Seminar becomes Bloginar

Kevin on his blog "Civil War Memory", had commented thus,
"I have to admit that as a teacher I am frustrated with myself for feeling this way. Blogging is one way of filling the hole that has resulted from fewer speaking engagements. I can post what I want and by now it seems I have a fairly regular group that enjoys and profits from my ideas and research. And new people are introduced to the site on a regular basis."

He has poured out his feelings of a teacher who learns, unlearns and then relearns but when he comes out with his findings he find that he can not carry people out of their grooves. People tend to live with preconceived notions and fixed opinions. They do not know that even their opinions are not their own. They are being induced to carry a particular opinion by number of factors. They do not learn to seek knowledge through a practice of persistent exercise and exertions. They do not show persistency and learn to verify their hypothesis in a scientific way. It takes time and consistency. The teachers develop this ability gradually.

Kevin has shown his disenchantment with the groups which indulge in seemingly intellectual activity to satisfy their hidden complexes. The teachers are called and made to share with their findings. No doubt, a scholar comes with details and elaboration. A part of exposition taken out of his elucidation works as arguments to justify the stand of some partisan groups. However, when a scholar ends his lecture or presentation with some different conclusion, they come out in a nasty way against the scholar. However, they continue to call him back just to make a show presentable.

The second thing which Kevin has referred to is the cost of a visit. I may like to add that the amount of work and efforts which a teacher invests in learning about a fact incur such a cost for which society never like to pay. A teacher continues to undertake this activity because, the activity of learning becomes his second nature or his basic character. He keeps on investing money in pursuit of his knowledge. A professional put up a fee but teacher just believes in sharing. No doubt, it is a frustrating sometime. No doubt, many teachers get exhausted soon and continue to remain in job if they are not enough enterprising, just for the sake of earning a living.


The other day, one of my friend teased me that whenever I start talking, I invariably refer to my blogging activity. He questioned the very utility of blogging. Well, the utility of blogging is a different issue but I gave an answer. I said that blogging is definitely a substantial activity for a teacher or an intellectual because he tends to place the required knolwedge and information at one place and those who are serious get the right knowledge at a desired and right place. He just mocked at it and then switched to his highly costly mobile to talk to his business associate.

I also remember the reaction of some people near to me when I bought the computer. At that time, computers were definitely a costly item in India. I did not know that how I managed to arrange for such a money. However, when my friends learned about my new possession they showed different reactions. One person asked that what new business I was going to start with computer. The second person was more concerned about my well being. He tried to advice me that being a novice and simple in life I was wasting money. He strongly advised that I should better utilize money by investing in real estate. All of them were teachers. Every one was questioning my decision to buy a computer which was for them a costly item and thing of mere possession. I was so much irritated by their queries and advice that once I retorted that I was amazed to learn that why they were not feeling the need of computers. No doubt, by now, all them have computers and very quick to tell that they can write their letters and applications on their own personal computers. Just that much.

The next reaction was really typical. Soon, they learned that I am using to computer extensively for surfing. They started seeking me with suggestive offers of visiting the "real sites".

The worst thing happened when I tried to point out the gap in availability of some original sources on the net for the Indian history. I wrote a paper in which I tried to compare the availability of original sources in case of American history and Renaissance period vis a vis Indian history. I collected nearly 700 such sites and developed a short paper. I suggested to one Conference organizer on regional history to include the paper. His first remark was that how can Internet be an issue of study in field of history for primary sources. He passed a remark which made me highly disenchanted. He remarked that I would be bringing merely an assortment of some web sites. Well, he was right to some extant but he did not bother to listen the conclusion. When I persisted with the argument, his remarks were that the making of archives available on the net was the work of the government of India. The universities and the history department could not find any role in it.

Similarly, in case of writing and interpretation of Indian history, which has become a major issue in post NDA government scenario, or to put in other words, in post Ramjanambhoomi period, the similar thing is being seen. I have come up with some write ups wherein I have used the colonial primary sources made available on the net. I am just holding them back because I desire to visit some of the related places and archives to verify for once that they are the same as they are shown on the net. However, I have now developed different views and reached some different conclusions. I have placed some of them on sumir-history.blogspot.com. I am also getting some responses. The comments are mere appreciation and there is no concrete criticism or discussion on that. But, I have this hunch that it will soon start. I have watched the blog of Miland Brown, the education forum of John Simkin especially JFK debate, and many such other debates, wherein the scholars bring new facts and proofs and share it through discussion groups and blogs. Such activities may not be brining money to them. Rather, they may be spending out of their pockets but such activities are basic Dharma of teachers and scholars. Such activities are the core of the profession.

