HERE’S AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW WITH JEFF BEZOS from Wired.
Excerpt:
Do physical bookstores have anything to offer that Amazon doesn’t?
One thing is face-to-face meetings with authors. And what Howard Schultz at Starbucks likes to call a third place, where people go and sit and spend time. We humans are a gregarious species; we like to mingle with other humans.
Read the whole thing, though I’m disappointed that they didn’t ask him about Blue Origin. Meanwhile Ralph Luker offers a reason why some people might avoid Amazon — or patronize it:
It’s a little late for your Christmas shopping, but if you think that you should buy the way you vote, check out BuyBlue.org, which tracks corporate donations to American political parties. Hint: if George Bush wasn’t your choice for president, you may decide to shun Amazon.com in favor of Barnes&Noble or Borders.
I’m rather skeptical of BuyBlue, though.