I am a film person (and a book person and a television person!). Most any type of film will appeal to me if I think it has a good story and interesting characters. But usually I am drawn to the more independent film than the latest blockbuster. Luckily living in the Pittsburgh area there are are some theaters that do show independent films, although it may take a few months to reach us. And if I don't make it to the cinema, I end up watching these films on DVD once they are available at the library.
One of the best showcases of independent films in the United States is the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. This year the festival runs January 17th to 27th. This festival was started back in 1978 as the Utah/United States Film Festival as a way to lure filmmakers to Utah. In 1985 Robert Redford's Sundance Institute took over the festival and has been in charge ever since. Many of the films shown at the festival have gone on to be quite successful.
Here are just a few of the award winning films that have been presented at the Sundance Film Festival:
Blood Simple was the 1985 winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Drama. This the debut film from Joel and Ethan Coen. It tells the story of a rich, but jealous man, who hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man. But, when blood is involved, nothing is simple.
The Brothers McMullen, (1995) from director/writer Edward Burns, was the little film that made it big. After their good-for-nothing father dies and their mother leaves to be with the man she really loves, brothers Jack, Barry and Patrick are left with only each other as they struggle with their relationships. Married Jack is tempted to have an affair; Patrick isn't sure his fiancee is 'the one'; and Barry can't deal with the fact that he is actually falling in love. Burns made this for about $25,000 and it went on to gross over $10 million.
American Splendor (2003) is one of my favorite films. Paul Giamatti plays Harvey Pekar, the star of his own comic book series. Pekar's day job was as a file clerk at the Cleveland VA. He was your typical, struggling everyman. He eventually put the drudgeries of everyday life into his series, American Splendor, using different artists (Pekar could not draw). The real Harvey Pekar, and his wife Joyce, also makes appearances as themselves.
Super Size Me(2004), was a breakthrough hit for director Morgan Spurlock. He spent 30 days eating nothing but McDonald's food and documented the affects on his health in this documentary. This is also an insightful look at the obesity epidemic in the U.S.
Precious (2009), was the inspirational drama that captured everyone's attention. The story of an illiterate, overweight and pregnant teen who is given a second chance at an alternative high school was a break out hit.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), is the little film that is getting big talk this year because of the performance of its young star, Quvenzhané Wallis. Wallis plays a young girl who lives in a remote bayou who must find a way to save her family from catastrophe.
Be sure to follow the news to see what the next upcoming, independent films will be coming out of this year's Sundance Film Festival!
As a librarian, I get to read lots of reviews about upcoming books. Many of them sound interesting to me, but I don't tend to ever read them. Or it may be several months, if not longer, before I get my hands on them. I've never been a reader who has to read the latest bestseller right away -- it's not going anywhere!
One of those books that I read about that intrigued me was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. So when I actually had an opportunity to read it while on vacation a few months ago, I jumped at the chance. And I am so glad I did!
The story starts on the day of Nick and Amy's fifth wedding anniversary. What starts as a day for celebration turns into a day of fear and confusion when Amy disappears from their home in Missouri. As the search and investigation deepen, Nick becomes more and more a suspect in his wife's disappearance. He digs himself a deeper and deeper hole by his lies and deceptions. But is he responsible? I'm not going to tell you, so you'll have to read it yourself to find out!
This is a very hard book to review because there is so much that needs to be left to the reader to discover. My recommendation is to read this as soon as you can, and don't read the last chapter first!
Here are some read-alikes in case you're on the (still) long waiting list for Gone Girl, or you've already read it and want more of the same:
-- The Breaker by Minette Walters
A young girl is found wandering around an English village, while her mother's body washes up on a nearby beach. Several suspects soon surface and many secrets are revealed throughout the investigation. After reading this, make sure to check out other books by Minette Walters.
-- In The Woods by Tana French
The first in a series from the Irish mystery writer. Detective Ryan must investigate the murder of a 12-year-old girl, in the same woods where several children went missing 20 years earlier -- and where Ryan was found clinging to a tree.
-- Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson
A woman, whose memory was damaged a long time ago in an accident, wakes up every morning with no memory of her husband or her life (she thinks she's still single). She keeps a secret journal from her husband that her doctor tells her where to find every day. The journal and what her husband tell her do not match up.
-- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
This classic psychological thriller from 1955 is the first in a series about the nihilistic Tom Ripley, who slowly begins to take over the life of the young man he was sent to Italy to bring home. Mr. Ripley's story continues in four more suspenseful novels. Also made popular by Matt Damon in the 1992 film.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a sci-fi fan that doesn't know, and appreciate, Isaac Asimov. One of the most popular and prolific authors of the genre, Asimov sold his first story at the age of 18. He went on to write literally hundreds of books on a variety of subjects, and is remembered as one of the giants of modern science fiction.
As sci-fi fans, we at "New @ MPL" won't miss the chance to honor this sci-fi behemoth on the 93rd anniversary of his probably-birthday. (Asimov, born in Russia, was uncertain about the actual date of his birthday -- due to lack of records at the time, among other things. But January 2nd was when he celebrated, so that's good enough for us!) Read on to find out more about five things we wouldn't have if not for Mr. Asimov:
1. A full non-fiction section
Libraries like ours use the Dewey Decimal Classification system to organize our non-fiction titles. It lets us organize the books by subject, while also giving every book a number to make it easier to track down on the shelf.
The urban legend runs that Asimov is the only author to have a book in each of the ten main categories of the Dewey Decimal system: general reference, philosophy, religion, social sciences, language, science, technology, arts and recreation, literature, and history/geography. Now, while that's not quite accurate (none of his books get shelved in the philosophy section), Asimov has written at least a few books that show up in each of the other sections. He wrote over 500 books in his lifetime -- fiction and non-fiction, preschoolers' early readers and college textbooks, science fiction and mysteries, ancient history and modern, Shakespeare and Gilbert and Sullivan. Whatever you're interested in, there's a decent chance that Asimov may have written a book about it!
2. Data
Asimov is probably best remembered for his Foundation series and his Robot series, the latter of which featured such inventions as the Three Laws of Robotics. (More on those in a bit.)
The portrayal of robots in Asimov's stories had a huge, profound impact on the entire science fiction genre -- and, for that matter, the real-world scientific study of robotics. (Asimov himself coined the word "robotics!") One of pop culture's most famous robot characters was inspired heavily by Asimov's stories: Data, the android from the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. With his positronic brain -- and his desire to be human -- Data calls to mind such Asimov creations as Andrew from The Positronic Man.
3. Sci-fi as we know it
Science fiction has always had the capacity to serve as commentary on real-world events. H.G. Wells, for instance, is said to have used his book The War of the Worldsto comment on British imperialism during the Victorian era.
But by Asimov's time, most science fiction was of the "space opera" variety -- sprawling, epic stories about swashbuckling romance and action-filled adventures. Nothing wrong with such stories, of course, but critics complained that it made the genre empty.
Asimov, by contrast, wanted his stories to enlighten as well as entertain. He's responsible for such genre tropes as robotics and the idea of a "galactic empire" -- but, perhaps more importantly, he's also credited with bringing political and social commentary into modern-day sci-fi story conventions. Nowadays, you'd be hard-pressed to find a science fiction story that doesn't have a cautionary tale or a reference to modern-day culture and events woven somewhere into its pages (or on the movie screen).
4. Safer science
Asimov wasn't just a science fiction author. He was also a scientist in his own right, and during the 1950s, he worked as a biochemist. While he published far more popular books and novels than academic papers, his work for one scientific journal in particular stands out. Asimov made the point that the breakdown of carbon-14 in human genes (a breakdown which can be caused by exposure to radiation) invariably produced mutations. When the Nobel-prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling campaigned for the end of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons (a campaign that was ultimately successful), it was with Asimov's persuasive paper in the forefront of his mind.
Which brings us to Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. Within the world Asimov's Robots series, all robots were designed and programmed to obey three primary laws:
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where those orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence, except where such protection would conflict with the First or Second Law.
The Three Laws allowed for Asimov's robot characters to be sympathetic rather than terror-producing -- here were robots who, by their very design, were destined to protect and help human beings. (The fact that there are loopholes to be found in even the best of laws is, however, precisely what made his stories so fun!) Some modern-day robotics researchers have mentioned Asimov's stories influencing their own ideas and theories, and some have even attempted to use the Three Laws as a model for their own robotic creations.
