[gweekly] PT1 Weekly Project Gutenberg Newsletter
Project Gutenberg Newsletter
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Wed Jun 15 10:21:07 PDT 2005
Weekly_June_15.txt
**The Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter For Wednesday, June 15, 2005 PT1**
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
[Search for "*eBook" or "*Intro". . .to jump to that section, etc.]
*eBook Milestones
*Introduction
*Hot Requests, New Sites and Announcements
*Continuing Requests and Announcements
*Progress Report
*Distributed Proofreaders Collection Report
*Project Gutenberg Consortia Center Report
*Permanent Requests For Assistance:
*Donation Information
*Access To The Project Gutenberg Collections
*Mirror Site Information
*Instant Access To Our Latest eBooks
*Have We Given Away A Trillion Yet?
*Flashback
*Weekly eBook update:
This is now in PT2 of the Weekly Newsletter
Also collected in the Monthly Newsletter
Corrections in separate section
2 New From PG Australia [Australian, Canadian Copyright Etc.]
46 New Public Domain eBooks Under US Copyright
*Headline News from Edupage, etc.
*Information About the Project Gutenberg Mailing Lists
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*eBook Milestones
16,473 eBooks As Of Today!!!
13,431 New eBooks Since The Start Of 2001
We Have Produced 1518 eBooks in 2005
We Are ~64% of the Way from 10,000 to 20,000
We are ~29% of the Way from 15,000 to 20,000
3,527 to go to 20,000!!!
We have now averaged ~485 eBooks per year since July 4th, 1971
We Averaged About 339 eBooks Per Month In 2004
We Are Averaging About 276 books Per Month This Year
We Are Averaging About 66 eBooks Per Week This Year
48 This Week
It took ~32 years, from 1971 to 2003 to do our 1st 10,000 eBooks
It took ~32 months, from 2002 to 2005 for our last 10,000 eBooks
It took ~10 years from 1993 to 2003 to grow from 100 eBooks to 10,100
It took ~1.25 years from Oct. 2003 to Jan. 2005 from 10,000 to 15,000
*
***Introduction
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***Progress Report, including Distributed Proofreaders
In the first 05.50 months of this year, we produced 1517 new eBooks.
It took us from July 1971 to Nov 1998 to produce our first 1517 eBooks!
That's 23 WEEKS as Compared to ~27 Years!
48 New eBooks This Week
69 New eBooks Last Week
107 New eBooks This Month [Jun]
~276 Average Per Month in 2005
336 Average Per Month in 2004
355 Average Per Month in 2003
203 Average Per Month in 2002
103 Average Per Month in 2001
1517 New eBooks in 2005
4049 New eBooks in 2004
4164 New eBooks in 2003
2441 New eBooks in 2002
1240 New eBooks in 2001
====
13431 New eBooks Since Start Of 2001
That's Only 53.50 Months!
About 250 books per month
16,473 Total Project Gutenberg eBooks
12,950 eBooks This Week Last Year
====
3,523 New eBooks In Last 12 Months
448 eBooks From Project Gutenberg of Australia
20+ eBooks From Project Gutenberg of Europe
*
PROJECT GUTENBERG DISTRIBUTED PROOFREADERS UPDATE:
Since starting production in October 2000,
Distributed Proofreaders has contributed
6,970 eBooks to Project Gutenberg.
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*Project Gutenberg Consortia Center Report
Please note the addition of the Internet Archive
marked with <<< below.
PGCC's current eBook and eDocument Collections listings
of 18 collections. . .with this week's listing as:
Alex-Wire Tap Collection, 2,036 HTML eBook Files
Black Mask Collection, 12,000 HTML eBook Files
The Coradella Bookshelf Collection, 141 eBook Files
DjVu Collection, 272 PDF and DJVU eBook Files
eBooks at Adelaide Collection, 27,709 eBook Files
Himalayan Academy, 3,400 HTML eBook Files
Internet Archive ~30,000 eBook Files [In Progress] <<<
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Logos Group Collection, ~34,000 TXT eBook Files
Poet's Corner Poetry Collection, 6,700 Poetry Files
Project Gutenberg Collection, 15,035 eBook Files
PGCC Chinese eBook Collection ~300 eBook files <<< Note Name Change
Renaisscance Editions Collection, 561 HTML eBook Files
Swami Center Collection, 78 HTML eBook Files
Tony Kline Collection, 223 HTML eBook Files
Widger Library, 2,600 HTML eBook Files
CIA's Electronic Reading Room, 2,019 Reference Files
=======Grand Total Files=========~137,142 Total Files=====
Average Size of the Collections 8,067.18 Total Files
These eBooks are catalogued as per the instructions of
their donors: some are one file per book; some have a
file for each chapter; and some even have a file for a
single page or poem. . .or are overcounted for reasons
I have not mentioned. . .each of which could cause the
overcounting or duplication of numbers.
