LINKS: Networking Culture...
Everyone using the Internet is a de facto
participant in a “network” of information that makes our lives much richer
and more interesting than ‘once upon a time’. Here are links to sites that
are my own particular favorites for a
variety of reasons. A few of them graciously
reward me for steering you their way...so please do visit them from here!!
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eMusic
My all-time favorite
subscription service for downloading MP3 music. The basic monthly fee of $10
gets you 30 tracks! Way back in the beginning, the big services creamed off
the well-known labels—leaving all the obscure independents to eMusic. Now, they have perhaps the most interesting
selection of avant-garde and modern music on the planet as well as all the mellow you could ever need...and audiobooks, too! 25 free MP3 downloads just for visiting!!
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Audible Audible
is a serious provider of download audio files of popular books,
Harlequin Romances, nostalgia radio shows, comedy routines, speeches,
podcasts and lots more interesting material. These are available on a
subscription basis and may be burned onto CDs. Audible provides
software bridges for a wide variety of listening devices: computers,
MP3 players, PDAs, Java phones, GPS, etc. Introductory offer starts at
$7.49/month. Full novels cost roughly $7.49 or less. Unused monthly
capacity can be rolled over.
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DVD Planet
This Chicago-area company sells new DVDs at serious discounts. They are actively soliciting used materials for their bargain section. Their stock includes the Criterion Collection of classic cinema. Reasonable rates for international shipping. Worth a serious look!
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www.abebooks.com |
Advanced Book Exchange
ABE is the umbrella for
roughly 15,000 used booksellers worldwide—including
sites featuring languages other than English. We've been selling
here for more than 5 years. The one drawback is that each item ships from a
separate dealer. Now a subsidiary of Amazon.
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Amazon
This is a wonderful source
for discounted ‘cultural software’ shipped from their central warehouse, and
they often offer special deals on bulk shipping. Shopping “Marketplace” again
requires independent shipping from separate dealers.
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Book Closeouts
My favorite source for
contemporary remainders, publishers’ overstock and ‘scratch & dent’
specials. Constant turnover of stock and monthly specials. You can accumulate
items over time, save your shopping cart and get better bulk shipping rates.
Separate warehouses in USA and Canada provide local shipping options.
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Better World Books – the online bookstore with a
soul
An umbrella for hundreds of
public libraries in major centers to sell their overstock and discards at
rock-bottom prices. A portion of the sale goes to promote literacy
world-wide. Worth a look—provided you accept ex-library books.
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Powells Books
My favorite ‘bricks &
mortar’ bookstore in Portland, OR. An entire city block where all versions of a book
are shelved together for easy shopping. Now includes a vast inventory of new
& used books online. Sign up for their witty and wonderful newsletter. |
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Collectorz
Downloadable databases for organizing ‘cultural software.’ Individual applications for books, comics, CDs, digital music files (MP3, WMA, OGG), DVDs, games, and digital photos. Type a title or ISBN# or scan a barcode with their inexpensive wand to instantly download all product details (including cover images and plot lines) from the internet. Common substructure to each program trims the learning curve. Very reasonable prices and their package deals can’t be beat. Our website is compiled using their databases. |
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www.barnesandnoble.com |
Barnes & Noble
Probably the best
all-around ‘cultural software’ retailer in the USA. For the better part of a century they have rescued
interesting books from oblivion by republishing under their own imprint. When
I was a student in NYC (40+ years ago), the Fifth Avenue store ran the proto-typical used textbook exchange.
B&N also maintains superb bargain book and used book sections in many of
their retail locations. Buy a yearly membership and receive 40% bestsellers,
20% off adult hardcover books and 10% off most everything else. Some extra
perks for online shoppers.
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www.borders.com |
Borders
Gives B&N competition as best source for 'cultural software.' Excellent easy-to-use website features wonderful author interviews as streaming video. Vast selection of books, music and movies. The Borders Perk card offers good rewards for customer loyalty. Free US shipping for orders over $25.
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Chapters/Indigo
The premier Canadian
bookseller has ties to Barnes & Noble. All sorts of ‘cultural software’
and interesting giftwares on offer. Now a portal as
well for used book dealers via Alibris. Their irewards program delivers a 5% discount online and a 10% discount at their retail
shops. |
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www.daedalusbooks.com |
Daedalus Books
For those whose tastes run
to a more intellectual bent, this Baltimore, MD retailer of ‘cultural software’ offers books, CDs
and DVDs. You will find lots of PBS and History Channel items, foreign
language films and odd bits that are endlessly fascinating. |
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Zip.ca
Movie DVDs by mail rental system within Canada featuring postage-paid return envelopes. Stepped subscription plans offer up to 8 titles at a time. Return of borrowed item triggers your next delivery. No due dates or late charges, and you can cancel at any time with no penalties. Over 72,000 titles including many hard-to-find treasure and foreign-language classics. 2-week free trial to begin.
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Buy.com
Full-service internet shopping site. They offer an amazing selection in just about every category of consumer goods. If they don't have it in stock, they will direct you to merchants who do! Daily specials, seasonal deals and the ability to adjust prices on the fly gives them a decided edge in the mail-order retail world. Keep checking for the deal you want...it will be there sooner or later. Great prices on next-to-last version software as well as books, music and movies. Canadians can shop in local currency at www.ca.buy.com/
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www.imdb.com |
Internet Movie Database
This
is another Amazon subsidiary that ranks at the top of its class. It is
a vast storehouse of information about cinema and TV—including those
still in production, and with ongoing consumer reviews and forums. A
subscription to the “Pro” category provides contact information for
just about everyone in the business. “Resume” allows you to post your
job-seeking data online for a low monthly fee.
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www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod |
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – “Concerts on
Demand”
A plug for the dear old CBC which is slowly being dismembered by our neo-con government. This link
connects to the main page of the Radio 2 “Concerts on Demand” streaming audio
service. These concerts showcase a wonderful array of talent and material in
many musical genres.You can link from here to the merchandise offered at www.cbcshop.ca" Enjoy! |
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British Broadcasting Corporation
Yep!
The Mother Corp now has a major web presence in North America featuring
a whole range of links to their worldwide services. The BBC store
offers lots of merchandise otherwise hard to find over here. Look for
the "BBC sites" button on the botoom menu to link to your appropriate
interest. Canadians can go directly to:
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www.americanaexchange.com
www.bookthink.com |
If you are a serious book
person (buying/selling, collecting, reading) these two sites provide
invaluable information about the world of books. You can subscribe to their
professional newsletters and reports or just browse the hundreds of
fascinating articles in their archives. |
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Chrislands
These are the wonderful people who built and maintain the website you are visiting right now. If you are a book dealer thinking of establishing your own online store, you can't go wrong dealing with these fine folks.
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