I consider blogs of teachers are continous seminars. The teachers who are interested in such pursuits may take the benefit of this technology and continue with their activity with full conviction. It will keep the teacher in them alive. The product of their mental exercise would definitely make their place.

Aquarium

I bought the aquarium in December 2005.

My aquarium has now thirty-six fishes of different species. No doubt, all of them are tropical fishes and a large number of them are Gold Fishes. There are different species of Karps.

It was nearly three months back, in the December 2005, I had bought this small world. It is really a prized possession now. I have actually bought nearly sixty two fishes by now but twenty six of them have died. I lost eight fishes in the very first week because I was not fully conversant with the techniques, science and intricacies of keeping and maintaining an aquarium. I was not able to maintain the temperature at the required level. I had bought the heater along with other gadgets but the heater was not working. The month of December was quite cold and therefore I lost the fishes. It was only after that when I discussed the problem with the vendor, that we realized that there might be some fault with the heater. It was actually first identified by my wife who is M. Sc in Zoology. She did not help me much with her knowledge but when the fishes died every other day, then she pointed out that being a tropical species, they could not survive in extreme temperatures. No doubt, I was a novice but I think the main excitement of life and any hobby is to explore and learn. When you do not know anything then it becomes more excitable to learn from the follies and in discovering ones own ignorance. One enjoys learning more when he or she is not taught by an expert and the person learns gradually.

There are some more devices which are being used to maintain the aquarium. One, as I have already mentioned, is a heater with a thermostat. It helps to maintain the temperature of water between 12o c and 32oc. Then there is a filter. It is basically a submersible pump which sucks water through a sponge and the blow the water out side. In this manner, the sponge holds back the particles. The third device is an air pump which throws out bubbles of air through ducts. The ducts are kept at the floor of the water tank of the aquarium covered in some toy or some thing like that. Apart from these three main devices, I have fixed a fluorescent light below the lid of the aquarium. The size of the aquarium is 2 feet X 1 foot X 1 foot.

It is not difficult to maintain an aquarium. I am finding it more easy than keeping a pup. You have to train them in first three months. Then, you have to take them for walk, to the doctor, chain them when some guests come and similar many other excursions and exertions. Secondly, you can not leave them unattended. You can not lock them in a room and leave the city for a night. No you can not do that to your pet. In case of fishes, there is no such problem. The fishes can survive without food for more than a week. Secondly, their food requirement can be easily managed. There are specialized foods available in the market. A pack of 100 g can last for a month. Then, the freezed worms can be given as additional food which I call the non-veg food for the fishes. As far as medical attendance is concerned, there is anti-itch liquid. You have to put five to seven drops after every three or four days. One can change water after three months. You have to just clean the filter regularly. However, if one does not clean it for four to seven days, it can do. I have found other way out. You may not change the whole water. Just take out a bucket of water from the tank and add fresh water after twenty to thirty days. Clean the tank after three months. It is quite an effective activity.

It is really relaxing to watch them moving around in the tank. It is really exciting to find them growing and making brisk movement when you sit near the aquarium. At the time of getting the food, they become excited and on the mere sound of you in the room, make them huddle together near the place from where you drop the food. After that, it is really an indescribable spectacle. It is really an experience watching them holding the small granules in their month and then taking them out and retrieving them and making movements of mouth as if they are chewing them.

Most of the guests get attracted to them. The girls are really excited to watch them and they tend to sit near the aquarium. Same is with the children. No doubt, they are inquisitive and ask you such questions that you can not answer them. It was really fascinating when my son suggested that we should name them. It started a fascinating activity in the house. No doubt, we have named some of them.