5. Cool names
When you have a positive impact on so many fans, writers, scientists, and researchers, they're bound to return the favor. Asimov has had a number of scientific curiosities named after him, including an asteroid, a planetary crater on Mars, a New York City school -- and, my personal favorite, what is probably the most advanced "humanoid robot" yet invented: ASIMO.
Standing for "Advanced Step In Innovative Mobility," ASIMO is designed to reach for things, pick things up, find its way along floors and sidewalks, and climb stairs. Standing just over four feet tall, it took Honda engineers over two decades to develop ASIMO's advanced capabilities and features. In addition to being able to move so precisely, ASIMO can also understand and respond to simplistic voice commands, stop stationary and moving obstacles in its environment, and even recognize faces in a small group of individuals.
"The end of the world. THE END OF THE WORLD!!! Will it bring total annihilation, glorious transcendence, or both? When will it happen? Can we do anything about it? Will we be able to get good jobs afterwards?"
You may have heard about how the world is ending this week. The Mayan calendar is coming to an end, and thus, many are saying, an apocalypse is nigh. December 21, 2012, to be precise. At 6:11 AM, to be completely exact.
Now, it's important to point out that the Mayans didn't actually predict the end of the world this December 21st. (The calendar's just getting reset.) This hasn't stopped many from forecasting certain doom, but chances are, we'll be Doomsday-free this month.
Still, on the off-chance that the "forecasters" are right, it can't hurt to be prepared. So we've complied a list of sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers, dystopia, and post-apocalyptic books, films, and television to provide you with an end-of-the-world primer. And whether aliens invade, meteors hit the Earth, or zombies attack, you'll be prepared.
Start off with this appropriately-titled special-effects bonanza, featuring John Cusack as a science fiction writer racing for safety as the world literally tears itself apart. The, erm, "science" in this one is best left unexplored, but the CGI is top-notch.
Prefer aliens in your apocalypse? Look no further than this summer blockbuster, which includes inspiration on how to defeat an invading alien race with your handy-dandy Macbook.
Expecting a Biblically-based end times? Check out this humorous novel by Gaiman and Pratchett for tips on dealing with motorcycle-riding Four Horsemen, a misplaced Antichrist, and angels and demons who have decided they sort of like the human race.
If you're thinking climate change may be the culprit of the end times, check out this movie, which stars Dennis Quaid as a paleoclimatologist warning that a seismic shift in the world's climate is coming -- well, sooner than expected.
Plan on coming of age during the ensuing apocalypse? Then take a look at this book about Julia, who is trying to deal with the slow destruction of her world, along with her parents' failing marriage and her own issues with first love.
If you're trying to predict the apocalypse, this is the film for you. Nicolas Cage stars as a physics professor who stumbles upon the contents of a fifty-year-old time capsule. Once he cracks the code of the contents, it gives him a shocking look into the future ... and the past.
As Monroeville residents, we should know all about zombie takeovers -- but if you need to brush up, this novel's for you. (This has a movie version and a full-cast audiobook in the works; in the meantime, also check out the AMC show The Walking Dead.)
Thinking asteroids? This YA read (the first in a trilogy) sets the stage with an asteroid knocking the Moon closer to the Earth. The effects are gradual but catastrophic, leaving Miranda (our main character) facing increasingly different choices.
If you're planning an Apocalypse more science-fictionally based, try this finely bizarre read. It's set in a post-nuclear world where a recently-excavated, 20th-century shopping list is the the most prized and sacred artifact in the world -- penned as it was by the blessed St. Leibowitz.
If a post-apocalyptic world run by vampires who were created from the failed attempt at developing an immunity-boosting drug sounds like it might be something you see in your future, take a look at this book.
Think the world will end because of a plague? In this dark and devastating world, the few people left alive struggle with dreams of good and evil. This is a classic horror novel from the master of horror.
If the cause of the end times remains a mystery, try this post-apocalyptic story of a father and son trying to survive in a savage world. Their love for each other supports them on their journey to the coast.
These two related stories concern the after-effects of the destruction of the environment of North America. A good cautionary duo after or before an Apocalypse.
Let's hope no one finds themselves in this dystopia -- a post-apocalyptic world created by a monotheatic government that forces women to become "breeders." A chilling, thought-provoking read. (Are you an Atwood fan? Then check out our previous post.)
A less horror-based epidemic than The Stand? In this novel of a world crippled by a superflu, one man hangs on to his humanity the best he can with his dog and his 1957 Cessna plane.
