Books

[Clippy]

Was going to post a question as to suggested sites to buy books as Amazon is great but not much of a saving to be had if you only want one book as you have to pay a couple of quid for postage which only makes it a small amount cheaper than a bookstore where you can get 'instant gratification'.

Anyways, Google saves the day with www.bookrabbit.com.

Love their use of Web2.0 technology with being able to see other readers book shelves - great if you are a big reader I guess and wish to connect with others.

[scooterscot]

So where does the book come from? It's not very clear what the actual service is.... I can see peoples book shelves and select a book and then I buy, but do I get a new one altogether? Why would I choose a book based on what someone has on their shelf? Why would I do that? I'm not getting it...

Agree interesting use of web2

[Clippy]

So where does the book come from? It's not very clear what the actual service is.... I can see peoples book shelves and select a book and then I buy, but do I get a new one altogether? Why would I choose a book based on what someone has on their shelf? Why would I do that? I'm not getting it...

Agree interesting use of web2

I must admit, I thought the same.
i.e. is this bringing together book sellers with buyers.

Believe it is brand new books but when you register, you can register as a seller as well but haven't really explored the site much yet.

[NickFitz]

Why would I choose a book based on what someone has on their shelf? Why would I do that? I'm not getting it...

I assume it's on the basis that if you like a certain book, and others also do, you might like other books that those others like.

It's the same principle as Amazon's "Others who bought this also bought...", or last.fm's recommendations based on comparing the music you choose with music chosen by others who chose the same music as you.

Agglomerative clustering with an appropriate distance (or closeness - same thing, different words) algorithm is one way of implementing the generation of such customised datasets. A Pearson algorithm is said to be a useful one for the purpose of making recommendations, although my own research into this field is still ongoing, so maybe I should implement a site that provides recommendations of which distance algorithm to use, based on the distance algorithms used by other sites

[NickFitz]

BTW, I'm rather amazed by the fact that I could see from this thumbnail image that I own five of the books therein, have met three of the authors, and have worked with one of them

EDIT: Ah, now I've registered, I see that this is not in fact the case - viewing the larger picture, I can confirm that most of them are books I have no intention of reading

Funny how the spines so closely resemble a bunch of well-renowned techy books, when they actually turn out to be mass-market trash, though

[Integrity]

Was going to post a question as to suggested sites to buy books as Amazon is great but not much of a saving to be had if you only want one book as you have to pay a couple of quid for postage which only makes it a small amount cheaper than a bookstore where you can get 'instant gratification'.

There is the option of paying £50.00 per year to get next day delivery on all orders. Works out well if you buy 2 or more items per month, but not as a 1 book every 6 month customer.

[Platypus]

There is the option of paying £50.00 per year to get next day delivery on all orders. Works out well if you buy 2 or more items per month, but not as a 1 book every 6 month customer.

I buy almost every week from Amazon. The one-off payment is excellent!

[Diver]

I usually buy mine from the local charity shops. Read them and then donate them back.

[EqualOpportunities]

I usually buy mine from the local charity shops. Read them and then donate them back.

And how are you getting on with 'Learn Windows 95 in 24 Hours'?

[Diver]

And how are you getting on with 'Learn Windows 95 in 24 Hours'?

Haven't finished 3:11 yet