The eye specialists strongly recommend watching aquariums as it works as an exercise for the eyes. As per Vastu Shastra, an aquarium consisting of seven or nine or thirteen gold fishes and one black fish is good for the prosperity of the house and keeps away bad influences. I have not kept it with above mentioned motives. Being a nuclear family, both of us leave for our jobs and the house remains locked for the whole day. It is my belief that it is not good that in a home the movement should cease during the day. When I gave this reason to my wife, she retorted that the movement remains in the house because there are ants, flies, lizard, cockroaches and rats. No doubt, I was not able to counter her but this feeling that the house remains locked during the day time and there should be some active movement keep going in the house and that is good for the house, prompted me to bring the aquarium. Now it is other thing that when my wife watches movies or soap operas, it is observed that in every movie wherein some urban or city seen is depicted, one can locate an aquarium in a frame. We learn that Magasthense had specifically mentioned that Chandragupta had maintained a tank in his palace in which he had kept coloured fishes. We find similar mention of such fish ponds in different ancient books. On of the avtaars of Lord Vishnu is fish. Hence, all these arguments had been used by me to maintain an aquarium in my house.

__________

Further Links:

Check Aquarium Lore of Eugene Lim. I have tried to learn about other bloggers earlier. May be I was not searching rightly. However, on this blog you will find good information provided it can be counter checked. Lim seems to be perturbed by unappreciative remarks. Wikipedia remains the best source for furthering information for person looking for it as a hobby provided you put the right query in the search of Wikipedia.

Indian Teachers and Bloging

For long, a query is disturbing me. It has been placed by John Simkin in on educationforum.ipbhost.com in response to one of my post.


I consider John Simkin as my Guru in the field of bloging and using it as a tool in teaching and personal aggrandizement. Hence, any query by him is for me a moral duty to answer. However, I am not able to find any satisfactory answer to his query. His query was about the Indian Teachers who have developed their web sites as a tool of their teaching. This is something, which the European teachers are using as one of the aid for teaching. This is part of their ICT project. Use of blog and web site are two main features of their ICT projects. The Indian Government has launched Edusat and Gyandarshan a T.V. Channel as a part of their ICT project. Some of the teachers and the students of IITs have also developed some programmes in that direction. However, I was not able to explore much about them. The few links which I had opened through the UGC site, consisted of such technical instructions for use of the softwares which they had developed, that I did not find enough encouragement to explore them. I had started bloging and I was more interested in getting a practical shape for my efforts in field of bloging as a teaching tool. Anyhow, I have come across a web log which has attracted my attention.


The web log is titled India School News. It has address at Banglore Karnataka India. It has on it a directory of various schools. It is being aggressively used for placing the job placement advertisement by different school and coaching centers. There is one message section asking for membership in order to post the comments but there are very view discussions going on it. They must watch and explore the activities of educationforum.ipbhost.com of John Simkin in order to imbibe some finer points in order to make their more alive. Then there is a section on school products also. It is called school store. Presently they are promoting products of Encyclopaedia Britannica only. On the whole, it seems to be the right seed and may soon sprout into a green tree. However, they must explore the ways to popularize it.


I have been searching for the blogs by the teachers. I have found some of them. However, they intend to give many personal things on it apart from writing about the subjects in which they are dealing. The most impressive activity in this direction is that of Delhi Public School Delhi. Their computer section is doing something really worthwhile. I have a hunch that they are going to establish themselves as leaders in their field. This aspect, that is bloging as a tool of teaching will definitely emerge as an in thing.


In case of foreign teachers, I have been watching many such blogs. Some of them are really doing a great job. Some of the leading teachers and scholars are alive in blogs and regularly update their blogs and sites. I have made links to such blogs on my other blog at www.sumir-history.blogspot.com. I have commented on the contents of such blogs also. One of the main blog, which remain the centre of my attraction and am a regular reader of that blog is of Milind Brown. However, for the last two days, I have found that there is higher rate of attrition among the teacher’s blog. I have checked only in the field of history. Some of the blogs which I have are Teaching American History "HISTORY TOGETHER" Evaluation ; Teaching History is Fun ; Teaching American History to Today's Youth; History 479 & Student Teaching; Teaching American History : Podcasting in Action and many such other blogs. However, I have found that they are there only there for last one or two months. Secondly they are not updated after making some posting. Why have they discontinued? There seems to high rate of attrition in this field even in America and Europe. Further, they become very personal while making post. They discuss the working of their school environment and behaviour of their students. But they are discussing the subjects. Some of them are really talking something substantial but they are not of that level about which I have made links on www.sumir-history.blogspot.com .