If we presume 2 out of 3 of these files are overcounts,
that leaves a unique book total of
~45,714 Unique eBooks
If we presume 3 out of 4 of these files are overcounts,
that leaves a unique book total of
~34,286 Unique eBooks
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Please also note that over 23,000 eBooks are listed via
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In addition: The Internet Public Library had a similar
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You can try a new IPL service at:
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It would appear that The Internet Public Library ended
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Today Is Day #161 of 2005
This Completes Week #23 and Month #05.50 [364 days this year]
203 Days/29 Weeks To Go [We get 52 Wednesdays this year]
3,527 Books To Go To #20,000
[Our production year begins/ends
1st Wednesday of the month/year]
66 Weekly Average in 2005
78 Weekly Average in 2004
79 Weekly Average in 2003
47 Weekly Average in 2002
24 Weekly Average in 2001
41 Only 41 Numbers Left On Our Reserved Numbers list
[Used to be well over 100]
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Statistical Review
In the 23 weeks of this year, we have produced 1517 new eBooks.
It took us from 7/71 to 2/98 to produce our FIRST 1517 eBooks!!!
That's 23 WEEKS as Compared to ~27 YEARS!!!
FLASHBACK!
Here's a sample of what books we were doing around eBook #1407
Mon Year Title and Author [filename.ext] ###
A "C" Following The eText # Indicates That This eText Is Under Copyright
[Note: books without month and year entries have been reposted]
Nov 1998 The Merry Wives of Windsor, by William Shakespeare[2ws20xxx.xxx] 1517
Nov 1998 King Henry IV, Part 1, by William Shakespeare [2ws19xxx.xxx] 1516
Nov 1998 The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare [2ws18xxx.xxx] 1515
Nov 1998 A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare [2ws17xxx.xxx] 1514
Nov 1998 Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare [2ws16xxx.xxx] 1513
*
Have We Given Away A Trillion Books/Dollars Yet???
With 16,473 eBooks online as of June 15, 2005 it now takes an average
of ~1% of the world gaining a nominal value of ~$.94 from each book.
1% of the world population is 64,479,466 x 16,463 x $.94 = ~$1 trillion]
[Google "world population" "popclock" to get the most current figures.]
With 16,473 eBooks online as of June 15, 2005 it now takes an average
of 100,000,000 readers gaining a nominal value of $0.61 from each book,
This "cost" is down from about $.77 when we had 12,950 eBooks a year ago.
100 million readers is only ~1.5% of the world's population!
At 16,473 eBooks in 33 Years and 11.50 Months We Averaged
~485 Per Year
40.4 Per Month
1.33 Per Day
At 1517 eBooks Done In The 161 Days Of 2005 We Averaged
9.4 Per Day
66 Per Week
276 Per Month
The production statistics are calculated based on full weeks'
production; each production-week starts/ends Wednesday noon,
starts with the first Wednesday of January. January 5th was
the first Wednesday of 2005, and thus ended PG's production
year of 2004 and began the production year of 2005 at noon.
This year there will be 52 Wednesdays, thus no extra week.
***
*Headline News from Edupage
[PG Editor's Comments In Brackets]
MICROSOFT TO RELEASE UNBUNDLED OPERATING SYSTEM
Microsoft has moved a step closer to compliance with stipulations of a
European Commission (EC) antitrust ruling originally handed down in
March 2004. In addition to a $613 million fine, the EC ordered
Microsoft to offer versions of its operating systems that do not
include the company's Windows Media Player. After recent pressure from
the EC, including threats of additional penalties, Microsoft announced
that unbundled versions--which the company is calling "N" versions--of
Windows XP Home Edition and Professional will be available to computer
makers by June 15 and to retail customers by July 1. Still outstanding
is an EC demand that Microsoft loosen the licensing terms of its
software to promote development of competitive products that will
function with Microsoft's operating systems. Microsoft said it is
working to meet that condition.
Internet News, 8 June 2005
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3511116
[Sorry, slow newsweek]
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***
*HEADLINE NEWS AVOIDED BY MOST OF THE MAJOR U.S. MEDIA
Philip A. Clooney, a White House lawyer with a BA in economics,
has apparently been altering many of the White House statements
concerning Global Warming [or Climate Change, as the spin medic
establishment is attempting to recoin the term].
