It’s time once again for a book giveaway contest!
Please read this whole post: there are rules and some restrictions mentioned near the end.
This time, the book I am offering is Astronomy | 365 Days, the hardcover version of the very cool Astronomy Picture of the Day website. If you don’t know about APOD, my first question is: what’s wrong with you? It’s the most popular astronomy site on the internets. Bigger than mine, even.
The APOD dudes put out a book a few years ago, and it’s magnificent. So is this one, which was sent to me specifically for this giveaway by Robert Nemiroff, one of the authors. 365 beautifully printed astronomy pictures: from Hubble to ground based observatories to still shots using just a digital camera, this book is fantastic. I really don’t need to shill it. For one thing, it’s free if you win it, and second, it really is just that stunning.
You want it.
But wait, there’s more! I am also giving away a DVD called Ambient Space, a screensaver/TV slide show. I got an email from the company that makes it, asking if I wanted to give them away, and I said sure, so they sent me a few copies. I’ve looked it over, and I’ll be writing a review of it shortly. The quick version: it’s OK, but not fantastic. The pictures are generally very nice, but there are a few errors in it, and some of the images are distorted. Overall, it’s not too bad, and if you win it it’s free, so you can’t complain.
The deal is the same as last time. All you need to do is go to the Bad Astronomy and Universe Today bulletin board. I’ve created a thread in the Fun-n-Games section called "APOD book/Ambient Space giveaway contest!" If you’re already a registered user, just post something in that thread, like "I wanna win the book!" It doesn’t matter what you post as long as you post — though it would help a lot (see caveat below) if you say whether you are in the United States or not. Post ONLY ONCE. If you post more than once I will delete the extra posts.
If you are not already registered at the board, it’s easy and free. We don’t charge anything, and we don’t do anything with your emails or info. I hate spammers more than you do, guaranteed (I get thousands of spams a day– and not just email but also comments on this blog and on the BAUT board!), so I swear that info stays in our database and that’s it.
At noon Pacific time on Saturday, April 21 I will close the thread. I’ll then generate a random number, and whoever has that number post wins the book! I’ll pick a second number, and they win the DVD. I’ll send the winners private messages or email confirmations so they can send me their snail mail address. The book and DVD will wing their way shortly thereafter. There will be no cost to you at all (the cover price of the book is US$29.95, and Ambient Space goes for $14.95).
There is one caveat: Only people in the 50 US states are eligible for the book. I’m sorry about that, but it’s a very heavy book (2 kilos/4.4 pounds!), and shipping internationally is prohibitively expensive– more than the cost of the book, in fact, in many cases (I picked some countries randomly to check prices, and one was $140!). PLEASE STATE IN YOUR POST IF YOU ARE IN THE U.S. OR NOT. That’ll make my life easier (as well as everyone else in the contest too).
In the case that the first number I pick is international, I will continue to generate random numbers until I get someone who is in the States. In case I cannot tell, I’ll send a PM or email to the potential winner. If I don’t hear back by Tuesday at 6:00 P.M. Pacific time I’ll grab a second number, and so on. The DVD I’ll send anywhere, so if you’re one of them foreign types, you should still post to BAUT. 
I’d say good luck, but we’re all skeptics here and know there is no such thing as luck. So just post on the board and take your chances!
April 15th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I understand the reasons why I am excluded (I know how much it costs for Amazon to ship to me here in Sydney) but all I can say is
April 15th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Cool beans! Given the recent Eastward Ho! post I was wondering if we’d be seeing more stuff giveaways (a garage sale would be more productive and less costly, I think) but a sponsored giveaway — that’s cool AND it sets a great precedent.
April 15th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Oh I just thought of something…..does this mean as all the US residents get two chances to win something, do all of us International people get two chances at the DVD….it would only be fair you know.
I know too damn complicated to enforce…..but I can dream.
April 15th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
I have more than one copy of the DVD to give away. They’re for future contests.