I have to make some more searches and studies in order to answer John Simkin. I just remain short of telling him that I, the big I, seems on be the only one using Blogs as a teaching tool. That is other thing, it was he, or his forum which is equally well looked after by Andy Walker, that taught me about it. Some of regular teachers like Grahm Davis and David and apart from them a galaxy of young teachers and in addition to that Jane Walker from Australia, all of them have left their influence on the contents of my blogs. Further, I have not been able to pursuade my students to come to my blog. It is rather the American and Canadian students who are visiting my www.undergraduatehistory.blogspot.com for notes on Ferdinand II, Louis XIV, Feudalism, Industrial Revolution and many such other topics which have been developed as per the syllabus of Punjab University Chandigarh. Any how, I am still here. I am here only for the last one year. Secondly, I have also became dormant in case of above mentioned blog due to non-academic, discouraging and hurting atmosphere at my college where I teach. God saves me! The NAAC team, if it visit, may not read it.

_________

Edited on Friday, December 02, 2005 at 6.40 pm

In the posting Indian Blogs Mallika Chopra is discussing the similar thing but on different part of the spectrum.
Mallika and Shekar are discussing the plans and charter of the blog and how far it is achieving it. One thing which I found here, regardless of what is being said there, most of the blogger talk about politics and interested in giving their version on what is happening. One of the commentator had raised this point and nicely pointed out that all the talks are not enough pregnant to be delievered as concrete activity. Secondly, they are not confining to one field of discussion. It has been nicely pointed out by one of the commentator that with the links and connection, the people on the intent blog can bring around such a discussion which could help otherwise in some concrete terms.

Again, I am unable to understand the actual import of South Asia and then talk only about India. Mallika was right in pointing out that there should be some thought on similar blogs from Pakistan and Bangladesh. If she really knows there are some really good blogs from Nepal and they prefer to write in Devnagari.

Further, she finds it fascinating to talk about making links. She is impressed and fascinated by activities of some of them. I have read some criticism about such activities a year back. There was some force in the arguments of that blogger.

Finally how I wish that similar thing is done by Teachers of India, some thing similar to Delhi Public School of Delhi so that I can answer John Simkin.

ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF ONLINE BOOKS

While studying the Indian social history, a question on the decline of Indian society is generally made an important issue of discussion. The reasoning given, as explanation of the decline of the Indian society is that it suffered because the spread of knowledge was stifled. A section of Indian society generally identified with the Brahmin caste tried to establish its complete control over the spread of knowledge. They restricted the spread of knowledge by putting restriction on the right of individual and classes to gain knowledge. In the Middle Ages they banned the low castes and women from seeking the knowledge of Vedas. Further, they restricted the spread of knowledge by restricting it to Sanskrit. Then, they restricted the learning of the Sanskrit language to a large number of castes. Gradually it effected the development of the Indian society. The myths and superstitions developed and flourished in such a scenario. As a result, India suffered on many fronts. The progress of knowledge suffered. The society suffered form many social vices. It badly effected the cultural growth and intellectual achievements of the Indian people. Finally, it became the cause of the servitude of Indians of foreign invaders for more than one thousand years.

Spread of knowledge and its easy accessibility are two main important operational aspects for saving the whole humanity from numerous and some major maladies from which it suffers. Another historic fact also stands in favour of readily availability of knowledge in practical terms the books and such information which is restricted because of many restriction. IN European history, the major change in the life of European people is attributed to many factors like decline of Feudalism, rise of middle class, the attack on Constantinople, geographical discoveries and so on. However, there are many scholars who would stress that above all such changes, the invention of press and availability of printed material to a large section of humanity was the most vital among. The invention of press and availability of the easily availability of the printed material is nothing else but a easily availability of knowledge. In those days, it was a big technological solution to availability of knowledge as it is today the availability of books online.


Those who are in not favour of this approach and counter its wider implications give following arguments.

They raise the issue of intellectual property right.

They raise the issue that the knowledge is gained through extensive research and development which requires lot of investment. Therefore, those who have invested on it, only they should have the right to possess it.

Some may say that unrestricted availability of knowledge can be counterproductive. The anomaly groups (read terrorists) would get access to knowhow of making atom bombs. They would destroy the world. Therefore, unrestricted accessibility of knowledge is not the right thing to achieve.