Apparently Mr. Clooney, Esq., has no scientific training, other
than a stint as a lobbyist at the American Petroleum Institute,
where he was the "Climate Team Leader."
When The White House was asked for comment, Michele St. Martin,
a White House spokeswoman, said:
"We don't put Phil Cooney on the record.
"He's not a cleared spokesman."
However, his additions and editions of various adjectives and/or
adverbs seem to have been exactly what the spin-doctors at The
White House ordered, as he added the word "extremely" in this:
"The attribution of the causes of biological and ecological
changes to climate change or variability is extremely difficult."
Here is an even more obvious example:
"Many scientific observations indicate that the Earth is undergoing
a period of relatively rapid change."
became
"Many scientific observations point to the conclusion that the Earth
may be undergoing a period of relatively rapid change."
In yet more of this kind of doublespeak, Harlan L. Watson, the chief
climate negotiator for the State Department, said to the BBC last month:
"We are still not convinced of the need to move forward quite so quickly,"
"There is general agreement that there is a lot known, but also there is
a lot to be known."
I guess the environment is now a negotiable commodity, in the eyes of
The White House, at least.
However, try telling that to chemicals we have put there already.
Sources: The NY Times and the BBC
*STRANGE WORDS OF THE WEEK
When Mr. Evers, former head of MCI-Worldcom appeared in Congress
to answer questions, he refused to even answer the simple query,
as to whether he was the Mr. Evers who had headed MCI-Worlcom--
claiming his 5th Amendment rights again self-incrimination.
Or should that one go under doublespeak?
Source: The Congressional Record
DOUBLESPEAK OF THE WEEK
Recent news stories have reported various project to "harden"
various "Public Safety Building," but the stories were sparse.
1. "Harden" means to make them more resistant to attack.
2. "Public Safety Building" = "Police Station"
*PREDICTIONS OF THE WEEK
There will be no 6 month report from Google Print in the media
to follow up their huge media blitz from December 14, 2004.
*ODD STATISTICS OF THE WEEK
The Illinois state budget was very quietly signed into law by
the governor this week, as the pension fund was raided to do
the magic of budget balancing.
The Republicans, in a fit of fiscal responsibility, berated
the governor for taking money from the pension fund at 8.5%
when it could have been borrowed commercially for 3.5%.
I suppose calling this a balanced budget might place this in
the Doublespeak column.. . .
*
Still hoping for more statistical updates and additional entries.
"If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely
100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same,
it would look something like the following. There would be:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth
and all 6 would be from the United States
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
1 would own a computer
I would like to bring some of these figures more up to date,
as obviously if only 1% of 6 billion people owned a computer
then there would be only 60 million people in the world who
owned a computer, yet we hear that 3/4 + of the United States
households have computers, out of over 100 million households.
Thus obviously that is over 1% of the world population, just in
the United States.
I just called our local reference librarian and got the number
of US households from the 2004-5 U.S. Statistical Abstract at:
111,278,000 as per data from 2003 U.S Census Bureau reports.
If we presume the saturation level of U.S. computer households
is now around 6/7, or 86%, that is a total of 95.4 million,
and that's counting just one computer per household, and not
counting households with more than one, schools, businesses, etc.
I also found some figures that might challenge the literacy rate
given above, and would like some help researching these and other
such figures, if anyone is interested.
BTW, while I was doing this research, I came across a statistic
that said only 10% of the world's population is 60+ years old.
This means that basically 90% of the world's population would
never benefit from Social Security, even if the wealthy nations
offered it to them free of charge. Then I realized that the US
population has the same kind of age disparity, in which the rich
live so much longer than the poor, the whites live so much longer
than the non-whites. Thus Social Security is paid by all, but is
distributed more to the upper class whites, not just because they
can receive more per year, but because they will live more years
to receive Social Security. The average poor non-white may never
receive a dime of Social Security, no matter how much they pay in.
*
POEM OF THE WEEK
sounds
my flute fills with sandalwood fragrance
the air is adorned with jewels of smoke
they tenderly encircle the heart of a cloud
the skies ablaze return caressing rain
my helpless lips have found delicious burden
a garland of melodies is my breath
Copyright 2005 by Simona Sumanaru and Michael S. Hart
Please send comments to: simona_s75 AT yahoo.com & hart at pobox.com
***
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