April 15th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Uh, Phil, that book will NOT fit in your ear. Stop it. You’ll put an eye out.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:23 am
Does it really cost more to ship this book to Vancouver than to Boston (from California, say)Â ?
April 16th, 2007 at 1:46 am
can i be outside the U.S. .. but IF i win, have it shipped to a friend inside the U.S.?????
April 16th, 2007 at 3:12 am
Great idea. I love APOD and I hope I win. I am in the US – Maryland.
April 16th, 2007 at 4:15 am
Oh, this sounds like a wonderful prize and something that can really be put to use in this house. I’m in the US, thankfully. Oh I posted your contest on my site.
April 16th, 2007 at 4:38 am
yeah, I was kinda wondering that too. Does it really cost more for you to ship this book to NYC than it does to ship it to Toronto? Or Mexico City? As for Europe, the most expensive shipping I’ve found so far (from there to canada) was from britian. 3 pounds/pound was what I paid. That’s still not all that much really.
April 16th, 2007 at 4:48 am
Awww…Even Canada is excluded? Nuts.
April 16th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Is it a multi-region DVD?
April 16th, 2007 at 6:38 am
Does Georgia count as a foreign country? Because sometimes it feels that way,,,
Ok, I’m gonna go post.
GAry 7
April 16th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Phil, those are some freaky pics. What’s with your head? Fisheye camera?
April 16th, 2007 at 7:29 am
There has been controversy lately about just how “random” random numbers are. Hope you’ve done your research. Ah, the trial of the century due to some disgruntled entrant.
HA!
April 16th, 2007 at 10:56 am
That sounds like a weird unit: 3 pounds per pound for shipping to Britain. I read a report recently that a particular satellite orbits the Earth “twice every two hours”; I wonder why they didn’t say “once every hour”?
April 16th, 2007 at 11:29 am
I already know I am going to win… I have been focusing my energies on your random number generator all day. I’ll clear some space on my shelf a bit later!
April 16th, 2007 at 11:32 am
I sell books on the interweb, mostly Canadiana, mostly to the US. Not a big deal. Is the USPS that much more expensive in reverse?
April 16th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Come on #165
April 16th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
The quick numbers I ran on postage shows a package (4lb, 3.5 oz) from CA to NY (zip zone 100) costs $3.98 via parcel post, book rate. Priority mail for the same was $12.80.
The same piece going to Canada via economy parcel post was $16.00.
Just FYI.
drbuzz0, unless you’re using a crystal to concentrate your energy, it won’t do any good.
April 16th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
That sounds like a weird unit: 3 pounds per pound for shipping to Britain. I read a report recently that a particular satellite orbits the Earth “twice every two hoursâ€; I wonder why they didn’t say “once every hourâ€?
April 16th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Whoops, I somehow posted that before I was finished. I’ll try again.
That sounds like a weird unit: 3 pounds per pound for shipping to Britain. I read a report recently that a particular satellite orbits the Earth “twice every two hoursâ€; I wonder why they didn’t say “once every hourâ€?
Perhaps because a satellite in a one-hour orbit would be somewhere in the mantle. The shortest possible freefall orbit is something like 80 minutes.
(Actually, a one-hour orbit might not be possible even if you allow a subterranean evacuated tunnel; the portion of the planet above you doesn’t contribute to its effective gravitational mass.)
But yeah, I want the book, and I’m in the US. Feel free to disregard one of my two comments when you pick the winner.
April 16th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
The BA says: “it’s a very heavy book (2 kilos/4.4 pounds!), and shipping internationally is prohibitively expensive– more than the cost of the book, in fact, in many cases (I picked some countries randomly to check prices, and one was $140!).”
$140!? Where the heck is that? Does it get its own first class seat with meal service?