All the above arguments and many more like that are basically political and commercial section version.

The actual truth lies somewhere between both the arguments. It rather stands alone but favours in unrestricted and total accessibility of knowledge to all. The online solution is the answer to achieve that. Therefore, there should be online availability of knowledge.

Page Three of Blogdom

Here is something. It is called Intent Blog. It has a logo of a sunflower. So it is something pure and pious.


Nothing funny of the sort.


Including Administrator (Who is he?), there are 54 glibs in a party. Exclude him, then there are 53. Believe it, nothing of the cranky sort if you have not yet moved to that site.


Believe me, They are who’s Who of the world that matters.


If interested, then why do you not log in? Believe me it is nothing of f*** sort of thing.


Nothing cantankerous.


Nothing Obnoxious.


I assure you, if you are associated with India, you wont grumble if you are a serious person. I tell you it is nothing that mama forbades to do. Take her along or call her when you log in.


Mind it, it is nothing funny sort of thing and do not complain if you do not get expected "Real Thing".


Well, if you already knew about it then 123.

MSN in Fighting Mode

Recently two changes have been observed on msn search engine and msn portal.


It seems that Bhai log of internet are feeling the heat and the war is becoming serious.


On the MSN search, if you try to search for some concept, term or terminology, you get an answer from msn to that also. I think it is a recent feature.


There are now many search engines which give such a feature. However, most of them have some type of mechanism to collect the information from the web and display it as their answer.


"Oh, come on, the man has taught the artificial intelligence to behave as a crook. It is indulging in plagiarism."


One of the search engines , ‘beta.previewseek.com’, provides answer to such terms and events. The engine even claims to declare that it knows about many people and provides a brief biography of a name, if you seek information on a name. It starts with the claim, "PreviewSeek also knows this about: Aamir Khan" if you have typed the name Aamir Khan.


It can be said from a personal experience and interaction with previewseek people that, they collect the information mostly from wikipedia. In case of one recent search of a similar kind, the previewseek administrator himself pointed out about their source of information.


However, the contents and information provided by wikipedia continue to be questioned, doubted and remain an issue of debate.


Now MSN people have also set out on the same path. They are also going for collaboration with cyber users for building their information bank. However, they are giving it a level of respectability for every search term for which msn also suggests it own answer. They are calling all to edit and update the information. They use their highly rated contents and information of Encarta Encyclopedia and invite all to add to it. But they point out that it would be checked by the team which looks after the encyclopedia. I, myself, have been using it. However, a recent feature on Google, the Books.google.com, has overshadowed it for the utility for which I was using Encarta CD. Now that CD does not permit me to watch the additional information. But it hardly matters, because I now get it from Books.google.com.


The second feature of msn, which has been engaged into top-gear, is blogging. In case of India, they have adopted an amusing marketing strategy. Now I know, that why Bill Gates was visiting Indian again and again. (Blink). It is an unconfirmed report that msn has joined with the stars of Bollywood to promote and popularize their blog feature, which has been successfully turned into an effective marketing tool by the googles. Even Yahoo has lately awaken to this fact. The best example is Mangal Pandey Blog by Aamir Khan. I learned it just a week back but it is there since July 2005. That is other thing that there is no entry for September, October and November 2005 archives. Is it over now?


I am wondering that how many of Bollywood stars are now punching keys for msn. Is it not fascinating that Aishwarya, Preti, Rani and young babes blogging while sitting before their laptops? "Hey, where they do all this."


I float a suggestion to msn to promote their blog space. The MSN should approach President of India, Honourable A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. He is a techno savvy person. He is quite popular among the teenagers. It is not difficult to see that if Mr. President becomes available on a blog, how many hits his blog will get. The visitors will be children and it is up to blog provider to attract them to their services. President Abdul Kalam is a person, who can understand the potential of such a medium to reach out to the people and the arrangements can be made only if the bureaucracy may not bring in their tardy and unnecessary sneering approach. President Abdul Kalam is from a state, which is also known for its techno-savvy population. The e-tutors of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are quite popular now these days. Therefore, a good idea is here, waiting to get exploited. As far Google is concerned, they are already having on me on the role. Yeah, I mean it.



