Discussions give readers the opportunity to grapple with themes suggested by readme moderators. These discussions are about books, authors and new media.

[ 07.07.08 ] One morning when Franz Kafka woke up after some disturbing dreams, he found himself metamorphosed into one of the most important authors of world literature. Perhaps it was exactly this outrageous fact that stopped Kafka from publishing the greater part of his oeuvre while he was still alive. After he died in 1924, others saw to it that his literary estate, written in those famous school ... read on

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[ 28.06.08 ] Even if this year, here in Northern Europe, summer has been slow to put in an appearance: the next summer is sure to come. The big English newspapers, like the Independent , have already disclosed their very special lists of „50 Best Summer Reads”. In first place is Sophie Dahl, granddaughter of Roald Dahl, king of modern black humour, with her „Playing with the Grown Ups”. Vendela ... read on

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[ 23.06.08 ] There’s always something new to report about readme.cc. This time there’s so much it seems best to present it in ticker style. First we’d like to report about an award we’re going to receive. At Ars Electronica, an international media art festival in Austria, readme.cc will be awarded an Honorary Mention in the category Digital Communities in September 2008. News of this award ... read on

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[ 18.06.08 ] Since Librarians’ Day 2008 was last week, I’ve decided to use the occasion to unravel the mysteries of Library 2.0 a bit. At first glance this kind of participatory network doesn’t really seem to fit the image we have of librarians. Or at the very least, we suspect it would cause - much like with professional literature critics - a rivalry between laypeople and experts. Yet ... read on

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[ 09.06.08 ] Our congratulations,‭ ‬Anselm Kiefer‭! ‬The German painter and sculptor will receive the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in autumn‭ ‬2008.‭ ‬In this context,‭ ‬Anselm Kiefer is the exception:‭ ‬for the first time a visual artist,‭ ‬and not a writer,‭ ‬has been singled out for this distinguished award.‭ ‬The jury explains its decision by referring to ... read on

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[ 29.05.08 ] The print media were the first to see Internet as its biggest enemy. And now that moving images are increasingly making their way onto the web, TV stations are joining in the debate and lamenting their situation, too. In other words, the traditional media are happily reuniting. “Candy Girls” , a five-minute soap posted at myspace twice a week has created a format for the MTV clip ... read on

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[ 24.05.08 ] My favourite video blogger, the “elektrischer reporter” has once again conducted an extraordinarily fine interview with Jeff Jarvis They touch upon everything a twenty-first-century journalist would like to know: What are the tasks of the journalist? To be teachers, service providers and/or mediators? (Yes, writers have been pretty much relegated to the backseat.) How do we deal ... read on

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[ 24.05.08 ] As some of you may know, we are funded by the EU and for this reason (among others) can get by without commercial advertising, and report on things in a differentiated and objective way (if you’ve ads, that’s not always so easy). The EU is worried about Europe’s cultural diversity and so has decided without much ado to draft measures to promote “community media”. Though the ... read on

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[ 24.05.08 ] As a woman who just graduated from the university with a proper master degree, there’s at least one thing I’ve learned: when universities become involved in a subject, then it has either established itself or is on its way out. While my linguistics exam still had to be on “chat language”, future graduates will finally be allowed also to explore blogs. A broad ... read on

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[ 09.04.08 ] We have survived April fools day. Those responsible for the Frankfurt Book Fair can relax; the reports of a boycott by large publishing houses were just April fools hoaxes. The synchronous report that Amazon would begin to transfer itself to POD (Print On Demand) was no joke. POD is the process in which a book is printed following an order. New machines can do this in two hours making ... read on

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[ 01.03.08 ] I’m honestly trying to persist in the world of Web 2.0. I read blogs daily and am a member of a number of communities I trust. What’s more, I quickly get enthusiastic about new gimmicks and gadgetry. But I just can’t see my way through it all anymore. <o:p></o:p> Does anyone really need to access Facebook, StudiVZ (a students’ directory), SchülerVZ (a directory for ... read on

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[ 21.02.08 ] Today I’ve the great honour to announce another Second Life event. Maybe you remember: on the last Thursday of each month, we present an author who brings literary air to the virtual world. After having Susanne Berkenheger, a German exponent of net literature, as our guest in January, we are going international this month. At about 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 28, Mark Amerika, the ... read on

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[ 18.02.08 ] Few of us remember the fad of inserting ads in paperbacks. Suddenly, in the middle of a text – during a sexual act or great calamity – there was an advertising blog or rather text. Yet due to the very nature of book consumerism, the lifespan of this concept was limited: you couldn’t reach near as many consumers as you could on TV, and by the time the book came out, some products were no ... read on

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[ 06.02.08 ] A babble of voices will be heard worldwide when millions of readers come together on initiative of the Peter Weiss Foundation for Art and Politics to read the essay “In Memory of the Forgotten” by the writer Lu Xun (1881-1936). For the third time the Foundation has called for a reading on the “anniversary of the political lie”. This time the focus will be on <st1:country-region ... read on

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[ 05.02.08 ] In Germany one hears torrid lamentations about reading books on a screen, yet the Japanese do it without a second thought. In Japan literature on cell-phones is not an avant-garde experiment but a practice that defines best-seller lists. The generation of cellular communication produces its texts in fragments in the underground, at work and then, in the wee small hours, between the sheets. ... read on

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