I ship books (mostly my own) internationally and it’s about the same size (5 lbs/2.3 Kg) and the most expensive country to ship to is Japan. That costs about $40 for air and $35 for surface. Most European countries are under $30 for surface. GB is the exception for some reason. They are almost as expensive as Japan, but I get more of my international orders from there than any other place that has to cross an ocean. Canada is only $18 for air shipment of something that heavy. That’s from any state to any province.
- Jack
April 16th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Bearcub: That can’t be right. I have only paid 15 dollars for shipping ONCE from the US (via eBay) and that shipper was subsequently closed down for fraudulent shipping charges (though I didn’t bother reporting them. It was one of those “cheap item, charge a lot for shipping†scams). Most shipping is under 5 dollars from the US for me. And yes, I order a fair number of books from the US, not just single feathers in a box or anything.
April 16th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Crux Australis Says: “I read a report recently that a particular satellite orbits the Earth “twice every two hoursâ€; I wonder why they didn’t say “once every hourâ€?”
I suspect that report intended to say, “twice every three hours.” That’s just about the minimum orbital period in low earth orbit.
- Jack
April 16th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
“There is one caveat: Only people in the 50 US states are eligible for the book.”
Wow! I never knew that shipping to the District of Columbia was so expensive…
April 17th, 2007 at 4:55 am
But Mr BA…. I have friends in the USA… And I’ll be there in a few months… Would that let me enter as an alien?? Pwease??
Hmmm??
Philip from Australia.
April 17th, 2007 at 5:36 am
I wanna win the book! In the U.S.A
I’m sure this has been asked and answered?
What is perhaps the top 3 books and DVDs for novice to in his/her astronomy library.
April 17th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Are you shipping USPS? If so then I’m in the US, but not if you’re using UPS or FedEx…
April 17th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
gopher65:
One of the departments I supervise at work is the mail center. I got the numbers by placing a similar weight on the scale of our mail metering machine, and plugging in the various service options.
One thing that a seller has, is bulk rates in place. The costs I posted were based on a single shipment. Those usually tend to be higher than for an outfit shipping 100′s of pieces a day.
p.s. – sorry for not seeing this and responding sooner
April 17th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Interesting and different.
Thanks.
April 17th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
ah OK bearcub. It’s just that is a very similar price to what I just paid to have an individual on eBay (not a company) ship me a similar sized (larger bulk) parcel from the UK. What is the price to ship from the UK (which took 11 weeks by sea) the same as the price to ship from the US? And why would it even cost more to ship to Seattle than Vancover (as an example)? The distance involved can’t be it, since it is a darned sight father to ship to Alaska.
April 17th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
K, I have to remember to proofread before I post on these uneditable sites:P
April 18th, 2007 at 9:23 am
gopher65
I got $24.25 to the UK – economy parcel post.
Here’s a link to USPS international rates:
http://pe.usps.gov/text/Imm/Immctry.html
To answer your last question, I’m not really sure.
I haven’t been able to find anything that actually explains why the rate structure is the way it is. I’ll hazard a guess and say that at least part of reason has to do with hand-off to a different postal system.
I work in the freight industry and I know that it’s always more expensive to have a shipment split between 2 carriers than it would be to have it delivered by the same carrier that picked it up.
FWIW
April 18th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
*grumbles about their not being a global post service that governments pay to operate*
April 19th, 2007 at 11:33 am
[...] don’t forget to sign up to get a chance to win a free copy of the APOD book or a DVD screensav… The contest closes Saturday at noon [...]
April 20th, 2007 at 5:34 am
Well, what can I say? I want, I need, I have to have, I must have, should have, and finally just give it to me…I need to fill the space between my ears with something useful for a change.
Guess?
easy in life and love
imn8xtc
ConSorTcheZ
April 26th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
[...] am pleased to announce that we have our winners of the APOD book and Ambient Space DVD giveaway! The random numbers chosen were 124 and 102 (excluding my own first post on the bulletin board [...]
April 30th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
[...] rules are exactly the same as last time, except I’ll ship anywhere this time. And I could go into a lengthy description of the DVDs, [...]