Tag: amazon

  • 5-Star Rating Systems

    05 Feb 2021 » 5 min read

    We have too many rating systems and they get confusing after a while. I was browsing Amazon and, while I hate to admit it, I think the 5-star system is the way to go. This is a big change for me, as I’ve been generally opposed to a 5-star system. Our primary numbering system is…

  • Prediction Algorithms: You Might Also Like…

    17 Aug 2019 » 4 min read about Reading & Books

    Amazon is a fairly poor predictor of what I might like to read next. For some reason, their algorithms just don’t work well on me. I am trying to think of a time when Amazon suggested a book, and I thought, Yes, that is exactly what I need. I’m thinking about this today for two…

  • Amazon reviews

    23 Nov 2011 » 2 min read about Reading & Books

    I was glancing at the reviews of various books that I’d posted on Amazon, looking to see whether they are particularly helpful or not based on on the feedback that people can give. The results seem mixed and I decided to take a look at reviews by others for a book I’d recently reviewed to…

  • Apple’s in-app purchase policy

    25 Jul 2011 » 1 min read

    I read today that Amazon finally caved to Apple’s in-app purchase policy. I can understand Apple’s desire to get its cut, but the desire to enforce this policy puts an unnecessary burden on customers and creates usability issues that are extremely annoying. For instance: Right now, if I want to buy a book from the…

  • Where does a fan’s responsibility lie? Amazon’s screw-up with A Dance with Dragons

    29 Jun 2011 » 4 min read about Reading & Books

    It is by no means any secret now that Amazon in Germany screwed up and shipping about 180 copies of George R. R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons to people who had placed orders. Martin is furious about this, as he should be. A Dance with Dragons is book 5 in the Song of Ice…

  • Learned Astronomer now available on Kindle

    19 Mar 2011 » 1 min read about Writing & Publishing

    As I promised in the earlier post, I have also made my first published science fiction story, “When I Kissed the Learned Astronomer” available on the Kindle for people who want to read it there. You can find it in Amazon’s Kindle Store. It’ll cost you $0.99 there, but remember, the story is also freely…