[13292] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: May Project Gutenberg Newsletter
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Dan Lester)
Thu May 4 08:49:50 2000
Date: Wed, 03 May 2000 18:35:00 -0600
From: Dan Lester <dan@RIVEROFDATA.COM>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.4.10.10005031344030.446-100000@bluestem>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Dan Lester <dan@riverofdata.com>
Message-Id: <19774.000503@riverofdata.com>
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Wednesday, May 03, 2000, 12:45:58 PM, you wrote:
MSH> With 2550 eTexts online it now takes an average of 100,000,000 readers
MSH> gaining a nominal value of $3.92 from each book, for Project Gutenberg
MSH> to have given away $1,000,000,000,000 [One Trillion Dollars] in books.
We have now reached the zenith of meaningless and nonsensical
statistics. I used to think that some of the stuff spewed from
Washington was silly, but this tops them all.
Yes, if you do the math, 3.92 * 2550 * 100000000 = 1000000000000. But
what does it mean?
IF a hundred million people had EACH received ALL 2550 PG books, then
they might have received such a "value". Of course books aren't worth
much (except to collectors) unless they are read. I doubt there are
anywhere near a hundred million people in the whole world who've read
2550 books. You'd have to read 50 books a year for 51 years to reach
that total. Even those of us who are elderly librarians probably
don't really read a book a week for fifty years. We'd like to. We
might even have 2500 books lying around our house. But for a hundred
million people to read that many books each? Not bloody likely.
Maybe the value of those 2500 books I'll start downloading and saving
as collector's items will increase and I can retire early. But I
haven't seen any flying pigs yet.
Michael, I'd love to see an explanation of how and why that monstrous
number means anything beyond one having the ability to divide large
numbers in order to get the nominal value of $3.92 per etext. Of
course explanations from others would be welcome too.
cheers
dan, always willing to learn
--
Dan Lester dan@RiverOfData.com
3577 East Pecan, Boise, ID 83716-7115 USA
www.riverofdata.com www.postcard.org www.gailndan.com
