Not just in for-profit companies, though. There is a great need for a code of accountability and transparency among NONprofit orgs, as well. Too many are afraid to open the doors and windows (or, more crassly, the kimono), in fear that they’ll lose donors or 501(c)(3) status (in the States).

There are Standards for Excellence: A Code of Ethics and Accountability that address this, at http://www.standardsforexcellence.org . I wish more nonprofits could see that transparency actually attracts donors and good board members and employees.

Full disclosure – I’m a Standards for Excellence Consultant, but I became one because I believe strongly in the need for openness.

Best, Susan

For either though, the joy of having all the books you’re currently reading with you, in less than the space consumed by a single paper book, is amazing. And I never tire of just staring at that eInk screen in amazement :-)

Certainly seems to have taken off in the last 12 months… almost any time I’m on a crowded Skytrain I’ll now see someone with an ebook reader.

As Dan points out though, still frustrating that when I choose to buy the electronic version of a book I don’t have the same ability to resell/lend/give away that I would with a physical copy.

The only downside for me is the ease with which I can make late night impulse purchases. I’m somewhat addicted to reading, and have reasonably wide tastes, so I’ve always had a list of 20 or so books to read at any time – one click purchases mean that the barrier to stop me constantly buying new books is just my willpower and the fact that some Kindle books are still ludicrously expensive. It’s hard to justfy downloading a book today when I can order the paperback for less and have it arrive within 24 hours, plus then resell it to possibly recoup some of the purchase price…

But there are a growing number of great free and low cost titles, whether it’s from Seth Godin’s Domino Project, or by people like Cory Doctorow, for example.

I’ll still buy the occasional print book for something which I really want to treasure, such as anything by William Gibson, but looking around my living room, I must have at least 100+ books which I’ve read once and will probably never have the inclination to read again, so either need to sell or donate to charity to reduce some of the clutter…

Which I still might do.

I very consciously wanted a way to be able to read more, not have to cart hundreds of books around in the future, and not have anything to distract me from actually reading longer writing. Plus I charged it on Christmas Day and having already gone through 3 books and several shorter articles etc, it’s telling me I’m starting to get a low battery now.

There are also tv shows in the works, a board game launched by Mattel. Also have seen the usual t-shirts, phone/ipod covers, posters, also specific China produced (copyright infringing of course) Angry Birds Tablet;

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/chinas-angry-birds-tablet-is-7-inches-of-copyright-infringing-fun-20111012/

It would appear that not everyone is as up on Angry Birds as we think…..this was a correction online by New York Times

….Correction: October 22, 2011
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the premise of “Angry Birds,” a popular iPhone game. In the game, slingshots are used to launch birds to destroy pigs and their fortresses, not to shoot down the birds.

Just my toonies worth

And here’s the original, much-longer-than-it-is-wide version: http://www.flickr.com/photos/philgyford/4505748943/