Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Entrancing but expensive....
No, not me, something I fall into now and again.
Go to Amazon. Go to books (or music, or DVDs) and search for a favourite author or artists.
Now, on the results page there will be a strange list down the right hand side, in it's own pane. This is a list of lists (does that make it a metalist? I guess so) which various people have put together, which have appeared because they contain one or more items by the author you have searched on.
So, forget the author you searched for, go and look at one or more of the lists. If they like your favourite author, maybe you'll like something else on their list.
Example, I do a search on Iain M. Banks, one of my favourite sci-fi authors. I ignore the results (having read everything he's ever done anyway, in fact *owning* everything he's ever done), and hit the lists on the right, including such lists as "Mind bending sci-fi" and "top ten non-trivial sci-fi books". On there I find works by Dan Simmons such as "Illium" (which I have since read and it is stunning) and "The stars my destination" by Alfred Bester.
So, you look at these and maybe even add 1 to your basket. Then you notice more lists have appeared on the right, new lists, which share one book with the list you are viewing. So now you go and have a look at one of these, and you have found even more books you might like and all the time are moving away from your original criteria and broadening your horizons (with any luck).
And of course, because people are weird (especially people who can be arsed to do a list on Amazon) you find the odd gem. 12 hardcore sci-fi books, then "A Fete Worse Than Death" - a trip through a British summertime, which you go to have a look at, think it's going to be funny and yes, add to your basket.
My basket currently stands at £75. It has been as high as £200 and I seriously contemplated 'pushing the button', just to get boxes and boxes of wonderful books to read.
If you like books its a wonderful way to spend half an hour, albeit and expensive one ;-)
OK, I'm off to buy a book on card tricks now.
(edit: It's now £81 after finding another book).
Go to Amazon. Go to books (or music, or DVDs) and search for a favourite author or artists.
Now, on the results page there will be a strange list down the right hand side, in it's own pane. This is a list of lists (does that make it a metalist? I guess so) which various people have put together, which have appeared because they contain one or more items by the author you have searched on.
So, forget the author you searched for, go and look at one or more of the lists. If they like your favourite author, maybe you'll like something else on their list.
Example, I do a search on Iain M. Banks, one of my favourite sci-fi authors. I ignore the results (having read everything he's ever done anyway, in fact *owning* everything he's ever done), and hit the lists on the right, including such lists as "Mind bending sci-fi" and "top ten non-trivial sci-fi books". On there I find works by Dan Simmons such as "Illium" (which I have since read and it is stunning) and "The stars my destination" by Alfred Bester.
So, you look at these and maybe even add 1 to your basket. Then you notice more lists have appeared on the right, new lists, which share one book with the list you are viewing. So now you go and have a look at one of these, and you have found even more books you might like and all the time are moving away from your original criteria and broadening your horizons (with any luck).
And of course, because people are weird (especially people who can be arsed to do a list on Amazon) you find the odd gem. 12 hardcore sci-fi books, then "A Fete Worse Than Death" - a trip through a British summertime, which you go to have a look at, think it's going to be funny and yes, add to your basket.
My basket currently stands at £75. It has been as high as £200 and I seriously contemplated 'pushing the button', just to get boxes and boxes of wonderful books to read.
If you like books its a wonderful way to spend half an hour, albeit and expensive one ;-)
OK, I'm off to buy a book on card tricks now.
(edit: It's now £81 after finding another book).
