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Net Gains (Mar 31, 98) |
Eighteen months ago, when a Pentium made its grand entry into
my room, many people shook their heads disapprovingly while saying
that this was the end of my love for books. Totally incorrect.
In fact, thanks to the computer, and an Internet connection, I've
read books I ordinarily would not have. And this week's column
is dedicated to showing you how you too can get books to read
on the Net, for a fantastic price - FREE !
Personal Bookshelf (http://www.mcp.com/personal/) is an online
replication of your college reading room - you can issue books
to read there, but cannot take those books home. Once you register
at this site by Macmillan Computer Publishing you can select up
to five web-viewable computer-related books to read online. These
books remain active in your personal bookshelf for 90 days for
your online reading pleasure. You can renew the books if you haven't
finished, or issue a different set of books from the 150+ books
currently available from big names in publishing. The books cater
to reader levels ranging from basic to very advanced. The only
disadvantage is that you have to read these books online, which
means that your Internet account clock is ticking…
From the viewpoint of Macmillan Computer Publishing, this site
is a fantastic business model, that allows them to build a subscriber
base, ensuring that subscribers regularly return back, and spend
a lot of time on the site, seeing their sponsor's ads all this
time.
Another way to get free books online is to simply download them
and read them offline after you log out - that way your Internet
and phone bill won't have all those zeros added on giving you
a heart attack and a big hole in your pocket. What follows is
a collection of some classics available for download for free
on the Net. The advantage of most of these books is the full text
search facility that's offered, making searches simple. If you
have any trouble with the URLs follow the links from the online
version of the column at http://www.strategist.net/
Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet (526Kb)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-45912,501000.html
Aesop's Fables (573K)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-45908,501000.html
The King James Version of the New Testament and biblical commentary
(1.4Mb)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-45840,501000.html
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (240K TXT format)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-15008,501000.html
Black Beauty (116K TXT format)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-15405,501000.html
The Aeneid (267K TXT format)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-15108,501000.html
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (172K TXT format)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-15107,501000.html
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (237K TXT format)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-15104,501000.html
The $30,000 Bequest (229K TXT format)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-15016,501000.html
And if you have your own homepage or website and would like
a few pointers on how to get it listed in search engines, try
downloading Search Engine Tactics (613K) from http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-41950,501000.html
Scientific advertising by Claude Hopkins (you need Acrobat
Reader from www.adobe.com for this one)
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-39922,501000.html
The 11 books listed above are freeware, but what follows is
shareware (which means you can still enjoy them, but will get
reminders to register).
Very useful for those who have GRE or SAT exams coming up -
Vocabulary Tutor is a 53 K tutor that makes memorizing
words less time-consuming and more efficient. The program has
been fully tested and can lead to an average increase of 100 points
in the verbal SAT score.
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-46475,501000.html
Then there's BlastWords - a 450 K tool for memorizing
and testing vocabulary that utilizes certain TV advertising techniques,
such as color changing and slow speed increments, to quickly teach
words and associations.
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-46435,501000.html
Finally, for those with marriage on the cards in the near future,
My Wedding Companion (4.5 Mb) helps you organize your guest
list, and budget. The program stores all ceremony, reception,
wedding attire, stationery, and even your honeymoon information.
You can use it to design your menus, wedding programs, and music
selections, as well as draw maps and seat your guests, and print
informative reports with the click of your mouse. Phew ! Didn't
know getting married involved so much trouble… I'm having
second thoughts now !
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-46406,501000.html
I saw Titanic the day it won 11 Oscars, and just had to get
my hands on a screensaver. Get hold of this free 1 Mb animated
Titanic Screensaver at :
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-46504,501000.html
or the original screensaver from the movie site itself :
http://www.titanicmovie.com/present/dd_index.html
Today marks exactly a year since cozen 97 was "announced"
to the world. Cozen 97 was supposed to help you stay connected
without getting a "No Carrier". Over 1,200 people have
tried getting Cozen 97. Those who didn't can look it up at : http://cozen97.home.ml.org/.
Those who did can look it up.