• applebusch@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    6·
    3 days ago

    why would you pay for textbooks when you can get all of them for free online? heres the current working link to annas archive. download whatever books you want or need, plus a shit ton of scientific articles. every time ive looked for a book on there ive found it, and often multiple duplicates, even for extremely obscure control theory textbooks that only a few thousand people in the whole world would care to read. the scientific articles are less complete but ive had good luck there too.

    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
      5·
      2 days ago

      Because people are struggling? I don’t get this logic. My criticism about the practice from when I participated during college is they don’t pay nearly enough. Because they know the people doing it are somewhat desperate and in no position to bargain.

    • pedantichedgehog@sh.itjust.works
      21·
      2 days ago

      If they didn’t pay (or “pay” with points/gift cards/etc) for people’s donations, most people who donate blood products would stop. Donation isn’t quick or easy, and most people are afraid of needles. Until somebody invents viable substitutes for blood, plasma, platelets and so on there will continue to be a need for blood products, and there needs to be some mechanism to encourage donations.

    • Pup Biru@aussie.zoneEnglish
      1·
      2 days ago

      i have less problem with that part… if we want to encourage blood donation (we do, and people find it icky because needles) i think it’s perfectly fine

      but it’d be much less cringe if it was: “take the day off work on us”, or “treat yourself to something nice today”

      it’s the education costing money coupled with the fact that giving blood is among the only options that’s the problem imo

  • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    51·
    3 days ago

    If your school has a book scanner you can scan the sections you need from the course book (usually kept as a reference book in college libraries) without buying it. I’ve been doing that this semester because the cheap book I ordered off eBay still hasn’t got here and my summer course is almost halfway done, lol