(If you suddenly find yourself in Panem?) Here, we have another future world run by an authoritarian government. This time, teens are thrown into an arena to fight to the death to pay for an earlier uprising.
Robot takeover! Based on "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Phillip K. Dick, this film stars Harrison Ford as a blade runner (a robot hunter) in a bleak future where androids are banned from earth. It's Ford's job to find those that are hiding out (or blending in) and eliminate them.
... we'll just avoid this Apocalypse, okay? (The film shows the devastating effects of overpopulation on New York City in 2022 -- but there is, as you may know, more to the story.)
December 16 marked Ludwig van Beethoven's 242nd birthday. And, being a massive Beethoven fan, I wanted to do something to mark the occasion. So let's celebrate the great composer by taking a look at some of the Best of Beethoven Trivia:
-- Beethoven was born in 1770. When little Ludwig was old enough to start showing a talent for music, his father (a musician himself) decided his son was going to be a child prodigy. Of course, Beethoven actually was a child prodigy -- but it still wasn't enough for dear Dad. Determined to make his son appear as brilliant as possible, Johann Beethoven routinely told people that Ludwig was two years younger than he actually was. It was years before Ludwig himself discovered that he actually hadn't been born in 1772.
-- When he was about 18, Beethoven was lucky enough to travel to Vienna (the European center of music at the time) and meet his hero: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart later commented on Beethoven's musical performance to friends, saying, "Keep your eyes on him; someday he will give the world something to talk about."
-- Beethoven's eccentric personality was one of his most defining characteristics. He could be moody, arrogant, and insulting; or warm, good-humored, and compassionate.
-- He liked jokes, bad puns, and even pranks, and was known to sometimes be a chair-puller.
-- One of his most famous patrons was Prince Karl Lichnowsky. He once told the prince (who provided Beethoven with financial support, mind), "There are and there will be thousands of princes. There is only one Beethoven."
-- Beethoven was not the most desirable of customers. He went through servants and landlords as an alarming rate. At restaurants, he'd forget to pay the bill, wrote musical notations on the tablecloths, and once dumped a dish of veal and gravy over a waiter.
-- He wrote, among other things, nine symphonies, five piano concertos, 16 string quartets, 10 violin sonatas (plus five for cello and 30 for piano), and two masses.
-- "Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours. ..." Although he never married, Beethoven loved several women in his life. The most famous, though her identity remains a mystery to this day, is the "Immortal Beloved" to whom he wrote a love letter.
-- The great tragedy of Beethoven's life as a musician was his increasing deafness. He was hard of hearing and suffered from increasingly severe tinnitus (ringing of the ears). He famously carried around "Conversation books" (many of which survived to this day), asking those around him to write down their responses to him instead of speaking aloud.
-- Beethoven's Ninth (and final) Symphony had its premiere performance on May 7, 1824. (That's the one featuring the famous "Ode to Joy" chorus in the final movement.) By this time, Beethoven's hearing was virtually gone -- but he still insisted on conducting the concert himself. A second conductor, Michael Umlauf, stood beside him, and instructed the performers to disregard Beethoven's signals and focus only on Umlauf. Beethoven, for his part, continued to conduct with his usual enthusiastic vigor (even though much of his gesturing did not match the orchestra's actual performance).
That opening concert of the Ninth Symphony was unlike anything anyone had ever heard before. At the end of the performance, the audience leapt to their feet, cheering and applauding with wild enthusiasm, already calling for an encore. But Beethoven, his back to the audience, conducted onward, unable to hear the applause -- and lost in the world of music he heard inside. Finally, Karoline Unger, one of the sopranos, stepped forward and touched Beethoven's sleeve to turn him around ... so he could see the audience's joyous response.
Video: Ode to Joy flash mob
-- Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are space probes that were launched in 1977. (Stick with me; I promise this is related.) The probes were launched to explore the furthest reaches of our solar system, but they're also something of messages-in-bottles. Each probe contains a gold-plated copper "phonograph record" disk (along with instructions on how to play them), meant to be messages about humanity to any intelligent life that may run across them. The disks are etched with pictures of Earth, and contain samples of sound ... and music. Including a recording of the Fifth Symphony.
After a flash mob that awesome, it seems only fitting to find out that Beethoven's music has reached the stars.
