Paperchains

Phone books seem to be essential. I’m not so sure that they are, but I guess a lot of people like to riffle through pages of paper to find information. They’re big books, updated each year, and presumably costly to print and ship.

You’d think anything that could reduce the amount of unnecessary paper would also reduce the whole cost of production and shipping. And you’d think that would be a good thing.

Rowan Simpson wrote about how the New Zealand Telecom Directories didn’t take up a small font change that would have saved a lot of money. Here’s what Rowan writes:

One of the examples [Kris Sowersby] showed was a font he designed for a pitch to Telecom Directories (back in the day before this part of the business was sold).

He came up with a bunch of simple design changes to improve readability and make the millions of bulky directories they print each year more efficient to produce (i.e. less paper, less ink, etc).

… it was designed to make better use of the space.  In fact, it was estimated that they would be able to save between 8% - 15% on every page …

Imagine the total saving that could have been achieved in time by making this simple small change. You’ll have to, because they didn’t go for it.

[Via Rowan Simpson: Little things.]

It’s an idea though: if you’re in the business of producing books, magazines, leaflets or newspapers, is there some small thing you could do that would make a big difference? A change in font or design could be worth your while.

It’s good to see organisations doing away with unnecessary paper. Filing official returns online is one way we can reduce production and transport of paper, and so reduce the number of trees that are cut down, the fuel used to carry it all around and the pollution that goes into the air.

The New Zealand Companies Office is making online filing mandatory (though with exceptions for those who still lack decent Internet connections) — Important changes to the way you do business with the Companies Office:

Here at the Companies Office we are committed to providing the New Zealand business community with sustainable, efficient and cost effective company administration. As part of this commitment, the Companies Office is introducing changes to the way that you do business with us.

From 1 July 2008 it will become mandatory to file certain documents with the Companies Office via our online services.

They are also providing training and support to see people through the transition. Sensible, and efficient!

[Via Xero News: Companies Office promotes online.]

The Daily Green tells us how to Hack a Solar Oven from a cardboard box and black construction paper.

Mind you, you also need plastic, tin foil, glue and other consumables. Try it out and let us know how it turned out.

Be sure to read the comments below the post, especially for some issues about cooking temperatures.

[Via : DIY Cardboard Box Solar Oven | Lifehacker Australia.]

Sometimes it’s a delight to hold and read a printed book: the texture of the cover, the weight of the book, the beauty of the fonts and images all bring a luxurious aesthetic to the experience of reading. People commonly enjoy reading works of fiction printed on paper.

But sometimes books are just tools — we want to look up a fact, discover a technique, make notes, learn something. Often a printed book is not as convenient or efficient as an electronic text where you can use the power of the computer to search for a word or phrase, highlight or annotate the text, copy and paste extracts into a storage file, or click a link to further information.

The next time you’re looking for a textbook, a reference book, and instructional work, think about whether an electronic copy would meet your needs. Publishers don’t always make it easy to find their (legal) ebook versions, but they are often available if you look hard enough.

One immediate advantage is that delivery is instant: purchase and download, the start reading. No waiting for couriers or postal services.

And then, you don’t have to store or dispose of the book: no bookshelves required. Your ebook will likely fit easily, with hundreds of others on a CD, or store it on your computer’s hard drive or an online secure storage service.

As an example of needing to look around, consider the book Maria Langer and I co-wrote: WordPress 2 Visual Quickstart Guide. Buy the easy-to-find print version from Amazon, or buy the ebook from the publisher. Or, join the Safari Online service and read the book online.

Next time you’re thinking of buying a book take a moment to consider: is print the best format for this book for me, or can I do it differently?

Although many people love the feel and smell of a (new) book, there are also many who believe that a move towards ebooks could be a good thing.

Personally I hate the problem of ‘old’ books. I have problems giving them away or selling them, as they are often just not wanted. And I have huge resistance to throwing a book in a bin, whether for recycling or as rubbish.

Dave Balter suggests authors should release their works as ebooks, as a way of testing the market before publishers print copies:

• Authors self-package their book entirely on their own.
• Authors distribute digital copies of their books for free to attract readers and to identify a market. They use self-distribution tools to sell as many books as they can.
• Based on the response, the publisher determines which books to pick up, and pays a licensing and distribution right and uses their relationships to distribute a product that has developed an initial marketplace of buyers (note: great new potential business model for some plucky entrepreneur: track the ‘response’ of free book downloads as a data set for publishers to review opportunities).
• Publishers take the completed product, make tweaks as author and publisher feel necessary, print more and distribute them through the strength of their partners.

[Via : How the Book Publishing Industry Should Reinvent Itself - Harvard Business Online's Conversation Starter.]

I think the whole matter of ebooks is more complex than that, but it’s an interesting point of view.