In recent months, I am using Yahoo, Previewseek and Google as my search engines. However, I will remain with them and blog through googles. However, I am watching msn also because many of visitors to my sites are being directed to my sites by msn search.

sumir-history: More Digital Book Sources available ONLINE

The google book project is taking my time. Numerous thoughts are just jamming my brain. It has become a cause of going for more searches on the net and yielding more information. It is also becoming a cause of many more thoughts. I may write them out on my blog otherwise they are making me to turn again and again in my chair and holding me back from my other important tasks.

The post on sumir-history contains information in a form which can be used. But, I My Me has yet to take over here.

Is the Contention Against Google Print Valid?

I am unable to understand that why there is so much hue and cry about the Print Google.

They have been accused of stealing the printed contents of the rightful owners and making them available to the rest of the souls on the earth without any price and thus causing the monetary loss to the writers and the publishers. They are being accused of infringing on the intellectual property rights and copyrights and thus forcing the victims to take them to the court. They are being accused of starting the trend in which the laws have to be re-written.


For three days, I am trying to experiment with the Print Google dot com. I am using the terms, concepts, the names and authors related to Indian history. I am getting a huge list of books. It is very exhilarating to see the list of the books, the name of the authors, the date of publication and all the material, which are required for any research scholar to start his work. The lists which comes up can be used by a teacher or student or a researcher in a field to plan his study in more effective way. I am excited to see them because I feel that if I have to submit a synopsis in future for some research work and write a bibliography then I will be able to do all that while sitting before my monitor. The time will be saved. With a well defined question in the research activity, the work will be done in one sitting for collecting the material which is required for the research.

However, If I try to check the links, I am showed some pages under the link “some more results for the book”. I am definitely showed some of the pages. However, some of the pages are listed there but with a rider that they are not allowed to be seen there. I am also showed the contents of the book and also the bibliography section along with the index. I can tell from experience that all those pages are gif files which are created on scanning a book. (Please do not sue me in telling that because I know some may have concluded that even I have scanned some books.) But I am not shown the whole book. Yes, they do not show you the whole book. You can check the whole book in a book store and come out without buying any book. Here you are shown the book for some pages as per the query you have put in the search. But you are definitely not shown the whole book. Further, for each page there is warning that it is a copyright material.

However, if you are interested in buying that book, just on the right hand side they have given the links to the publisher or froogle or some other book selling portal. But you can not see the whole book at all. Well I can understand that by changing you query for search, you may see more pages but I have not tried that yet.


Well, what actually has this Print Google done? I think they have done a great job. They have given a practical shape to a great Idea. I think that all the publishers and authors should be dancing on their own heads and shouting for coming good days. They should thank the google people for having done that. They should go and kiss their hand. They should pray for their long life and the company. They should visit their houses and sweep their floors for what they have done to earn fortune for them. (Sweeping floor of someone is an Indian concept.) But No and Big NO. They have not done that. I have learned that they are suing the Google for this trouble.

Are they really true businessmen? Have they themselves checked that what is the true picture? Whatsoever is accessible on Print Google, you can get it by visiting any bookstore and library. In some of the libraries, they are even providing the photostat facility. In India, I have found people getting a whole book Xeroxed. I have seen medical students having Xerox copies of established book which cost less by being Xeroxed than to buy a fresh copy. Well, I am revealing a breaking of law in India but it is quite rampant here. Similarly, if you have good rapport with a bookseller, he may allow you to get a book Xeroxed. But whatsoever the google people are doing, it is not going to do any harm. What I see is that it will rather boost their sale. I believe that they are doing a free job for the publishers. They are promoting their sale. But it is strange that the publishers are perturbed and annoyed by their act. It is strange.

On thing is sure that those who are leveling different allegation against the google, have not actually checked what they have done. They are unnecessarily making wrong noises. They should first check what they are doing. They are becoming self appointed sales men. It is really goes to credit of those publishers who have offered them their books. They have made the smartest move of their business activity. They are going to be benefited.

Those who are undertaking a tirade against the Print Google, they better first check what actually they have done.

________

Edited on November 18, 2005. Local time 10.00 pm

The Google print is now Google Book Search.

Next Stage in the Project of Google Print

Google should not be cowed down by the fear of lawsuits and negative verdicts.