Music:
- Beethoven's Last Night (album): The rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra is mostly known for their rocked-out Christmas music releases. I much prefer this concept album for a "musical," featuring Beethoven, a deal with the devil, and the fate of his "lost" Tenth Symphony.
- Immortal Beloved: Starring Gary Oldman as the famous composer, this 2000 movie tries to answer the question of the identity of Beethoven's famous and enigmatic "Immortal Beloved."
- Beethoven Lives Upstairs: This charming (and family-friendly) little movie tells the story of ten-year-old Christoph, whose family has a most unusual and eccentric second-floor tenant.
- Copying Beethoven: Taking place during the last three years of Beethoven's life, the film opens with the composing of the Ninth Symphony. Ed Harris stars as Beethoven, with Diane Kruger as the copyist hired to help him complete his manuscripts.
- Fantasia and Fantasia 2000: These Disney classics feature works of classical music set to animated sequences. The first Fantasia film features the gods of Greek Mythology in Beethoven's Pastoral Sixth Symphony, while the Fantasia 2000 sequence has an exert from the Fifty Symphony featuring a battle ... of butterflies!
Books:
- Beethoven's Hair: DNA testing on a lock of Beethoven's hair revealed some startling theories about the composer's death and life. (Was later made into a documentary.)
- Beethoven's Letters: Does what it says on the tin. This collection of letters, written throughout the composer's lifetime, offers a fascinating look into, as they say, the man behind the myth. (You can hear dramatic readings of some of those letters in this documentary.)
Franco Harris's famous catch, immortalized at the Pittsburgh International Airport
Most sports fans, especially those here in Western Pennsylvania, can't remember a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers weren't one of the most successful teams in the National Football League. After six Super Bowl victories (the first four within six years), with many former players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Terrible Towels being twirled all over the world, it's hard to believe there was a time when the Steelers were anything but champions.
Art Rooney, Sr. founded the Pittsburgh Pirates (yes, that was their name for their first seven seasons) in 1933, and this current season marks the Steelers' 80th. Through most of the first 40 years, the organization fielded a mostly forgettable group of teams. In 1969, the Steelers hired Chuck Knoll. While his first season was far from a success (1-13), it gave them the first draft pick in 1970, which they used to take Terry Bradshaw. After picking Joe Greene the previous year, they were finally on their way to respectability. But no one would know that for sure for a few more seasons.
That season came in 1972, when the Steelers won their first division title and played their first playoff game on December 23rd. They defeated the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium 13-7. But it was not just any ordinary playoff game. This was the game of "The Immaculate Reception" by Franco Harris in the final minutes of the game, for them to win. It's a very hard play to describe, so if you haven't already seen it, just watch the video below.
(Take a look at this little diagram if you are still confused by the play.)
That's Harris on the right, and Frenchy Fuqua, the intended receiver, on the left.
There was a bit of controversy surrounding the play. In 1972, only one offensive player was allowed to touch the ball after a pass. As can be seen in the above video, it's a little hard to tell how the ball got from one place to the other. If it bounced off of Steeler Frenchy Fuqua, then Harris catching the ball was an illegal play. However, if the ball bounced off of Oakland Raider Jack Tatum before Harris caught it, then the play was legal. It was ruled a touchdown on the field by at least one official, but there wasn't complete agreement by all of the officials. After discussing it on the field and consulting with the supervisor of officials, the play was ruled a touchdown. Back in those days, there wasn't any instant replay for officials to check, so they had to rely on each other to make their decision. Forty years later, there is still controversy -- but, of course, not by Steelers fans!
Around Pittsburgh, this catch is spoken of with reverence and respect. It was also a turbulent and restless city at the time of the play. The steel mills were still operating, but no one knew for how long. The war inVietnam was still going on, and many young men from Western Pennsylvania had fought (many not returning home). The Pittsburgh Steelers, and this playoff game, was a rock for the city to hold onto. It kept everyone going.
Also, from the way people used to talk, you would think that everyone from Western PA was either at the game or watching it on television. I spent many a year thinking that I had seen the game on TV. But I was only six at the time, so you could forgive me my memory slip. Those of us not there only saw highlights shown later, because the game was blacked out due to broadcasting restrictions at the time (games could not be broadcast within a 75 mile radius of the home team).
