Whenever I’m doing research for a blog post, writing project, or just curious about a specific topic, I find myself using Wikipedia more and more. The online encyclopedia that anyone can edit has grown in size and popularity, so it’s no surprise that a Wikipedia entry is among the first in Google’s search results for common (and even not-so-common) search terms.

My growing reliance on Wikipedia actually surprises me, considering that not too long ago I despised the site. I had my reasons. Chief among them were the idea that Wikipedia relies heavily on the honesty and integrity of those who write and edit entries. And as you well know, not everyone who uses the internet has the best of intentions. Stories have popped up in the news about Wikipedia editors having false qualifications, entries being unfairly biased one way or another, and in the worst cases completely fabricated.

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There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the future of ebooks: will they ever become "mainstream"? Will publishers ever agree on a universal ebook format (with equally universal reading devices)? Why should we replace print books, a format that has served well for so long?

I don’t think anyone really expects these questions (and countless more) to be answered anytime soon. However, I came across an interesting blog post from the Oxford University Press blog (OUP) that takes a very practical look at the question of ebooks becoming mainstream, and why print books should be replaced.

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How do you get kids to read? According to the mayor of one Spanish town, you pay them! I came across an article from the globeandmail.com while surfing around the web last night. I couldn’t believe it:

Agustin Jimenez, socialist mayor of the agricultural town of Noblejas in central Spain, is recommending the town’s children be given a euro – the equivalent of about $1.50 – for every hour they spend reading in their local or school library.

I’ll just say this, if I were paid based on the reading I did, I would probably get paid more than what I earn at my current full-time job. You can interpret that as I either read way too much, or I get paid dirt (I’ll let you decide).

Seriously though. In a perfect world kids would read on their own because books are cool and reading is fun. But we don’t live in a perfect world and kids are distracted by everything from video games to television/movies and everything in between (I feel old saying that). In other words, reading isn’t high up on the to-do list for many kids.

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Paying these kids to read isn’t a half-bad solution to what appears to be a problem in Spain:

Spanish students were also some of the worst at reading in Europe, with 21 per cent of 15-year-olds having difficulties, compared with the European Union average of 19.8 per cent.

Look at it this way: even if a majority of the kids read only to get that money, then what’s the worst that can happen (I’ll get to that later). Chances are, if enough kids read enough books, regardless of what motivates them, reading is going to catch on with some of these students. And some of them will read because they discovered they like it, not so much because they’re getting paid.

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I recently came across an intriguing website that was launched earlier in 2007. It’s called DailyLit and it offers a unique way of reading ebooks – via email or RSS feed. Here’s how it works: After you complete the free and very simple registration process, you can choose any book from a surprisingly large library. All the classics are free, and now they are starting to feature more contemporary books that only cost a few bucks.

Once you select your book, you decide if you want to read it via email or by RSS. You then choose the frequency with which the section are sent to you, everything from just a few a week to everyday, and then you’re all set. All books are sent to you in bite-size sections, perfect for reading on your break at work (or even while you’re supposed to be working, I won’t tell).

For my first book experience on DailyLit, I decided on Treasure Island (aff link) by Robert Louis Stevenson. I decided on the RSS feed, since I sped much more time reading blogs on Google Reader than I do reading email. The book is sent to me in 88 parts- a new one every morning.

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As ebooks become more popular, so do the devices used to read them. The Amazon Kindle is just the latest attempt to capture this growing market. Lately I began to think about all the devices currently on the market. They each have their own unique features and drawbacks. I have also been asking myself what would the perfect ebook reader be like?

Obviously, everyone has different tastes and preferences, so even a perfect device for me might be a piece of junk for someone else. For example, if someone only loves to read novels, but shuns blogs, then an RSS feature would be useless for him/her on a reading device.  However there are, I think, some universal features that most of us can agree on.

Here’s a list I compiled of some features that would make the perfect ebook reader:

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As I was blindly surfing the internet last night, I came across an interesting blog post about a Japanese designer that combined a bookcase and reading space. This would be great if you had a small house/apartment with limited space for furniture. It’s also nice to have your reading material right there within arm’s reach.

I’m not sure if this would be a good set-up for a tall person, such as myself, though.

What is your optimal reading space?

Why do you read? Do you read to be simply entertained? Or are you looking for deeper intellectual stimulation? Literature has always been a refuge for ideas. But over the years, something has happened, especially with literary fiction. It’s no longer tackling profound ideas, instead, transforming into something very mundane.

An article I came across on Wired News discusses this very issue. Clive Thompson writes why Sci-Fi is becoming the last bastion of philosophical writing.

When I first started writing fiction (I don’t even remember how old I was), it was science fiction that got me excited. In fact, sci-fi novels were all I read. But I only had some vague semi-understanding of the issues these books tackled. I think, at that age, I was turned on more by the gory violence of alien wars than anything else.

Fast forward to the present. My minor in college was philosophy, where I fell in love with the existentialists. A few years ago, while still a college student, I returned back to my roots in science fiction. This time I have a greater appreciation of the philosophical issues sci-fi attempts to reconcile within its pages.

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If you’re looking for a way to enjoy the convenience of ebooks without buying a separate, expensive ebook reader, then one website has "novel" (no pun intended) solution for you!

DailyLit (launched back in May 2007) allows you to read ebooks that are sent to your email via easy-to-read installments. You can chose from classics (which are free), or opt for a more contemporary book for a low price. I have yet to try this service, but it looks promising. People spend so much time reading email anyway, why not throw a book into the mix? Best of all, these books can be read on your cell phone (smartphones will work the best). You also have the option to read the ebooks through an RSS feed, which I find better than email for a lot of text.

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As I was browsing through my Google Reader list this evening, I came across an interesting link via the Kevin Smokler blog, where he shares links from his del.icio.us page.

The link was to an article from the New York Times about a small group of people who make their living scavenging New York City looking for used, unwanted books that they then sell to the infamous Strand Bookstore:

The men are regulars at the Strand, book-scavenging semipros who help the city’s best-known used-book store keep its shelves stocked. They have no overhead, no employees and no boss. They also have no home. What they have is experience, and a fitful sense of industry.

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Back in August 2007, I wrote a post (In China, internet propels novel popularity) about people in China embracing internet technology to produce and consume literature. I presented a fairly optimistic view of China’s infant literary scene.

However, there are still many problems in China for writers, especially concerning censorship. According to an article published in the Guardian Unlimited, censorship still exists, but the line that separates what is considered appropriate and what is taboo has been blurred:

"Censorship’s not quite the blunt instrument it used to be," says the Beijing-based journalist and translator Eric Abrahamsen. "Writers can publish books, but then there’s pressure exerted on publishers not to reprint them, or media organisations not to cover them."

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