or order materials via interlibrary loan from the comfort of my own home than I am to head over and wander through the stacks, but the library is an invaluable resource. No way in could I have made it through some of my classes without the services they provide.

point is most students don't go to the library. the # of library goes is dwindling and fast. that is a fact.

[Dr. Gonzo]

so you work among 10% or less sample of entire student body.

as a studend I went to the library about 7 times. in 4 years.

From your use of the word "misunderestimate" and "studend" I think you should have spent a little more time in the library.

[CosmicCowboy]

For how much of that reading are you required to write a critical analysis, research paper, or discuss in a classroom setting?

Well, I'm obviously not in school, but I do extensive bids, write proposals, write business letters etc., all digitally. Most of my communications with other businesses are electronic as well. Flipping pdf's back and forth, etc. Paper just seems clunky.

[hater]

From your use of the word "misunderestimate" and "studend" I think you should have spent a little more time in the library.

they teach typing there too?

[The Reckoning]

point is most students don't go to the library. the # of library goes is dwindling and fast. that is a fact.

uh no its not. the library is always packed, and during finals theres absolutely no seating available.

[Dr. Gonzo]

point is most students don't go to the library. the # of library goes is dwindling and fast. that is a fact.

Library usage statistics say otherwise.

[hater]

uh no its not. the library is always packed, and during finals theres absolutely no seating available.

like I said less than 10% of the entire student body