A good illustration between the difference between intellectual property and real property is that if I buy someone some candy as a gift and then suffer a lapse of willpower and eat the candy myself, there's no more gift. But if I buy someone a book as a gift and then read it myself, I can still use it as a gift (assuming the recipient won't mind that the book has already been read, which is certainly not the case in this instance).
Tue Jul 24 2001 09:09:
Books I read on my vacation: The First American (finished it), Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (I think there should be a book called Damn, You're A Jerk, Mr. Feynman! (even though I really like Feynman, it would be funny)), The Boilerplate Rhino (not very good, but did expose the extent of the artistic license taken by Norfolk in The Pope's Rhinoceros), most of Signal To Noise, and two others which will remain secret for now, because they are gifts for someone else.
Tue Jul 24 2001 18:29:
In a reverse of the usual pattern, the lacklusterness of Signal To
Noise was lessened by a decent ending, decent enough that I might
even read the sequel. One funny thing is that the copyright page at the front
contains copyright notices for excerpts from several books... including
Signal To Noise itself! I couldn't figure this out until I finished
the book and found a little advertising supplement in the back with
excerpts from other books from the same publisher, including a reprint
of the beginning of Signal To Noise. They put the same
advertising supplement in all their books, even in a book which is
featured in the advertising supplement.