This catch is so revered that the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh is raising money for a statue to be built on the exact location of the Immaculate Reception. Three Rivers Stadium no longer stands, but by using global positioning, they say they have found the exact spot where Franco made history 40 years ago. They are even having a contest for fans to send in photos of them "Francoing" (duplicating the look from the photo at the top of this post).
The Steelers went on to play the Miami Dolphins the following week, but lost. But within a few short years, the Steelers, and the city of Pittsburgh, would be celebrating the team's first Super Bowl. If not for Franco Harris's "Immaculate Reception," who knows if that would have happened that quickly. But luckily, for those of us who are Steelers fans, we didn't have to find that out!
That's the slogan presented in Amazon.com's new television spot, which first starting appearing this fall. To quote their marketing agency: "Amazon hasn’t simply changed how we shop or read, but more importantly, they have revolutionized how we live."
That might be considered a somewhat lofty claim -- at least until we take a closer look. Ordering merchandise online has, indeed, become part of the normal shopping experience: during this year's Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving), Americans spent $1.5 billion on online purchases in twenty-four hours. It's hard to say how many of those purchases were made at Amazon, but for some perspective: on Cyber Monday 2011, Amazon sold 17 million individual items.
They're impressive stats for a store that's only 17 years old (although it's true that 17 years in tech-time is a decidedly long stretch). Amazon.com started life on July 16, 1995, in a two-car garage in Bellevue, Washington. In the beginning, it was something of a seat-of-the-pants operation, with founder and CEO Jeff Bezos overseeing a handful of people packing and shipping boxes off of a table made out of an old door. (Nowadays, many of the desks in the Amazon offices are still made out of doors, in tribute to the company's modest beginnings.)
It's a far cry from the company's fulfillment warehouses of today, one of which -- located in Phoenix, Arizona -- opened its doors to reporters to give them a glimpse into what goes on to make the Amazon shopping experience possible.
A Phoenix, Arizona "fulfillment center"
Filled with miles of conveyor belt, this particular fulfillment center consists of a 1.2 million square foot warehouse. The items held inside -- from books and packs of coffee to board games and computer equipment -- are organized not by type or brand, but, instead, are placed in any spot that happens to be free. If an empty slot fits, it's used, no matter what else may be in that particular aisle.
The secret to what Amazon calls "chaotic storage" is in its barcoding system, which is how the warehouses' lack of order is still kept organized. Every single shelf space in the warehouse has a unique barcode; when an item is placed onto the shelf, it's tagged with the particular barcode that matches its new storage spot. Barcodes, in fact, are the backbone of Amazon's warehouses, where codes are used to find, ship, and track each and every purchase.
After an online order is placed by an Amazon customer, the order appears on an employee's handheld scanner. The employee follows the corresponding barcode number to the right shelf, then pulls the item from the shelf (yes, by hand) and places it into a barcode-marked yellow bin. The bin is then placed on a conveyor belt, and soon arrives in the hands of another employee for its contents to be boxed up and shipped.
It's a massive operation that requires massive manpower, particularly during the holidays; Amazon hired 50,000 seasonal employees this year alone. It also requires complex computer programs to keep track of inventory, whether for items coming directly out of Amazon's warehouses or, instead, from sellers who are offering their merchandise through Amazon's website. (Business owners can sell their products through Amazon; their merchandise shows up on Amazon's website, and can even be purchased directly through Amazon, in return for Amazon receiving a share of the sales profits.)
Other computer programs have been developed to manage search terms and track buyers' habits. The company is striving not only to offer low prices, but also to customize users' shopping experience according to what each shopper wants. Complex algorithms have been developed by Amazon computer techs to track what you buy and develop personal recommendations based on what you purchase or even search for.
Amazon can be a great place to shop easily, for nearly anything, at great bargains. But remember: Amazon still can't guarantee the lowest prices. This holiday season, don't forget to shop around.
-- "How Dead Is the Book Business?" - from the New York Times. Publishing giants Random House and Penguin have merged together to stay in the book-business game against Amazon's new printing imprint. But this isn't the first time industry has changed at the turn of the century. Includes theories on what the future of commerce may look like.
-- "Booksellers Resisting Amazon’s Disruption" - more fromthe Times about how publishers (and traditional booksellers) are keeping relevant against Amazon's competition.
