Scientist and author Lewis Wolpert has recently admitted to using the work of others in his texts, particularly in a book called You’re Looking Very Well, about the science of aging. More than 20 passages were taken from academic papers, Wikipedia and other websites, and passed off as Wolpert’s own. ”I acknowledge that I have been guilty of including some unattributed material in my last book to be published, You’re Looking Very Well (2011) and in the initial version of my yet unpublished book Why Can’t a Woman Be More Like a Man? This lack of attribution was totally inadvertent and due to carelessness on my part,” Wolpert said in an email statement from his publishing company, Faber and Faber. “It is my sincere hope that no damage was done to any individual by the inclusion of any of these passages.” [The Guardian]
Off today? Spend your holiday reading a new interview with author E.L. Doctorow, who talks about his writing style and current preferences. [NYTimes]
With all the reports about the rising popularity in e-readers, should you be concerned about the downfall of print? According to a new post-holiday survey, apparently not. The 2014 survey found that not only do most people who read e-books also read print books, but only 4% are “e-book only” readers. Another interesting stat, according to the survey: at least 87% of e-book readers also found time to pick up a print book in the last 12 months. [Publisher's Weekly]
Not exactly book related, but close enough, considering: Amazon has always been one step ahead of the game, and now they’re taking their already-advanced shipping ideas even further. According to a report from The Verge, Amazon has acquired a patent that could allow packages to ship before you even buy them. Remember how you used to need to click something in order for it to show up in your cart? Now the company expects its customers to “preemptively” buy, based on what the user has searched and purchased, and how long the user hovers their cursor over an item. This technology is probably farther away than the drone concept, which most likely will be put into development first, but it does raise interesting questiosn about the future of online shopping. [The Verge]
