it's that magical moron moment

[realthog]

Thanks to desayunoencama  for this.

Compare and contrast the cover of Charlotte Cooper's lesbian novel Cherry as portrayed on amazon.co.uk and on amazon.com.

It's the same edition, published first in the UK, distributed in the US and now being sold to the UK as an import.

Incredible, innit?

Comments

[avengangle.livejournal.com]

Seriously?!?

Also, the "Readers who bought this also bought" was incredible, in that Focus-on-the-Family sort of way (I'm not joking; one of the suggestions was "Bringing Up Boys" by James Dobson). Are they kidding? People who buy 'hot' lesbian novels also want texts on how to make their kids un-gay? I somehow don't think so.

Given, one suggestion was Brokeback Mountain, but still. I haven't actually visited the Amazon website in about eight or nine months (well, once or twice on another computer), so I don't think my viewing choices have impacted what it's showing.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"in that Focus-on-the-Family sort of way (I'm not joking; one of the suggestions was "Bringing Up Boys" by James Dobson)"

When I looked, it was about four of five "suggestions" that were of that ilk, and I gather others are reporting similar percentages.

Like you, I rarely use Amazon any more.

[sarcobatus.livejournal.com]

Not so incredible . . .

This is one of the myriad reasons I'm not writing reviews at Amazon.com anymore. I think I've written only three in twelve months. The honeymoon is over.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"The honeymoon is over."

I stopped using them (with extremely rare exceptions when I just can't find what I need elsewhere) when they started pulling the heavy on the PoD publishers -- i.e., when they showed themselves to be just another bullying near-monopolistic corporation.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

The word is 'oligopolistic', my dear sir.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"The word is 'oligopolistic', my dear sir."

I've only heard that term used in terms of surgery, as in when patients try to call a halt midway through their facelift: "oligopolistic surgery."

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

It's the term of art in political economy when only a few sellers exist in a market. The converse terms are, by the way monopsony (when there's only one buyer in the market) and oligopsony, when there are only a few buyers in the market. Amazon's the dominant player in an oligopolistic marketplace, since there aren't many online booksellers in a position to compete with it. On the other hand, the market for thermonuclear weapons is oligopsonistic, since there are remarkably few buyers.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Hm. I thought you academics got Saturday as a day off?

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Here are a few items culled from essays I've marked today, on my alleged day off:

Birthed in the 3rd decade of the 20th century, the year 1929 to be exact, German philosopher Jurgen Habermas, took his first breath.

With a focus on creating a structure similar to Marxism, Habermas visualize communication which then exemplifies a designed community.

If the current President Barack Obama were to be assassinated, people all over the world would want to turn to ciaos.

Dr. King’s goal was to frustrate the issues to the point where it became an issue for the people who made the issues.

White women did have a certain inequality in the view of white men, but it was not the same monstruous.

It is naive to compare the two struggles when in fact the white western women treated non-Caucasian races poorly to coincide with the white male.

Being colonized is not a form of equal rights.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Oh, how I envy you!

"but it was not the same monstruous"

Hence the term "pre-monstruous tension, no doubt.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

No doubt.

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

Change the subject matter, and I think I've written some of those this year.

When it comes to essays, I seem to lose the ability to make proper setences. Seriously. Not in a typo or "not concentrating while writing a comment because I'm thinking about what I should be doing" way either. I think it's some sort of stress response :( V. annoying

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Then you're among those responsible for the strange twitch I develop as the semester passes, are you?

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

Um, yeah, sorry.

Think of it as student revenge, for the weird things course coordinators do, or don't do.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Is that it?

[sarcobatus.livejournal.com]

Yes, when PoD arrived at Amazon I was very disappointed. But I became disenchanted about three years ago, for too many reasons to list here.

It was convenient to buy from them 'cause I am a recluse, and hate going out to shop -- can't stand malls, etc. -- but the time has come to find other avenues, this providing I have the money to spend in the first place . . .

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

I just burst into laughter.

Frankly, I'm not into 'red-hot lesbian novels' but I do have a strange Amazon moment to report. A couple of years ago, I got an email from Amazon.com informing me that people who bought Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman also bought Beyond 'Chinatown' by Steven P. Erie. Now, I have never had the pleasure of meeting Neil Gaiman, though I'd love to one day. But I do know Steve Erie.* In fact, I forwarded the email to him at once. His reply expressed surprise at the connection. I'm not sure what it could be, myself. After all, Afro-Caribbean-based urban fantasy and Southern California regional politics (which is what Steve analyses) don't seem to have much in common.


*The last time I saw Steve, he and I kept a current graduate student at UC San Diego in awe, talking over old times and old friends (when he was a mere assistant professor and I was a graduate student) over several beers when the WPSA was held in San Diego. Apparently, UCSD's political science graduate programme has become a very staid institution since the days when it was housed in construction trailers.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

The bizarre connections are the ones Amazon's puter makes with one's own books. I once caught it telling people that if they liked something of mine they might like Laurell K. Hamilton.

Pam had bodily to stop me writing a stiff e-mail of vehement protest, I can assure you . . .

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

The fact that Laurell K's husband wears a kilt probably has something to do with it.

[lonesome-crow.livejournal.com]

WTF? Incredible!