I do not have any idea about the American laws, American Judiciary and the Intellectual Property Right. One thing is sure that those books which have come into the public domain can be brought online. Whatever may be the verdicts, one thing is there, the Google Print will have enough books to bring online and this Project will not be shelved.

There is need to envisage a next future course of the Goolge Print. The very idea which prompted the Google Print to bring the books online is to provide the right content matter on the net. They want a "Counter to Nonsense" as Miland Brown had said.

It is a logical progress of the google Print project that they shall bring the unpublished doctoral thesis and research papers which lie dumped in universities libraries, department libraries and faculty stores. Those unpublished theses are storehouse of information which can prove decisive in this age of fast communication and exchange of information unhindered by geographical distances.

However, if the Google Print undertakes such a project of bringing the unpublished but approved thesis and dissertations on online, then again they will face strong opposition.

They will be opposed by Research Laboratories and university faculties. They will be again countered with argument of propriety, intellectual property rights and undue misuse of research funds at the expense of their efforts.

However, they may oppose Google print due to many other fears which many of them will never like to speak out but they know it will seal their fate and very existence. They will oppose them because their pseudo-intellectual hollowness will be exposed. They will fear that their act of plagiarism will be exposed and then they will be sued for infringing on the intellectual property rights of other scholars. They will fear that the emptiness and hollow research and claims to high intellectual achievements will be exposed. Many universities and research laboratories would cry hoarse shouting against bringing out the truths and secrets of their efficiency.

On the other hand, many publishers will join in as regular visitors to Google Print to find probable manuscript for their press and sale counter. They do not care to check and find the material worthy for printing. They expect that the writers should come to them and seek their kindness to get their work published. When such a work become business success then they can boost of promoting the author who had been pestering them sometime back and they had been behaving as imperious czars. However, soon they would visit the Google Print to find material to print in order to earn their bread and butter. The day will come when any good writer or researcher will directly publish on net and then where will these publisher go.

Google Print should definitely consider this proposal and send their scanning teams to Theses section of every university and Research Institute. It will also bring before the respective governments the need, the viability and significance of funding different research projects and different universities.

Letter in Support of Google Print

Dear Google,

First of all, be sure, you are doing the right thing. Continue with your activity with full conviction.

I, being a student of history can tell you, that you are getting freedom for the world by bringing the old books on line. Gutenberg.org has been doing this job and they were the only people doing it. However, during the course of my browsing, I have been able to locate similar sources on web which I am regularly posting on sumir-history.blogspot.com.

I will like to attract your attention to one of my post which was mainly a response to a comment on a statement by Miland Brown on World-history-blog.blogspot.com which is at following link. The link is http://sumir-history.blogspot.com/2005/10/counter-to-nonsense.html

In that post, I have just commented on the attitude of the publishers of the books who are now opposing your activity (at the time of commenting I did not know that you were facing the law suits against you from them.). The poor people (publishers) who claim themselves to be big businessmen are unable to foresee that what benefit will this activity bring for them in terms of sale. I will rather suggest that you should put fees on putting anything on google print for publishers if they want their book to be there. No doubt, there are portals that are promoting their books. But they did they fail? It is only because an interested person who can be their buyer just do not get opportunity to see what is there in the book. How can one buy a book without knowing the actual position of content of the book?

I can tell you my experience. If I like a book, I read it for two to three times. But If I have to borrow it again and again from the library, then only I go to buy book. On the other hand, while visiting a bookstore, if I just buy a book because it has just attracted my interest, most of the time, I am not able to read it for many months. For nearly two to three years, I have only bought such books which I have first read it in the library. I suggest you that just show this comment to the publishers who disturbing you by taking you to court.

I have a hunch. Very soon, these people who are taking you to court, will line up and seek personal favour in getting their books on line. They do not know that some of the books which are out of print can again become saleable commodity if they are brought before the readers. There are many such books which did not get the attention of the buyers but they are definitely needed by many readers which include research scholars, educators, students and even those who start trends in the field of business.

If you believe me, then kindly continue with Google Print project. It is going to be a big success. It will be beneficial for the google, the publishers and writers in terms of money and revenue and benefit the readers who are ready to pay for it.

Good wishes.

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Post Script:

This is an email directed to google blog in response to Google Print Debate

It has reference to a previous post content A Counter to Nonsense and Google Print .